DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 16, 2010
FRIDAY 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

ISAIAH 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8
About then, Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death. The
prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, 'Yahweh says this,
"Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not
live." ' Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and addressed this
prayer to Yahweh, 'Ah, Yahweh, remember, I beg you, that I have
behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and
done what you regard as right.' And Hezekiah shed many tears. Then the
word of Yahweh came to Isaiah, 'Go and say to Hezekiah, "Yahweh, the
God of your ancestor David, says this: I have heard your prayer and
seen your tears. I shall cure you: in three days' time you will go up
to the Temple of Yahweh. I shall add fifteen years to your life. I
shall save you and this city from the king of Assyria's clutches and
defend this city for my sake and my servant David's sake." ' 'Bring a
fig poultice,' Isaiah said, 'apply it to the ulcer and he will
recover.' Hezekiah said, 'What is the sign to tell me that I shall be
going up to the Temple of Yahweh?' 'Here', Isaiah replied, 'is the
sign from Yahweh that he will do what he has said. Look, I shall make
the shadow cast by the declining sun on the steps -- the steps to
Ahaz's roof-room-go back ten steps.' And the sun went back the ten
steps by which it had declined.

MATTHEW 12:1-8
At that time Jesus went through the cornfields one Sabbath day. His
disciples were hungry and began to pick ears of corn and eat them. The
Pharisees noticed it and said to him, 'Look, your disciples are doing
something that is forbidden on the Sabbath.' But he said to them,
'Have you not read what David did when he and his followers were
hungry- how he went into the house of God and they ate the loaves of
the offering although neither he nor his followers were permitted to
eat them, but only the priests? Or again, have you not read in the Law
that on the Sabbath day the Temple priests break the Sabbath without
committing any fault? Now here, I tell you, is something greater than
the Temple. And if you had understood the meaning of the words: Mercy
is what pleases me, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the
blameless. For the Son of man is master of the Sabbath.'

REFLECTION
We see the true following of God's commands in the person of Hezekiah
in the first reading. In reminding the Lord, "how I have walked before
you in faithfulness with a whole heart, and have done what is good in
your sight," Hezekiah also weeps bitterly. The depth of his commitment
shows through his tears of love for the Lord and his commands. He does
not deride or compare himself to others, but takes delight in
following what the Lord commands knowing that only in God does he find
meaning in life.

This is what Christ means in today's Gospel as he shows us what it
means to truly follow Him. By saying that he "desires Mercy not
Sacrifice," Jesus reminds us that the law and rules only exist to help
us come closer to God. They are not ends in themselves and one is not
better for following the rules. Rather, the rules should help us find
God and in God is mercy. We often struggle because we use the rules to
compare ourselves to others, and we treat them like a sacrifice. But
if Christ is the way, the truth, the life, then the rules should lead
us to that experience. Too often we criticize others as if we are
better than them because we follow the rules. Do our criticisms show
that we have found joy in the Lord, or do they show that we only
believe in the rules, not the Lord himself?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Fred V
- Jesus A
- Norma M
- Henrietta S
- Angela S
- Maureen Cortez, Dolores Segui, JR Dolor & Adyn Bolos
- Teresa D. Buenaventura
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
- Mon Torres
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Susan
… for good health: Bernard Baui, Remee R. Veloso, Diane Luna, Cynthia
Solidum, Juanito V. Jutare, Toshio Akaba
… for the personal intentions of
- Rae B
- Jack and Maryann S
- Dondon and Kristine V
- John and Rica D
- Paul and Judy L
- Atty Jose O Cortez
- Rex S. Cortez II
- Nikolai Cortez
- Aydin Cortez
- Karl Cortez
- Maureen Cortez
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Wendy B
- Josheil Dapo
- Titong V.
- J.E.S.
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Rodolfo Vergel de Dios
- Antonio Melliza and Susima Melliza
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: Arnel Hernandez
- Birthday: Marissa Gimdal
- Birthday: Charlene Blanche Yu
- Wedding Anniversary: Sheryl & Peter Lim III
- In Memoriam (+): Alfredo C. Torres
- In Memoriam (+): Geronimo Z. Velasco (Oct 6, 1927-July 16, 2007)+
- In Memoriam (+): Lim Giok Chat (1906-1987)
… 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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