Friday, August 20, 2010
MEMORIAL, SAINT PIUS X, POPE
MEMORIAL, SAINT PIUS X, POPE
SATURDAY 20TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II
EZEKIEL 43:1-7
He took me to the gate, the one facing east. I saw the glory of the
God of Israel approaching from the east. A sound came with him like
the sound of the ocean, and the earth shone with his glory. This
vision was like the one I had seen when I had come for the destruction
of the city, and like the one I had seen by the River Chebar. Then I
fell to the ground. The glory of Yahweh arrived at the Temple by the
east gate. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner
court; I saw the glory of Yahweh fill the Temple. And I heard someone
speaking to me from the Temple while the man stood beside me. He said,
'Son of man, this is the dais of my throne, the step on which I rest
my feet. I shall live here among the Israelites for ever; and the
House of Israel, they and their kings, will never again defile my holy
name with their whorings and the corpses of their kings.
MATTHEW 23:1-12
Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said, 'The scribes
and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do and
observe what they tell you; but do not be guided by what they do,
since they do not practise what they preach. They tie up heavy burdens
and lay them on people's shoulders, but will they lift a finger to
move them? Not they! Everything they do is done to attract attention,
like wearing broader headbands and longer tassels, like wanting to
take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the
synagogues, being greeted respectfully in the market squares and
having people call them Rabbi. 'You, however, must not allow
yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you
are all brothers. You must call no one on earth your father, since you
have only one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor must you allow
yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the
Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who raises
himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be
raised up.
REFLECTION
When it is difficult to pray, it is good to turn to the prophets.
Ezekiel was a strange, haunted man. He was God's messenger to a broken
people. In 599 B.C., the Babylonian army burned down Jerusalem. The
city, the palace and the temple were destroyed.
The temple was the most traumatic loss. In Exodus, God told Moses:
"Build me a sanctuary that I may dwell among you." To the Jews, the
temple embodied God's presence on earth.
Ministering to and praying for these people, Ezekiel was given a
vision of a new temple. In the midst of their desolation, he foresaw
God's bright and splendid presence among them once more.
When we find it difficult to pray, we must remember that we, too, are
God's temples, waiting to be lit to incandescence. We must believe the
Lord will return. He will always comfort His people.
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
- Boyet Balilla
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Cherie Torres
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Boy Afable
- Chari Lauder
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: Fr. Johnny Go, S.J.
- Birthday: Justin Peter Lim
- Birthday: Bryan L. Lim
… 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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