DAILY- HOMILY

APRIL 16, 2011
SATURDAY 5TH WEEK OF LENT – YEAR I

Ez 37:21-28 / Jer 31:10, 11-12, 13 / Jn 11:45-57

EZEKIEL 37:21-28
You will then say to them: Thus says Yahweh: I am about to withdraw
the Israelites from where they were among the nations. I shall gather
them from all around and bring them back to their land. I shall make
them into one people on the mountains of Israel and one king is to be
king of them all. They will no longer form two nations or be two
separate kingdoms, nor will they defile themselves again with their
idols, their detestable practices and their sins. I shall free them
from the guilt of their treachery; I shall cleanse them and they will
be for me a people and I shall be God for them. My servant David will
reign over them, one shepherd for all. They will live according to my
laws and follow and practice my decrees. They will settle in the land
I gave to my servant Jacob where their ancestors lived. There they
will live forever, their children and their children's children. David
my servant will be their prince forever. I shall establish a covenant
of peace with them, an everlasting covenant. I shall settle them and
they will increase and I shall put my sanctuary in their midst
forever. I shall make my home at their side; I shall be their God and
they will be my people. Then the nations will know that I am Yahweh
who makes Israel holy, having my sanctuary among them forever."

JOHN 11:45-57
Many of the Jews who had come with Mary believed in Jesus when they
saw what he did; but some went to the Pharisees and told them what
Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called the
Sanhedrin Council. They said, "What are we to do? For this man keeps
on giving miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, all the
people will believe in him and, as a result of this, the Romans will
come and sweep away our Holy Place and our nation." Then one of them,
Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, spoke up, "You know nothing
at all nor do you see clearly what you need. It is better to have one
man die for the people than to let the whole nation be destroyed." In
saying this Caiaphas did not speak for himself, but being High Priest
that year, he foretold as a prophet that Jesus would die for the
nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the
scattered children of God. So, from that day on, they were determined
to kill him. Because of this, Jesus no longer moved about freely among
the Jews. He withdrew instead to the country near the wilderness and
stayed with his disciples in a town called Ephraim.

REFLECTION
In the first reading, Ezekiel relates God's promise: "I shall rescue
them from all the betrayals they have been guilt y of; I shall cleanse
them; they shall be my people and I will be their God. My servant
David will reign over them ..." Then we find in the Gospel of John
that Caiaphas had made a prophecy as high priest "that Jesus was to
die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather
together in unity the scattered children of God."

In the following days of Lent, we will be reminded of God's continuing
intervention to fulfill His promise and His great love for us. His
spirit constantly reaches out to us and enables us to live by His
grace and to become one in this spirit. Jesus has come to fulfill this
at the cost of his life in order to reconcile man with God. This unity
can come about only through the life-giving spirit that lives in our
communion into the mystical body of Christ, his church and is
celebrated in the true essence and spirit of the Eucharist.

On our own, we continue to sin and follow our selfish inclinations. We
concern ourselves with self piety and imagine it as sufficient for
salvation. Yet in spite of our efforts, don't we feel that something
is lacking and that unity is incomplete when we see the realities
around us – the conditions of the people and our environment? Jesus
gathers us all into his mission with the words: "Come, follow me!"

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Myrna Borja
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
- Allen P.
- Marge, Ben, Eugene R, Maria, Mrs T, Ed's mom, Frank & Gene
- Amy Trice, Jim White
… for the personal intentions of:
- Nick
- Josheil Dapo
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Bob Finlay
- Emmalynda V. Bernales
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: Augustine Probosusanto
- Birthday: Sis. Lilia Palima
- Birthday: Juanito Chiong
- Wedding Anniversary: John & Lilian Cua
- Wedding Anniversary: Alex & Chit Ngui & Family
- Wedding Anniversary: Al & Karen Yap
- In Memoriam (+): Johnny L. Young
- In Memoriam (+): Celia C. Dizon
… 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!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.
Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,
colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the
following:

+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GoogleGroup Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this free mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

© 2011 Daily-Homily