Thursday, January 26, 2006
FRIDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
JANUARY 27, 2006
FRIDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR II
2 SAMUEL 11:1-4A, 5-10A, 13-17
At the turn of the year, when kings go out on campaign, David sent
out Joab along with his officers and the army of Israel, and they
ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David, however, remained
in Jerusalem. One evening David rose from his siesta and strolled
about on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman
bathing, who was very beautiful. David had inquiries made about the
woman and was told, "She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife
of Joab's armor bearer Uriah the Hittite." Then David sent
messengers and took her. When she came to him, he had relations with
her. She then returned to her house. But the woman had conceived,
and sent the information to David, "I am with child." David
therefore sent a message to Joab, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So
Joab sent Uriah to David. When he came, David questioned him about
Joab, the soldiers, and how the war was going, and Uriah answered
that all was well. David then said to Uriah, "Go down to your house
and bathe your feet." Uriah left the palace, and a portion was sent
out after him from the king's table. But Uriah slept at the entrance
of the royal palace with the other officers of his lord, and did not
go down to his own house. David was told that Uriah had not gone
home. On the day following, David summoned him, and he ate and drank
with David, who made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to
sleep on his bed among his lord's servants, and did not go down to
his home. The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab which he
sent by Uriah. In it he directed: "Place Uriah up front, where the
fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down
dead." So while Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to a
place where he knew the defenders were strong. When the men of the
city made a sortie against Joab, some officers of David's army fell,
and among them Uriah the Hittite died.
MARK 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: "This is how it is with the Kingdom of
God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would
sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he
knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the
blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the
grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has
come." He said, "To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or
what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when
it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the
earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of
plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky
can dwell in its shade." With many such parables he spoke the word
to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did
not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything
in private.
REFLECTION
We may consider the two readings today as quite contrasting. We may
find in the first reading - David committing adultery - as an act
that may make us lose hope with David because up to this point, he
was a strong and loyal follower of God.
The Gospel reading, however, gives us renewed hope when Jesus
declares that even a person with faith as small as a mustard seed
can achieve great things for the glory of God.
Perhaps we can say that the readings today bring out the fundamental
nature of humans. Being human means to realize that we are
imperfect creatures no matter how intelligent, talented, or morally
upright we consider ourselves to be. As humans, we are prone to
temptation and sometimes fall into the trap of sin.
At the same time, despite all our human imperfections, worldly
pressures and temptations, we as human beings stand tall and pure in
the light of God even if we possess only a little faith in Jesus.
Faith is after all, not only about believing and acting as we do so
as disciples of Christ, but also asking God for pardon for our
transgressions and forgiving our neighbors for their own
weaknesses.
As humans, we may sometimes despair and lose hope especially when we
see evil things happening in the world. But as human beings, we
find hope in the good that we see through the hearts of othersthe
good that comes from Jesus who works through our faith in Him.
POINTS TO PONDER
At what stage is my spiritual growth? Is my faith enough to make me
step forward to a deeper stage of growth with Christ?
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray -
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- Thanksgiving and personal intentions of Baby Jane Figuerres.
- for the speedy recovery of Mr. Socrates Tirol.
- for the continued recovery of Mike Torres.
- for the speedy recovery of Chris N.
- healings for Molly, Paula, Cindy, Jimmy, Carol and Joann.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Nick V and Helen K. Eternal
rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May
they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for healing of Jason (5 years old), son of Utoyo and Melanie.
- for strength, courage and wisdom for Corie to renounce sin.
- for the speedy recovery and well-being of Jim and his wife, Alice.
- for the peace and unity of Charles & Cheryl C
- for the speedy recovery of Rodrigo.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Juanito Ong & Lo Suy Kam
- 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!
***************************************************************
Welcome to DAILY-HOMILY, a Catholic-based Scripture and Homily
Reflection. It is a great source for scripture reading and
Reflection for Weekdays, Sundays and Holydays of Obligation. Subscribe
to this list and you will receive a free, informed, down to earth and
illustrated homily. It's a FREE service.
***************************************************************
To subscribe or unsubscribe, tell friends about Daily-Homily, read past
reflection and feedbacks, give donation or submit a prayer request
please go to: http://homily.dailyfoodforthought.org/
Home: http://www.stjosephkingston.org/
Group Email: dailyhomily@gmail.com
To subscribe: subscribe_dh@dailyfoodforthought.org
To Unsubscribe: unsubscribe_dh@dailyfoodforthought.org
To post a Prayer Request: prayer_request@dailyfoodforthought.org
PRAYER FOR ENLIGHTENMENT BEFORE MEDITATING ON GOD'S WORD:
http://www.marythequeen.org/
Feel free to forward this to your friends, family and associates!
© 2005 Daily-Homily
