DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 25, 2012
THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL
WEDNESDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

Acts 22:3-16 or 9:1-22 / 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 Damascus, 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 calling upon his Name.'

MARK 16:15-18
Then he told them, "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
Today's Gospel tells us of St. Paul's conversion and the events
surrounding it. Paul was a very fervent person – formerly very active
in the persecution of the Christians but, after "seeing the light,"
even more passionate in his following of Christ and his teachings.

Confronted with Paul's life, let us ask ourselves, "What kind of
Catholics are we?" Are we converts, as St. Paul was, or are we
Catholics "from birth"? Are our entire lives – home, leisure,
workplace – based on the way Christ wants us to live? Do we
continually try to learn about Christ? Are we, like St. Paul, willing
to suffer for Christ?

When problems and pain come our way, perhaps we turn to God for help.
But do we offer our troubles and sufferings to Christ, thanking him
instead for them? This was St. Paul's attitude after his conversion;
it is the way of the saints. With God's grace, we can achieve many
things.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Junlyn Pascua, Nedda Marjorie, Chiclet Alfeche
- Sonny, Lily
- Mon Torres
- Rakkie Villa
- Tung-Jou Sheh
- Cecilia Yu
… for the personal intentions of
- Celma
- Raymund, Cris, Nedda, Allan, Parke, EJ, Arron Davis, Bogart, Zofie,
Quinn Correa
- Veronica Yap
... Birthday: Cheryl Armero
… In Thanksgiving: Raymund, Cris, Nedda, Allan, Parke, EJ, Arron
Davis, Bogart, Zofie, Quinn Correa
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Ramon "Nonie" Z. Uy
- Ricardo Villanueva
- Buenaventura Pascual Wenceslao
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: Elisa O. Dee
- Birthday: Virgilio Catunao
- Wedding Anniversary: Benito Jr. & Maricel Tan
- In Memoriam (+): Manuel S. Ting (Dec. 22, 1920-Jan. 25, 1998)
… 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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