DAILY- HOMILY

November 30, 2015 MONDAY, 1ST Week of Advent        

ST. ANDREW, Apostle                    

Feast, Red           

Rom 10:9 –18 / Mt 4:18 – 22

[St. Andrew, the brother of St. Peter, was originally a disciple of St. John the Baptist and among those first called by Christ to be a fisher of men. He preached in Greece and was martyred on an X-shaped cross.] 

Reading: Rom 10:9 –18

     You are saved if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart you believe that God raised him from the dead. By believing from the heart, you obtain true righteousness; by confessing the faith with your lips you are saved. For Scripture says: No one who believes in him will be ashamed. Here there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; all have the same Lord, who is very generous with whoever calls on him. Truly, all who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.

     But how can they call upon the name of the Lord without having believed in him? And how can they believe in him without having first heard about him? And how will they hear about him if no one preaches about him? And how will they preach about him if no one sends them? As Scripture says: How beautiful are the feet of the messenger of good news. Although not everyone obeyed the good news, as Isaiah said: Lord, who has believed in our preaching? So, faith comes from preaching, and preaching is rooted in the word of Christ.

     I ask: Have the Jews not heard? But of course they have. Because the voice of those preaching resounded all over the earth and their voice was heard to the ends of the world. 

Gospel: Mt 4:18 - 22

     As Jesus walked by the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. He said to them, "Come, follow me, and I will make you fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him.

     He went on from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them. At once they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Reflection:

     There is a video on YouTube that experimented on what passersby would do if someone simply collapsed in a public place and sought help. Shockingly, many people who walked by could not be bothered and simply walked on. The video looks like a modern version of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25 – 36)

     Hopefully many of us would say that we would not be like the priest or the Levite in the parable or many in the video who did not stop to help.   We would think that we would stop to offer our help or, at the very least, to see if we could help.  We believe, after all, that this is what a good Christian would do.    

     The story portrayed in today's Gospel reading is similar, although not exactly the same. Simon and Andrew, fishermen, were casting their nets, and James and John were helping their father mend their nets. They wanted to join Jesus in "fishing for people."

     Jesus knew he needed help in his task of preaching the Good News; he could not do his task alone. He needed the help of others. Jesus asked them to help him and they left what they were doing to follow him.   

     How many among us would do what these four fishermen did? Can we simply abandon our current occupation, our concerns, and our worries so that we can do God's work? If we think we are already doing God's work, how are we challenged to follow Jesus and be  "fishers of people"?   

     The man in the video was in need of help, like the pilgrim who fell into the hands of robbers.  Who are people like them in our lives today? Do we just pass by and not bother or do we heed the call to help those in need?

     Not only are we urged to do as the good Samaritan. More important Jesus identifies with those in need.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     ANTONINA M. CAMATA

     ERWIN PEALE E. BELZA

     RAYNARD LIM YU

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     BERT & MI-ANN LOMBOS

     GONZALO & PERPETUA F. ANG

     TIMOTHY & EURICA TAN

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     BERNARD JOSEPH ONG

     GRACE A. LIM (FEB 20, 1954 – NOV 30, 2000)

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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