DAILY- HOMILY

August 14, 2019 – WEDNESDAY, 19TH Week in Ordinary Time
St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest and Martyr /
Sts. Antonio Primaldo and Companions, Martyrs
Memorial. Red.

Dt 34: 1 – 12 / Mt 18: 15 – 20

St. Maximilian Mary Kolbe (1894 – 1941), a Franciscan priest with great devotion to Mary, offered his life in exchange for that of a family-man in Auschwitz.

Sts. Antonio Primaldo and approximately 800 others were beheaded by Moslems in August 1840 in Otranto, Italy, for refusing to give up their faith. Beatified in 1771, they were canonized by Pope Francis on 12 May 2013.

FROM THE 1ST READING: Dt 34: 1 – 4
Yahweh showed Moses all the Land: from Gilead to Dan, the whole of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim, and of Manasseh, the whole land of Judah, as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, the Plains, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, as far as Zor.. And Yahweh said to him: "This is the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, promising it to their descendants. I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not enter it."

GOSPEL READING: Mt 18: 15 – 20
Jesus said, "If your brother or sister has sinned against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are in private, and if he listens to you, you have won your brother. If you are not listened to, take with you one or two others so that the case may be decided by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he still refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembled Church. But if he does not listen to the Church, then regard him as a pagan or a publican.

"I say to you, whatever you bind on earth, heaven will keep bound; and whatever you unbind on earth, heaven will keep unbound.

"In like manner, I say to you, if on earth two of you are united in asking for anything, it will be granted to you by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered in my Name, I am there among them."

REFLECTION
In the Gospel reading Jesus tells his disciples and listeners that it is very important that disputes and disagreements be settled well.

What would it be to live in a community where disagreements and disputes could be settled with love, thoughtfulness and depth? Pope Francis' celebration of an Extraordinary Year of Mercy is a living practice of what Jesus says in the Gospel reading. The challenge for all of us in our relationships and interaction with others is to be able to live and accept differences in opinion and way of life with understanding and respect.

We are called to be careful and mindful of our prejudices and pre- judgments of others. We are encouraged to be able to understand, respect and forgive others who may differ from us.

We are reminded to go beyond our emotions and to see unity and grace in the midst of negativity and pessimism. Understanding and mercy are love gone full circle.

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.  
  +================================================+