DAILY- HOMILY

August 21, 2015 FRIDAY, 20TH Week in Ordinary Time

ST. PIUS X, Pope     

Memorial, White      

Ru 1:1, 3 - 6. 14b -16. 22 / Mt 22:34 – 40

[From Venice, Pope St. Pius X (1835 – 1914) was instrumental in spreading frequent reception of Holy Communion.] 

Reading: Ru 1:1, 3 - 6. 14b -16. 22

     There was a famine in the land during the time of the Judges, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah departed with his wife and two sons to sojourn in the country of Moab. Naomi's husband Elimelech died. She was left with her two sons, who married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth.

     After living in Moab for about ten years, Mahlon and Chilion also died and Naomi was left bereft of husband and two sons. Having heard that Yahweh had come to help his people by giving them food, Naomi prepared to return home. 

     Then Orpah kissed her mother-in-law goodbye, but Ruth clung to her. Naomi said, "Look, your sister-in-law returns to her people and her gods. You too must return. Go after her."

     Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you. For I will go where you go and stay where you stay. Your people will be my people and your god, my God. 

     Thus it was that Naomi returned from Moab with her Moabite daughter-in-law and arrived in Bethlehem as the barley harvest began.

Gospel: Mt 22:34 - 40 

     When the Pharisees heard how Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. One of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to test him with this question, "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the Law?"

     Jesus answered, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and the most important of the commandments. But after this there is another one very similar to it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole Law and the Prophets are founded on these two commandments."

Reflection:

     The Ten Commandments give us prescriptions in our relationships with God and our neighbor: honoring God, his name and his day and respecting ourselves and our neighbor, honoring our parents, respecting life, property, truth and rights of others.

     In today's Gospel reading Jesus summarizes the Commandments in love of God and love of neighbor.

     We have various  "formulations" of the same Commandments and the moral law: "Do good and avoid evil" would probably be the most general.  One who loves God and neighbor is one who does good and avoids evil. The primary dictate of our consciences is to do good and avoid evil.

     St. Augustine wrote, "Love God and do whatever you please, for a soul trained in love of God will do nothing to offend the One who is the Beloved."

     In his letters St. John the beloved Apostle stressed love of God: "If you say, 'I love God,' while you hate your brother or sister, you are a liar. How can you love God whom you do not see, if you do no love your brother whom you see? We received from him this commandment: let those who love God also love their brothers." (1 Jn 4: 20)

     Jesus gave a most graphic description of love of God in his account of the Last Judgment in Matthew's Gospel (Mt 25: 31 – 46): "The King will say to those on his right: 'Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me . . . I was naked and you clothed . . .' the good people will ask him: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food . . . or naked and clothe you?' . . . The King will answer, 'Truly, I say to you: whenever you did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.'"

     Do I love God such that I could do as I please?

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     CATHERINE THERESE EDEN M. CHUA

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     CARIDAD D. EXCONDE, MD

     CARMEN TAN SIO TY NGO (1932 – 1977)

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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August 20, 2015 THURSDAY, 20TH Week in Ordinary Time

St. Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church   

Memorial, White     

Jgs 11:29 - 39a / Mt 22:1 - 14 

[Born in France, St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 – 1153) was a Cistercian abbot and preacher.]

Reading: Jgs 11:29 - 39a

     The Spirit of Yahweh came upon Jephthah. He went through Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and then entered the territory of the Ammonites.

     Jephthah made a vow to Yahweh: "If you make me victorious, I shall sacrifice to you whoever first comes out of my house to meet me when I return from battle. He shall be for Yahweh and I shall offer him up through the fire."

     Jephthah crossed the territory of the Ammonites to fight against them, and Yahweh gave him victory. He pursued them from the city of Aroer to the entrance of Minnith and Abel Ker-amim, seizing twenty towns. So he defeated the Ammonites.

     When Jephthah returned home to Mizpah, his daughter came out to meet him. She was so happy to see her father that she danced to the sound of her tambourine. She was an only child; be-sides her he had no other daughter or son.

     When Jephthah saw her, he tore his clothes and cried out, "My daughter, you have shattered me; you have brought me misfortune. For I have made a foolish vow to Yahweh, and now I cannot take it back." She answered him, "Father, even if you have made 5:3 such a foolish vow, you have to do to me just as you promised, for Yahweh has avenged you and crushed your enemies. I only beg of you to give me two months to live with my companions in the mountains. There I shall lament because I will never marry."

     Jephthah said to her, "Go then." And he sent her away for two months. She and her companions went to the moun-tains and wept because she would never marry.

At the end of two months, she re-turned to her father and he fulfilled the vow he had made.

Gospel: Mt 22:1 – 13

     Jesus went on speaking to them in parables: "This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A king celebrated the wedding of his son. He sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding feast, but the guests refused to come.     "Again he sent other servants , , ,  'I have prepared a banquet, slaughtered my fattened calves and other animals, and now everything is ready; come then, to the wedding feast.' But they paid no attention and went away, some to their fields, and others to their work. While the rest seized the servants of the king, insulted them and killed them.  

     "The king became angry. He sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city. Then he said to his servants: 'The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go, then, to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.'

     "The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests. The king came in to see those who were at table, and he noticed a man not wearing the festal garment. So he said to him: 'Friend, how did you get in without the wedding garment?' But the man remained silent. So the king said to his servants: 'Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the dark where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Reflection:

     In the Gospel reading, Jesus emphasizes God's desire to invite all to eternal life with him. The Good News of our salvation is meant for all and is to be preached to all men of all time, "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned." (Mk 16: 15 – 16)

     Similar to the king in the parable who invited many to his son's wedding celebration, God invites all to eternal life and happiness with him. The role of the Church which Jesus had commissioned to continue his work on earth is to inform all about Jesus and the Good News of salvation: "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who herald peace and happiness, who proclaim salvation and announce to Zion: 'Your God is king!'"  (Is 52: 7)

     "All men are called to be part of this catholic unity of the people of God . . .   indeed the whole of mankind, for all men are called by the grace of God to salvation." (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, 13)

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     BEBET GASTON

     DETDET CRUZ

     FELIPE SANTOS

     HILDA T. SO

     JERSHENALE SY

     MICHELLE SISON

     TERESITA A. RONQUILLA-GALAO

     THELMA KIMPO PANGANIBAN

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.  

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