DAILY- HOMILY

January 28, 2019 – MONDAY, 3RD Week in Ordinary Time

St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church Memorial. White.

Heb 9: 15, 24 – 28 / Mk 3: 22 - 30

St. Thomas Aquinas  (1225  –  1274), a Dominican priest, "the  Angelic Doctor," is considered among the greatest philosophers and theologians of the Church. Pope Leo XIII declared him Patron of Catholic Schools.

From the 1st Reading:    Heb 9: 24, 28a

Christ did not enter some sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself. He is now in the presence of God on our behalf. . . .

Christ sacrificed himself once to take away the sins of the multitude.

Gospel Reading:               Mk 3: 22 – 30

Meanwhile the teachers of the Law, who had come from Jerusalem, said, "He is in the power of Beelzebul: the chief of the demons helps him to drive out demons."

Jesus called them to him, and began teaching them by means of stories, or parables. "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a nation is divided by civil war, that nation cannot stand. If a family divides itself into groups, that family will not survive. In the same way, if Satan has risen against himself and is divided, he will not stand; he is finished. No one can break into the house of a strong man in order to plunder his goods, unless he first ties up the strong man. Then indeed, he can plunder his house.

"Truly, I say to you, every sin will be forgiven humankind, even insults to God, however numerous. But whoever slanders the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven: he carries the guilt of his sin forever." This was their sin when they said, "He has an unclean spirit in him."

REFLECTION

We will never realize the magnitude of Christ's sacrifice on the cross unless we acknowledge our sinfulness and witness the deep sufferings and sins of others. Many of us sin because of our problems, because we cannot accept rejection, being poor, being deprived, etc. We do bad things because we cannot accept our poverty, injustices committed against us, etc. Who is exempt from problems and suffering?

Even Jesus suffered but he did so without rebelling. And without sinning. Jesus died not for his sins for he was sinless, but for our sins, our selfishness, our lack of love, our impatience and indifference and all the other crimes humankind has committed.

In the Gospel reading we see the teachers of the Law claiming that Jesus was a tool of the devil. It is so disappointing to see how these men, despite the miracles and all the good teaching of Jesus, refused to see God working in him.

We pray that our minds and hearts would not be so blind and unable to see God's presence and action in our daily lives. People are so full of themselves, their possessions, ambitions and aspirations that they fail to see God's presence. We should be in constant watch and prayer to see God's presence and actions in our lives.

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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