DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 4, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST. ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL, HOLY WOMAN
MONDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Gn 28:10-22 / Ps 91:1-2, 3-4, 14-15 / Mt 9:18-26

GENESIS 28:10-22
Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain
place the sun had set and he spent the night there. He took one of the
stones that were there and using it as a pillow, he lay down to sleep.
While Jacob was sleeping, he had a dream in which a ladder stood on
the earth with its top reaching to heaven and on it were angels of God
going up and coming down. And Yahweh was standing there near him and
said, "I am Yahweh, the God of your father, Abraham, and the God of
Isaac. The land on which you sleep, I give to you and your
descendants. Your descendants will be numerous like the specks of dust
of the earth and you will spread out to the west and the east, to the
north and the south. Through you and your descendants all the nations
of the earth will be blessed. See, I am with you and I will keep you
safe wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land and not leave
you until I have done what I promised." Jacob woke from his dream and
said, "Truly Yahweh was in this place and I was not aware of it." He
was afraid and said, "How full of awe is this place! It is nothing
less than a House of God; it is the Gate to Heaven!" Then Jacob rose
early and took the stone he had put under his head and set it up as a
pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He named that place Bethel
although before that it was called Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, "If
Yahweh will be with me and keep me safe during this journey I am
making, if he gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and if I
return in peace to my father's house, then Yahweh will be my God. This
stone which I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all
that you give me, I will give back a tenth."

MATTHEW 9:18-26
While Jesus was speaking to them, an official of the synagogue came up
to him, bowed before him and said, "My daughter has just died, but
come and place your hands on her, and she will live." Jesus stood up
and followed him with his disciples. Then a woman who had suffered
from a severe bleeding for twelve years came up from behind and
touched the edge of his cloak. For she thought, "If I only touch his
cloak, I will be healed." Jesus turned, saw her and said, "Courage, my
daughter, your faith has saved you." And from that moment the woman
was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the
flute players and the excited crowd, he said, "Get out of here! The
girl is not dead. She is only sleeping!" And they laughed at him. But
once the crowd had been turned out, Jesus went in and took the girl by
the hand, and she stood up. The news of this spread through the whole
area.

REFLECTION
In today's first reading, Jacob, urged on by his mother, deceives his
father Isaac. Through a very clever ruse, he receives Isaac's
blessing, which Isaac thought he was giving to his first-born, Esau.
Now Jacob has to flee because Esau, quite naturally, is furious and
threatens to kill him. One night during his flight he lies down in a
lonely place far from home, with a stone as a pillow. During the night
he has a dream, perhaps a vision. In his dream he sees angels going up
and down a ladder or a staircase between earth and heaven.

Jacob needed this vision. He realized how guilty he was because he had
deceived his father and cheated his older brother. He's alone in a
wilderness, burdened by his guilt, separated from his home and his
family. At what was probably the lowest point in his life, he is
granted a vision of God. It comforted him, convincing him that he was
not alone, that in spite of the evil he had done and the depression he
was suffering the way to God was open.

Doesn't the narration sound like it's recounting how God often deals
with us? At our lowest, when we are alone, cut off from those we love,
perhaps rejected by them, heavy with guilt, God penetrates the wall of
shame and fear and speaks to us. It may not be a comforting vision. It
may be simply a word a stranger mutters, or the beauty of our
surroundings; it may be a fearsome storm pummeling us, or a gentle
breeze caressing us. Whatever the means He chooses, God speaks to us
and lifts us out of the slough. Not because of any good within us, but
simply because He is a loving and merciful Father.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
-Gary Morillo
-Fr. Luis Sierra, OP
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
-Aladino Dasas, Jr.
-Arturo Dy+
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: Philip Go Sy
-Birthday: Pasencia Siy Tan
-Thanksgiving: Doris Tan & Family
-In Memoriam (+): Geminiano Ong Acero
-In Memoriam (+): Matthew Patrick Sy
… 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!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.
Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,
colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the
following:

+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GoogleGroup Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this free mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

© 2011 Daily-Homily