DAILY- HOMILY

APRIL 13, 2009
MEMORIAL, MARTIN I, POPE AND MARTYR
MONDAY OF EASTER OCTAVE – YEAR I

ACTS 2:14, 22-33
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his
voice, and proclaimed: "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in
Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. "You who
are children of Israel, hear these words. Jesus the Nazorean was a man
commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which
God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know. This
man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you
killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up,
releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for
him to be held by it. For David says of him: I saw the Lord ever
before me, with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh,
too, will dwell in hope, because you will not abandon my soul to the
nether world, nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You
have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in
your presence. My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the
patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our
midst to this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had
sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his
throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that
neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh see
corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God, he poured forth the promise of the
Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and
hear."

MATTHEW 28:8-15
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They
approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to
them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and
there they will see me." While they were going, some of the guard went
into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. The
chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they
gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You are to
say, `His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.'
And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy him and
keep you out of trouble." The soldiers took the money and did as they
were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the
present day.

REFLECTION
The reaction of the two Marys to Jesus appearing before them expresses
the deepest attitudes of human beings before him who is our Creator
and Redeemer. The Gospel says that they embraced Jesus' feet, which is
an act of submission and worship. Jesus tells these women not to be
afraid. Are we afraid of Jesus? We should never be as he is the love
of loves. Are we afraid of losing him? We should all have this just
fear because we are well aware of our feebleness.

Jesus sends the women to his disciples so that they too can see him.
This is also our task, and our mission, since the day of our baptism:
to proclaim Jesus so that everybody may find Jesus, so that Jesus may
join each one of us on our journey through life, with the power of the
truth contained in the mystery of Incarnation and Redemption, with the
power of the love that he radiates. In a culture that did not accept
the testimony of women as valid, the four Gospels did not hesitate to
make Mary Magdalene the first testimony of the resurrection of Jesus.
The chief priests and the authorities also had a `first'. They were
the first to give an explanation of the empty tomb.

The greatest miracle of all was the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The
proof was there but some refused to believe. The chief priests were
Sadducees and did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. They
could not admit the possibility of it. The soldiers did not see the
resurrection, although they certainly saw the evidence. But the chief
priests bribed them, and they went along with the denial. How awful
that minds are so closed that they will do anything rather than admit
they are wrong. Faith is a gift. But we must prepare ourselves to
receive the gift by being open to the truth. Let us always strive to
seek the truth and to follow it in love.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the healing and strength of:
- Sophia Gonzalez
- Ester Marcelo
- Lisa
- Christy Chin
… for the speedy recovery of Gaudencio
… for the safety of Johnson Cuiting
… for the personal intentions of Pauline
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Ramon K. Meneses. 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: JY Bautista
… 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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