Here are some of the main themes in the Mass readings for the 20th Sunday of the Year.

1st Reading – Isaiah 56:1,6-7

• All who observe what is right and do what is just, even foreigners from distant lands, will serve and follow the Lord.
• God will bring all who follow him to the holy mountain, and there will be a house of prayer for all peoples.

Psalm – 67:2-3,5-6,8

• “O God, let all the nations praise you!”
• May God’s ways be known to all peoples, and all the ends of the earth fear the Lord.

2nd Reading – Romans 11:13-15,29-32

• Paul, a minister to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people), gives glory that he can do his ministry to make his own race jealous and thus save some of them.
• Paul’s hope is that as God’s gifts to the Jews are irrevocable, the Lord’s mercy will extend to those who have rejected Jesus.

Gospel – Matthew 15:21-28

• Jesus, traveling through the region of Tyre and Sidon, encounters a persistent Canaanite woman who is calling for help for her daughter who is tormented by a demon.
• Through their dialogue, Jesus heals the girl on account of her mother’s faith.

Mass Readings – 20th Sunday of the Year

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