DAILY- HOMILY

July 24, 2015 FRIDAY, 16th  Week in Ordinary Time 

St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest                                

Green    

Ex 20:1 – 17 / Mt 13:18 – 23

[St. Sharbel Makhluf (1828 – 1898) was a Lebanese monk and hermit.]

Reading: Ex 20:1 – 17

     God spoke all these words.   He said, "I am Yahweh your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

     Do not have other gods before me.

     Do not make yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything in heaven, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them. For I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God; for the sin of the fathers, when they rebel against me, I punish the sons, the grandsons and the great-grandsons; but I show steadfast love until the thousandth generation for those who love me and keep my commandments.

     Do not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who takes his name in vain.

     Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. For six days you will labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath for Yahweh your God. Do not work that day, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter nor your servants, men or women, nor your animals, nor the stranger who is staying with you. For in six days Yahweh made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day he rested; that is why Yahweh has blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

     Honor your father and your mother that you may have a long life in the land that Yahweh has given you.

     Do not kill.

     Do not commit adultery.

     Do not steal.

     Do not give false witness against your neighbor.

     Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, or his servant, man or woman, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is his."

Gospel: Mt 13:18 – 23

     Jesus said to his disciples, "Now listen to the parable of the sower. 

     "When a person hears the message of the Kingdom but without taking it to himself, the devil comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath. 

     "The seed that fell on rocky ground stands for the one who hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. But this is fickle and has no roots. No sooner is he harassed or persecuted because of the word, than he gives up.  

"The seed that fell among the thistles is the one who hears the word, but then the worries of this life and the love of money choke the word, and it does not bear fruit.  

     "As for the seed that fell on good soil it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this bears fruit and produces a hundred, or sixty, or thirty times more."

Reflection:

     To sow good seed, we need a healthy environment, which will be conducive for the word of God to bear fruit. We need a place where the Holy Spirit can flourish and inspire and help our faith grow. One of these vessels where the good soil can be found is in the family. 

     Yet, today the family is deeply wounded and divided. The devil seeks to destroy the family because the devil knows that the family is where this seed can grow and develop. So the devil thinks that if he destroys the family, he can destroy man and his beginnings, and therefore the word of God cannot bear fruit.  

     St. Pope John Paul II has said that the family is our last sanctuary of life.  Therefore we should defend our family with great conviction and tenacity! Same sex marriages, divorce and abortions are all threats to our family which is under constant attack today. We must protect our family with great attention so that good seed may be sown.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     BENITA YAO SIO ENG

     YVETTE DY TAN

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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