DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 28, 2009
SATURDAY 4TH WEEK OF LENT – YEAR I

JEREMIAH 11:18-20
I knew their plot because the LORD informed me; at that time you, O
LORD, showed me their doings. Yet I, like a trusting lamb led to
slaughter, had not realized that they were hatching plots against me:
"Let us destroy the tree in its vigor; let us cut him off from the
land of the living, so that his name will be spoken no more." But,
you, O LORD of hosts, O just Judge, searcher of mind and heart, Let me
witness the vengeance you take on them, for to you I have entrusted my
cause!

JOHN 7:40-53
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, "This is truly
the Prophet." Others said, "This is the Christ." But others said, "The
Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say
that the Christ will be of David's family and come from Bethlehem, the
village where David lived?" So a division occurred in the crowd
because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one
laid hands on him. So the guards went to the chief priests and
Pharisees, who asked them, "Why did you not bring him?" The guards
answered, "Never before has anyone spoken like this man." So the
Pharisees answered them, "Have you also been deceived? Have any of the
authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which
does not know the law, is accursed." Nicodemus, one of their members
who had come to him earlier, said to them, "Does our law condemn a man
before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?" They
answered and said to him, "You are not from Galilee also, are you?
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee." Then each went to
his own house.

REFLECTION
What good thoughts can we reflect on from the readings today? First,
we need to persevere in faith, even in the most difficult of times. We
may not be threatened with our lives like Jeremiah, or put to death
like Jesus, but people may look down on us because we choose to live
according to our Catholic faith. Second, we must proclaim that Jesus
is Lord not just in our prayers, but in our actions as well. We are
challenged every day to be faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is a challenge that can only be met by prayer and our
determination to rely on Jesus.

Let us look up to God to hear our prayer and protect us each day of
our lives from those who would cause us harm. As was the case back
then, Jesus today has his followers, and he has his detractors. That
means that we have to make a personal choice. And that's good. People
who simply go along for the sake of the crowd can just as easily be
turned in the other direction, for the sake of the crowd. Palm Sunday
will provide us with ample reminder of that. On Palm Sunday, as Jesus
entered Jerusalem, the people welcomed him with shouts of joy. Five
days later, many of these same people cried out: "Crucify him, crucify
him."

When we find ourselves in a situation where we are holding back for
fear of a negative reaction, let us lift up our hearts to the Lord and
ask him for the courage to do or say what will be most pleasing to
him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and strength of:
- Coach Boy Afable
- Christy Chin
- Lisa
- Annette
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Ester Marcelo
… for the safety of Johnson Cuiting
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Elena Acero. 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: Julie Torres
- Birthday: Conie Taylor
- In Memoriam (+): Elnora L. Yu
- In Memoriam (+): Chua Ang Sing
… for world peace and reconciliation.

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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