DAILY- HOMILY

NOVEMBER 23, 2009
MEMORIAL, CLEMENT I, POPE
MONDAY 34TH WEEK ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

DANIEL 1:1-6, 8-20
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, King
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came and laid siege to Jerusalem. The Lord
handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and some of the vessels
of the temple of God; he carried them off to the land of Shinar, and
placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god. The king told
Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain, to bring in some of the children of
Israel of royal blood and of the nobility, young men without any
defect, handsome, intelligent and wise, quick to learn, and prudent in
judgment, such as could take their place in the king's palace; they
were to be taught the language and literature of the Chaldeans; after
three years' training they were to enter the king's service. The king
allotted them a daily portion of food and wine from the royal table.
Among these were men of Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself with the king's food or
wine; so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.
Though God had given Daniel the favor and sympathy of the chief
chamberlain, he nevertheless said to Daniel, "I am afraid of my lord
the king; it is he who allotted your food and drink. If he sees that
you look wretched by comparison with the other young men of your age,
you will endanger my life with the king." Then Daniel said to the
steward whom the chief chamberlain had put in charge of Daniel,
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten
days. Give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then see how we
look in comparison with the other young men who eat from the royal
table, and treat your servants according to what you see." He acceded
to this request, and tested them for ten days; after ten days they
looked healthier and better fed than any of the young men who ate from
the royal table. So the steward continued to take away the food and
wine they were to receive, and gave them vegetables. To these four
young men God gave knowledge and proficiency in all literature and
science, and to Daniel the understanding of all visions and dreams. At
the end of the time the king had specified for their preparation, the
chief chamberlain brought them before Nebuchadnezzar. When the king
had spoken with all of them, none was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah; and so they entered the king's service. In any
question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found
them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his
kingdom.

LUKE 21:1-4
When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their
offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two
small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more
than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their
surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole
livelihood."

REFLECTION
Perhaps many of us give to charity from our surplus and think we are
making a sacrifice! Jesus is not asking us to give away our entire
livelihood. He is seeking a willing heart that gladly makes sacrifices
for the sake of his kingdom. He wants our trust. He wants us to rely
on his generosity and his ability to protect us from financial ruin
when we care enough to disregard the cost of helping others.

What happened to the widow in the Gospel story after she went home?
Did she starve? Is that what we are afraid will happen to us if we are
sacrificially generous? Do we believe that Jesus would praise those
who make huge acts of love and then crush them as if their good deeds
had been foolish?

Let us put our faith into action. Let us make sacrifices for the
charities that need our help. Let us give more than we normally would.
Instead of assuming that other people will donate enough to pay the
bills of churches and ministries, let us add to our donation an amount
that someone else should give but does not. This is a gift to Jesus,
since what we do to others, we certainly do to him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Eriberta Calvario
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Brenda Domingo-Solis
… for the personal intentions of
- Veronica
- Mary Deanne and family
- Pauline
… for the victims of natural disasters
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rene Mandapat
- Birthday: Myrna Navarrete
- Birthday: Roseanne (Pinky) Sy Narciso
- Birthday: Cherry Agbayani
- In Memoriam (+): Proceso P. Silangcruz
… 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!

**************************************************
Parish Priests' e-mail:
Fr. J. Cesar R. Marin, S. J. parishpriest@marythequeen.org

Assistant Parish Priests' e-mails:
Fr. R. Hart, S. J. rodneyhart@marythequeen.org
Fr. Thomas O'Gorman, S. J. thogorman@marythequeen.org
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