DAILY- HOMILY

July 2, 2007
Monday 13th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

GENESIS 18:16-33
Abraham and the men who had visited him by the Terebinth of Mamre set
out from there and looked down toward Sodom; Abraham was walking with
them, to see them on their way. The LORD reflected: "Shall I hide from
Abraham what I am about to do, now that he is to become a great and
populous nation, and all the nations of the earth are to find blessing
in him? Indeed, I have singled him out that he may direct his children
and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what
is right and just, so that the LORD may carry into effect for Abraham
the promises he made about him." Then the LORD said: "The outcry
against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I
must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to
the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out." While the
two men walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained standing
before Abraham. Then Abraham drew nearer to him and said: "Will you
sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty
innocent people in the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than
spare it for the sake of the fifty innocent people within it? Far be
it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the
guilty, so that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike!
Should not the judge of all the world act with justice?" The LORD
replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the city of Sodom, I will
spare the whole place for their sake." Abraham spoke up again: "See
how I am presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and
ashes! What if there are five less than fifty innocent people? Will
you destroy the whole city because of those five?" He answered, "I
will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." But Abraham
persisted, saying, "What if only forty are found there?" He replied,
"I will forbear doing it for the sake of forty." Then Abraham said,
"Let not my Lord grow impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are
found there?" He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I can find but
thirty there." Still Abraham went on, "Since I have thus dared to
speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" He answered,
"I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty." But he still
persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this last
time. What if there are at least ten there?" He replied, "For the sake
of those ten, I will not destroy it." The LORD departed as soon as he
had finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham returned home.

MATTHEW 8:18-22
When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the
other shore. A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher, I will
follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and
birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest
his head." Another of his disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go
first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let
the dead bury their dead."

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, Jesus says that the foxes have their holes and the
birds of the air their nests but that the Son of Man has nowhere to
lay his head. It is as if Jesus said to the man who wanted to follow
him: "Before you follow me, think what you are doing. Before you
follow me, count the cost."

Jesus did not want followers who were swept away by a moment of
emotion which quickly flamed and just as quickly died down. Jesus did
not want people who were carried away by a tide of mere feeling. He
wanted people who knew what they were doing. He talked about taking up
a cross. He talked about setting oneself above the dearest
relationships in life. He talked about giving away everything to the
poor. He was always saying to people: "I know that your heart is
running out to me, but do you love me enough for that?"

Jesus was uncompromisingly honest. We do Jesus a grave disservice if
ever we lead people to believe that the Christian way is an easy way.
There is no thrill like the way of Christ, and there is no glory like
the end of that way. But Jesus never said that it was an easy way. The
way to Jesus always involves the cross. Christianity without the cross
is meaningless.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
... for the strength, healing and speedy recovery of:
- Dodo
- Ely
- Tolentino A. Sandoval
- Salvador L. Mallari
... for the personal intentions and guidance of:
- Jasmin
- Lydia and family
- Sandoval and Balingit family
- Peter and family
... for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Rando Clemente
- Jaime delos Santos
Eternal rest grant unto them and perpetual light shine upon them. May
they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam (+): Co King Peng
... for world peace and reconciliation.

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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