DAILY- HOMILY

November 25, 2014

Tuesday 34th Week in Ordinary Time

[Memorial, St. Catherine of Alexandria]

Rv 14: 14-19 / Ps 96: 10, 11-12, 13 / Lk 21: 5-11 

Reading: Rv 14: 14-19

Then I had this vision. I saw a white cloud and the one sitting on it like a son of man, wearing a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. An angel came out of the sanctuary, calling loudly to the one sitting on the cloud, "Put in your sickle and reap, for harvest time has come and the harvest of the earth is ripe." He who was sitting on the cloud swung his sickle at the earth and reaped the harvest. Then another angel, who also had a sharp sickle, came out of the heavenly sanctuary. Still another angel, the one who has charge of the altar fire, emerged and shouted to the first who held the sharp sickle, "Swing your sharp sickle and reap the bunches of the vine of the earth for they are fully ripe." So the angel swung his sickle and gathered in the vintage, throwing all the grapes into the great winepress of the anger of God.        

Gospel: Luke 21: 5-11

While some people were talking about the Temple, remarking that it was adorned with fine stonework and rich gifts, Jesus said to them, "The days will come when there shall not be left one stone upon another of all that you now admire; all will be torn down." And they asked him, "Master, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" Jesus then said, "Take care not to be deceived, for many will come claiming my title and saying: 'I am he, the Messiah; the time is at hand.' Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and troubled times, don't be frightened; for all this must happen first, even though the end is not so soon." And Jesus said, "Nations will fight each other and kingdom will oppose kingdom.  There will be great earthquakes, famines and plagues; in many places strange and terrifying signs from heaven will be seen. 

Reflection:

     St. Catherine of Alexandria was martyred by Emperor Maxentius in the early 4th century.  She is the patroness of philosophers and preachers. Her emblem is a broken spiked-wheel.  She was of noble descent and dedicated herself to studies where she learned Christianity.  At age 14, she was converted through a vision of Our Lady and the Holy Child Jesus.  Young Catherine rebuked the emperor for persecuting the Christians. The emperor made several unsuccessful attempts to dissuade her but failed.  She was thrown into prison where she was still able to convert the empress and the chief of the troops. She was supposed to be tortured and killed with a spiked-wheel but it broke when Catherine touched it.  So she was beheaded instead. 

     Today's gospel tells us not to be afraid even when there are wars, revolutions, earthquakes, plagues, etc. These are warning signs and persecution of Christians will also occur before the Day of the Lord comes. But Jesus tells us to stand firm and defend our faith by testifying to the Name of Jesus, Lord and Savior of mankind. This St. Catherine did.  She was not afraid and despite all efforts to dissuade her, she remained steadfast to the end. If at such a young age, she displayed such courage, maybe we can desire to emulate her because if we are true Christians, surely we will also have to pass through persecutions of some sort. Let us pray to be deemed worthy of suffering some hardships for the sake of the gospel.         

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

... we pray most especially for the healing of Rose Lee, upon the request of daughter Denise  Ann

... for the special intentions of Fely Bonsol

... for the birthday intentions of Janet Ang, Lourdes Tang

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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