DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 15, 2010
FRIDAY 1ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1 SAMUEL 8:4-7, 10-22
The elders of Israel all assembled, went back to Samuel at Ramah, and
said, 'Look, you are old, and your sons are not following your
example. So give us a king to judge us, like the other nations.'
Samuel thought that it was wrong of them to say, 'Let us have a king
to judge us,' so he prayed to Yahweh. But Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Obey
the voice of the people in all that they say to you: it is not you
they have rejected. Everything that Yahweh had said, Samuel then
repeated to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, 'This
is what the king who is to reign over you will do. He will take your
sons and direct them to his chariotry and cavalry, and they will run
in front of his chariot. He will use them as leaders of a thousand and
leaders of fifty; he will make them plough his fields and gather in
his harvest and make his weapons of war and the gear for his chariots.
He will take your daughters as perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will
take the best of your fields, your vineyards and your olive groves and
give them to his officials. He will tithe your crops and vineyards to
provide for his courtiers and his officials. He will take the best of
your servants, men and women, of your oxen and your donkeys, and make
them work for him. He will tithe your flocks, and you yourselves will
become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry aloud because of
the king you have chosen for yourselves, but on that day Yahweh will
not hear you.' The people, however, refused to listen to Samuel. They
said, 'No! We are determined to have a king, so that we can be like
the other nations, with our own king to rule us and lead us and fight
our battles.' Samuel listened to all that the people had to say and
repeated it in Yahweh's ear. Yahweh then said to Samuel, 'Do as they
ask and give them a king.' Samuel then said to the Israelites, 'Go
home, each of you, to his own town.'

MARK 2:1-12
When he returned to Capernaum, some time later word went round that he
was in the house; and so many people collected that there was no room
left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them
when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men,
but as they could not get the man to him through the crowd, they
stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had
made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic
lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'My child, your
sins are forgiven.' Now some scribes were sitting there, and they
thought to themselves, 'How can this man talk like that? He is being
blasphemous. Who but God can forgive sins?' And at once, Jesus,
inwardly aware that this is what they were thinking, said to them,
'Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is
easier: to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven" or to say,
"Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk"? But to prove to you that
the Son of man has authority to forgive sins on earth' -- he said to
the paralytic-'I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off
home.' And the man got up, and at once picked up his stretcher and
walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astonished and
praised God saying, 'We have never seen anything like this.'

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel, there are four important points: 1. The paralytic
is brought to Jesus by his friends; 2. The paralytic wants to be
brought to Jesus; 3. The paralytic's sin are forgiven; and 4. Even the
paralytic's physical impairment is cured.

This Gospel's focal point is to demonstrate that Jesus had power not
only over the physical condition of the paralytic but more importantly
over the sinful situation of the person. And indeed, we know that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

However, these passages also allow us to reflect on ourselves and how
we approach Jesus. 1. Do we need other people to bring us to God or
even remind us of God? How about the things that God wants us to do?
2. Do we need to be reminded that we need not only physical healing
but also spiritual wholeness? 3. Do we have friends that we need to
bring to Jesus for physical healing and spiritual wholeness?

The Lord truly wants to heal us, to help us, to make us whole. Let us
approach him with this confidence.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Brenda
- Gemma
- David Danao
- Francis Torres
- Mon Torres
- Jessy
- Tess Aquinde
… for the personal intentions of:
- Joaquin
- Mariano Montemayor
- Milen
- Lachi
- B. Garber
… In Thanksgiving for all the blessing received: Aviles family
… for the victims and families affected by the earthquake in Haiti
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Go Bon Shu. Eternal rest
grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he and all
the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rois Dones
- In Memoriam (+): Imelda Reyes
… 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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