DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 9, 2011
WEDNESDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Gn 2:5-9, 15-17 / Ps 104:1-2, 27-28, 29-30 / Mark 7:14-23

GENESIS 2:5-9, 15-17
There was not yet on the earth any shrub of the fields, nor had any
plant yet sprung up, for Yahweh God had not made it rain on the earth,
and there was no man to till the earth, but a mist went up from the
earth and watered the surface of the earth. Then Yahweh God formed
Man, dust drawn from the clay, and breathed into his nostrils a breath
of life and Man became alive with breath. God planted a garden in Eden
in the east and there he placed Man whom he had created. Yahweh God
caused to grow from the ground every kind of tree that is pleasing to
see and good to eat, also the tree of Life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Yahweh God took Man
and placed him in the garden of Eden to till it and take care of it.
Then Yahweh God gave an order to Man saying, "You may eat of every
tree in the garden, but of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil,
you will not eat, for on the day you eat of it, you will die."

MARK 7:14-23
Jesus called the people to him again and said to them, "Listen to me,
all of you, and try to understand. Nothing that enters one from
outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes out from within
that makes one unclean. Let everyone who has ears listen." When Jesus
got home and was away from the crowd, his disciples asked him about
this saying and he replied, "So even you are dull? Do you not see that
whatever comes from outside cannot make a person unclean? Since it
enters, not the heart but the stomach and is finally passed out." Thus
Jesus declared that all foods are clean. And he went on, "What comes
out of a person is what defiles, for evil designs come out of the
heart: theft, murder, adultery, jealousy, greed, maliciousness,
deceit, indecency, slander, pride and folly. All these evil things
come from within and make a person unclean."

REFLECTION
When God breathed into us, He showed us how to take care of His
creations, including ourselves. He has given us our family, friends,
pets, and community. He has already offered everything to us. This
being the case, at times we still look for more: more knowledge, more
material possessions, more than what we were given.

The tree mentioned in the reading can be likened to the many doors
presented to us. There are many chances and opportunities to be taken,
and yet God only asks for one thing from us: He asks us one thing out
of the myriad of offers, to shun evil. This one little thing is hard
to do, we have to admit, but His unconditional love for us is even
more astounding. He loves us even if we turn away from Him. His arms
are always ever open to take us back into His heart. The question is,
"Are we ready to return to Him?"

To refrain from eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil is
to show how much we appreciate the care that God entrusts to us. It is
never too late to ask forgiveness for our sins and start anew through
a new beginning with a profound seedling called goodness growing in
us.

God doesn't need to give us reasons for His commands because they are
all for our good. Once we learn how to trust without a question and
follow in His footsteps, this would be the only time when we can truly
be happy.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- 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
… for the personal intentions of
- Titong V
- Veronica Yap
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Bishop Raul Q. Martirez, DD
- Prayer Intention: Mina & Victor Cotek
- In Memoriam (+): Fe Chua Giak Lim (Oct 22, 1913- Feb 9, 2005)+
… 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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