DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 15, 2011
WEDNESDAY 11TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

2 Cor 9:6-11 / Ps 112:1-2, 3-4, 9 / Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-11
Am I the only one, with Barnabas, bound to work? What soldier goes to
war at his own expense? What farmer does not eat from the vineyard he
planted? Who tends a flock and does not drink from its milk? Are these
rights only accepted human practice? No. The Law says the same. In the
Law of Moses it is written: Do not muzzle the ox which threshes grain.
Does this mean that God is concerned with oxen, or rather with us? Of
course it applies to us. For our sake it was written that no one plows
without expecting a reward for plowing, and no one threshes without
hoping for a share of the crop. Then, if we have sown spiritual riches
among you, would it be too much for us to reap some material reward?

MATTHEW 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples, "Be careful not to make a show of your
righteousness before people. If you do so, you do not gain anything
from your Father in heaven. When you give something to the poor, do
not have it trumpeted before you, as do those who want to be seen in
the synagogues and in the streets in order to be praised by the
people. I assure you, they have been already paid in full. If you give
something to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right
hand is doing, so that your gift remains really secret. Your Father
who sees what is kept secret, will reward you. When you pray, do not
be like those who want to be seen. They love to stand and pray in the
synagogues or on street corners to be seen by everyone. I assure you,
they have already been paid in full. When you pray, go into your room,
close the door and pray to your Father who is with you in secret; and
your Father who sees what is kept secret will reward you. When you
fast, do not put on a miserable face as do the hypocrites. They put on
a gloomy face, so people can see they are fasting. I tell you this:
they have been paid in full already. When you fast, wash your face and
make yourself look cheerful, because you are not fasting for
appearances or for people, but for your Father who sees beyond
appearances. And your Father, who sees what is kept secret will reward
you."

REFLECTION
Almost all sins stem from pride. By putting ourselves first in
whatever we do, we are setting ourselves up to fall into the trap of
sin. Today's Gospel reading is very clear on what the Lord is asking
of us. He wants us to shake off our pride and put others first. Ever
since we were children, our motivation to do well in school was to get
good grades and be on the honor roll, in other words, to be
recognized. When we work hard at our careers, it is to be promoted and
receive a raise. Most of our actions in this materialistic world are
fueled by putting ourselves first.

We should ask ourselves what we get out of being better than everyone
else. Is it a long-lasting happiness? Or is it a short-lived surge of
pride that fades as quickly as it comes?

Recognition is a motivation that most of us are familiar with. The
ways of the world teach us that if we are not given the recognition we
deserve, we must fight for it. But our Lord says the opposite. He is
telling us that the ways of the world are not his ways. If we do acts
of kindness without broadcasting them, he will reward us. This is not
easy because one of the rules in public relations is to let others
know the good things you do so that the world will think well of you.
The Lord says your motivation shouldn't be what other people will
think of you; what matters is what the Lord will think of you. Is this
enough to motivate us?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- DJ Villanueva
- Ditas dela Paz
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
… for the personal intentions of
- Josheil Dapo
- Ephie Z Villanueva
- Toni Girl Amaranto
- Christina Amaranto
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Joselito de Vera
- Wedding Anniversary: Wilfred Lim & Edna Lim
- In Memoriam (+): Estanislawa S. Bate
… 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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