DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 19, 2010
THURSDAY 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

EZEKIEL 36:23-28
I am going to display the holiness of my great name, which has been
profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them. And
the nations will know that I am Yahweh -- declares the Lord Yahweh --
when in you I display my holiness before their eyes. For I shall take
you from among the nations and gather you back from all the countries,
and bring you home to your own country. I shall pour clean water over
you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your filth
and of all your foul idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a
new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies
and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my spirit in you,
and make you keep my laws, and respect and practise my judgements. You
will live in the country which I gave your ancestors. You will be my
people and I shall be your God.

MATTHEW 22:1-14
Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again, 'The kingdom of
Heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son's
wedding. He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but
they would not come. Next he sent some more servants with the words,
"Tell those who have been invited: Look, my banquet is all prepared,
my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is
ready. Come to the wedding." But they were not interested: one went
off to his farm, another to his business, and the rest seized his
servants, maltreated them and killed them. The king was furious. He
despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town.
Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready; but as those who
were invited proved to be unworthy, go to the main crossroads and
invite everyone you can find to come to the wedding." So these
servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they
could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with
guests. When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man
who was not wearing a wedding garment, and said to him, "How did you
get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?" And the man was
silent. Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot
and throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping
and grinding of teeth." For many are invited but not all are chosen.'

REFLECTION
In this fast-paced world of ours, we are so accustomed to everything
instantly. Instant communication, instant entertainment, instant
information, even instant meals! We are conditioned to think that
everything responds to our availability and for our convenience.

Today's Gospel reminds us that there is no such thing as "instant
redemption". Even after accepting Jesus as our personal Lord and
Savior, our lives still need to reflect this most important of
decisions. While it is true that "all are invited" to God's heavenly
kingdom, only those who have made the proper preparations will gain
entrance. The "anything will do" mentality should not apply to our
Christian faith.

If we received an invitation to visit and dine with Pope Benedict X
VI, for instance, how long would we prepare for the event? Chances
are, we would take time out to plan everything carefully – excited at
the opportunity to be in the company of the Vicar of Christ. All our
lives, Christ himself have extended an invitation to join him. How
have we prepared for this?

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
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Vincent
- J.E.S.
- Patrick and Mary Ann
… 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: Manny Flores S.J.
- Birthday: Ma. Consuelo F. Bate
- Birthday: Luisa R. Opelanio
- Birthday: Leonor Parras
- Birthday: Juan E. Bonafe, SJ
- In Memoriam (+): Buenasenso Sy (Jan 27, 1934--Aug 19, 2008)
… 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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