DAILY- HOMILY

AUGUST 17, 2013
SATURDAY 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Jos 24:14-29 / Ps 16: 1-2a and 5. 7-8. 11 / Mt 19:13-15

Joshua 24:14-29
So fear Yahweh, and be sincere and faithful in serving him. Set aside those gods your ancestors worshiped in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Serve only Yahweh. But if you do not want to serve Yahweh, make known this very day whom you shall serve —whether they be the gods your ancestors served in Mesopotamia or the gods of the Amorites who formerly occupied the land in which you now live. As for me, I and my household will serve Yahweh." The people answered: "May God not permit that we ever abandon Yahweh to serve other gods! For it was he who brought us and our ancestors out of Egypt, the house of slavery. It was he who did those great wonders that we have seen; he protected us on the way and through all the land where we passed, driving away before us all the nations especially the Amorites who lived in this land. So we shall also serve Yahweh: he is our God!" Joshua asked the people: "Will you be able to serve Yahweh? He is a Holy God, a Jealous God who does not tolerate wickedness or faults. If you abandon Yahweh to serve other gods, he will turn against you and just as he has done you so much good, so shall he punish you and destroy you." The people replied: "No, may it not be as you say. We will serve Yahweh." Joshua said: "You yourselves are witnesses that you have chosen Yahweh to serve him." They answered: "We are witnesses." Joshua then said, "Remove now from your midst any other gods and serve Yahweh, the God of Israel, with all your heart." The people answered: "We will serve Yahweh, our God, and obey his commands." On that day at Shechem, Joshua made a covenant with the people and fixed laws and ordinances. He also wrote down everything expressed in the book of the Law of God; he chose a great stone and put it under the oak tree in the sacred place of Yahweh. Then Joshua said to the people: "This stone shall be a witness to all that Yahweh said to us, for it heard all these words. It shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with Yahweh." Joshua immediately sent the people away and everyone returned to his land. After all these deeds, Joshua, son of Nun and servant of Yahweh, died at the age of a hundred and ten.

Matthew 19:13-15
Then little children were brought to Jesus that he might lay his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded those who brought them. Jesus then said, "Let them be! Do not stop the children from coming to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to people such as these children." So Jesus laid his hands on them and went his way.

REFLECTION
Children are a picture of innocence, simplicity and naiveté. Likewise, children are highly impressionable, and what they learn early in life will be carried on through their adult life. Everything is new to children, which is why to them all experiences are novel, always interesting and worth paying close attention to.

Have you ever wondered why children who commit crimes are not supposed to be accountable? We could lay aside such legalese as: victims of society or no moral judgment yet. Children always have a special appeal to people not just to mothers and the rest of those inside and outside the family. Apparently this extends even to the law interpreters as well.

Another question - Why is elementary teaching said to be the noblest of professions? It is presumably because of the gratifying challenge of being given the chance to develop such moldable personalities as those of the children and make them reach their fondest and highest dreams. And the greatest teacher of them all preaches that unless men become like children, they cannot be in heaven. Fortunately there is good news here: Jesus did not say ONLY CHILDREN can go to heaven. He says we adults, if we BECOME LIKE CHILDREN, we can belong in heaven too.

The most likeable and, therefore, valuable asset of a child is his absolute obedience on whom and in what he believes. This is called faith and not just simple faith but a strong one that is acted out unquestionably and without hesitation. And so the ironic question then is: Are we now man enough to shed such pseudo-hallmarks of total maturity as jadedness, know-it-all, smart-alecky, sarcasm, smugness, overconfidence, Christianity by convenience and disbelief? Or do we wait for Mother Nature to do the job for us when she allows us to get very old when we then act like a child? The other scenario is scarier: when we desperately want to be as full of faith as children, but it is then too late as we do not have the capacity anymore. Some of us wince, cringe and grimace when we hear the phrase "born again."But this is precisely what today's gospel passage is all about.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Virginia Hernandez, and Fleur Torres
- Judy Fernandez and Harry Shearer
… for the personal intentions of
- Gerard Olona
- Lungelo
- Pauline
- Juliet Fallaria
- Ma. Angeli Marmeto
- Teresa Antoinette Bagaipo and Sol Bagaipo
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Asterio Buquiron. 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: Billie Ching Syling
- Birthday: Ma. Cecilia P. Navarro
… 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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