DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 24, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST. FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP
MONDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Readings: Heb 9:15, 24-28 / Ps 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6 / Mk 3:22-30

HEBREWS 9:15, 24-28
So Christ is the mediator of a new covenant or testament. His death
made atonement for the sins committed under the old testament, and the
promise is hand¬ed over to all who are called to the everlasting
inheritance. Christ did not enter some sanctuary made by hands, a copy
of the true one, but heaven itself. He is now in the presence of God
on our behalf. He had not to offer himself many times, as the High
Priest does: he who may return every year, because the blood is not
his own. Otherwise he would have suffered many times from the creation
of the world. But no; he manifested himself only now at the end of the
ages, to take away sin by sacrifice, and, as humans die only once and
afterwards are judged, in the same way Christ sacrificed himself once
to take away the sins of the multitude. There will be no further
question of sin when he comes again to save those waiting for him.

MARK 3:22-30
The teachers of the Law who had come from Jerusalem said, "He is in
the power of Beelzebul: the chief of the demons helps him to drive out
demons." Jesus called them to him and began teaching them by means of
stories or parables, "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a nation is
divided by civil war, that nation cannot stand. If a family divides
itself into groups, that family will not survive. In the same way, if
Satan has risen against himself and is divided, he will not stand; he
is finished. No one can break into the house of the Strong one in
order to plunder his goods, unless he first ties up the Strong one.
Then indeed, he can plunder his house. "Truly, I say to you, every sin
will be forgiven humankind, even insults to God, however numerous. But
whoever slanders the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven: he carries
the guilt of his sin forever." This was their sin when they said, "He
has an evil spirit in him."

REFLECTION
The scribes or the teachers of the law may have been so far removed
from the heart of God that they thought Jesus, the personification of
God's Love, was in league with Satan and was filled with the evil
spirit.

Fr. Joe Blanco, S.J., used to say that one does not commit a grievous
sin all of a sudden. We turn away from what is good and right by
almost imperceptible degrees. We keep rationalizing our slight
deviations from the truth that one day, many years down the road, we
have become the opposite of the persons we once were. By then, we
would have lost our sense of sin and wonder what was so wrong about
something we've done.

Perhaps the scribes in this gospel passage had gotten into the habit
of rationalizing and justifying themselves so that they slowly turned
away from the truth. They could no longer recognize Goodness. In fact,
they mistook Goodness for evil.

In what ways have I been rationalizing my thoughts, words and deeds to
make them seem acceptable in God's eyes? Can I love Jesus enough to
give up my justifications, stay with the truth and do what I know
would please him? Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to give us the
courage to do this.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chona Borja
- Ely Lara
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Wendy
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of
- Titong
- Jennifer Ann
- Josheil Dapo
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Thomas Sy. 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: Pacita A. Tolentino
- Wedding Anniversary: Gervin & Rosabel Kaw
… 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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