DAILY- HOMILY

November 26, 2014

Wednesday 34th Week in Ordinary Time

[Memorial, St. John Berchmans]

Rv 15: 1-4 / Ps 98: 1, 2-3ab, 7-8, 9 / Lk 21: 12-19 

Reading: Rv 15: 1-4

Then I saw another great and marvelous sign in the heavens: seven angels brought seven plagues which are the last, for with these the wrath of God will end. There was a sea of crystal mingled with fire, and the conquerors of the beast, of its name and the mark of its name stood by it. They had been given the celestial harps and they sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb: Great and marvelous are your works, O Lord, God and Master of the universe. Justice and truth guide your steps, O King of the nations. Lord, who will not give honor and glory to your Name? For you alone are holy. All the nations will come and bow before you, for they have now seen your judgments. Then the sanctuary of the Tent of Divine Declarations was opened.          

Gospel: Luke 21:12-19

Before all this happens, people will lay their hands on you and persecute you; you will be delivered to the Jewish courts and put in prison, and for my sake you will be brought before kings and governors.             This will be your opportunity to bear witness. So keep this in mind: do not worry in advance about what to answer, for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, and brothers, by relatives and friends, and some of you will be put to death. But even though you are hated by all for my name's sake, not a hair of your head will perish. Through perseverance you will possess your own selves.

Reflection:

     In the Philippines, there is this "martyr" mentality mainly because of the telenovelas that are shown day in and out. A martyr is portrayed as someone whose kindness is abused or a person who is good but is maltreated by a stepmother, etc... We think that this is the right way to be a good person  - to be "matiisin," to meekly suffer any kind of abuse, to just resign ourselves to the situation because there is nothing we can do about it. 

     Today's Gospel is inviting us strongly to bear witness to God.  In this day and age, we hardly hear of people being fed to the lions or slaughtered because of their faith in Jesus Christ. The history of the primitive church tells us of so many accounts of people who gave up their lives in the name of Jesus Christ. These are the real martyrs. The true kind of martyr who believes strongly in the truth and stands up to it, with courage and faith, happily and peacefully accepting the reality of his/her life. Families may be divided because of differences of beliefs but the one who bears witness to the love of God, radiates this love so much so that he/she can love unconditionally the other person. 

     How can we be witnesses in this present time to the love of God in our lives?  Pay taxes correctly. Go to mass on Sunday. Be studious.  Be Pro-life. Say no to pre-marital sex or to drugs even if everyone is doing it. People may laugh at you saying you are too modest in dressing because you are wearing a skirt that is knee-length when all other girls are wearing skirts one foot above the knees.  Be obedient to your parents, to the teachers, to the priests and those in authority. In short obey the commandments and love one another as Christ has loved us.

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 the good health of Mr. & Mrs. Ah See 

... for the eternal repose of the soul of Estrella Yu Castillo

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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