DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 2, 2009
MEMORIAL, MARCELLINUS AND PETER, MARTYRS
TUESDAY 9TH WEEK ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

TOBIT 2:9-14
That same night I bathed, and went to sleep next to the wall of my
courtyard. Because of the heat I left my face uncovered. I did not
know there were birds perched on the wall above me, till their warm
droppings settled in my eyes, causing cataracts. I went to see some
doctors for a cure, but the more they anointed my eyes with various
salves, the worse the cataracts became, until I could see no more. For
four years I was deprived of eyesight, and all my kinsmen were grieved
at my condition. Ahiqar, however, took care of me for two years, until
he left for Elymais. At that time my wife Anna worked for hire at
weaving cloth, the kind of work women do. When she sent back the goods
to their owners, they would pay her. Late in winter she finished the
cloth and sent it back to the owners. They paid her the full salary,
and also gave her a young goat for the table. On entering my house the
goat began to bleat. I called to my wife and said: "Where did this
goat come from? Perhaps it was stolen! Give it back to its owners; we
have no right to eat stolen food!" But she said to me, "It was given
to me as a bonus over and above my wages." Yet I would not believe
her, and told her to give it back to its owners. I became very angry
with her over this. So she retorted: "Where are your charitable deeds
now? Where are your virtuous acts? See! Your true character is finally
showing itself!"

MARK 12:13-17
Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch
him in his words. They came to him and said, "Teacher, we know you are
a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no
attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance
with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we
pay or shouldn't we?" But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. "Why are you
trying to trap me?" he asked. "Bring me a denarius and let me look at
it." They brought the coin, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is
this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then Jesus
said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is
God's." And they were amazed at him.

REFLECTION
"Knowing their hypocrisy …" These words jump out of the paragraph and
calls for our attention. What false virtue does Jesus Christ want to
unmask among the Pharisees?

Does this Gospel apply to a country laden with problems of corruption?
Are we justified in not paying our taxes since we believe that the
government is corrupt? What belongs to God and what belongs to Caesar?
Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar; and to God what belongs to
God. Perhaps, it is because our eyes and mind are clouded with selfish
intentions that we, like the Pharisee, would like to hear another way
of responding to paying taxes.

How can we give back to God what belongs to Him in the first place?
What did God give us that is more precious than gold — His only
begotten Son, through him we can have life eternal. We can give back
to God His generosity by being generous to others. To live a life in
gratitude knowing that nothing is ours and all is ours to share.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and speedy recovery of:
- Francis Torres
- Mylene Lingad
- Ester Marcelo
- Shiappee
- Christy Chin
- Conchita T.
… for the special intentions: San Juan de Dios Hospital
… for the good health and peace of the family of Richard V. Condor, MD
… for the physical and spiritual well-being of all prisoners and
inmates
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Sherwin Tan
- In Memoriam (+): David Gan Sr. (1911-2003)+
- In Memoriam (+): Carmen Cabrera Galvan
… 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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