DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 12, 2011
FEAST, OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
MONDAY 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

Nm 24:2-7, 15-17 / Ps 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9/ Mt 21:23-27

NUMBERS 24:2-7, 15-17
He looked up and saw Israel camping, tribe by tribe; and the spirit of
God came upon him and he uttered his song: "Word of Balaam, son of
Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, and beholds the
vision of the Almighty, in ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. How goodly are
your tents, Jacob, your encampments, Israel! Like valleys stretching
far, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes planted by Yahweh, like
cedars beside the waters. His buckets are overflowing and his seeds
are always watered. His king becomes stronger than Agag, and his
kingdom grows. Then Balaam pronounced his oracle: "Word of Balaam, son
of Beor, the seer, the one who hears the words of God, who has
knowledge from the Most High, and sees the vision of the Al mighty, in
ecstasy, with eyes unveiled. I see a figure, but not really. I behold
him but not near. A star shall come forth from Jacob, he rises with a
staff in his hand; he shatters the forehead of Moab and tears down all
the sons of Sheth.

MATTHEW 21:23-27
Jesus had entered the Temple and was teaching when the chief priests,
the teachers of the Law and the Jewish authorities came to him and
asked, "What authority have you to act like this? Who gave you
authority to do all this?" Jesus answered them, "I will also ask you a
question, only one. And if you give me an answer, then I will tell you
by what authority I do these things. When John began to baptize, was
it a work of God, or was it merely something human?" They reasoned out
among themselves, "If we reply that it was a work of God, he will say:
Why, then, did you not believe him? And if we say: The baptism of John
was merely something human, beware of the people; since all hold John
as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus
said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what right I do these
things."

REFLECTION
We are in the middle of the Advent season. The readings today call us
to remember that this season is one of recognizing anew who Jesus is,
the Son of God, the promised Messiah. In the first reading, the
prophet Balaam draws our attention to a star that will come from the
tribe of Jacob. In the Gospel reading, we hear that the chief priests
challenged the authority of Jesus.

Two approaches to life seem to be represented in these two scripture
readings. In the oracle of Balaam, we have a prophet who is attentive
to God. Balaam knows God's presence. He hears God's words and sees
what God shows him. Balaam knows, with a kind of faith that is sure,
but which he cannot prove by logic or fact. On the other hand, in the
gospel reading, we hear of the chief priests who focus on the more
concrete. They want credentials from Jesus. Balaam speaks of a vision.
In it he sees a star that will come from Jacob. He also sees a staff,
representing a leader who will rise from Israel.

These prophecies probably applied directly to the rise of the house of
King David and of the Davidic monarchy. However, hearing these words
in the spirit of Advent, we can also understand them as foreshadowing
the rise of the star which the Magi followed, and the staff which
could be Jesus leading us back to the Father.

During the remaining days of our Advent preparation, Let us strive to
recognize how Jesus is our staff, our leader and our star.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Baby Diam Dy
- Chief SamRose Anyaugo
- Francis Santos
- Julie Manzon
- Glenn Manzon
- Jovelyn Ureta
… for the personal intentions of
- Dr. Ugonna Anyaugo; Mr Ogechi Anyaugo; Barr Obinna Okoronkwo; Barr
(Mrs) Adaugo Barbara Okoronkwo; Ifeanyi Mathias Anyaugo; Chuba
Osinachi Anyaugo; Ezinne Cordelia C Anyaugo; Cordelia
- Pauline
- Cherie Torres
- Tess
- Lordy Fernandez
- Julie and Glenn Manzon
- Ma.Fe and Florante De Castro
- Mary Ann Castro
- Glenn and Joel Bisco
- Estelita Escamilla and Salvador Escamilla
- Fe Edralyn and Domingo Barayoga Jr.
… Birthday:
- Linda Manzon
- Salvador Escamilla
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Serafia Manalili Laquian
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: Fatima Perla Cid
- Birthday: Diego Estrella Bate
- Wedding Anniversary: Al And Cita Conception
- Wedding Anniversary: James & Julie Marantan
- Thanksgiving: Bishop Luis Antonio "Chito" Tagle, DD Ordination Day
as Bishop
- In Memoriam (+): Laura Dickson Platon
… 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!

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

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