DAILY- HOMILY

OCTOBER 11, 2009
28TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

WISDOM 7:7-11
I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the spirit of
wisdom came to me. I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed
riches nothing in comparison with her, nor did I liken any priceless
gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand, and
before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and
comeliness I loved her, and I chose to have her rather than the light,
because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things
together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her
hands.

HEBREWS 4:12-13
Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living and effective,
sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and
spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and
thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but
everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must
render an account.

MARK 10:17-30
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before
him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal
life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good
but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you
shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear
false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your
mother." He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have
observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to
him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give
to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow
me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had
many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How
hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The
disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in
reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is
easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one
who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." They were exceedingly
astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus
looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not
for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him,
"We have given up everything and followed you." Jesus said, "Amen, I
say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or
sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for
the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now
in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and
children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to
come."

REFLECTION
Today's reading is a challenge to complacency. We are in that part of
Mark's Gospel where Jesus is unfolding to his disciples his vision,
his Way. Significantly, we are told at the beginning that Jesus was
"setting out on a journey", literally, that he was setting out on the
road or the Way. That Way is leading to Jerusalem, to his suffering,
death, and resurrection and is a way which his followers are expected
to follow. Jesus himself is the Way and to be with him is to be on the
Way to life.

Moreover, the challenge lies in how we are able to handle our
attachments like wealth. We live in a society that underscores and
measures success in terms of economic growth and security. The danger
begins when we start to focus on ourselves and our values on power,
profit, and property. If we are what we are devoted to, our real
identity is revealed by what we worship. We can then become devoted
patrons of consumerism powered by desires that will never be
satisfied.

Today then becomes opportune in that we can pause and reflect about
this matter and look into ourselves critically in the light of the
values espoused by Jesus. If who we are is based on our possessions,
what happens to our identity when our possessions are taken away from
us? We fear that if we have nothing, we are nothing. Like the rich
man, attachments to possessions can result into our being dominated by
such things. We, then, become less free in accepting the invitation of
Jesus. Attachment to material goods or power, reputation can take away
our freedom to choose.

Jesus thus offers us inner freedom. Our identity is thus not dependent
on what we have. His disciples are recognized and identified by their
relationships with him and others. To be detached from possession
liberates the disciple to pay attention to others. The disciple then
gains more in terms of brothers and sisters.

We earnestly beg for enlightenment about our attitude with our
possessions. What stands between us and God? What serves as stumbling
blocks to relate more with God and God's people? Like Solomon, we pray
for wisdom to discern well and live it out.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Veronica de Castro
- Francis Torres
- Shiappee
- Richy Ozoa
- Mon Torres
- Brenda Domingo-Solis
- Lisa
… for the personal intentions of Pauline
… Thanksgiving: Elizabeth Castro-Gosioco
… for the victims of natural disasters
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Mrs. Inday Tan
- Ester Marcelo
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: Kristine L. Yu
- Birthday: Angela Gaw
- In Memoriam (+): Santiago Gotao
… 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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Parish Priests' e-mail:
Fr. J. Cesar R. Marin, S. J. parishpriest@marythequeen.org

Assistant Parish Priests' e-mails:
Fr. R. Hart, S. J. rodneyhart@marythequeen.org
Fr. Thomas O'Gorman, S. J. thogorman@marythequeen.org
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