DAILY- HOMILY

JUNE 20, 2010
12TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – C

ZECHARIAH 12:10-11
But over the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem I shall
pour out a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look to me. They
will mourn for the one whom they have pierced as though for an only
child, and weep for him as people weep for a first-born child. When
that day comes, the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the
mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the Plain of Megiddo.

GALATIANS 3:26-29
All of you are the children of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus,
since every one of you that has been baptized has been clothed in
Christ. There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither slave
nor freeman, there can be neither male nor female -- for you are all
one in Christ Jesus. And simply by being Christ's, you are that
progeny of Abraham, the heirs named in the promise.

LUKE 9:18-24
Now it happened that he was praying alone, and his disciples came to
him and he put this question to them, 'Who do the crowds say I am?'
And they answered, 'Some say John the Baptist; others Elijah; others
again one of the ancient prophets come back to life.' 'But you,' he
said to them, 'who do you say I am?' It was Peter who spoke up. 'The
Christ of God,' he said. But he gave them strict orders and charged
them not to say this to anyone. He said, 'The Son of man is destined
to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests
and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third
day.' Then, speaking to all, he said, 'If anyone wants to be a
follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every
day and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but
anyone who loses his life for my sake, will save it.

REFLECTION
You just heard Peter's reply to Jesus: "You are the Christ of God."
This line is all about the identity of Jesus of Nazareth. If you buy
into it by faith it will affect your life, especially in the area of
commitment. When we truly recognize who Jesus is, we will follow him
wherever he goes. Identifying who Jesus truly is, is extremely
important in the life of a Christian. That is why Jesus put this
question to his disciples: "Who do you say that I am?"

Jesus asked this question because huge crowds would come out to see
him, but exceedingly few would follow him. The crowds were largely
spectators. If we want to be committed to Jesus, then we must be fully
aware of Jesus' identity. If Jesus is merely John the Baptist or
Elijah or one of the great prophets reincarnated, he is still just a
human being like you and me and we can take him or leave him.

The people who were wholeheartedly committed to Jesus understood who
he was. They picked up on his true identity and he became their top
priority. Peter's confession spelled it out. Jesus was no ordinary
carpenter or preacher. They understood him to be the Christ, which
means, "anointed one".

What does that mean? The people of Jesus' day understood the
designation Christ as the Messiah, the last and greatest of the kings
of Israel who would rule the world. Peter took it a step further and
named Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus is not just a child of God like
us. We are designated as such, simply having been created by him.
Jesus is the Son of God, co-equal with God, God in the flesh.

When we understand Jesus of Nazareth in this way, it changes
everything. If he is the Christ, the focal point of history, and if he
is the Son of God, then those who acknowledge such an identity have no
alternative but to make him Lord, master and commander in- chief of
their lives. If Jesus is God the Son, our co-creator, and is also
Christ, the anointed savior-king, who is now risen from death and
reigning then he has a right to rule us, and we have no right to
resist his claim. Acknowledgement of his identity is just the first
step to being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ. We must also
completely identify with Jesus.

In the gospels we see that Jesus encountered a number of would-be
followers, but, as it turned out, they had typical excuses not to give
him absolute commitment. What assumptions did you make before you
signed on with Christ? Did you imagine that it was God's main goal to
make you prosper in life and heal all your ailments? Did you think
that being a Christian just meant popping into a church once in a
while and being good on average? Did you accept Jesus merely to keep
you out of hell or to provide you comforting answers on those dark
nights when you reflection questions of your ultimate destiny?

God does promise to forgive us and give us eternal life and to
transform us from sinners to saints if we place our trust in Jesus.
But he also calls us to a life completely abandoned to his Son. He
calls us to endure rejection and carry our cross just like our Lord.
The Christian life is not a bed of roses. It is more of a battle on
this side of eternity. Following Jesus is a fight every step of the
way. But, along the way, there is peace, and joy, and friendship and
power from God. Some people wait for the ideal time to come along to
follow Jesus. It is an excuse to do nothing. Now is the time, not
later. Carry your cross today. Don't wait for some ideal time
tomorrow. It will never come. There are people who follow Jesus but
their loyalties are divided. We can't be true followers of Christ
without complete loyalty to him.

Does Jesus have your complete loyalty or are your loyalties divided?
What is that comes first in your life: your job or your Lord? Your
relationships or your Lord? Your pleasure, your comfort, your
convenience or your Lord? Your social standing, your bank account,
your career track or your Lord?

Jesus Christ is not valued at all until he is valued above all else.
When you truly recognize who Jesus is, you will follow him wherever he
goes.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the personal intentions of
- Maricar
- Rita, Don, Paula, Pam, John C, Alva, Tommy & Johnny
- Belardo couple
- Josheil Dapo
- Michaela "Michie" Perez
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Wilfredo Cuales
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Heidi Ver
- Birthday: Victoria Salvador Bowe
- Birthday: Bey Pacheco
- Birthday: Julia G. Lim
- Birthday: Cecilia J.O.A. Chau
- Ordination: Fr. Tom O'Gorman, S.J.
… for the healing and peace of all families
… for world peace and reconciliation.

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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This free service is produced by the laity and priests of:
Mary the Queen Parish
Madison, West Greenhills, San Juan, Philippines
Web site: http://www.marythequeen.org

Parish Priests' e-mail:
Fr. J. Cesar R. Marin, S. J. parishpriest@marythequeen.org

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Fr. R. Hart, S. J. rodneyhart@marythequeen.org
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