DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 4, 2010
MEMORIAL, ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON
MONDAY AFTER EPIPHANY – YEAR II

1 JOHN 3:22--4:6
Whatever we ask we shall receive from him, because we keep his
commandments and do what is acceptable to him. His commandment is
this, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and
that we should love one another as he commanded us. Whoever keeps his
commandments remains in God, and God in him. And this is the proof
that he remains in us: the Spirit that he has given us. My dear
friends, not every spirit is to be trusted, but test the spirits to
see whether they are from God, for many false prophets are at large in
the world. This is the proof of the spirit of God: any spirit which
acknowledges Jesus Christ, come in human nature, is from God, and no
spirit which fails to acknowledge Jesus is from God; it is the spirit
of Antichrist, whose coming you have heard of; he is already at large
in the world. Children, you are from God and have overcome them,
because he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They
are from the world, and therefore the world inspires what they say,
and listens to them. We are from God; whoever recognises God listens
to us; anyone who is not from God refuses to listen to us. This is how
we can distinguish the spirit of truth from the spirit of falsehood.

Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25
Hearing that John had been arrested he withdrew to Galilee, and
leaving Nazara he went and settled in Capernaum, beside the lake, on
the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was
spoken by the prophet Isaiah: Land of Zebulun! Land of Naphtali! Way
of the sea beyond Jordan. Galilee of the nations! The people that
lived in darkness have seen a great light; on those who lived in a
country of shadow dark as death a light has dawned. From then onwards
Jesus began his proclamation with the message, 'Repent, for the
kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.' He went round the whole of
Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the
kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and illness among the people.
His fame spread throughout Syria, and those who were suffering from
diseases and painful complaints of one kind or another, the possessed,
epileptics, the paralysed, were all brought to him, and he cured them.
Large crowds followed him, coming from Galilee, the Decapolis,
Jerusalem, Judaea and Transjordan.

REFLECTION
Our soul has three enemies – world, concupiscence and the devil. In
the first reading, the letter of St. John he speaks about the spirit
of this world. To remain in God we should learn how to discern and
test every spirit because aside from the spirit of the world there
exist also the Holy Spirit. It is not easy to discern the spirit of
the anti-Christ; it always appears as something good, appealing and
offers personal fulfillment - we can easily be deceived.

St. Paul teaches us how to discern. You will know the spirit by its
fruits. "What the Holy Spirit brings is different – love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, trust fullness, gentleness and self
control (Gal 5:22). If we are guided by this world it leads to self-
indulgence and the fruits are – fornication, gross indecency, sexual
irresponsibility, idolatry, feuds, wrangling, jealousy, bad temper,
quarrels, disagreements, factions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and
similar things (Gal 5:19-20).

To help us in proper discernment we are given the scripture and
especially the Church, which are both a Mother and a Teacher. Perhaps
we are challenged with many questions. How many children should I
have? Should I accept this job even if it takes me away from my wife
and kids? What should be the center of the relationship with my
spouse? St. John presents us this challenge – "Anyone who belongs to
God listens to Him while anyone who refuses to listen does not belong
to God but to the world."

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Don
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
… for the personal intentions of:
- Med Villanueva
- Enrique and Eufrocina Navarro and family
- Mary Anne Atencio
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Gloria Diaz Maralit
- Antonio Lorete
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: Ryan B. Ramos
- Wedding Anniversary: Fidel & Chiqui Bautista
- Wedding Anniversary: James & Gloria Yu
- In Memoriam (+): Soc Rodrigo
… 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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