FOODFORTHOUGHT

AUGUST 9, 2010
MONDAY 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

EZEKIEL 1:2-5, 24-28
On the fifth of the month -- it was the fifth year of exile for King
Jehoiachin- the word of Yahweh was addressed to the priest Ezekiel son
of Buzi, in Chaldaea by the River Chebar. There the hand of Yahweh
came on him. I looked; a stormy wind blew from the north, a great
cloud with flashing fire and brilliant light round it, and in the
middle, in the heart of the fire, a brilliance like that of amber, and
in the middle what seemed to be four living creatures. They looked
like this: They were of human form. I also heard the noise of their
wings; when they moved, it was like the noise of flood-waters, like
the voice of Shaddai, like the noise of a storm, like the noise of an
armed camp; and when they halted, they lowered their wings; there was
a noise too. Beyond the solid surface above their heads, there was
what seemed like a sapphire, in the form of a throne. High above on
the form of a throne was a form with the appearance of a human being.
I saw a brilliance like amber, like fire, radiating from what appeared
to be the waist upwards; and from what appeared to be the waist
downwards, I saw what looked like fire, giving a brilliant light all
round. The radiance of the encircling light was like the radiance of
the bow in the clouds on rainy days. The sight was like the glory of
Yahweh. I looked and fell to the ground, and I heard the voice of
someone speaking to me.

MATTHEW 17:22-27
When they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, 'The Son of
man is going to be delivered into the power of men; they will put him
to death, and on the third day he will be raised up again.' And a
great sadness came over them. When they reached Capernaum, the
collectors of the half-shekel came to Peter and said, 'Does your
master not pay the half-shekel?' 'Yes,' he replied, and went into the
house. But before he could speak, Jesus said, 'Simon, what is your
opinion? From whom do earthly kings take toll or tribute? From their
sons or from foreigners?' And when he replied, 'From foreigners,'
Jesus said, 'Well then, the sons are exempt. However, so that we shall
not be the downfall of others, go to the lake and cast a hook; take
the first fish that rises, open its mouth and there you will find a
shekel; take it and give it to them for me and for yourself.'

REFLECTION
In modern times, there is juridical separation between church and
state in all Christian countries. The Church has no political power
while the state may not interfere in the affairs of the Church. This
is how it should be. Even Jesus always refused to be acknowledged as a
political leader. Remember what he told Pilate during his Passion, "My
kingdom is not of this world. If it were, then my subjects would have
come to my defense." Jesus further said, "I have come to witness to
the truth." This is the mission of every Christian.

We are all called to be witnesses to the truth. And the truth is that
God loves us, that He has sent His Son to die for us and his Son Jesus
has risen from the dead. We are called to evangelize, to proclaim this
good news. The Church calls men to become sons of heaven, to form a
holy nation. Of course, there are times when she speaks out against
human injustices, corrupt governments, evildoers, etc. This is also
witnessing to the truth. But she has the primary task of preaching the
love of God shown in Jesus Christ. Her task is to gather men into
God's kingdom. Her mission comes from heaven and no government can
supersede or suppress it.

What are we doing to bring about God's reign here on earth? Are we too
busy with our affairs to forget that we must be busy with our Father's
business? Blessed is the man who is called to witness to Jesus Christ,
he has the greatest job on earth.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- JR Dolor, Adyn Bolos, Dolores Segui
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres
- See Yung Hui
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Sue and Andy
- Nikolai, Aydin, Karl, Maureen Cortez
- Elmo Estinos
- Jazmine and Brenda
- Patrick and Mary Ann
- Donna
- J.E.S.
… for good health: Atty. Jose O. Cortez
… in Memoriam:
- Lutgarda S. Cortez
- Candelaria S. Ventura
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Deling Cortez
- Ulysses Antonio Yap
- Rodolfo E. Venturanza
- William Guanzon, Asilda Guanzon, Jose Cezar Sr, Dulce Cezar
Eternal rest grant unto them and may 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 (+) Nestor Sy
… 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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