DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 22, 2010
FEAST, QUEENSHIP OF MARY
21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

ISAIAH 66:18-21
I am coming to gather every nation and every language. They will come
to witness my glory. I shall give them a sign and send some of their
survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and
Javan, to the distant coasts and islands that have never heard of me
or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations, and from
all the nations they will bring all your brothers as an offering to
Yahweh, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to
my holy mountain, Jerusalem, Yahweh says, like Israelites bringing
offerings in clean vessels to Yahweh's house. And some of them I shall
make into priests and Levites, Yahweh says.

HEBREWS 12:5-7, 11-13
Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as
sons? My son, do not scorn correction from the Lord, do not resent his
training, for the Lord trains those he loves, and chastises every son
he accepts. Perseverance is part of your training; God is treating you
as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train
him? Of course, any discipline is at the time a matter for grief, not
joy; but later, in those who have undergone it, it bears fruit in
peace and uprightness. So steady all weary hands and trembling knees
and make your crooked paths straight; then the injured limb will not
be maimed, it will get better instead.

LUKE 13:22-30
Through towns and villages he went teaching, making his way to
Jerusalem. Someone said to him, 'Sir, will there be only a few saved?'
He said to them, 'Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door,
because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.
'Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may
find yourself standing outside knocking on the door, saying, "Lord,
open to us," but he will answer, "I do not know where you come from."
Then you will start saying, "We once ate and drank in your company;
you taught in our streets," but he will reply, "I do not know where
you come from; away from me, all evil doers!" 'Then there will be
weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves
thrown out. And people from east and west, from north and south, will
come and sit down at the feast in the kingdom of God. 'Look, there are
those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be
last.'

REFLECTION
For those of us who are neither first nor last when it comes to
wealth, status or virtue? How do Christ's words apply to us who are in-
between people? Perhaps we can emphasize on the following four points
in response to these questions.

First, the door to the kingdom is narrow. The door is always open, but
it is narrow. This means that we have to struggle strenuously to enter
through it. We have to discipline ourselves, carry our crosses and
develop our talents.

Second, the time is short. The door is always open but it will soon be
closed for some of us. None of us will live here forever. Already the
door is being closed on today's opportunities. We can't afford to
waste the time we have left.

Third, there is no favoritism with God. People will enter the kingdom
of God from the East and West, from the North and South. People will
come from the black and the white, the rich and the poor, the sick and
the healthy. All of us will sit down together at the feast in God's
kingdom where there are no favorites.

Four th, some reversals and surprises will occur. The first may be
last, and the last first. Many of our experiences and calculations
will be upended and over thrown. The poor may step ahead of the rich,
the simple surpass the clever and the one-time sinner outshine the so-
called pious in the kingdom of God. We must not ask, then, irrelevant
questions like who will get into the kingdom of God or how many will
enter.

Christ challenges us to try our best to come in through the narrow
door and to use wisely the little time we have left. We should not
occupy ourselves with foolish comparisons about who seems to be
luckier or who has it easier than ourselves. Such speculations are
useless, for God has no favorites. He is an equal opportunity God.

What does it take to convince us that, we are destined for greatness?
We might be surprised to discover one day that our cross was really
our crown, that our agony was really our glory and that our last place
while we were alive has turned out to be a first place in the kingdom
of God. We must keep in mind that entry into the kingdom of God can
never be automatic. It is always the result and the reward of a
struggle.

Jesus says, "Keep on striving to enter." The word for striving is the
word from which the English word "agony" is derived. The struggle to
enter the kingdom of God must be so intense that it can be described
as an agony of soul and spirit. We must ever be going forward in
Christian living or necessarily go backward. The Christian way is like
a climb up a mountain slope towards the peak which will never be
reached in this world. It was said of two gallant climbers who died in
their attempt to reach the top of Mount Everest: "When last seen they
were going strong for the top." On the tombstone of a mountain guide
who also died in an avalanche of snow on the slopes of Mount Everest
is inscribed these words: "He died climbing." For the Christian, life
is ever an upward and an onward way.

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
- Virginia Buena Barcelon
- 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: Darnelli I. Rosuman
- Birthday: Consecration of Virgin Mary
- Birthday: Angela Rose E. Calimon
- Wedding Anniversary: Michiko Magdalene & Rory Hsim
… 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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