DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 18, 2010
WEDNESDAY 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

EZEKIEL 34:1-11
The word of Yahweh was addressed to me as follows, 'Son of man,
prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them,
"Shepherds, the Lord Yahweh says this: Disaster is in store for the
shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Are not shepherds meant to
feed a flock? Yet you have fed on milk, you have dressed yourselves in
wool, you have sacrificed the fattest sheep, but failed to feed the
flock. You have failed to make weak sheep strong, or to care for the
sick ones, or bandage the injured ones. You have failed to bring back
strays or look for the lost. On the contrary, you have ruled them
cruelly and harshly. For lack of a shepherd they have been scattered,
to become the prey of all the wild animals; they have been scattered.
My flock is astray on every mountain and on every high hill; my flock
has been scattered all over the world; no one bothers about them and
no one looks for them. "Very well, shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh:
As I live, I swear it -- declares the Lord Yahweh -- since my flock
has been pillaged and for lack of a shepherd is now the prey of every
wild animal, since my shepherds have ceased to bother about my flock,
since my shepherds feed themselves rather than my flock, very well,
shepherds, hear the word of Yahweh: The Lord Yahweh says this: Look, I
am against the shepherds. I shall take my flock out of their charge
and henceforth not allow them to feed my flock. And the shepherds will
stop feeding themselves, because I shall rescue my sheep from their
mouths to stop them from being food for them. "For the Lord Yahweh
says this: Look, I myself shall take care of my flock and look after
it.

MATTHEW 20:1-16
'Now the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak
to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the
workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard. Going
out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market
place and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you
a fair wage." So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about
the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the
eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he
said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" "Because
no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my
vineyard too." In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his
bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the
last arrivals and ending with the first." So those who were hired at
about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each.
When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received
one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying,
"The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated
them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the
heat." He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being
unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings
and go. I choose to pay the lastcomer as much as I pay you. Have I no
right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because
I am generous?" Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.'

REFLECTION
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal. St. Jane
was born rich and married even richer. St. Jane first became prominent
when she was able to make a drastic turnaround of the affairs of her
husband's castle. One of her decisions was the ample compensation of
all the laborers. St. Jane went on to be a big help to St. Vincent in
founding the Daughters of Charity. She had the distinct privilege of
being under the tutelage of St. Francis de Sales during the time when
she formed her own Congregation of the Visitation of Mary. Her
greatest achievement began right after being a widow when she was 28
years old. Despite being young, rich and attractive, St. Jane chose to
stay unblemished, totally dedicating herself to her family and
vocation. This was the basis for her becoming the Patron Saint for
Girls.

Today's reading on the Vineyard Laborers and the celebration of the
Feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal expose us to God's unique ways of
using persons and events in having His way ultimately. We are reminded
that whether we are lowly wage earners or a saint who rubbed elbows
with kings, cardinals and other saints, we are but instruments that He
and only He will call on and choose from.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Henni
- See Yung Hui
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Vincent
- J.E.S.
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Avelina Sesaldo
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: Dindin R. Reburiano
- In Memoriam (+): Vivencio Dizon
… 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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