Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 16, 2026
Sr. Anne Mary O’Donnell, SNDdeN
Matthew 15: 21-28
When Pope John Paul II promulgated the five Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in 2002, I realized that Jesus cured five specific females, thus giving us five Healing Mysteries of the Rosary.
The first case was of a little girl, the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman. Jesus rejected her suit because mother and daughter were both Gentiles. Her quick reply to Jesus, that dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table, probably moved him to smile. Her faith moved him to cure her daughter, even at a distance. Before his Ascension, Jesus missioned the Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world.
The second case was Mary Magdalene, who was always named first in the list of women who supported Jesus in his public ministry. I think of her as in her thirties, personally and financially independent, free to travel with Jesus and his other disciples. She was not the sister of Martha and Lazarus, nor the sinful woman of Luke 7:37. Jesus cured her of seven demons (Luke 8:2), not sins of lust but a severe physical or psychological illness.
The third case was a woman in her forties, who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years. Because of this flow of blood, she was ritually impure. She did not touch Jesus, or his cloak, but the tassel of his cloak. Her touch did not contaminate him, but his strength cured her.
The fourth case was Peter’s mother-in-law, in her fifties, sick with a fever, perhaps malaria. People don’t always die of malaria, but it recurs periodically. This woman was glad to serve the honored guest, Jesus, at table. When Peter left his home to follow Jesus, she was able to help her daughter manage the household.
The fifth case was a woman in her sixties or older, who suffered from curvature of the spine for eighteen years. She did not ask Jesus to cure her, but he took the initiative to do so. I do not ask to be cured of the diminishments of old age, only the grace to bear them cheerfully.
I hope that you too will meditate upon these five Healing Mysteries of the Rosary. Anne Mary O’Donnell, SNDdeN
Matthew 15: 21-28
At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying,
“Lord, help me.”
He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.
Meet Sister Anne Mary O’Donnell, SNDdeN
