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/ 

Born Again to Boldness

 The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to contemplate our call to boldness and renewed action to accept the prompting of the Spirit to be visible as followers of Jesus in our environment.

New Life in Community

The Reading from the Book of Acts asserts the Power of Prayer of the Community

* [4:27] Herod: Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39, who executed John the Baptist and before whom Jesus was arraigned; cf. Lk 23:6–12.

* [4:31] The place…shook: the earthquake is used as a sign of the divine presence in Ex 19:18; Is 6:4. Here the shaking of the building symbolizes God’s favorable response to the prayer. Luke may have had as an additional reason for using the symbol in this sense the fact that it was familiar in the Hellenistic world. Ovid and Virgil also employ it. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

In Psalm 2, God responds vigorously to rebellious kings.

* [Psalm 2] A royal Psalm. To rebellious kings (Ps 2:1–3) God responds vigorously (Ps 2:4–6). A speaker proclaims the divine decree (in the legal adoption language of the day), making the Israelite king the earthly representative of God (Ps 2:7–9) and warning kings to obey (Ps 2:10–11). The Psalm has a messianic meaning for the Church; the New Testament understands it of Christ (Acts 4:25–27; 13:33; Heb 1:5). (Psalms, PSALM 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus instructs Nicodemus about the necessity of a new birth from above.

* [3:1–21] Jesus instructs Nicodemus on the necessity of a new birth from above. This scene in Jerusalem at Passover exemplifies the faith engendered by signs (Jn 2:23). It continues the self-manifestation of Jesus in Jerusalem begun in Jn 2. This is the first of the Johannine discourses, shifting from dialogue to monologue (Jn 3:11–15) to reflection of the evangelist (Jn 3:16–21). The shift from singular through Jn 3:10 to plural in Jn 3:11 may reflect the early church’s controversy with the Jews.

* [3:1] A ruler of the Jews: most likely a member of the Jewish council, the Sanhedrin; see note on Mk 8:31.

* [3:3] Born: see note on Jn 1:13. From above: the Greek adverb anōthen means both “from above” and “again.” Jesus means “from above” (see Jn 3:31) but Nicodemus misunderstands it as “again.” This misunderstanding serves as a springboard for further instruction.

* [3:8] Wind: the Greek word pneuma (as well as the Hebrew rûah) means both “wind” and “spirit.” In the play on the double meaning, “wind” is primary. (John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

David Crawford takes a look at how Nicodemus arrived on the scene.

It is humbling to think how much I can be like Nicodemus. Too often, I show up in prayer, worship, or service on my own schedule, when I find it convenient. Frequently, I self-righteously think my platitudes of praise should please God, especially considering what an upstanding person I am and how many “good” things I do. Many times, my initial response to God speaking – through Scriptures, homilies, prayers, etc. – is to dismiss anything that challenges me to see the world in new ways. …

To recap: Nicodemus arrived a bit arrogantly; and he learned humility. Nicodemus wanted to know if Jesus was worthy enough to merit a relationship; and he discovered that he was the one who was not worthy. Nicodemus showed up likely satisfied with who he had become – a respected leader of the Jewish community, a Pharisee known for piety and knowledge of the Law; and in a short time, Jesus began the transformation of Nicodemus into a person whose words and actions would be more in line with what God wants. We should all be so lucky. (Crawford, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Reborn and Fed by the Spirit,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"And then that rebirth, which brings about the forgiveness of all past sins, takes place in the Holy Spirit, according to the Lord's own words, 'Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.' But it is one thing to be born of the Spirit, another to be fed by the Spirit; just as it is one thing to be born of the flesh, which happens when a mother gives birth, and another to be fed from the flesh, which appears when she nurses the baby. We see the child turn to drink with delight from the bosom of her who brought it forth to life. Its life continues to be nourished by the same source which brought it into being." (excerpt from Sermon 71.19) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 3:1-8 comments that in truth, it takes time for us to grow into the people Jesus wants us to become. It’s a gradual process of learning a new way of life, of trying and sometimes failing, of growing and changing, of getting used to hearing God’s voice and receiving the love and grace of his Spirit. But for any of that to happen, we need to keep seeking the Lord. We can’t just wait to absorb our new life. 

St. Ignatius of Loyola is a clear example. Laid up in bed as he recovered from a wound sustained in battle, he realized that thinking about the glory he might achieve as a soldier left him feeling oppressed. But imagining himself imitating the saints lifted his heart and filled him with excitement. He later said that his eyes “were opened a little” to see how fulfilling life in Christ could be. And with that small revelation, Ignatius started to change. He longed to be with the Lord in prayer. He sought forgiveness for his sins. He wanted to spend his life sharing the good news of Christ—and that’s exactly what he ended up doing!

How have your eyes been “opened a little”? What’s the next step you can take to live your new life in the kingdom of God?

“Jesus, open my eyes as you opened St. Ignatius’ eyes!” (Meditation on John 3:1-8, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that, in the Acts passage, Peter and John speak after interrogation by the Jewish authorities about continuing to praise God. The secular powers had no authority over them, as they are guided by the Holy Spirit. This is not as prominent in Luke’s Gospel, but in Acts the Spirit guides the Church. In the Gospel of John, Nicodemus comes to Jesus three times at night in fear, second, defending Him with the Law, and third to bury Jesus. In ancient writing people are what they were but in John’s Gospel we are to continue to grow until we die. Jesus clears up the role of  Baptism, as some were attacking the Sacraments. We have to participate in the Sacraments and we have to accept the Spirit as necessary against our concupiscence or “fleshiness”. Friar Jude declares we have to be born again in the Holy Spirit to allow God to lead us in the direction of love.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, considers how Jesus calls us to be liberated from the agendas of our inflated egos. Scholarship today is discovering a much more radical and demanding Jesus than either Catholicism or Protestantism was ever ready for.

We distorted the message so it wasn’t primarily about a transformation of the ego but freedom from the body self. We largely transferred everybody’s guilt concerns toward the body. We concentrated on repressing and punishing the body, not giving the body too much pleasure, freedom, or delight. It’s not that there aren’t issues there, but the ego, in my opinion, has gotten away scot-free in the Western church. We allowed egos to get out of control while being quite anxious to appear chaste, self-disciplined, and not too greedy. …

Liberation from the ego self is liberation from the world of forms and images. Jesus’s word for that was mammon: “You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). If we’re playing the game of appearance and power, prestige, and possessions, Jesus says we cannot know God. That’s pretty absolute! There’s a correlation between our preoccupation with image and how much—or how little—we’ve experienced the inner life.  

Jesus also liberates us from the ego self by his constant warnings against negativity and oppositional thinking. In general, his word for that liberation is forgiveness. Two thirds of Jesus’s teaching is directly or indirectly about forgiveness. To live oppositionally is to be holding some degree of resentment or unhealed negative energy that we have not brought to the divine presence for transformation.  (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek openness to be “born again” in the life of the Spirit that rejects ego and self aggrandizement and supports acceptance, love, and forgiveness.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/4?23 

Crawford, D. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-april-13-2026 

John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3? 

Meditation on John 3:1-8. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/04/13/1542985/ 

Psalms, PSALM 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/2?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Liberation from the Ego’s Agenda. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/liberation-from-the-egos-agenda/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Unless One Is Born Anew. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 13, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/