DAILY- HOMILY

April 29, 2015 WEDNESDAY, 4TH WEEK OF EASTER

St. Catherine Of Siena, Virgin

and Doctor of the Church  

Memorial, White         

Acts 12:24  – 13: 5a / Jn 12: 44 – 50

[St. Catherine of Siena (1347 – 1380), an ardent supporter of the papacy, helped restore the papacy to Rome after the Avignon captivity. Imprinted with the stigmata, she died at the early age of 33.  She was proclaimed Patroness of Italy in 1939 and a Doctor of the Church in 1970.]

Reading: Acts 12:24 – 13:5a

     Meanwhile the word of God was increasing and spreading. Barnabas and Saul carried out their mission and then came back from Jerusalem, taking with them John also called Mark.

     There were at Antioch – in the Church which was there – prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Symeon known as Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod, and Saul. On one occasion while they were celebrating the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul to do the work for which I have called them." So, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

     These then, sent by the Holy Spirit, went down to the port of Seleucia and from there sailed to Cyprus. Upon their arrival in Salamis they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogue.

Gospel: Jn 12:44 – 50

     Yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, "Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.

     "If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me, and does not receive my word, already has a judge: the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.  

     "For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has instructed me in what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the Father instructed me."  

Reflection:

     "I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness."

     The spiritual writer Richard Rohr writes about our "shadow self" that lives in darkness: "We all identify with our idealized persona . . . that we become masters of denial and learn to eliminate or deny anything that does not support it. Neither our persona nor our shadow is evil in itself; they just allow us to do evil and not know it. Our shadow self makes us all hypocrites on some level.  Remember, hypocrite comes from the Greek for 'actor,' someone playing a role rather than being 'real.' We are all in one kind of a closet or another and are even encouraged by society to play our roles. Until grace is fully triumphant we are all hypocrites of sorts."

     We need to get out of the shadows. We need light to cast out the darkness of our shadow self. Usually everybody else around us knows about it – except ourselves. Ask a trusted friend to help us dispel this darkness. Ask the help of Jesus for he is the light, that we not remain in darkness.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     JUN S. CABUSAY

     RAMON DE CASTRO

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     ANDREW & ESTHER NG

OTHER INTENTIONS:

For the eternal repose of the soul of Dr. Herminia Sy Sia.

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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