DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 12, 2010
THURSDAY 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

EZEKIEL 12:1-12
The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 'Son of man, you
are living among a tribe of rebels who have eyes and never see, they
have ears and never hear, because they are a tribe of rebels. So, son
of man, pack an exile's bundle and set off for exile by daylight while
they watch. You will leave your home and go somewhere else while they
watch. Then perhaps they will see that they are a tribe of rebels. You
will pack your baggage like an exile's bundle, by daylight, while they
watch, and leave like an exile in the evening, while they watch. While
they watch, make a hole in the wall, and go out through it. While they
watch, you will shoulder your pack and go out into the dark; you will
cover your face so that you cannot see the ground, since I have made
you an omen for the House of Israel.' I did as I had been told. I
packed my baggage like an exile's bundle, by daylight; and in the
evening I made a hole through the wall with my hands; then I went out
into the dark and shouldered my pack while they watched. Next morning
the word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 'Son of man, did
not the House of Israel, did not that tribe of rebels, ask you, "What
are you doing?" Say, "The Lord Yahweh says this: This prophecy
concerns Jerusalem and the whole House of Israel who live there." Say,
"I am an omen for you; as I have done, so will be done to them; they
will be deported into exile. Their prince will shoulder his pack in
the dark and go out through the wall; a hole will be made to let him
out; he will cover his face, so that he cannot see the country.

MATTHEW 18:21--19:1
Then Peter went up to him and said, 'Lord, how often must I forgive my
brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?' Jesus answered,
'Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. 'And so the kingdom
of Heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts
with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man
who owed ten thousand talents; he had no means of paying, so his
master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and
children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the
servant threw himself down at his master's feet, with the words, "Be
patient with me and I will pay the whole sum." And the servant's
master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the
debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow-
servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the
throat and began to throttle him, saying, "Pay what you owe me." His
fellow-servant fell at his feet and appealed to him, saying, "Be
patient with me and I will pay you." But the other would not agree; on
the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the
debt. His fellow-servants were deeply distressed when they saw what
had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole
affair to him. Then the master sent for the man and said to him, "You
wicked servant, I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed
to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow-servant
just as I had pity on you?" And in his anger the master handed him
over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how
my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your
brother from your heart.' Jesus had now finished what he wanted to
say, and he left Galilee and came into the territory of Judaea on the
far side of the Jordan.

REFLECTION
"Karma" is such an overused word among Filipinos; it has practically
become the colloquial term for "payback" or a "negative repercussion".
We often hear people say "I don't want to do that, baka ma-karma ako",
or "matakot ka sa karma", which is meant to be a reminder that the
wicked things we do today will come back to haunt us in the future.

Today's Gospel seems to be an allusion to this interpretation of
"karma": because the servant who was earlier forgiven refused to
forgive his own debtor, his master punished him in turn. But if the
fear of retribution is our sole motive for forgiving others, we may be
missing a valuable point. While a more naïve Christian might say "I
have to forgive those who have done me wrong, or else God will not
forgive me", Christian maturity comes from being able to say "I will
forgive those who have done me wrong because God Himself has forgiven
me". One is born out of fear and anxiety, while the other is born out
of profound gratitude and reverence.

The ability to forgive is a grace given to us by God, and we should be
happy and delighted to pass it on. In this light, we should see our
Heavenly Father as a loving example rather than a final retaliator.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres
- See Yung Hui
- Glenda Bisco, Carmelita Brauso, Pat Manzon, Linda Manzon
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Donna
- J.E.S.
- Elaine, Mesh, Lourdes, Jun and Angel, John and Rica, Jojo and
Eunice, Jack and Maryann, Paul and Judy, Sheldon and Kristine
- Pauline
- Arnold Cabatingan
- Margie Ponce de Leon
- Patrick C.
- Julie and Glenn Manzon, John Dale and Glenn Dale Manzon, Mary Ann
Castro, Ma. Fe and Florante De Castro, Estilita and Salvador
Escamilla, Glenn and Joel Bisco
… for safe travel: AB and LARS
… in Thanksgiving: Manzon Family, Barayoga Family
.. Birthday: Domingo Barayoaga Jr., Mina and Edwin Manzon
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Rodolfo E. Venturanza
- William Guanzon, Asilda Guanzon, Jose Cezar Sr, Dulce Cezar
- Lourdes and Domingo Barayoga Sr., Cecile Pangilinan, Allan
Manzanilla, Ronnie Salamat
- Alberto F. Atrero
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: Felisa Keh
… 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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