DAILY- HOMILY: 06/23/10

DAILY- HOMILY

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010

SOLEMNITY, NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

JUNE 24, 2010
SOLEMNITY, NATIVITY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
THURSDAY 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

ISAIAH 49:1-6
Coasts and islands, listen to me, pay attention, distant peoples.
Yahweh called me when I was in the womb, before my birth he had
pronounced my name. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, he hid me in
the shadow of his hand. He made me into a sharpened arrow and
concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, 'Israel, you are my
servant, through whom I shall manifest my glory.' But I said, 'My toil
has been futile, I have exhausted myself for nothing, to no purpose.'
Yet all the while my cause was with Yahweh and my reward with my God.
And now Yahweh has spoken, who formed me in the womb to be his
servant, to bring Jacob back to him and to re-unite Israel to him;-I
shall be honoured in Yahweh's eyes, and my God has been my strength.-
He said, 'It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the
tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I shall make
you a light to the nations so that my salvation may reach the remotest
parts of earth.'

ACTS 13:22-26
After forty years, God deposed Saul and raised up David to be king,
whom he attested in these words, "I have found David son of Jesse, a
man after my own heart, who will perform my entire will." To keep his
promise, God has raised up for Israel one of David's descendants,
Jesus, as Savior, whose coming was heralded by John when he proclaimed
a baptism of repentance for the whole people of Israel. Before John
ended his course he said, "I am not the one you imagine me to be;
there is someone coming after me whose sandal I am not fit to undo."
'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this
message of salvation is meant for you.

LUKE 1:57-66, 80
The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a
son; and when her neighbors and relations heard that the Lord had
lavished on her his faithful love, they shared her joy. Now it
happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child;
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother
spoke up. 'No,' she said, 'he is to be called John.' They said to her,
'But no one in your family has that name,' and made signs to his
father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a
writing-tablet and wrote, 'His name is John.' And they were all
astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke
and praised God. All their neighbors were filled with awe and the
whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea.
All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. 'What will
this child turn out to be?' they wondered. And indeed the hand of the
Lord was with him. Meanwhile the child grew up and his spirit grew
strong. And he lived in the desert until the day he appeared openly to
Israel.

REFLECTION
During the feast of their patron John the Baptist in San Juan City,
unwary pedestrians and innocent bystanders are inevitably get soaked
by water bombs and other liquid projectiles in the spirit of
celebration. For jeepneys who ply through the city proper, once out of
the war zone so to speak, waiting passengers have that surprised look
when they notice that the vehicle's interior is dripping wet. To those
who lack a sense of humor, it may seem like such an inconvenience. To
those in the know, this once-a year organized chaos is a healthy way
to let it all hang out and cool down. Hopefully, people remember why
this tradition is practiced in the first place.

John the Baptist was born for such a purpose: to baptize our Lord and
Savior. Jesus, even if he was free from original sin because his
Mother was immaculately conceived as well, still chose to join us in
our sinfulness. Without John to administer this sacrament made
complete by Jesus, perhaps our primary initiation into the faith would
be for naught.

In Christ, God chooses to freely cooperate with his creation. We are
given the option to participate in His salvation or not. But, it's
there for us just the same, whether we say yes or no. Let us pray to
always give ourselves humbly, just like Jesus, to the healing waters
of baptism.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Abraham A.
- Angela, Sheldon, Henrietta, Jesus, Norma
… for the personal intentions of
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Nikolai Cortez, Aydin Cortez, Karl Cortez, Maureen Cortez
- Med Villanueva
- Atrero family
- Patrick Chukwudi
- J.E.S.
- Josheil Dapo
- Maricar
… Birthday: Juan Bandong (+)
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Sy Chay
- Josefa Villanueva
- Asilda Guanzon
- William Guanzon
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: Rodelio A. Cayetano
- Birthday: Gloria B. Tamayo
- Birthday: Sandra Reyes-Morgan
- In Memoriam (+): Ma Del Carmen F. 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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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 11:59 AM 0 comments

WEDNESDAY 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

JUNE 23, 2010
WEDNESDAY 12TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

SECOND KINGS 22:8-13; 23:1-3
The high priest Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, 'I have found
the Book of the Law in the Temple of Yahweh.' And Hilkiah gave the
book to Shaphan, who read it. Shaphan the secretary went to the king,
reporting furthermore to him as follows, 'Your servants have melted
down the silver which was in the Temple and have handed it over to the
masters of works attached to the Temple of Yahweh.' Then Shaphan the
secretary informed the king, 'The priest Hilkiah has given me a book';
and Shaphan read it aloud in the king's presence. On hearing the words
of the Book of the Law he tore his clothes. Then the king gave the
following order to the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor
son of Micaiah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's minister:
'Go and consult Yahweh on behalf of me and the people about the words
of the book that has been discovered; for Yahweh's furious wrath has
been kindled against us because our ancestors disobeyed the word of
Yahweh by not doing what this book says they ought to have done.' The
king then had all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem summoned to
him, and the king went up to the Temple of Yahweh with all the people
of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, priests, prophets and
the whole populace, high and low. In their hearing he read out the
entire contents of the Book of the Covenant discovered in the Temple
of Yahweh. The king then, standing on the dais, bound himself by the
covenant before Yahweh, to follow Yahweh, to keep his commandments,
decrees and laws with all his heart and soul, and to carry out the
terms of the covenant as written in this book.

MATTHEW 7:15-20
'Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but
underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their
fruits. Can people pick grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? In
the same way, a sound tree produces good fruit but a rotten tree bad
fruit. A sound tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good
fruit. Any tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and
thrown on the fire. I repeat, you will be able to tell them by their
fruits.

REFLECTION
Today's first reading shows us the importance of God's law which gives
order in the world because it defines how we are to relate with one
another. God is love and his law is an expression of his love. Only if
we love one another can we claim that we are Christians. Loving means
respecting the dignity of each person in the family, in school, in the
community and in society. Loving means caring not scolding, especially
not hitting. It means giving, not taking, especially not stealing. It
means helping not snubbing, especially not leaving behind. If
everybody obeys God's law, the world will be a better place to live
in.

The gospel is related to the first reading. One who calls himself a
Christian and especially one always goes to church, but goes back home
or to the office and takes advantage of his position of power over
others is like "a false prophet in sheep's clothing." He appears on
the outside to be someone he is not. Jesus has a word for them:
hypocrites. The more power we have, the humbler we should be, for
isn't it that all power comes from God?

We often hear of the word "maka-Diyos" to describe a person who seeks
political support from the people. "Beware of false prophets!" Jesus
tells us that we will know who they really are "by their fruits." What
principles or advocacies does this person stand up for? Are they in
conformity with God's law? In making decisions, does he consider the
common good more than his own family? Jesus as the Good Shepherd laid
down his life for his sheep. Will this person lay down his life for
his fellow Filipinos?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Wilfredo Cuales
- Abraham A.
- Angela, Sheldon, Henrietta, Jesus
… for the personal intentions of
- Belardo couple
- Michaela "Michie" Perez
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Nikolai Cortez, Aydin Cortez, Karl Cortez, Maureen Cortez
- Med Villanueva
- Atrero family
- Patrick Chukwudi
- J.E.S.
- Josheil Dapo
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Sy Chay
- Josefa Villanueva
- Asilda Guanzon
- William Guanzon
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: Lovelene Wendy I. Semanero
- Birthday: Alejandro Kaw Boon
- Birthday: Cresencio Tan Jao
- Birthday: Alexis Reyes
… for world peace and reconciliation.