Saturday, August 24, 2013

 

21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

AUGUST 25, 2013
21ST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

Memorial, Saint Louis or Saint Joseph of Calasanz, priest
Is 66:18-21 / Ps 117: 1. 2 / Heb 12:5-7,11-13 / Lk 13:22-30

READINGS
Isaiah 66:18-21
Now I am going to gather the nations of every tongue, and they will witness my glory, for I will perform a wonderful thing among them. Then I will send some of their survivors to the nations—Tarshish, Put, Lud, Moscheck, Rosh, Tubal, and Javan—to the distant islands where no one has ever heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory among the nations. They will bring your kindred from all the nations as an offering to Yahweh on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules, on camels to my holy mountain in Jerusalem, says Yahweh, just as the Israelites bring oblations in clean vessels to the house of Yahweh. Then I will choose priests and Levites even from them, says Yahweh.

Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13
Do not forget the comforting words that Wisdom addresses to you as children: My son, pay attention when the Lord corrects you and do not be discouraged when he punishes you. For the Lord corrects those he loves and chastises everyone he accepts as a son. What you endure is in order to correct you. God treats you like sons and what son is not corrected by his father? All correction is painful at the moment, rather than pleasant; later it brings the fruit of peace, that is, holiness to those who have been trained by it. Lift up, then, your drooping hands, and strengthen your trembling knees; make level the ways for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but healed.

Luke 13:22-30
Jesus went through towns and villages teaching, and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?" And Jesus answered, "Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has gone inside and locked the door, you will stand outside. Then you will knock at the door, calling, `Lord, open to us!' But he will say to you, `I do not know where you come from.' Then you will say, `We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets!' But he will reply, `I don't know where you come from. Away from me, all you workers of evil.' You will weep and grind your teeth, when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside. Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. Some who are among the last, will be first; and some who are among the first, will be last!"

REFLECTION
The greatest commandment says: "Love God with your whole heart and soul and strength." It does not say: "Put aside 45 minutes on Sunday and you will have fulfilled everything that is necessary for the love of God." Would we have to stand before the Lord and say: "But didn't I hear that priest preaching every week?" He will say: "Did you live the message that you heard? Did it mean anything to you? Did it change you so that you became more like me? Can I see my reflection in you?" That is the question that he is going to ask us on the Day of Judgment. Not - "Did you simply show up for Mass and go through the external motions?" But - "What effect did the mass have on you internally? Has it changed you?" The day that we were made clean was the day of our baptism. And so we were changed.

Now what Jesus is looking for is not simply that there was a change one day, but that you lived that change for the rest of your life. Did you live as a follower of Jesus Christ? Did you live your life as a person who is righteous, who is clean, a person who has shunned the ways of sin and has accepted the ways of Jesus Christ and sought to live his ways in your life? Out of love, God has made us clean. He has called us from all the nations. At birth, we were all Gentiles. We were not Jewish people, the chosen people of God. We were the ones that were not expected to be part of God's temple. But God has made us his own through baptism and we cannot sit back arrogantly and say: "Because God has made me his own son or daughter, I am free. I can do whatever I want. I am in! The door is always open!" No. He has gathered all of us from the east and the west and he invites us to the table of God's children in Heaven, but the choice of whether or not we are going to sit at table with him is entirely up to us.

If we want to truly do God's will, it is to be a 24 hour a day job. We are to be His children. We are to act like his children. We are to become truly one with Him. We are to radiate the image of God in our lives and to allow God in all things to purify us, to perfect us so that we will truly be the sons and daughters of Almighty God. If we can be all these things in the sight of God, then for sure, on Judgment Day, we are going to hear from Jesus' own lips these consoling words: "Come, you blessed of my Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world."

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
- Joy Droke
… for the personal intentions of Pauline
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Inocencio B. Bajala. 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: Leo Abot
- Birthday: Juanita Temew
- Birthday: Boyce P. Liao
- In Memoriam (+): Rowena Ocampo Yao
… 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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