DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 11, 2012
MEMORIAL, OUR LADY OF LOURDES
SATURDAY 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR II

1 Kgs 12:26-32;13:33-34 / Mk 8:1-10, Green/*White

1 KINGS 12:26-32; 13:33-34
Jeroboam thought, "The kingdom could return to the house of David.
Should this people go up to offer sacrifices in Yahweh's House in
Jerusalem, their heart would turn again to their master, Rehoboam king
of Judah. They would kill me and go back to him." And so the king
sought advice and made two golden calves. Then he said to the people,
"You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods,
O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt." He put one of
these in Bethel, the other in Dan. And so Jeroboam made the people
sin; the people went as far as Dan to accompany one of them. Jeroboam
also built temples on high places, appointing priests who were not
from the Levites. Jeroboam also appointed a feast on the fifteenth day
of the eighth month in imitation of the feast in Judah, and he himself
offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel and sacrificed
to the calves that he had made; there he placed priests for the high
places he had made. After this, however, Jeroboam did not abstain from
doing evil. Instead he made priests for the high places from among the
people; he consecrated anyone who wanted to be a priest for the high
places. And this became the sin of the family of Jeroboam for which it
was to be cut off and destroyed from the face of the earth.

MARK 8:1-10
Soon afterwards Jesus was in the midst of another large crowd, that
obviously had nothing to eat. So he called his disciples and said to
them, "I feel sorry for these people, because they have been with me
for three days and now have nothing to eat. If I send them to their
homes hungry, they will faint on the way; some of them have come a
long way." His disciples replied, "Where, in a deserted place like
this, could we get enough bread to feed these people?" He asked them,
"How many loaves have you?" And they answered, "Seven." Then he
ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves
and giving thanks, he broke them, and handed them to his disciples to
distribute. And they distributed them among the people. They also had
some small fish, so Jesus said a blessing, and asked that these be
shared as well. The people ate and were satisfied. The broken pieces
were collected, seven wicker baskets full of leftovers. Now those who
had eaten were about four thousand in number. Jesus sent them away,
and immediately got into the boat with his disciples, and went to the
region of Dalmanutha.

REFLECTION
The readings today provide seemingly contrasting images of God. In the
first, He is seen as a destroyer, punishing Jeroboam for his evil
ways. In the Gospel, the Lord is compassionate, nourishing four
thousand tired and famished people. What we need to understand here is
that there is definitely no inconsistency when it comes to the ways of
our loving God.

Jeroboam met his destruction not only because he sinned, but more due
to his conscious actions. He didn't try to rectify his misconduct nor
even feel any remorse. Given these, how could God justifiably help
Jeroboam avert the natural consequences of his flawed decisions?

The gift of free will requires that we make our own choices. Only then
does God respond in ways that are appropriate for us, as exemplified
by Jesus' feeding the hungry multitude. When at times we find Him
contradictory, could it be because we were the ones who chose the
wrong options rather than God being unreliable?

In our daily struggles, let us beseech the Lord for wisdom to make
right decisions while strengthened with the knowledge that He is
always there for us, the one true constant in our lives.

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
- Mike Torres
- Morgan Fodge
- Bob Barsotti
- Mon Torres
- Rakkie Villa
… for the personal intentions of
- Netta, Vera, Nick, Maureen, Martha, Jane, Delores, Linda O, Mary Ann
& Frank
- Dana & Eugene R
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- Ralph Shotswell
- Florentino N. Villamer, Jr.
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: Lourdes de Dios
- Birthday: Lourdes Malvar
- Wedding Anniversary: Jerome & Sally Lim Gotamco
- Wedding Anniversary: Edward & Jennifer Inocentes
… 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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