DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 7, 2010
TUESDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT –- YEAR II

ISAIAH 40:1-11
'Console my people, console them,' says your God. 'Speak to the heart
of Jerusalem and cry to her that her period of service is ended, that
her guilt has been atoned for, that, from the hand of Yahweh, she has
received double punishment for all her sins.' A voice cries, 'Prepare
in the desert a way for Yahweh. Make a straight highway for our God
across the wastelands. Let every valley be filled in, every mountain
and hill be levelled, every cliff become a plateau, every escarpment a
plain; then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed and all humanity will
see it together, for the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.' A voice said,
'Cry aloud!' and I said, 'What shall I cry?' -'All humanity is grass
and all its beauty like the wild flower's. The grass withers, the
flower fades when the breath of Yahweh blows on them. (The grass is
surely the people.) The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word
of our God remains for ever.' Go up on a high mountain, messenger of
Zion. Shout as loud as you can, messenger of Jerusalem! Shout
fearlessly, say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God.' Here is
Lord Yahweh coming with power, his arm maintains his authority, his
reward is with him and his prize precedes him. He is like a shepherd
feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against
his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

MATTHEW 18:12-14
'Tell me. Suppose a man has a hundred sheep and one of them strays;
will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hillside and go in search of
the stray? In truth I tell you, if he finds it, it gives him more joy
than do the ninety-nine that did not stray at all. Similarly, it is
never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones
should be lost.

REFLECTION
Whether it is the theological Advent that looks into the Second Coming
of Christ, or the more familiar Advent that constitutes a preparation
for Christmastime, what is particularly striking in the readings today
is the insistent description that "The Lord our God comes in
strength."

Advent and Christmastime often make us imagine God in the image of the
Christ Child. But this is what today's liturgy insists, that God is
strength, power, majesty, absoluteness. Even the first reading from
Isaiah declares: "He is our God. Here he comes with power, the Lord
God, who rules by his strong arm." The beauty of the gospel, however,
is that it specifies where God's strength lies.

The power that makes God truly unmatched in strength and stability is
this: God has the heart of a shepherd who never tires taking care of
us, a shepherd who never tires of searching for lost sheep. Applied to
us, we often get lost and we make the same mistakes, the same favorite
sins. Each one of us, in our own uniqueness and weaknesses, are black
sheep. Amidst all this, God remains unmoved in his compassion,
patience, understanding, love and mercy for us.

The parable of the lost sheep shows us how much emphasis Jesus places
on love, mercy and compassion. Just as the Good Shepherd reaches out
to the one sheep that is lost, so must we. As true disciples of Jesus,
there is no place for self-righteousness. We must be on our guard lest
self-righteousness displaces compassion and mercy in our hearts. Try
to put Jesus' teaching today into practice by reaching out with
compassion to someone who is lost or in need. We don't have to look
far. People in need are all around us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
- to save St. Joseph School, Kingston NY, from closing by the
Archdiocese.
-… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, Mon Torres, Fleur Torres, Peping Torres, John
Lawrence
- Vicky Fabella
- Angela Sanders, Henrietta Spinnato, Jesus Arroyo III, Norma Morante,
Sheldon Villanueva, Nancy Solas
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Luis Torres
- Josheil Dapo
- Cherie Torres
- Julie and Glenn Manzon, Glenn Dale and John Dale, Glenda Bisco,
Estelita Escamilla, Mary Ann Castro, Ma Fe De Castro, Sandara Vergara
- Reetha, Litty, Johnson, Britta, Jeril, Rosy, Shaji, Shancy, Shilcy,
Jairaj Kidangan Mani
- Sheldon and Kristine, John and Rica, Mycel and Mark, Eunice and
Jojo, Maryann and Jack
- Amida Angeles
- Edwina A. Reunilla
- Aileen C. Olona
… Birthday: Linda Manzon
…In Thanksgiving: Barayoga Family, Vergara Family, Manzon Family
… In Memoriam:
- Lourdes Barayoga and Domingo Barayoga Sr., Charlie Castro
- Eufemia Los Banos, Antonio Vallejo, Leticia Vallejo
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Father Mel Sprute
- Terry Bowen
- Johnny Guerrero
- Romeo Angeles
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: Ryan K. Beleno
- Birthday: Bernadette M. Villaflor
- Wedding Anniversary: Peter & Ana Tan
- In Memoriam (+): Carmelita Yu Co (Feb 10, 1949-Dec 7, 1997)+
- In Memoriam (+): Catherine Joy Yu Co (Nov 14, 1988-Dec 7, 1997)
… 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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