DAILY- HOMILY

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST. LORENZO RUIZ & COMPANIONS, MARTYRS
WEDNESDAY 26TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Neh 2:1-8 / Ps 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6 / Lk 9:57-62

NEHEMIAH 2:1-8
1 In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of king Artaxerxes, I
was doing my duty as cupbearer. I took up the wine and gave it to the
king. I had never been sad before the king in the past. 2 So, the king
said to me, "Why do you look sad? You don't look sick. Is there
something that bothers you?" I became hesitant. 3 And I said, "May the
king live forever! How could I afford not to be sad when the city
where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates are burned
down?" 4 The king said to me, "What do you want, then?" I asked help
of God from heaven and 5 said to the king, "If it seems good to the
king and if he is pleased with my work, then may he send me to the
land of Judah, to the city where my ancestors are buried, that I may
rebuild it." 6 The queen was sitting beside the king, and the king
asked me, "How long will you be gone? When will you be back?" I told
him the date and he allowed me to leave. 7 And I said to the king, "If
it pleases the king, may you give me letters for the governors of the
province at the other side of the River that I may travel to Judah, 8
and also a letter to Asaph, the caretaker of the king's forest, for I
will need wood for the gates of the Citadel near the Temple, for the
walls of the city and for the house where I shall live." The good hand
of God was supporting me, so that the king gave me what I asked.

LUKE 9: 57-62
As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, a man said to him, "I
will follow you wherever you go." Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes
and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay
his head." To another Jesus said, "Follow me." But he answered, "Let
me go back now, for first I want to bury my father." And Jesus said to
him, "Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them and
proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said to him, "I will follow you,
Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family." And Jesus said to
him, "Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit
for the kingdom of God."

REFLECTION
Saints like Lorenzo Ruiz and Wenceslaus of Bohemia endured persecution
for their faith. Regardless of our circumstance, we are continually
being called to follow in the footsteps of Christ. It asks for taking
up of our crosses with no buts or ifs. Along the way, we experience
temptations. We are instructed to move on, to progress on our journey.

Nowadays, not that many openly get tortured because of their faith.
Yet when we are faced with conflicting or grey-area choices, it seems
difficult to follow through as Christians. Refusing to support
government projects by failing to pay taxes, for one reason or
another, can be debated upon. Berating an offensive employee as a way
of easing tension can be justified. Gossiping about an undesirable
officemate seems acceptable in a society hungry for rumors and
nonsensical stories. How of ten do we fall short in responding as
Christians?

Defending our faith now and before has not changed. It calls for the
same vigilance and focus that our Christian ancestors gave. Jesus'
commandment of loving one another as he has loved us is the same as it
was 2,000 years ago. This time, however, we do not stand against non-
believers, but instead we stand against the callousness which ails our
present society.

If we said yes to follow him, hopefully we persevere and avoid "back-
sliding." This we can do because God is with us. (Nehemiah 2:8) He is
Emmanuel.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of:
- Monica
- Renan and Bong Lacida
- Normita Siaco
- Manuel V. Mosera
… for the personal intentions of
- Josheil Dapo
- Pauline
- Mary Wong
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Danilo G. Francisco. Eternal
rest grant unto him and may perpetual light shine upon him. May he and
all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rolly Dela Rosa
- Birthday: Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas Dd
- Birthday: Rebecca Chua Lim Siu Cheng
- Birthday: Archbishop Socrates "Soc" Villegas, DD
- Wedding Anniversary: Benjamin & Michelle Lynette Yu Jones
- Wedding Anniversary: Ferdie & Bel Chua, M.D.
… 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!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.
Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,
colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the
following:

+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GoogleGroup Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this free mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

© 2011 Daily-Homily