DAILY- HOMILY

December 28, 2013

Saturday

Feast, Holy Innocents, martyrs

1 Jn 1:5-2:2 / Ps 124: 2-3. 4-5. 7b-8 / Mt 2:13-18

1 John 1:5-2:2

We heard his message from him and announce it to you: God is light and there is no darkness in him. If we say we are in fellowship with him, while we walk in darkness, we lie instead of being in truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we are in fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, the Son of God, purifies us from all sin. If we say, "We have no sin," we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all wickedness. If we say that we do not sin, we make God a liar, his word is not in us. My little children, I write to you that you may not sin. But if any- one sins, we have an intercessor with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just One. He is the sacrificial victim for our sins and the sins of the whole world.

Matthew 2:13-18

After the wise men had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon be looking for the child in order to kill him." Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. In this way, what the Lord had said through the prophet was fulfilled: I called my son out of Egypt. When Herod found out that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was furious. He gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its neighborhood who were two years old or under. This was done in line with what he had learned from the wise men about the time when the star appeared. In this way, what the prophet Jeremiah had said was fulfilled: A cry is heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comforted, for they are no more.

Reflection

As a human being, the infant Jesus was subject to dangers like any other man. In order to survive, his parents had to flee from the oncoming infanticide ordered by an insecure and insane king, Herod. Before this incident Herod was on a murderous spree, eliminating all threats perceived or real that challenged his throne and power. This particular threat he estimated to be a male two years old and below.

William Barclay points out: "Here is a terrible illustration of what men will do to get rid of Jesus Christ. If a man is set on his own way, if he sees in Christ as someone who is liable to interfere with his ambitions and rebuke his ways, his one desire is to eliminate Christ; and then he is driven to the most terrible things, for if he does not break men's bodies, he will break their hearts."

Examples of present day Herod are those who, because of "unwanted pregnancies" and the perceived threats to their "freedom" and ambitions, want to abort the child and support the creation of laws that would boost their insecurities. This insanity is selfishness and a failure to perceive every life as a gift from God.

In baptism, we received Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The seed of "God's Word" is under threat and faces many challenges. Therefore, we must also act to protect and preserve the fragile nature of "God's Word" and help it to grow, and in this way, we help accomplish Jesus' mission entrusted to all of us as one Church.

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 Pauline

In Memoriam (+):

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

-                  Rex Owen Lucena

… for the eternal repose of the soul 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: Jesus Felix Gonong

-                  Birthday: Herminia Musico

-                  Birthday: Ma. Celia R. Marin

-                  Wedding Anniversary: Emilie & Monching Cruz

-                  Wedding Anniversary: Victoria & Leonardo L. Yu

-                  Wedding Anniversary: Wesley & Leona Panutat

-                  Thanksgiving: Mr. & Mrs. Ricardo Uygongco

… 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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