DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 21, 2009
MEMORIAL, PETER CANISIUS, PRIEST, DOCTOR
MONDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

SONG OF SONGS 2:8-14
Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains,
bounding over the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my
darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season
of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig
tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their
fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."
My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the
mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your
voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.

ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice
with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away
your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of
Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day
they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your
hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he
will rejoice over you with singing." "The sorrows for the appointed
feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to
you.

LUKE 1:39-45
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country
of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and
Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she
exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you
will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the
baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that
what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

REFLECTION
The events from today's readings confirm Mary's belief in the
greatness of God. While it was Mary who went to Elizabeth, it was
Elizabeth, who filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized the presence of
the Lord in Mary's womb. Elizabeth called Mary "the mother of my
Lord." It was Elizabeth who recognized the belief and trust that Mary
had, that the Lord's words would indeed be fulfilled. Such things
could be accomplished in both of these ordinary women because they
trusted and believed that God was with them. The Holy Spirit to whom
they responded is the same Spirit that each one of us received in
Baptism and Confirmation. We, too, are filled with the Holy Spirit
just as they were. We only need to listen to the call of the Spirit
and say "yes". We need to strive to reach the level of belief and
trust which Mary and Elizabeth had.

The tone of today's readings is beautiful, hopeful and joyous. The
Psalm reminds us that we can and should believe the word of God
because His plan stands forever and the Lord is our help and our
shield. We can believe that God will always give us His love and
forgiveness. When we apply God's promises to our own lives, we, like
Mary and Elizabeth, will know the excitement and serenity that come
from having complete faith in our God.

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 Josheil Dapo
…In Thanksgiving: Ian Travis Ylaya
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Antonio S. Co
- Raul and Epifania Ylaya
- Rodolfo Bernal
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: Cresencia V. Roleda
- Birthday: Maura F. Castillo
- Birthday: Tess Catindig
- Priestly Ordination: Bishop Ted Buhain, D.D.
- Thanksgiving: Elmer & Solie Suba & kids
- Wedding Anniversary: Philip & Nancy Young
- Wedding Anniversary: Jocelyn & Vic Ilog
… 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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