DAILY- HOMILY

NOVEMBER 17, 2009
MEMORIAL, ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, RELIGIOUS
TUESDAY 33RD WEEK ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

2 MACCABEES 6:18-31
Eleazar, one of the foremost scribes, a man of advanced age and noble
appearance, was being forced to open his mouth to eat pork. But
preferring a glorious death to a life of defilement, he spat out the
meat, and went forward of his own accord to the instrument of torture,
as people ought to do who have the courage to reject the food which it
is unlawful to taste even for love of life. Those in charge of that
unlawful ritual meal took the man aside privately, because of their
long acquaintance with him, and urged him to bring meat of his own
providing, such as he could legitimately eat, and to pretend to be
eating some of the meat of the sacrifice prescribed by the king; in
this way he would escape the death penalty, and be treated kindly
because of their old friendship with him. But Eleazar made up his mind
in a noble manner, worthy of his years, the dignity of his advanced
age, the merited distinction of his gray hair, and of the admirable
life he had lived from childhood; and so he declared that above all he
would be loyal to the holy laws given by God. He told them to send him
at once to the abode of the dead, explaining: "At our age it would be
unbecoming to make such a pretense; many young people would think the
ninety-year-old Eleazar had gone over to an alien religion. Should I
thus pretend for the sake of a brief moment of life, they would be led
astray by me, while I would bring shame and dishonor on my old age.
Even if, for the time being, I avoid the punishment of men, I shall
never, whether alive or dead, escape the hands of the Almighty.
Therefore, by manfully giving up my life now, I will prove myself
worthy of my old age, and I will leave to the young a noble example of
how to die willingly and generously for the revered and holy laws."
Eleazar spoke thus, and went immediately to the instrument of torture.
Those who shortly before had been kindly disposed, now became hostile
toward him because what he had said seemed to them utter madness. When
he was about to die under the blows, he groaned and said: "The Lord in
his holy knowledge knows full well that, although I could have escaped
death, I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body from this
scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my
devotion to him." This is how he died, leaving in his death a model of
courage and an unforgettable example of virtue not only for the young
but for the whole nation.

LUKE 19:1-10
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the
town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector
and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could
not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he
ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was
about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and
said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your
house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they
saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the
house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
"Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and
if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times
over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house
because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man
has come to seek and to save what was lost."

REFLECTION
Zaccheus was a rich and dishonest tax collector. He was visited by
Christ and the encounter caused a radical change. Zaccheus experienced
the mercy and forgiveness of Christ.

God calls us to enter into communion with Him. The call is for
everybody to witness His glory and to humble ourselves before Him. We
are invited to walk towards God, to clean our hearts as we fix our
eyes on Him. To respond to the call requires an awareness of our sins,
defects and weaknesses, such that we meet God when He grants His mercy
for us sinners.

Conversion brings about in us an experience similar to Zaccheus, from
a repentant attitude, to a change in heart, and a change in how we
conduct ourselves with others. Salvation comes to our house when we
welcome Jesus Christ.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Eriberta Calvario
- Heidi Faraon
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Anastacio Manago
- Brenda Domingo-Solis
… for the personal intentions of
- Romuel Zamoranos
- Mary Deanne and family
- Valerie A
- Mark and Mycel
… Thanksgiving: Danica and family
… for the victims of natural disasters
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Atty. Ananias G. Bagabaldo
- Birthday: Josephine W. Yao
… 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!

**************************************************
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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