DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 31, 2010
MEMORIAL, ST. IGNATIUS OF LOYOLA, PRIEST
SATURDAY 17TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

JEREMIAH 26:11-16, 24
The priests and prophets then said to the chief men and all the
people, 'This man deserves to die, since he has prophesied against
this city, as you have heard with your own ears.' Jeremiah, however,
replied to all the chief men and all the people as follows, 'Yahweh
himself sent me to prophesy against this Temple and this city all the
things you have heard. So now amend your behaviour and actions, listen
to the voice of Yahweh your God, and Yahweh will relent about the
disaster that he has decreed for you. For myself, I am, as you see, in
your hands. Do whatever you please or think right with me. But be sure
of this, that if you put me to death, you will be bringing innocent
blood on yourselves, on this city and on its inhabitants, since Yahweh
has truly sent me to you to say all this for you to hear.' The chief
men and all the people then said to the priests and prophets, 'This
man does not deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of Yahweh
our God.' But Jeremiah had a protector in Ahikam son of Shaphan, so he
was not handed over to the people to be put to death.

MATTHEW 14:1-12
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard about the reputation of Jesus
and said to his court, 'This is John the Baptist himself; he has risen
from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.'
Now it was Herod who had arrested John, chained him up and put him in
prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. For John had
told him, 'It is against the Law for you to have her.' He had wanted
to kill him but was afraid of the people, who regarded John as a
prophet. Then, during the celebrations for Herod's birthday, the
daughter of Herodias danced before the company and so delighted Herod
that he promised on oath to give her anything she asked. Prompted by
her mother she said, 'Give me John the Baptist's head, here, on a
dish.' The king was distressed but, thinking of the oaths he had sworn
and of his guests, he ordered it to be given her, and sent and had
John beheaded in the prison. The head was brought in on a dish and
given to the girl, who took it to her mother. John's disciples came
and took the body and buried it; then they went off to tell Jesus.

REFLECTION
Jeremiah and John the Baptist both proclaimed what they believed was
true no matter the risk to their lives. One was spared, the other
beheaded, both in the course of doing God's work.

Why does our Lord allow this to happen? Why does one live and the
other die? Is it because in His omnipotence, God grants the greatest
respect to man's worth by giving "free will" the widest room to
operate despite the consequences?

The officials, people, and yes, Herod, all were free to choose life or
death for the prophets.

In our worship life, how many times and to what degree were we
challenged to stand by our God? How did we do?

In this complicated world, we are frequently confronted with difficult
choices that bring us closer to or farther away from God. Let us pray
fervently for the gifts of wisdom and fortitude so that we can make
and execute the right choices.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Pete Ramos
- See Yung Hui
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Atrero family
- J.E.S.
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Tony Lopez
- Alberto F. Atrero
- Apolonio Lugsanay and Sepa Lugsanay
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: Patrick Cicero Cabral
- Birthday: Kenzo Lucas Lim Bate
- Birthday: Michelle Alcones
- In Memoriam (+): Rafael Salcedo & Rene A.B. Teotico
- In Memoriam (+): Rolando Guieb Castillo
… 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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