DAILY- HOMILY

July 24, 2017 – MONDAY, 16th Week in Ordinary Time 

St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest Green

Ex 14: 5 - 18 / Mt 12: 38 - 42

St. Sharbel Makhluf (1828- 1898) was a Lebanese monk and hermit.

FROM THE FIRST READING:          Ex 14: 5- 7, 13- 14

     The king of Egypt was told that the people had fled; then Pharoah and his ministers changed their minds with regard to the people, "What have we done," they said, "in allowing Israel to go and be free of our service?" Pharoah prepared his chariot and took his army with him. There were six hundred of his best chariots, each one with his warriors....

     Moses said to the people, "Have no fear! Stay where you are and see the work Yahweh will do to save you today. The Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again! Yahweh will fight for you and all you have to do is to keep still."

GOSPEL READING:           Mt 12: 38- 42

     Then some teachers of the Law and some Pharisees spoke up, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." Jesus answered them, "An evil and unfaithful people want a sign, but no sign will be given them except the sign of the prophet Jonah. In the same way that Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the monster fish, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the depths of the earth.

     "At the judgment, the people of Nineveh will rise with this generation and condemn it, because they reformed their lives at the preaching of Jonah and here there is greater than Jonah. At the judgment, the Queen of the South will stand up and condemn you. She came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and here there is greater than Solomon."

REFLECTION

     Have we ever felt trapped with problems and hardships, with nowhere to go or do to save the situation? And even God does not seem to heed our prayers? We feel hopeless and lost in such situations.

     That was how the Israelites fleeing from Egypt felt with Pharoah and his army and charioteers after them. Moses their leader tries to calm them down with the assurance that the God of Israel will protect and save them.

     So God lets Israel cross the sea, which dried up for their crossing, and destroys the pursuing Egyptians when the sea waters returned.

God is the God of the impossible. Just as he kept his word for his people Israel, God will watch and protect us.

     In the Gospel reading Jesus reprimands the Jews: despite his preaching, good deeds and miracles, they have refused to believe in him. They will be judged and condemned for their unbelief and lack of faith.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY 

     BENITA YAO SIO ENG

     JOANNA YVETTE DY TAN

     JONEL C. DOMONDON

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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