DAILY- HOMILY

February 28, 2015 SATURDAY, 1st Week of Lent

Violet

Dt 26:16-19 / Mt 5: 43-48

Reading: Dt 26:16-19

     On this day, Yahweh, your God, commands you to fulfill these norms and these commandments. Obey them now and put them into practice with all your heart and with all your soul.

     Today Yahweh has declared to you that he will be your God, and so you shall follow his ways, observing his norms, his commandments and his laws, and listening to his voice.

     Today Yahweh has declared that you will be his very own people even as he had promised you, and you must obey all his commandments. He, for his part, will give you honor, renown and glory, and set you high above all the nations he has made, and you will become a nation consecrated to Yahweh, your God, as he has declared.

Gospel: Mt 5: 43-48

     Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and do not do good to your enemy. But this I tell you: Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in Heaven. For he makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and he gives rain to both the just and the unjust.

     "If you love those who love you, what is special about that? Do not even tax collectors do as much? And if you are friendly only to your friends, what is so exceptional about that? Do not even the pagans do as much? For your part you shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect."

Reflection:

     For most of us, loving our enemies is really something that is next to impossible to do. Imagine having to forgive and to love the persons who wronged us, the ones who hurt us, the ones who cheated us. How on earth can we do that?

     Perhaps it might be helpful if we beg our Lord for a forgiving and loving heart as we pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, silently and slowly in our hearts, conscious of the feelings that each word or phrase expresses:

     "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."

     As we pray the Lord's prayer, we pause right here and recall those we need to forgive, the un-lovable ones, the cruel ones, the unjust ones, those who hurt us, those who treated us badly. Who are these people? How did they exactly hurt us? What were the circumstances? We allow those hurting feelings to surface and ask the Lord to soothe these pains. What do we tell the Lord? What do we say to those who hurt us, right here, right now? We pause, we pray for them, and in the end, we offer them to the Lord for his blessing.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     JUDY MINDA O. JUNIO

     JULIAN JR. S. LOLA

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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   |  The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the

   |  priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish

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