DAILY- HOMILY

SEPTEMBER 19, 2010
25TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

AMOS 8:4-7
Listen to this, you who crush the needy and reduce the oppressed to
nothing, you who say, 'When will New Moon be over so that we can sell
our corn, and Sabbath, so that we can market our wheat? Then, we can
make the bushel-measure smaller and the shekel-weight bigger, by
fraudulently tampering with the scales. We can buy up the weak for
silver and the poor for a pair of sandals, and even get a price for
the sweepings of the wheat.' Yahweh has sworn by the pride of Jacob,
'Never will I forget anything they have done.'

FIRST TIMOTHY 2:1-8
I urge then, first of all that petitions, prayers, intercessions and
thanksgiving should be offered for everyone, for kings and others in
authority, so that we may be able to live peaceful and quiet lives
with all devotion and propriety. To do this is right, and acceptable
to God our Savior: he wants everyone to be saved and reach full
knowledge of the truth. For there is only one God, and there is only
one mediator between God and humanity, himself a human being, Christ
Jesus, who offered himself as a ransom for all. This was the witness
given at the appointed time, of which I was appointed herald and
apostle and -- I am telling the truth and no lie -- a teacher of the
gentiles in faith and truth. In every place, then, I want the men to
lift their hands up reverently in prayer, with no anger or argument.

LUKE 16:10-13
Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great;
anyone who is dishonest in little things is dishonest in great. If
then you are not trustworthy with money, that tainted thing, who will
trust you with genuine riches? And if you are not trustworthy with
what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own? 'No
servant can be the slave of two masters: he will either hate the first
and love the second, or be attached to the first and despise the
second. You cannot be the slave both of God and of money.'

REFLECTION
Our culture is forever trying to convince us that more is better and
that bigger is best. Consequently, we draw conclusions that we will
find substance in quantity and quality in excess. We tend to assume,
for example, that someone must be important if they are driving a very
expensive car. It takes heroic proportions to impress us. As a result,
we take little things for granted. We may even put ourselves down as
second-rate people because we are not able to impress others.

Today's gospel reading reminds us that little things count. Heroic
deeds may impress us, but we should also be impressed by the ordinary
-- firemen risking and even giving their lives to rescue people
trapped in the debris of the World Trade Center towers; hardworking
parents who make little sacrifices every day to provide a good
education for their children; the custodian who keeps the halls of an
apartment building spotlessly clean; the lowly paid gardener who takes
good care of the lawn and the flowers in the garden.

Keep in mind that little things are the building blocks of greater
things. They cannot be discounted. Our bodies, for instance, may be
large, but they are composed of millions of tiny cells. All of them
must functional properly in order to keep us in good health.

In today's gospel reading, Jesus says: "He who is faithful in very
little, is faithful also in much. And he who is dishonest in a very
little thing, is dishonest also in much." How we handle the little
things in our lives indicates how we will handle larger issues. For
example, we will never fulfill our Christian calling to become loving
people if we do not show ordinary courtesy to fellow workers and our
house helpers. We may be disappointed that our life is not more
exciting, or that our income is not in a higher tax bracket, or that
we don't have the influence to make needed changed in society. But we
need to reflect that making comparisons is only a game.

Everything we do out of love is important. An encouraging word to a
teenager can change the direction of his life. Holding back uncalled
for and uncharitable criticisms can make a coworker feel good about
himself. A simple act of charity can convince a homeless man not to
end his life. Sending a greeting card to an old friend might bring her
out of depression. Yes, little things do count. Daily life has its
repetitious routines and the major par t of our working day is dealing
with the commonplace. But each day of our lives can be ennobled by the
loving attention we put into everything that we do. These common place
things could very well be keeping your homes happy and doing the best
you can in your jobs. It could also be asking your neighbor about her
sick child, making small talk with an elderly person next door who is
very lonely or even volunteering to wash the dishes and doing other
household chores. Anything done out of love is impressive.

Let us consider the multiple opportunities we have every day of
bringing some love into the lives of others. There is nothing we do
that cannot be done in a loving manner. Try to perform your daily
duties with more care-filled attention. Let us go out of our way to be
pleasant to people even if we are not in the mood. Love is often
demonstrated by heroic sacrifices, but more often by consistent,
loving attention to small details.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Susan
- Fr. Bill McGarry, SJ
- Bernard T. Macababat
- Mike Torres
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres, Peping Torres
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Boyet Balilla
- Nonoy Uy
- Arnold Cabatingan
- Joel Dapo
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: Remedios Torres
- Birthday: Lily C. Gan
- Birthday: Loreta C. Rivera
- Birthday: Diana Cruz
- Birthday: Jose C. Bautista
- Wedding Anniversary: Amada & Henry Go
- In Memoriam (+): Henry Tang
- In Memoriam (+): Roman S. Bate
… 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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