DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 24, 2008
WEDNESDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR II

2 SAMUEL 7:1-5, 8B-12, 14A, 16
When King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord had given him
rest from his enemies on every side, he said to Nathan the prophet,
"Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in
a tent!" Nathan answered the king, "Go, do whatever you have in mind,
for the Lord is with you." But that night the Lord spoke to Nathan
and said: "Go, tell my servant David, `Thus says the Lord: Should you
build me a house to dwell in? "`It was I who took you from the pasture
and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I
have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all your
enemies before you. And I will make you famous like the great ones of
the earth. I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them
so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance.
Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old,
since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will
give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also reveals to you
that he will establish a house for you. And when your time comes and
you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you,
sprung from your loins, and I will make his Kingdom firm. I will be a
father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your
Kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm
forever.'"

LUKE 1:67-79
Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people
and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of
the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of
old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who
hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his
holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to
set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without
fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You,
my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will
go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of
salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion
of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on
those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our
feet into the way of peace."

REFLECTION
Every Christmas is a testimony from God that He has not given up on us
and our world. Zechariah's song should become our Christmas hymn:
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and
ransomed his people. He has raised a horn of saving strength for us in
the house of David his servant."

The coming God is always coming. He is always on the way, always on a
pilgrimage to us, always trying to reach out to us and touch us. He
quietly stands at the door of our hearts, gently knocking, hoping for
a response that will allow Him to enter. He does not gatecrash into
our hearts. Our God can be called the God of the constant coming, of
the incessant but gentle in-breaking. He hopes that we will allow Him
to become the still point of our soul, the central hub of our lives,
the ground of our being and the focus of all our activity. Whenever
our God comes, He brings many gifts, the greatest of which is the gift
of Himself. But in giving Himself, He touches some very vulnerable
areas of our lives. He heals our traumas, tempers our anxieties and
soothes our wounded hearts.

On this eve of Christ's nativity, Advent beckons: "Come, Lord Jesus,
come." If our God is always the coming God who keeps coming to us day
in and day out, it is only fitting and proper that we also be always
men and women who are always coming to God.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Heddy Lagura
- Lisa
- Graham
- Sophia Gonzalez
… for the healing of Chato Dizon and family
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Caridad V. Laqui
- Thanksgiving: Castillo Family
… 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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