DAILY- HOMILY

December 11, 2014

Thursday 2nd Week of Advent

[Memorial, St. Damasus I, Pope]

Is 41: 13-20 / Ps 145: 1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab / Mt 11: 11-15 

Reading: Is 41: 13-20

For I, Yahweh, your God, take hold of your right hand and say to you: "Fear not, I am your assistance." Fear not, Jacob, poor worm, and you, people of Israel, so frail. I am your redeemer, says Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, your helper. I will make you a thresher, new and with sharp double teeth: you will thresh hills and mountains, crushing them and reducing them to chaff. You will winnow them, the wind will carry them off and the storm will scatter them. But you will rejoice in Yahweh and glory in the Holy One of Israel. The poor and the afflicted seek water, and find none. Their tongues are parched with thirst. But I, Yahweh, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open up streams over the barren heights and let the rivers flow through all the valleys; I will turn the desert into lakes and brooks and the thirsty earth into a land of springs. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle and the olive; I will plant in the wasteland fir, cypress and pine – that all may see and know, consider and understand, that the hand of Yahweh has done this, that the Holy One of Israel has created it. Present your case, says Yahweh. Produce your evidence, says the King of Jacob.

Gospel: Matthew 11: 11-15

I tell you this: no one greater than John the Baptist has come forward among the sons of women, and yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven is something to be conquered and the unyielding seize it. Up to the time of John, there was only prophesy: all the prophets and the Law; and if you believe me, John is this Elijah, whose coming was predicted. Let anyone with ears listen!

Reflection:

     Don't we sometimes feel that a task or service given to us is so daunting that we feel so inadequate and incapable of accomplishing it? Our fears and insecurities get the better of us. However, deep down in our hearts, we hear God calling us to service or to do something specific. Do we just cower and retreat from the task at hand, or do we seek the grace and power of the Holy Spirit to embolden us into action?  We hold on to God's promise that He will not let us down, especially when we are doing His will. Let us remember that He enabled the apostles, mere fishermen who were not educated like the Scribes and Pharisees, to preach the Good News. He gave them the gift of tongues through the power of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost and sent them to the farthest corners of the earth to evangelize those who have not heard the Word of God. God doesn't promise that following Him will be easy. What He promises is that He will always be there to hold our hand and assist us in our journey, as long as we remain faithful to Him. He will open up doors of opportunities for us to succeed in our task that He has mapped out for us. No task or service is too small or too insignificant. Every small act in consonance with God's will, when enmeshed together, forms the tapestry that completes the pieces of the puzzle to make God's grand plan a reality, that every soul will inherit His kingdom. Non-believers will come to know Yahweh, our God, through our loving acts, our random acts of kindness and the impossible will become possible.

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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