DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 13, 2010
MEMORIAL, ST. HILARY, BISHOP AND DOCTOR
WEDNESDAY 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1 SAMUEL 3:1-10, 19-20
Now, the boy Samuel was serving Yahweh in the presence of Eli; in
those days it was rare for Yahweh to speak; visions were uncommon. One
day, it happened that Eli was lying down in his room. His eyes were
beginning to grow dim; he could no longer see. The lamp of God had not
yet gone out, and Samuel was lying in Yahweh's sanctuary, where the
ark of God was, when Yahweh called, 'Samuel! Samuel!' He answered,
'Here I am,' and, running to Eli, he said, 'Here I am, as you called
me.' Eli said, 'I did not call. Go back and lie down.' So he went and
lay down. And again Yahweh called, 'Samuel! Samuel!' He got up and
went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, as you called me.' He replied, 'I
did not call, my son; go back and lie down.' As yet, Samuel had no
knowledge of Yahweh and the word of Yahweh had not yet been revealed
to him. Again Yahweh called, the third time. He got up and went to Eli
and said, 'Here I am, as you called me.' Eli then understood that
Yahweh was calling the child, and he said to Samuel, 'Go and lie down,
and if someone calls say, "Speak, Yahweh; for your servant is
listening." ' So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Yahweh then
came and stood by, calling as he had done before, 'Samuel! Samuel!'
Samuel answered, 'Speak, Yahweh; for your servant is listening.'
Samuel grew up. Yahweh was with him and did not let a single word fall
to the ground of all that he had told him. All Israel knew, from Dan
to Beersheba, that Samuel was attested as a prophet of Yahweh.

MARK 1:29-39
And at once on leaving the synagogue, he went with James and John
straight to the house of Simon and Andrew. Now Simon's mother-in-law
was in bed and feverish, and at once they told him about her. He went
in to her, took her by the hand and helped her up. And the fever left
her and she began to serve them. That evening, after sunset, they
brought to him all who were sick and those who were possessed by
devils. The whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many
who were sick with diseases of one kind or another; he also drove out
many devils, but he would not allow them to speak, because they knew
who he was. In the morning, long before dawn, he got up and left the
house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there. Simon and his
companions set out in search of him, and when they found him they
said, 'Everybody is looking for you.' He answered, 'Let us go
elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can proclaim
the message there too, because that is why I came.' And he went all
through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out devils.

REFLECTION
If Samuel lived in today's world, people might start to think that he
was going crazy. We would probably not admit in public that we are
hearing someone calling our name when no other physical presence is
nearby. And yet, the voice he heard was so real to him that he
approached the only other person there with him. Fortunately, the man
Samuel approached was wise enough to help him realize that God was
calling him.

We are all Christians because we are followers of Jesus Christ.
Whereas all Christians are called to praise, reverence, and serve God,
each of us has a specific mission as to how we will fulfill this in
our daily lives. In today's Gospel, we see Jesus fulfilling his
mission from the Father. He travelled to various villages and towns
healing the sick and casting out demons. He also woke up very early,
went to a lonely place, and prayed. He listened. And then, he followed
what he heard from the Father.

As Samuel was instructed to respond to the voice calling his name,
Jesus' prayer may have well been the refrain of our psalm today: "Here
am I, Lord; I come to do your will." As Christians, are we ready to
hear God's voice? Furthermore, are we ready to do as we are told?

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Abraham
- Flora
- Gemma
- David Danao
… for the personal intentions of:
- Pauline
- Joaquin
- Mariano Montemayor
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Vicente N. Muñoz
- In Memoriam (+): Tang, Yee
- In Memoriam (+): Ignacio Yang
… 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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