DAILY- HOMILY

December 27, 2013

Friday

Feast, Saint John the Apostle, evangelist

1 Jn 1:1-4 / Ps 97: 1-2. 5-6. 11-12 / Jn 20:1a, 2-8

1 John 1:1-4

This is what has been from the begin ning, and what we have heard and have seen with our own eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, I mean the Word who is Life… The Life made itself known, we have seen Eternal Life and we bear witness, and we are telling you of it. It was with the Father and made him- self known to us. So we tell you what we have seen and heard, that you may be in fellowship with us, and us, with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. And we write this that our joy may be complete.

John 20:1a, 2-8

On the first day after the Sabbath, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and she saw that the stone blocking the tomb had been moved away. She ran to Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and she said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have laid him." Peter then set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying flat, but he did not enter. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered the tomb; he, too, saw the linen cloths lying flat. The napkin, which had been around his head, was not lying flat like the other linen cloths, but lay rolled up in its place. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed.

Reflection

The gospel today recounts the details of the early morning of Easter. We find Mary of Magdala frantic, on the verge of a breakdown, an utter state of helplessness and desperation. She cannot find the body of the Lord. She went to tell Peter and John. And when they got there, all they saw were the linen cloths lying flat. The napkin, which had been around our Lord's head, was rolled up in its place. The Lord was nowhere to be found.

We all have experiences of varying degrees of loss. Often times, it takes a while for us to get over them and move on. In the case of Mary of Magdala, we know that eventually she knew that the Lord had risen. All is well.

What about us? How do we move on from a state of loss? How do we survive? Margaret Silf, the author of the book, The Other Side of Chaos, suggests that it is about growth and transformation of ourselves more than survival. When things in life affect us deeply, it somehow changes us. And in so doing, there will emerge a new person. It is you and yet not entirely you. Something has changed; you discover a side of yourself that you never knew you had. And guess what, it isn't bad at all.

As we recall this Easter story, may our Lord inspire our experiences of loss so that our growth and transformation may bring hope, life and truth to those whose lives we touch.

My Lord God, teach me to seek you in my loss, guide me so that I stay close to you, lead me so that I may take the path you laid out for me.

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

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

… for the personal intentions of Beny Chua

In Memoriam (+):

-                  Roperta Santiago, Soterania S. Santiago, Amado Santiago, Bernardo Santiago Jr.

-                  Rex Owen Lucena

… for the eternal repose of the souls of Cecilia C. Katigbak. 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: Paul Lim

-                  Birthday: Lydia Cu

-                  Wedding Anniversary: Vicky & Pio Tan

-                  Wedding Anniversary: Butch & Rose Narciso

-                  Wedding Anniversary: John & Cynthia Tan

-                  Wedding Anniversary: Virgilio & Ma. Concepcion Calimon

-                  In Memoriam (+): Salvadora T. Reyes

-                  In Memoriam (+): Joaquin Yap

… 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 26, 2013

Feast, Saint Stephen, the first martyr

Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 / Ps 31: 3cd-4. 6 and 8ab. 16bc and 17 / Mt 10:17-22

Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59

Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. ome persons then came forward, who belonged to the so-called Syna gogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. When they heard this reproach, they were enraged and they gnashed their teeth against Stephen. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus at God's right hand, so he declared: "I see the heavens open and the Son of Man at the right hand of God." But they shouted and covered their ears with their hands and rushed together upon him. They brought him out of the city and stoned him, and the witnesses laid down their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen prayed saying: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Matthew 10:17-22

Be on your guard with people, for they will hand you over to their courts, and they will flog you in their synagogues. You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings because of me, so you may witness to them and the pagans. But when you are arrested, do not worry about what you are to say, or how you are to say it; when the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father in you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and a father his child; children will turn against parents and have them put to death. Everyone will hate you because of me, but whoever stands firm to the end will be saved.

Reflection

Jesus tells his apostles to be prepared to face persecution because of him. He assures his followers that the spirit of God will speak on their behalf. A day after celebrating the birthday of Jesus, we commemorate the martyrdom of St. Stephen, a sobering reminder that life and death are constantly intertwined. Perhaps a question we can ask ourselves today is: are we willing to live like Christ and face suffering for his sake? Whatever happens, may we always find our strength in him who gave up his life for us. Today, let us also ask St. Stephen to inspire us by his example to live and die bravely for the faith.

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 Beny Chua

… In Memoriam (+): Roperta Santiago, Soterania S. Santiago, Amado Santiago, Bernardo Santiago Jr.

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

-               Birthday: Mac Daveth L. Dimaculangan

-               Birthday: Stephanie Lim

-               Birthday: Lilia B Yang

-               In Memoriam (+): Teotimo Tio Tiam

… 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. 

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