to be gathered - 26th week monday

Today we read from our first reading, from the book of the prophet Zechariah.  The prophesy of Zechariah was uttered after the exile when they were allowed once more by the Persian Kings to return to their homeland and rebuild their lives, including the temple.  In this homecoming after 70 years of living in a foreign land, the Lord repeated his promises to his people.  The Lord promised security and peace - people will reach old age, and their sons and daughters can play safely on the city streets.  Then the Lord promised to gather all the children of Israel from all over the world and bring them back to Jerusalem.

To be gathered together – the shepherd gathering the flock, the mother hen gathering her brood – these are the images of God fulfilling his promise.  And this is especially relevant to us Filipinos now scattered all over the world because of economic reasons.  We are in a better position to understand  and therefore to long more intensely for the fulfillment of this perennial promise better than any other people – there is in every Filipino family that constant longing to be gathered together again.  As we celebrate today the feast of the Filipino saint, St. Lorenzo Ruiz let us ask his intercession that he would pray to the Lord to hasten that day to end our exile, when we are again gathered together to become one family and one nation.