DAILY- HOMILY

June 28, 2007
Memorial, St Irenaeus, bishop & martyr
Thursday 12th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

GENESIS 16:1-12, 15-16
Abram's wife Sarai had borne him no children. She had, however, an
Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram: "The LORD has
kept me from bearing children. Have intercourse, then, with my maid;
perhaps I shall have sons through her." Abram heeded Sarai's request.
Thus, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, his wife
Sarai took her maid, Hagar the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband
Abram to be his concubine. He had intercourse with her, and she became
pregnant. When she became aware of her pregnancy, she looked on her
mistress with disdain. So Sarai said to Abram: "You are responsible
for this outrage against me. I myself gave my maid to your embrace;
but ever since she became aware of her pregnancy, she has been looking
on me with disdain. May the LORD decide between you and me!" Abram
told Sarai: "Your maid is in your power. Do to her whatever you
please." Sarai then abused her so much that Hagar ran away from her.
The LORD's messenger found her by a spring in the wilderness, the
spring on the road to Shur, and he asked, "Hagar, maid of Sarai, where
have you come from and where are you going?" She answered, "I am
running away from my mistress, Sarai." But the LORD's messenger told
her: "Go back to your mistress and submit to her abusive treatment. I
will make your descendants so numerous," added the LORD's messenger,
"that they will be too many to count. Besides," the LORD's messenger
said to her: "You are now pregnant and shall bear a son; you shall
name him Ishmael, For the LORD has heard you, God has answered you.
This one shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against everyone, and
everyone's hand against him; In opposition to all his kin shall he
encamp." Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named the son whom Hagar
bore him Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him
Ishmael.

MATTHEW 7:21-29
Jesus said to his disciples: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord,
Lord,' will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the
will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in
your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will
declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you
evildoers.' "Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on
them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain
fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But
it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who
listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a
fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and
the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was
completely ruined." When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were
astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having
authority, and not as their scribes.

REFLECTION
In Canaan, God promised Abram that his own son would be his heir and
that his descendants would number as the stars. Abram believed God's
promise, and God credited it to him as righteousness.

When years had passed, however, Abram and Sarai were still childless.
To avoid disgrace, Abram and Sarai turned to the prevailing custom of
Mesopotamia which allowed a barren wife to give her personal maid to
her husband as a concubine to produce a child.

Sarai's giving of her maid Hagar to Abram to produce an heir was
morally acceptable in Mesopotamian society. But it was inconsistent
with God's plan for Abram and Sarai. God intended that the heir would
born of Sarai. God does not always fulfill his promises according to
human logic and expectations.

Like Abram and his wife, we too often take matters into our own hands.
God as promised us life to the full, but our desires and appetites
often blind us to the purposes of God. We are unable to see beyond
worldly and logical solutions to godly ones. Consequently we miss out
on the blessings God intends for us. When we make decisions based
solely on our human reason, we can experience anger, frustration and
cynicism. By placing our faith in God - a loving Father who desires
the best for us - we will be able to make our decisions according to
his will, and experience the joy and happiness that comes from doing
his will.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
.. for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
.. for the strength, healing and speedy recovery of:
- Dodo
- Ely
- Ver Reyes
- Narciso Lim
- Aileen and Dennis Dimapilis
- Stef
.. for the personal intentions and guidance of:
- Maria Fatima and Jose Rigor
- Ernesto, Feliciana, Jose Rigor and Maria Fatima
.. for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Maria, Candido, Isidora, Alipio, Alfonsa, Jovita, Alfonso,
Corazon
Eternal rest grant unto them and 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.
- Birthday: Helena Z. Benitez
- Birthday: Jed Matthew T. Sarte
- Birthday: Rico Golez
- Thanksgiving:Castillo Family Thanksgiving:
- Wedding Anniversary: Bobby & Yollie Teotico
- Wedding Anniversary: Marcelo & Emily Lee
.. 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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