DAILY- HOMILY

July 20, 2007
Friday 15th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

EXODUS 11:10-12:14
Although Moses and Aaron performed various wonders in Pharaoh's
presence, the LORD made Pharaoh obstinate, and he would not let the
children of Israel leave his land. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in
the land of Egypt, "This month shall stand at the head of your
calendar; you shall reckon it the first month of the year. Tell the
whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every one of
your families must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each
household. If a family is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join
the nearest household in procuring one and shall share in the lamb in
proportion to the number of persons who partake of it. The lamb must
be a year-old male and without blemish. You may take it from either
the sheep or the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of
this month, and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present, it
shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight. They shall take some
of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of every
house in which they partake of the lamb. That same night they shall
eat its roasted flesh with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. It shall
not be eaten raw or boiled, but roasted whole, with its head and
shanks and inner organs. None of it must be kept beyond the next
morning; whatever is left over in the morning shall be burned up.
"This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your
feet and your staff in hand, you shall eat like those who are in
flight. It is the Passover of the LORD. For on this same night I will
go through Egypt, striking down every first born of the land, both man
and beast, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt-I, the
LORD! But the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the
blood, I will pass over you; thus, when I strike the land of Egypt, no
destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial
feast for you, which all your generations shall celebrate with
pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution."

MATTHEW 12:1-8
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples
were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When
the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are
doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to the them,
"Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were
hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of
offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests
could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the
sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are
innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If
you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not
have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the
sabbath."

REFLECTION
When Jesus reminds his hearers that God desires mercy and not
sacrifice, he is not condemning the act of ritual sacrifice. Rather,
Jesus wanted them to understand that since the purpose of sacrifice is
to bring us into closer union with God, worship should make us more
like God.

And what is God like? Scripture reveals that our God is a God of mercy
and compassion. When for instance King Hezeklah deserved to die
because of his sins, God could have abided "by strict justice." But in
answer to the fervent prayer of the king, God allowed him to live.

Our worship of God at Mass should make us more like God. We are not
Godlike if we turn away from someone in need because we judge that he
does not deserve our help. We are not Godlike if we despise or look
with contempt upon people who are slaves to alcohol, drugs or any
other vice. We should hate sin but love the sinner. We should do our
best to bring the sinner back to the right path. God wants us to be
compassionate, understanding, and merciful as he is. Being Godlike in
this way should be the fruit of our worship. Every Eucharistic
sacrifice that we partake in should make us a little bit more like
God.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
.. for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
.. for the strength, healing and speedy recovery of:
- Lilian K
- Dodo
- Ely
- Myra
- Rosebel Saavedra - Asprer
.. for the eternal repose of the soul of Geronimo Z. Velasco.
Eternal rest grant unto them and perpetual light shine upon them. May
they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
- In Memoriam: John Joseph B. Tanjeco
.. for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
.. 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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