Wednesday, December 21, 2005
THURSDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT
| DAILY-HOMILY |  |
| Subscribe Unsubscribe Change E-mail View Archive THURSDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT DAILY-HOMILY Dec 21, 2005 |
THURSDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT�- YEAR I
1 SAMUEL 1:24-28
After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was,
along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of
wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. When they
had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said
to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood
here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and
the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to
the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And
he worshiped the LORD there.
LUKE 1:46-56
And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his
servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the
Mighty One has done great things for me-- holy is his name. His
mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those
who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers
from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the
hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has
helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and
his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." Mary
stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
REFLECTION
During Mary's time, women (like children) were not counted as
individuals of society. A woman was recognized only in terms of her
relationship with her father, husband or son. When the angel
announced to Mary that she was to bear the Messiah, she promptly
said yes, even when she knew she was in danger of being
misunderstood as a woman who got pregnant out of wedlock, a
situation that could justify death by stoning. She was full of faith
that God would protect her and keep her from society's harsh
judgment. Even to Joseph, she did not volunteer any explanation. She
knew in her heart that God would do the explaining.
God's choice of Mary to become the mother of the Messiah gave her so
much joy that during her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, she
sang praises to God. She knew she was among the lowly in human
society, but God lifted her up so high among the rest of all
humankind. This gave her strength to face whatever sufferings might
lie ahead as consequences of her choice to become the mother of
Jesus.� She expressed God's greatness; she felt blessed to be the
chosen one.
This speaks also of how God respects man's freedom of choice. God,
in all His splendor and glory, respects man's freedom to choose his
own destiny. He wanted man, through Mary, to become active in the
salvation of mankind.� It's wonderful to think that God gave men his
importance, despite his sinfulness. God asked, and Mary said yes,
and the world was never the same again.
How do we connect this "fiat" to our daily living? Day after day, we
also make many choices, big and small. Choices that we think will
affect only our family, or ourselves but choices that can also
affect the world without our knowing it. It is therefore very
helpful to pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us when we make the
choices that would reveal God's will.
PRAYER
"Lord Jesus, help me to earnestly seek you with humility and
confidence. Increase my faith in your promises, strengthen within me
the hope of heaven and eternal life, and set my heart on fire with
love for you and your kingdom. May I always praise and magnify your
greatness and mercy."
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 personal intentions, forgiveness, peace, reconciliation
and harmony of Charles Conrad H.C and Cheryl P.C.
- for the eternal repose of the soul of Bert Pascual.� Eternal rest
grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he and
all the souls of the dearly departed rest in peace.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- In Memoriam: Lim Yao Lam
- 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!
***************************************************************
Welcome to DAILY-HOMILY, a Catholic-based Scripture and Homily
Reflection. It is a great source for scripture reading and
reflectionfor Weekdays, Sundays and Holydays of Obligation. Subscribe
to this list and you will receive a free, informed, down to earth and
illustrated homily. It's a FREE service.
***************************************************************
�
�
To subscribe or unsubscribe, tell friends about Daily-Homily, read past
reflection and feedbacks, give donation or submit a prayer request
please go to:
�
�
Email: dailyhomily@gmail.com
�
�
PRAYER FOR ENLIGHTENMENT BEFORE MEDITATING ON GOD'S WORD:
�
�
Feel free to forward this to your friends, family and associates!
� 2005 Daily-Homily
�
| Visit My InJesus to manage your subscriptions, change your profile, or check out thousands of other great ministry groups. If you do not have access to the web, you can use these addresses to unsubscribe or subscribe: |
