DAILY- HOMILY

March 1, 2014
Saturday 7th Week in Ordinary Time

Jas 5: 13-20 / Ps 141: 1-2, 3 and 8 / Mk 10: 13-16 

Reading: Jas 5: 13-20
Are any among you discouraged? They should pray. Are any of you happy? They should sing songs to God. If anyone is sick, let him call on the elders of the Church. They shall pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer said in faith will save the sick person; the Lord will raise him up and if he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven. There will be healing if you confess your sins to one another and pray for each other. The prayer of the upright man has great power, provided he perseveres. Elijah was a human being like ourselves and when he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, no rain fell for three and a half years. Then he prayed again: the sky yielded rain and the earth produced its fruit. Brothers, if any one of you strays far away from the truth and another person brings him back to it, be sure of this: he who brings back a sinner from the wrong way will save his soul from death and win forgiveness for many sins.
   
Gospel: Mk 10: 13-16   
People were bringing their little children to him to have him touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this. When Jesus noticed it, he was very angry and said, "Let the children come to me and don't stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he took the children in his arms and laying his hands on them, blessed them.

Reflection:
A community is born when people learn to put their trust in each other. According to Mother Teresa, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Mother Teresa was a wonderful woman who graced the world with her selflessness. She brought people faith, trust in humanity, and hope.  Whether we are happy or sad, we share them in prayer with the Lord. And when we are sick, we may seek help from God's people. In verse 15, we are called to accept the fate that will be given to us, alive and kicking or spirited away. Having a strong faith helps deliver our message to the Lord, but does not guarantee recovery. It is the confidence in God that He will do what's best for us, committing ourselves to Him that He grants us His will. Then we may also lose hope and feel like the Lord has forsaken us, but fear not for there will come a time that our trust in humanity will put us back on the right track. When we are far away from the Lord, someone, like a neighbor, or something, like faith, will bring us back, but of course, with our willingness to go back. And when we are close to the Lord, let us not stop in our tracks. As a community, we share it with our fellow brothers and sisters so that they may also see the truth.     

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
     * Louie Relatado, Lourdes Tang, Romie Ang, Rose Lee, Zeny Balatbat
... for personal intentions
... 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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