DAILY- HOMILY

September 19, 2014
Friday 24th Week in Ordinary Time
[Memorial, St. Januarius]

1 Cor 15: 12-20 / Ps 17: 1bcd, 6-7, 8b, 15 / Lk 8: 1-3

Reading: 1 Cor 15: 12-20
Well, then, if Christ is preached as risen from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is empty and our belief comes to nothing. And we become false witnesses of God, attesting that he raised Christ, whereas he could not raise him if indeed the dead are not raised. If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith gives you nothing, and you are still in sin. Also those who fall asleep in Christ are lost. If it is only for this life that we hope in Christ, we are the most unfortunate of all people. But no, Christ has been raised from the dead and he comes before all those who have fallen asleep.   

Gospel: Luke 8: 1-3
Jesus walked through towns and countryside, preaching and giving the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve followed him, and also some women, who had been healed of evil spirits and diseases: Mary called Magdalene, who had been freed of seven demons; Joanna, wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Suzanna, and others who provided for them out of their own funds.

Reflection:
Today's gospel is very short of action. As we read along, we see Jesus preaching and ministering through the towns and countryside of Galilee accompanied by the Twelve and some women. No details of any activity are mentioned but only simple descriptions of the various backgrounds of the three women. With these three short verses, what did the evangelist want to teach his readers?  We have to know the status of women in Palestine of the first century, so we can better understand the reason why these three short verses are in our gospel. As we all know, the status of women in those days in Palestine is not the same as modern women in our country. Like all ancient peoples, women and children had no status in their patriarchal society. That is why in certain gospel accounts we encounter such verses such as "not counting women and children" That is also why the gospel episode of the raising back to life of the widow's only son is so significant to the people in the story but also to the readers or hearers of the gospel. Women were not even allowed into the synagogue and were separated from men in temple services. No rabbi accepts women disciples. Knowing this, we can understand why Luke included these verses in his gospel. By these, the evangelist wanted to emphasize to the people especially the women among them that accepting the "good news" of Jesus and his life is a liberating experience for them. Hearing, since only a few can read or write, that Jesus, was ministering and preaching in the company of his women followers, they were challenged to open their hearts and minds to new ways of thinking about women and many other things. After knowing all of these, are we now more open to accept and experience the different realities of the love of our loving Father? Or do we find it difficult to accept and be open to new realities of the same love which had always sustained us, preferring the old ways which were handed down to 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

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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