DAILY- HOMILY

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
MEMORIAL, ST. JEROME
26TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – B

Nm 11:25- 29 / Jas 5:1-6 / Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

NUMBERS 11:25- 29
Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it on the seventy elders. Now when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this they did not do again. Two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad, the name of the other Medad. However, the spirit came on them for they were among those who were registered though they had not gone out to the Tent. As they prophesied inside the camp, a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." Joshua, the son of Nun, who ministered to Moses from his youth said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous on my behalf? Would that all Yahweh's people were prophets and that Yahweh would send his spirit upon them!"

JAMES 5:1-6
So, now for what concerns the rich! Cry and weep for the misfortunes that are coming upon you. Your riches are rotting and your clothes eaten up by the moths. Your silver and gold have rusted and their rust grows into a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire, for having piled up rich es in these the last days. You deceived the workers who harvested your fields but now their wages cry out to the heavens. The reapers' complaints have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You lived in luxury and pleasure in this world thus fattening yourselves for the day of slaughter. You have easily condemned and killed the innocent since they offered no resistance.

MARK 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
John said to him, "Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon your name, and we tried to forbid him because he does not belong to our group." Jesus answered, "Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in my name can soon after speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. If anyone gives you a drink of water because you belong to Christ and bear his name, truly, I say to you, he will not go without reward. If anyone should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a great millstone around his neck. If your hand makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a hand, than with two hands to go to hell, to the fire that never goes out. And if your foot makes you fall into sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter life without a foot, than with both feet to be thrown into hell. And if your eye makes you fall into sin, tear it out! It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, keeping both eyes, to be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them never die, and the fire never goes out.

REFLECTION
In the first reading and the Gospel, some followers of Moses and Jesus reacted when people whom they did not consider as part of their groups began doing what seemed to be solely reserved for them. In Moses' group, Joshua could not accept that two men were prophesying. They claimed that these men could not possibly be recipients of the gift of prophecy as they were not part of the privileged group.

In the Gospel, John tells Jesus of having seen someone who did not belong to their group exorcising demons. John must have been surprised and flabbergasted with Jesus' response: There is no one who performs a mighty deed in his name who can at the same time speak ill of him. "For whoever is not against us is for us."

Such a response clearly suggests that Jesus imparts the theme of inclusiveness. Jesus' mission is universal as he offered his life for all and saved us from eternal damnation and separation from God, the source and meaning of life. He did not want people to be left out in his desire for the salvation of humanity. To achieve this, he welcomed all possible assistance from people of good will who were willing to be partners in his work of salvation as he knows very well that the harvest is rich yet laborers are few. Anything good would ultimately have to be an inspiration and gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus desires to be friends with everyone and challenges us to be willing and generous in his mission to proclaim his Father's love and mercy. As a result, Jesus actively looked out for sinners for he believed that they were the purpose for his coming — to be in solidarity with us. There will be much joy and celebration whenever a sinner experiences conversion and becomes a child of God again. Jesus' attitude contrasts with our tendency to be exclusive, to be cliquish and distance ourselves from others. Instead of the possibility of expanding our horizons and relationships, we end up isolating ourselves.

To have a mindset that is inclusive is something that we can practice more in our lives. It would entail a paradigm shift in that we would underscore our commonality rather than emphasizing our differences and distinctions. We begin with the reality that we are all created in God's likeness and are called to participate in the universal mission of salvation initiated and handed on to us by Jesus.

We are blessed with our giftedness as well as the giftedness of others who serve as collaborators and partners in the work of salvation. May we have enlightened minds and open hearts to see the giftedness of others even though they may not be part of our community, as this is clear evidence that God's presence is truly in our midst.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Fr. Ismael Zuloaga, SJ
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Ma. Fatima Nona Bonsol

- Mon Torres
- Fleur Torres
- Ditas dela Paz
- Tito Torres
… for the personal intentions of
- Pauline
- Shanthi K
- George Anderson
- William
… In Memoriam: Sr. Teresita Canivel, MIC
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Melody W. Lim
- Birthday: Meredith Ngo
- Birthday: Myrna Javier Reyes
- Birthday: Esin Rosca
- Birthday: Msgr. Hernando "Ding" Coronel
- Birthday: Milagros Tagle
- Birthday: Ma. Christina F. Bate
- 50th Wedding Anniversary: Judge Demetrio & Sophie Macapagal
- Wedding Anniversary: Virginia & Angelo L. Yu
- Wedding Anniversary: Lourdes & Jose Limchutick
- Wedding Anniversary: David & Fely Ong
- In Memoriam (+): Teresita Dee
… 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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