DAILY- HOMILY

June 18, 2015 THURSDAY, 11th Week in Ordinary Time  

Green          

2 Cor 11:1 – 11 / Mt 6: 7 - 15

Reading: 2 Cor 11:1 – 11

     May you bear with me in some little foolishness! But surely you will. I confess that I share the jealousy of God for you, for I have promised you in marriage to Christ, the only spouse, to present you to him as a pure virgin. And this is my fear: the serpent that seduced Eve with cunning could also corrupt your minds and divert you from the Christian sincerity. Someone now comes and preaches another Jesus different from the one we preach, or you are offered a different spirit from the one you have received, with a different Gospel from the one you have accepted—and you agree!

     I do not see how I am inferior to those super-apostles. Does my speaking leave much to be desired? Perhaps, but not my knowledge, as I have abundantly shown to you in every way.

     Perhaps my fault was that I humbled myself in order to uplift you, or that I gave you the Gospel free of charge. I called upon the services of other churches and served you with the support I received from them. When I was with you, although I was in need, I did not become a burden to anyone. The friends from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I have taken care not to be a burden to you in anything and I will continue to do so. By the truth of Christ within me, I will let no one in the land of Achaia stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do! 

Gospel: Mt 6: 7 - 15     

     Jesus said, "When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him.  

     "This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. Do not bring us to the test but deliver us from the evil one.  

     "If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either."

Reflection:

     In the first reading, St. Paul seems to be singing his own praises. This was because he loved his catechumens so much and he was protecting them from those who would try to preach to them another gospel. The true teacher of faith is very protective of his disciples or converts because he feels responsible for their spiritual well-being. He has preached the Good News to them with no ulterior motive except to help them to receive salvation in Jesus Christ. Now he must make sure that they are not side-tracked in their desire for holiness. We are also called to be responsible for those who are under us – at home, in the workplace, in the parish, etc. We are called to be responsible for others, esp. those in need of our guidance and love.

     As St. Paul was a spiritual father to his disciples and converts, we are also called to be "father" to others. But before everything else, we must truly believe that God is our Father. We must have experienced the loving and providential care of God in order to be able to pray the Our Father. We must also believe that God is aware of all that happens to us and is taking care of us even if things do not seem to be going very smoothly. 

     If God is our Father, then surely he wants us to be happy as all fathers would like to happen to their children. Also, a child of God desires that God be truly worshipped and adored. He has experienced God's forgiveness for his sins and so he shares this forgiveness with others. He wants others to experience the fatherhood of God.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     ALFRED JOHNSON GOTAMCO DY

     ANNE GRETCHEN CHOA-UY

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     WILBERT LIM & REGINA LIM

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     TONY NG CHU CHEE (NOV 1, 1919 – JUN 18, 2005)

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

   |  distributed free and for personal use only.  

  +================================================+