DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 6, 2011
9TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – A

Dt 11:18, 26-28 / Ps 31:2-3, 3-4, 17, 25 / Rom 3:21-25, 28 / Mt
7:21-27

DEUTERONOMY 11:18, 26-28
Moses said, "Engrave these words of mine on your hear t and in your
soul, brand them on your hand as a sign, and keep them always before
your eyes. "See that on this day, I set before you a blessing and a
curse. A blessing if you obey the commandments of Yahweh that I
command you today; a curse if you disobey these commandments and turn
aside from the way that I show you now, to follow strange gods which
are not yours. "And be careful to carry out all the laws and precepts
which I now set before you."

ROMANS 3:21-25, 28
Brothers and sisters: Now it has been revealed altogether apart from
the Law, as it was already foretold in the Law and the Prophets: God
makes us righteous by means of faith in Jesus Christ, and this is
applied to all who believe, without distinction of persons. Because
all have sinned and all fall short of the Glory of God; and all are
graciously forgiven and made righteous through the redemption effected
in Christ Jesus. For God has given him to be the victim whose blood
obtains us forgiveness through faith. So God shows us how he makes us
righteous. Past sins are forgiven which God overlooked till now. For
we hold that people are in God's grace by faith and not because of all
the things ordered by the Law indeed intercedes for us.

MATTHEW 7:21-27
Jesus said to his disciples, "Not everyone who says to me, `Lord!
Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will
of my heavenly Father. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord,
did we not speak in your name? Did we not cast out devils and perform
many miracles in your name?' Then I will tell them openly, `I have
never known you; away from me, you evil people!' "So then, anyone who
hears these words of mine, and acts accordingly, is like a wise man,
who built his house on rock. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and
the wind blew and struck that house, but it did not collapse because
it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine, and
does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that
house; it collapsed, and what a terrible fall that was!"

REFLECTION
In the Gospel reading, Jesus warns his hearers: "Not all of you who
call me, `Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who
does the will of my father in heaven." And we hear the protestation of
the self-righteous person: "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in
your name?" To which the Lord will reply: "I don't know you."

The figure of the rich young man easily comes to mind. He quite
confidently said: "Lord, all these – meaning, not killing, not commit
ting adultery, not stealing, not bearing false witness, honoring
father and mother, loving one's neighbor as one's self – I have
observed." But when he asked what more he still lacked to have eternal
life, and was told, "Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,
and come follow me," his face dropped and he went away sad. Because of
this Jesus said: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The rich
young man desired perfection, and had taken the preliminary steps
towards it, but he wanted perfection planned out and followed in his
own terms, and under his own authority.

He who does the will of the Father shall enter the kingdom of heaven.
This is the heart of the gospel reading. We can make all sorts of
grandiose plans, we can even see our plans benefiting other people as
these plans are laid and carried out. But if our plans remain OUR
plans, set in OUR terms, and without consulting God, at some stage,
cracks in their foundation will begin to show.

Take the case of a talented architect who wanted to show off his
skills in architectural design. He goes to his drawing board and
drafts what he regards as his masterpiece design. He never bothers to
consult other experts like a soils or a seismic engineer perhaps, to
see if his design can be executed on the ground he had chosen as
planned. Had he done so, he would have discovered that his design must
adapt to the actual soil conditions, and not the soil conditions
adapting to his design. He will have to adjust or alter his plans and
submit to the limits and boundaries imposed by nature.

Something similar can be said about following God's will. Human plans
must be exercised within God's will, for it is God's will that must be
its solid foundation. Otherwise, human will and freedom would just
sway unsteadily when left unguided, and exposed to the many forces in
the world. And so, the parable of Jesus makes real sense: the wise
man, the one who follows the will of God, builds his house upon the
rock; the foolish man, the one who follows his own will, builds his
house upon the sand. The rains fell, the floods came, and the house
upon the sand is gone. But the house upon the rock remains.

"He shall enter the kingdom of heaven who does the will of the Father
in heaven." This is what we hear in the Gospel, and the authority of
these words comes from him who is the very incarnation of the heart
and mind of God.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Lydia Pe
- Juday Pe
- Nel de Leon
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Bert Villacorta
… for the personal intentions of Titong V.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Ivan Tsoi
- Birthday: Ding Mammuad
- Birthday: Felix S. Saw
- Birthday: Britney Heather Lim
- Birthday: Ira Angela Q. Espiritu
… 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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