DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 24, 2010
SATURDAY 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

JEREMIAH 7:1-11
The word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh, saying, 'Stand at the gate
of the Temple of Yahweh and there proclaim this message. Say, "Listen
to the word of Yahweh, all you of Judah who come in by these gates to
worship Yahweh. Yahweh Sabaoth, the God of Israel, says this: Amend
your behaviour and your actions and I will let you stay in this place.
Do not put your faith in delusive words, such as: This is Yahweh's
sanctuary, Yahweh's sanctuary, Yahweh's sanctuary! But if you really
amend your behaviour and your actions, if you really treat one another
fairly, if you do not exploit the stranger, the orphan and the widow,
if you do not shed innocent blood in this place and if you do not
follow other gods, to your own ruin, then I shall let you stay in this
place, in the country I gave for ever to your ancestors of old. Look,
you are putting your faith in delusive, worthless words! Steal, would
you, murder, commit adultery, perjure yourselves, burn incense to
Baal, follow other gods of whom you know nothing? - and then come and
stand before me in this Temple that bears my name, saying: Now we are
safe to go on doing all these loathsome things! Do you look on this
Temple that bears my name as a den of bandits? I, at any rate, can see
straight, Yahweh declares.

MATTHEW 13:24-30
He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven may be
compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody
was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made
off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared
as well. The owner's labourers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not
good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel
come from?" He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the
labourers said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?" But he said,
"No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat
with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I
shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in
bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." '

REFLECTION
In today's gospel, some were scandalized that sinners were included
among God's people. The Pharisees believed that the Church should
consist only of so-called good people. Sinners should be weeded out.
But Jesus disagreed. He said that the Kingdom of God is a mixed bag of
sinners and saints. No attempt should be made to weed them out. Jesus'
reasons for adopting this attitude are important for us today.

All too often we act like the Pharisees. Someone makes a mistake or
commits a wrong, and we immediately rush to judgment. We play God. We
categorize and cut off that person for ever. The time for judgment is
not yet; the Kingdom of God is still at its growing stage. There is no
clear line that divides good from evil.

Today's gospel reminds us that we should try to act towards others as
Jesus acted. Jesus was very patient with everyone, especially to those
who are sinners. He was very reluctant to weed them out. Jesus did not
even weed out Judas, who betrayed him, and Peter, who denied him not
once but three times.

In our dealings with others, let us keep in mind that even in hearts
over whelmed by evil, there is at least one spark of goodness. And in
the best of hearts, there exist one little corner of evil. We are all
seeds planted by God in the same field. Together we soak in the rain.
Together we sway in the wind. Let us ask him to grant us the grace
that we may help one another to grow towards what he has called us to
be — his beloved sons and daughters.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Alfonso Purugganan
- Atty. Anthony Aparte
- Don Calvo
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Boji Barlis
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Arnold Cabatingan and Maricar
- Mylene Lingad
- Cris and Raymund Davis
- Titong V
- Vera Yap
- Raffy
- Atrero Family
… in Thanksgiving:
- Davis Family, Correa Family
- Aviles family
- Rex Sison Cortez II
… for good health: Atty. Jose O. Cortez, Nikolai Cortez, Aydin Cortez,
Karl Cortez, Maureen Cortez
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Alberto Atrero
Eternal rest grant unto them and may 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: Alfredo C. Sumala
- In Memoriam (+): Alberto V. Pesuena
… 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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