DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 14, 2010
MEMORIAL, ST JOHN OF THE CROSS, PRIEST AND DOCTOR
TUESDAY 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR II

ZEPHANIAH 3:1-2, 9-13
Disaster to the rebellious, the befouled, the tyrannical city! She has
not listened to the call, she has not bowed to correction, she has not
trusted in Yahweh, she has not drawn near to her God. Yes, then I
shall purge the lips of the peoples, so that all may invoke the name
of Yahweh and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers
of Ethiopia, my suppliants will bring me tribute. When that Day comes
you will never again be ashamed of all the deeds with which you once
rebelled against me, for I shall rid you of those who exult in your
pride; never again will you strut on my holy mountain. But in you I
shall leave surviving a humble and lowly people, and those who are
left in Israel will take refuge in the name of Yahweh. They will do no
wrong, will tell no lies; nor will a deceitful tongue be found in
their mouths. But they will be able to graze and rest with no one to
alarm them.

MATTHEW 21:28-32
'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the
first, "My boy, go and work in the vineyard today." He answered, "I
will not go," but afterwards thought better of it and went. The man
then went and said the same thing to the second who answered,
"Certainly, sir," but did not go. Which of the two did the father's
will?' They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'In truth I tell
you, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the
kingdom of God before you. For John came to you, showing the way of
uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors
and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think
better of it and believe in him.

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, Jesus says that there is no entering the Kingdom of
God unless we repent and believe. We repent when we make a firm
decision to abandon all sin and begin to act on that decision. We
believe when we accept Jesus as the total Lord of all life. To the
degree that we do really repent and believe, to the degree that we
truly release more and more areas of our life to Jesus, to that degree
we are like the son who actually did the Father's will. Otherwise, we
are like the son who says: "Yes, Father", and does nothing about it.
That son's faith produces no fruit.

The contrast between the two sons in today's gospel captures the
difference between the outward expression of doing God's will without
any practical application and the effort of those holy people of all
ages who follow God's will as best they can. In the final analysis,
the depth of our celebration of Christmas will be measure not by the
Christmas carols that we sing and the Christmas cards and gifts we
give to one another, but by the extent with which we give ourselves
wholeheartedly to doing God's will and extending ourselves to heal
some wounds, help the hurting and bring support to those who have
little else on which to rely.

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
- Deacon Joe Nicholas
- Jimmie Boeker
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Arsenia P. Anlacan
- Birthday: Ma. Victoria Pecho
- Birthday: Hubert See Co
- Wedding Anniversary: Carlos & Rosalinda
- In Memoriam (+): Julian Lou
- In Memoriam (+): Ronald Allan Poe AKA (FPJ)
… 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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