Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Wednesday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
June 14, 2006
Wednesday 10th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II
1 KINGS 18:20-39
Ahab sent to all the children of Israel and had the prophets assemble
on Mount Carmel. Elijah appealed to all the people and said, "How long
will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal,
follow him." The people, however, did not answer him. So Elijah said to
the people, "I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD, and there are
four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. Give us two young bulls. Let
them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but
start no fire. I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood, but
shall start no fire. You shall call on your gods, and I will call on
the LORD. The God who answers with fire is God." All the people
answered, "Agreed!" Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose
one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call
upon your gods, but do not start the fire." Taking the young bull that
was turned over to them, they prepared it and called on Baal from
morning to noon, saying, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no sound, and
no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them: "Call louder, for he is a god
and may be meditating, or may have retired, or may be on a journey.
Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." They called out louder and
slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until
blood gushed over them. Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic
state until the time for offering sacrifice. But there was not a sound;
no one answered, and no one was listening. Then Elijah said to all the
people, "Come here to me." When the people had done so, he repaired the
altar of the LORD that had been destroyed. He took twelve stones, for
the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the LORD had said,
"Your name shall be Israel." He built an altar in honor of the LORD
with the stones, and made a trench around the altar large enough for
two measures of grain. When he had arranged the wood, he cut up the
young bull and laid it on the wood. "Fill four jars with water," he
said, "and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood." "Do it
again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he said,
and they did it a third time. The water flowed around the altar, and
the trench was filled with the water. At the time for offering
sacrifice, the prophet Elijah came forward and said, "LORD, God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God
in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things by
your command. Answer me, LORD! Answer me, that this people may know
that you, LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to their
senses." The LORD's fire came down and consumed the burnt offering,
wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, "The LORD is God!
The LORD is God!"
MATTHEW 5:17-19
Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not think that I have come to abolish
the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest
letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until
all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least
of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least
in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these
commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven."
REFLECTION
Matthew writes about a statement by Jesus that might well have
astonished the Jewish people: "Do not think that I have come to destroy
the law and the prophets. I have not come to destroy them but to
fulfill them ... As long as heaven and earth last, not the smallest
letter or stroke of the law will change until all is fulfilled."
Matthew in his Gospel was addressing Jewish-Christians. He had a
difficult row to hoe. On one hand he had to show that Jesus' teaching
and behavior were in continuity with the Sacred Scripture of the Jews.
On the other hand he had to be faithful to what Jesus taught; he had to
show Jesus radically reinterpreting the Scriptures. With his
reinterpretation Jesus was in fact drawing from the law the full truth,
goodness and beauty that always lay within it. He was, as he says in
today's Gospel, fulfilling the law, bringing it to completion.
Over and over again Jesus violated the laws of the Pharisees, and
defended his disciples when they were accused of disregarding them.
Jesus, for instance, paid no attention to the laws prescribing ritual
washing of hands before meals; he also healed sick people on the
Sabbath although this was clearly forbidden by the law.
Following today's Gospel passage are six citations drawn from the
Mosaic law. These are set in contrast to the same laws as interpreted
by Jesus. Jesus abandons the narrow, legalistic approach of the
Pharisees and calls for an internalization of values and traditions.
His approach to law flows from his vision of God who is love, relating
to the human person who is made in God's image.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the special intentions of Jasmin
- good health, safety and blessings for the Pe Family
- for the personal intentions of Jennette
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Nelly "Aleli" Lasin.
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 special Intentions of Carlo & Opine.
- for the personal intentions of Lyndon & Aimee
- for the speedy recovery of Ding Vidanes.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Eric Z. Sycip
- In Memoriam (+): Margarita Keh, M.D.
- 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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