DAILY- HOMILY

December 5, 2013

Thursday 1st Week of Advent - Year I

Is 26:1-6 / Ps 118: 1 and 8-9. 19-21. 25-27a / Mt 7:21,24-27

Isaiah 26:1-6

On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city, he himself has set up walls and fortifications to protect us. Open the gates! Let the righteous nation enter, she who is firm in faithfulness. You keep in perfect peace the one of steadfast mind, the one who trusts in you. Trust in Yahweh forever, for Yahweh is an everlasting Rock. He brought down those who dwell on high, he laid low the lofty city, he razed it to the ground, leveled it to the dust, Now it is trampled the poor and the lowly tread upon it.

Matthew 7:21,24-27

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my heavenly Father. "So then, anyone who hears these words of mine, and acts accordingly, is like a wise man, who built his house on rock. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house, but it did not collapse because it was built on rock. But anyone who hears these words of mine, and does not act accordingly, is like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain poured, the rivers flooded, and the wind blew and struck that house; it collapsed, and what a terrible fall that was!"

Reflection

Advent marks the beginning of our liturgical year. Today's gospel passage speaks to us of Jesus' warning that not everyone heeds his guidance and teachings. We must listen and act properly. But, how then are we to act? Lest we find ourselves following the example given by Jesus where one built his house on sand.

As we start preparing to celebrate the birthday of Jesus, what comes to mind? Christmas carols have started to invade the airwaves. It seems preparations for our Savior's birth have been sidetracked due to blatant consumerism. Do we remain aware that our Advent season should be a period of reflection for this wonderful Gift from God? Come to think of it, we are like the man who built his house on sand if we do not heed his call to make room in our hearts for his life-giving word. We should revisit our personal preparation for something more solid. Maybe, we can also make some small sacrifices like setting aside canned goods for the poor or perhaps, helping those in need. For this will indeed make our preparation for Christmas more meaningful. And we can thus better appreciate the birth of Our Lord; we can now fully understand and live the reality of our faith where God became man for our sake.

Is our faith built on sand? Do we find joy only when material things are displayed or do we engage in the noise all around us? How can we have our faith built on rock? How do we strive to find our true foundation in Christ this Advent and always?

Prayer Requests

We pray …

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

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

-                  Nick Lucena

-                  Lorenzo Meoli

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

… for the personal intentions of Beny Chua

… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.

Birthday: Myrra Famy

Birthday: Viky Roman

Wedding Anniversary: Keng Koc & Mary Co

… 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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