DAILY- HOMILY

November 4, 2014

Tuesday 31st Week in Ordinary Time

[Memorial, St. Charles Borromeo]

Phil 2: 5-11 / Ps 22:26b-27, 28-30ab, 30e, 31-32 / Lk 14: 15-24     

Reading: Phil 2: 5-11

Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ had: Though he was in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness, and in his appearance found as a man. He humbled himself by being obedient to death, death on the cross. That is why God exalted him and gave him the Name which outshines all names, so that at the Name of Jesus all knees should bend in heaven, on earth and among the dead, and all tongues proclaim that Christ Jesus is the Lord to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel: Luke 14: 15-24

Upon hearing these words, one of those at the table said to Jesus, "Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!" Jesus replied, "A man once gave a feast and invited many guests. When it was time for the feast he sent his servant to tell those he had invited to come, for everything was ready. But all alike began to make excuses. The first said: 'Please excuse me. I must go and see the piece of land I have just bought.' Another said: 'I am sorry, but I am on my way to try out the five yoke of oxen I have just bought.' Still another said, 'How can I come when I have just married?' The servant returned alone and reported this to his master. Upon hearing the account, the master of the house flew into a rage and ordered his servant: 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'  The servant reported after a while: 'Sir, your orders have been carried out, but there is still room.' The master said: 'Go out to the highways and country lanes and force people to come in, to make sure my house is full. I tell you, none of those invited will have a morsel of my feast."

Reflection

     Today's gospel speaks of the parable of the great banquet, and how those who were initially invited turned the Master down because they were too busy with their own earthly concerns. Because of this, the invitation was extended to the "poor, the crippled, the blind and lame." This passage has been interpreted to represent the Jews who rejected Jesus' invitation to be part of his flock and the eventual extension of this invitation to the Gentiles who were originally considered outside of the People of God. Similarly all of us are invited to be part of God's flock, to his heavenly kingdom, but our minds are often on earthly concerns.  We are often preoccupied with work, studies, buying new gadgets and clothes, going to parties, etc. We are too busy to listen to God in prayer or through Scriptures. We choose ourselves over God.

     We must take the example of St. Charles Borromeo so that we will learn to choose God over ourselves. Although belonging to the Milanese nobility, Charles Borromeo desired to devote himself to the Church.  He lived during the Protestant Reformation and was involved in the reform of the Catholic Church during the final years of the Council of Trent. He became a priest at the age of 25 and became bishop of Milan soon after. Despite his position in the Church hierarchy, he was very humble, gave most of his income to the poor and became poor himself. During the plague and famine of 1576, he fed thousands of people using borrowed money which required him to repay for years to come.  When the civil authorities left, he stayed behind to take care of the sick and the dying. With this burden he died at the age of 46 while ministering to his flock.

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

     * complete and speedy recovery of Carissa Quintos

... for world peace and reconciliation

... for the eternal repose of the soul of Bobby Serrano

... In memoriam (+): Soterania Santiago, Amado Santiago, Bernardo Santiago Jr, Ruperta Santiago, Go Bon Chong, Go Bon Shu, Julian Santiago Sr, Angling Sy, Jean Acebedo, Romulo Sy, Remo Sy, Alex Sy

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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