About this episode

Bishop Barron discusses the story of the Syrophoenician woman and offers a deeper interpretation that avoids portraying Jesus as a sinner.

Friends, for this Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear the story of the Syrophoenician woman. Jesus famously puts off this woman—first by ignoring her, then by dismissing her, and finally by insulting her—and she offers one of the most famous comebacks in literary history. A common reading of this story is that Jesus is cranky from a tough day of ministry, and a plucky woman from Syrophoenicia straightens him out. But this turns Jesus into a sinner—and the whole structure of Christianity falls apart. The Church Fathers had a much better, more convincing, and spiritually more helpful interpretation.

People in this episode

Host: Bishop Robert Barron

Topics covered

• Syrophoenician woman
• Jesus
• interpretation
• Christianity
• Church Fathers
• spirituality

Keywords

• Syrophoenician woman
• Jesus
• Christianity
• Church Fathers
• interpretation
• spirituality

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Church Fathers

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• The Church Prevails · August 19, 2026 · 15 min
• A Tiny Whispering Voice · August 6, 2026 · 15 min
• The Heart of Christianity · July 29, 2026 · 15 min

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