DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 7, 2010
THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY – YEAR II

1 JOHN 4:19--5:4
Let us love, then, because he first loved us. Anyone who says 'I love
God' and hates his brother, is a liar, since whoever does not love the
brother whom he can see cannot love God whom he has not seen. Indeed
this is the commandment we have received from him, that whoever loves
God, must also love his brother. Whoever believes that Jesus is the
Christ is a child of God, and whoever loves the father loves the son.
In this way we know that we love God's children, when we love God and
keep his commandments. This is what the love of God is: keeping his
commandments. Nor are his commandments burdensome, because every child
of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome
the world -- our faith.

LUKE 4:14-22
Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and
his reputation spread throughout the countryside. He taught in their
synagogues and everyone glorified him. He came to Nazara, where he had
been brought up, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day as he
usually did. He stood up to read, and they handed him the scroll of
the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll he found the place where it
is written: The spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to
bring the good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim
liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord. He then rolled up the
scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in
the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to speak to them, 'This
text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening.' And he
won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious
words that came from his lips. They said, 'This is Joseph's son,
surely?'

REFLECTION
We all admire how exceptional individuals make something of themselves
in spite of their impoverished backgrounds. There's Manny Pacquiao who
rose up from rags to enjoy the riches he is reaping because of his
hard work and determination. Everyone wants to be associated with him
in some manner and hopefully, they might be able to follow his
example. But, of course, many still look back on where he came from
and wonder, how he was able to accomplish what most boxers can only
dream of.

This perhaps was the same reception Our Lord received when he read
those prophetic words in the synagogue. The congregation also wondered
how Jesus was able to impart such wisdom when they knew him to be just
the son of a lowly carpenter. How was he able to gain such knowledge
and confidence when his actual growing-up environment could hardly
support that?

Here lies the lesson God wants to share with us. Never underestimate
the human potential for greatness. Regardless of obvious
circumstances, time and time again, certain achievers prove themselves
worthy of the honor and glory they garner because they've reached
their goals, when the odds seemed heavily stacked against them.
Hopefully, we too can be inspired by such heroism and self-sacrifice,
not just for personal satisfaction, but also for community pride.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Fe
- Marietta Triunfante
- Ma. Raphaelle Zenadine Dasas
… for the personal intentions of:
- Enrique and Eufrocina Navarro and family
- Mary Anne Atencio
- Esther Sompud
- Jazmine
- Josheil Dapo
.. Birthday: Joaquin Francis Gonzalez
.. In Memoriam: Epifania Ylaya
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Pablo David
- Lee Lian Tao
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: Charelyn G. Tungcul
- Birthday: Mother Stella Salao, OP
- Wedding Anniversary: Tyrone & Letty Tang
- Prayer Intention: Dionisio Ang
- Prayer Intention: Prime Spots Inc.
- Prayer Intention: Robert Ang
… 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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Parish Priests' e-mail:
Fr. J. Cesar R. Marin, S. J. parishpriest@marythequeen.org

Assistant Parish Priests' e-mails:
Fr. R. Hart, S. J. rodneyhart@marythequeen.org
Fr. Thomas O'Gorman, S. J. thogorman@marythequeen.org
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