DAILY- HOMILY

05 November 2016

Saturday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time

ALL SAINTS AND BLESSED OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS

Feast.     White.    

Dt 30: 10 – 14 / Jn 12: 23 – 26

Today the Society of Jesus celebrates the Feast of all members of the Society of Jesus who have been canonized or beatified, in order to understand the unity of the Society more clearly and live in the spirit of that union more deeply.  Like the Solemnity of All Saints when the Church remembers all those in glory with Christ, this Feast recalls the memory not only of all the Jesuits who have been canonized or beatified but also all other Jesuits who have entered into God's glory.

1st Reading: Dt 30:10 – 14

For you shall turn to Yahweh, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and observe his commandments and norms, in a word, everything written in the book of the Law.  These commandments that I give you today are neither too high nor too far from you.  They are not in heaven that you should say, "Who will go up to heaven to get these commandments that we may hear them and put them to practice?"  Neither are they at the other side of the sea for you to say, "Who will cross to the other side and bring them to us, that we may hear them and put them to practice?"

On the contrary my word is very near you; it is already in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can put it to practice. 

Gospel Reading: Jn 12: 23 – 26 

Then Jesus said, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.  Truly, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.

"Those who love their life destroy it, and those who despise their life in this world keep it for everlasting life.  Whoever wants to serve me, let him follow me and wherever I am, there shall my servant be also.   If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him."

Reflection

"Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit."  (Jn 12: 24)  "For if you choose to save your life, you will lose it; and if you lose your life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, you will save it." (Mk 8:35)  This is the law for all life to be truly fruitful. The blood of martyrs is acclaimed to be the seed from which the early Church grew and prospered.  

Today we join the Society of Jesus in celebrating all the Jesuit Saints, Blessed and all others in God's glory.  Many of them shed their blood in defense of the faith; others lived their lives in heroic witness proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ.  They all produced much fruit from their lives; the witness of saintly lives is never in vain

Saints must have believed that only by death comes life, an amazing paradox. Each one died to self, to personal ambition and desires; each one learned to generously drop the ego.  And dying to selfishness, saints gained fullness of life. For them, only one thing truly mattered: God's holy will.

To do God's will is to spend one's life giving love away.  To love is to forget selfish gain and advancement and not to be obsessed with "what's-in-it-for-me?"  St. Ignatius of Loyola, Father and Founder of the Society of Jesus, aspired for courtly love and public recognition before Pamplona and his conversion. By God's grace, he learned to drop his personal ambitions in pursuit of God's will for him and the Church.  He unlearned selfishness and generously offered himself and his life back to God.  It is the saintly thing to do.

What would life be without saints like Ignatius of Loyola who readily and generously spent themselves and all they had as an offering to God for the well-being of others, for God's greater glory?  Paradoxically, in living giving love away, one is rewarded with everlasting life.

All saints lived this paradox in their lives: they experienced fullness of life because they chose to die for themselves and to spend their living giving love away to others. It is the wise thing to do.  May we all learn to be wise and to live this paradox in our lives.

My all the saints, blessed and all others in glory of the Society of Jesus pray for us.    

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER DIARY INTENTIONS:

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     Anton & Catherine J. Sevilla

IN MEMORIAM (+)

     Benito S. Cua (Nov 5, 1935 – Mar 4, 2003)

     Charlie Buenavista (Jan 6, 1959 – Nov 5, 2014)

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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