DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 11, 2011
MEMORIAL, OUR LADY OF LOURDES
FRIDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Gn 3:1-8 / Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7/ Mk 7:31-37

GENESIS 3:1-8
Now the serpent was the most crafty of all the wild creatures that
Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say: You
must not eat from any tree in the garden?" The woman said to the
serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden, but of the
fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden God said: You
must not eat, and you must not touch it or you will die." he serpent
said to the woman, "You will not die, but God knows that the day you
eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing
good and evil." The woman saw that the fruit was good to eat, and
pleasant to the eyes, and ideal for gaining knowledge. She took its
fruit and ate it and gave some to her husband who was with her. He ate
it. Then their eyes were opened and both of them knew they were naked.
So they sewed leaves of a fig tree together and made themselves
loincloths. They heard the voice of Yahweh God walking in the garden,
in the cool of the day, and they, the man and his wife, hid from
Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

MARK 7:31-37
Returning from the territory of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon towards
the Lake of Galilee, right through the Decapolis territory. And they
brought him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they
asked him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside to be by
themselves, away from the crowd, put his fingers into the man's ears
and touched his tongue with spittle. Then looking up to heaven he
sighed; and he said to him, `Ephphatha,' that is, `Be opened.' And his
ears were opened, and at once the impediment of his tongue was
loosened and he spoke clearly. And Jesus ordered them to tell no one
about it, but the more he insisted, the more widely they proclaimed
it. Their admiration was unbounded, and they said, `Everything he does
is good, he makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.'

REFLECTION
The first reading on the fall of man is a story familiar to all of us
because this was one of the lessons in our religion class. Yet
sometimes we fail to realize that you and I are in the same situation
as Adam and Eve. There is always the temptation to be God no matter
what the cost. Our pride and ambition rule over us. We become egoistic
and blind to the consequences of our actions even if we are already
stepping on the feet of others. We have to be on top. And sad to say,
this also happens within the family. We hear of family feuds where
brothers and sisters, parents and children sue each other and even
kill each other because of pride and ambition.

This is the curse of sin in us. But God in his mercy gave a promise of
salvation when He announced, "The Son of the Woman will crush the head
of the serpent." And Jesus came forth from the womb of the new Eve,
Mary of Nazareth, the mother of the new creation. Jesus Christ, the
new Adam, lived his life in total surrender to his Father's will.
Christ was sent by his father to abolish the curse of sin. He has
brought the good news of salvation and gave us guidelines to be good
Christians through the Beatitudes. In the end he redeemed us from sin
by his death on the cross.

If we follow Christ's teachings, we will no longer be slaves of our
concupiscence because what will rule us is the law of love – the love
of God and neighbor. But this is not easy to do. We need God's grace
to constantly check ourselves. Let us look at the cross, the symbol of
salvation, and remind ourselves of God's unconditional love for us,
and be salvation instead of destruction to others.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Josefina Hong, Kyla C. Arabia, Sarah M. Fuentes, Janine Dy, Mark
Anthony, Lao, Esther V. Dizon, Lolit Arthur Alvin Roman, Ernesto Vela
- Nel de Leon
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
- Mary Balilla
… for the personal intentions of
- Veronica Yap
- Cherie Torres
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Gabriel dela Cruz
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: Lulu Malvar
- Birthday: Lourdes de Dios
- Birthday: Lourdes Carriedo
- Birthday: JV Rinosa
- Wedding Anniversary: Edward & Jennifer Inocentes
- Wedding Anniversary: Jerome & Sally Lim Gotamco
… 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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