DAILY- HOMILY

October 6, 2013

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Memorial, Blessed Diego Aloysius de San Vitores, priest and martyr

Hb 1:2-3;2:2-4 / Ps 95: 1-2. 6-7. 8-9 / 2 Tim 1:6-8,13-14 / Lk 17:5-10

Habakkuk 1:2-3;2:2-4

Yahweh, how long will I cry for help while you pay no attention to me? I denounce the oppression and you do not save. Why do you make me see injustice? Are you pleased to look on tyranny? All I see is outrage, violence and quarrels. Then Yahweh answered me and said, "Write down the vision, inscribe it on tables so it can be easily read, since this is a vision for an appointed Time; it will not fail but will be fulfilled in due Time. If it delays, wait for it, for it will come and will not be deferred. Look: I don't look with favor on the one who gives way; the upright, on the other hand, will live by his faithfulness."

2 Timothy 1:6-8,13-14

For this reason I invite you to fan into a flame the gift of God you received through the laying on of my hands. For God did not confer on us a spirit of bashfulness, but of strength, love and good judgment. Do not be ashamed of testifying to our Lord, nor of seeing me in chains. On the contrary, do your share in laboring for the Gospel with the strength of God. Follow the pattern of the sound doctrine which you have heard from me, concerning faith and love in Christ Jesus. Keep this precious de posit with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

Luke 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." And the Lord said, "If you have faith, even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree, 'Be uprooted, and plant yourself in the sea!' and it will obey you. Who among you would say to your servant, coming in from the fields after plowing or tending sheep, 'Go ahead and have your dinner'? No, you tell him, 'Prepare my dinner. Put on your apron, and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterwards.' Do you thank this servant for doing what you told him to do? I don't think so. And therefore, when you have done all that you have been told to do, you should say, 'We are no more than servants; we have only done our duty.'"

REFLECTION

Today's gospel reading gives us two important reminders for living our lives as followers of Jesus. The first is about our faith, a very fundamental virtue but one that today's world so often challenges us with its modern discoveries that "explain" more and more the mysteries of our lives. The second reminder is one that may seem to be unconnected with faith but one which is actually related to the first. It is a reminder about humility.

Faith is a gift which enables us to say "yes" to truths and mysteries that we cannot fully understand by our own powers. Faith is a gift that enables us to commit our lives in trust and love to the God who is total mystery, the "totally 'other' One." We see the very simple unquestioning faith of the child and of so many women and men who live by such simple faith. But the God-given gift of faith has been given to us together with the God-given gift of our intellects that are always asking questions as we try to understand more, more about ourselves and more about God. It is no wonder that living our faith is living moments of both light and darkness.

Rightly the apostles of today's gospel ask the Lord to increase their faith! Similarly there is the account in Mark's gospel (Mark 9:24) of the man who said that although he did believe, he still needed help to go beyond his unbelief, to have his trust increased! Questions, doubts, natural uncertainties – all these are sure signs that true faith does go beyond our natural (unaided) powers of our souls. We should not be surprised at this nor should we consider ourselves as sinners because of questions and doubts. Like the apostles we need to be humble to realize that faith is a gift. It is a gift that needs to be nourished just as our loving trust in the Lord needs to be nourished.

And that is the link between the two reminders of today's gospel message. The parable of the second part of today's reading is not so much about how we go about our works and duties; it is more about the importance of humility. Faith and humility – two gifts for our lives. Both of these gifts are offered to us by the God who is above all our natural understanding. Both of these gifts are important for us as we live in a world where the temptations are too great to suppose that we can by ourselves understand perfectly what is of God and beyond natural human understanding. Both of these gifts are given to us as we live in a world where pride is like a virus that destroys life.

Prayer Requests

We pray …

… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

Ditas dela Paz, Toots Monfort, Virginia Hernandez, and Fleur Torres

Ernesto, Angelina

NIck Lucena

Joy Droke

Enrique Navarro and Eufrocina Navarro

… for the personal intentions of

Ma. Fatima Nona

Jose Rigor

Ma. Theresa P. Guevarra

… for the eternal repose of the souls of

-               Olendo Bowers

-               Toto Besana

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: Mabelle A.Capuchino

Birthday: Annika Bernice L. Salonga

Birthday: Cherubin Chua

Birthday: Antonio Que

… 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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