DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 21, 2010
WEDNESDAY 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

JEREMIAH 1:1, 4-10
The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests living at
Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. The word of Yahweh came to me,
saying: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you came
to birth I consecrated you; I appointed you as prophet to the
nations.' I then said, 'Ah, ah, ah, Lord Yahweh; you see, I do not
know how to speak: I am only a child!' But Yahweh replied, 'Do not
say, "I am only a child," for you must go to all to whom I send you
and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of confronting them,
for I am with you to rescue you, Yahweh declares.' Then Yahweh
stretched out his hand and touched my mouth, and Yahweh said to me:
'There! I have put my words into your mouth. Look, today I have set
you over the nations and kingdoms, to uproot and to knock down, to
destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.'

MATTHEW 13:1-9
That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside, but such
large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there.
The people all stood on the shore, and he told them many things in
parables. He said, 'Listen, a sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some
seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them
up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and
sprang up at once, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as
the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they
withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and
choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Anyone who has ears should
listen!'

REFLECTION
When we read today's Parable of the Sower, our reflection may be
conditioned by the explanation given by Jesus found in verses 18 to
23. However, our gospel reading today does not include this
explanation. How are we to understand this parable? What other message
does the Lord have for us today?

This parable is the first of the Kingdom of God parables; it is
related and very similar to the parables of the mustard seed, the
yeast, and the weeds among the wheat. The previous chapters relate to
us a very limited acceptance of the message of Jesus by the people.
The Scribes and Pharisees did not accept his interpretation of the
Torah. On the other hand, Jesus gave much hope and consolation to the
poor and downtrodden people. It is in this context that we must come
and listen to what the Lord is telling us today.

The first century farmer in Palestine did not sow seeds the way
farmers do today. They just scattered the seeds as they walk along the
field. The plowing is done later. So only the seeds which were plowed
under the soil will grow and bear fruit. The unplowed seeds will be
eaten by birds or wither in the heat of the sun like what Jesus said.
For the farmers today, this method of sowing may not seem very
efficient as there are a lot of wasted seeds. Yet, Jesus compared the
sowing in the field to the Kingdom of God. With so much sinfulness in
today's world, what message is the Lord telling us in this parable?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Lachi Aviles
- Julie and Glenn Manzon, Glenda Bisco
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres
- See Yung Hui
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Glenn Dale Manzon, John Dale Manzon, Estileta Escamilla and Sandra
Vergara
- J.E.S. and Vic
… in Thanksgiving: Manzon Family, Barayoga Family
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Gerarld Falguerra
- Juanito V. Jutare
- Domingo Barayoga Sr., Lourdes Barayoga, Charlie Castro
- William Go, Carlito Go
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: Victor C. Filart Jr.
- Birthday: Apollo U. Jimenez
- Birthday: Freddie Boy S. Del Carmen
- Birthday: Dennis C. Escamillan
- Wedding Anniversary: Chris & Joyce Chua
- In Memoriam (+): Rosa L. de Jesus
- In Memoriam (+): Antonio Ortiga (July 21, 1926-May 14, 2001)+
… 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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