DAILY- HOMILY

August 8, 2015 SATURDAY, 18TH Week in Ordinary Time

St. Dominic, priest

Memorial, White      

Dt 6:4 – 13 / Mt 17:14 - 20  

[Spaniard St. Dominic (1170 – 1221) founded the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans).]

Reading: Dt 6:4 – 13

     Listen, Israel: Yahweh, our God, is One Yahweh. And you shall love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. Engrave on your heart the commandments that I pass on to you today. Repeat them over and over to your children, speak of them when you are at home and when you travel, when you lie down and when you rise. Brand them on your hand as a sign, and keep them always before your eyes. Engrave them on your doorposts and on your city gates.

     Do not forget Yahweh when he has led you into the land which he promised to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; for he will give you great and prosperous cities which you did not build, houses filled with everything good which you did not provide, wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant. So when you have eaten and have been satisfied, do not forget Yahweh who brought you out from Egypt where you were enslaved. Fear Yahweh, your God, serve him and call on his Name when you have to swear an oath.

Gospel: Mt 17:14 - 20  

     When they met the people, a man approached Jesus, knelt before him and said, "Sir, have pity on my son who is an epileptic and is in a wretched state. He has often fallen into the fire and at other times into the water. I brought him to your disciples but they could not heal him."

     Jesus replied, "You, faithless and evil people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him here to me." And Jesus commanded the evil spirit to leave the boy, and the boy was immediately healed.

     The disciples then gathered around Jesus and asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive out the spirit?" Jesus said to them, "Because you have little faith. I say to you: if only you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell that mountain to move from here to there, and the mountain would obey. Nothing would be impossible to you. 

Reflection:

     The first reading from the book of Deuteronomy (Dt 6: 4 – 13) reminds Israel of their covenant to love and serve God "with all [their] heart, with all [their] soul and with all [their] strength."    

     We cannot be Christians only on Sundays, only while we are in church, only when we are in prayer meetings, only when we are around people we like or only when it is convenient for us. We are to be Christians in every thought, word, and deed and in every situation we face each day of our lives.  

     We aim to reach heaven and see God face to face, but not for ourselves alone. Our role as parents and as Christians is to teach our children about God, how to develop a personal relationship with him, and to love him with their whole being. We need to imprint in their minds and hearts that everything comes from God, their talents, their intelligence, everything that they own. Their current position in life is not out of their own doing but because God gave them the capacity and the tools to succeed. Therefore, we owe it to God to serve him and offer our entire lives for his greater glory by serving others. This is our mission, that others may hear the Good News, experience it in their lives and see God face to face at the end of time.

     How can we be reminded of God's faithfulness and love for each of us, to help develop a personal relationship with him? Prayers during the day when the Spirit leads, reading of Scriptures which remind us how God protected and healed his people, partaking of the Eucharist during mass, and the unconditional love of family and friends all point to our one God, one Father who loved us first.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     ENRIQUE-ALFONSO CASTILLO

     FRANCESCA ANDREA CHING

     HENRY UNSON

     JUN LIM

     RITA CO SON

PRAYER INTENTION

     WIGBERTO CLAVECILLA

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     CORAZON S. ONG

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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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish

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