DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 6, 2011
MEMORIAL, BLESSED ANDRE BESSETTE, RELIGIOUS
THURSDAY AFTER EPIPHANY – YEAR I

Readings: 1 Jn 4:19—5:4 / Ps 72:1-2, 14-15, 17 / Lk 4:14-22

1 JOHN 4:19—5:4
So let us love one another, since he loved us first. If you say, "I
love God," while you hate your brother or sister, you are a liar. How
can you love God whom you do not see, if you do not love your brother
whom you see? received from him this commandment: let those who love
God also love their brothers. All those who believe that Jesus is the
Anointed, are born of God; whoever loves the Father, loves the Son.
How may we know that we love the children of God? If we love God and
fulfill his commands, for God's love requires us to keep his commands.
In fact, his commandments are not a burden because all those born of
God overcome the world. And the victory which overcomes the world is
our faith.

LUKE 4:14-22
Jesus acted with the power of the Spirit, and on his return to Galilee
the news about him spread throughout all that territory. He began
teaching in the synagogues of the Jews and everyone praised him. When
Jesus came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, he entered the
synagogue on the Sabbath as he usually did. He stood up to read and
they handed him the book of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus then unrolled
the scroll and found the place where it is writ ten: "The Spirit of
the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the
poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and new sight to the blind; to
free the oppressed and announce the Lord's year of mercy." Jesus then
rolled up the scroll, gave it to the attendant and sat down, while the
eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he said to them,
"Today these prophetic words come true even as you listen." All agreed
with him and were lost in wonder, while he kept on speaking of the
grace of God. Never theless they asked, "Who is this but Joseph's
son?"

REFLECTION
In today's Gospel we read about the beginning of Jesus' ministry. He
was empowered by the Spirit and gained knowledge and wisdom. With the
Spirit in him, he entered his native Nazareth. Let us remember that
once Jesus was not accepted by his own people and was even driven
away. But this time, the Spirit emboldens him as he starts his
mission.

When he came to the synagogue, he was handed the book of Isaiah and he
read it. The people who knew him as the carpenter's son were
astonished at the words of salvation that he spoke. They were amazed
at how the boy they knew has grown into a man of wisdom and knowledge
as they witnessed him speaking very credibly to them about the kingdom
of God. They must be really proud that one of their own would be the
bringer of the good news.

Very often we are impressed by someone who possesses the gift of
eloquence. What makes us more impressed is the person's academic
background especially the prestige of the university he had at tended
and the Latin honors he had received. But can academic background be
the only gauge of one's credibility? Let us remember that Jesus is the
son of God but he needed the Holy Spirit for his source of knowledge
and wisdom. In our case, no matter how much academic knowledge we have
gained if we do not accept God as the source of all knowledge and
wisdom, we are hypocrites. For us Christians who have the mission to
bring the good news to others, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us.
And as Jesus lived what he preached, we should also do the same.
That's the only way to be credible bringers of the good news.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Ely Lara
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Jo Marcelo, Jun Lee, John Lawrence
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of Marge, Frank M, John C, Rita & Marge
G
…In Thanksgiving:
- Titong V.
- Renan & Jo Lacida
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Stephanie Cheng Dungca.
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: Rev. Fr. Dennis Paez, SDB
- In Memoriam (+): Dionisio So
… 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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