DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 22, 2009
SUNDAY 7TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – B

ISAIAH 43:18-19, 21-22, 24B-25
Thus says the LORD: Remember not the events of the past, the things of
long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! Now it springs
forth, do you not perceive it? In the desert I make a way, in the
wasteland, rivers. The people I formed for myself, that they might
announce my praise. Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob, for you
grew weary of me, O Israel. You burdened me with your sins, and
wearied me with your crimes. It is I, I, who wipe out, for my own
sake, your offenses; your sins I remember no more.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:18-22
Brothers and sisters: As God is faithful, our word to you is not "yes"
and "no." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you
by us, Silvanus and Timothy and me, was not "yes" and "no," but "yes"
has been in him. For however many are the promises of God, their Yes
is in him; therefore, the Amen from us also goes through him to God
for glory. But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and
who anointed us is God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the
Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

MARK 2:1-12
When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that
he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer
room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to
them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof
above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on
which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to
the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the
scribes were sitting there asking themselves, "Why does this man speak
that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?"
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to
themselves, so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your
hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are
forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk?' But that you
may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"
--he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and
go home." He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the
sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying,
"We have never seen anything like this."

REFLECTION
This Sunday's Gospel is familiar to all of us. One insight that we can
infer from this story of the paralytic is that of initiative. The
friends decided to try to bring the paralytic to see Jesus. With so
many people gathering around Jesus, the friends of the sick man could
have just have made excuses. However, what transpired is that they
took the initiative in bringing their sick companion to Jesus. They
even removed the roof, in order to get their friend to Jesus. They
knew; they believed in faith that bringing their friend to Jesus would
change his life.

Jesus saw the selflessness of these friends. Because of their faith
and initiative, their bold and insistent conviction that Jesus can
help their paralyzed friend, Jesus forgives the paralytic his sins.

God always takes the initiative. God sent Moses to liberate his
suffering people from the power of the Egyptians. From then on, God
sent prophets and kings to remind them of their covenant in which we
always fell short. Then, in an act of greatest love, God did not spare
his only Son, Jesus to save us from eternal damnation. And, in his
life, Jesus always took the initiative both in his teaching and
actions. He always reminded people that he came to serve and not to be
served. He went to various places to accomplish the mission of
salvation even though people tried to keep him in their company. He
broke tradition in that he was not ashamed to mingle with the
so-called outcasts of society that included tax collectors, lepers,
and prostitutes, among others.

It is true in life that we admire people who always take the
initiative in one's responsibilities. They do not have to be
constantly reminded to fulfill their duties well. They even give what
is more than necessary. And perhaps the only reason for their
initiative is that it stems from love. The love of people; the love of
their work.

This is what St. Ignatius called MAGIS. It is a virtue in us where we
are not contented with mediocrity. Rather, we give more than what is
expected from us. We are able to do something ordinary extraordinary.
And so, Jesuits and the people they educate and work with are oriented
toward the mot to "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam" (For the Greater Glory of
God).

We live in very trying times. Yet, amid such evil and disheartening
events, there remains a lot of goodwill among us who try, perhaps in
very inconspicuous ways, to try to address these problems in life. We
go out of our way to bring peace to people and help them reconcile
again.

If we want things to be better, we just have to continue to initiate
actions. Otherwise, we will be paralyzed and thus, our Christian
witness toward helping and loving others will be lacking in dynamism
and conviction. These initiatives do not have to be limited to
personal concerns. We can probably help the government by
complementing their programs in order to alleviate the worsening
condition of the majority of our fellow citizens. Whether through the
creation of new jobs, sharing our resources, and others, we may make
life more bearable and human.

We pray today for the grace of initiative. We begin with ourselves by
trying to be better Christians in our struggle against vices or
anything that attaches us more to other things than God. A healthy
self-esteem then would hopefully lead to a deeper concern for others
as well as for our country. We believe that any act of kindness is
contributory toward the realization of the salvation that Jesus tried
very hard to impart to us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and strength of:
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Christy Chin
… In Thanksgiving: for passing Nursing Licensure Exam: Hana Marie G.
Marasigan
… In Memoriam: Perfecto P. Domingo (Feb 18)
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Manuel Go. Eternal rest grant
unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he and all the
dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Erlinda Velasco
- Birthday: Che B. Conception
- Birthday: Marie Ramos
- In Memoriam (+): Peggy Co
… 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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