Tuesday, February 07, 2006
WEDNESDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
FEBRUARY 8, 2006
WEDNESDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR II
1 KINGS 10:1-10
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's fame, came to test him
with subtle questions. She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous
retinue, and with camels bearing spices, a large amount of gold, and
precious stones. She came to Solomon and questioned him on every
subject in which she was interested. King Solomon explained
everything she asked about, and there remained nothing hidden from
him that he could not explain to her. When the queen of Sheba
witnessed Solomon's great wisdom, the palace he had built, the food
at his table, the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb
of his waiters, his banquet service, and the burnt offerings he
offered in the temple of the LORD, she was breathless. "The report I
heard in my country about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she
told the king. "Though I did not believe the report until I came and
saw with my own eyes, I have discovered that they were not telling
me the half. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours, who stand
before you always and listen to your wisdom. Blessed be the LORD,
your God, whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel, the LORD has made you king to carry
out judgment and justice." Then she gave the king one hundred and
twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious
stones. Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices as
the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
MARK 7:14-23
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me, all of
you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile
that person; but the things that come out from within are what
defile." When he got home away from the crowd his disciples
questioned him about the parable. He said to them, "Are even you
likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters
not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?"
(Thus he declared all foods clean.) "But what comes out of the man,
that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come
evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice,
deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these
evils come from within and they defile."
REFLECTION
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?" So goes that
famous line from the comic book character The Shadow and how apt a
summary for today's Gospel passage.
The Pharisees emphasized much on rituals and rules more than they
taught principle and meaning of what those rituals and rules meant.
They and the people they preached to were so caught up with these
rituals and rules that they neglected the spiritual sustenance of
their own souls.
We can go to Mass and pray the same prayers everyday but Jesus
reminds us that we should not depend on the Mass and the prayers we
recite to cure us from sin or should we recite them to make us
become holier, righteous people. The real us depends on what we
think and what we really value. It is from our hearts that we
achieve who we really are and how we influence those around us.
In the first reading we read how the Queen of Sheba was so impressed
by Solomon's wisdom that she praised him and gave him expensive
presents. However the story ends with the queen returning to her
own country without really saying how she applied what she has
learned.
Let us ask ourselves today, how do we apply to action what we hear
from the mass and from the prayers we recite? Do we reflect and
seek the message and true meaning of Jesus' words? Do we pray to
our Blessed Mother not because it is our habit to pray the Rosary or
because we ask for her intercession but because we want to feel her
presence and the love of her Son within us?
Finally, let us be reminded not to allow evil to lurk in our hearts
but rather to allow the goodness and purity of God's love to grow
within us.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the forthcoming medical board exams of Evangelyn Sandoval. May
the Holy Spirit provide her with wisdom, knowledge and strength.
- for the speedy recovery of Poch Tejada, Victoria Sy Contreras and
Chabel Go.
- for the speedy recovery of Ana Mendoza.
- for the repose of the soul of the Mom of Dolly Ella.
- for the repose of the soul of Jun Santos.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Dominador Benavidez, Jr.
- for the continuous healing of Raymond Alexander from brain cancer.
- for the intentions of the Heartman family
- for the eternal repose of our friend's soul, Darlene dela Pena.
- for the full recovery of Rodolfo Manguino who suffered a stroke.
- in thanksgiving and for continued full recovery of Ram Ronquillo.
- for the urgent personal intentions of RR.
- for the personal intentions of Anne.
- for the personal intentions of Charles and Cheryl C.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Ligaya Yeyeng Laviña
- Birthday: Quinta Atienza
- 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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