DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 21, 2005
WEDNESDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

SONG OF SONGS 2:8-14
Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise,
my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is
past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the
season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our
land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines
spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one,
come with me." My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding
places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your
voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice
with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken
away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the
King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On
that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not
let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is
mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you
with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." "The sorrows
for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden
and a reproach to you.

LUKE 1:39-45
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill
country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted
Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in
her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud
voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting
reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she
who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be
accomplished!"

REFLECTION
The readings in today's Mass are explosively joyous.  The first
reading is a love song taken from the Old Testament book, the Song
of Songs.  This book is itself an extended lyrical love poem
describing the joyous union of God and young Israel.  It's a song of
joy (one commentator calls it "a thrilling, absorbing, ardent
affection"), the exuberant, exciting joy that characterizes the
dance of young love that choreographs the leaping hearts of young
lovers.

God is Lord of the dance.  He is that who created the dance of young
love and he is that who created the glad movement of joyous love
that is so evident in the gospel.  Henry Wansbrough points out that
the word which we translate `leap' to describe John's movement in
his mother's womb, is normally used to describe a dance of joy, and
the word which we translate `joy' indicates thrill, delight and
excitement.

Mary greets Elizabeth.  Elizabeth becomes ecstatic, she sings aloud
of Mary's blessedness and of the blessedness of the child she
bears.  John, excited, delighted, thrilled, "leaps for joy", dances
joyfully in his mother's womb.

Mary, of course, is overwhelmed by jubilant awe because of what has
happened to her.  Her child is growing within her.  Through this
child something great will happen to her people. Her wonder and
gratitude rise from her heart in her great song of joy, her
Magnificat.

Let us pray that we will open our hearts to the source and cause of
the joy that seized Mary and Elizabeth and John when they met in
Elizabeth's house.  Jesus will be born anew on Christmas day in our
homes, our churches and our hearts, in our world.  He is the world's
hope, our joy. 

PRAYER
"Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you
more closely. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the
joys of heaven, and my love for You as my All."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray-
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- in thanksgiving: all those who passed the recent nursing board
exams in Manila.
- for the special intentions of Ricky & Abbie.
- for the speedy recovery of Ram Ronquillo.
- for the speedy recovery of Bert.
- for the personal intentions, forgiveness, peace, reconciliation
and harmony of Charles Conrad H.C and Cheryl P.C.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Maura Castillo
- Wedding Anniversary: Rafael & Judith Ann Dayrit
- Wedding Anniversary: Joel & Val Santillan
- In Memoriam: Faustino U. Lim
- 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!