DAILY- HOMILY

September 16, 2014
Tuesday 24th Week in Ordinary Time
[Memorial of Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian] 

1 Cor 12: 12-14, 27-31a / Ps 10:1b-2, 3, 4, 5 / Lk 7: 11-17

Reading: 1 Cor 12: 12-14, 27-31a   
As the body is one, having many members, and all the members, while being many, form one body, so it is with Christ. All of us, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, have been baptized in one Spirit to form one body and all of us have been given to drink from the one Spirit. The body has not just one member, but many. Now, you are the body of Christ and each of you individually is a member of it. So God has appointed us in the Church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers. Then come miracles, then the gift of healing, material help, administration in the Church and the gift of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Can all perform miracles, or cure the sick, or speak in tongues, or explain what was said in tongues? Be that as it may, set your hearts on the most precious gifts, and I will show you a much better way.

Gospel:  Luke 7: 11-17
A little later Jesus went to a town called Naim and many of his disciples went with him – a great number of people. As he reached the gate of the town, a dead man was being carried out. He was the only son of his mother and she was a widow; there followed a large crowd of townspeople. On seeing her, the Lord had pity on her and said, "Don't cry." Then he came up and touched the stretcher and the men who carried it stopped. Jesus then said, "Young man, awake, I tell you." And the dead man got up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. A holy fear came over them all and they praised God saying, "A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people." This news spread out in the Jewish country and the surrounding places.

Reflection:
     Both Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian lived in the 3rd century. Both were bishops who were martyred for the faith. Cornelius was the bishop of Rome while Cyprian was the bishop of Carthage. Both bishops proclaimed their faith as Christians in front of the Roman authorities and so were exiled. Their Christian flock followed suit and asked to be punished with their bishops. This is the Body of Christ, the Christian community. What one suffers, the others suffer, too. When one is honored, the others exult. When one is condemned to death, the others desire to follow him in death. The blood of Christ runs through the veins of the Christians as their love for Christ strengthens their love for one another. That is why the pagan world was eventually converted to Christianity by the heroic examples of Christian martyrs.
     In the gospel, Jesus restores the dead son of a widow to life. It is because of this miracle and many others done by Jesus that the Christians believed in the resurrection. The holy martyrs Cornelius and Cyprian did not die recklessly for Christ. They knew and they believed that eternal life and paradise awaited them after their death. They looked forward to seeing the Father and Jesus face to face in the heavenly kingdom. Their hearts were full of anticipation as God gave them a calm spirit to receive the death blow. The blood of martyrs is the seed of the growth of the Church.

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
     * Allan M. Gatchalian, A. Dimayuga Jr., M.L.P. Cheang, SA Villanueva Sr, F Baltazar, Amy Duran
… for world peace and reconciliation
… for the birthday intentions of
     * Guia N Tadiar, Rose Marie S, Clemena Babie Gutierrez, Amy Raneses, Amada Arcos, Fe Marguez
… for the safety of travelers
… for eternal repose
     * Herman Castuera, Herminia Lodana, Christian Lomerio

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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