DAILY- HOMILY

February 23, 2009
Memorial, St Polycarp, bishop
Monday 7th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

SIRACH 1:1-10
All wisdom comes from the Lord and with him it remains forever, and is
before all time The sand of the seashore, the drops of rain, the days
of eternity: who can number these? Heaven's height, earth's breadth,
the depths of the abyss: who can explore these? Before all things else
wisdom was created; and prudent understanding, from eternity. The word
of God on high is the fountain of wisdom and her ways are everlasting.
To whom has wisdom's root been revealed? Who knows her subtleties? To
whom has the discipline of wisdom been revealed? And who has
understood the multiplicity of her ways ? There is but one, wise and
truly awe-inspiring, seated upon his throne: There is but one, Most
High all-powerful creator-king and truly awe-inspiring one, seated
upon his throne and he is the God of dominion. It is the Lord; he
created her through the Holy Spirit, has seen her and taken note of
her. He has poured her forth upon all his works, upon every living
thing according to his bounty; he has lavished her upon his friends.

MARK 9:14-29
As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and
approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and
scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd
was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them,
"What are you arguing about with them?" Someone from the crowd
answered him, "Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a
mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at
the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples
to drive it out, but they were unable to do so." He said to them in
reply, "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long
will I endure you? Bring him to me." They brought the boy to him. And
when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into
convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and
foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, "How long has this
been happening to him?" He replied, "Since childhood. It has often
thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do
anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said to him, "'If
you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith." Then the boy's
father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" Jesus, on seeing a
crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
"Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter
him again!" Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came
out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!"
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he
entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we
not drive the spirit out?" He said to them, "This kind can only come
out through prayer."

REFLECTION
What Jesus requires of us is faith. Faith is what he asks of the
people around him. His great suffering is to be surrounded by people
who do not believe, when he knows how many marvels faith could work
out for them. The boy's father guesses this and, on the prompting of
Jesus, makes an admirable profession of faith.

The power of faith is equal to the power of prayer. The apostles
themselves, as human beings, are radically unable to do a divine work.
Their power comes from God, and in prayer they should realize this
power. This miracle has a Pascal tone: death and resurrection. The
ultimate and unavoidable calamity we confront can be overcome only by
God.

Let us pray regularly, daily, that we shall have the faith and the
consequent power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the evils around us.
We can all be healers to one degree or another, but only if we are men
and women of prayer and penance.

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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BELT OF TRUTH
By Marion Smith
Feb 22 2009

Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm, with the buckle of truth buckled around
your waist

Today I had the misfortune to put on a belt that was too tight .Ouch!
That is a terrible feeling! I had towear the belt, because it went
with the outfit… so suffer through it I did! I let it out to the last
notch, and it was tolerable as long as I stood up. If I sat down,
however, something happened and it almost took my breath away. Boy,
was that ever uncomfortable. One part of the Armor of God is the belt
of truth. Have you ever compromised it?? For instance- you're ready to
have a day filled with truth and good news and then -- something
happens. Perhaps a friend asks you a question and the truthful answer
would hurt her. You may reason… a little slanting of this one answer
won't hurt, Lord, will it?

Or, a situation may arise when telling the truth puts you in an
awkward position. What do you do?Perhaps your child asks you a
question about the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus or the tooth fairy. How
can you answer these questions without compromising your promise to
God about
not lying? Each time you fudge a little or slant the exactness, your
belt of truth gets a little tighter. You feel uneasy in your spirit,
and know you have not spoken accurately. Telling one white lie and
then another builds a foundation for lies to roll off your tongue more
easily each time. It is not a good habit to succumb to.

I do not have the answer about how you should speak to your friends in
truth, or discuss delicate issues with your children. I do know,
however, that God calls us to speak the truth, and we are to do so
each and every day. That is why He told us about this "belt of truth"
that we should wear every day- it is part of His armor to combat
Satan. I know I need this piece of Holy armor, and pray I will never
stretch or bend the truth in such a manner that it cuts of my breath,
the way my belt did on my outfit today. Consider this....if you put on
the belt of truth each day, would it be very long before you felt a
"real pinching" from the words you have spoken? Half-truths fall off
our tongue way too easily- at least for me. We must be on guard about
this subject. Don't you agree?

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