DAILY- HOMILY: 07/16/11

DAILY- HOMILY

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Saturday, July 16, 2011

17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – A

JULY 17, 2011
17TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – A

Wis 12:13, 16-19 / Ps 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16 / Rom 8:26-27 / Mt 13:24-43
or 13:24-30

WISDOM 12:13, 16-19
There is no other god besides you, one who cares for everyone, who
could ask you to justify your judgments. Your strength is the source
of your justice and because you are the Lord of all, you can be
merciful to everyone. To those who doubt your sovereign power you show
your strength and you confound the insolence of those who ignore it.
But you, the Lord of strength, judge with prudence and govern us with
great patience, because you are able to do anything at the time you
want. In this way you have taught your people that a righteous person
must love his human fellows; you have also given your people cause for
hope by prompting them to repent of their sin.

ROMANS 8:26-27
Brothers and sisters, we are weak, but the Spirit comes to help us.
How to ask? And what shall we ask for? We do not know, but the spirit
intercedes for us without words, as if with groans. And He who sees
inner secrets knows the desires of the Spirit, for he asks for the
holy ones what is pleasing to God.

MATTHEW 13:24-43
Jesus told them another parable, "The kingdom of heaven can be
compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was
asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left. "When
the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared. Then
the servants of the owner came to him and said: `Sir, was it not good
seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?' He
answered them: `This is the work of an enemy.' They asked him: `Do you
want us to go and pull up the weeds?' He told them: `No, when you pull
up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let them just grow
together until harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the workers:
Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then
gather the wheat into my barn." Jesus put another parable before them,
"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, that a man took and
sowed in his field. It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it
has fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the
birds come and rest in its branches." He told them another parable,
"The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast that a woman took and buried
in three measures of flour until the whole mass of dough began to
rise." Jesus taught all this to the crowds by means of parables; he
did not say anything to them without using a parable. So what the
Prophet had said was fulfilled: I will speak in parables. I will
proclaim things kept secret since the beginning of the world. Then he
sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his disciples came
to him saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
Jesus answered them, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of
Man. The field is the world; the good seed are the people of the
Kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one. The enemy who
sows them is the devil; the harvest is the end of time and the workers
are the angels. "Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the
fire, so will it be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his
angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that is scandalous
and all who do evil. And these will be thrown in the blazing furnace,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will
shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears,
then hear."

REFLECTION
Jesus uses the parable of the weeds and the wheat with which to
compare the kingdom of God. The parable shows that the kingdom of God
accomplishes its goal no matter what the difficulties placed before it
are. The presence of the weeds among the wheat did not stop the owner
of the field from still yielding a sizeable harvest at harvest time.

In the parable of the weeds and the wheat, one important truth about
the kingdom of God being established and is continually being
established here on earth is that it is composed of both saints and
sinners. The kingdom of God here on earth is still in the process of
perfecting itself, and while it still is in process, we just have to
accept and face the truth of this odd mixture of opposites. All our
efforts therefore at trying to be holy in response to the call to
holiness by God are to be made within a world which counts its
membership from among sinners and saints. And yet, we live in hope
that it is goodness that will triumph, for without this hope we will
only be filled with bitterness and despair.

When the workers of the field discovered the growth of the weeds, they
asked their lord if he wanted them to pull out the weeds. But his
answer was to leave them alone until harvest time, lest they also pull
out the wheat. What does the judgment of the master tell us? It tells
us to be patient, to be continually open and yet vigilant at the real
situation of imperfection made by the presence of sin and evil. It
does not mean that we just allow evil to flourish unchallenged, but to
actively confront evil and its threats. Evil must be contained even if
perhaps imperfectly, in order for goodness to have space to grow. Evil
must be contained, or else the wheat will die and cannot reach harvest
time and be burned with the weeds for they, too, have become useless.

In this situation where both weeds and wheat grow, i.e. good and evil
grow, it is not difficult to get discouraged when not a few times we
see that evil seems to get the upper hand. And we get tempted to go
the way of sinners.

However, we strive to hold on to our faith in God. At the time of
harvesting, but even before that, God already keeps an eye on those to
be harvested and helps them to grow. God does not gather into his
barns the works of evil men. And so we hold on to doing what is right
and good filled with hope that it is the fruit of the good that will
surely last and that will be gathered at harvest time. Truly, a time
for harvesting awaits those who see beyond the weeds in the field of
wheat, those who see beyond the weakness and wickedness of this world.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Wally Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
- Jaydon Conger
… for the personal intentions of
- Pauline
- Estelita Escamilla- Andrew
- Glenda and Joel Bisco
- Ma. Fe and Florante De Castro
- Fe Edralyn and Domingo Barayoga Sr.
- Julie and Glenn Manzon
- Churchill and Marichu Barayoga
- Mary Ann Castro
- John Dale and Glenn Dale Manzon
- Pinky Siblio
- Julie Manzon
- Valerie
- Lorna Guibani
- Griff and Zaida Diaz
- Reggie and Iris Velasco
… In Thanksgiving: Manzon and Barayoga Families
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Joel Dingcong
- Joshua Peters
- Moneeyeen Singson
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: Alejo S. Yao
- Birthday: PJ Soriano
- Birthday: Filadelfo Inocentes Jr.
- Birthday: Dr. Lucio C. Tan
- In Memoriam (+): Ricardo Valencia
… for families who are in need of healing
… 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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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 4:12 AM 0 comments

MEMORIAL, OUR LADY OF CARMEL

JULY 16, 2011
MEMORIAL, OUR LADY OF CARMEL
SATURDAY 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Ex 12:37-42 / Ps 136:1, 23-24, 10-12, 13-15 / Mt 12:14-21

EXODUS 12:37-42
The Israelites left Rameses for Succoth, about six hundred thousand
of them on the march, counting the men only, and not the children. A
great number of other people of all descriptions went with them, as
well as sheep and cattle in droves. With the dough they had brought
with them from Egypt, they made cakes of unleavened bread. It had not
risen, for when they were driven from Egypt they could not delay and
had not even provided themselves with food. The Israelites had been in
Egypt for four hundred and thirty years. It was at the end of these
four hundred and thirty years to the very day that the armies of
Yahweh left Egypt. This is the watch for Yahweh who brought Israel out
of Egypt. This night is for Yahweh, and all the Israelites are also to
keep vigil on this night, year after year, for all time.

MATTHEW 12:14-21
The Pharisees went out and made plans to get rid of Jesus. As he was
aware of the plot, he went away from that place. Many people followed
him and he cured all who were sick. Then he gave them strict orders
not to make him known. In this way Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled:
"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, and with whom
I am pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him and he will announce my
judgment to the nations. He will not argue or shout, nor will his
voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed he will not crush, nor
snuff out the smoldering wick. He will persist until justice is made
victorious and in him all the nations will put their hope."

REFLECTION
Today's reflection has two key words: Sabbath and Mt. Carmel. The
Gospel reading takes up the issue of which is more important: honoring
the Sabbath or the Lord of the Sabbath. The lesson always is that if
by strictly and literally observing the Sabbath one conveniently
avoids doing what would have been more pleasing to the Lord, then the
Sabbath loses its purpose and meaning: that it is a rest day to be
spent solely in giving glory the Lord. A misplaced focus on the
Sabbath might as well be a shameless worshiping of a false god.

This brings us to the second key word, Mt. Carmel. Today we celebrate
the memorial of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, a very important date not just
for all Carmelites. Carmel was the biblical place where the prophet
Elijah triumphed over the pagan King Ahab and his idol god Baal. The
Book of Kings narrates that King Ahab has started to at tract the Jews
by means of colorful rituals. A number of prophets denounced such
paganism and the king's wife Jezebel had them all killed. Only Elijah
escaped. In the final showdown, a prophet of Baal and the Lord's
prophet Elijah each built a stone altar topped with firewood on which
was a sacrificial bull. Whose god it is who can send fire upon the
altar will be deemed the one true god. The prophets of Baal prayed,
danced, and sang but nothing happened. Before Elijah prayed, he even
poured water on the altar. When he called upon the Lord, a fire bolt
quickly descended and consumed not only the bull but even the stone
altar.

Let us go through this day rekindled and confidently firm in the
belief that our Lord is indeed above the Sabbath and above Baal. And
may we all be worthy and practicing believers.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Father William VonAllman
- Wally Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
- Jaydon Conger
… for the personal intentions of
- Andrew
- Nikolai Cortez, Aydin Cortez, Karl Cortez, Maureen Cortez, Rex
Cortez
- Josheil Dapo
- Pauline
- Estelita Escamilla- Andrew
- Glenda and Joel Bisco
- Ma. Fe and Florante De Castro
- Fe Edralyn and Domingo Barayoga Sr.
- Julie and Glenn Manzon
- Churchill and Marichu Barayoga
- Mary Ann Castro
- John Dale and Glenn Dale Manzon
- Pinky Siblio
- Julie Manzon
- Valerie
- Lorna Guibani
- Griff and Zaida Diaz
- Reggie and Iris Velasco
… In Thanksgiving: Manzon and Barayoga Families
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Lutgarda Sison Cortez
- Ong Chong Chong
- Joel Dingcong
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: Arnel Hernandez
- Birthday: Cheryl Baguiao
- Birthday: Charlene Blanche Yu
- Birthday: Jason P. Salvador
- Birthday: Dino Datu
- Birthday: Anjanette B. Tan
- Birthday: Marissa Gimbol
- Wedding Anniversary: Sheryl & Peter Lim Iii
- Prayer Intention: Denis & Cheloy Tan & Family
- In Memoriam (+): Geronimo Z. Velasco (Oct 6, 1927-July 16, 2007)+
- In Memoriam (+): Lim Giok Chat (1906-1987)
- In Memoriam (+): Alfredo C. Torres
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.