Monday, August 01, 2005
TUESDAY 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
AUGUST 2, 2005
TUESDAY 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I
NUMBERS 12:1-13
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the marriage he
had contracted with a Cushite woman. They complained, "Is it through
Moses alone that the LORD speaks? Does he not speak through us also?"
And the LORD heard this. Now, Moses himself was by far the meekest man
on the face of the earth. So at once the LORD said to Moses and Aaron
and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the meeting tent." And the three
of them went. Then the LORD came down in the column of cloud, and
standing at the entrance of the tent, called Aaron and Miriam. When
both came forward, he said, "Now listen to the words of the LORD:
Should there be a prophet among you, in visions will I reveal myself to
him, in dreams will I speak to him; not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he bears my trust: face to face I speak to him;
plainly and not in riddles. The presence of the LORD he beholds. Why,
then, did you not fear to speak against my servant Moses?" So angry
was the LORD against them that when he departed, and the cloud withdrew
from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper! When Aaron turned
and saw her a leper, he said to Moses, "Ah, my lord! Please do not
charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed! Let her not
thus be like the stillborn babe that comes forth from its mother's womb
with its flesh half consumed." Then Moses cried to the LORD, "Please,
not
this! Pray, heal her!"
MATTHEW 14:22-36
Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other
side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went
up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there
alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being
tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the
fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea.
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It
is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke
to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him
in reply, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the
water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became
frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to
him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into
the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him
homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God." After making the
crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place
recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People
brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might
touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were
healed.
REFLECTION
Moses together with his siblings, Miriam and Aaron, were a family
blessed by God. God blessed Moses with the gift of leadership for the
sake of his people, although on occasions Moses would be hard put to
see this as a gift. God also blessed Aaron, appointing him assistant
to Moses in his dealings with Pharaoh. Miriam was a prophetess. She
led the women in praising and thanking God after he had led the
Israelites through the Red Sea to freedom.
Especially blessed by God, these three. Together they were involved in
events bigger than life, events that sing of the Almighty's power and
his ever faithful love. Yet two of them, Miriam and Aaron, show
themselves to be petty-minded little people, envious of the gifts given
to, and of the heroic deeds accomplished by Moses. They whine, "Is it
through Moses alone that the Lord speaks? Does he not speak through us
also."
Envy, jealousy, strikes at the heart of any community. When it
strikes, it tears the community apart setting member against member.
Destroy love in a community and you've killed cooperative action aimed
at accomplishing the purpose of the community. You've deprived the
community of the reason for its existence. The community will wither
and die.
Envy is particularly deadly when it's found in a religious community,
for instance, in groups of priests or religious, in parish
organizations, in religious organizations that are independent of the
parish and the diocese. Envy can destroy all these groups.
Why is envy deadly in religious groups? Because its movement is
centripetal, turning the individual inward to the self. There's no
concern for the other, there's concern only about "me." This sort of
movement is diametrically opposed to the Christian project. The
Christian dynamic is love reaching out to others. "God so loved the
world that he gave his only son."
This may be why God's punishment of Miriam, although it was in a
pre-Christian era, was so severe. Perhaps he felt that if an envious
attitude were to become widespread, cooperative efforts among the
Israelites would cease. They would never get to the Promised Land.
PRAYER
"Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours.
Strengthen my heart and my will that I may I choose to love what is
good and to hate what is evil."
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the speedy recovery and good health of Emiliano Esparaguera Jr.
- for the special intentions of Alyssa.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Jovi B. Asturias. Eternal rest
grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in
peace.
- for the special intentions of Lara Autor.
- Wedding Anniversary: Ronnie and Erlinda
- Birthday: George Patena
- Birthday: Gil Calimon
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Lesley Ann G. Choa
- Prayer Intention: Christopher Yao Robato
- Wedding Anniversary: Brenda & Gil Hernandez
- 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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