Thursday, June 16, 2005
FRIDAY 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FRIDAY 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
JUNE 17, 2005
2 CORINTHIANS 11:18, 21-30
Brothers and sisters: Since many boast according to the flesh, I too
will boast. To my shame I say that we were too weak! But what anyone
dares to boast of (I am speaking in foolishness) I also dare. Are
they Hebrews? So am I. Are they children of Israel? So am I. Are they
descendants of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I am
talking like an insane person). I am still more, with far greater
labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous
brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received
forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I
was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day
on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers
from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles,
dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea,
dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many
sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent
fastings, through cold and exposure. And apart from these things,
there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the
churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led to sin, and I am
not indignant? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show
my weakness.
MATTHEW 6:19-23
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break
in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth
nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there also will your heart be. "The lamp of the body is
the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with
light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness
be."
REFLECTION
It's surprising how often Jesus warns us in the gospel about the
danger of earthly riches . . . maybe it's not surprising. Maybe
it's necessary. Because the danger is so subtle, so real.
Everyone wants a comfortable life. God imposed on Adam and Eve a
creation command: they were to take charge of the earth and develop
it so that it would become a worthy habitat for the generations to
follow. And Jesus, in his day, told us that he came that we might
have life and have it in its fullness.
Jesus in the very beginning of his instruction in today's gospel
zeros right in on the problem we have, "Don't lay up for yourselves
earthly treasure. It doesn't last. It's transient." But is there
anything more attractive to us than laying up for ourselves earthly
treasure? The trouble is that the line between comfort and luxury is
very faint. The temptation is subtle and real.
The Lord then says, "Make it your practice instead to store up
heavenly treasure." The simplest way to do so is to transmute our
earthly treasure into a heavenly fortune. For example, in a country
such as ours where poverty is so rampant, we can use our worldly
treasure to help a deprived family send their children to school.
Jesus both in the beginning and at the end of his public ministry
explains the process at work here. In the Sermon on the Mount he
says that the poor in spirit are blessed, as are those who hunger for
what is right. The poor in spirit are those who are not enslaved by
their earthly treasure, who do not hesitate to share it with those in
need. And surely to share it with those in need is to hunger for
what is right.
Toward the end of his ministry Jesus says in his parable on the Last
Judgment, "I am the family in need. When you help them, it is I whom
you help."
PRAYER
"Do not lay up for yourselves an earthly treasure. Instead make it
your practice to store up heavenly treasure. And remember, where your
treasure is, there also is your heart."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- For the safe travel of Cherie Torres.
- For the personal intentions of Particia M.
- For the safe travel of Jesus L. Ventura, for the constant
safety and good health of his family and for his other intentions.
- In Memoriam: Teofilo V. Mendoza. Eternal rest grant unto him
and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.
- For all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Wedding Anniversary: George & Esperanza Lee
- Wedding Anniversary: Dante & Mariza Ceñido
- For world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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