DAILY- HOMILY

July 13, 2015 MONDAY, 15th Week in Ordinary Time 

St. Henry                    

Green    

Ex 1:8 - 14, 22 / Mt 10: 34 -11: 1

[St. Henry (973 – 1024) was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1014.]

Reading: Ex 1: 8 -14, 22

     Then a new king who had not known Joseph came to power and said to his people, "The Israelites are more numerous and stronger than we are. Let us deal warily with them lest they increase still more and, in case of war, side with our enemy, fight against us and escape from the land." So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. In that way they built the storage towns of Pithom and Rameses. But the more they oppressed the Hebrews the more they increased and spread, until the Egyptians dreaded the Israelites and became ruthless in making them work. They made life bitter for them in hard labor with bricks and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields. In all their work the Egyptians treated them harshly.

     Pharaoh then gave this order to all the people: "Every infant boy born to the Hebrews must be thrown into the Nile, but every girl may live."

Gospel: Mt 10:34 -11:1

     Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father and daughter against her mother; a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Each one will have as enemies those of one's own family.

     Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and come after me is not worthy of me. One who wants to benefit from his life will lose it; one who loses his life for my sake will find it.

     Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes him who sent me. The one who welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man because he is a just man will receive the reward of a just man. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is a disciple of mine, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded."

     When Jesus had finished giving his twelve disciples these instructions, he went on from there to teach and to proclaim his message in their towns. 

Reflection:

     In our Advent liturgies we look forward to the coming of the Prince of Peace, who will bring us back to God against whom mankind had sinned. But when the Prince of Peace came, he said that he also brought a "sword." As we follow Jesus in our everyday life, we get an idea of this sword which is ever-present for those who follow Christ.

     The sword represents conflicts, challenges and even violence. At the presentation of the infant Jesus at the Temple, the holy man Simeon rejoiced at seing the Messiah as promised by the Lord and told Mary his Mother, "See him; he will be for the rise or fall of the multitudes of Israel, He shall stand as a sign of contradiction, while a sword will pierce your own soul." (Lk 3:  34b – 35a)

     In the Gospel reading Jesus warns his disciples that they and those who follow Christ will face challenges and divisions on the meaning and living out of Christ's Good News: fathers will disagree with their sons, mothers with their daughters, families will be divided, groups and even nations will be divided.

     Jesus himself in his lifetime was at the center of controversy. He had many followers; but he also had many enemies. At his trial and condemnation before Pilate, because of hatred of Jesus, the leaders of the Jews abjured their God, "We have no King but Caesar." (Jn 19:15c)

     The Church has had an endless stream of martyrs, canonized, beatified and many not, beginning from St. Stephen until our days, who l courageously witnessed to Christ and his message even to the giving up of their lives.

We are called to be faithful witnesses to Christ. We would and should expect that such witnessing, if real, would entail the cross, in imitation of Christ who gave his life for us on the cross.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     ANNA LOU ENRILE

     DAISY PAUMIG

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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