Wednesday, November 25, 2009
THURSDAY 34TH WEEK ORDINARY TIME
MEMORIAL, JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS
THURSDAY 34TH WEEK ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I
DANIEL 6:12-28
Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel's home and found him
praying and pleading before his God. Then they went to remind the king
about the prohibition: "Did you not decree, O king, that no one is to
address a petition to god or man for thirty days, except to you, O
king; otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?" The king
answered them, "The decree is absolute, irrevocable under the Mede and
Persian law." To this they replied, "Daniel, the Jewish exile, has
paid no attention to you, O king, or to the decree you issued; three
times a day he offers his prayer." The king was deeply grieved at this
news and he made up his mind to save Daniel; he worked till sunset to
rescue him. But these men insisted. They said, "Keep in mind, O king,
that under the Mede and Persian law every royal prohibition or decree
is irrevocable." So the king ordered Daniel to be brought and cast
into the lions' den. To Daniel he said, "May your God, whom you serve
so constantly, save you." To forestall any tampering, the king sealed
with his own ring and the rings of the lords the stone that had been
brought to block the opening of the den. Then the king returned to his
palace for the night; he refused to eat and he dismissed the
entertainers. Since sleep was impossible for him, the king rose very
early the next morning and hastened to the lions' den. As he drew
near, he cried out to Daniel sorrowfully, "O Daniel, servant of the
living God, has the God whom you serve so constantly been able to save
you from the lions?" Daniel answered the king: "O king, live forever!
My God has sent his angel and closed the lions' mouths so that they
have not hurt me. For I have been found innocent before him; neither
to you have I done any harm, O king!" This gave the king great joy. At
his order Daniel was removed from the den, unhurt because he trusted
in his God. The king then ordered the men who had accused Daniel,
along with their children and their wives, to be cast into the lions'
den. Before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered
them and crushed all their bones. Then King Darius wrote to the
nations and peoples of every language, wherever they dwell on the
earth: "All peace to you! I decree that throughout my royal domain the
God of Daniel is to be reverenced and feared: "For he is the living
God, enduring forever; his Kingdom shall not be destroyed, and his
dominion shall be without end. He is a deliverer and savior, working
signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, and he delivered Daniel from
the lions' power."
LUKE 21:20-28
Jesus said to his disciples: "When you see Jerusalem surrounded by
armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must
flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and
let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are
the time of punishment when all the Scriptures are fulfilled. Woe to
pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible
calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this
people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as
captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot
by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. "There
will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth
nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the
waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming
upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then
they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great
glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise
your heads because your redemption is at hand."
REFLECTION
Our salvation is not from the earth. It is not the product of human
effort. Our salvation is from above, from Jesus Christ. So we should
raise our hearts to heaven, the source of our salvation. Jesus will
return. So as Christians, we should be a people of hope. Because Jesus
has promised to return and bring us to be with him in his Father's
house, there is no need to fear the future.
Let us ask Jesus today to forgive us for the times that we worry too
much and get preoccupied with the passing things of this world. Let us
ask him to increase our faith in him and to help us to see his work in
our lives. Let us also ask him to increase our hope that we might not
get discouraged as we see our faults and lack of progress.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Aivy Marielle
- Dolores Tong
- Eriberta Calvario
- Brenda Domingo-Solis
… for the personal intentions of
- Alvin
- Lawrence
- Mary Wong
… for the victims of natural disasters
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Flynn A. Saw
- Birthday: Vicky C. Sy
- Birthday: Aby Paras
- In Memoriam (+): Vigilio L. Luengo Jr.
- In Memoriam (+): Chan Tat Min
- In Memoriam (+): Marianela Cudala Bengzon
… 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
**************************************************
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Group Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
Join our group on Facebook | FoodForThought and post your views,
comments and feedbacks on the reflection. Click below:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=142903436398
© 2009 Daily-Homily