DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 25, 2009
MEMORIAL, ST PROSPER OF REGGIO, BISHOP
THURSDAY 12TH WEEK 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
Today's Gospel is a wake-up call to all of us who are involved in good
works. We need to be on guard never to neglect God because of the work
we do for God: that is, subtly allowing what we do for God to become
more important than the God for whom we do it for. When this happens,
it is no longer God whom we are serving but our own selfish interests.
Jesus then goes on to stress the need for making him the foundation of
our lives. To drive home this point, Jesus has recourse to an example
from nature. He says: "The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds
blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been
founded on rock."

Jesus is the true foundation of our life. Yet this is a foundation
that we ourselves have to lay by maintaining a constant prayer life,
finding time for silence and reflection on Scripture, going to the
Sacraments, and strengthening our will through small sacrifices. This
foundation must be laid in peace before the storm. When the ferocious
floods, rains and winds arrive, it is too late to lay a foundation.
What has already been built is all that we can to rely on for safety.
Jesus reminds us to build our lives on him, our solid rock, now, not
some time in the future, so as to be prepared for the storms that lie
ahead as we walk the Christian way.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Francis Torres
- Camille Torres
- Mylene Lingad
- Shiappee
- Ester Gonzalez
- those sick with the H1N1 virus
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Meiyin
- Lisa
… for the special intentions: San Juan de Dios Hospital
… for the personal intentions of Enrique L Navarro and Eufrocina
Navarro
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary
- Birthday: Alois Mueller
- Birthday: Esperanza Hwang
- Wedding Anniversary: Eric & Eunice Roxas
… for the healing and peace of all families

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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