DAILY- HOMILY

May 1, 2017 – MONDAY, 3rd Week of Easter 

St. Joseph the Worker, White

Labor Day

Acts 6:8 - 15 / Mt 13:54 - 58

     Pope Pius XII instituted this feast to honor St. Joseph the Worker on 01 May which is Labor Day in many countries.

1ST READING:     Acts 6: 8- 15

     Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Some persons then came forward, who belonged to the so­ called Synagogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. As they were unable to face the truth, they bribed some men to say, "We heard him speak against Moses and against God."

     So they stirred up the people, the elders and teachers of the Law; they took him by surprise, seized him and brought him before the Council. Then they produced false witnesses who said, "This man never stops speaking against our Holy Place and the Law. We even heard him say that Jesus the Nazarean will destroy our Holy Place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us." And all who sat in the Council fixed their eyes on him, and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel.

GOSPEL READING:     Mt 13: 54- 58

     Jesus went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, "Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers? Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother and aren't James, Joseph, Simon and Judas his brothers? Aren't all his sisters living here? How did he get all this?" And so they took offense at him.

     Jesus said to them, "The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family." And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

REFLECTION

     No matter who has hurt us - a family member, a friend, a co-worker or a neighbor - we face the same fundamental question: "How am I going to deal with it?" Time may help to reduce the pain, but time without grace can also push the pain deeper into our hearts without any real resolution and, when something like this is suppressed, it could greatly influence us without our realizing it.

     Our efforts to forgive those who have hurt us are good; support from friends would help. Jesus can give us a different kind of help, like what Stephen received before his detractors. No matter how difficult things may be, God is able to give us courage and strength to face our enemies. Stephen witnessed his faith in Jesus with the help of God's grace, a witness even to his death by stoning.

     God has promised that his word, once spoken, would never be fruitless. People may resist it, not listen to it. But with perseverance, God's word will produce much fruit.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

ORDINATION

     BENJAMIN SIM S.J.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

     BILL & NIGHT KEYES

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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