DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 21, 2009
12TH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME – B

JOB 38:1, 8-11
Then the Lord addressed Job out of the storm and said: And who shut
within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; When I made
the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands? When I
set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, And said: Thus far
shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves be
stilled!

2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-17
For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction
that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for
all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but
for him who for their sake died and was raised. Consequently, from now
on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew
Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So
whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed
away; behold, new things have come.

MARK 4:35-41
On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, "Let us cross to the
other side." Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat
just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came
up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already
filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him
and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He
woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The
wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you
terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" They were filled with great awe
and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea
obey?"

REFLECTION
This miracle of the calming of the sea made an unforgettable
impression on the apostles. It confirmed their faith and prepared them
for the more testing battles that lay ahead. The sight of a perfectly
calm sea, obedient to the voice of Christ, was engraved on their
hearts. Years later, these men would pray, and the memory of this
scene would bring peace to them as they underwent all the trials that
Jesus had forwarded them of.

On another occasion, on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus had told them that
what the prophets had foretold about the Son of Man was about to be
fulfilled, that he would be mocked and scourged and killed and that on
the third day he would rise. At the same time he warned them that they
too would go through terrible times of persecution and slander.

Jesus wanted to convince those first disciples and us too, that there
is no compromise possible between him and his doctrine on the one
hand, and the world as a kingdom of sin on the other. He reminds them
not be surprised to be treated in this way. "If the world hates you,
know that it has hated me before it hated you." The hostility of the
wicked echoes like praise for our way of life, because it shows that
insofar as we annoy those who do not love God, there is some
uprightness in us. Nobody can please God and the enemies of God at the
same time. So if we are faithful to God, there will be winds and
storms in life. But Jesus will be with us.

At the very beginning of the Church, the Apostles gathered abundant
fruits. But at the same time they suffered threats, insults and
persecution. They were not concerned whether opinion was favorable or
hostile towards them. They were concerned to make Christ known to all,
to take the fruits of our redemption to the farthest corner of the
earth. They preached the doctrine of Christ, which in purely human
terms constituted a scandal for some and seemed sheer madness to
others. This doctrine entered all environments, transforming people
and customs.

Many of the circumstances within which the Apostles had to work have
changed today but others remain as they were or have become even
worse. Materialism, the excessive love of comfort and well-being
represent once again in many places furious winds and stormy seas. And
we can add to this the temptation of many people to adapt the doctrine
of Christ to the times, seriously deforming the essential message of
the Gospel. If we want to be apostles in the midst of the world, we
must realize that some people — our spouse, parents or even old
friends — will not understand us. We will have to take heart, work
calmly and firmly. We cannot allow ourselves to be turned aside by the
attitude of those who have compromised themselves with the new
paganism of the world.

Our intimacy with God will give us calmness and strength, and we will
be a firm rock for many. We can never forget that, particularly
nowadays, the Lord need strong and courageous people who refuse to
come to terms with mediocrity, but will be able to enter all kinds of
environments with a sure step.

Today's Gospel gives us the opportunity to purify our intentions, to
be more attentive to the Master, to strengthen our faith. Our attitude
must always be one of calmness, because God is with us.

Each one of us has to work in our own environment, in spite of any
hostility that we will meet and the misunderstanding of people who
cannot or do not want to understand. Worry, fear and cowardice arise
when our prayer weakens. Jesus knows well enough everything that is
happening to us. And if need be, he will rebuke wind and sea, and a
great calm will be established, and his peace will flood into us. And
we too will be filled with awe like the apostles.

Human life is far from being a voyage on calm sea. In the storm of
existence, we are sometimes violently tossed to and fro. The waves of
discouragement assail us, the horizon is blocked; we fear we will sink
beyond rescue. Two temptations could then offer themselves: to
conclude that such an inhuman world is absurd and that the only
adequate response is to harden oneself or to escape from reality into
the make-believe world of fun and fancy. In this episode, Jesus
proposes an alternative: to trust him in the midst of any storm.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Conchita
- Francis Torres
- Mylene Lingad
- Shiappee
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Lisa
- Sr. Mary Perpetua, Larry Brown, Alex Smith, Josephine, Doug, Eva
Winslow, Charisma, Ron, Betty Jean Wood, Gabriela Garber, Sharon Coe,
Maureen McInerney, Adolfo Serrano, Nestle Joy Escaro, Nicky, Tatiana,
Susan, Spence
- Ester Marcelo
… for the special intentions: San Juan de Dios Hospital
… for the personal intentions of Veronica Yap
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Salud Calupitan
- Jose Francisco Figueroa, Barbara Leinonen, Monica Jackson, Edmund
and Esther Hickey, Waymon Tisdale, Chuck Daly, Greg Page, Mary McAtee
Carmen, Saizan, Dan Grosso and Marguerite Pearson
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: Bishop Luis Antonio "Chito" Tagle, D.D.
- Birthday: Rev. Fr. Luis Candelaria
- Birthday: Florante P. Reyes
- Thanksgiving: Luisa L. Quintana - Good Health
- Wedding Anniversary: Bernard & Tammy Ngo
- In Memoriam (+): Venancio T. Chan
- In Memoriam (+): Jaime L. Cardinal Sin
… 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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