DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 15, 2009
TUESDAY 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

ZEPHANIAH 3:1-2, 9-13
Thus says the LORD: Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted, to the
tyrannical city! She hears no voice, accepts no correction; In the
LORD she has not trusted, to her God she has not drawn near. For then
I will change and purify the lips of the peoples, That they all may
call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one accord; From
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia and as far as the recesses of the North,
they shall bring me offerings. On that day You need not be ashamed of
all your deeds, your rebellious actions against me; For then will I
remove from your midst the proud braggarts, And you shall no longer
exalt yourself on my holy mountain. But I will leave as a remnant in
your midst a people humble and lowly, Who shall take refuge in the
name of the LORD: the remnant of Israel. They shall do no wrong and
speak no lies; Nor shall there be found in their mouths a deceitful
tongue; They shall pasture and couch their flocks with none to disturb
them.

MATTHEW 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "What is
your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, `Son,
go out and work in the vineyard today.' The son said in reply, `I will
not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the
other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, `Yes, sir,' but
did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered,
"The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors
and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God before you. When John
came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but
tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you
did not later change your minds and believe him."

REFLECTION
What is common in tax collectors and prostitutes is that their sin is
quite public in nature. Others know it and they know it. It is quite
obvious. This can work in their favor in the sense that they easily
identify themselves as sinners. Therefore, they have a better chance
of conversion.

The most difficult part of conversion is to admit that we have sins.
More often than not, we always say that: "well, I am a sinner, but not
as sinful as my neighbor, or my competitor or my enemy". There are
those who think that we are on the road to holiness, but in the end
never even attempt to walk a single step in this journey due to
complicity, overconfidence and pride. Many times, we don't think that
we have committed very grave sins. We run the risk of becoming a
complete first-class Pharisee and moralist, judging everyone from our
high throne. Therefore, let us be cautious; let us learn holiness by
looking and examining ourselves regularly so that we can enter
conversion.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Rodolfo Bernal
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Ian Travis Ylaya
- Sis. Dang Corpin
- Nedda Marjorie Correa
… for the personal intentions of
- Fred and Nel de Leon and family
- Paul and Amalyn Regalado
- Raymund, Cris and Parke
.. 28th Wedding Anniversary: Raymund and Cris Davis
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Dominga Marasigan
- Fely de Guzman Tarampi
- Raul and Epifania Ylaya
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for the victims of natural disasters
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Celia Chua Jao
- Birthday: Arnold P. Paragsa
- Wedding Anniversary: Jaime & Ines Victorio
- In Memoriam (+): Yee Wei Koon
… 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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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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