DAILY- HOMILY

October 1, 2014

Wednesday 26th Week in Ordinary Time

[Memorial, St. Therese of the Child Jesus]

Jb 9: 1-12, 14-16 / Ps 88:10bc-11, 12-13, 14-15 / Lk 9: 57-62     

Reading: Jb 9: 1-12, 14-16

Then Job answered: Very well I know that it is so. But how can a mortal be just before God? If one were to contend with him, not once in a thousand times would he answer. His power is vast, his wisdom profound. Who has resisted him and come out unharmed? He moves mountains before they are aware; he overturns them in his rage. He makes the earth tremble and its pillars quake. He commands the sun, and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the skies and treads on the waves of the seas. He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and every constellation. His wonders are past all reckoning, his miracles beyond all counting. He passes by, but I do not see him; he moves on, but I do not notice him. If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, "What are you doing?" How then can I answer him and find words to argue with him? If he does not answer when I am right, shall I plead with my judge for mercy? Even if I appealed and he answered, I do not believe that he would have heard.

Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

As they went on their way, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another Jesus said, "Follow me." But he answered, "Let me go back now, for first I want to bury my father." And Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their dead; as for you, leave them and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said to him, "I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family." And Jesus said to him, "Whoever has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God."

Reflection:

     In the Gospel passage, St. Luke enumerates the hardships of the apostolic calling. First he says that the apostle/missionary should be ready to be sent anywhere, even far away from home.  Wherever he goes, he should be prepared to stay in a nice house or in one that is quite bare. If he has to sleep on a hard bed, he must be prepared to do so. The number of meals he will eat may vary from day to day. In other words, he must be ready for discomforts, deprivations and hardships for love of Christ.

     The second condition in becoming an apostle is to be able to cut off all familial ties.  No matter how much he loves his family, the missionary puts the evangelization mission as first priority before his natural desire of being surrounded by the love and comfort of family.  He has the duty to make people become children of God which is very important.  He now surrounds himself with a bigger family - the Church, the Christian community.

     Lastly, the apostle must be ready to do his mission for all his life. Once a missionary, always a missionary. Once we have decided to serve the Lord, we know it is a lifetime work.  A father will always be father to his children, always husband to his wife, etc. When we start serving the Lord who has served us first, we realize our lives have no meaning apart from that service. So the missionary works tirelessly and cheerfully for 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

     * for the complete healing of Arturo David

... for world peace and reconciliation

... for wisdom, perseverance and clarity of mind as they prepare and take their exams:

     * Dennis Puno who takes the Mechanical Engineering Board Exams on October 3 - 4, 2014

     * Karen Tuala who takes the bar exams on the coming four (4) consecutive weekends

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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