DAILY- HOMILY

18 August 2016

Thursday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time

St. Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Priest  

Memorial.      White.              

Ez 36:23 – 28 / Mt 22:1 – 14

St. Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga (1901 – 1952), born in Chile, was a Jesuit priest who devoted his life to teaching, help for the poor and children.

From the Gospel Reading: Mt 22:1 - 14 

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 ordering them to say to the invited guests: '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 . . .

"The king became very 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.'  Know that many are called, but few are chosen."  

Reflection

In the parable of today's Gospel reading, we see God calling all to be with him at his heavenly feast.  God offers to all his unconditional love and mercy but some turn down his invitation, like the many guests first invited to the wedding feast of the king's son in the parable.

God makes use of different ways to invite us to union with him but some choose to ignore him or turn deaf ears or blind eyes to the truth of God's message and invitations.  Instead they choose to rationalize their faults and shortcomings and choose only what they wish to believe.  They fall into the temptation to be self-righteous, utterly forgetting that as creatures we need God in our lives. Even worse, many fall into sin and move further from God's love.

We must remain open to God's invitations and grace. He patiently awaits our response, always respecting the freedom he has given us.  We hope we have the wisdom and grace to respond to his calls.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Valerie Liao

     Jason Santos

     Jeannie Campo-Cruz

OTHER INTENTIONS

     For the successful surgery and full recovery of Yan Yan

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: 

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   |  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.  

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

17 August 2016

Wednesday, 20th Week in Ordinary Time

Green.          

Ez 34:1 – 11 / Mt 20:1 – 16

Gospel Reading: Mt 20: 1- 16

Jesus said, "This story throws light on the kingdom of heaven. A landowner went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the workers a salary of a silver coin for the day, and sent them to his vineyard.       

"He went out again at about nine in the morning, and seeing others idle in the square,  he said to them: 'You, too, go to my vineyard and I will pay you what is just.' So they went.

"The owner went out at midday and again at three in the afternoon, and he did the same. Finally he went out at the last working hour – it was the eleventh – and he saw others standing there. So he said to them: 'Why do you stay idle the whole day?'  They answered: 'Because no one has hired us.' The master said: 'Go and work in my vineyard.'

"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager: 'Call the workers and pay them their wage, beginning with the last and ending with the first.' Those who had come to work at the eleventh hour turned up and were given a denarius each (a silver coin). When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received a denarius each. So, on receiving it, they began to grumble against the landowner.

"They said: 'These last hardly worked an hour, yet you have treated them the same as us who have endured the day's burden and heat.' The owner said to one of them: 'Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on a denarius a day? So take what is yours and go. I want to give to the last the same as I give to you. Don't I have the right to do as I please with my money? Why are you envious when I am kind?'

"So will it be: the last will be first, the first will be last."

Reflection

In this parable about the kingdom of heaven, the vineyard owner pays his workers the same amount, whether they worked from the beginning of the day or started at later hours. Questioned, the owner retorted, "Have I been unjust? I have paid you the day's wage I promised?  It is my decision with my own money!"

In the same way God will reward us as he wishes, whether we have served him all our life or only for part of my life.  His generous reward of sharing life with him in heaven is freely his to give, when to give and to whom to give. No one is really entitled to heaven and God's rewards.

Two things are important: that we do our work for God and that we are ready for him when he comes to demand an accounting on how we have done our work in life.

We thank God for his goodness to us, completely out of his liberality, and live and pray so as to receive his reward for all eternity

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Billie Ching Syling

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.  

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