DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 30, 2009
22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2, 6-8
Moses said to the people: "Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter
in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your
fathers, is giving you. In your observance of the commandments of the
LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I
command you nor subtract from it. Observe them carefully, for thus
will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say, `This great nation is
truly a wise and intelligent people.' For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever
we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that
are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?"

JAMES 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27
Dearest brothers and sisters: All good giving and every perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there
is no alteration or shadow caused by change. He willed to give us
birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his
creatures. Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is
able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only,
deluding yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God
and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their
affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

MARK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate
their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. - For the
Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing
their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from
the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And
there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the
purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. - So the Pharisees
and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the
tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" He
responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is
written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are
far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human
precepts. You disregard God's commandment but cling to human
tradition." He summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me,
all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can
defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what
defile. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts,
unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils
come from within and they defile."

REFLECTION
One of Ignatius of Loyola's contributions is the Examination of
Consciousness. Unlike the Examination of Conscience, which is an
exercise of identifying faults as we prepare for the Sacrament of
Penance, an examination of consciousness allows us to be more aware of
how God continues to be present ever y moment in our lives.

It is usually done twice a day — during the middle of the day and when
we are about to sleep. As we review part of the day, we are grateful
for the God's many gifts and then, we ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten
us as we go over the events of the day to see how God continually
invites us to a deeper relationship with Him.

For the times we have responded positively, we are encouraged to move
on and be as faithful as ever. And for the occasions we may have
procrastinated or worse, did not heed the call of Jesus, we beg for
forgiveness and ask the Holy Spirit that we may not be discouraged and
lose heart. It is during this process of looking into our hearts that
we become more aware of our decisions that will either strengthen or
weaken our relationship with Jesus. If done with honesty and openness
we are able to see our various motivations as to why we acted in such
a manner. And from such reflection, we hopefully learn in order that
we may become better loving people that will make us pleasing to
Jesus.

We do many things in life for mixed reasons, some good and some not so
good. Thus, we need to constantly and continually purify ourselves in
order that in the end, we may hopefully do things for the right
reasons.

"Where your heart is, there your treasure lies" is something that
Jesus taught us too. There is truth to this insight as we know very
well that whatever we value, this is where we fully invest ourselves.
If family is important, we spend quality time with them. If money is a
priority in our lives, we work very hard in order to earn enough
perhaps at the expense of other equally important aspects of our
lives. Finally, if God is truly number one in our lives, then we show
in our actions how God is truly present particularly in our quest for
love and justice for the poor and the innocent. This disposition can
be supplemented well with our efforts to spend time in prayer
individually and communally through the celebration of the sacraments
particularly of the Eucharist. We do this not to impress others but
rather because of a deep desire to strengthen our relationship with
Jesus whom we love and desire to serve. In doing so, we become his
friends.

And so, in this Eucharist, let us examine ourselves and look deeply
into our hearts. What is it that we truly treasure? Why do we do these
actions? Is it for our personal glory or is it for Jesus? May the Holy
Spirit enlighten us in order that we may lessen our hypocrisy and
truly be consistent with what we say and what we do.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda Domingo-Solis
- Lisa
- Romy Ramos
- Danny Quisel
- Lydia, Keempee and Kevin
… for the personal intentions of
- Josheil Dapo
- Pauline
… for the safety of San Juan de Dios Hospital
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Jimmy Domingo, Edwin Roque, Rodolfo Victoria
- Remedios Biagtan Groyon
- 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: Lando Magudang
- Wedding Anniversary: Willy & Denisa Tong
… 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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