DAILY- HOMILY

APRIL 25, 2009
FEAST OF MARK, EVANGELIST

1 PETER 5:5B-14
Beloved: Clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one
another, for: God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble.
So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time. Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for
you. Be sober and vigilant. Your opponent the Devil is prowling around
like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him,
steadfast in faith, knowing that your brothers and sisters throughout
the world undergo the same sufferings. The God of all grace who called
you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus will himself restore,
confirm, strengthen, and establish you after you have suffered a
little. To him be dominion forever. Amen. I write you this briefly
through Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother, exhorting you
and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Remain firm in it.
The chosen one at Babylon sends you greeting, as does Mark, my son.
Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you who are in
Christ.

MARK 16:15-20
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: "Go into the whole
world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and
is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will
drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up
serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will
not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover." Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up
into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went
forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and
confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

REFLECTION
Today we celebrate the feast of Mark the Evangelist. Though Mark was
not an apostle, he was privileged to learn about the life, ministry
and teachings of Jesus as a student of Peter. It is believed that he
served as an interpreter for Peter and a companion to Paul on some of
Paul's missionary journeys. Mark probably learned from Peter and Paul,
that there is a cost to being a disciple of Jesus. With Peter and Paul
as teachers, Mark's Gospel shows a strong sense of passion and
urgency.

Mark portrays Jesus, as having his whole life centered on faithfully
carrying out the mission entrusted to him by his Father. Mark showed
that Jesus preached with great passion, emphasizing that a new age of
salvation had dawned, that the kingdom of God was at hand, and that
people should repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel so they
could be saved. Mark presented the miracles, healings and exorcisms
that Jesus carried out as dramatic events. The passionate preaching of
Jesus, along with the mighty deeds that he performed, led to the high
point of Mark's Gospel: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus —
which makes up roughly one third of his Gospel.

But why does Mark place such a strong emphasis on these events in his
Gospel? Perhaps it's because Mark understood that our salvation was
won at a very high price, the death of Jesus upon the cross. To be a
disciple of Jesus is a great sacrifice and gift, nothing less than a
total and complete dedication of one's life to Jesus.

Mark's Gospel ends with Jesus, risen and victorious, giving the
apostles the commission to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
This mission was extended to all, on Pentecost. Let us give witness to
the Gospel through our actions of kindness, love and compassion to
others.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and strength of:
- Jose Lara
- Chari
- Christy Chin
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Cynthia C. Venturanza
- Florencia W. Acuña
- Mylene Lingad
- Lisa
- Eligia Fernando
- Marlyn Tadeo
… for the safety of Johnson Cuiting
… Thanksgiving: Bert V. Domingo
… for the personal intentions of Juan Carlos Solis
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Gregoria Gomez
- Birthday: Victorino Mamalateo
- Wedding Anniversary: Judy & Eduardo Tintoc
- In Memoriam (+): Jovito Yu (Feb 15,1948-Apr 25, 2003)+
… 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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