DAILY- HOMILY

25 July 2016

Monday, 17th Week in Ordinary Time

St. James, Apostle

Feast.          Red.          

2 Cor 4:7 – 15 / Mt. 20:20 – 28    

St. James the Apostle, called "the Greater," was a son of Zebedee and the brother of the apostle and evangelist St. John. Beheaded in 42 AD, he was the first apostle martyred. Tradition says his relics were transferred to Compostela in Spain which remains an important pilgrimage place.

Gospel Reading: Mt. 20: 20 - 28              

Then the mother of James and John came to Jesus with her sons, and she knelt down to ask a favor.  Jesus said to her, "What do you want?" And she answered, "Here you have my two sons. Grant that they may sit, one at your right and one at your left, when you are in your kingdom." 

Jesus said to the brothers, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They answered, "We can, Jesus replied, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right or at my left is not for me to grant. That will be for those for whom the Father has prepared it." 

The other ten heard all this and were angry with the two brothers. Then Jesus called them to him and said, "You know that the rulers of the nations act as tyrants, and the powerful oppress them.  It shall not be so among you; whoever wants to be more important in your group shall make himself your servant.  And if you want to be first, make yourself the servant of all.  Be like the Son of Man who has come, not to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem many."

Reflection

Our Gospel talks about a mother  asking  Jesus for  prestigious positions for her sons  in  the  kingdom.  In this world this is of utmost importance but not for Jesus. He stresses that a true leader is primarily the servant of all.

In this reading we see a contrast of two worlds - the world we live in and the Lord's kingdom.  What is our choice?  Is it better to rule?  Or to serve? What would we prefer?

To serve our brethren and especially to lay down one's life for another is indeed difficult but not impossible.  Many martyr-saints have followed Jesus in laying down their lives for their faith, for others.

So where do we start?  It starts with a desire to know who Jesus is.  We, then, ask for the grace to pursue this heart's desire.  As you get to learn more about him, love grows.  Service and giving up one's life will become a way of life.  You begin to focus on the value of seeing others' needs and not on yours any longer, so much so that you experience love, peace and joy when you die to yourself for another to live. 

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Fema D. Sagum

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     Rodney & Kim Uy Yu

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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