DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 3, 2010
SOLEMNITY, EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - C

ISAIAH 60:1-6
Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has
risen on you. Look! though night still covers the earth and darkness
the peoples, on you Yahweh is rising and over you his glory can be
seen. The nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning
brightness. Lift up your eyes and look around: all are assembling and
coming towards you, your sons coming from far away and your daughters
being carried on the hip. At this sight you will grow radiant, your
heart will throb and dilate, since the riches of the sea will flow to
you, the wealth of the nations come to you; camels in throngs will
fill your streets, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; everyone in
Saba will come, bringing gold and incense and proclaiming Yahweh's
praises.

EPHESIANS 3:2-3, 5-6
You have surely heard the way in which God entrusted me with the grace
he gave me for your sake; he made known to me by a revelation the
mystery I have just described briefly. This mystery, as it is now
revealed in the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets, was unknown
to humanity in previous generations: that the gentiles now have the
same inheritance and form the same Body and enjoy the same promise in
Christ Jesus through the gospel.

MATTHEW 2:1-12
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of
King Herod, suddenly some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east
asking, 'Where is the infant king of the Jews? We saw his star as it
rose and have come to do him homage.' When King Herod heard this he
was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together
all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of
them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, 'At Bethlehem in
Judaea, for this is what the prophet wrote: And you, Bethlehem, in the
land of Judah, you are by no means the least among the leaders of
Judah, for from you will come a leader who will shepherd my people
Israel.' Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He
asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared and sent them
on to Bethlehem with the words, 'Go and find out all about the child,
and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do
him homage.' Having listened to what the king had to say, they set
out. And suddenly the star they had seen rising went forward and
halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star
filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child
with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.
Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and
frankincense and myrrh. But they were given a warning in a dream not
to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different
way.

REFLECTION
Life is full of surprises and the unexpected. Our responses become
dependent whether the surprise is something we perceive and consider
as good or bad. I remember my cousin's utter surprise when he won in a
raffle in a golf tournament. He initially won a Lacoste jacket that
would have probably cost about P10,000. But since he was in the shower
room, he was denied of his gift. He tried to rationalize and justify
that he deserved the prize but rules were rules. And then, to his
surprise, his name was picked for the grand prize which was a new
vehicle worth at least half a million.

In the same manner, the unexpected news of the death of a loved one is
met with sadness and disbelief.

This sense of mystery and surprises is clearly seen in the birth of
the Lord. How can a king be born in manger? Why didn't the Jews
immediately recognize the Messiah? Why did this newly-born baby who
was predicted to be a king had as first visitors with the nobodies
like shepherds and astrologers who were pagans? In the end, this was a
preview of the life that Jesus would lead where our own expectations
and standards will be turned upside down.

It is the start of the New Year and as usual, we have our own
expectations, resolutions, and plans for the year. We earnestly beg
the Lord that such desires will be fulfilled. Yet, we are to prepare
ourselves for the various ways and manifestations of the Lord. The
Lord will indeed come up with many surprises. Yet, it will depend on
our attitudes whether we will be able to see such events in the light
of faith. For the astrologers, there was a star that served as their
guide towards meeting the much awaited Messiah.

How about us? Just remember that Jesus will always provide whatever is
best for us even though we may not deemed this to be. We just have to
open our minds and hearts for these surprises that will surely
indicate the presence of Jesus in our lives.

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:
- Pauline
- Jazmine
- Med Villanueva
… 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 the healing and peace of all families
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Anne Liezel D. Go
- In Memoriam (+): Juan Fabella
… for world peace and reconciliation.

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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