DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 6, 2009
FRIDAY 1ST WEEK OF LENT – YEAR I

EZEKIEL 18:21-28
Thus says the Lord GOD: If the wicked man turns away from all the sins
he committed, if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and
just, he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of the crimes he
committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of
the virtue he has practiced. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the
death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. Do I not rather rejoice when
he turns from his evil way that he may live? And if the virtuous man
turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable
things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None
of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith
and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. You say, "The LORD's
way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is
unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous
turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of
the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if the wicked, turning
from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he
shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins
that he committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

MATTHEW 5:20-26
Jesus said to his disciples: "I tell you, unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into
the Kingdom of heaven. "You have heard that it was said to your
ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to
judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be
liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be
answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, `You fool,' will be
liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the
altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you,
leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with
your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your
opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent
will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to
the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you
will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

REFLECTION
Perhaps we are just enjoying a quiet drive in our car when suddenly
someone cuts us off. We are happily going about our business until an
unreasonable individual out of nowhere decides to give us a tongue-
lashing. Just when we thought we'd be enjoying a nice day, there's
someone who comes along who seems to be having a bad one. When blind
rage consumes us, everyone becomes our enemy. People who cross our
path should be extremely wary because we literally are on the warpath.

Perhaps that's how it is for some of us, when we allow unrelenting
anger to overcome us. The Marvel comic book character, the Incredible
Hulk, typically represents this intense stirring within the psyche
when madness becomes a driving force. Anger and negative emotions
becomes a euphoric feeling of unstoppable ultimate power.
Unfortunately, the destruction that it inevitably leaves behind,
sometimes take a long time to heal.

It's no surprise then that Jesus encourages us to refrain from letting
anger and negative feelings overrun our emotions. More good can be
derived from clear thinking than by negativity. If we are unashamedly
thrashing about, hurling objects here and there, will this unnecessary
stress lead to a peaceful solution?

We must be reminded that before we dispose of our emotions, let the
gentle side take control. Let us pray with the grace of God that our
emotions never get the best of us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and strength of:
- Vijay K.
- Sister Teresa Mabasa, DC
- Marlyn Tadeo
… for the personal intentions of
- Mary Wong
- Dapo family
- Veronica Yap
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Felix Saw
- Birthday: Britney Heather L
… 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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