DAILY- HOMILY

JULY 9, 2011
MEMORIAL, MARTYRS OF CHINA, ST. LEO MANGIN, SJ
SATURDAY 14TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Gn 49:29-33; 50:15-24 / Ps 105:1-2, 3-4, 6-7 / Mt 10:24-33

GENESIS 49:29-33; 50:15-24
He then gave them these instructions: "I am soon to be gathered to my
people; bury me near my fathers, in the cave in the field of Ephron,
the Hittite; in the cave in the field of Machpelah, to the east of
Mamre in Canaan, the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite
as a burial place. It was there that Abraham and his wife Sarah were
buried. There they buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were
purchased from the Hittites." When Jacob had given these instructions
to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed; he breathed his last
and was gathered to his people. When Joseph's brothers realized that
their father was dead they said, "What if Joseph turns against us in
hate because of the evil we did him?" So they sent word to Joseph
saying, "Before he died your father told us to say this to you: Please
forgive the crime and the sin of your brothers in doing evil to you.
Forgive the crime of the servants of your father's God." When he was
given the message, Joseph wept. His brothers went and threw themselves
down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph reassured
them, "Don't be afraid! Am I in the place of God? You intended to do
me harm, but God intended to turn it to good in order to bring about
what is happening today—the survival of many people. So have no fear!
I will provide for you and your little ones." In this way he touched
their hearts and consoled them. Joseph remained in Egypt together with
all his father's family. He lived for a hundred and ten years, long
enough to see Ephraim's great-grandchildren, and also to have the
children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, placed on his knees after
their birth. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am going to die, but
God will surely remember you and take you from this country to the
land he promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

MATTHEW 10:24-33
Jesus said to his apostles, "A student is not above his teacher, or a
slave above his master. A student should be glad to become like his
teacher, and the slave like his master. If the head of the family has
been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of the family! So, do
not be afraid of them. There is nothing covered that will not be
uncovered, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. What I am
telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in
private, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who
kill the body, but have no power to kill the soul. Rather be afraid of
him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. For only a few cents
you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground
without your Father's consent. As for you, every hair of your head has
been counted. So do not be afraid: you are worth much more than many
sparrows. Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge
before my Father in heaven. Whoever rejects me before others I will
reject before my Father in heaven."

REFLECTION
Today's Gospel passage is timely as we mark the Memorial of the
Martyrs of China. This commemoration is all the more relevant knowing
that our Mary the Queen Parish is unique for having a Chinese charism
aside from being Jesuit. The Catholic Encyclopedia documents the
suffering of the early Christians around the time when Matteo Ricci, a
Jesuit priest, evangelized China during the early 1600s. Matteo Ricci
is credited for converting China during the Ming Dynasty but when the
Manchu invaders later took over China, the blood of at least 120
Catholic martyrs had to flow in order to nurture the planted seed.
Added to this number were numerous other Christians who were likewise
martyred during that time. Martyrdom came by such diverse methods
ranging from strangling to beheading to burning. There was no
consideration. Seven Catholic bishops and six Apostolic Vicars were
not spared; neither was a 14-year-old Catholic girl. It was a literal
depiction of Matthew's Gospel today that "All men will hate you
because of me…"

There is still a need for us to be one with our missionaries and
believers in China who are not as free to practice our faith as we
are. Nowadays, there is little chance for us to suffer horribly for
the faith of Christ, especially where we are right now. The sad fact
is that it is even getting easier to take our faith for granted. Our
faith is mainly handed to us on a platter. Suffering for our faith
(like coming to Mass) comes in the simplest form of inconveniences
like forsaking a couple of hours of golfing, malling, or socializing.
Are we not lucky that we and our loved ones are not asked to die
terrible deaths for our faith?

Today as we remember the Martyrs of China, let us reflect on what
possible ways (the more punishing the better) we are willing to be
persecuted for believing in Jesus. Let us pray that at the final
reckoning and in communion with the saints we are indeed worthy of our
faith, fully relying on what St. Matthew is saying in today's Gospel
that "…he who stands firm to the end will be saved."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Manuel A
- Ong Chong Chong
- Fr. Luis Sierra, OP
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Theodore Gotamco Tan
- Birthday: Marilene Maloles
… 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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