DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 25, 2011
FEAST, CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL, APOSTLE
TUESDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Readings: Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22 / Ps 117:1, 2 / Mk 16:15-18

ACTS 22:3-16
"I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in this
city where I was educated in the school of Gamaliel, according to the
strict observance of our Law. And I was dedicated to God's service, as
are all of you today. As for this way, I persecuted it to the point of
death and arrested its followers, both men and women, throwing them
into prison. The High Priest and the whole Council of elders can bear
witness to this. From them I received letters for the Jewish brothers
in Damascus and I set out to arrest those who were there and bring
them back to Jerusalem for punishment. But as I was traveling along,
nearing Damas¬cus, at about noon a great light from the sky suddenly
flashed about me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me:
`Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' I answered: `Who are you,
Lord?' And he said to me: `I am Jesus the Nazarean whom you
persecute.' The men who were with me saw the light, but they did not
understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me. I asked: `What
shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord replied: `Get up and go to Damascus;
there you will be told all that you are destined to do.' Yet the
brightness of that light had blinded me and so I was led by the hand
into Damascus by my companions. There a certain Ananias came to me. He
was a devout observer of the Law and well spoken of by all the Jews
who were living there. As he stood by me, he said: `Brother Saul,
recover your sight.' At that moment I could see and I looked at him.
He then said, `The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his
will, to see the Just One and to hear the words from his mouth. From
now on you shall be his witness before all the pagan peoples and tell
them all that you have seen and heard. And now, why delay? Get up and
be baptized and have your sins washed away by call¬ing upon his Name.'

MARK 16:15-18
Jesus told his disciples, "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the
Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptized will
be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. Signs like
these will accompany those who have believed: in my Name they will
cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes and,
if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed. They will lay
their hands on the sick and they will be healed."

REFLECTION
Jewish religion is based on the Torah, the law given directly to Moses
by God. Out of this great Moral Law, the scribes laid down minute
rules and regulations for every possible situation in life. Thus,
Jewish religion was based on rituals. Furthermore, the Jews considered
themselves as the chosen people of God.

Now enters Paul, carrying Christ's message that Christianity is based
on service, love of God and love of fellowmen. The Jewish rituals were
of lesser importance! Not only did Paul preach a complete turnaround
in the manner of the worship of God, but he brought in as well the
Gentiles into the circle of God's worship. The Gospel of Jesus was for
the whole world. Naturally the Pharisees and Scribes were aghast! This
was heresy for which the penalty was death! Thus, throughout Paul's
exceptional missionary journey, he was hounded by mob hatred,
imprisonment and threats to his life.

In the end, Paul triumphed. His tireless journeying for Christ paved
the way for Christianity to flourish all over Asia Minor, Europe and
along the coasts of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. To this day,
Paul continues to evangelize through the readings of his four teen
earnest letters to the faithful of the early Church.

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
- Vicky Fabella
- Susan
… for the personal intentions of 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: Virgilio Catunao
- Wedding Anniversary: Benita Jr. & Maricel Tan
- In Memoriam (+): Manuel S. Ting (Dec 22, 1920-Jan 25, 1998)
- In Memoriam (+): Servillano N. Platon Sr.
… 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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