DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 19, 2010
TUESDAY 2ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1 SAMUEL 16:1-13
Yahweh said to Samuel, 'How much longer do you mean to go on mourning
over Saul, now that I myself have rejected him as ruler of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of
Bethlehem, for I have found myself a king from among his sons.' Samuel
replied, 'How can I go? When Saul hears of it he will kill me.' Yahweh
then said, 'Take a heifer with you and say, "I have come to sacrifice
to Yahweh." Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I shall reveal to you
what you must do; and you will anoint for me the one I indicate to
you.' Samuel did what Yahweh ordered and went to Bethlehem. The elders
of the town came trembling to meet him and asked, 'Seer, is your
coming favourable for us,' 'Yes,' he replied. 'I have come to
sacrifice to Yahweh. Purify yourselves and come with me to the
sacrifice.' He purified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the
sacrifice. When they arrived, he looked at Eliab and thought, 'This
must be Yahweh's anointed now before him,' but Yahweh said to Samuel,
'Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected
him; God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances
but Yahweh looks at the heart.' Jesse then called Abinadab and
presented him to Samuel, who said, 'Yahweh has not chosen this one
either.' Jesse then presented Shammah, but Samuel said, 'Yahweh has
not chosen this one either.' Jesse thus presented seven of his sons to
Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, 'Yahweh has not chosen these.' He
then asked Jesse, 'Are these all the sons you have?' Jesse replied,
'There is still one left, the youngest; he is looking after the
sheep.' Samuel then said to Jesse, 'Send for him, for we shall not sit
down to eat until he arrives.' Jesse had him sent for; he had ruddy
cheeks, with fine eyes and an attractive appearance. Yahweh said, 'Get
up and anoint him: he is the one!' At this, Samuel took the horn of
oil and anointed him, surrounded by his brothers; and the spirit of
Yahweh seized on David from that day onwards. Samuel, for his part,
set off and went to Ramah.

MARK 2:23-28
It happened that one Sabbath day he was taking a walk through the
cornfields, and his disciples began to make a path by plucking ears of
corn. And the Pharisees said to him, 'Look, why are they doing
something on the Sabbath day that is forbidden?' And he replied, 'Have
you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his
followers were hungry- how he went into the house of God when Abiathar
was high priest, and ate the loaves of the offering which only the
priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with
him?' And he said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for
the Sabbath; so the Son of man is master even of the Sabbath.'

REFLECTION
What is more important: keeping the rules of the Sabbath, Sunday or
meeting the needs of people? While the question is an old one, it is
one that, nevertheless, needs constant answering. In the gospels, the
Pharisees are portrayed as rule keepers. They point out to Jesus that
his disciples break the Sabbath rule of no work on the Sabbath by
picking heads of grain. The disciples walked with Jesus through the
fields, and as they were hungry, they picked heads of grain to eat.
The Pharisees considered this a violation of the Sabbath rest. Jesus
quickly points out that genuine human needs take precedence over the
rules governing human life and conduct.

The purpose of the Sabbath rest was to imitate God, who after six days
of creating, took time out for a break. As Jesus states it, the
Sabbath was made for people. It is God's gift to them. To turn it
around and say that people were made for the Sabbath is to get it
backward. People are not made to fit rules. Rules are made to fit the
needs of people. When rules no longer serve their purpose, then they
are to be changed or abolished. So often people cling to the rules
because rules offer safety, security, and protection from change.
However, such an enclosure does not necessarily serve their needs.
When someone is hungry, no rule concerning the proper time for meals
is appropriate as demonstrated by David and Jesus.

Let us ask ourselves today to see whether we place rules above people
or people above rules. God has given us laws so that we might serve
God and our brothers and sisters better. Let us ask God today to keep
us balanced; to give us a great appreciation for His law, but also to
give us eyes to see people in need and to lend a helping hand.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Gemma
- David Danao
… for the personal intentions of:
- Mariano Montemayor
- Josheil Dapo
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Nardo Perez
- Deogracias Tigno, Jr.
- Deogracas Tigno III
- Carla Tigno
- Deocarlo Tigno
- Donabelle Tigno
- Jesus Aquino Tigno
- April Yrigan
- Marife Fajardo
Eternal rest grant unto they and may perpetual light shine upon they.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Ellen A. Palma
- Birthday: Elsa Dy
- Birthday: Lorenzo Yao Bate
- Wedding Anniversary: Spiro & Jennifer L. Clemente
… 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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