DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 23, 2010
MEMORIAL, ST. POLYCARP, BISHOP AND MARTYR
TUESDAY 1ST WEEK OF LENT – YEAR II

ISAIAH 55:10-11
For, as the rain and the snow come down from the sky and do not return
before having watered the earth, fertilising it and making it
germinate to provide seed for the sower and food to eat, so it is with
the word that goes from my mouth: it will not return to me unfulfilled
or before having carried out my good pleasure and having achieved what
it was sent to do.

MATTHEW 6:7-15
'In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do, for they think that
by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like
them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you
should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be held
holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have
forgiven those who are in debt to us. And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the Evil One. 'Yes, if you forgive others their
failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do
not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.

REFLECTION
Some people like to talk. They demand to be listened to, but they
don't have the same interest in listening. However, we usually cannot
listen if we are not used to silence. Mother Teresa once wrote that
prayer is the fruit of silence. Jesus wants us to understand that
prayer is more about listening than about talking.

Jesus tells us that God the Father knows what we need even before we
ask Him. Still, we should ask, because in asking, we become aware that
we have needs that only God our Father can grant us. We learn to ask
God what we most need for our salvation. That is why Jesus taught us
the "Our Father."

Praying the "Our Father" reminds us that He is the Father of all, and
therefore every human person is truly our brother or sister. In
praying the "Our Father," we essentially ask for three things: that
God have the first place in our lives, that He give us our material
and spiritual sustenance, and that He grant us His forgiveness.

Jesus emphasizes the importance of forgiveness. As the First Letter of
John reminds us, we are all sinners. One of the essential
characteristics of Christian living is seeking to encounter Jesus'
loving mercy. We can really experience it only when we put it into
practice ourselves. We grasp the true meaning of mercy when we forgive
others. If Jesus has forgiven us, even though we don't deserve it, how
can we dare not to forgive others?

Let us thank Jesus today for teaching us how to pray to the Father. We
should make the effort to pray better and give God the first place in
our lives, preferring His will to ours. Let us also treat others as we
would like them to treat us, forgiving them when they offend us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Walter Stamatelaky
- Abraham A.
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
- Jo Marcelo
- Huey
- Rita Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Maripaz Ordonez Ortiz
- Brenda
- Lydia Pe
… for the eternal repose of the soul of
- Lourdes Vergara-Ortiz
- Joaquin "Jacky" Cordova, Jr.
- Deogracias Tigno Jr., Deogracias Tigno III, Rolando Alano, Clara
Tigno, Clardeonne Tigno, Leonora Sosa, Arcadia Sosa
- April Yrigan, Marife Fajardo
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: Ronald Cuadra
- Birthday: Nory Cruz
- Birthday: Teresita Angeles C. Lucero
- Birthday: Belen Te Ortiga
- Birthday: Harris Javier T. Ngo
… 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!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.
Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,
colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the
following:

+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GoogleGroup Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this free mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

© 2010 Daily-Homily