DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 19, 2009
MONDAY 2ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

HEBREWS 5:1-10
Brothers and sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and
made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices
for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make
sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this
honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In
the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high
priest, but rather the one who said to him: You are my Son: this day I
have begotten you; just as he says in another place, You are a priest
forever according to the order of Melchizedek. In the days when he was
in the Flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and
tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard
because of his reverence. Son though he was, he learned obedience from
what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source
of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

MARK 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected, "Why do the disciples of John and
the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?"
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom
is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they
cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away
from them, and then they will fast on that day. No one sews a piece of
unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours
new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured
into fresh wineskins."

REFLECTION
There is a great deal of bridal or wedding spirituality in the Old
Testament: that is, relating to God as to one's spouse. To take just
one example, in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, God says: "You shall
be called `My delight is in her. For the Lord delights in you. As a
bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over
you."

There are very good reasons why a Christian disciple might fast. But
they are just reasons. They are not a gloomy and miserly attitude that
can appear very religious while being nothing of the sort. A reason
may be valid for a particular occasion or a particular time. But the
same reason may be unreasonable for another occasion and time. Joy is
the chief characteristic of a Christian, joy even in tribulation. Joy
is one of the first fruits of the Spirit.

In today's Gospel, Jesus is referring to such passages when he
replied, "How can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with
them?" While the spirit of joy is around, be filled with it. Then it
will stay around us a little longer. And when we have to move into
sadness there will still be some effect, some coloring of that joy in
us. Our sadness will not be miserable but quiet and deep. But if our
joy is measured and miserable, our sadness will be an even greater
misery. Our joy and our sorrow compensate each other.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Erika
… for the safety, enlightenment and wisdom of Mary Beth Valenteros
… for the good health of the Valenteros family
… for the personal intentions and guidance of Pauline
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Maria Uy. Eternal rest grant
unto her and may perpetual light shine upon her. May she and all the
dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Ellen A. Palma
- Birthday: Lorenzo Yao Bate
- Wedding Anniversary: Spiro & Jennifer L. Clemente
… 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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