DAILY- HOMILY

October 15, 2013

Tuesday 28^th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

Memorial, Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor

Rom 1:16-25 / Ps 19: 2-3. 4-5 / Lk 11:37-41

Romans 1:16-25

For I am not ashamed at all of this Good News; it is God's power saving those who believe, first the Jews, and then the Greeks. This Good News shows us the saving justice of God; a justice that saves exclusively by faith, as the Scripture says: The upright one shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those who have silenced the truth by their wicked ways. For everything that could have been known about God was clear to them: God himself made it plain. Because his invisible attributes—his everlasting power and divinity—are made visible to reason by means of his works since the creation of the world. So they have no excuse, for they knew God and did not glorify him as was fitting, nor did they give thanks to him. On the contrary, they lost themselves in their reasoning and darkness filled their minds. Believing themselves wise, they became foolish: they exchanged the Glory of the immortal God for the likes of mortal human beings, birds, animals and reptiles. Because of this God gave them up to their inner cravings; they did shameful things and dishonored their bodies. They exchanged God's truth for a lie; they honored and worshiped created things instead of the Creator, to whom be praise for ever, Amen!

Luke 11:37-41

As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to have a meal with him. So he went and sat at table. The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not first wash his hands before dinner. But the Lord said to him, "So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools! He who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving of alms everything is made clean.

REFLECTION

We enjoy cleaning ourselves. In fact, they say Filipinos are clean people. Some take more than one shower a day. So, do we need more cleaning? Yes, because we may be clean outside, but we are not clean inside. What is inside us that need cleaning? Jesus speaks of greed and evil. Let us reflect on our thoughts, intentions and actions during the day. Which of them are basically greedy and evil? First, I invite you to pray for the grace to speak the truth. It is difficult to speak the truth. It is easier to give some alms, to help someone once in a while and feel that we have done well in our life. We hide our thoughts, our judgments, complaints, criticisms, disappointments, etc. These thoughts of evil, kept for a long time, can grow and take root in our hearts. It makes our hearts hard as stone. We need Jesus to help transform our hearts of stone to a heart of flesh, one that is able to forgive, to ask for forgiveness and to finally love. The Pharisees are clean on the outside but evil on the inside. They impose on the people all the strict regiments of cleanliness. Jesus instead prefers the cleanliness of the heart, selfless and loving, always giving priority to others not to self.

Prayer Requests

We pray …

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

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

Joy Droke

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

… for the personal intentions of

Aaron L.

Julita Fallaria

Ma. Angeli Marmeto

Ma.Amparo H. Dedios

… for the eternal repose of the souls of

-               Larry Erickson, Wally Hingten, Dick Thomas,Adrian Peterson 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: Arlene Arao

In Memoriam (+): Felix A. Estrada

… 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!

**************************************************  

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:

   +================================================+

   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish

   |            http://www.marythequeen.org

   |  Distributed free and for personal use only. 

  +================================================+

October 14, 2013

Monday 28^th Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

Memorial, St. John Ogilvie, priest and martyr

Rom 1:1-7 / Ps 98: 1. 2-3ab. 3cd-4 / Lk 11:29-32

Romans 1:1-7

From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an apostle called and set apart for God's Good News, the very promises he foretold through his prophets in the sacred Scriptures, regarding his Son, who was born in the flesh a descendant of David, and has been recognized as the Son of God endowed with Power, upon rising from the dead through the Holy Spirit. Through him, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and for the sake of his Name, we received grace and mission in all the nations, for them to accept the faith. All of you, the elected of Christ, are part of them, you, the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy: May God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give you grace and peace.

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

In Matthew's version of the Sign of Jonah (Matt. 12:38-42), the words of Jesus were directed at the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, who were demanding a miraculous sign from him. They had fixed upon their minds the belief that the Messiah would be a conquering hero who would overthrow the Romans and make Israel a world superpower once again. They were not expecting the son of a carpenter who talked of a kingdom that was not of this world.

Their own expectations of the Messiah blinded them to the truth. Do we also harbor personal expectations of life, blinding us to the Lord's wonderful plan in our lives?

As Jesus scolded the Pharisees for their wrong notions and hard-headedness, he was also giving them a clue on how mankind would be redeemed. "The Sign of Jonah" is none other than the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just as the prophet Jonah was swallowed by a big fish, spending three days and three nights in its belly, Jesus would also spend three days and three nights in the grave. And just as Jonah came out of the fish and drew the Ninevites to repentance, so would our Lord rise from the grave and draw the Church to himself.

Do you sometimes doubt whether God sees or even cares about your troubles? Are you demanding for some kind of miracle from God? Then all you have to do is look to the Sign of Jonah – our resurrected Lord himself. He is our proof that God is mighty and faithful to His promises.

Prayer Requests

We pray …

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

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

Joy Droke

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

… for the personal intentions of

Aaron L.

Julita Fallaria

Ma. Angeli Marmeto

Ma.Amparo H. Dedios

… for the eternal repose of the souls of

-               Larry Erickson, Wally Hingten, Dick Thomas,Adrian Peterson 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: Rowena Gabucay

Birthday: Fortunata U. Daria

Birthday: Linda Bautista

Wedding Anniversary: Robert & Elizabeth Tiu

… 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!

**************************************************  

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:

   +================================================+

   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish

   |            http://www.marythequeen.org

   |  Distributed free and for personal use only. 

  +================================================+