DAILY- HOMILY

DAILY-HOMILY

FEBRUARY 18, 2006
SATURDAY 6TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

JAMES 3:1-10
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for
you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall
short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he
is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also. If we put bits
into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their
whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so
large and d riven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small
rudder wherever the pilot's inclination wishes. In the same way the
tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions.  Consider
how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a
fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the
whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire,
itself set on fire by Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of
reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the
human species, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless
evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father,
and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God. From
the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters,
this need not be so.

MARK 9:2-13
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain
apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his
clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could
bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they
were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in
reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents:
one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  He hardly knew
what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a
shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my
beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, the disciples
no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.  As they were coming
down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had
seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from
the dead meant. Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that
Elijah must come first?" He told them, "Elijah wi ll indeed come
first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the
Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt?
But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever
they pleased, as it is written of him."

REFLECTION
We should be careful of what we say.  From the tongue can come both
praises and curses.  It takes very little to cause harm to others by
what we inadvertently say to them.  However, often we find ourselves
letting our tongues speak out of control, especially when the
conversation starts to focus on the faults or misconceptions of
others.  The first reading reminds and warns us to be more careful
of the evils that can come about as a result of the improper control
of our tongues.

During his transfiguration, Jesus personally chose three disciples
to be with him at the Mount of Olives.  Even if these disciples did
not yet fully unde rstand the meaning of Jesus' actions, this was a
part of the vision of the glory of God in Jesus that is to come.

When we reflect on our own lives, have we ever experienced finding a
place that is most like the Mount of Olives where we grasped a bit
of Jesus' glory in a special way?  What to you is the meaning of the
words, "This is my Son, whom I love; listen to him"?  Do these words
affect us in such a way that we realize that the Lord is telling us
to be still and know that he is God and that the splendor of the
transfiguration is the proof that Jesus is his son?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
- for the personal intentions and success of Antoniette Lao,
Catherine Librando, Alimar Nassaei, Joel Salahudin and the rest of
the examinees of the SWU-College of Medicine. May the Holy Spirit
guide them in their endeavors.
- for the speedy re covery of Gil Calimon.
- for the spiritual and physical healing of Beth.
- for the special intentions of Alyssa.
- for the personal intentions of Veronica Yap.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Fr. Maximo G. Barbero, S.J.
- 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!

# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 7:51 AM 0 comments