DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 21, 2010
1ST SUNDAY OF LENT – C

DEUTERONOMY 26:4-10
'The priest will then take the basket from your hand and lay it before
the altar of Yahweh your God. In the presence of Yahweh your God, you
will then pronounce these words: "My father was a wandering Aramaean,
who went down to Egypt with a small group of men, and stayed there,
until he there became a great, powerful and numerous nation. The
Egyptians ill-treated us, they oppressed us and inflicted harsh
slavery on us. But we called on Yahweh, God of our ancestors. Yahweh
heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and
Yahweh brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm,
with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and
has given us this country, a country flowing with milk and honey.
Hence, I now bring the first-fruits of the soil that you, Yahweh, have
given me." 'You will then lay them before Yahweh your God, and
prostrate yourself in the presence of Yahweh your God.

ROMANS 10:8-13
What does it say, then? The word is very near to you; it is in your
mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith, the faith which
we preach, that if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and
if you believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, then
you will be saved. It is by believing with the heart that you are
justified, and by making the declaration with your lips that you are
saved. When scripture says: No one who relies on this will be brought
to disgrace, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: the same
Lord is the Lord of all, and his generosity is offered to all who
appeal to him, for all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

LUKE 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the
Spirit into the desert, for forty days being put to the test by the
devil. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry.
Then the devil said to him, 'If you are Son of God, tell this stone to
turn into a loaf.' But Jesus replied, 'Scripture says: Human beings
live not on bread alone.' Then leading him to a height, the devil
showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said
to him, 'I will give you all this power and their splendour, for it
has been handed over to me, for me to give it to anyone I choose. Do
homage, then, to me, and it shall all be yours.' But Jesus answered
him, 'Scripture says: You must do homage to the Lord your God, him
alone you must serve.' Then he led him to Jerusalem and set him on the
parapet of the Temple. 'If you are Son of God,' he said to him, 'throw
yourself down from here, for scripture says: He has given his angels
orders about you, to guard you, and again: They will carry you in
their arms in case you trip over a stone.' But Jesus answered him,
'Scripture says: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' Having
exhausted every way of putting him to the test, the devil left him,
until the opportune moment.

REFLECTION
Jesus experienced everything human except that of sin. One of the
painful and challenging realities of being human is that of
temptation. Until the end of our lives, we shall be tempted to act in
a way that is contrary to God's will. What is consoling is that we
have Jesus as our strength to somehow overcome such temptations. With
practice and total trust in the Lord, we hope that we will eventually
resist such temptations in life.

Three of the most powerful temptations surely pertain to wealth,
honor, and power. These three are all interconnected. With wealth
comes honor and power. But the danger lies in the unceasing
satisfaction of the human person. We never get contented as we always
strive for whatever is impossible. There is the innate yearning for
more thinking that we will be fully satisfied. But will this ever
happen? In relation to this, the danger is also seen in that the
ultimate glory redounds to us. There is the illusion that we are the
most important, the center of everything.

In my younger years, many would strive to become millionaires. That is
surely a thing of the past. Nowadays, one can simply join contests
that offer rewards of a million. Those who are considered rich now
have to be billionaires. I wonder if I will still be alive when what
it means to be rich pertains to being a trillionaire.

On this first Sunday of lent, we look at our own delusions of grandeur
that make us yield to the temptations in life thinking that our worth
as individuals is based from the amount of wealth, the honors
received, and the power and influence we have. Ash Wednesday reminds
us of the eventual reality that "Remember, man, you are dust and to
dust you will return." (Gn 3:19)

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the strength and healing of:
- Renan Lacida
- Walter Stamatelaky
- Abraham A.
- Brenda
- Lydia Pe
… for the personal intentions of Veronica Yap
.. In Memoriam: Jesus Yap
… for the eternal repose of the soul of
- Lourdes Vergara-Ortiz
- Joaquin "Jacky" Cordova, Jr.
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: Maria Cristina Jose
- Birthday: Tyler Villanueva
- Birthday: Ato Sim
- Wedding Anniversary: Anita & Godfrey Lim Pek Chuan
- In Memoriam (+): Vicente Dychiao
… 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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