DAILY- HOMILY

September 29, 2014
Monday 26th Week in Ordinary Time
[Feast, Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Archangels]

Dn 7: 9-10, 13-14 or Rv 12: 7-12A / PS 138: 1-2AB, 2CDE-3, 4-5 / Jn 1: 47-51

Reading: Dn 7: 9-10, 13-14
I looked and saw the following: Some thrones were set in place and One of Great Age took his seat. His robe was white as snow, his hair white as washed wool. His throne was flames of fire with wheels of blazing fire. A river of fire sprang forth and flowed before him. Thousands upon thousands served him and a countless multitude stood before him. Those in the tribunal took their seats and opened the book. I continued watching the nocturnal vision: One like a son of man came on the clouds of heaven. He faced the One of Great Age and was brought into his presence. Dominion, honor and kingship were given him, and all the peoples and nations of every language served him. His dominion is eternal and shall never pass away; his kingdom will never be destroyed.   

Gospel: John 1: 47 - 51
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming, he said of him, "Here comes an Israelite, a true one; there is nothing false in him." Nathanael asked him, "How do you know me?" And Jesus said to him, "Before Philip called you, you were under the fig tree and I saw you." Nathanael answered, "Master, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" But Jesus replied, "You believe because I said: 'I saw you under the fig tree.' But you will see greater things than that. Truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Reflection:
     Today is the feast of the three archangels: Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. Each of them had a special mission that God designed for them. Gabriel was the messenger of Good News to Mary. Michael was the warrior of God against Lucifer. Raphael helped the virtuous man Tobit get medicine to cure the blindness of his father.
     The gospel presents to us Jesus meeting Nathanael whom he called a true Israelite. It did not often happen that persons invited by Jesus to join him would be called true Israelite by him. Jesus spoke of Nathanael as the one he saw "under the fig tree." For the Jews, the fig tree was a common place for prayer. It means that Nathanael most probably was praying when Philip found him under the fig tree. Perhaps he was praying for the coming of the Messiah. That must be why Jesus refers to him as a true Israelite.
     Jesus answered Nathanael with something he had heard from Scriptures about angels.  In the Old Testament, there are many accounts of angels appearing to pious Jew such as Abraham, Jacob, Tobias, Sarah, etc. There is a spirit world that exists and angels have been designated to be the servants of God and Jesus Christ. Their duty is to protect God and His people, including us. There is no reason not to believe in their existence.  Instead, we must be grateful to have such powerful and holy protectors and we should often seek their help in times of physical and spiritual danger.
     Are we prayerful people like Nathanael was?  Do we believe in a spirit world inhabited by the angels and the saints?  Today's feast invites us to believe that the world inhabited by God is more beautiful than ours and therefore we must often seek it in our hearts.

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

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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