DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 28, 2010
FEAST, THE HOLY INNOCENTS, MARTYRS

FIRST JOHN 1:5--2:2
This is what we have heard from him and are declaring to you: God is
light, and there is no darkness in him at all. If we say that we share
in God's life while we are living in darkness, we are lying, because
we are not living the truth. But if we live in light, as he is in
light, we have a share in another's life, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say, 'We have no sin,' we are
deceiving ourselves, and truth has no place in us; if we acknowledge
our sins, he is trustworthy and upright, so that he will forgive our
sins and will cleanse us from all evil. If we say, 'We have never
sinned,' we make him a liar, and his word has no place in us. My
children, I am writing this to prevent you from sinning; but if anyone
does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the
upright. He is the sacrifice to expiate our sins, and not only ours,
but also those of the whole world.

MATTHEW 2:13-18
After they had left, suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph
in a dream and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother with you,
and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod
intends to search for the child and do away with him.' So Joseph got
up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for
Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what
the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I called my son out of Egypt.
Herod was furious on realising that he had been fooled by the wise
men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male
children killed who were two years old or less, reckoning by the date
he had been careful to ask the wise men. Then were fulfilled the words
spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamenting and weeping bitterly: it is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted because they are no more.

REFLECTION
Herod the Great was a notorious tyrant determined to wield power and
not be outmaneuvered by any other authority. These facts form the
background of today's tragic story of Herod's massacre of the Holy
Innocents. Beyond the gospel of Matthew, there is no official record
of this event. But the story remains a reminder of the ever-present
evil within the human heart, awaiting its moment to strike. Experience
tells us, that, because of original sin, wherever good is being done
there will always be evil attempts to undermine it.

Evil can easily masquerade as good. The various subtle ways in which
the power of evil infiltrates are seen in the increasing disregard for
human life in today's modern world. We are part of this society, and
each one of us has the responsibility to work to transform it. Our
culture of death needs the power of prayer and action combined to
change it into a culture of life. We owe it to ourselves as well as to
God not to remain passive bystanders. Our Christian calling carries
moral responsibility.

As we find ourselves lured into the ways of death rather than life,
let us call upon God's mercy and assistance in our hour of temptation.
Let us resist all violence and destructiveness, especially towards the
weak and vulnerable, and choose good.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Sheila San Buenaventura
- Birthday: Jesus Felix Gonong
- Birthday: Herminia Musico
- Birthday: Vicente K. Fabella
- Birthday: Celia R. Marin
- Wedding Anniversary: Victoria & Leonardo L. Yu
- Wedding Anniversary: Wesley & Leona Panutat
… 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!

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