DAILY- HOMILY

SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
WEDNESDAY 25TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - YEAR I

EZRA 9:5-9
At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my
wretchedness, and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees,
stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God. I said: "My God, I am
too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our
wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up
to heaven. From the time of our fathers even to this day great has
been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up,
we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign
lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is
the case today. "And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us
from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in
his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us
relief in our servitude. For slaves we are, but in our servitude our
God has not abandoned us; rather, he has turned the good will of the
kings of Persia toward us. Thus he has given us new life to raise
again the house of our God and restore its ruins, and has granted us
a fence in Judah and Jerusalem."

LUKE 9:1-6
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all
demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom
of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, "Take nothing for the
journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and
let no one take a second tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there
and leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when
you leave that town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony
against them." Then they set out and went from village to village
proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.

REFLECTION
The men whom Jesus was sending out in today's gospel reading were the
same men whom he had invited to share in his mission by telling them
that they would become fishers of men. They willingly, on that day,
surrendered their job security for a greater good. They certainly
suffered for following Jesus, but it was worth it. Jesus had called
them and he promised them that they would receive much more for their
sacrifice than they could ever imagine.

Being sent by Jesus is part and parcel of being a Christian. The
account that we hear today is only the beginning. Every follower of
Jesus, in all ages, who has come to the waters of Baptism, is sent to
proclaim the reign of God and to cure whatever diseases they
encounter. It is God's plan to give his salvation to people through
people. We are not meant to be selfish about the Good News that we
have received. We are to pass it on to others with generosity and joy.

We live in a world where we are meant to be the instruments of
redemption. What a title to receive and what a responsibility it lays
on us. We are being sent to save people, the people in our life, the
people who come into our sphere of influence. We are asked to be in
the streets, in our work-places, in our families and neighborhood
living witnesses of Jesus who freely proclaim the wonder of God's
salvation. Our world is full of diseases: loneliness, injustice,
confusion, immorality, pain and grief. We have the power to offer
relief and healing. And what if we are afraid? Then we need to
remember that Jesus sent those first disciples with no possessions.
We have to learn, like they did, that all we need are God's presence
and his grace.

Discipleship demands that our focus be like that of Jesus. This
demands our full attention. Through the gospels handed down to us,
the reign of God becomes clearly part of our lives. We embrace the
reign of God when we live by his truths, cast out evil from our
lives, and become a source of healing in the world. With eyes clearly
focused on God's reign over us, we can live as true disciples of
Jesus and lead others to him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
... for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
... for the strength, healing and speedy recovery of:
- Damaso Guevara
- Marietta Climaco
- Lilian Kahn
- Tom Diokno
- Ely
... for the personal intentions of:
- Guevara family
- San Juan de Dios Hospital
- Jasmin, Pe Family
- Pauline
... for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Angel
- Macrina Tuason Aro
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
... for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Felicidad M. Tiongson
- Birthday: Ryan Dano Schmidt
- Prayer Intention: Arturo & Luz Chan
- Wedding Anniversary: Dra. Rosalind Sia & Dr. John Lim
- Wedding Anniversary: Severino & Lorna Palasaga
... 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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