DAILY- HOMILY

August 26, 2007
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - C

ISAIAH 66:18-21
"And I, because of their actions and their imaginations, am about to
come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my
glory. "I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of those
who survive to the nations-to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians
(famous as archers), to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands
that have not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will proclaim my
glory among the nations. And they will bring all your brothers, from
all the nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an offering to
the LORD-on horses, in chariots and wagons, and on mules and camels,"
says the LORD. "They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their
grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in ceremonially clean
vessels. And I will select some of them also to be priests and
Levites," says the LORD.

HEBREWS 12:5-7, 11-13
And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you
as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do
not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those
he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure
hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is
not disciplined by his father? No discipline seems pleasant at the
time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of
righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. "Make level
paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather
healed.

LUKE 13:22-30
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made
his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people
going to be saved?" He said to them, "Make every effort to enter
through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter
and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and
closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, `Sir,
open the door for us.' "But he will answer, `I don't know you or where
you come from.' "Then you will say, `We ate and drank with you, and
you taught in our streets.' "But he will reply, `I don't know you or
where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!' "There will be
weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves
thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south,
and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed
there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be
last."

REFLECTION
The door to God's kingdom is narrow not because God made it that way
so that only a few people could pass through it. Rather, it is because
we made it that way by our own doubts and deeds.

And sometimes it's not just our material possessions and concerns that
keep us from passing through the door. Sometimes it's the fear of what
others may say or think, fear of going against the prevailing trend
and culture.

Someone said that there are three kinds of Christians: tugboat
Christians, sailboat Christians, and bamboo raft Christians.

TUGBOAT Christians are people who follow Jesus not only in sunny
weather but also in stormy weather. They are people who follow Jesus
not only when the wind and tide serve them but also when the wind and
the tide are against them.

They are people who go to Mass not because they have to but because
Jesus said at the Last Supper, "Do this in memory of me." They are
people who help other people not because others are doing it, but
because Jesus said, "Love one another as I love you." In short, they
are the kind of people that today's readings challenge us to become.

SAILBOAT Christians, on the other hand, are people who follow Jesus
when the wind and tide favor them. But when the wind and the tide go
rough, they tend to go in the direction they are blown.

They are people who ask, "How far can I go before I sin?" rather than
"How much more can I do because I love?" In short, they are people who
follow Jesus through the wide door but are reluctant to follow him
through the narrow door. They are people who tend to follow the crowd
more than they follow the Gospel.

Finally, there are the BAMBOO RAFT Christians. They are Christians in
name only. They don't really follow Jesus, even when the wind and tide
serve them. If they do go in his direction, it's only because someone
pulls them or pushes them.

They are people who do Christian things not because they want to, but
because they have no choice. In short, they are Christians in name but
not in deed.

Are we tugboat Christians? Do we follow Jesus in good times and in
bad? Do we go with him not only through the wide open door but also
through the narrow door?

Or are we sailboat Christians? Do we follow Jesus only when things are
easy? Do we follow him only through the wide door?

Or are bamboo raft Christians? Are we Christians in name only?

These are some of the questions today's readings set before us. No one
can answer them for us. We must do that ourselves.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
... for the strength, healing and speedy recovery of: Fr. John Weyer
... for the personal intentions of:
- Trinna, Noc and Chibu
- Pauline
- Argenine
- Matet Rey
... In Thanksgiving: Balangit Family
... for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Donato, Maria, Candido, Alipio, Isidora, Alfonso, Alfonsa, Jovita,
Corazon
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Luis M. Rodriguez
... 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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(c) 2007 Daily-Homily
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