DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 24, 2010
FRIDAY 4TH WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR II

SECOND SAMUEL 7:1-5, 8-11, 16
Once the king had settled into his palace and Yahweh had granted him
rest from all the enemies surrounding him, the king said to the
prophet Nathan, 'Look, I am living in a cedar-wood palace, while the
ark of God is under awnings.' Nathan said to the king, 'Go and do
whatever you have in mind, for Yahweh is with you.' But that very
night, the word of Yahweh came to Nathan: 'Go and tell my servant
David, "Yahweh says this: Are you to build me a temple for me to live
in? This is what you must say to my servant David, "Yahweh Sabaoth
says this: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to
be leader of my people Israel; I have been with you wherever you went;
I have got rid of all your enemies for you. I am going to make your
fame as great as the fame of the greatest on earth. I am going to
provide a place for my people Israel; I shall plant them there, and
there they will live and never be disturbed again; nor will they be
oppressed by the wicked any more, as they were in former times ever
since the time when I instituted judges to govern my people Israel;
and I shall grant you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh furthermore
tells you that he will make you a dynasty. Your dynasty and your
sovereignty will ever stand firm before me and your throne be for ever
secure." '

LUKE 1:67-79
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this
prophecy: Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited
his people, he has set them free, and he has established for us a
saving power in the House of his servant David, just as he proclaimed,
by the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times, that he would
save us from our enemies and from the hands of all those who hate us,
and show faithful love to our ancestors, and so keep in mind his holy
covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, that he
would grant us, free from fear, to be delivered from the hands of our
enemies, to serve him in holiness and uprightness in his presence, all
our days. And you, little child, you shall be called Prophet of the
Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare a way for him,
to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of
their sins, because of the faithful love of our God in which the
rising Sun has come from on high to visit us, to give light to those
who live in darkness and the shadow dark as death, and to guide our
feet into the way of peace.

REFLECTION
As we prepare our gifts this Christmas eve, have we asked what gifts
we also want to receive? A gift which we will consider truly special
or an exciting gift that will make us break out into song? There was
one gift that made a man named Zechariah sing a song that expresses
his joy and thanks for God's work in his own life, in the life of his
family, and his nation. When he was given the news of the conception
of John the Baptist he lacked faith. It took time before Zechariah joy
fully recognized the destiny that his own son will hold. His son would
tell the world that when Jesus comes, everyone's life would change!
John was to be the forbearer, the one who would tell the world of a
gift that will be unraveled with Christ's birth:

We are saved
We are significant
We can shine

Like Zechariah, when we get this gift from God, we can unwrap it or
simply keep it in its wrapper. It will be our choice. We can discover
its true worth and purpose. Thus, be able to choose what words we can
sing for others to hear.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, John Lawrence
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Bill and Carol
- Charles and Munira
- Felicity
- Josefina Hong, Laurent Cabuloy, Haressh Mirchadani, Maxienne Ponce
De Leon, Rosauro Canta, Joaquin Co, Francisco Madilar, Mark Anthony
Lao
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Emmanuel C. Malvar
- Wedding Anniversary: Paul & Chelo Jarme
- In Memoriam (+): Mariano R. S. (Sep 10, 1906- Dec 24, 1994)+
… 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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