SATURDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10: I shall be very happy to make my weaknesses my special boast.

Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34: Do not worry about tomorrow.

The Counsel on Worry and Anxiety, 6:25-34

This counsel meets one of the greatest needs of people, the need to be delivered from worry and anxiety. 

1. 1.A counsel- do not worry about necessities (v.25)

1. a.About food and drink
2. b.About body and clothing

1. 1.Do not worry about your life and body (v.25)
2. 2.Do not worry about food and shelter (v.26)

1. a.Behold the birds
2. b.You are the better than the birds

1. 1.Do not worry about your life span: worry is pointless (v.27)
2. 2.Do not worry about clothing (v.28-30)

1. a.Consider the lilies

1. 3.They do not labour
2. 4.They are more adorned than Solomon

1. a.Trust-believe you of little faith 

1. 5.Do not worry: do not be thinking and talking about food, drink and clothing

1. b.You are different from the pagans
2. c.Your heavenly Father knows your needs

1. 1.Do not worry: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33)
2. 2.Do not worry about tomorrow: live one day at a time (v.24)

Thought: The testimony of the mature believer is: “I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me” (Ps 40: 17).

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FRIDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2Corinthians 11:18. 21-30: To leave out much more, there is my preoccupation: my anxiety for all the churches.

Gospel: Matthew 6:19-23: Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

The Warning about Wealth and Materialism, 6:19-24

Where are our thoughts? What we think about? Are our thoughts on earth or on heaven? Is our mind on earthly things or on God? What are we seeking, the things of the earth or the things of heaven? Where is our heart, focused on earth or focused on heaven? The concern of Christ in this passage is money, possessions, and material things. His concern is for us to centre our lives on him and heaven. It is all permanent and eternal. 

1. 1.A contrast: about kinds of riches (v.19-20)

1. a.Earthly riches
2. b.Are not to be laid up 
3. c.Are destroyed
4. d.Are insecure
5. a.Heavenly riches

1. 5.Are to be laid up
2. 6.Are indestructible
3. 7.Are secure

1. 1.A warning: about two kinds of heart (v.21-23)
2. 2.A good heart: like a good eye

1. 2.Focuses and sees
2. 3.Focuses on heaven

1. a.A bad heart: like a bad eye

1. 4.Blind and dark
2. 5.Focuses on the earth

1. 1.A choice: about two kinds of masters (24)
2. 2.Either hate or love
3. 3.Either cleave or despise
4. 4.The choice: serve God or material things

Thought: A person must leave all to follow Christ or else he/she cannot be the Lord’s disciple.

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THURSDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2Corinthians 11:1-11: I preached the gospel of God to you and took no fear for it.

Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15: You should pray like this.

The Three Great Rules for Prayer, 6:7-8

Among the religious there is often a tendency toward long prayers, particularly in public. Too often people measure prayer by its fluency, length and devotion. “Be not rash with mouth...(Eccl 5:2). Christ teaches us very simple models, methods and three great rules how to pray.

1. 1.Rule 1: do not use empty repetition (v.7)
2. 2.Rule 2: do not speak much (v.7)
3. 3.Trust God (v.8)

1. a.He knows your needs
2. b.He desires to hear your prayer

The Model Prayer, 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer that is to be prayed through and not just recited. Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to pray...

1. 1.There is surrender and acknowledgement (v.9)

1. c.To our Father in heaven
2. d.To God’s holy name

1. 1.There is a request and plea (v.10-13)

1. e.For God’s kingdom
2. f.For God’s will
3. g.For daily bread
4. h.For forgiveness
5. i.For deliverance

1. 1.There is a praise and commitment (v.13)

The Basic Principle of Prayer: Forgiveness, 6:14-15

Jesus taught the forgiveness is a condition and necessary for a prayer in life.

1. 1.The promise: forgive others and be forgiven (v.14)
2. 2.The warning: refuse to forgive others and be forgiven (v.15)

Thought: the greatest thing in all the world is to be forgiven our sins by God and to forgive our enemies and neighbours.

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THURSDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2Corinthians 11:1-11: I preached the gospel of God to you and took no fear for it.

Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15: You should pray like this.

The Three Great Rules for Prayer, 6:7-8

Among the religious there is often a tendency toward long prayers, particularly in public. Too often people measure prayer by its fluency, length and devotion. “Be not rash with mouth...(Eccl 5:2). Christ teaches us very simple models, methods and three great rules how to pray.

1. 1.Rule 1: do not use empty repetition (v.7)
2. 2.Rule 2: do not speak much (v.7)
3. 3.Trust God (v.8)

1. a.He knows your needs
2. b.He desires to hear your prayer

The Model Prayer, 6:9-13

The Lord’s Prayer is a model prayer that is to be prayed through and not just recited. Jesus Christ taught his disciples how to pray...

1. 1.There is surrender and acknowledgement (v.9)

1. c.To our Father in heaven
2. d.To God’s holy name

1. 1.There is a request and plea (v.10-13)

1. e.For God’s kingdom
2. f.For God’s will
3. g.For daily bread
4. h.For forgiveness
5. i.For deliverance

1. 1.There is a praise and commitment (v.13)

The Basic Principle of Prayer: Forgiveness, 6:14-15

Jesus taught the forgiveness is a condition and necessary for a prayer in life.

1. 1.The promise: forgive others and be forgiven (v.14)
2. 2.The warning: refuse to forgive others and be forgiven (v.15)

Thought: the greatest thing in all the world is to be forgiven our sins by God and to forgive our enemies and neighbours.

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WEDNESDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2Corinthians 9:6-11: God loves a cheerful giver.

Gospel: Matthew 6: 1-6. 16-18: Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

The Right Motive for Giving, 6:1-4

God expects people to be kind and do well in the world: to help others both through personal involvement and through giving generously and sacrificially.  God expects a person to have the right motive because a person’s eternal fate is determined by his/her motive. Because of this, Jesus Christ warns us about right and wrong motives. 

1. 1.Acts of righteousness-doing good and giving (v.1)

1. a.Warning: do not seek recognition
2. b.The reason: God will not reward

1. 1.The wrong motive (v.2)

1. c.Giving for recognition
2. d.Characteristic of hypocrites
3. e.Reward: recognition my people only

1. 1.The right motive (v.3-4)

1. f.Giving unconsciously
2. g.Giving quietly-privately-secretely

1. 1.The reasons (v.4)

1. h.Father sees in secret
2. i.Father rewards openly

The Right Motive for Prayer, 6:5-6

This passage is speaking to those who pray-people who take prayer seriously. Prayer is one of the greatest acts of Christian believer. Talking to God and listening to his words and putting into action and practice according to God’s will is a true prayer. Jesus’ concern is how we pray? Jesus Christ sets out to teach us the right and wrong motives for praying.

1. 1.The wrong motive: praying to be seen by people (v.5)

1. j.Place: loving to pray

1. 2.Only in the synagogue 
2. 3.Only in the streets

1. a.Reason: for recognition
2. b.Reward: people’s esteem

1. 1.The right motive: praying to be heard by God (v.6)

1. c.Place: in one’s private place
2. d.Reason: God is in one’s secret or private place
3. e.Reward: will receive open blessings

Thought: The sin is not failing to pray. The sin is praying only in church and in public. Pray without ceasing is the right way of praying.

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TUESDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2Corinthians 8:1-9: Christ become poor for your sake.

Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48: Love your enemies.

The Real Meaning of Human Relationships.

No subject is more important than the subject of human relationships. God is creating a family of believers who are to live together eternally. Therefore we must have a family of love, joy, peace, forgiveness, and kindness. God’s family is to treat no person as an enemy because all are created in the image and likeness of God. So every person is to be loved, accepted and encouraged as a true brothers and sisters and true neighbours.

1. The law (v.43)
2. The real meaning (v.44)

1. a.Love your enemies
2. b.Pray for persecutors

1. The incentive (v.45-47)

1. c.Makes you a child of God
2. d.Makes you like God
3. e.Makes you distinctive from other men

1. The charge: Be perfect (v.48)

Thought: Man was created “in His own image, in the image of God” (Gen 1:27). Man’s very purpose for being is to glorify God and to be like God (Mt 5:48). 

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MONDAY- 11^TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME -C

I Reading: 2Corinthians 6:1-10: Let us prove we are servants of God.

Gospel: Matthew 5:38-42: I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance.

The Real Meaning of the Law Governing Injury

This law has been used and misused, excused and abused down through the centuries. Man has often used the law to treat others as he wished. But Jesus Christ has changed the law. He says that the Christian is not to render evil for evil; he is not to bear a grudge or seek revenge. He must go beyond and forever. However, the Christian has the right to avoid and resist evil for security’s sake (Rom 12:18 for more discussion).

1. 1.The law (v.38)
2. 2.The real meaning: do not retaliate (v.39)
3. 3.The ideal behaviour (v.39-41)

1. a.Accept physical injury
2. b.Accept property injury
3. c.Accept any forced burden

1. 1.The great Christian ethic: give (v.42)

Thought: A Christian is not to be a revengeful person. He is not to be known as who holds a grudge. 

Revenge consumes. It can eat up a person’s inner being. Submission is sometimes the way to overcome (Pr 25:21-22). 

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