DAILY- HOMILY

August 28, 2014
Thursday 21st Week in Ordinary Time
[Memorial, St. Augustine]

1 Cor 1: 1-9 / Ps 145: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 / Mt 24: 42-5

Reading: 1 Cor 1: 1-9
From Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Sosthenes, our brother, to God's Church which is in Corinth; to you whom God has sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with those who everywhere call upon the name of our Lord Christ Jesus, their Lord and ours. Receive grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our Lord. I give thanks constantly to my God for you and for the grace of God given to you in Christ Jesus. For you have been fully enriched in him with words as well as with knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you. You do not lack any spiritual gift and only await the glorious coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord. He will keep you steadfast to the end, and you will be without reproach on the day of the coming of our Lord Jesus. The faithful God will not fail you after calling you to this fellowship with his Son, Christ Jesus, our Lord.   

Gospel: Matthew 24-42-51
Stay awake, then, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Just think about this: if the owner of the house knew that the thief would come by night around a certain hour, he would stay awake to prevent his house to be broken into. So be alert, for the Son of Man will come at the hour you least expect. Imagine a capable servant whom his master has put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time. Fortunate indeed is that servant whom his master will find at work when he comes. Truly, I say to you, his lord will entrust that one with everything he has. Not so with the bad servant who thinks: My master is delayed. And he begins ill-treating his fellow servants while eating and drinking with drunkards. But his master will come on the day he does not know and at the hour he least expects. He will dismiss that servant and deal with him as with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Reflection:
     We hear this gospel every year but we take God's message for granted. While we are young, we want to enjoy what the secular world offers. We always rationalize that we will turn to God when the right time comes, and usually our notion of the right time is when we are already old. But the Gospel says the Son of Man will come at the hour we least expect. So we must always be ready for anything to happen at any time. We do not know what the future holds but what we can do is to be prepared. We should be good and do good always according to God's will, so that we will always be ready for any eventuality that calls for our faith response no matter what happens. 
     In the past two years, four of our closest friends succumbed to cancer. Three of them suffered for almost two years and the most recent one suffered for only three months. They were not in their old age, but they admirably faced their sickness with acceptance.  In spite of their sufferings, they were cheerful and grateful for their life.  In the midst of their pains, they did not dwell on self-pity, but offered them for others.  We look up to them for their courage and their faith.
     God promised us eternal life in heaven. Knowing that our earthly lives are temporary, we should be excited to be with God in heaven. This is not easy for us if we are attached to the world, but not if we put Jesus Christ in the center of our life. He will call us and say,  "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

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 Almabelle Abapo, Lisa Claire Branzuela and Dale Robert's Basilla; for Marion & Marian Nuevo, who will all take the Physician Licensure Exams (Aug 23,24, 30, 31) - the grace of wisdom, understanding and clarity of mind during their preparations and exam proper.

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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