DAILY- HOMILY

February 22, 2014

Saturday 6^th Week in Ordinary Time

[Feast, Chair of Peter, apostle]

1 Pt 5:1-4 / Ps 23: 1-3a, 4, 5, 6 / Mt 16: 13-19

Reading: 1 Pt 5: 1-4

I now address myself to those elders among you; I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, hoping to share the Glory that is to be revealed. Shepherd the flock which God has entrusted to you, guarding it not out of obligation but willingly for God's sake; not as one looking for a reward but with a generous heart; do not lord it over those in your care, rather be an ex-ample to your flock. Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will be given a crown of unfading glory.

Gospel: Mt 16:13-19

After that Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi. He asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of man is?" They said, "For some of them you are John the Baptist, for others Elijah or Jeremiah or one of the prophets." Jesus asked them, "But you, who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "It is well for you, Simon Bar­jona, for it is not flesh or blood that has revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. And now I say to you: You are Peter (or Rock) and on this rock I will build my Church; and never will the powers of death overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you unbind on earth shall be unbound in heaven."

Reflection:

Can we proclaim like St. Peter that Jesus is the messiah? Our first pope proclaimed the word of God and built a church of the newly converted where it continues to be heard until this day. Jesus envisioned a church as a place where we could freely communicate with our Father. Through this institution he founded, we are fortunate to partake of our Lord's body and blood to strengthen us. Jesus is the Living Word and this message continues to be spread throughout the ages with the guidance of the church and the instructions of Jesus' disciples. Sometimes that message can be difficult for others to hear. But, if we are to remain faithful, there are some sacrifices that need to be made. We must love our enemies, we need to forgive those who hurt us; we need to be more like Christ. When faced with these challenges, indeed, it takes much effort to become more patient and loving especially to those who have let us down time and time again. That's why it's no wonder what Jesus did to Peter whom we know denied Jesus under duress, but still gave him the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Even with his shortcomings, Peter strived to do better. In fact, his zeal to share Jesus' message of love caused him to be crucified (as tradition dictates, upside-down) just like our Lord. Criticisms and perhaps even death are demanded of such an office. But, if we really believe that Jesus is our messiah, then even death cannot squash that truth out of our spirits. The sacrifices of so many martyrs show that indeed it is an honor to give up our life for Jesus because he first gave up his life for us.

Prayer Requests:

We pray …

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

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

… for families who are in need of healing.

… for world peace and reconciliation.

… for the special intentions

     * Feliciana Bonsol

… for the repose of the soul

     * Richard Ozoa

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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