DAILY- HOMILY

31 March 2016

Easter Thursday 

White.            

Acts 3:11 – 26 / Lk 24: 33 – 48

From the 1st Reading: Acts 3:12b – 15 

Peter said, "Why do you stare at us as if it was by some power or holiness of our own that we made this man walk? The God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus whom you handed over to death and denied before Pilate. When even Pilate had decided to release him, you rejected the Holy and Just One, and you insisted that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Master of life, but God raised him from the dead and we are witnesses to this."

From the Gospel Reading: Lk 24:44 – 48 

Then Jesus said to them, "Remember the words I spoke to you when I was still with you:  Everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms had to be fulfilled." 

And he went on, "You see what was written: the Messiah had to suffer and on the third day rise from the dead. The repentance and forgiveness in his name would be proclaimed to all the nations, beginning with Jerusalem. Now you shall be witnesses to this."

Reflection

Even as he returns to his Father in heaven, our Lord stresses the value of suffering.

Because Jesus as human knows quite well that we his fellow humans love to avoid, in Jung's words, "legitimate suffering." Jung refers to that very hard and painful work of coming to terms with who we really are.  We need to accept the painful truth about our very person: our strengths and weaknesses, our virtues and vices, and especially our darkest sides.

A commentator on Jung once explained, "It is actually much easier to blind ourselves to our inner conflicts and to suffer neurotic symptoms than it is to carry the ultimate cross of becoming an authentic and healthy individual."  "To carry the ultimate cross of becoming an authentic and healthy individual" jumps out of the page!

An archivist said that what he dreaded most was opening an archival box and finding that the contents do not match what it is supposed to have.  It is so easy to immediately look for someone to blame, to find a scapegoat.  Honestly, blaming is just an excuse for laziness.  We do not like to exert the physical effort and mentally taxing work of organizing the archival box properly. While we could stop the blaming game, we should also accept, however difficult it may be, that we may be lazy, physically and mentally.  This would be a simple example or instance of carrying the ultimate cross in order to become an authentic and healthy individual.

Both Peter in the reading from Acts and the risen Jesus with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus emphasize that the Messiah would suffer.  Are we ready to accept legitimate suffering in our lives?

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY

     Br. Alex Ervin T. Diaz FSC

     Milton Villafuerte

THANKSGIVING

     Jeff & Gloria Real & Children

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     Leticia A. Tung

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

   |  distributed free and for personal use only.  

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