DAILY- HOMILY

10 July 2016

15th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 

Green.

Dt 30: 10 – 14 / Col 1: 15 – 20 / Lk 10: 25 - 37

From the 1st Reading: Dt 30:10 – 14

For you shall turn to Yahweh, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and observe his commandments and norms, in a word, everything written in the book of the Law.

These commandments that I give you today are neither too high nor too far from you.  They are not in heaven that you should say: "Who will go up to heaven to get these commandments that we may hear them and put them to practice."  Neither are they at the other side of the sea for you to say: "Who will cross to the other side and bring them to us, that we may hear them and put them into practice."  

On the contrary, my word is very near you; it is already in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can put it into practice.

From the 2nd Reading: Col 1: 15 – 16a

He (Christ) is the image of the unseen God, and for all creation he is the first-born, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible."

Gospel Reading: Lk 10: 25 – 37

Then a teacher of the Law came and began putting Jesus to the test.  And he said, "Master, what shall I do to receive eternal life?"  Jesus replied, "What is written in the Scripture? How do you understand it?"  The man answered, "It is written: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind.  And you shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus replied, "What a good answer! Do this and you shall live?" The man wanted to keep up appearances, so he replied, "Who is my neighbor?"

Jesus then said, "There was a man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell into the hands of robbers.  They stripped him, beat him and went off leaving him half dead.  It happened that a priest was going along that road and saw the man, but passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite saw the man and passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan, too, was going that way, and when he came upon the man, he was moved with compassion.  He went over to him and treated his wounds with oil and wine and wrapped them with bandages.  Then he put him on his own mount and brought him to an inn where he took care of him.

The next day he had to set off, but he gave two silver coins to the inn-keeper and told him, "Take care of him and whatever you spend on him, I will repay when I come back."

Jesus then asked, "Which of the three, do you think, made himself neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? "  The teacher of the Law answered, "The one who had mercy on him."  And Jesus said, "Go then and do the same."

Reflection

I recently read this statement: "If Mom and Dad mirror us well, we soon develop 'mirror neurons' for empathy and relationships with others." For our parents to mirror to us empathy and relationships with others is so important in order for us to grow in genuine love.  Unfortunately, not all parents are able to do so.  Some of them mirror using people to gain power and pleasure as the normal way of relating with others. So children develop negative 'mirror neurons' instead,

Paul's letter to the Colossians, today's second reading, declares that Jesus is the image of the invisible God.  The Son of God who became human perfectly mirrors for us in plain sight the invisible and ineffable God. We call this invisible God – Father.

Jesus through the parable in our Gospel reading mirrors to us who a neighbor really is. The Samaritan, a hated outsider in Jewish society goes out of his comfort zone, shows solicitude and empathy and compassion in an extraordinary way to the victim abandoned by the wayside. Jesus mirrors to us that the true neighbor is the one who treats the victim with mercy.

Jesus does not only mirror to us through this story that the neighbor is one who shows mercy. He also and actually mirrors to us, by his very life and death, what genuine mercy is all about.  Jesus in his human-divine life mirrors to us what Paul had told us:  when we were still sinners and very much in need of healing, God in Jesus had already loved and forgiven us. Even before we could ask for forgiveness, God in Jesus had already shown us mercy.

As mothers and fathers, who do you mirror to your children empathy and relationships with others?  As a follower of Jesus, how do you mirror mercy to one in need?  Let mirroring mercy in our daily life become our way of celebrating Pope Francis' Jubilee of Mercy.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Enrique Jaime Castillo

     Ever Lim Ngo

     Hitchelle E Carstensen

     Josefina N. Tandiama

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     Macaria Co Yu (Jun 25, 1924 – Jul 10, 1988)

     Wilfrid So Sy

     Yu Cheng Po (1911 – 1989)

     Wilson O. Puyaoan Jr

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.  

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