DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 26, 2009
WEDNESDAY 21ST WEEK ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

1 THESSALONIANS 2:9-13
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery. Working night
and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the
Gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and
justly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. As you know,
we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, exhorting
and encouraging you and insisting that you walk in a manner worthy of
the God who calls you into his Kingdom and glory. And for this reason
we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving the word of
God from hearing us, you received it not as the word of men, but as it
truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe.

MATTHEW 23:27-32
Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You
are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but
inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so,
on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with
hypocrisy and evildoing. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you
hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the
memorials of the righteous, and you say, `If we had lived in the days
of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the
prophets' blood.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you
are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what
your ancestors measured out!"

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, Jesus exhorts the Pharisees and religious leaders
to match their external manifestations of "holiness" with inner
sanctity and purity of heart. He uses a very strong image to depict
the split between inner self and outer appearances — that of white-
washed tombs, beautiful on the outside but full of decaying flesh
within.

Like all his teachings, Jesus' words are addressed to us. Many
Christians find it hard to show their true nature by their natural
appearance, and resort to hiding behind façades of virtue that often
do not match the person within. That's because it is easier to manage
our externals than to deal with our perceived flaws which we would
rather prefer hidden. Jesus denounces this act of hypocrisy. He warns
us about the vanity of appearance and pretense. Human as we are, there
will always be flaws in our character. But as long as we judge our own
behavior not other people's; show mercy to others; and be faithful to
Christ come what may, then our outer physical appearance will be as
clean as our soul.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Francis Torres
- Shiappee
- Richy Ozoa
- Benjamin Reyes
- Eutiquio Atanacio
- Gertrudes M. Atanacio
- Brenda Domingo-Solis
- Lisa
… for the speedy recovery and strength of Elyssa
… for the personal intentions of
- Med Villanueva
- John Paul Urbina
- Arnold Cabatingan
- Crisanta Anas
- Leo Flores
- Josheil Dapo
… for the safety of San Juan de Dios Hospital
… good health: Diomedes C. Mallari
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Tom Conway
- Luciano Soliven
- Regina Malagueno Lopez and Rosario Cadag Malagueno
- Raul and Epifania Ylaya
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for the healing and peace of all families
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Edwin C. Inocentes
- Birthday: Pierre Angeli Dee
- Thanksgiving: Juanita C. Medalla - Good Health
- In Memoriam (+): Edgardo Diama
… 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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