DAILY- HOMILY

January 25, 2018 – THURSDAY, CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL, Apostle

Feast. White.

Acts 22: 3 - 16 / Mk 16: 15- 18

The feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, celebrates an important phase of development in the history and growth of the Church.

FROM THE 1ST READING:  Acts 22: 3 - 4, 7- 8, 14- 15

Paul said, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up here in this city where I was educated in the school of Gamaliel, according to the strict observance of our Law. And I was dedicated to God's service as are all of you today.  As for this way, I persecuted it to the point of death and arrested its followers, both men and women, throwing them into prison...

"I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' I answered, 'Who are you, Lord?" And he said to me, 'I am Jesus, the Nazarean, whom you persecute." ...

Ananias then said,' The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Just One and to hear the words from his mouth.  From now on you shall be his witness before all the pagan peoples and tell them all that you have seen and heard."'

GOSPEL READING:           Mk 16: 15- 18

Then Jesus told his disciples, "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.  The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. Signs like these will accompany those who have believed:  in my Name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes and, if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed.  They will lay their hands on the sick and they will be healed."

REFLECTION

Today we celebrate the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle..  A true Jew and an avid persecutor of Christians, he is knocked down from his horse and transformed into God's great Apostle to the Gentiles:  "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

In the Gospel reading, before the risen Jesus ascends into heaven, he commissions his disciples to preach the Good News, "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation."  Salvation is for all: nobody should set limits to whom the Good News is preached.

The mission to preach the Good News is as valid today as it was at the time of Jesus. Though we may not be ordained ministers of the Church, by our baptism we are called to share the same Good News to all. Most of us do so not by active preaching but by witnessing to the Good News by the lives we live. In the way we live we radiate the goodness and love of God. Hopefully others will find their way to God in and through us.

WE PRAY FOR MTQ DAILY PRAYER INTENTIONS:

BIRTHDAY 

     Virgilio Catunao

     Vishnu Nancoco

     Aaron Paul Monedero Syling

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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