DAILY- HOMILY

DECEMBER 6, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST NICHOLAS, BISHOP
TUESDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

Is 40:1-11 / Ps 96:1-2, 3, 10, 11-12, 13 / Mt 18:12-14

ISAIAH 40:1-11
Be comforted, my people, be strengthened, says your God. Speak to the
heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an
end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of Yahweh
she has received double punishment for all her iniquity. A voice
cries, "In the wilderness prepare the way for Yahweh. Make straight in
the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up;
every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall
become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of Yahweh will be
revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of
Yahweh has spoken." A voice says, "Cry." and I say, "What shall I
cry?" "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the
field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of Yahweh
blows upon it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of
our God will forever stand." Go up onto the high mountain, messenger
of good news to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to
cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God! Here comes your God with might; his strong arm rules
for him; his reward is with him, and here before him is his booty.
Like a shepherd he tends his flock: he gathers the lambs in his arms,
he carries them in his bosom, gently leading those that are with
young.

MATTHEW 18:12-14
Jesus said to his disciples, "What do you think of this? If someone
has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won't he leave the ninety-
nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell
you: when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about
the ninety-nine that did not get lost. It is the same with your Father
in heaven: there they don't want even one of these lit tle ones to be
lost."

REFLECTION
One of the distinguishing traits of the Judeo-Christian religious
tradition is that Jews and Christians need not seek God. It is God who
seeks them. The opposite seems to be true in other religions. The
efforts made to find God by devotees of non-Judeo-Christian religions
give the impression that they must make almost superhuman efforts to
take hold of Him.

At the beginning of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, after
Adam sinned, he hid himself from Yahweh. Yahweh sought him out: "Adam,
where are you?" Yahweh also sought out Abraham and the patriarchs, and
Moses, and often had to force Himself on those He chose to be
prophets. The history of Israelite people in the Old Testament is the
tale of their constant flight from Yahweh and His pursuit of them.

In the first reading, Isaiah paints the joyful picture of Yahweh
seeking out His people in exile and leading them back to their
homeland. In the gospel Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd who
leaves the rest of his flock to search for the lone stray. This, of
course, is only a parable. But in the parable the shepherd is a God-
figure, a metaphor for God, the Father of Jesus. The father of the
prodigal son is also a metaphor for God as he waits anxiously at the
turn of the road each day to welcome his wayward son should he find
his way back home. Furthermore Jesus in his own life on ear th
reflects his Father's vision. The apostle John experienced the
Father's compassionate vision in his dealings with Jesus. This
prompted John to write: "In this is love, not that we love God, but
that He has first loved us."

In Advent we prepare ourselves to celebrate the feast of God's love
for us, which was so great that He sent His own son to be God-with-us,
to be God-in-pursuit of us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Jo Marcelo
- Mon Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Carlos and Emma Q
- Dr Ugonna Anyaugo, Mr Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs)Barbara Adaugo
Okoronkwo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Ifeanyi Mathias Anyaugo, Chuba
Osinachi Anyaugo
- Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Adrian Tan
- Wedding Anniversary: Thomas & Cathy Diokno
… 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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