Thursday, June 12, 2014
Friday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
June 13, 2014
Friday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[Memorial, St. Anthony of Padua]
1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-16/ Ps 27: 7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14/ Mt 5: 27-32
Reading: 1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-16
On reaching the place, he came to the cave and stayed in it. Then Yahweh said, "Go up and stand on the mount, waiting for Yahweh." And Yahweh passed by. There was first a windstorm, wild wind which rent the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the storm, an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, the murmur of a gentle breeze. When Elijah perceived it, he covered his face with his cloak, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then he heard a voice addressing him again, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I am burning with jealous love for Yahweh, the God of hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars and slain your prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself, yet they still seek my life to take it away." Yahweh said to him, "Take the road back through the desert and go to Damascus for you must anoint Hazael as king of Syria; you shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel; and Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
Gospel: Matthew 5: 27-32
You have heard that it was said: Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this: anyone who looks at a woman to lustfully has in fact already committed adultery with her in his heart. So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. It was also said: anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. But what I tell you is this: If a man divorces his wife except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Reflection:
Remember King David's affair with Bathsheba? It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (2 Sam 11:2-4).
Looking with lust is adultery in the heart. Yet many people today have not realized that looking with lust has the capacity to stir the heart's desire and lead to the act of adultery. It is for this reason that Jesus forbids not just the act of adultery but also the desire for it. 'I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Mt 5:28). Indeed, the consequences of lust is more destructive: evil thoughts, fornication, covetousness, wickedness, adultery, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, infidelity, divorce, foolishness, even murder. Yet many people find lust not a serious matter but keep the lustful feelings in themselves and dismiss them as not really threatening. But sooner or later, we have to deal with them for these impure desires will cast a shadow over us, contaminating our relationships, and even becoming the darkened lenses through which we view the whole world.
So what should we do? Jesus proposes a radical remedy. "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body thrown into hell..." Your eye and your hand - if they're the cause of sin, get rid of them. Jesus obviously does not mean that we should physically mutilate ourselves, but that we should fight hard without making any concession. He is saying that we need to be firm with sin in our life. Tough on sin, tough on the causes of sin. So if you use your eyes to glimpse the magazine covers in the newsagents, act as if you were blind and look away at something else. Avoid them completely! If your hand is clicking on those websites, then stop clicking there! Cut it right out of your life. Don't play with temptation; don't toy with sin - you're more vulnerable and weak than you imagine.
Jesus is very clear about asking us to stay pure in life. We are made in God's image, and we are made to love as purely as he does. Living a pure lifestyle means guarding our minds and hearts. To be assured of salvation one must not only keep from sinning but must also shun situations that may lead one to sin.
Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
... 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.
+================================================+
-- Friday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
[Memorial, St. Anthony of Padua]
1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-16/ Ps 27: 7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14/ Mt 5: 27-32
Reading: 1 Kgs 19: 9a, 11-16
On reaching the place, he came to the cave and stayed in it. Then Yahweh said, "Go up and stand on the mount, waiting for Yahweh." And Yahweh passed by. There was first a windstorm, wild wind which rent the mountains and broke the rocks into pieces before Yahweh, but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the storm, an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire, the murmur of a gentle breeze. When Elijah perceived it, he covered his face with his cloak, went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then he heard a voice addressing him again, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I am burning with jealous love for Yahweh, the God of hosts, because the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars and slain your prophets with the sword. No one is left but myself, yet they still seek my life to take it away." Yahweh said to him, "Take the road back through the desert and go to Damascus for you must anoint Hazael as king of Syria; you shall also anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king over Israel; and Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah, you shall anoint as prophet in your place.
Gospel: Matthew 5: 27-32
You have heard that it was said: Do not commit adultery. But I tell you this: anyone who looks at a woman to lustfully has in fact already committed adultery with her in his heart. So, if your right eye causes you to sin, pull it out and throw it away! It is much better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better for you to lose a part of your body than to have your whole body thrown into hell. It was also said: anyone who divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. But what I tell you is this: If a man divorces his wife except in the case of unlawful union, he causes her to commit adultery. And the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Reflection:
Remember King David's affair with Bathsheba? It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (2 Sam 11:2-4).
Looking with lust is adultery in the heart. Yet many people today have not realized that looking with lust has the capacity to stir the heart's desire and lead to the act of adultery. It is for this reason that Jesus forbids not just the act of adultery but also the desire for it. 'I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Mt 5:28). Indeed, the consequences of lust is more destructive: evil thoughts, fornication, covetousness, wickedness, adultery, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, infidelity, divorce, foolishness, even murder. Yet many people find lust not a serious matter but keep the lustful feelings in themselves and dismiss them as not really threatening. But sooner or later, we have to deal with them for these impure desires will cast a shadow over us, contaminating our relationships, and even becoming the darkened lenses through which we view the whole world.
So what should we do? Jesus proposes a radical remedy. "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body thrown into hell..." Your eye and your hand - if they're the cause of sin, get rid of them. Jesus obviously does not mean that we should physically mutilate ourselves, but that we should fight hard without making any concession. He is saying that we need to be firm with sin in our life. Tough on sin, tough on the causes of sin. So if you use your eyes to glimpse the magazine covers in the newsagents, act as if you were blind and look away at something else. Avoid them completely! If your hand is clicking on those websites, then stop clicking there! Cut it right out of your life. Don't play with temptation; don't toy with sin - you're more vulnerable and weak than you imagine.
Jesus is very clear about asking us to stay pure in life. We are made in God's image, and we are made to love as purely as he does. Living a pure lifestyle means guarding our minds and hearts. To be assured of salvation one must not only keep from sinning but must also shun situations that may lead one to sin.
Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
... 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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Thursday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
June 12, 2014
Thursday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 18: 41-46 / Ps 65: 10, 11, 12-13 / Mt 5: 20-26
Reading: 1 Kgs 18: 41-46
Elijah then said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for the sound of rain is rushing in." So Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah, in the meantime, went to the top of Carmel, bowed to the ground and put his face between his knees. Then he said to his servant, "Go up and look in the direction of the sea." The man went up, looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then Elijah said, "Go again" and seven times he went. At the seventh time, he perceived a little cloud, the size of a man's hand, rising out of the sea. Elijah told him, "Go, tell Ahab: Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you." A little later the sky grew dark with clouds and wind and a strong rain fell. Ahab was riding on his way to Jezreel; as for Elijah, the hand of Yahweh was on him, and tucking his cloak in his belt, he ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Gospel: Mt 5: 20-26
I tell you, then, that if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council; whoever calls a brother or a sister "Fool" deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God. Don't forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.
Reflection:
Two men were conversing. The first said: "Did you hear how that Chinese lady spoke Tagalog in a very funny way?" The other replied: "I did but I'm pretty sure her Tagalog is much better than your Chinese."
The gospel today provides clear admonitions against our so natural propensity to wantonly judge or criticize our fellowmen. Whenever we ridicule others, we invariably say we are better than they while in reality we are not. No wonder, attitudes are very important because they will eventually shape one's personality and character. Then it defines the person until his death; unless change happens before the end comes! Why such strong warnings on seemingly innocuous tendencies? Evidently, our Lord knows that if left unchecked, these can easily lead to pushing us towards a very unhealthy level of pride that may adversely affect our relationships with others.
Let us recall conflicts that we have experienced with other people. Would it be difficult to imagine that we were mad at them simply because they could not accept our position? Wasn't it obvious that since we were intellectually more superior or emotionally more mature than they, we were of course right and they completely wrong? Then again, is it possible that they had a perfectly logical reason for acting the way they did and we were just so blinded by pride to realize it?
God instructs us to express our love for Him not just as offerings, but through good, respectful and considerate relationships with the people around us.
Let us pray for the gift of humility. Let us pray for the courage to seek forgiveness from people we have hurt because of our pride. With sincere repentance, let us pray that God continues to envelop us in His love in spite of our many weaknesses and frailties.
Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
... 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.
+================================================+
-- Thursday 10th Week in Ordinary Time
1 Kgs 18: 41-46 / Ps 65: 10, 11, 12-13 / Mt 5: 20-26
Reading: 1 Kgs 18: 41-46
Elijah then said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, for the sound of rain is rushing in." So Ahab went up to eat and drink. Elijah, in the meantime, went to the top of Carmel, bowed to the ground and put his face between his knees. Then he said to his servant, "Go up and look in the direction of the sea." The man went up, looked, and said, "There is nothing." Then Elijah said, "Go again" and seven times he went. At the seventh time, he perceived a little cloud, the size of a man's hand, rising out of the sea. Elijah told him, "Go, tell Ahab: Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you." A little later the sky grew dark with clouds and wind and a strong rain fell. Ahab was riding on his way to Jezreel; as for Elijah, the hand of Yahweh was on him, and tucking his cloak in his belt, he ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Gospel: Mt 5: 20-26
I tell you, then, that if you are not righteous in a much broader way than the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to our people in the past: Do not commit murder; anyone who does kill will have to face trial. But now I tell you: whoever gets angry with a brother or sister will have to face trial. Whoever insults a brother or sister deserves to be brought before the council; whoever calls a brother or a sister "Fool" deserves to be thrown into the fire of hell. So, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, go at once and make peace with him, and then come back and offer your gift to God. Don't forget this: be reconciled with your opponent quickly when you are together on the way to court. Otherwise he will turn you over to the judge, who will hand you over to the police, who will put you in jail. There you will stay, until you have paid the last penny.
Reflection:
Two men were conversing. The first said: "Did you hear how that Chinese lady spoke Tagalog in a very funny way?" The other replied: "I did but I'm pretty sure her Tagalog is much better than your Chinese."
The gospel today provides clear admonitions against our so natural propensity to wantonly judge or criticize our fellowmen. Whenever we ridicule others, we invariably say we are better than they while in reality we are not. No wonder, attitudes are very important because they will eventually shape one's personality and character. Then it defines the person until his death; unless change happens before the end comes! Why such strong warnings on seemingly innocuous tendencies? Evidently, our Lord knows that if left unchecked, these can easily lead to pushing us towards a very unhealthy level of pride that may adversely affect our relationships with others.
Let us recall conflicts that we have experienced with other people. Would it be difficult to imagine that we were mad at them simply because they could not accept our position? Wasn't it obvious that since we were intellectually more superior or emotionally more mature than they, we were of course right and they completely wrong? Then again, is it possible that they had a perfectly logical reason for acting the way they did and we were just so blinded by pride to realize it?
God instructs us to express our love for Him not just as offerings, but through good, respectful and considerate relationships with the people around us.
Let us pray for the gift of humility. Let us pray for the courage to seek forgiveness from people we have hurt because of our pride. With sincere repentance, let us pray that God continues to envelop us in His love in spite of our many weaknesses and frailties.
Prayer Requests:
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
... 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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Archive: http://biblereflection.blogspot.com/
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