DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 7, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST. PERPETUA AND ST. FELICITY, MARTYRS
MONDAY 9TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Tb 1:1, 2; 2:1-9 / Ps 112:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 / Mk 12:1-12

TOBIT 1:1, 2; 2:1-9
This is the story of Tobit son of Tobiel, son of Ananiel, son of
Adonel, son of Gabael of the race of Asiel, of the tribe of Naphtali.
In the days of Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, Tobit was deported from
Thisbe, which is to the south of Kedesh of Naphtali in Galilee, above
Asher. When I returned to my house, my wife Anna and my son Tobias
were given back to me. At the feast of Pentecost, the sacred feast of
the Seven Weeks, they prepared a good meal for me and I sat down to
eat. I saw the many dishes and said to my son: "Go and bring as many
as you can find of our relatives who are in need and who remember the
Lord. I will wait here for them." When Tobias returned, he said:
"Father, one of ours has been strangled and thrown into the public
square." Before I ate anything I hurried out and carried this man into
the house and waited till sunset to bury him. When I returned home I
washed myself and ate my food in sorrow. I remembered the prophecy
which Amos uttered against Bethel: "Your feasts will be turned into
mourning. All your songs will be turned into lamentations," and I
wept. After sunset I went out and, after I had dug a trench, I buried
the man. My neighbors mocked me, saying: "He no longer fears to be put
to death for doing that; he had to flee but look he is again burying
the dead." That same night, after I had buried the body, I returned
home. I washed myself and went out into the courtyard to sleep against
the wall; my face was uncovered because of the heat.

MARK 12:1-12
Using parables, Jesus went on to say, "A man planted a vineyard, put a
fence around it, dug a hole for the wine press and built a watch
tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenants and went abroad. "In due
time he sent a servant to receive from the tenants his share of the
fruit. But they seized the servant, struck him and sent him back empty-
handed. Again the man sent another servant. They also struck him on
the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another and they killed
him. In the same way they treated many others; some they struck and
others they killed. One was still left, his beloved son. And so, last
of all, he sent him to the tenants, for he said: `They will respect my
son.' "But those tenants said to one another: `This is the one who is
to inherit the vineyard. Let's kill him and the property will be
ours.' So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the
vineyard. Now, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come
and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." And Jesus
added, "Have you not read this text of the Scriptures: The stone which
the builders rejected has become the keystone. This was the Lord's
doing; and we marvel at it." They wanted to arrest him for they
realized that Jesus meant this parable for them, but they were afraid
of the crowd. So they left him and went away.

REFLECTION
The Gospel today is another parable, where a man planted a vineyard.
He prepared everything needed so that the one to take charge of it
would be able to make full use of it and have a bountiful harvest. Yet
the tenants instead of expressing gratitude allowed their hearts to be
filled with hatred and envy that they treated each and every emissary,
including the owner's beloved son, with shame and violence. Sometimes
we find ourselves at a point of having the same negative attitude.
Yet, Jesus in the parable teaches us another way…a way of peace and
love for others.

Wanting to follow Jesus, we can take a look at how we, as citizens,
respond to the plans of our good leaders. Perhaps it is time that we
fulfill our responsibilities to make good things happen. In our own
life, let us look at the times when we fail to recognize the good
heart of the Father and instead choose not to cooperate and even
reject a deeper relationship with him.

The Father, in His love for us, only wants a life that will help us
realize a grace filled life in Him. In freedom we have the option to
accept this with gratitude in our hearts or to reject and lose the
very life offered to us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Nel de Leon
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ely Lara
- Bert Villacorta
- Lydia Pe
- Juday Pe
- Marge, Pam, Maria, KD, Kristin, Alex, John C & Mary T
… for the personal intentions of Titong V.
.. Birthday: Reggie Lim
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Bill L, Marge G, Jimmy, Kathy
& John M. 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.
… 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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