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/ 

Grace Blessing and Love

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, invite us to contemplate the love that is the mystery of the Trinity and act to build relationships with the people on our journey.

Celebrate the Holy Trinity

The reading from Exodus declares God as merciful and gracious.

* [34:6] Gracious…fidelity: this succinct poetic description of God is an often-repeated statement of belief (see Nm 14:18; Ps 103:8; 145:8; Jl 2:13; Jon 4:2). All the terms describe God’s relationship to the covenant people. (Exodus, CHAPTER 34, n.d.)

The response from the Book of Daniel proclaims Glory and praise for ever!

* [3:24–90] These verses are additions to the Aramaic text of Daniel, translated from the Greek form of the book. They were probably first composed in Hebrew or Aramaic, but are no longer extant in the original language. The Roman Catholic Church has always regarded them as part of the canonical Scriptures. (Daniel, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

The reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians offers final greetings and Benediction.

* [13:11–13] These verses may have originally concluded 2 Cor 10–13, but they have nothing specifically to do with the material of that section. It is also possible to consider them a conclusion to the whole of 2 Corinthians in its present edited form. The exhortations are general, including a final appeal for peace in the community. The letter ends calmly, after its many storms, with the prospect of ecclesial unity and divine blessing. The final verse is one of the clearest trinitarian passages in the New Testament.

(2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus teaches Nicodemus about the Love of God.

* [3:16] Gave: as a gift in the incarnation, and also “over to death” in the crucifixion; cf. Rom 8:32.

* [3:17–19] Condemn: the Greek root means both judgment and condemnation. Jesus’ purpose is to save, but his coming provokes judgment; some condemn themselves by turning from the light. (John, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that our human arrogance desires to figure out God, just as we like to figure out everybody else for safety reasons, so we can perform, manipulate or render benevolent the other.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit are good words, names, human concepts, but these do not take away our desire for “More please” which keeps us reaching. What John’s verses say to us is that this One-God does not choose to love us as we do with one another. This One-God does one relational move, to continually and constantly and creationly love us and each. We want to know why and how and for how long and be satisfied!! We would wish to objectify this God so we could perhaps get more love, or more forgiveness or more new objects to figure out.

What we celebrate in this liturgy is our human limitedness and the infinite embrace of the un-figure-outableness of this mystery Jesus called Father. We, like Moses bow down and in our humility say, “If that’s the way You want it, well it’s not really the way we’d like it, but okay”. “Have it Your Way and Ways”. God so loves the world that He keeps sending us life and life eternal. This is all not to be figured out or objectified, but received, not achieved, but believed. (Gillick, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “The pledge of the Holy Spirit,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.

"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with His sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed His pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts" (excerpt from De Mysteriis 7, 42). (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 comments on the  familiar verse from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians as one of the clearest passages in the New Testament that talks about the Holy Trinity.

 

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. (2 Corinthians 13:13)

And while Paul’s prayer does not even begin to exhaust the depth and complexity of the Trinity, it can certainly give us some insight. So let’s ponder these words to explore how each Person of the Trinity might want to be with all of us today.

As you join your fellow parishioners in worshipping this triune God at Mass today, know that he is pouring out his grace on “all of you” (2 Corinthians 13:13). So go ahead and open your heart to receive it.

“Holy Trinity, you are a mystery. Help me to say yes to your work in my life today.” (Meditation on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, n.d.)

John Moffatt SJ , who teaches Scripture at the Jesuit Institute, says the Trinity can be a ‘dauntingly abstract concept ‘, but it is important for us to use words and images, as far as we can, to explore the truth that it represents: ‘the single origin of all things is in essence relationship’.

The writers of the fourth century constantly draw on images from the New Testament to paint a picture of a God whose dynamic creativity is still at work. The Spirit transforms the hearts of believers, enabling them to follow the pathway of the Word and find their way home to the presence of the Father. The divine three, who share all they have in common, call, guide and raise up humankind to participate in the oneness of their glory and delight.

But they are also careful to point out the limits of what they say and indeed of what can be said. In the end our words and concepts crumble when we speak of God. We are left with images to guide our understanding in the direction it needs to go. Three suns, one light. One ray of light refracted into three colours. Three notes forming a single harmony. These give us hints and glimpses of how it can be that the reality behind all things begins and ends in love. (Moffatt, 2013)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the extraordinary event in the Exodus passage as God reveals His Name and nature as mercy and grace to Moses. In 2 Corinthians, Paul presents the first unambiguous mention of Trinity in the mid 50’s. Friar Jude reminds us that God cannot force us to love Him as we learn of Jesus and the Cross as the meaning of Divine Love.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, believes that the doctrine of the Trinity affirms the relational, loving nature of reality.

In the Trinity, love finally has a solid definition and description. If Trinity is the template for all creation, from atoms to galaxies, then a fine metaphor for God is that of a water wheel that is always outpouring in one direction. Giving and surrendered receiving are the shape of reality. Now love becomes much bigger than mere emotions, feelings, infatuation, or passing romance. It is even the physical and metaphysical shape of the universe…

With Trinity as the first and final template for reality, love is the ontological “Ground of Being” itself (as Paul Tillich has said). [2] It is the air that we breathe, as any true mystic discovers, consciously or unconsciously. We do not have to be able to describe this in words to experience it. In fact, we can’t describe it. We can only live it and breathe it. (Rohr, 2023)

We contemplate the grace through which our lives are made full and ponder the message of Trinity as the template for relationships.

References

Daniel, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/daniel/3?52 

Exodus, CHAPTER 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/34? 

Gillick, L. (2023, June 4). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060423.html 

John, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/3?16 

Meditation on 2 Corinthians 13:11-13. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/04/699488/ 

Moffatt, J. (2013, May 24). God is three and God is one. Thinking Faith. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20130524_1.htm 

Rohr, R. (2023, June 4). The Ultimate Paradigm Shift — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-ultimate-paradigm-shift-2023-06-04/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). God's Incredible Gift of Love for the World. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun4 

2 Corinthians, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 4, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2corinthians/13?11