Monday, July 17, 2006
Tuesday 15th Week in Ordinary Time
July 18, 2006
Tuesday 15th Week in Ordinary Time - Yr II
ISAIAH 7:1-9
In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,
Rezin, king of Aram, and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah, went
up to attack Jerusalem, but they were not able to conquer it. When word
came to the house of David that Aram was encamped in Ephraim, the heart
of the king and the heart of the people trembled, as the trees of the
forest tremble in the wind. Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to
meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub, at the end of the conduit of
the upper pool, on the highway of the fuller's field, and say to him:
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear; let not your courage
fail before these two stumps of smoldering brands the blazing anger of
Rezin and the Arameans, and of the son Remaliah, because of the
mischief that Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah, plots against you,
saying, "Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,
and appoint the son of Tabeel king there." Thus says the LORD: This
shall not stand, it shall not be! Damascus is the capital of Aram, and
Rezin is the head of Damascus; Samaria is the capital of Ephraim, and
Remaliah's son the head of Samaria. But within sixty years and five,
Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!
MATTHEW 11:20-24
Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had
been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to
you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth
and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon
on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will
you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the nether world. For if
the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would
have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
REFLECTION
Ahaz, King of Judah, a royal prince of David's line, was caught in a
political quandary. The powerful kingdom of Assyria was looking
southward, threatening the kingdoms of Israel and Damascus. The kings
of Israel and Damascus wanted to depose King Ahaz from Judah's throne
and put a puppet in his place. Then with Israel, Damascus and Judah
united, they thought that they would be able to withstand the threats
of Assyria.
Ahaz was terrified by the thought of war with Israel and Damascus. The
only way he could meet this threat and prevail, he thought, would be to
enter into a vassal relationship with the powerful King of the
superpower, Assyria. This, of course, Yahweh, the God of Judah, did not
want.
It is often said that the Old Testament God was a jealous God. He
certainly was. He was furious whenever his people turned to the gods of
the pagans. He staunchly opposed any alliance between Judah and a pagan
kingdom. Alliances of this sort denied that Yahweh was the most high
King of Judah; these alliances also tempted the people with their pagan
shrines and shameful practices.
Yahweh sent Isaiah to King Ahaz to dissuade him from making an alliance
with of Assyria. Isaiah told Ahaz to be confident in the strength of
Yahweh, to refuse all foreign entanglements, to trust in the promises
Yahweh made to David. "Stand firm in your faith," Yahweh urged Ahaz.
"If you do, only then will you and your house stand firm."
Ahaz, nevertheless, made an alliance with Assyria. Judah and King Ahaz
were made to pay the price. Eventually they suffered shame and defeat
at the hands of Assyria, to whom they had looked for salvation rather
than to Yahweh.
God demands that we trust him; he urges us to believe that it is not by
our own efforts but by his supportive grace that we will prevail over
those who would destroy us. Salvation is from God and from him alone.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for the continued recovery of Tito Cale.
- for the personal intentions of PM.
- for the continued and complete recovery of Ding Vidanes.
- for the speedy recovery of Sergio Aresta.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Ricardo Valencia
- 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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