DAILY- HOMILY

September 4, 2014
Thursday 22nd Week in Ordinary Time

1 Cor 3: 18-23 / Ps 24: 1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6/ Lk 5: 1-11

Reading: 1 Cor 3: 18-23
Do not deceive yourselves. If anyone of you considers himself wise in the ways of the world, let him become a fool, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's eyes. To this, Scripture says: God catches the wise in their own wisdom. It also says: The Lord knows the reasoning of the wise, that it is useless. Because of this, let no one become an admirer of humans, for everything belongs to you, Paul, Apollos, Cephas — life, death, the present and the future. Everything is yours, and you, you belong to Christ, and Christ is of God.   

Gospel: Luke 5:1-1
One day, as Jesus stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, with a crowd gathered around him listening to the word of God, he caught sight of two boats left at the water's edge by the fishermen now washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to pull out a little from the shore. There he sat and continued to teach the crowd. When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon replied, "Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will lower the nets." This they did and caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats almost to the point of sinking. Upon seeing this, Simon Peter fell at Jesus' knees, saying, "Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" For he and his companions were amazed at the catch they had made and so were Simon's partners, James and John, Zebedee's sons. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid. You will catch people from now on." So they brought their boats to land and followed him, leaving everything.

Reflection:
     Have you experienced Jesus knocking at your door? What was your response? Did you ignore the knocking and acted like a deaf person? Did you open the door and wholeheartedly welcomed Jesus into your heart?
     As a member of a Catholic charismatic community, our group would send missionaries to other countries to spread the Word of God. We were asked last year to serve in Africa as volunteer missionaries. The agreement was that we pay for our own plane fares but our hosts will provide for our lodging and meals. We said YES right away not even thinking how much was the airfare to Africa. When we learned that the airfare was very expensive and we had to go there two to three times a year, we said to God: "Lord, we said YES to you and it's not our problem anymore where we will get the funds for our airfares. I completely trust you that you will provide the funds."
     Our God is indeed a great God, for during our prayer time, as if on cue to "cast the net at the other side of the boat ... from now on, you shall be fishers of men", we were led into selling a property that we had owned. "Start storing your treasurers in heaven. Your earthly possessions mean nothing to me. You use "my money" to "catch" my people in Africa."
     Following Jesus is not easy. There will be times in our lives that Jesus will ask us to go the extra mile for Him. Will we still continue to ignore him or say YES to Jesus right away by recognizing his voice and trusting his lead?

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 birthday intentions of Marcelino Billanes

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!

**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:

  +================================================+
   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
   |            http://www.marythequeen.org
   |  Distributed free and for personal use only. 
  +================================================+

September 3, 2014
Wednesday 22nd Week in Ordinary Time
[Memorial, St. Gregory the Great]

1Cor 3: 1-9 / Ps 33: 12-13, 14-15, 20-21 / Lk 4: 38-44

Reading: 1Cor 3: 1-9
I could not, friends, speak to you as spiritual persons but as fleshly people, for you are still infants in Christ. I gave you milk and not solid food, for you were not ready for it and up to now you cannot receive it for you are still of the flesh. As long as there is jealousy and strife, what can I say but that you are at the level of the flesh and behave like ordinary people. While one says: "I follow Paul," and the other: "I follow Apollos," what are you but people still at a human level? For what is Apollos? What is Paul? They are ministers and through them you believed, as it was given by the Lord to each of them. I planted, Apollos watered the plant, but God made it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who makes the plant grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work to the same end, and the Lord will pay each according to their work. We are fellow-workers with God, but you are God's field and building.

Gospel: Luke 4: 38-44
Leaving the synagogue, Jesus went to the house of Simon. His mother-in-law was suffering from high fever and they asked him to do something for her. Bending over her, he rebuked the fever, and it left her. Immediately she got up and waited on them. At sunset, people suffering from many kinds of sickness were brought to Jesus. Laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Demons were driven out, howling as they departed from their victims, "You are the Son of God!" He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, for they knew he was the Messiah. Jesus left at daybreak and looked for a solitary place. People went out in search of him and, finding him, they tried to dissuade him from leaving. But he said, "I have to go to other towns to announce the good news of the kingdom of God. That is what I was sent to do." So Jesus continued to preach in the synagogues of the Jewish country.

Reflection:
     Jesus forbids the expelled demons to announce that he is the messiah. This is called the messianic secret. Israel awaits a messiah who will be their liberator from both political and economic oppression. Jesus is truly the messiah but his mission is not limited to perform miracles. To publicize a premature announcement that he is the messiah would endanger his real mission which is to liberate and redeem man from sin and death through suffering. The motive in following him remains self-serving and superficial. People were following Christ with a perverse intention. They want to be rid off of suffering. But Christ wants to give a deeper experience, to have faith and peace that can withstand all adversities. The real sickness of man is internal.  Many times after a cure Jesus would say: "You are now healed. Sin no more." Of what is the healing when faith is still imminent? Lazarus was raised to life but still he died later. Death can be overcome if the internal man has the real life of Christ. This man is described as a house built on a rock. Strong winds and wave may buffet it but it still remains standing. Before this is possible, Christ needs to enter death for the forgiveness of sins, and to resurrect so that his Spirit can be offered to us. This spirit is indestructible. We can receive this through the proclamation of the good news. That is why Christ did not remain in the midst of the euphoria of having a multitude of followers. He had to move on for the proclamation of the kingdom of God. The possibility of internal healing is offered to those who welcome the preaching.  Here lies the true liberation of man.
     What is our relationship with the Lord? Do we treat him like a genie that appears to grant our wishes? Or are we willing to follow him even in the midst of life's conflicts and difficulties because we have this certainty that nothing can separate us from the love of God?

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 Agnes Bacani
… for world peace and reconciliation

… for the eternal repose of Cipriano P. Maribojoc

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!

**************************************************
These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only. Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends, colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the following:

  +================================================+
   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
   |            http://www.marythequeen.org
   |  Distributed free and for personal use only. 
  +================================================+