Thursday, June 19, 2014

 

Friday 11th Week in Ordinary Time

June 20, 2014
Friday 11th Week in Ordinary Time

2 Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20 / Ps 132: 11, 12, 13-14, 17-18 / Mt 6: 19-23

Reading: 2 Kgs 11:1-4, 9-18, 20
When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, saw that her son had died, she was determined to wipe out all the descendants of the king. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash, her nephew, and brought him away from among the king's sons who were about to be killed, and put him with his wet nurse in the bedroom. Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that the boy was saved. And Joash remained hidden in the House of Yahweh for six years while Athaliah reigned over the land. In the seventh year, Jehoiada the chief priest, summoned the officers of the royal guard and of the Carites to the House of Yahweh. After concluding a pact with them under oath, he showed them the king's son. The commanders of the guards did what Jehoiada the priest had told them to do and they showed up with all their men, those who were to go off duty on the sabbath as well as those who were to come on duty on that day. Jehoiada entrusted to the officers the spears and shields of King David which were in the House of Yahweh.    And then the guards stood from the southern corner of the house to the north, surrounding the altar and the House of Yahweh. Then Jehoiada, the priest, brought out the king's son, crowned him and put the bracelets on him, then proclaimed and consecrated him king. All clapped their hands, shouting and crying out, "Long live the king!" When Athaliah heard the noise of the people, she approached the crowd surrounding the House of Yahweh. The king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, and the officers and the trumpeters were with him. The people were filled with joy and they were blowing trumpets. On seeing this, Athaliah tore her clothes and cried out, "Treason, treason!" Jehoiada the priest commanded the officers, "Surround her and bring her out to the courtyard, and kill anyone who tries to defend her." He gave this order, because he thought, "She should not die in the House of Yahweh." They brought her out, and when they reached the palace of the king by the horses' entrance, there they killed her. Jehoiada made a covenant between Yahweh and the king and the people so they would be the people of Yahweh. All the citizens went to the temple of Baal and destroyed it. They broke the altars and the images into pieces, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, before his altar. Then Jehoiada, the priest, posted guards over the House of Yahweh. All the citizens were happy and the city was at peace. Now regarding Athaliah, she had died by the sword in the king's palace.   

Gospel: Matthew 6: 19-23
Do not store up treasure for yourself here on earth where moth and rust destroy it, and where thieves can steal it. Store up treasure for yourself with God, where no moth or rust can destroy nor thief come and steal it. For where your treasure is, there also your heart will be. The lamp of the body is the eye; if your eyes are sound, your whole body will be in the light. If your eyes are diseased your whole body will be in darkness. Then, if your light has become darkness, how dark will be the darkest part of you!

Reflection:
     In the first reading, we seem to be watching a movie. An evil queen rises to power and kills all the royal sons. But one son is kept alive and six years later, the high priest leads an uprising and with the royal guard behind them, the rightful heir to the throne is reinstated.  Jehoaida the priest takes forceful action in putting things in their proper place. He is admirable for his courage and decisiveness. 
     We are also called to correct wrongdoings especially those done in society and in government. We cannot remain silent while others suffer from injustice. We are responsible for our fellowmen, and whenever we have the opportunity to help them, we must do so.
     In the gospel we are told how important it is to keep the light of God within us shining.  We Christians are supposed to be enlightened about what God wants for the world.  We are not supposed to be enslaved by the inordinate desire for money. We are supposed to take the side of right even if we are in the minority. Our Christianity must be evident in our actions, in the help and service we give to others. Believe me that those who serve their brothers, those who give up a lucrative career to help the poor and neglected, those who preach God to others in order to give them hope and joy – they will be the first to enter the kingdom of God. However, those who spend their lives accumulating riches and not sharing their good fortune, those who cheat and bribe their fellowman, those who oppress the little ones in society, and those who live immoral lives – they will suffer the consequences of their actions in the life hereafter, if not earlier. "Those who are first will be the last, and those last will be first."

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!

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