DAILY- HOMILY

NOVEMBER 18, 2011
DEDICATION OF THE BASILICAS OF STS. PETER AND PAUL
FRIDAY 33RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59 / 1 Chr 29:10, 11, 11-12, 12 / Lk 19:45-48

1 MACCABEES 4:36–37, 52–59
Then Judas and his brothers said: "Our enemies are defeated, so let us
go up and purify the Holy Place and consecrate it again." And all the
army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. On the twenty-fifth day of
the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight (164
B.C.) they arose at dawn and offered the sacrifice prescribed by the
Law on the new altar of holocausts which they had built. It was
precisely at that same time and date that the pagans had profaned it
before; but now they consecrated it with songs accompanied by zithers,
harps and cymbals. All the people fell prostrate and blessed Heaven
that had given them happiness and success. They celebrated the
consecration of the altar for eight days, joyfully offering holocausts
and celebrating sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. The front of
the temple was adorned with crowns of gold and shields; the gates and
the rooms had been restored and fitted with doors. There was no end to
the celebration among the people, and so the profanation of the temple
by the pagans was forgotten. Finally, Judas, his brothers and the
whole assembly of Israel agreed to celebrate the anniversary of the
consecration of the altar annually for eight days, from the twenty-
fifth of the month of Chislev, in high festivity.

LUKE 19:45-48
Jesus entered the Temple area and began to drive out the merchants.
And he said to them, "God says in the Scriptures: My house shall be a
house of prayer: but you have turned it into a den of robbers." Jesus
was teaching every day in the Temple. The chief priests and teachers
of the Law wanted to kill him and the elders of the Jews as well, but
they were unable to do anything, for all the people were listening to
him and hanging on his words.

REFLECTION
In the first reading, Judas Maccabaeus, leader of the Israelite army,
discovers the Temple of Jerusalem to have been desecrated by the
heathens. So he selects blameless priests to purify the sanctuary and
rededicate the Temple to Yahweh. Once this was done, the whole of
Israel rejoiced greatly. This is the origin of the Christian custom to
dedicate churches and basilicas to God because for us, they are the
houses of God. Today is the memorial of the dedication of the
basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome.

What does this mean for us? Firstly, we are the temple of God. But we
have often desecrated ourselves by going after false gods – money,
career, success, fame, beauty, sex, vices, etc. We have polluted our
own persons and sickened ourselves by what we have done. So at this
juncture, we are invited to repent for our sins and make amends. Then
the Holy Trinity can come once again to dwell in us. And so everybody
will rejoice when they see that we have rededicated our lives to God.

God cannot dwell in us unless we purify ourselves of our sins with the
help of Mother Church – by frequenting the sacraments, by
communicating with fellow Christians and of course, by a lot of prayer
and self-denial.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Samrose Anyaugo, Ogechi Anyaugo, Ifeanyi Anyaugo, Cordelia Anyaugo
- Jo Marcelo
- Mon Torres
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Pauline
- Lingad family
- Anyaugo family
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Felicitas Quiambao
- Birthday: Jody Sim
… for families who are in need of healing
… 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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