Wednesday, February 08, 2006
THURSDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FEBRUARY 9, 2006
THURSDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR II
1 KINGS 11:4-13
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart
of his father David had been. By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the
Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites, Solomon did evil
in the sight of the LORD; he did not follow him unreservedly as his
father David had done. Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh,
the idol of Moab, and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites, on the
hill opposite Jerusalem. He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. The LORD,
therefore, became angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned
away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him this very act of following
strange gods, Solomon had not obeyed him). So the LORD said to
Solomon: "Since this is what you want, and you have not kept my
covenant and my statutes which I enjoined on you, I will deprive you
of the kingdom and give it to your servant. I will not do this
during your lifetime, however, for the sake of your father David; it
is your son whom I will deprive. Nor will I take away the whole
kingdom. I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant
David and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
MARK 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no
one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman
whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and
fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said
to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take
the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and
said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's
scraps." Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The
demon has gone out of your daughter." When the woman went home, she
found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
REFLECTION
God is at work in the hearts of all men and women, not just those
who are Christian. Look at the Gospel. True to his intention, Mark
was a non-Jew demonstrating what it means to have faith. A very
persistent woman who wants her daughter to be healed confronts
Jesus. She is so persistent that Jesus gives in to her and fulfills
her desire. The most amazing thing is that she is a pagan. How could
she possibly know who Jesus is, let alone have faith in him?
The Church in it is theology of conversion and evangelization tells
us that even before people hear the Gospel, the Holy Spirit is at
work in their hearts preparing them for this very event. The Second
Vatican Council also affirms that there are elements of the truth at
work in all cultures and religions and that the Church affirms and
encourages these aspects of them. St. Paul writes about our ability
to know and come to believe in God through the wonder and glory of
creation, even without specifically hearing the Gospel proclaimed.
The scriptures tell us that the Lord works with people who are
humble and obedient to him and his ways. If we fail to live
according to God's word, his blessings may well pass from us to
others, just as Paul explains his proclaiming the Gospel to the
Gentiles because the Jews would not listen to him.
If anything, we should be awed by the responsibility we bear as
Catholics. The fullness of the truth necessary for salvation
subsists within the Catholic Church. This means that we have a duty
and a responsibility to live out this truth to the full and, as
such, to be a beacon light lighting up for all peoples the path of
eternal salvation.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the speedy recovery of Ana Mendoza.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of the Mom of Dolly Ella.
Eternal rest grant unto her and may perpetual light shine upon her.
May she and all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Jun Santos. Eternal rest
grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he and
all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- in thanksgiving and for the continued full recovery of Ram
Ronquillo.
- for the personal intentions of RR.
- for the personal intentions of Anne.
- for the personal intentions of Charles and Cheryl C.
- for the good health of Papa Fabio, Papa Raul, Mama Baby, Mama
Terry.
- for the personal intentions of all the members of the Dapo family.
- for the special intentions of Jojo and Sheila.
- in thanksgiving for all the blessings received by Josheil.
- for special intentions of the Balingit family.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Michael Ong Se Hai
- Wedding Anniversary: Michael & Cathy G. Co
- 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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