DAILY- HOMILY

MARCH 17, 2011
THURSDAY 1ST WEEK OF LENT – YEAR I

Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25 / Ps 138:1-2, 2-3, 7-8 / Mt 7:7-12

ESTER C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Seized with anguish in her fear of death, Queen Esther like¬wise had
recourse to the Lord. Then she prayed to the Lord God of Israel: My
Lord, you who stand alone, come to my help; I am alone and have no
help but you. Through my own choice I am endangering my life. As a
child I was wont to hear from the people of the land of my forebears
that you, O Lord, chose Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers
from among their ancestors to be your lasting heritage; that you did
for them, all that you have promised. Remember us, Lord; reveal
yourself in the time of our calamity. Give me courage, King of gods
and master of all power. Make my words persuasive when I face the
lion; turn his heart against our enemy, that the latter and his like
may be brought to their end. Save us by your hand; help me who am
alone and have none but you, O Lord. You know everything; you know how
I hate honor if from the impious, how I loathe the bed of the
uncircumcised and of any foreigner.

MATTHEW 7:7-12
Jesus said to his disciples, "Ask and you will receive; seek and you
will find; knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks,
receives; whoever seeks, finds; and the door will be opened to him who
knocks. Would any of you give a stone to your son when he asks for
bread? Or give him a snake, when he asks for a fish? As bad as you
are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more,
then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask
him! "So, do to others whatever you would that others do to you: there
you have the Law and the Prophets."

REFLECTION
In the first reading, we can see how Esther entrusted herself
completely to the Lord, to a God she had never seen; a God she only
learned about from her forefathers. Most of us also know God from our
family and our catechism classes. Are we also able to entrust
ourselves completely to God just like Esther?

In the Gospel reading, God assures us of His generosity and loyalty.
He tells us that He loves each one of us; therefore, He will give us
what we ask of Him. All we have to do is approach Him – make the
effort to knock at His door and express our need. This entails
humility for it means dependency on Him. Although we know that God
knows our needs, He still wants us to ask, to tell Him we need Him. He
wants to make known that He is our God and He loves us and He will
give us what we ask for. We all know this in our heads but not all of
us believe this deep down in our hearts.

During this season of Lent, let us ask our Lord for the gift of
humility and faith. May our minds and hearts be open to receive God's
love and to believe that God loves us unconditionally.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Pepe Nebres
- Jo Marcelo
- Jun Lee
- Victor G. Lorenzo
- Ferdinand T. Laxamana
… for the personal intentions of:
- Nabua E.
- Beng and Nina, Ginny and Bong, Benny and Leah
- Josheil Dapo
.. Birthday:
- Karen Lim
- Hernane B. Suede
… for the people of Japan. We especially pray for those who are
directly affected by the earthquake and tsunami
… for the eternal repose of the souls of Santiago, Petronila,
Emmanuel, Antonio, Violeta. 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: Patricia Y. Ong
- Birthday: Kendrick Furukawa
- Birthday: Arturo Dee
- Birthday: PJ Capati
- Wedding Anniversary: Tama & Christina Ng
- In Memoriam (+): Caridad Ongkee Tansengco
- In Memoriam (+): Paul Sim Sr. (Jan 4, 1914 - Mar 17, 1987)
… 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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