DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 11, 2010
MONDAY 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1 SAMUEL 1:1-8
There was a man of Ramathaim, a Zuphite from the highlands of Ephraim
whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son
of Zuph, an Ephraimite. He had two wives, one called Hannah, the other
Peninnah; Peninnah had children but Hannah had none. Every year this
man used to go up from his town to worship, and to sacrifice to Yahweh
Sabaoth at Shiloh. (The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were
there as priests of Yahweh.) One day Elkanah offered a sacrifice. Now
he used to give portions to Peninnah and to all her sons and
daughters; to Hannah, however, he would give only one portion: for,
although he loved Hannah more, Yahweh had made her barren.
Furthermore, her rival would taunt and provoke her, because Yahweh had
made her womb barren. And this went on year after year; every time
they went up to the temple of Yahweh she used to taunt her. On that
day she wept and would not eat anything; so her husband Elkanah said,
'Hannah, why are you crying? Why are you not eating anything? Why are
you so sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?'

MARK 1:14-20
After John had been arrested, Jesus went into Galilee. There he
proclaimed the gospel from God saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the gospel.' As
he was walking along by the Lake of Galilee he saw Simon and Simon's
brother Andrew casting a net in the lake -- for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, 'Come after me and I will make you into
fishers of people.' And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Going on a little further, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother
John; they too were in their boat, mending the nets. At once he called
them and, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the men he
employed, they went after him.

REFLECTION
To follow Christ expresses an attachment to the person of Jesus. It
also means to participate in a particular work of salvation. Therefore
it is not just an ordinary calling but a divine choice. It does not
depend on intellectual aptitude or to be a man of superior caliber.

What awaits those who are called? It is to share the very destiny of
Christ that is to carry the cross and not only an attachment to the
moral and spiritual teachings of Christ. It is a call that makes us a
different person as in the case of the apostles. He may call us in the
midst of our job, business, projects or relationships. Answering
Christ's call means detachment and renouncement.

Who is Christ calling today? All who are baptized because a Christian
is one who is called. Despite this there are many who remain
indifferent or out of fear avoid the call because it sets us apart
from the others and can make us appear strange before friends. It
upsets our plans, our way of thinking. It is not easy, but possible
through Christ. We are called not only to share in the destiny of
Christ in the cross but also in His eternal joy.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Gemma
- Davis Danao
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
- Ely Lara
- Rita Cuerva
- Abraham
- Flora
… for the personal intentions of:
- Mariano Montemayor
- Mary Wong
- Pauline
… Birthday: Malou G. Marasigan
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Bettina M. Cordon
- Birthday: Servando de los Angeles
- Wedding Anniversary: Rolly & Cora Cabral
- In Memoriam (+): Leslie Jellyn Tan Sy
… 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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