DAILY- HOMILY

February 15, 2015 – 6TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Cycle B Green

Lv 13: 1-2, 44-46 / 1 Cor 10: 31-11: 1 / Mk 1: 40-45

First Reading: Lv 13: 1-2, 44-46 

     Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, "If someone has a boil, an inflammation or a sore on his skin which could develop into leprosy, he must be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of the priests, his descendants.

     This means that the man is leprous: he is unclean. The priest shall declare him unclean; he is suffering from leprosy of the head.

     A person infected with leprosy must wear torn clothing and leave his hair uncombed; he must cover his upper lip and cry, "Unclean, unclean." As long as the disease lasts he must be unclean; and therefore he must live away from others: he must live outside the camp.

Second Reading: 1 Cor 10: 31-11: 1

     Then, whether you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. Give no offense to the Jews, or to the Greeks, or to the Church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything. I do not seek my own interest, but that of many, this is: that they be saved.

     Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ.

Gospel: Mk 1: 40-45

     A leper came to Jesus and begged him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." The leprosy left the man at once and he was made clean. As Jesus sent the man away, he sternly warned him, "Do not tell anyone about this, but go and show yourself to the priest and for the cleansing bring the offering ordered by Moses; in this way you will make your declaration."

     However, as soon as the man went out, he began spreading the news everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter any town. But even though he stayed in the rural areas, people came to him from everywhere.

Reflection:

     A characteristic of our lives these days is instantaneity. When one needs any information, one types it on any search engine and one has the information then and there. Regular snail mail has become obsolete because one can communicate in an instant using electronic mail or text messaging. Food and drinks can be easily prepared, thanks to instant coffee, noodles and other packaged foods that can be prepared quickly by thawing or heating. Business and bank transactions can be done in a few seconds. Even entering into or ending relationships have become instant for some.

     The same can be said of the leper's request for a cure in today's gospel reading. A man with leprosy begs Jesus to be cured: "If you will, you can make me clean." "Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, 'I will; be clean.' The leprosy left the man at once and he was made clean." In an instant, the leper was cured.

     We all have various requests when we pray to God. Some may get their prayers granted immediately; others may be answered after some time. But for most of us, it seems that our requests are not granted. How we wish God would respond to our prayers in the same way Jesus responded to the leper's request for a cure, immediately and instantly. Nevertheless this does not mean that God does not answer our prayers. Our faith tells us that, while God may not heal our physical ailments, he has healed us from our sins. When God does not seem to listen to our requests, he may be inviting us to deepen our faith and trust in him, that he will do what is good for us and that he will always be at our side.

     Our faith experience tells us that our prayers are oftentimes not answered in an instant; it seems that most of the time our prayers are not answered at all. We do not experience instant miracles like the cleansing of the man with leprosy.

     When we do not get what we ask for, there is a temptation to think that God has abandoned us and that he has stopped caring for us. But, gratefully, also with his grace, we know that God continues to be involved in our daily lives, even if He seems to be very silent and uninvolved. Most of the time we fail to recognize that God is working through the ordinary and the simple and the uneventful. We only need to find time to stop and be mindful of his quiet presence. We should develop the habit of finding time to acknowledge God and be grateful for all the good things in our lives, big and small.

     If we had been the leper in the Gospel reading, we probably would have asked also to be cleansed of the leprosy. How would we have reacted if we had been instantly cleansed, as the leper in the reading was? How would we have reacted if Jesus had not performed the cleansing asked for?

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY 

     AIZA GONZALOS

     BRYAN H. ROMERO

     EDNA MIJARES JACQUELINE CHENG

IN MEMORIAM [+]

     AIMEE SANTOS-OCAMPO

     BENEDICT T. SYLING (OCT 18, 1917 - FEB 15, 1999)

     DR. SOTERANIA S. SANTIAGO

OTHER INTENTIONS:

For the eternal repose of the soul of Rosenda Saguin

For LJ Koh passing his law school studies

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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