DAILY- HOMILY

DAILY-HOMILY

DECEMBER 20, 2005
TUESDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT�- YEAR I

ISAIAH 7:10-14
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, "Ask the LORD your God for a sign,
whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights." But Ahaz
said, "I will not ask; I will not put the LORD to the test." Then
Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try
the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

LUKE 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town
in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,
a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to
her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is
with you." Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what
kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, "Do not
be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with
child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he
will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never
end." "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a
virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one
to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your
relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was
said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible
with God." "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to
me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

REFLECTION
Christmas is a joyful holiday that most of us look forward to. But
it can also be a very stressful time for many of us.� As Christmas
nears, perhaps our excitement is combined with anxiety because there
is still much to do.� Gifts have to be bought and given, decorations
need to be installed, the house has to be cleaned, and food needs to
be prepared.�

Our Blessed Mother was not exempted from anxiety. As much as we may
feel stressed by the holiday preparations, the future of the
Christian world fell on the shoulders of a young woman, Mary, when
the angel Gabriel visited her.

Even if we are caught up in the preparations for the holidays, as
Christians, we also need to prepare ourselves spiritually for
Christmas.� Have we made our examination of conscience and gone to
confession?� Have we remembered to give thanks to the Lord for all
the gifts he has given our family and ourselves?� Have we
contributed our time, money or talent to the church, performed
charitable works or acts of mercy?

For some of us, it may be too much to take care of the Christmas
preparations and at the same time prepare ourselves spiritually.�
But perhaps, this is what we need to do this last week of Advent.�
Lets taking stock and reflect on our spiritual selves, so that we
will be prepared to welcome Jesus into our hearts and homes on
Christmas day.

PRAYER
"Heavenly Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy, and
forgiveness through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live
a grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by
giving you my unqualified "yes" to your will and plan for my life."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray -
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the continued & speedy recovery of Mike Torres.
- in thanksgiving: all those who passed the recent nursing board
exams in Manila.
- for the special intentions of Ricky & Abbie.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Marcus Ng
- In Memoriam: Mary Yang
- 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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� 2005 Daily-Homily

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