DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 6, 2009
MEMORIAL, ST NORBERT, BISHOP
SATURDAY 9TH WEEK ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

TOBIT 12:1,5-15, 20
When the wedding celebration came to an end, Tobit called his son
Tobiah and said to him, "Son, see to it that you give what is due to
the man who made the journey with you; give him a bonus too." So
Tobiah called Raphael and said, "Take as your wages half of all that
you have brought back, and go in peace." Raphael called the two men
aside privately and said to them: "Thank God! Give him the praise and
the glory. Before all the living, acknowledge the many good things he
has done for you, by blessing and extolling his name in song. Before
all men, honor and proclaim God's deeds, and do not be slack in
praising him. A king's secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of
God are to be declared and made known. Praise them with due honor. Do
good, and evil will not find its way to you. Prayer and fasting are
good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by
righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance
with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for
almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who
regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life; but those habitually
guilty of sin are their own worst enemies. "I will now tell you the
whole truth; I will conceal nothing at all from you. I have already
said to you, 'A king's secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of
God are to be made known with due honor.' I can now tell you that when
you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented and read the
record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and I did the same
thing when you used to bury the dead. When you did not hesitate to get
up and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead, I was sent
to put you to the test. At the same time, however, God commissioned me
to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the
seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord." So now
get up from the ground and praise God. Behold, I am about to ascend to
him who sent me; write down all these things that have happened to
you."

MARK 12:38-44
In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who
like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the
marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at
banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite
lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat
down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into
the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also
came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his
disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor
widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For
they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her
poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel story, Jesus is pointing up the true emphasis on
giving, giving not the leftovers, but giving from the point of
sacrifice. True giving is measured according to what we have left. Why
was this giving of the poor widow so different, so unusual in Jesus'
mind? Because this widow gave from the heart. Her love of God knew no
bounds. She gave even though she couldn't afford it. She gave because
she was in love, in love with God; because she felt a deep commitment
to God; because this was one way she could respond to God's blessings
in her life.

Can we relate to the widow's sacrificial giving and trust in God to
provide the means for living? Where do we stand? Does all this seem so
foreign to us that it is like a story out of a fairy tale book? Or
have we experienced the joy of sacrificial giving the extreme
happiness of a deep love for God in which giving becomes a source of
joy and not a duty? Can we give and trust God completely to provide
without thinking of getting it back or having regrets that we even
gave? It is in complete surrender, it is in living sacrificially that
trust in God is answered by His caring hand. Not only does God care
for us through physical things, as food, shelter and warmth, He gives
us each other that together we build up our spirits and faith in Him.

Each of us should ask ourselves: Are we good examples for others? As
others look at our lives, can they draw encouragement for their own
faith? Can another see in us a love for Christ which allows us to
trust completely in His power so that we can live sacrificially? It
would be good to answer these questions in the privacy of our hearts.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the special intentions: San Juan de Dios Hospital
… for the physical and spiritual well-being of Rocel
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Hon. Isidro S. Rodriguez
- In Memoriam (+): Albert Dy, Sr.
… 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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