Monday, March 04, 2013
TUESDAY 3RD WEEK OF LENT YEAR I
MARCH 5, 2013
TUESDAY 3RD WEEK OF LENT – YEAR I
Dan 3:25,34-43 / Ps 25: 4-5ab. 6 and 7bc. 8 and 9 / Mt 18:21-35
DANIEL 3:25,34-43
Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud: Do not abandon us forever, do not reject your covenant for your Name's sake. Do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac, your servant, of Israel, your holy one, to whom you promised to multiply their race as the stars of heaven and the sand on the shore of the sea. Lord, see, we have become the least among the nations in all the world, and we are humiliated because of our sins. At this time, we no longer have a king, or prophet, or leader. We cannot offer you holocausts, sacrifices, offerings, or incense. We have no place to present to you the first-fruits of our crops, and so obtain your favor. But at least when we present ourselves with a contrite soul and humbled spirit may we then be acceptable to you, more than by offerings of rams and calves as holocausts, and of thousands of fat lambs. May this sacrifice of ours today obtain for us your favor for we know that those who trust in you shall never be disappointed. And now, we serve you with our whole heart, we fear you and we seek your face. Do not leave us in our humiliation, but treat us according to your kindness and your great mercy. Free us in keeping with your wonders, and give us the glory of your Name, Lord.
MATTHEW 18:21-35
Then Peter asked him, "Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?" Jesus answered, "No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven: A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment. The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, `Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.' The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even canceled his debt. When this servant left the king's presence, he met one of his companions, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost choked him, shouting, `Pay me what you owe!' His companion threw himself at his feet and begged him, `Give me time, and I will pay everything.' The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt. Now his fellow servants saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his servant and said, `Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion, as I had pity on you?' The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt." Jesus added, "So will my heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters."
REFLECTION
Jesus goes against the usual convention by prescribing perfect and complete forgiveness as a lifelong practice. Where's the fairness in that, we ask. After all, how often have we found ourselves, having been aggrieved, wanting – no, demanding compensation. A pound of flesh. An eye for an eye. And if we're not compensated right away, how we seethe in anger, even stoking it, justifying ourselves that we're just after what's fair. Jesus throws all of that out the window. Why? He wants us to move on, be at peace. Recall confession, and the lightness that you feel afterwards. Recall admitting to someone that you messed up. Recall the liberation, the lightness afterwards. In sharing this story with Peter, Jesus tells us that we must all learn to forgive, so that we can move on and liberate not only the person who has offended us, but more importantly ourselves. God Himself sits ready to forgive, every time we go to confession. All we have to do is ask for forgiveness – genuinely, from the heart. Not like the first servant in the parable who, it turned out, didn't mean it when he asked for forgiveness and was just manipulating his master. That doesn't quite cut it with our Lord. What Jesus requires is true and genuine remorse, a resolve to sin no more. And even if we sin again, we can come back, and God will be ready to forgive – seven times seventy times. Perfect forgiveness. Each and every time we ask for it. How wonderful is that!
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Eufrocina Navarro
- Toots Monfort
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Andy Lecaros, Virginia Hernandez, Mon Torres, and Fleur Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Dr Ugo Anyaugo, Oge Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs) adaugo Barbara Okoronkwo, Engr. Ifeanyi Matt Anyaugo, Chuba Anyaugo and Ezinne Cordelia Anyaugo
- Eufrocenri Navarro
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Eliseo Fabella, Sr. 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: Jenna Isabela L. Wong
- Birthday: Nathan Ernest Yu
- Prayer Intention: La Croesus Pharma, Inc. (LCPI)
- In Memoriam (+): Simplicio V. Lim
… 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 3RD WEEK OF LENT – YEAR I
Dan 3:25,34-43 / Ps 25: 4-5ab. 6 and 7bc. 8 and 9 / Mt 18:21-35
DANIEL 3:25,34-43
Azariah stood up in the midst of the fire and prayed aloud: Do not abandon us forever, do not reject your covenant for your Name's sake. Do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraham, your friend, of Isaac, your servant, of Israel, your holy one, to whom you promised to multiply their race as the stars of heaven and the sand on the shore of the sea. Lord, see, we have become the least among the nations in all the world, and we are humiliated because of our sins. At this time, we no longer have a king, or prophet, or leader. We cannot offer you holocausts, sacrifices, offerings, or incense. We have no place to present to you the first-fruits of our crops, and so obtain your favor. But at least when we present ourselves with a contrite soul and humbled spirit may we then be acceptable to you, more than by offerings of rams and calves as holocausts, and of thousands of fat lambs. May this sacrifice of ours today obtain for us your favor for we know that those who trust in you shall never be disappointed. And now, we serve you with our whole heart, we fear you and we seek your face. Do not leave us in our humiliation, but treat us according to your kindness and your great mercy. Free us in keeping with your wonders, and give us the glory of your Name, Lord.
MATTHEW 18:21-35
Then Peter asked him, "Lord, how many times must I forgive the offenses of my brother or sister? Seven times?" Jesus answered, "No, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This story throws light on the kingdom of Heaven: A king decided to settle the accounts of his servants. Among the first was one who owed him ten thousand pieces of gold. As the man could not repay the debt, the king commanded that he be sold as a slave with his wife, his children and all his goods, as repayment. The servant threw himself at the feet of the king and said, `Give me time, and I will pay you back everything.' The king took pity on him, and not only set him free, but even canceled his debt. When this servant left the king's presence, he met one of his companions, who owed him a hundred pieces of silver. He grabbed him by the neck and almost choked him, shouting, `Pay me what you owe!' His companion threw himself at his feet and begged him, `Give me time, and I will pay everything.' The other did not agree, but sent him to prison until he had paid all his debt. Now his fellow servants saw what had happened. They were extremely upset, and so they went and reported everything to their lord. Then the lord summoned his servant and said, `Wicked servant, I forgave you all that you owed when you begged me to do so. Weren't you bound to have pity on your companion, as I had pity on you?' The lord was now angry, so he handed his servant over to be punished, until he had paid his whole debt." Jesus added, "So will my heavenly Father do with you, unless you sincerely forgive your brothers and sisters."
REFLECTION
Jesus goes against the usual convention by prescribing perfect and complete forgiveness as a lifelong practice. Where's the fairness in that, we ask. After all, how often have we found ourselves, having been aggrieved, wanting – no, demanding compensation. A pound of flesh. An eye for an eye. And if we're not compensated right away, how we seethe in anger, even stoking it, justifying ourselves that we're just after what's fair. Jesus throws all of that out the window. Why? He wants us to move on, be at peace. Recall confession, and the lightness that you feel afterwards. Recall admitting to someone that you messed up. Recall the liberation, the lightness afterwards. In sharing this story with Peter, Jesus tells us that we must all learn to forgive, so that we can move on and liberate not only the person who has offended us, but more importantly ourselves. God Himself sits ready to forgive, every time we go to confession. All we have to do is ask for forgiveness – genuinely, from the heart. Not like the first servant in the parable who, it turned out, didn't mean it when he asked for forgiveness and was just manipulating his master. That doesn't quite cut it with our Lord. What Jesus requires is true and genuine remorse, a resolve to sin no more. And even if we sin again, we can come back, and God will be ready to forgive – seven times seventy times. Perfect forgiveness. Each and every time we ask for it. How wonderful is that!
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Eufrocina Navarro
- Toots Monfort
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Andy Lecaros, Virginia Hernandez, Mon Torres, and Fleur Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Dr Ugo Anyaugo, Oge Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs) adaugo Barbara Okoronkwo, Engr. Ifeanyi Matt Anyaugo, Chuba Anyaugo and Ezinne Cordelia Anyaugo
- Eufrocenri Navarro
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Eliseo Fabella, Sr. 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: Jenna Isabela L. Wong
- Birthday: Nathan Ernest Yu
- Prayer Intention: La Croesus Pharma, Inc. (LCPI)
- In Memoriam (+): Simplicio V. Lim
… 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
© 2013 Daily-Homily
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