Daily Reflection

August 23, 2017 Wednesday

20th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 3 / (Green/White)
St. Rose of Lima, virgin

Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Lord, in your strength the king is glad.

1^st Reading: Jdg 9:6-15

Then all the lords of Shechem and the whole council assembled together by the oak at the pillar in Shechem, and proclaimed Abimelech king.

When Jotham was told about this, he went to the top of Mount Gerizim. There he cried out to them, “Listen to me, lords of Shechem, that God may listen to you!

The trees once set out to find and anoint a king. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’ The olive tree answered, ‘Am I going to renounce the oil by which—thanks to me—gods and people are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’

The trees said to the fi g tree: ‘Come and reign over us.’ The fi g tree answered them, ‘Am I going to renounce my sweetness and my delicious fruit, to hold sway over the trees?’

The trees said to the vine: ‘Come and reign over us.’ The vine answered, ‘Am I going to renounce my juice which cheers gods and people to hold sway over the trees?’

Then the trees said to the bramble bush: ‘Come, reign over us.’ The bramble bush answered the trees, ‘If you come in sincerity to anoint me as your king, then come near and take shelter in my shade; but if not, let fi re break out of the bramble bush to devour even the cedars of Lebanon.’

Gospel: Mt 20:1-16

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 each worker the usual daily wage, and sent them to his vineyard.

He went out again, at about nine in the morning, and, seeing others idle in the town square, he said to them, ‘You also, 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 made the same offer. Again he went out, at the last working hour—the eleventh—and he saw others standing around. So he said to them, ‘Why do you stand 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 gone to work at the eleventh hour came up, and were each given a silver coin. When it was the turn of the first, they thought they would receive more. But they, too, received one silver coin. 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 heavy work of the day and the heat.’ The owner said to one of them, ‘Friend, I have not been unjust to you. Did we not agree on one silver coin per 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 what is mine? Why are you envious when I am kind?’

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

REFLECTION:

The parable is not about economics or labor-management relationships but about the kingdom of heaven. The main stress of the story is not on the industrious laborers who went to work early and got a just wage. The stress is on the latecomers. Out of pity for their poverty, the owner paid them a full day's wages. The owner is not being arbitrary and unfair. He shows mercy and compassion to the poor.

This is how God deals with us. The way the vineyard owner acted toward his employees is the way the Lord of the kingdom acts toward us. As Pope Francis would like to say, “The name of God is Mercy.”

No one earns the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom is a gift, because the kingdom is won by grace, and grace is freely given by God. No one, however holy, can demand this from God as though it was a right or a reward for a righteous life.

We have no right to begrudge and murmur against God’s generosity and mercy if he shows compassion to those who come in the last hour like the deathbed convert. Jesus said, “there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance (Lk 15:7). We recall too the criminal who was crucified with Jesus and who begged to be remembered at the coming of the kingdom. Jesus did not reject his wish by saying “You're too late. You should have converted earlier.” Instead, he said, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise" (Lk 23,43). We are called to be “merciful like the Father.”

Daily Gospel ® is a product Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.

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Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

DAILY GOSPEL ® 2017
Readings and Reflections
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August 22, 2017 Tuesday

20th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 3 / (White)
The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Ps 85:9, 11-12, 13-14
The Lord speaks of peace to his people.

1^st Reading: Jdg 6:11-24a

The angel of Yahweh came and sat under the sacred tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, of the family of Abiezer. Gideon, the son of Joash, was threshing the wheat in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites.

The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Yahweh be with you, valiant warrior.” Gideon answered, “Please, my lord, if Yahweh is with us, why is all this happening to us? Where are the wonders which our fathers recounted to us? Did they not say that Yahweh led them up from Egypt? Why has he abandoned us now and given us into the hands of the Midianites?”

Yahweh then turned to him and said, “Go, and with your courage, save Israel from the Midianites. It is I who send you.” Gideon answered: “Pardon me, Lord, but how can I save Israel? My family is the lowliest in my tribe and I am the least in the family of my father.”

Yahweh said to him, “I will be with you and you shall defeat the people of Midian with one single stroke.” Gideon said to him, “Please give me a sign that it is indeed you who speak. Do not leave until I return with an offering and present it to you.” Yahweh responded, “I am going to wait for you here.”

Gideon went and prepared a young goat, took a measure of flour and baked unleavened bread. He put the broth in a pot and the meat in a basket, and went to present them to the angel under the tree. Then the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the bread; put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” Gideon did so. At that moment, the angel of Yahweh extended the staff he was holding and touched the meat and the bread. Suddenly, fire blazed from the rock. The fire consumed the meat and the bread, and the angel of Yahweh disappeared.

Gideon realized that he was the angel of Yahweh and said, “Alas, O Lord Yahweh! I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.” But Yahweh said to him, “Peace be with you. Do not fear for you shall not die.” Gideon built an altar to Yahweh in that place and called it Yahweh-Peace. To this day, it is still in Ophrah of Abiezer.

Gospel: Mt 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I say to you: it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, believe me: it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for the one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

On hearing this, the disciples were astonished and said, “Who, then, can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and answered, “For human beings it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

Then Peter spoke up and said, “You see, we have given up everything to follow you. What, then, will there be for us?”

Jesus answered, “You, who have followed me, listen to my words: on the Day of Renewal, when the Son of Man sits on his throne in glory, you, also, will sit, on twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. As for those who have left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or property for my Name’s sake, they will receive a hundredfold, and be given eternal life. Many who are now first, will be last, and many who are now last, will be first.

REFLECTION:

Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ warning about the dangers of money or material wealth. A few years back I had the opportunity to stay at the Domus Galileae of the Neo-Catechumenal Way. The building itself may be considered one piece of art, an obra maestra of Kiko Arguello, one of the founders of The Way. One of the things that caught my attention was a disproportionate tower which stood at the center of a stairway that would lead you down to the so-called Plain of the Beatitudes which, I was told, is symbolic of the Kingdom of God. The tower was quite tall but its door is quite narrow and too low that one has to literally crouch in order to go through it. Only those with slimmer bodies can pass through the narrow door. I found out that the tower’s asymmetry was actually deliberate. It is meant to artistically illustrate Jesus’ teaching that we cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless we really detach ourselves from our earthly “idols” like money, wealth, power and fame. God must truly become our only treasure on which our lives are centered. The low door is meant to remind us that the gate of heaven or the kingdom of God is open only to the humble, to those who are capable of self-emptying, of making themselves small, of forgetting themselves so that they can serve the needs of others. The gate or door of heaven is quite low that only those with a servant heart and mind may enter it.

Daily Reflection

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

August 21, 2017 Monday

20th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 3 / (White)
St. Pius X, pope

Ps 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43ab & 44
Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.

1^st Reading: Jdg 2:11-19

The Israelites treated Yahweh badly for they served the Baals instead. They abandoned Yahweh, the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt, and served other gods, the gods of the neighboring peoples. They bowed before those gods and offended Yahweh.

When Yahweh saw that they had abandoned him to serve Baal and Ashtaroth, he became angry with his people and gave them into the hands of plunderers who left them in misery. He himself sold them to their enemies who completely surrounded the Israelites, so that these Israelites could no longer withstand them. Whenever they felt strong for an offensive, Yahweh would turn against them and send evil upon them, as he had warned them and sworn to do. And this caused much distress and anguish for the Israelites.

Yahweh raised up “judges” (or liberators) who saved the Israelites from their exploiters. But neither did they obey those “judges” for they still prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They soon left the way of their fathers who obeyed the commandments of Yahweh; they did not follow the way of their fathers.

When Yahweh made a judge appear among his people, Yahweh was with him and saved them from their enemies. That lasted as long as the judge lived, for Yahweh was moved to pity by the lament of his people who were oppressed and persecuted. But when the judge died, they again became worse than their ancestors—worshiping and serving other gods. They would not renounce their pagan practices and stubborn ways.

Gospel: Mt 19:16-22

It was then, that a young man approached him and asked, “Master, what good work must I do to receive eternal life?” Jesus answered, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One, only, is good. If you want to enter eternal life, keep the commandments.” The young man said, “Which commandments?” Jesus replied, “Do not kill; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and mother. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

The young man said to him, “I have kept all these commandments. What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all that you possess, and give the money to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come back and follow me.”

On hearing this, the young man went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

REFLECTION:

On the one hand, money, material wealth or riches are truly blessings from God. On the other hand, they likewise have the potential of becoming the greatest obstacles to entry into the kingdom of God. Experience has shown that more people are sidetracked from the goal of Christian perfection by materialism than by anything else. When Jesus is our Master and Lord, money serves us. But if money is our master, we become its slave.

Having money or wealth is, to be sure, not a sin. But failing to use it according to the purpose for which God gave it to us, is. It is not an end in itself, rather it is simply a means toward an end namely, salvation or the kingdom of God. Hence, how we manage and use money or material wealth affects our chances in entering the kingdom. “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ….You cannot serve both God and money” (Luke 16:11-13).

The Biblical concept of stewardship is quite helpful when talking about the issue of money or material wealth. We are not owners of the money or wealth that we have, we are merely stewards. It is God who owns it all. In the Bible a steward was a servant entrusted to manage an estate. He was expected to be trustworthy in managing it, using it according to the will of the owner or master.

Daily Reflection

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

August 20, 2017 Sunday

20th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Psalter: Week 3 / (Green)

Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
O God, let all the nations praise you!

1^st Reading: Is 56:1, 6-7

This is what Yahweh says: Maintain what is right and do what is just, for my salvation is close at hand, my justice is soon to come.

Yahweh says to the foreigners who join him, serving him and loving his name, keeping his Sabbath unprofaned and remaining faithful to his Covenant:

I will bring them to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. I will accept on my altar their burnt offerings and sacrifices, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations.

2^nd Reading: Rom 11:13-15, 29-32

Listen to me, you who are not Jews: I am spending myself, as an apostle to the pagan nations, but I hope my ministry will be successful enough to awaken the jealousy of those of my race, and, finally, to save some of them. If the world made peace with God, when they remained apart, what will it be, when they are welcomed? Nothing less than, a passing from death to life.

Because the call of God, and his gifts, cannot be nullified.

Through the disobedience of the Jews, the mercy of God came to you who did not obey God. They, in turn, will receive mercy, in due time, after this disobedience, that brought God’s mercy to you. So, God has submitted all to disobedience, in order to show his mercy to all.

Gospel: Mt 15:21-28

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from the area, came and cried out, “Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But Jesus did not answer her, not even a word. So his disciples approached him and said, “Send her away! See how she is shouting after us.”

Then Jesus said to her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel.”

But the woman was already kneeling before Jesus, and said, “Sir, help me!” Jesus answered, “It is not right to take the bread from the children and throw it to puppies.” The woman replied, “That is true, sir, but even puppies eat the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.” Then Jesus said, “Woman, how great is your faith! Let it be as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

REFLECTION:

Read: God’s house is a house of prayer for all peoples, irrespective of their race, religion, color, or nationality. Jesus affirms this reality by healing the daughter of the Canaanite woman. Paul reiterates this fact by declaring that the call of God is for all peoples, and cannot be nullified.

Reflect: We live in paradoxical times: Amidst the growing globalization, we also face the reality of growing narrow-mindedness, ethnocentrism, and tribalism. Religious fundamentalism, cultural intolerance, and national jingoism are on the rise. In such scenario, how open and receptive are you in seeing the face of Christ in the other who is different in religion, race, culture, and color?

Pray: Let us pray for the gift of dynamic tolerance that can help us embrace the other as brother/sister.

Act: Have a dialogue with a person of another faith, with the intention of listening and understanding him/her without prejudgment.

Daily Reflection

Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57^th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL

With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines

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