DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 16, 2011
FRIDAY 3RD WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

Is 56:1-3, 6-8 / Ps 67:2-3, 5, 7-8 / Jn 5:33-36

ISAIAH 56:1-3, 6-8
This is what Yahweh says: Maintain what is right and do what is just,
for my salvation is close at hand, my justice is soon to come. Blessed
is the mortal who does these things, and perseveres in them, who does
not defile the sabbath and who refrains from evil. Let no foreigner
say, "Surely Yahweh will exclude me from his people." Neither let the
castrated man say, "I have become a mere dry tree." Yahweh says to the
foreigners who join him, serving him and loving his name, keeping his
sabbath unprofaned and remaining faithful to his covenant: I will
bring them to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of
prayer. I will accept on my altar their burnt offerings and
sacrifices, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the
nations. Thus says the Lord God, Yahweh, who gathers the exiles of
Israel: There are others I will gather besides those already gathered.

JOHN 5:33-36
John also bore witness to the truth when you sent messengers to him,
but I do not seek such human testimony; I recall this for you, so that
you may be saved. John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while
you were willing to enjoy his light. But I have greater evidence than
that of John—the works which the Father entrusted to me to carry out.
The very works I do bear witness: the Father has sent me.

REFLECTION
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah says that all those who
follow the commands of the Lord are acceptable to Him, even if they
are foreigners. This means that the pagan converts to Judaism were
very much welcomed by Yahweh, especially since many of the Jewish
people were unfaithful to Him. This tells us that even sinners or
people who previously were irreligious are most welcome to be part of
the Christian community as long as they show a genuine desire to
follow the Christian way. There are many men of goodwill in our
society who, once attracted to Jesus, become his avid followers. In
fact, they eventually live a more holy life than many so-called
traditionally pious Catholics.

In the Gospel, Jesus explicitly says that He is the One sent by God as
Lord and Savior of men. He says that we need not look for others to
enlighten us but simply to observe and reflect on his words and deeds.
Many people nowadays turn to psychology, meditation and other
philosophies for spiritual enlightenment. But none of them possess the
truth, the way and the meaning of life – who Jesus is. Since he is the
Chosen One of God, we must believe in Him and follow Him. It is not
easy to follow Jesus, but if we ask for his help and protection,
surely he will not disappoint us. We must be like little children who
ask help from their parents when we pray to God because God is truly
our Father and Jesus is truly our Brother, Lord and Savior.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Jo Marcelo
- Mon Torres
- Rakkie Villa
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Patricia White
… for the personal intentions of
- Josheil Dapo
- Dr. Ugo Anyaugo, Mr. Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Barr Mrs
Barbs Adaugo Okoronkwo, Mr .Ifeanyi Anyaugo, Mr Chuboy Anyaugo,
Cordelia Anyaugo
… Birthday: Desiree Ching
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Ernesto F. Singson Jr.
- Rhonda White
- Domingo Tomacruz Bautista
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: Bea C. Ventura
- Birthday: Francisco H. Suarez Jr.
- Birthday: Virginia Ho Gotamco & Jovi Ho Gotamco
- Birthday: Trini and Marilou Bulaong
- In Memoriam (+): Manuel Dee C. Ham
- In Memoriam (+): Juanita Q. Estrada
… 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