DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 19, 2009
SATURDAY 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

JUDGES 13:2-7, 24-25
There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites, whose
name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An
angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "Though you
are barren and have had no children, yet you will conceive and bear a
son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drink and to eat
nothing unclean. As for the son you will conceive and bear, no razor
shall touch his head, for this boy is to be consecrated to God from
the womb. It is he who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the
power of the Philistines." The woman went and told her husband, "A man
of God came to me; he had the appearance of an angel of God, terrible
indeed. I did not ask him where he came from, nor did he tell me his
name. But he said to me, `You will be with child and will bear a son.
So take neither wine nor strong drink, and eat nothing unclean. For
the boy shall be consecrated to God from the womb, until the day of
his death.'" The woman bore a son and named him Samson. The boy grew
up and the Lord blessed him; the Spirit of the Lord stirred him.

LUKE 1:5-25
In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named
Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in
the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord blamelessly. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years. Once when he was serving as priest in
his division's turn before God, according to the practice of the
priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the
Lord to burn incense. Then, when the whole assembly of the people was
praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, the angel of the
Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. But the
angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer
has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall
name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will
rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.
He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with
the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of
the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will go before him in
the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward
children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to
prepare a people fit for the Lord." Then Zechariah said to the angel,
"How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced
in years." And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who
stands before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you
this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk
until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my
words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time." Meanwhile the
people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so
long in the sanctuary. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to
them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He
was gesturing to them but remained mute. Then, when his days of
ministry were completed, he went home. After this time his wife
Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months,
saying, "So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to
take away my disgrace before others."

REFLECTION
Perhaps we shouldn't think too harshly of Zechariah for wondering how
God will use a humble person like him. Mary also asked the same
question to angel Gabriel during the Annunciation. Time and time again
in the history of Israel, God had acted in the midst of everyday human
life. Time and time again the people had at first failed to recognize
His presence and believe in His words. So Zachariah encounters his
vision in the course of carrying out, in a faithful way, his ordinary
tasks. That he is slow to believe is easy to understand. When God
breaks through into our ordinary, everyday lives, it can be hard to
believe that it is happening. Let us ask Him to help us to believe
that e is present and active in the world today.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Abraham
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
… for the personal intentions of Raymund, Cris and Parke
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Antonio S. Co. 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: Thomas Eberlein
- Birthday: Fr. Jose Cecilio J. Magadia, S.J.
- Wedding Anniversary: Arvin & Melanie Lim
- In Memoriam (+): Vicente Sy Chua+
… 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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