DAILY- HOMILY: 12/05/11

DAILY- HOMILY

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Monday, December 05, 2011

MONDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

DECEMBER 5, 2011
MONDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

Is 35:1-10 / Ps 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14 / Lk 5:17-26

ISAIAH 35:1-10
Let the wilderness and the arid land rejoice, the desert be glad and
blossom. Covered with flowers, it sings and shouts with joy, adorned
with the splendor of Lebanon, the magnificence of Carmel and Sharon.
They, my people, see the glory of Yahweh, the majesty of our God. Give
vigor to weary hands and strength to enfeebled knees. Say to those who
are afraid: "Have courage, do not fear. See, your God comes, demanding
justice. He is the God who rewards, the God who comes to save you."
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf
unsealed. Then will the lame leap as a hart and the tongue of the dumb
sing and shout. For water will break out in the wilderness and streams
gush forth from the desert. The thirsty ground will become a pool, the
arid land springs of water. In the haunts where once reptiles lay,
grass will grow with reeds and rushes. There will be a highway which
will be called The Way of Holiness; no one unclean will pass over it
nor any wicked fool stray there. No lion will be found there nor any
beast of prey. Only the redeemed will walk there. For the ransomed of
Yahweh will return: with everlasting joy upon their heads, they will
come to Zion singing, gladness and joy marching with them, while
sorrow and sighing flee away.

LUKE 5:17-26
One day Jesus was teaching and many Pharisees and teachers of the Law
had come from every part of Galilee and Judea and even from Jerusalem.
They were sitting there while the power of the Lord was at work to
heal the sick. Then some men brought a paralyzed man who lay on his
mat. They tried to enter the house to place him before Jesus, but they
couldn't find a way through the crowd. So they went up on the roof
and, removing the tiles, they lowered him on his mat into the middle
of the crowd, in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said
to the man, "My friend, your sins are forgiven." At once the teachers
of the Law and the Pharisees began to wonder, "This man insults God!
Who can forgive sins but only God? But Jesus knew their thoughts and
asked them, "Why are you reacting like this? Which is easier to say:
`Your sins are forgiven,' or: `Get up and walk'? Now you shall know
that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." And Jesus
said to the paralyzed man, "Get up, take your mat and go home." At
once the man stood before them. He took up the mat he had been lying
on and went home praising God. Amazement seized the people and they
praised God. They were filled with a holy fear and said, "What
wonderful things we have seen today!"

REFLECTION
Usually, when we hear the word paralysis, we think in physical terms.
But there is also an emotional paralysis. A person can be paralyzed
with fear. One can experience paralysis through a trauma caused by an
accident. A crisis situation can bring about an anxiety attack in some
people, paralyzing them and interfering with their decision making
process.

Sin is a type of paralysis. It deadens our relationship with others
and with God. Jesus reconciled us to each other and to God; Jesus
forgave our sins. He removed our paralysis, just like he healed the
paralytic and sent him home.

The scribes and the Pharisees who were questioning Jesus' motive, were
also offered the possibility to be healed of their spiritual
paralysis. They had already concluded that Jesus could not be the
promised Messiah, because he performed miracles and proclaimed
forgiveness; actions reserved only for God. Through the forgiveness of
sins and the restoration of the ability to walk, Jesus offered a non-
paralyzed way of life to everyone.

What type of paralysis have we most recently experienced? Have we been
reconciled to others, ourselves and to God? Our God is a forgiving
God. Through the suffering and death of His Son, Jesus, He has set us
free from the paralysis of sin. Let us never cease to glorify Him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of Chief Samrose Anyaugo
… for the personal intentions of
- Carlos and Emma Q
- Dr Ugonna Anyaugo, Mr Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs)Barbara Adaugo
Okoronkwo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Ifeanyi Mathias Anyaugo, Chuba
Osinachi Anyaugo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Myrra Famy
- Birthday: Sophia Sim Bate
- Birthday: Aimee Luz Go
- Birthday: Chynna Denise Tan
- Prayer Intention: Keng Koc & Mary Co
- Prayer Intention: Vicky Roman
- In Memoriam (+): Luis V. Artiaga Jr.
… 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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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 4:31 AM 0 comments

TUESDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

DECEMBER 6, 2011
MEMORIAL, ST NICHOLAS, BISHOP
TUESDAY 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT – YEAR I

Is 40:1-11 / Ps 96:1-2, 3, 10, 11-12, 13 / Mt 18:12-14

ISAIAH 40:1-11
Be comforted, my people, be strengthened, says your God. Speak to the
heart of Jerusalem, proclaim to her that her time of bondage is at an
end, that her guilt has been paid for, that from the hand of Yahweh
she has received double punishment for all her iniquity. A voice
cries, "In the wilderness prepare the way for Yahweh. Make straight in
the desert a highway for our God. Every valley will be raised up;
every mountain and hill will be laid low. The stumbling blocks shall
become level and the rugged places smooth. The glory of Yahweh will be
revealed, and all mortals together will see it; for the mouth of
Yahweh has spoken." A voice says, "Cry." and I say, "What shall I
cry?" "All flesh is grass, and all its beauty as the flower of the
field. The grass withers, the flower wilts, when the breath of Yahweh
blows upon it. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of
our God will forever stand." Go up onto the high mountain, messenger
of good news to Zion, lift up your voice with strength, fear not to
cry aloud when you tell Jerusalem and announce to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God! Here comes your God with might; his strong arm rules
for him; his reward is with him, and here before him is his booty.
Like a shepherd he tends his flock: he gathers the lambs in his arms,
he carries them in his bosom, gently leading those that are with
young.

MATTHEW 18:12-14
Jesus said to his disciples, "What do you think of this? If someone
has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won't he leave the ninety-
nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell
you: when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it than about
the ninety-nine that did not get lost. It is the same with your Father
in heaven: there they don't want even one of these lit tle ones to be
lost."

REFLECTION
One of the distinguishing traits of the Judeo-Christian religious
tradition is that Jews and Christians need not seek God. It is God who
seeks them. The opposite seems to be true in other religions. The
efforts made to find God by devotees of non-Judeo-Christian religions
give the impression that they must make almost superhuman efforts to
take hold of Him.

At the beginning of the Judeo-Christian religious tradition, after
Adam sinned, he hid himself from Yahweh. Yahweh sought him out: "Adam,
where are you?" Yahweh also sought out Abraham and the patriarchs, and
Moses, and often had to force Himself on those He chose to be
prophets. The history of Israelite people in the Old Testament is the
tale of their constant flight from Yahweh and His pursuit of them.

In the first reading, Isaiah paints the joyful picture of Yahweh
seeking out His people in exile and leading them back to their
homeland. In the gospel Jesus tells the parable of the shepherd who
leaves the rest of his flock to search for the lone stray. This, of
course, is only a parable. But in the parable the shepherd is a God-
figure, a metaphor for God, the Father of Jesus. The father of the
prodigal son is also a metaphor for God as he waits anxiously at the
turn of the road each day to welcome his wayward son should he find
his way back home. Furthermore Jesus in his own life on ear th
reflects his Father's vision. The apostle John experienced the
Father's compassionate vision in his dealings with Jesus. This
prompted John to write: "In this is love, not that we love God, but
that He has first loved us."

In Advent we prepare ourselves to celebrate the feast of God's love
for us, which was so great that He sent His own son to be God-with-us,
to be God-in-pursuit of us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Jo Marcelo
- Mon Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Carlos and Emma Q
- Dr Ugonna Anyaugo, Mr Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr (Mrs)Barbara Adaugo
Okoronkwo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Ifeanyi Mathias Anyaugo, Chuba
Osinachi Anyaugo
- Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Adrian Tan
- Wedding Anniversary: Thomas & Cathy Diokno
… for families who are in need of healing
… for world peace and reconciliation.