DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 5, 2012
5TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

Jb 7:1-4, 6-7 / 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23 / Mk 1:29-39

JOB 7:1-4, 6-7
Man's life on earth is a thankless job, his days are those of a
mercenary. Like a slave he longs for the shade of evening, like a
hireling waiting for his wages. Thus I am allotted months of boredom
and nights of grief and misery. In bed I say, "When shall the day
break?" On rising, I think, "When shall evening come?" and I toss
restless till dawn. My days pass swifter than a weaver's shuttle,
heading without hope to their end. My life is like wind, you well know
it, O God; never will I see happiness again.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:16-19, 22-23
Because I cannot boast of announcing the Gospel: I am bound to do it.
Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel! If I preached voluntarily, I
could expect my reward, but I have been trusted this office against my
will. How can I, then, deserve a reward? In announcing the Gospel, I
will do it freely without making use of the rights given to me by the
Gospel. So, feeling free with everybody, I have become every body's
slave in order to gain a greater number. To the weak I made myself
weak, to win the weak. So I made myself all things to all people in
order to save, by all possible means, some of them. This I do for the
Gospel, so that I too have a share of it.

MARK 1:29-39
On leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the home of Simon and Andrew
with James and John. As Simon's mother-in-law was sick in bed with
fever, they immediately told him about her. Jesus went to her and,
taking her by the hand, raised her up. The fever left her and she
began to wait on them. That evening at sundown, people brought to
Jesus all the sick and those who had evil spirits: the whole town was
pressing around the door. Jesus healed many who had various diseases,
and drove out many demons; but he did not let them speak, for they
knew who he was. Very early in the morning, before daylight, Jesus
went off to a lonely place where he prayed. Simon and the others went
out also, searching for him; and when they found him, they said,
"Everyone is looking for you." Then Jesus answered, "Let's go to the
nearby villages so that I may preach there too; for that is why I
came." So Jesus set out to preach in all the synagogues throughout
Galilee; he also cast out demons.

REFLECTION
Prayer is not a means for people to force a reluctant God to do what
he does not want to do, nor is it a time for informing God of what God
does not know. Prayer is for the benefit of the one who prays. It is
the tool that God uses to better inform us, better direct us, better
help us to be conformed to God's will. When we enter into prayer, we
ought to enter with the desire that God will move us into His will,
that He will unite our hearts in one purpose and demonstrate his power
to do more than we ask or think.

We would do well to follow Jesus' example, for surely if the Son of
God needed to take time for prayer and seeking God's will, so do we.
Prayer is spending time with God. It might involve asking for things,
or thanking God for things. It might also be simply being with God.

Have you ever simply spent time with someone, and you are both just
quietly being together? You may be sitting with your spouse, or
holding your child, or at the bedside of your sick parent. We need
more of that quiet time spent with God. We will rarely find God in the
hectic moments in our lives, but we will often find Him in the quiet
moments. Just being still and resting in the simple presence of the
Lord is good for our own soul, for our relationship with others, and
for our relationship with God.

Take a movie director saying "Action" after a pause in filming. The
word "Amen" at the end of our prayers should be like that. We often
tend to treat the word "Amen" as a "Goodbye" and sort of hanging up
the telephone on God, as if we are disconnecting from Him, whereas
prayer should be a constant thing, an attitude and a frame of mind
that never ends.

St. Paul said in his letter to the Thessalonians, "pray without
ceasing." Paul does not suggest that we live a life in the monastery,
always being in the kind of solitary place for prayer that Jesus finds
in today's gospel reading. Paul is referring to a constant attitude
about prayer. Never say "Amen" as a way of disconnecting from God.
Rather, say "Amen" like the director saying, "Action." The end of
prayer is action.

There are times when you should just do nothing, but sit there in
quiet prayer. Then there are other times when you should say to
yourself, "Don't just sit there, do something." At the end of the
prayer, when you say "Amen", that should be a word that calls you to
action. That is what Jesus did.

In today's Gospel, Jesus sneaks off for prayer in a quiet solitary
place. The disciples find him and at the end of the prayer time, Jesus
gets up and gets on with life. Jesus tells his disciples, "Let us go
somewhere else, to the nearby villages, so I can preach there also.
That is why I have come."

Our lives are so busy. We need to stop from time to time and go to
that solitary place for prayer. And then at the end of the prayer, get
up and get busy with the things that are most important, the work of
God.

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
- Stella Sison
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Mon Torres
- Rakkie Villa
… for the personal intentions of
- Dr. Ugo Anyaugo, Mr. Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr Obinna Okoronkwo, Barr Mrs
Barbs Adaugo Okoronkwo, Mr .Ifeanyi Anyaugo, Mr Chuboy Anyaugo,
Cordelia Anyaugo, Kelechi Ozurumba
- Josheil Dapo
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Ma. Lourdes Salvador-Sy
- Birthday: Vittorio B. Dizon
- Prayer Intention: Albino & Emile Chua & Family
… 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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