DAILY- HOMILY

APRIL 11, 2010
2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER – C

ACTS 5:12-16
The apostles worked many signs and miracles among the people. One in
heart, they all used to meet in the Portico of Solomon. No one else
dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise and the
numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased
steadily. Many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the
hands of the apostles so that the sick were even taken out into the
streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least
the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past.
People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem,
bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits,
and all of them were cured.

REVELATION 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19
I, John, your brother and partner in hardships, in the kingdom and in
perseverance in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos on account of the
Word of God and of witness to Jesus; it was the Lord's Day and I was
in ecstasy, and I heard a loud voice behind me, like the sound of a
trumpet, saying, 'Write down in a book all that you see, and send it
to the seven churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia and Laodicea.' I turned round to see who was speaking to
me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands and, in the
middle of them, one like a Son of man, dressed in a long robe tied at
the waist with a belt of gold. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as
though dead, but he laid his right hand on me and said, 'Do not be
afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One, I was
dead and look -- I am alive for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of
death and of Hades. Now write down all that you see of present
happenings and what is still to come.

JOHN 20:19-31
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors
were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the
Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with
you,' and, after saying this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord, and he said to
them again, 'Peace be with you. 'As the Father sent me, so am I
sending you.' After saying this he breathed on them and said: Receive
the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if
you retain anyone's sins, they are retained. Thomas, called the Twin,
who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the
other disciples said to him, 'We have seen the Lord,' but he answered,
'Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can
put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand
into his side, I refuse to believe.' Eight days later the disciples
were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were
closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you,'
he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here
are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be
unbelieving any more but believe.' Thomas replied, 'My Lord and my
God!' Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet believe. There were many other
signs that Jesus worked in the sight of the disciples, but they are
not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you
may have life through his name.

REFLECTION
"As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Receive the Holy Spirit."

These were supposedly what Jesus uttered in the post-Resurrection
scene when he continues to appease his disciples who were very much
afraid due to his death. In this particular scene, he offers them
peace, something that the disciples needed badly as they had to be
assured that their association with Jesus was not a failure. The peace
that Jesus offers is not to be equated to the absence of conflicts and
problems. Rather, this peace means that Jesus will be with them. They
will never be alone in their lives as well as in their mission which
is being addressed to them. The apostles have been given the authority
to continue and to sustain whatever Jesus begun.

To assist them in this important mission of proclaiming the kingdom of
love and mercy of Jesus is the Holy Spirit. We have to remember that
the Holy Spirit whom Jesus called the Advocate is the promise he gave
in his last meal with his apostles. The Holy Spirit will be the one to
remind them of all that Jesus taught them. The Holy Spirit does not
have its own agenda except to proclaim what comes from God the Father
and the Son.

That mission entrusted to the apostles is now given to us. If we
remember, this was the very thrust of the last visit of the late Pope
John Paul II during the Youth Day mass here in the Philippines in
1995. That was indeed a religious experience for many of us as the
Vicar of Christ made a visit to the predominantly Catholic nation in
Asia. He was quite overwhelmed with the warm welcome we gave him as we
held the biggest number of mass attendees in his final mass at Luneta.
In his brief stay with us, he underscored the importance of our
presence here in this part of the world where we can make the presence
of Jesus even more felt. It may be a daunting challenge yet it is the
task lovingly entrusted to us by the late Pope John Paul II. In the
same way, we are not to be afraid for we are assured, too, of the help
and guidance of the Holy Spirit in propagating the reign of God.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Gemma
… for the personal intentions of
- Mariano M.
- Josheil Dapo
- Belle Abapo
… for comfort and strength:
- Pedro Mata
- Manuel C.
… In Memoriam: Teodoro C. Borlongan
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Gaudencio Ogatis
- Aimee Chua Ching
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

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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