DAILY- HOMILY

JANUARY 23, 2012
MONDAY 3RD WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

2 Sm 5:1-7, 10 / Mk 3:22-30

2 SAMUEL 5:1-7, 10
After they had taken the Ark of God, the Philistines carried it from
Ebenezer to Ashdod. There they brought it into the temple of Dagon and
set it up beside him. Rising up early the following day, the people
saw that Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the Ark
of Yahweh. So they picked up Dagon and put him back in his place. But
when they rose the following morning, the people saw Dagon on the
ground again, face downward before the Ark of Yahweh. His head and
hands were broken off and lay at the threshold. Only the trunk of
Dagon was left where he fell. This is why the priests of Dagon and his
worshipers do not tread on the threshold of his temple in Ashdod up to
this day. The hand of Yahweh was heavy upon the people of Ashdod.
Yahweh afflicted the people of Ashdod and its vicinity with
hemorrhoids. Seeing this, the people of Ashdod said, "Let the Ark of
the God of Israel not remain with us. His hand is heavy on us and on
Dagon, our god." So they moved the Ark of God to Ekron. But when the
Ark entered Ekron, the people there cried out, "They have brought us
the Ark of the God of Israel to slay us all."

MARK 3:22-30
Meanwhile the teachers of the Law, who had come from Jerusalem, said,
"He is in the power of Beelzebul: the chief of the demons helps him to
drive out demons." Jesus called them to him, and began teaching them
by means of stories, or parables. "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a
nation is divided by civil war, that nation cannot stand. If a family
divides itself into groups, that family will not survive. In the same
way, if Satan has risen against himself and is divided, he will not
stand; he is finished. No one can break into the house of a strong man
in order to plunder his goods, unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then indeed, he can plunder his house. Truly, I say to you, every sin
will be forgiven humankind, even insults to God, however numerous. But
whoever slanders the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven: he carries
the guilt of his sin forever." This was their sin when they said, "He
has an unclean spirit in him."

REFLECTION
To some, these are welcome thoughts and a state of being to aim for –
to have God in us always, as our guide and light, and to go through
the day filled with the Spirit, walking mindfully and with purpose.
But to others, these same wondrous thoughts give us feelings of
impatience, shame, fear, and unworthiness. Perhaps a litany of
intervening thoughts go through our heads, like: I do not have time to
sit still and pray; I have too much to do; how am I to function with
God in me; God will not abide to stay inside a sinner like me. Then we
opt to go through life's struggles on our own.

How much we allow God to be part of our lives is a personal choice.
Christ gave us the freedom to accept his love and presence; to carry
him within us, to walk in his ways. If someone gives us the keys to
the treasury room, he gives us free reign on how much treasure to take
away. Perhaps we need to stop and ponder how much of God's gifts and
blessings we consciously should decide to take with us, and how we can
allow God to work in us.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Tung-Jou Sheh (
- Cecilia Yu
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Annalie
- Ramon "Nonie" Z. Uy
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: Edward J. Salvador
- Wedding Anniversary: Luis & Susan Lim
- In Memoriam (+): Yu Cheng Kho (1916 - 1993)+
- In Memoriam (+): Ruben Chan Hwan (Apr 14,1958-Jan 23, 2010)+
… 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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