Universal Faith

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge our tendency to put people in categories of worthiness that are contrary to the action of God with humanity.

Guides for our Path in Faith

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah proclaims a universalism of Salvation for the Just.

* [56:1] This opening verse echoes themes that are well known throughout the Book of Isaiah: justice and right judgment (1:27; 5:7, 16; 9:6; 16:5; 26:9; 28:17; 32:1, 16; 33:5; 42:1, 4, 6; 45:8, 13, 19), salvation and deliverance (12:3; 26:18; 33:2; 45:8, 21; 46:13; 51:5, 6, 8). These themes will be developed also throughout Third Isaiah.

* [56:7] This verse continues the theme of universalism found in Is 49:6. As Israel was to be “a light to the nations” so that God’s “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth,” so now does that come to pass as foreigners, faithful to the divine commands, are brought to the Temple by God and joined to the covenant community of Israel. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 56 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 67 prays “May God be gracious to us”.

* [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God.

* [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27. (Psalms, PSALM 67 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Letter of Paul to the Romans proclaims the Gentiles’ Salvation through God’s Irrevocable Call.

* [11:11–15] The unbelief of the Jews has paved the way for the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles and for their easier acceptance of it outside the context of Jewish culture. Through his mission to the Gentiles Paul also hopes to fill his fellow Jews with jealousy. Hence he hastens to fill the entire Mediterranean world with the gospel. Once all the Gentile nations have heard the gospel, Israel as a whole is expected to embrace it. This will be tantamount to resurrection of the dead, that is, the reappearance of Jesus Christ with all the believers at the end of time.

* [11:25–29] In God’s design, Israel’s unbelief is being used to grant the light of faith to the Gentiles. Meanwhile, Israel remains dear to God (cf. Rom 9:13), still the object of special providence, the mystery of which will one day be revealed.

* [11:30–32] Israel, together with the Gentiles who have been handed over to all manner of vices (Rom 1), has been delivered…to disobedience. The conclusion of Rom 11:32 repeats the thought of Rom 5:20, “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” (Romans, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus declares the Canaanite Woman’s Faith.

* [15:21–28] See note on Mt 8:5–13. (Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [8:5–13] This story comes from Q (see Lk 7:1–10) and is also reflected in Jn 4:46–54. The similarity between the Q story and the Johannine is due to a common oral tradition, not to a common literary source. As in the later story of the daughter of the Canaanite woman (Mt 15:21–28) Jesus here breaks with his usual procedure of ministering only to Israelites and anticipates the mission to the Gentiles. (Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB, n.d.)

A Member of the Creighton University Community comments that a theme running through today’s readings is that of universalism. Universalism is at the root of Christianity, indeed the very word Catholic means precisely, “all-encompassing.”

The reason I can proclaim the gospel in English is precisely universalism, since the Gospel was not initially proclaimed in English and in fact it was not even proclaimed in Greek, the language of the written gospels, but in Aramaic. After centuries of circling the wagons, the Church has regained this universal perspective and ecumenism has been strongly present in the Second Vatican Council and in the Popes since that council. 

A non-adversarial attitude. (Member of the Creighton University Community, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Mother of the Gentiles,” by Epiphanius the Latin (late 5th century).

"After our Lord departed from the Jews, he came into the regions of Tyre and Sidon. He left the Jews behind and came to the Gentiles. Those whom he had left behind remained in ruin; those to whom he came obtained salvation in their alienation. And a woman came out of that territory and cried, saying to him, 'Have pity on me, O Lord, Son of David!' O great mystery! The Lord came out from the Jews, and the woman came out from her Gentile territory. He left the Jews behind, and the woman left behind idolatry and an impious lifestyle. What they had lost, she found. The one whom they had denied in the law, she professed through her faith. This woman is the mother of the Gentiles, and she knew Christ through faith. Thus on behalf of her daughter (the Gentile people) she entreated the Lord. The daughter had been led astray by idolatry and sin and was severely possessed by a demon." (excerpt from INTERPRETATION OF THE GOSPELS 58) (Schwager, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments in the passage in Trito-Isaiah, post 539 BCE after the Exile in Babylon, that there are many Gentiles who have joined Israel. The Jewish people who remained in Jerusalem were more open to these new people but those returned wanted to keep Israel separate and holy. Friar Jude points to the former attitude in Jonah and the latter in Haggai and Zachariah to purify themselves. Paul is not calling for rejection of Jews but to convert them by showing the pagans can be saved and in their jealousy they may want to be saved too. God’s full plan is beyond our understanding. Everything, mistakes too, are an opportunity for God to show love and mercy. A Canaanite pagan woman, in Matthew, is told Jesus comes for Israel. Even as some hints in Magi, Centurian, and this woman that this may be a sarcastic and critical saying from Jesus to reveal her cleverness that moves Jesus. Friar Jude comments that she insists, as we should, when we pray to be clever and we may find what we truly need.

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 15:21-28 comments that the Canaanite woman was eager to believe. She believed he had the power and the willingness to work a miracle. As a result, she, a Gentile, experienced his love and power: her daughter “was healed from that hour” (Matthew 15:28).

This woman’s trust endeared her to Jesus—and to readers of Matthew’s Gospel ever since. Just as Jesus commended her faith, he welcomes all of us when we come to him with humble faith. He wants to shower his healing and “mercy upon all” (Romans 11:32). So if you hesitate to bring your needs to Jesus—or to return to the sacraments after time away—let this mother’s faith strengthen yours!

“Jesus, I believe in you!” (Meditation on Matthew 15:21-28, n.d.)

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, describes why the example and message of the Hebrew prophets continue to be important for us today. There must be someone—or several someones—in every age who can tell the faith community, and society at large: Your first egoic glance at life—and God—­is largely wrong! And it is largely engendered by fear. “No one else is your problem,” says the prophet. “You are your own problem.

We must be eternally conscious of this fact: For the untransformed self, religion is the most dangerous temptation of all. Our egos, when they are validated by religion, are given full permission to enslave, segregate, demean, defraud, and inflate—because all bases are covered with pre-ascribed virtue and a supposed hatred of evil. This is what the prophets expose in their wholesale assault on temple worship, priestly classes, self- serving commandments, and intergenerational wealth. “Be very careful here!” they keep shouting. The prophets know that religion is the best and that religion also risks being the worst. We love to choose sides and declare ourselves sinless and pure and orthodox (“right”), with little evidence that it is true. This is always a surprise to everyone except the prophets. (Rohr, n.d.)

We praise the Spirit as we witness how God calls people of all heritage and history to join Him to be witness to love, faith, and hope as gifts from the Divine for all His siblings.

References

Isaiah, CHAPTER 56 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/56?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 15 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/15?21 

Matthew, CHAPTER 8 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8? 

Meditation on Matthew 15:21-28. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/08/16/1648333/ 

Member of the Creighton University Community. (n.d.). Daily Reflection August 16, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-august-16-2026 

Psalms, PSALM 67 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/67?2 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Naming Our Idolatry. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/naming-our-idolatry/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/11? 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Great Is Your Faith! Be It Done for You as You Desire. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved August 16, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Mission of Reform

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church, challenge us to contemplate how the response of St. Catherine and Paul and Barnabas to the mission they received from Christ might guide our efforts to be signs of peace and love in our communities.

St Catherine of Siena Church

The Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents the First Mission that Begins in Cyprus.

* [12:25] They returned to Jerusalem: many manuscripts read “from Jerusalem,” since Acts 11:30 implies that Paul and Barnabas are already in Jerusalem. This present verse could refer to a return visit or subsequent relief mission. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

* [13:1–3] The impulse for the first missionary effort in Asia Minor is ascribed to the prophets of the Antiochene community, under the inspiration of the holy Spirit. Just as the Jerusalem community had earlier been the center of missionary activity, so too Antioch becomes the center from which the missionaries Barnabas and Saul are sent out.

* [13:4–14:27] The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14–52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and “God-fearers” (see note on Acts 8:26–40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44–50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1–2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions.

* [13:5] John: that is, John Mark (see Acts 12:12, 25). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 67 is a petition for a bountiful harvest.

* [Psalm 67] A petition for a bountiful harvest (Ps 67:7), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God.

* [67:2] May God be gracious to us: the people’s petition echoes the blessing pronounced upon them by the priests, cf. Nm 6:22–27. (Psalms, PSALM 67 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents a Recapitulation of His Teaching

j. [12:44] 13:20; 14:1.

k. [12:45] 14:7–9.

l. [12:46] 1:9; 8:12.

m. [12:47] 3:17.

n. [12:48] Lk 10:16; Heb 4:12.

o. [12:49] 14:10, 31; Dt 18:18–19.

Sara Schulte-Bukowinski comments that Catherine of Siena is perhaps best known for her efforts to bring an end to the Avignon Papacy, her extreme penitential practices, reception of the stigmata, and for being named a Doctor of the Church.

She was an ascetic, but placed her reliance more on virtue than penance (The Dialogue, 17). She was a person who lived in the tensions.

Amidst those tensions Catherine entered deeply into the spiritual life, experiencing incredible insights from her intimate relationship with the Divine. She found the most stable cloister cell was an interior place, not dependent on physical location. In this inner cell she began to understand that her reverence for God is bound up with knowledge of herself. To know one’s self is ultimately to know God who “is,” because the self “is not” without God. She advances the basic Biblical proposition that we are made in the image of God, and goes so far as to say that “it is, indeed, through the effect of love, that the soul becomes another Himself…the soul unites herself with God by the affection of love” (The Dialogue, 1-2). Catherine’s language is that of relationship, not of obligation. (Schulte-Bukowinski, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father, by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"[Our Lord] gradually accustoms their minds to penetrate the depth of the mysteries concerning himself, [leading them] not to the human person but to that which was of the divine essence. He does this inasmuch as the Godhead is apprehended completely in the person of God the Father, for he has in himself the Son and the Spirit. With exceeding wisdom he carries them onward, ... for he does not exclude himself from being believed on by us because he is God by nature and has shone forth from God the Father. But skillfully (as has been said) he handles the mind of the weak to mold them to godliness in order that you might understand him to say something like this: 'When you believe on me - I who, for your sakes, am a man like yourselves, but who also am God by reason of my own nature and because of the Father from whom I exist - do not suppose that it is on a man you are setting your faith. For I am by nature God, notwithstanding that I appear like one of yourselves, and I have within myself him who begat me. Forasmuch therefore as I am consubstantial with him that has begotten me, your faith will assuredly pass on also to the Father himself.' As we said therefore, the Lord, gradually trains them to something better and profitably interweaves the human with what is God-befitting." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 8.7) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 12:44-50 comments that Jesus makes it clear that he came to rescue us from the “darkness” of our sin (John 12:46).

He came, not to “condemn” us, but to “save” us (12:47). He has spoken about condemnation and salvation throughout the Gospel of John (3:17-18; 5:24, 29; 8:10-11). Now he announces one more time that everyone who believes in his words, which come from his Father, will be saved from the “darkness” and be brought into the “light” (12:46). These words of his will be our final judge: did we treasure them and strive to follow them?

Jesus never minces words. He wants us to be clear-eyed about our sins and about our need for his salvation. But he also wants us to be clear about the mercy that he extends to everyone who places his words at the center of their hearts and actions. There is not a single soul who is beyond the reach of his love. There is not a single unredeemable person. He promised that whoever believes in him can be saved. Whoever believes in him can have eternal life. Whoever believes in him “will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24).

“Jesus, thank you for your great gift of salvation!” (Meditation on John 12:44-50, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that in Acts we hear the Barbabas and Paul take John Mark to Antioch. Barnabas and Saul are set aside by laying on of hands to implore the Spirit to lead to them to the synagogues of Cyprus The message is brought first to the Jews then to the Gentiles. If you see Christ, you see the Father who has sent Him to reveal life and love. If we accept we are saved, if we reject we are lost. We have to embrace salvation. God can’t force us to Love Him. Friar Jude comments that living in non love and evil is our condemnation and it is brought upon ourselves.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Author Diana Butler Bass, who recounts how fear continued to accompany the disciples well after the resurrection. Butler Bass acknowledges that fear is a biological response and universal experience, but that Jesus’s assurance is also true. 

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you….’ When he had said this, he breathed on them…”

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

The door opens toward love—the love of God, the love of neighbor.

I can’t explain it. All I know is that it is right. And I feel it. When I’m scared, I breathe. My breath. Sacred breath. Spirit breath. The in, out, in, out, in, out of life. My heart slows and opens, making room for the other, giving space to love. In, out, in, out. Breathe in peace. Breathe out love.

Peace, love. Peace, love.

Fear abates.

Perfect love casts out fear.

I think of the first words of scripture, how “in the beginning” there was nothing but chaos. Then, God breathed. Chaos was transformed by that breath into a world of beauty and sustenance.

Easter began in confusion and terror behind a locked door. Now, it comes to a quiet conclusion in the breathing … the promise and possibility of new creation. Peace, love.

Perhaps that’s what is meant by resurrection. Being raised from the deadened weight of fear to love. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the Spirit to inspire our transformation from fear of rejection and ridicule to being witness to the peace and love that Jesus calls us to present to the world.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/12?24 

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/13 

Meditation on John 12:44-50. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 26, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/29/1552558/ 

Psalms, PSALM 67 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/67? 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/breathing-in-love-breathing-out-fear/ 

Schulte-Bukowinski, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-29-2026 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Believe in Me - That You May Not Remain in Darkness. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 29, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/