Sunday, February 27, 2011
MONDAY 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I
MONDAY 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I
Sir 17:19-27 / Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7 / Mk 10:17-27
SIRACH 17:19-27
Their deeds are as clear as the sun to him, he always observes their
ways. Their misdeeds cannot be hidden from him, all their sins are
before the Lord. He holds a man's almsgiving dear as a priceless
signet ring; he cherishes a good deed like the apple of his eye. One
day he will rise and reward them; he will place their prize on their
heads. He allows those who repent to return; he comforts those whose
hopes are fading. Be converted to the Lord and give up your sins,
plead with him to lessen your offense. Return to the Almighty, turn
aside from wrongdoing and totally detest evil. For who in the grave
will praise the Almighty, if the living do not give him glory?
MARK 10:17-27
Just as Jesus was setting out on his journey again, a man ran up,
knelt before him and asked, "Good Master, what must I do to have
eternal life?" Jesus answered, "Why do you call me good? No one is
good but God alone. You know the commandments: Do not kill, do not
commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not
cheat, honor your father and mother." The man replied, "I have obeyed
all these commandments since my childhood." Then Jesus looked steadily
at him and loved him and he said, "For you, one thing is lacking. Go,
sell what you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have
riches in heaven. Then come and follow me." On hearing these words,
his face fell and he went away sorrowful for he was a man of great
wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is
for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples
were shocked at these words, but Jesus insisted, "Children, how hard i
t is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the
kingdom of God." They were more astonished than ever and wondered,
"Who, then, can be saved?" Jesus looked steadily at them and said,
"For humans it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible
with God."
REFLECTION
We are constantly faced with a choice between the good and the best.
We may wish for the path of comfortable obedience, but how do we
respond when Christ calls us to take the challenging path of faith?
Are we saddened at what we must leave behind or excited by the
challenge that lies before us?
Today's Gospel makes it clear that Christ asks no less than
everything. In other words, the way of the Gospel is not just doing
good and avoiding evil. Rather, the way of the Gospel is a way of
complete detachment not only from material possessions, of always
choosing not just what is good, but what is best for the greater glory
of God. There are indeed great sacrifices to be made if we wish to
follow Christ, but we are not expected to make the sacrifices in our
own power.
Jesus admits that detachment from all things is humanly impossible.
But the grace and power of Christ himself will enable us to move
steadily forward in the challenging path of sacrifice. As we advance
in faith, it becomes clear that God never asks something of us except
to make room to give us something far greater. What he wants to give
us is that blessed state of freedom and joy which T.S. Eliot called "a
condition of complete simplicity — costing no less than everything."
Let us ask Jesus today for the grace to yield all things to him,
knowing that he has far greater things in store for us than we can
hope for or ever imagine.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Nel de Leon
… for the personal intentions of Margarite Ponce de Leon
… Birthday: Joanne D. Lozada-Carsi-Cruz
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Angel G. Doble
… 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
