DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 10, 2010
FEAST, BAPTISM OF THE LORD – YEAR C

ISAIAH 42:1-4, 6-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul
delights. I have sent my spirit upon him, he will bring fair judgement
to the nations. He does not cry out or raise his voice, his voice is
not heard in the street; he does not break the crushed reed or snuff
the faltering wick. Faithfully he presents fair judgement; he will not
grow faint, he will not be crushed until he has established fair
judgement on earth, and the coasts and islands are waiting for his
instruction. I, Yahweh, have called you in saving justice, I have
grasped you by the hand and shaped you; I have made you a covenant of
the people and light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to
free captives from prison, and those who live in darkness from the
dungeon.

ACTS 10:34-38
Then Peter addressed them, 'I now really understand', he said, 'that
God has no favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears
him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 'God sent his word to
the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace
was brought by Jesus Christ -- he is the Lord of all. You know what
happened all over Judaea, how Jesus of Nazareth began in Galilee,
after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the
Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went
about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the
devil.

LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22
A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning
to wonder whether John might be the Christ, so John declared before
them all, 'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, who is
more powerful than me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his
sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Now it
happened that when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus
after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit
descended on him in a physical form, like a dove. And a voice came
from heaven, 'You are my Son; today have I fathered you.'

REFLECTION
"This is my Son in whom I am well pleased" was a consoling message
that Jesus received as he was about to begin his mission to proclaim
the love and mercy of his Father. We know from experience how
encouraging and helpful it is to our self-esteem and confidence when
we are given the blessings of those whom we are accountable. We are
inspired really to give our best self because of our desire not to
disappoint the trust given to us.

In the light of the Feast of the Baptism that we celebrate, what have
we done to continue the mission begun by Jesus? Or have we remained
nominal Catholics contented to fulfill our Christian obligations like
going to Sunday mass. Or have we expended more efforts to serve as
witnesses to Jesus. We have to remember that by our baptism though the
Holy Spirit, we have been blessed with new life from Christ in that we
are called children of God. That privilege of becoming brothers and
sisters of Jesus clearly imply that we become members of the Christian
community, the Church, established by Jesus. For this to continue to
sustain and grow, we are tasked to do our share in proclaiming the
love and mercy of Jesus when he sent his apostles prior to his
ascension with this message: "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded
you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

And we know until now, there are so many people who still do not know
Jesus. And for those who have been introduced to Jesus, there seems no
great fervor. The challenges then remain. It will not be an easy
mission but we can hopefully be consoled by the words of the Father to
Jesus: "These are my children in whom I am well pleased." After all,
it is Jesus' project. He just wants us to do our share and we shall
leave the rest to him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Gemma
- Davis Danao
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
- Ely Lara
- Rita Cuerva
- Abraham
- Flora
… for the personal intentions of:
- Josheil Dapo
- Mariano Montemayor
- Mary Wong
- Pauline
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Lee Lian Tao. Eternal rest
grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them. May they and
all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Sheree Rose N. Sumabat
- Birthday: Marco J. Del Carmen
… 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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