DAILY- HOMILY

December 19, 2013

Thursday 3^rd Week of Advent - Year I

Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a / Ps 71: 3-4a. 5-6ab. 16-17 / Lk 1:5-25

Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a

There was a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan, called Manoah. His wife could not bear children. The Angel of Yahweh appeared to this woman and said to her, "You have not borne children and have not given birth, but see, you are to conceive and give birth to a son. Because of this, take care not to take wine or any alcoholic drink, nor to eat unclean foods from now on, for you shall bear a son who shall be a Nazirite of Yah weh from the womb of his mo ther. Never shall his hair be cut for he is consecrated to Yahweh. He shall begin the liberation of the Israelites from the Philistine oppression." The woman went to her husband and told him, "A messenger of God who bore the majesty of an angel spoke to me. I did not ask him where he came from nor did he tell me his name. But he said to me: 'You are to conceive and give birth to a son. Henceforth, you shall not drink wine or fermented drinks, nor eat anything unclean, for your son shall be a Nazirite of God from the womb of his mother until the day of his death'." The woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew and Yahweh blessed him. Then the Spirit of Yahweh began to move him.

Luke 1:5-25

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah, belonging to the priestly clan of Abiah. Elizabeth, Zechariah's wife, also belonged to a priestly family. Both of them were upright in the eyes of God, and lived blamelessly in accordance with all the laws and commands of the Lord, but they had no child. Elizabeth could not have any and now they were both very old. Now, while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the priests, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the time of offering incense, all the people were praying outside; it was then that an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. On seeing the angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him. But the angel said to him, "Don't be afraid, Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. He will bring joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice at his birth. This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen: he shall never drink wine or strong drink, but he will be filled with holy spirit even from his mother's womb. Through him, many of the people of Israel will turn to the Lord their God. He himself will open the way to the Lord with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah; he will reconcile fathers and children, and lead the disobedient to wisdom and righteousness, in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too." The angel replied, "I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I am the one sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news! My words will come true in their time. But you would not believe, and now you will be silent and unable to speak until this has happened." Meanwhile, the people waited for Zechariah, and they were surprised that he delayed so long in the sanctuary. When he finally appeared, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He remained dumb and made signs to them. When his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home, and some time later Elizabeth became pregnant. For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home, and thinking, "This, for me, is the Lord's doing! This is his time for mercy, and for taking away my public disgrace."

Reflection

This gospel passage is an example of how God responds to the prayers of his people. It is a story of a pious couple advanced in age chosen by God to be parents of Jesus' precursor, John the Baptist. According to the angel, their prayer for a child has been answered. Zachariah's reaction of doubt and fear is understandable, but because of his lack of faith, Zechariah was silenced.

John was a cause of joy to his parents and his people. In this day and age, we are slow to recognize the miracles that happen in our daily lives. What we can and must attribute to the grace of God in our lives, we often attribute to advances in science and technology; perhaps even to coincidences.

Let us be more aware of the miracles, large or small, that get us through each day. And let us be open to God's message during our moments of prayer, and remember to thank Him for these blessings.

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

-               Joy Droke

… for the personal intentions of

-               Feliciana Bonsol

-               Beny Chua

-               Pauline

-               Fred de Leon

… for the eternal repose of the souls of Enriqueta Velasco Prado. 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.

-               Thanksgiving: John Paul Dy

-               In Memoriam (+): Catalina F. Ibe

-               In Memoriam (+): Vicente Chua Sr.

… 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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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. 

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

December 18, 2013

Wednesday 3^rd Week of Advent - Year I

Jer 23:5-8 / Ps 72: 1-2. 12-13. 18-19 / Mt 1:18-25

Jeremiah 23:5-8

Yahweh further says, "The day is coming when I will raise up a king who is David's righteous successor. He will rule wisely and govern with justice and righteousness. That will be a grandiose era when Judah will enjoy peace and Israel will live in safety. He will be called Yahweh-our- justice!" "The days are coming," says Yah- weh, "when people shall no longer swear by Yahweh as the living God who freed the people of Israel from the land of Egypt. Rather, they will swear by Yah- weh as the living God who restored the descendants of Israel from the northern empire and from all the lands where he had driven them, to live again in their own land!"

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how Jesus Christ was born: Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him 'Jesus' for he will save his people from their sins." All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel, which means: God-with-us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do, and he took his wife to his home. So she gave birth to a son and he had not had marital relations with her. Joseph gave him the name Jesus.

Reflection

Joseph must have been devastated and confused when he discovered Mary's condition for he knew Mary to be a virtuous woman. Surely he became even more confused when an angel encouraged him to take Mary home as his wife for she was to give birth to the Messiah. Nevertheless, he obeyed the word of the angel. Mary, on the other hand, was experiencing a deep suffering as well for she knew that if people found out that she was pregnant she would be stoned to death. Despite this crisis, she accepted to suffer in silence, waiting for this mystery to be revealed to Joseph as well.

Both Joseph and Mary entered into the plan of God even if they did not fully understand it and they became key figures in the fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. The prophecy of the angel was realized when an infant was born of Mary and he was named Jesus, the only name in the world by which we can be saved. Christ's Incarnation is a great event in the life of every person for before his birth the heavens were closed. The host of angels would later announce to the shepherds the great news of the Savior's birth: "He is Christ the Lord!" manifesting that the heavens are now open for all of us. The gospel is reminding us to anticipate the feast of Christmas which is so near. May we appreciate Joseph and Mary for all their sacrifices in bringing Jesus into the world. May we become more like them so that Jesus may also be born in us.

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

-               Joy Droke

… for the personal intentions of

-               Feliciana Bonsol

-               Beny Chua

-               Pauline

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

-               Birthday: Mel San Diego

-               Birthday: Athena LKK SyBuenasenso

-               Birthday: Richie Donovan

-               Wedding Anniversary: Glenn & Marisa Espino

-               Wedding Anniversary: Zenaida & Alexander See Co.

-               Wedding Anniversary: Benito & Alice Cua

-               Wedding Anniversary: Robin & Jackie Tong

… 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.