DAILY- HOMILY

November 24, 2013

Feast, Christ the King - Year C

Memorial, Saint Andrew Dung Lac and his companions, martyrs

2 S 5:1-3 / Ps 122: 1-2. 3-4. 4-5 / Col 1:12-20 / Lk 23:35-43

2 Samuel 5:1-3

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your bone and flesh. In the past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led Israel. And Yahweh said to you, 'You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel and you shall be commander over Israel." Before Yahweh, king David made an agreement with the elders of Israel who came to him at Hebron, and they anointed him king of Israel.

Colossians 1:12-20

Constantly give thanks to the Father who has empowered us to receive our share in the in heritance of the saints in his kingdom of light. He rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. In him we are redeemed and forgiven. He is the image of the unseen God, and for all creation he is the firstborn, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible: thrones, rulers, authorities, powers… All was made through him and for him. He is before all and all things hold together in him. And he is the head of the body, that is the Church, for he is the first, the first raised from the dead that he may be the first in everything, for God was pleased to let fullness dwell in him. Through him God willed to reconcile all things to himself, and through him, through his bloodshed on the cross, God establishes peace, on earth as in heaven.

Luke 23:35-43

The people stood by, watching. As for the rulers, they jeered at him, saying to one another, "Let the man who saved others now save himself, for he is the Messiah, the chosen one of God!" The soldiers also mocked him and, when they drew near to offer him bitter wine, they said, "So you are the king of the Jews? Free yourself!" Above Jesus there was an inscription in Greek, Latin and Hebrew, which read, "This is the King of the Jews." One of the criminals hanging with Jesus insulted him, "So you are the Messiah? Save yourself, and us as well!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Have you no fear of God, you who received the same sentence as he did? For us it is just: this is payment for what we have done. But this man has done nothing wrong." And he said, "Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied, "Truly, you will be with me today in paradise."

Reflection

We have for our gospel reading today the story of the crucifixion itself. It is rather strange that the scene of the crucifixion is the best access to an understanding of Jesus' kingship.

When Jesus stands shackled and beaten before the people, clad in a purple mantle, crowned with thorns and holding a mock scepter of reed, Pilate says: 'Here is your king,' and without being aware of it, Pilate speaks the truth. Jesus confirms this truth: 'Yes, I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world.' Again without knowing it, all those who mock him give the right answer when they say: 'He saved others.' But when they add: 'He cannot save himself,' they are utterly mistaken, for Jesus does not have to save himself. In royal freedom he has declared his solidarity with all people who suffer, with all who are humiliated and beaten, with all who are marginalized. It is to save these people that he came and that he shows himself as the Son of God.

We know how Jesus' life ends but it would seem as if Jesus has taken the gamble and lost. The world rejects him. Of course, we know differently. We know that only some reject him and that even their rejection is turned to the advantage of the whole of humanity. If this great feast of Christ the King is a recapitulation of the fundamental beliefs about Jesus, we have, in the touching encounter between the man we call the good thief and Jesus, a beautiful expression of what we really want to say to him: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." It is a simple phrase, but it has the ability to capture just what we want to express ourselves.

If we were to make no other prayer to Jesus, we could not do better than to make these words of the good thief our very own: "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." And in a message of hope, Jesus responds to the good thief: "Today you will be with me in paradise." In uttering these words, Jesus confirms his kingship. The kingship of Jesus consists in forgiving sin and in granting eternal life.

Jesus testifies that his kingship is not of this world. But it can begin in this world and it is capable of changing society to its very foundations. This kingdom begins wherever people begin to live according to the style of life of Jesus. As today's Preface says, it is a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace. All these we still badly need today.

It is no mistake that the Church chooses these words: "Today you will be with me in paradise" to be the very last words of the gospel on the very last Sunday of the year. These words which are the fulfillment of all we could ever want, all we could ever hope for, ring in our ears. And we want to cry out with the very same words of the people who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem: "Hosanna in the highest, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."

Prayer Requests

We pray …

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

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

Lorenzo Meoli

Don Dinning's brother

… for the personal intentions of Pauline

… for the eternal repose of the souls of

Elsa Supsup

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: Patricia Joaquin

Birthday: Manuel Go Yu Chua

Birthday: Alex Z. Reyes

In Memoriam (+): Estrella Yu Castillo

In Memoriam (+): Bertran Yu Lai (Sept 19, 1965 - Nov 24, 1996)

In Memoriam (+): Johnson Chua Gotamco (Aug 19, 1925 - Nov 24, 2011)

… 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. 

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

November 23, 2013

Saturday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time- Year I

Memorial, Blessed Michael Augustine Pro, priest and martyr

1 Mac 6:1-13 / Ps 9: 2-3. 4 and 6. 16 and 19 / Lk 20:27-40

1 Macabees 6:1-13

When king Antiochus was making his way through the upper regions of Persia, he received news about Elymais, a city renowned for its wealth in silver and gold. They kept in the wealthy temple of their city golden armor, breast- plates and weapons left there by the Macedonian king, Alexander the son of Philip, the first sovereign of the Greeks. So Antiochus went there but the inhabitants came out armed against him when they learned of his intention, so his at- tempt to take the city failed. He had to turn back, and he returned much embittered to Babylon. While he was still in Persia, it was reported to him that the armies sent to Judea had been defeated. They told him that although Lysias had gone with a strong army, he had to flee before the Jews who had been strengthened with the weapons and the abundant booty taken from the neighboring armies. He heard too that the Jews had destroyed the abominable idol he had erected on the altar in Jerusalem, and had rebuilt the temple walls to the same height as before, and had also fortified the city of Bethzur. When he received this news, he was terrified and deeply upset. He fell sick and became greatly depressed because things had not turned out the way he had planned. So he remained overcome by this terrible anguish for many days. He felt that he was dying, so he called his friends and said to them, "Sleep has fled from my eyes and I am greatly crushed by my anxieties. And I keep on asking why such grief has come upon me—I who was generous and well-loved when in power—and now I am so discouraged. Now I remember the evils I did in Jerusalem, the vessels of gold and silver that I stole, the inhabitants of Judea I ordered to be killed for no reason at all. I now know that because of this, these misfortunes have come upon me, and I am dying of grief in a strange land."

Luke 20:27-40

Then some Sadducees arrived. These people claim that there is no resurrection, and they asked Jesus this question, "Master, in the Law Moses told us, 'If anyone dies leaving a wife but no children, his brother must take the wife, and any child born to them will be regarded as the child of the deceased.' Now, there were seven brothers; the first married a wife, but he died without children; and the second and the third took the wife; in fact, all seven died leaving no children. Last of all the woman died. On the day of the resurrection, to which of them will the woman be a wife? For all seven had her as a wife." And Jesus replied, "Taking a husband or a wife is proper to people of this world, but for those who are considered worthy of the world to come, and of resurrection from the dead, there is no more marriage. Besides, they cannot die, for they are like the angels. They are sons and daughters of God, because they are born of the resurrection. Yes, the dead will be raised, as Moses revealed at the burning bush, where he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob'. For God is God of the living, and not of the dead, for to him everyone is alive." Some teachers of the Law then agreed with Jesus, "Master, you have spoken well." They didn't dare to ask him anything else.

Reflection

During his time, Jesus, through his emphasis on substance over form, was considered a radical. He was despised by religious conservatives like the Sadducees whose main passion was to impose many rules and sanctions to keep control over the people.

In the First Reading, King Antiochus suffered misfortunes. God was angry with him not so much because of his collection of loots of gold, silver and idols in his temple, but because he murdered a lot of innocent human beings in his desire for power and conquest.

In the gospel, God admonishes us not to be distracted by mundane notions of whose wife a woman will be in the afterlife. Rather, for the Lord, it is more important that we are always aware of the really significant things: respect for His creation, love, charity, our conduct while in this world.

Let us pray that we are blessed with clarity of thought in our minds and firm conviction in our hearts to know and live God's will each day of our lives.

Prayer Requests

We pray …

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

… for the speedy recovery and healing of

Lorenzo Meoli

Don Dinning's brother

… for the personal intentions of Pauline

… for the eternal repose of the souls of

Elsa Supsup

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: Myrna Navarrete

… 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. 

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

November 22, 2013

Friday 33rd Week in Ordinary Time - Year I

Memorial, Saint Cecilia

1 Mac 4:36-37,52-59 / 1 Chr 29: 10bcd. 11abc. 11d-12a. 12bcd / Lk 19: 45-48

1 Macabees 4:36-37,52-59

Then Judas and his brothers said: "Our enemies are defeated, so Then Judas and his brothers said: "Our enemies are defeated, so On the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev, in the year one hundred and forty-eight (164 B.C.) they arose at dawn and offered the sacrifice prescribed by the Law on the new altar of holocausts which they had built. It was precisely at that same time and date that the pagans had profaned it before; but now they consecrated it with songs accompanied by zithers, harps and cymbals. All the people fell prostrate and blessed Heaven that had given them happiness and success. They celebrated the consecration of the altar for eight days, joyfully offering holocausts and celebrating sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. The front of the temple was adorned with crowns of gold and shields; the gates and the rooms had been restored and fitted with doors. There was no end to the celebration among the people, and so the profanation of the temple by the pagans was forgotten. Finally, Judas, his brothers and the whole assembly of Israel agreed to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of the altar annually for eight days, from the twenty-fifth of the month of Chislev, in high festivity.

Luke 19: 45-48

Then Jesus entered the Temple area and began to drive out the merchants. And he said to them, "God says in the Scriptures, 'My house shall be a house of prayer', but you have turned it into a den of robbers!" Jesus was teaching every day in the Temple. The chief priests and teachers of the Law wanted to kill him, and the elders of the Jews as well, but they were unable to do anything, for all the people were listening to him and hanging on his words.

Reflection

Jesus went to the temple and was shocked at what he saw. The temple had been turned into a marketplace where people no longer worshipped nor prayed, but were preoccupied with worldly things. In anger, he drove the merchants away.

This reading reminds us that every moment spent in church must be filled with reverence, worship, and prayer. But we desecrate God's temple in countless ways: wearing inappropriate attire, talking and texting during Mass, watching people, focusing on our outward appearance rather than turning inward in deep prayer and communion with God.

And there is another temple—the temple within us, where God's love dwells. Have we kept our temple free of worldly concerns, or has it, too been desecrated by earthly desires? In the humdrum of our everyday lives, do we make time to visit God in our inner sanctuary, keeping his Word alive in our hearts?

Prayer Requests

We pray …

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

… for the speedy recovery and healing of Lorenzo Meoli

… for the personal intentions of Pauline

… for the eternal repose of the souls of

Carmen Raffinan

Elsa Supsup

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: Cecilia b Garrucho

Birthday: Richard Eric S. Tiu

Wedding Anniversary: Judith & Geraldo L. Yu

In Memoriam (+): Nestor F. Miranda

In Memoriam (+): Yu Lim Giok Chang (1916-2005)

… 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. 

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