DAILY- HOMILY

OCTOBER 20, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST PAUL OF THE CROSS, PRIEST
THURSDAY 29TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR I

Rom 6:19-23 / Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4, 6 / Lk 12:49-53

ROMANS 6:19-23
You see that I speak in a very human way, taking into account that you
are not fully mature. There was a time when you let your members be
slaves of impurity and disorder, walking in the way of sin; convert
them now into servants of righteousness, to the point of becoming
holy. When you were slaves of sin, you did not feel under obligation
to righteousness, but what were the fruits of those actions of which
you are now ashamed? Such things bring death. Now, however, you have
been freed from sin and serve God. You are bearing fruit and growing
in holiness, and the result will be life everlasting. So on one side
is Sin: its reward, death; on the other side is God: he gives us, by
grace, life everlasting in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

LUKE 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to bring fire upon the ear
th and how I wish it were already kindled; but I have a baptism to
undergo and what anguish I feel until it is over! "Do you think that I
have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather
division. From now on, in one house five will be divided; three
against two, and two against three. They will be divided, father
against son and son against father; mother against daughter and
daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law,
and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

REFLECTION
Today's Gospel reading is regarded by many as being harsh. ""I have
come to bring fire upon the earth and how I wish it were already
kindled. Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I
tell you, but rather division." Jesus is telling us that the challenge
of his Gospel must purify us and separate us before it unites us and
brings the peace and happiness that we are seeking. Jesus makes it
very clear by these words that there can be no indifference or
neutrality to his words. You are either for Jesus or against him.
There is no in-between.

These seemingly harsh words of Jesus demand a choice on our part. Do
we seek to be purified by the fire of the Gospel or do we reject this
idea of being cleansed and raised up from our human inclinations? In
other words, are we for Jesus or against him? This is the choice we
all have to make many times during our lives.

The Gospel seems to contradict everything we believe about Jesus. He
is Prince of Peace, Lord of Love who came to make all things new,
bright, beautiful, and virtuous. Yet in today's Gospel reading he says
that he came to bring division instead of peace. Jesus did come to
bring unity and peace. Unfortunately, some will oppose him, and this
will cause division.

In the early Church, when a Jew became a Christian, he was
excommunicated from the synagogue and disowned by his family; he was
considered dead. And becoming a Christian thereby meant that he was a
member of an outlawed religion and therefore subject to the death
penalty by the Roman Empire. Jesus came to bring peace, but fidelity
to him will sometimes mean the sword, division, and death.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- William Ong
- Candido
- Susan
- Jo Marcelo
- Mon Torres
- Linda O, Mary Ann, Kristen, Debbie, Nancy, Maureen, Brian, Michael
G, Frank, Gene
- Gerry Bonoan
- Sister Teresa Carpio
- Ditas dela Paz
… for the personal intentions of
- Pam and Eugene R
- Josheil Dapo
- Raymund Davis
- Cris Davis
- Chito and Mona
- Andrew G
… for the eternal repose of the soul of Berni C. Espiritu. 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.
- Wedding Anniversary: Dionisio Chua & Soledad Chua
… 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!

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