DAILY- HOMILY

February 19, 2009
Thursday 6th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

GENESIS 9:1-13
God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them: "Be fertile and
multiply and fill the earth. Dread fear of you shall come upon all the
animals of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon all the
creatures that move about on the ground and all the fishes of the sea;
into your power they are delivered. Every creature that is alive shall
be yours to eat; I give them all to you as I did the green plants.
Only flesh with its lifeblood still in it you shall not eat. For your
own lifeblood, too, I will demand an accounting: from every animal I
will demand it, and from one man in regard to his fellow man I will
demand an accounting for human life. If anyone sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed; For in the image of God has man been
made. Be fertile, then, and multiply; abound on earth and subdue it."
God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "See, I am now establishing
my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every
living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame
and wild animals that were with you and came out of the ark. I will
establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily
creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be
another flood to devastate the earth." God added: "This is the sign
that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and
you and every living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to
serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

MARK 8:27-33
Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one
of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Christ." Then he warned them
not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of
Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He
spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter
and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but
as human beings do."

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel Jesus is identified as the Messiah. Even though his
journey to Jerusalem will lead him to suffering and death, and even
though Peter tries to talk him out of going there, Jesus refuses to
turn back and resolves to go through with His Father's plan. We have
here a picture of a man who knows what awaits him, a painful death,
and yet he will not allow himself to be deterred from his set path.

Jesus can already see before him the cross on Cavalry, and yet he will
not let himself quit his messianic task. To be a disciple of Jesus
means that we cannot allow ourselves to quit whenever some cross
confronts us. Instead, as Jesus says, we have to take up that cross
and resolutely follow in his steps. Whether our cross is unfair
treatment by others, loneliness or discouragement, or whether it be
the loss of our health, our job or someone whom we love. If we are to
be truly Christian, then we cannot allow ourselves to quit carrying
that cross. Instead, we have to believe that God is near to uphold us
and is indeed our help, and that we will not only survive, but we will
also overcome and triumph. After all, we have our Lord's own promise
that even though we may lose everything, perhaps even our lives, in
the end we will save it, provided we are faithful and don't give up.
Jesus himself had to lose his life and die, but three days later he
overcame the grave and rose from the dead.

Let us thank Jesus today for instructing us so clearly about God's
standards. As we go about our daily duties, let us keep these words of
a hymn in mind: "The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning
back, no turning back."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and strength of:
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Christy Chin
- Sister Teresa Mabasa, DC
- Jocelyn Bulan
… for the personal intentions of
- the family of Maria Josheil Dapo
- Mary Wong and KL
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Aurea Magcamit. Eternal rest
grant unto her and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she and all
the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Francisco Bate
- Birthday: Fr. Maximo Barbero, S.J.
… for the healing and peace of all families

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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