Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Memorial, St. John Chrysostom, Bishop & Doctor
September 13, 2006
Memorial, St. John Chrysostom, Bishop & Doctor
Wednesday 23rd Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II
1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-31
Brothers and sisters: In regard to virgins, I have no commandment from
the Lord, but I give my opinion as one who by the Lord's mercy is
trustworthy. So this is what I think best because of the present
distress: that it is a good thing for a person to remain as he is. Are
you bound to a wife? Do not seek a separation. Are you free of a wife?
Then do not look for a wife. If you marry, however, you do not sin, nor
does an unmarried woman sin if she marries; but such people will
experience affliction in their earthly life, and I would like to spare
you that. I tell you, brothers, the time is running out. From now on,
let those having wives act as not having them, those weeping as not
weeping, those rejoicing as not rejoicing, those buying as not owning,
those using the world as not using it fully. For the world in its
present form is passing away.
LUKE 6:20-26
Raising his eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: "Blessed are you who
are poor, for the Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now
hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping,
for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they
exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of
the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your
reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the
prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have
received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you
will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the
false prophets in this way."
REFLECTION
The beatitudes, as they are given by Matthew, are spiritual attitudes
required for entrance into the kingdom of God. "Blessed are the poor in
spirit ... blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness."
Luke's beatitudes, however, address people who here and now are poor,
hungry, painfully sad, people who are hated because of Jesus. These
people, Jesus says, are blessed. In what sense are they blessed?
Luke then shows Jesus pronouncing his "woes." He takes the same
concrete approach as with the beatitudes. You are cursed, you who here
and now are rich, who have full bellies, who now laugh, who are
praised. Cursed? In what sense are they cursed?
What's behind Jesus' values? What does he see in poverty, in hunger, in
sadness and in persecution that he should think them blessings from
God? Are we to embrace destitution? Are we to give up our efforts to
raise the poor out of their poverty? Are we to starve ourselves? Are we
to search out sorrow and persecution?
Fr. Donders suggests that the people Jesus is addressing have come out
purposely to listen to him. Jesus gives them hope. They want their
lives changed. They're longing for integrity in their world, respect
for human dignity, justice for the oppressed, joy in living. They want
Jesus to tell them how they are to bring about these changes. These
people are blessed, therefore, because they know what society lacks and
because they want change, newness in their lives. Those who are
complacent about the present situation, who themselves are comfortable,
not at all hungry, in no danger of persecution, they don't come out to
listen to Jesus. They're quite happy with the status quo. They're
cursed, Jesus says, because they're living in the present and have no
hope for the future.
A question each of us has to answer: Which of these value-sets do we
embrace as our own?
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the personal intentions of Ma.Fatima
- In thanksgiving for prayer granted: Jose Rigor
- In thanksgiving: Fely and Ernie
- In Memoriam (+): Eladio Ch. Rubio
- Birthday: Marlon V. Llamas
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Luz S. Lim
- Wedding Anniversary: Mario & Norma Chun Guan
- In Memoriam (+): Dr. Benito Tan (1922 -1998)
- 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!
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Feel free to forward this to your friends, family and associates!
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DAILY-HOMILY" group.
To subscribe email: dailyhomily@gmail.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to Daily_Homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit: http://homily.dailyfoodforthought.org/
Feel free to forward this to your friends, family and associates!
� 2006 Daily-Homily
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
