DAILY- HOMILY

FEBRUARY 29, 2012
WEDNESDAY 1ST WEEK OF LENT – YEAR II

Jon 3:1-10 / Lk 11:29-32

JONAH 3:1-10
The word of Yahweh came to Jonah a second time: "Go to Nineveh, the
great city, and announce to them the message I give you." In obedience
to the word of Yahweh, Jonah went to Nineveh. It was a very large
city, and it took three days just to cross it. So Jo nah walked a
single day's journey and began proclaiming, "Forty days more and
Nineveh will be destroyed." The people of the city believed God. They
declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put
on sackcloth. Upon hearing the news, the king of Nineveh got up from
his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth and sat down in
ashes. He issued a proclamation throughout Nineveh: "By the decree of
the king and his nobles, no people or beasts, herd or flock, will
taste anything; neither will they eat nor drink. But let people and
beasts be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call aloud to God, turn
from his evil ways and violence. Who knows? God may yet relent, turn
from his fierce anger and spare us." When God saw what they did and
how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not
carry out the destruction he had threatened upon them.

LUKE 11:29-32
As the crowd increased, Jesus began to speak in this way, "People of
the present time are troubled people. They ask for a sign, but no sign
will be given to them except the sign of Jonah. As Jonah became a sign
for the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be a sign for this
generation. The Queen of the South will rise up on Judgment Day with
the people of these times and accuse them, for she came from the ends
of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and here there is greater
than Solomon. The people of Nineveh will rise up on Judgment Day with
the people of these times and accuse them, for Jonah's preaching made
them turn from their sins, and here there is greater than Jonah.

REFLECTION
Jesus in this instance had harsh words to say: "This generation is a
wicked generation." The Jews doubted who Jesus was and what he stood
for, and therefore asked him for a sign or a miracle before believing
in him and his message. But Jesus refused to humor them, citing
instead the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah was a sign to the people
of Nineveh, so the Son of Man was the ultimate sign for the
disbelievers.

The Jews at that time were people who leaned heavily on the past.
Their beliefs were anchored on the Law of Moses – which the Pharisees
and Scribes enlarged into restrictive rules and regulations. So when
Jesus came, making little of these rules and instead preaching love
for God and brethren, it was heresy; a turnabout from the prescribed
Law of Moses. Even as Moses in the desert had to produce a miracle to
prove that he was relaying instructions from God, so, too, Jesus had
to prove himself.

Perhaps it is human nature to want signs from heaven to guide our
daily living, to reassure us that we are doing the right thing. For
many, a prayer answered is a sign.

So we pray, but does faith diminish when repeated prayers go
unfulfilled? Let us remember that, to us believers, the Son of Man is
our ultimate sign.

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
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Luis Torres and Mary John Guingon
- Andrew
- Glenn and Julie Manzon
- Jovelyn Ureta
… 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
- Julie Manzon, Glenn Dale and John Dale Manzon, Estelita Escamilla,
Ma. Fe De Castro, Mary Ann Castro, Ethelinda and Patricio Manzon,
Jerico Uretat, Glenda and Joel Bisco, Domingo Barayoga Sr., Fedralyn
Barayoga
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Amando Almazan
- Birthday: Angelito G. Doble
… 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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