Tuesday, August 07, 2012

 

WEDNESDAY 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

AUGUST 8, 2012
WEDNESDAY 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II
MEMORIAL, ST DOMINIC

Jer 31:1-7 / Mt 15:21-28

JEREMIAH 31:1-7
Yahweh declares that when that time comes he will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be his people. Thus says Yahweh: The people who survived the sword have found grace in the desert. As Israel was seeking for his rest Yahweh appeared from afar saying, I have loved you with a love everlasting, so I have kept for you my mercy. I will restore you again, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin Israel! You will take up your tambourines and go out dancing joyfully. You will plant vineyards again on the hills of Samaria, and the farmers who plant them will enjoy their fruit. There shall be a day when watchmen will call out on the hills of Ephraim, "Come, let us go to Zion, to Yahweh our God!" For Yahweh says this: Shout with joy for Jacob; rejoice for the greatest of nations. Proclaim your praise and say: "Yahweh has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!"

MATTHEW 15:21-28
Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Now a Canaanite woman came from those borders and began to cry out, "Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon." But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached him and said, "Send her away! See how she is shouting after us." Then Jesus said to her, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel." But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus, and said, "Sir, help me!" Jesus answered, "It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to the puppy dogs." The woman replied, "That is true, sir, but even the puppy dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table." Then Jesus said, "Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish." And her daughter was healed at that moment.

REFLECTION
These verses of the Gospel focus on the great faith and humility of a Canaanite woman, who acknowledges the inferiority of her race as opposed to the Israelites. She is convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, a Jewish King, Son of David, capable of healing her daughter from demon possession. It is not Jesus' intention to belittle her by reminding her of the distinction between Jews and Canaanites, i.e., "children" versus "dogs." Rather, he tests her perseverance, to see how far she would go.

In Jewish territory, Jesus tried to convince people that he was the Messiah and was met with hostility. In Gentile land, he meets a Canaanite who did not know him but believed. Undaunted, the woman humbly took the role of the "dog," willing to pick up the crumbs dropped by the "children" and begged for mercy. Jesus recognizes her great faith. He performs a miracle for a Canaanite in Gentile territory. Here Jesus sets a precedent – his ministry may have initially focused on the Jews but he went to the Gentiles and extended his grace to all who believed in him.

As disciples of Christ, our mission is to take the message of grace to whomever believes. If we encounter refusal, we pray for them. But as Jesus turned to the Gentiles, we also turn to those who want it and are prepared to receive his message.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, SJ
- Lois Lussier, Shirley Weber
- Mon Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
- Tito Oreta
- Elean Flores
- Kathy
… for the personal intentions of
- Pauline
- Donna V
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Enrique-Alfonso Castillo
- Birthday: Francesca Andrea Ching
- In Memoriam (+): Corazon S. Ong
… 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!

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

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.
+================================================+

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TUESDAY 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

AUGUST 7, 2012
TUESDAY 18TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II
MEMORIAL, ST SIXTUS II & COMPANIONS; ST CAJETAN

Jer 30:1-2, 12-15, 18- 22 / Mt 14:22-36 or 15:1-2, 10-14

JEREMIAH 30:1-2, 12-15, 18- 22
This is another word that came to Jeremiah from Yahweh: Yahweh, God of Israel says, "Write in a book all that I have communicated to you, Yahweh says, "Your wound is incurable, your injury is grievous. There is no one to plead your cause. There is a remedy for an ulcer but no healing for you! All your lovers have forgotten you; they care nothing for you. For I struck you as an enemy does, with a cruel punishment, because of your great guilt and the wickedness of your sin. Why cry out now that you are hurt? Is there no cure for your pain? Because of your great crime and grievous sin I have done this to you. Yahweh says, "I will restore my people into Jacob's tents and have pity on his dwellings. The city will be rebuilt over its ruins and the palace restored on its proper place. From them will come songs of praise and the sound of merrymaking. I will multiply them and they shall not be few. I will bestow honor on them and they shall not be despised. Their children will be as before and their community will be established before me. I will ask their oppressors to account. Their leader will be one of themselves, their ruler shall emerge from their midst. I will bring him close to me for who would dare to approach me? You shall be my people and I shall be your God."

MATTHEW 14:22-36
Immediately Jesus obliged his disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he sent the crowd away. And having sent the people away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. At nightfall, he was there alone. Meanwhile, the boat was very far from land, dangerously rocked by the waves, for the wind was against it. At daybreak, Jesus came to them walking on the sea. When they saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, thinking that it was a ghost. And they cried out in fear. But at once Jesus said to them, "Courage! Don't be afraid. It's me!" Peter answered, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you walking on the water." Jesus said to him, "Come!" And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water to go to Jesus. But seeing the strong wind, he was afraid and began to sink; and he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately stretched out his hand and took hold of him, saying, "Man of little faith, why did you doubt?" As they got into the boat, the wind dropped. Then those in the boat bowed down before Jesus, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God!" They came ashore at Gennesareth. The local people recognized Jesus and spread the news throughout the region. So they brought all the sick to him, begging him to let them touch just the hem of his cloak. All who touched it became perfectly well.

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, Jesus assures us that if we trust in him, everything will be all right. We should not be afraid of life's storms, if we truly believe in his great love for us. The disciples were terrified as the waves pounded their fishing boat. Even if they did not call upon him in their precarious situation, because they were his followers, he went out to them and instantly calmed the storm.

When calamities or trials threaten to overwhelm us, do we look for the Lord's calming presence? We, like Peter who safely walked out to Jesus on the water but started to sink when he succumbed to doubt, sometimes think that the Lord is not in control of our situation, even when he has already demonstrated wonders in the midst of our chaos. Perhaps it is human nature to trust our own survival instincts, but the best way out of trouble is to trust in him.

"Lord, help me never to doubt your presence and power to rescue me. In my moments of doubt and weakness, let me cling to you. Strengthen my faith that I may trust in you alone always. Amen."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, SJ
- Lois Lussier, Shirley Weber
- Mon Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
- Tito Oreta
- Elean Flores
- Kathy
… for the personal intentions of
- Ramon S. Fecundo, Conchita S. Fecundo, Fecundo Family, Bukas Family
- Pauline
- Donna V
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rona Charlene O. Lao
- Birthday: Anita Pe Chongson
… 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!

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

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
 
© 2012 Daily-Homily

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