DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 23, 2010
MONDAY 21ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

SECOND THESSALONIANS 1:1-5, 11-12
Paul, Silvanus and Timothy, to the Church in Thessalonica which is in
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Grace to you and peace from
God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We must always thank God for
you, brothers; quite rightly, because your faith is growing so
wonderfully and the mutual love that each one of you has for all never
stops increasing. Among the churches of God we take special pride in
you for your perseverance and faith under all the persecutions and
hardships you have to bear. It all shows that God's judgement is just,
so that you may be found worthy of the kingdom of God; it is for the
sake of this that you are suffering now. In view of this we also pray
continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his
power fulfil all your desires for goodness, and complete all that you
have been doing through faith; so that the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW 23:13-22
'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut up the
kingdom of Heaven in people's faces, neither going in yourselves nor
allowing others to go who want to. 'Alas for you, scribes and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make a
single proselyte, and anyone who becomes one you make twice as fit for
hell as you are. 'Alas for you, blind guides! You say, "If anyone
swears by the Temple, it has no force; but anyone who swears by the
gold of the Temple is bound." Fools and blind! For which is of greater
value, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred? Again, "If
anyone swears by the altar it has no force; but anyone who swears by
the offering on the altar, is bound." You blind men! For which is of
greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering
sacred? Therefore, someone who swears by the altar is swearing by that
and by everything on it. And someone who swears by the Temple is
swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it. And someone who
swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who
is seated there.

REFLECTION
Why did Jesus often chastise the scribes and Pharisees? Because they
were hypocrites. They pretended to want to be holy but were just doing
their religious duties for show. The Lord demands sincerity from us.
In the first reading, he says that "God will fulfill our desires for
goodness." So let us ask ourselves if we truly desire goodness or not.

St. Rose of Lima, one of the greatest penitents among the saints, said
that if we desire graces, then we must be ready for affliction. She
said that the path to paradise is through the cross. God demands more
from His disciples than from the ordinary person. He showers His
friends with trials to make their love for Him grow stronger. He does
this little by little so as not to overwhelm us with sufferings. A
true disciple is always ready for sufferings because his model in life
is the Servant of Yahweh. He knows that God will be there to help him
if he is courageous and faithful enough to accept crosses in his life.

Let us pray always for the grace of courage and the virtues of faith,
hope and love. Every morning let us dedicate our day to the
fulfillment of God's will. Let us do something for others even when it
costs us suffering and pain. Let us train ourselves to put the
interests of others first before ours. In so doing, they may see Jesus
Christ reborn in our time and age, and thereby be led to God through
our example. Many people were converted by the actions of St. Rose of
Lima.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Boyet Balilla
- Virginia Buena Barcelon
- Ely Lara
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Cherie Torres
- Titong V.
… 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: Cristine C. Tan
… 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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