Jesus said to his disciples: “As the
Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my
commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s
commandments and remain in his love.
“I have told you this so that my joy might
be in you and your joy might be complete.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
There was a woman who would vocally
profess her love for Jesus. She would always tell the members of her church
ministry that she loves Jesus more than her life. But the woman was also a
domineering figure in her church community she throws her weight around so as
to achieve what she wants.
What does it mean to remain in the love of
Jesus? Is it enough to worship Him but impede His transformational power to
move us? Of course not! We must worship Him and we must also allow Him to
transform us.
The woman in our story is obviously
deficient in her love for Jesus because even if she religiously worships Him
She doesn’t allow the transformational power of Jesus to transform her to
become a humble and gentle person.
Many of us are like this woman, we are
very proud with our worship and love for Jesus but we don’t allow Jesus to
transform us. Those who love Jesus are not only fervent worshippers they also
zealously follow His virtue of humility and gentleness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the
true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me
that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears
more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as
a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither
can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever
remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do
nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me will be
thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them
into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in
you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my
Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
How does it feel without connection to the
internet? It seems that something important in our lives is lacking. We cannot
function properly if our job is reliant on the internet.
Somehow our lives now is associated with
the internet be it wifi or cable based internet connection. When we are outside
of our respective houses our smart phones are ever ready to find wifi
connection. We look for it because we need or we want to be connected.
How about our desire to be connected with
Jesus and God? Do we always seek a connection with Jesus and God? Is our desire
for Jesus and God as intense as our desire for a wifi or internet connection?
In the gospel for this Wednesday Jesus
tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches (John 15:5) and as such we
must always be connected with Him and God. Life without connection with God is
meaningless, even if we have all the material wealth and power it’s still
meaningless without God!
If only we would always desire connection
with God more than we desire wifi or internet connection. If only we would
invest more time with God as much as we invest time using our smart phones,
computers and laptops. Let us therefore always seek connection with God through
our prayers, presence at Holy Mass. And by reading and reflecting upon His life
transforming worlds in the bible.
The best is yet to come for us If we would
seek permanent connection with our vine and our vine grower no other
than Jesus and God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
(Jesus said to his disciples) “Peace
I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it
to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell
you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would
rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it
happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much
with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but
the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has
commanded me.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What is this peace that Jesus mentions to
us in the gospel? It’s the peace that no one in this world can ever give us. We
cannot find this peace with worldly power or riches. Because the more worldly
power and riches we have the more that we’ll have no peace in our hearts.
Many of us think that we will have peace
by having power and wealth that’s why we aspire for it! We don’t even care if
we sin as long as we could have this corrupted wealth and power. But we must be
wary for the reason that the devil has always a concession for us to have
immoral wealth and power and the concession is sin. And by accepting the
offer of the devil we are permanently under the devil’s devious spell until we
die and we end up in hell.
On the contrary, Jesus offers us His
peace. Peace that no amount of worldly power and wealth could measure up.
Peace that will keep us permanently away from sin and peace that will
plant contentment in our hearts. Therefore, we must embrace this peace that
Jesus offers us.
Do you already have the peace of Jesus in
your heart? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever
has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me
will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."
Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master, then what happened that you
will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we
will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does
not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who
sent me.
"I have told you this while I am with
you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name— he
will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you deeply love Jesus?
Love begets love, for example if a husband
will show his love for his wife he gets love in return from his wife. As the
marriage move on the love between spouses flounders it passes through stormy
waters. And it will take humility and forgiveness for both spouses to
triumphantly pass through that turbulence.
The love of Jesus for us is unconditional
He loves us even if we have betrayed Him so many times. It is not even attached
to any actions that we do for God has already forgiven us for the many
betrayals that we’ve caused Him.
However, even if Jesus has forgiven us
already it is still our obligation to always humble ourselves before Him. We
show Jesus that we love Him deeply when we humbly say sorry to Him for the many
hurts that we’ve caused Him. This we do when we humbly submit ourselves to the
healing Sacrament of Reconciliation.
When was your last you’ve been through the
Sacrament of Reconciliation? Would you want to show your love for Jesus by
humbly submitting yourself to this healing Sacrament? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.
Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.
Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Where does life lead us without Jesus? It leads us to nowhere and nothingness. Our life is without meaning without Jesus. We are like a boat being buffeted by waves that has nowhere to go.
Life is meaningless without our connection to Jesus. We may possess abundance in worldly goods, yet these are all temporary; one day, we will leave them behind. Worldly possessions cannot provide peace of mind; instead, they often disturb our inner peace.
Jesus, through the gospel for this Sunday, tells us: 'You will never bear fruit unless you remain in me' (John 15:4). Yet, Jesus also tells us that we will bear much fruit if only we decide to remain in Him.
Therefore, let us always decide to be connected with Jesus through our presence at Holy Mass, through the Sacraments, through our visits to the Adoration chapel, and through reading His words in the Bible.
Let us not let go of Jesus even when life brings us numerous trials. For no trial is insurmountable for Jesus; if we are connected to Him, nothing can defeat us. No one could dampen our spirits, for His abiding presence is with us.
As the branch cannot survive without its connection to the vine. We too will not be able to survive without our connection with Jesus. Are you always connected to Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “If you know
me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have
seen him.” Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be
enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and
you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the
Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on
my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in
the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works
themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes
in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because
I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that
the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I
will do it.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Whenever I go for a vacation in our
province, I would always reunite with my relatives and friends. They would
always say that they are reminded of my father because of how I look and sound.
I always reply with a thank you and a smile in return.
In the gospel Philip said to Jesus,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to
him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me,
Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).” The two
personalities or the Trinity is revealed by Jesus, him and God the Father and
they are acting as one person. Jesus further told them whoever believes in me
will do the works that I do (John 14:12).
There is a great responsibility on us when
we say that we are followers of Christ because Jesus tells us that if we are
believers we must do the works that he did in other words we must emulate him
if we profess to be His followers.
If we are true followers of Jesus we have
no other choice but to do His works in the process we will be closer to Him.
And whenever others would see us they will be reminded of Jesus. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You
have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many
dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to
prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may
be.
Where [I]
am going you know the way. Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where
you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and
the truth* and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you know
where would you go after your journey in this world is over?
Perhaps many
of us may lose sleep by mere mention of death, we don’t want to die at this
point because we are not yet prepared. But who is prepared to die? Nobody, we
are not prepared to die. Why? For the simple reason that majority of us still
love to be in this world and enjoy whatever it can still offer us.
Nevertheless,
Jesus is telling us in the gospel not to be troubled. For as long as we have
faith in Him we would be OK even if we die. For our faith and friendship with
Jesus is more than enough to conquer our fear of death.
Therefore, we
have to do our part to get close to Jesus for as long as we live. If we are
close to Jesus we have nothing to fear, even death we will not fear. Jesus
Himself assures us with these words: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You
have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many
dwelling places (John 14:1-2). - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to
them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will
be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they
will drive out demons,they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if
they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the
sick, and they will recover.” Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was
taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went
forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed
the word through accompanying signs.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you take time to share in whatever way possible
what you know about Jesus?
The gospel speaks is the end of the earthly ministry
of Jesus and the start of the ministry of the apostles. We all know that the
apostles were very successful in their mission of evangelization. But it was
not easy for they worked very hard and except for one all of them died for
their mission.
It’s so easy to remain in our comfort zones and just
live the lifestyle that we want. We do everything for ourselves and we tend to
forget God and our mission to spread the gospel as well. Then, when
we are at the sunset of our lives we will find out that nothing really matters
except God. Yes, at the end nothing really matters except God alone: Money
will not matter influence and power will not matter either.
God wants us to spread the good news in whatever way
possible. He wants us to proclaim our faith not necessarily by words alone but
through our actions as well. If we can proclaim our faith thru our
actions that would be much better since actions speaks volumes than
words.
As the Lord ascends to heaven He is gently reminding
you about your baptismal mission. Which is to help the Lord spread the faith
through your words and actions. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.
Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you know somebody who is sinful? Don’t give up on that sinful person continue to stretch your patience and pray for his/her conversion.
There are countless stories of conversion in the scripture/bible and foremost of these is the conversion story of Saul. Saul or Saint Paul was formerly the number one persecutor of the church. He in fact had a hand in the killing of many followers of Jesus yet Jesus did not judge Saul. In His infinite wisdom and mercy Jesus converted Saul/Paul to become the number one propagator of the Christian faith to the gentiles.
What is the message of these conversion stories for us? The message is, there is hope for all of us no matter how sinful we are. And no matter how grave the sins that we have committed there is still hope for us! Jesus even said: for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world (John 12:47).
Jesus is not interested on the sins that we have committed He is rather very much interested in our conversion so that we can become His follower and soon after partner in His mission. He is interested to bring us to the light so that we can become His light for others.
This is our mission in this world to become bearers of Jesus’ light. Do we open ourselves to this desire of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The feast of the Dedication was taking
place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on
the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How
long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us
plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But
you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to
me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The
Father and I are one.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
How can we have an encounter with Jesus? We have to
abide with what Jesus tells us in the scripture/bible. If He tells us that He
and the Father are one we have to believe it without any doubt. For the simple
reason that all of Jesus pronouncements are not empty, it is solidly supported
by other passages in the bible.
What separates those who believe and those who don’t?
Those who believe receive the full graces of the power that emanates from
Jesus. For example, their lives are changed, their faith is strengthened, and
they themselves become agents of positive change in their own respective
environments.
Those who do not believe or who take Jesus
nonchalantly are left out in terms of spiritual graces, their individual faith
life is not strengthened. They are more vulnerable to the many forces of evil
and they don’t have the spiritual strength that faithful believers
have.
What is the secret for us to believe? We have to
humble ourselves before Jesus. We have to accept with faith every word that He
tells us in the scripture/bible and we have to be present during Holy Mass most
especially Sunday Holy Mass. The moment we do so, this would be the beginning
of our renewed life with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere
is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of
the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he
calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own, he
walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his
voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because
they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure
of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to
you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and
robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters
through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief
comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have
life and have it more abundantly.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told about a poor family. The
husband had an ordinary low paying job and the wife was a housewife they had
six (6) children. Because of the meager salary of the husband they could barely
survive and they always borrow money from their relatives.
Despite of their poor financial standing
this family was faithful to Jesus and the church; they would always attend
Sunday Holy Mass. The parents introduced their children to Jesus and they educated
their children the values of the faith. The mother would always lead in the
prayer of the Holy Rosary and the father would always be there to join them.
Eventually all of their children became
very successful in their respective field of endeavors. Hence, they’ve given
back the love and guidance that their parents gave them. Obviously the parents
were Good shepherds for they introduced their children to the gate of life that
is Jesus.
Jesus in the gospel tells the crowd that
He is the good shepherd that desires only the best for them. Jesus also tells
them that He is the gate of life but they did not believe Him.It is said
that: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Thus, we know for a
fact that Jesus is really our Good Shepherd.
We believe and feel in our hearts this
declaration of Jesus. He desires nothing for us but our wellbeing. This is
the reason why Jesus wants us to follow Him and make Him our Good Shepherd. We
also know that He is our only gateway to the many truths about our faith. He
too is our gateway towards life beyond this world and without Him in our lives
there would be no life beyond this world.
There are still many who do not know about
Jesus as the Good Shepherd. There are still many who do not know that Jesus is
the gateway to the many truths of our faith. There are still many who do not
know that Jesus is the gateway to a life beyond this world. Why? Because they
do not allow Jesus to be their Good Shepherd. They instead allow worldliness
and the many lies of Satan to shepherd them thus they are enslaved by money,
power and sin.
Who is shepherding you right now? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A husband and his six children were left behind by his wife for another man. To assure his children of his guidance and protection, he gathered them, looked each of them in the eye, and told them: 'I will take care of you regardless of whatever difficulties we may face. I will see you through, and I will be with you until the end no matter what.
Jesus, in the gospel, tells us that He is our good shepherd who will give His very life for us, so that He could find and save us no matter how sinful we are. What have we done to merit this love and shepherding from Jesus? Nothing, we have even offended Him for countless times; nevertheless, His infinite love and shepherding are always there for us.
We will sin for as long as we live in this world, but the infinite love of Jesus, our good shepherd, is always there for us. Let us therefore not be deaf to His search and longing for us. He wants us back in His loving and unconditional embrace.
Many of us continuously loiter in the abyss of sinfulness; we purposely turn a blind eye to Jesus' search for us. But at what cost? For the cost of our own life? We would sin and continuously sin until it cost us our life? Jesus our good shepherd is knocking at the door of our hearts, let us open our hearts to Him.
Would you open the door of your heart to the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Many of the disciples of Jesus who were
listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that
his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?
What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is
of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are
some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who
would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this
reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by
my Father.”
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to
their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the
Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom
shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and
are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
How is your faith in Jesus right now? Is it still
solid as a rock or feeble as a sand castle?
After extensively telling His followers that He is the
Bread of Life. It was now time for Jesus to weigh up the disciples faith on Him.
Unfortunately, many did not believe the Bread of Life discourse of Jesus. So
they went back to their old lives, therefore they disconnected themselves from
actively following Jesus.
If we are made to choose between Jesus and the
trappings of this world such as power, wealth and the like. Many of us would
also choose to be with this world rather than to be with Jesus. Why? What does
this world offer us that we love it more than we love the Lord? This world
offers us temporal power, wealth, influence and the like.
Why is it that many of us have chosen to embrace worldliness?
Perhaps we have not yet experienced the power of Jesus in our lives. Otherwise
if we have already felt the power of God in our lives. We would surely leave
behind all forms of worldliness and sin for God.
Would it be possible to have the best of both sides
(We follow God and we follow also this world). No, we have to choose which one
we want to embrace. It’s either we embrace this temporal world or we embrace
our infinite God. The righteous choice is always to be with God and never to be
with this world.
What would it benefit you if you gain all the power
and riches of this temporal world but you don’t have God? Nothing else except
emptiness and more emptiness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The Jews quarreled among themselves,
saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen,
amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his
Blood, you do not have life within you.
Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my
Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me
and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the
Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of
me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike
your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live
forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
+ + + + + +
+
Reflection:
Are you a regular Sunday Mass goer or even a daily
Mass goer? How do you feel if you fail to be at Holy Mass? Do you feel that
something is lacking in your system of being? If your answer is yes, you have
this feeling not because you miss a routinary activity.
Truth be told, you have this feeling because you miss
to be with Jesus. And you miss to partake of the Body and Blood of Jesus which
(you may not know) is the source of your every Sunday and daily
nourishment.
How many times have you been to Holy Mass without
paying attention to what’s going on during the celebration? Perhaps countless
times already, what do you do after noticing that your attention was not in the
Mass? Do you say sorry to Jesus and then make it a point to be attentive
again?
In every Holy Mass that we attend we should see to it
that our full attention is in the sacred celebration. So that when the part
comes that we are about to partake of His body our focus is centered on what we
are about to receive. Which is no other than the most precious bread in the
entire world because we receive the life giver, Jesus Himself.
Perhaps you may not believe this now because you are
still young, healthy and perhaps you have money and power. And these temporal
things serve as your security blanket right now. However when the time comes
that you are already old and sickly. You will know that nothing matters anymore
except the Bread of life, Jesus Himself. You will not desire anything except to
partake of His Body which will become the source of your daily
nourishment.
Why wait for that time to come in the future? When you
can already desire to be close to Jesus by faithfully partaking of His Body and
Blood now and onwards? Why make the temporal things of this world your
security blanket? When you can make the Body of Christ your security blanket
now? Yes now. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come
to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last
day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by
God.
Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him
comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God;
he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal
life.
I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna
in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so
that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from
heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will
give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you afraid to die?
There are many reasons why many are afraid to
die; foremost amongst these reasons is we are not prepared yet. We still have
our own worldly preoccupation that we must take care of first. But we all know
that at a time that we don’t expect, we have to go and leave this world
permanently.
In today’s gospel Jesus gives us an ironclad
protection against our fear of death. He enjoins us to regularly partake of the
living bread that is available to us during Holy Communion no other than
Himself. This is the same bread that is given to those who are sick and not
anymore able to go to church for Holy Mass.
Why don’t we try to regularly partake of His Body
during Holy Communion? And see how it will form, change and make us fearless of
mortal death. We will not die anymore if we are with Jesus and we will not fear
death anymore if we reverently partake of Him at Holy Mass during Holy
Communion.
Our marching order therefore is to bring others to
Holy Mass. So that they will also be blessed, nourished and enlightened by
Jesus Christ.
Have you been able to bring someone to church for Holy
Mass, so that they too can come to know Jesus more deeply and not fear anything
that may happen to them in this world? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to the crowds, “I am the
bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in
me will never thirst. But I told you that although you have seen me, you
do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I
will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven
not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is
the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of
what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the
will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have
eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”
+ + + +
+ + +
Reflection:
Is Jesus the bread of our lives? When we make Jesus the bread of our
lives we are already assured of heavenly dwelling someday. But how are we going
to make Jesus the Bread of our lives? We have to receive Him at Holy Communion
whenever we attend Holy Mass.
We have to read the life story of Jesus in the
Holy Bible and we have to allow Jesus to transform us. We also have to have a
daily quality and quite time with Jesus every day of our lives. In our daily
quite and quality time with the Lord we have to listen to Him.
In the gospel for today, Jesus tells us this: I
am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever
believes in me will never thirst. Jesus further tells us, I will not reject
anyone who comes to me.
This bread of life discourse of Jesus invites us
also to reflect on our own life in this world. Have we already touched lives as
Jesus touched lives? Have we given hope to the hopeless as Jesus has given hope
to the hopeless? Are our hearts always on fire to help those who come to us? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
The crowd said to Jesus: “What sign can
you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate
manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” So
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the
bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the
bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus, “Sir, give us this
bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes
to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Would we be willing to give our very life
for Jesus?
In the first reading, Stephen was killed
because of his unending profession of faith in Jesus. He could have saved his
life if he had not proclaimed his love for Jesus, but he chose to boldly
declare it. As a result, he was stoned to death.
What a price to pay for professing his
faith and love for the Lord. But this is the reality with our discipleship for
Jesus. If we really are true and faithful followers we would not hesitate to
give a certain part of our life or even our own life for our love for Jesus.
Every now and then there would be
instances wherein the steadfastness of our faith in Jesus would be tested. It
may not cost our life anymore; perhaps the test of our commitment to Jesus may
come through many forms of temptations and trials. For example, temptation such
as temptation of the flesh and trial such as unexpected sickness. Would we
still be faithful to Jesus amidst these temptations and trials?
It’s really not easy to follow Jesus, some
of us may have already given up on Jesus and we instead chose to follow the
many temptations of this world.
But if we would not follow Jesus and if we
will not sacrifice a part of ourselves for the advancement of the kingdom of
God. Who are we going to follow? We follow the devil and his master, the
supreme manipulator and deceiver Satan? Those who chose to follow Satan lived
miserably until the end of their lives.– Marino J. Dasmarinas
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand
men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.] The next day, the crowd that
remained across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that
Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples
had left. Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten
the bread when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his
disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking
for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi,
when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to
you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the
loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food
that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him
the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to
accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the
work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Why do we go to church for Mass or why do we pray? Is
it for our love of Jesus or for our need of Jesus? Some of us go to church for
Holy Mass because of our need for Jesus, some of us pray for the same reason as
well.
After our need for Jesus has been addressed
already many of us would slacken and go back to our old ways. Until
such time that we again encounter humps and bumps in our lives then we again
will need Jesus and we naturally attend Holy Mass again.
The people who were following Jesus were looking for
Him because they saw how He feed them in the miracle of the loaves and fish. It
was not for the love of Jesus that they were looking for Him neither for their
desire to join Jesus disciples in their mission of evangelization.
If we look for Jesus let us not look for Him because
of our need for Him alone. We look for Him because we love Him and we want to
share in His mission of evangelization. It’s always better to look for
Jesus rooted in our love for Him. Since this love that we have for Him is
always rewarded by Jesus in many ways: such as good
health, peace of mind, peace in the family. feeling of contentment and the
like.
Why do you look for the
Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The two disciples recounted what had taken place on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.” And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” they gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A compassionate woman would always go to a poor community to give food to those who are hungry. The poor, whom she had helped, would ask her, 'Why are you doing this to us?' The woman would reply, 'I want to share the love and compassion of Jesus with you.'
How would we know that we are witnessing for the risen Christ? It’s when we hunger to do the things that Jesus did when He walked for three years in this world. For example, we saw a poor begging for food and we felt compassion for that person which led us to give food. Or whenever we see a person in need we always feel the drive to help.
If we feel these emotions in our hearts we are in fact already witnessing for the Risen Christ. The Lord is manifesting Himself through us and we become the living and breathing witnesses that Jesus has indeed risen!
Why are we witnessing for Jesus? We witness for Jesus because we want others to experience Him as close as we do in our own lives. Our witnessing for the Lord is a reflection of the positive impact that Jesus has made in our lives. And we desire the same transformative encounter for others too. Through our witness, others can come to know Jesus and feel His presence and love through us.
In the gospel, the two disciples recounted to their fellow disciples Jesus’ manifestation to them in the breaking of the bread. When we break bread or share our food with the poor and hungry, we are doing acts of mercy and compassion. By breaking bread or sharing our food with the hungry, we bear witness for Jesus and become His face to them. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, samantalang isinalaysay ng mga alagad ni Hesus ang nangyari sa daan, at kung paano nila siyang nakilala nang pagpira-pirasuhin niya ang tinapay. Samantalang pinag-uusapan nila ito, si Hesus ay tumayo sa gitna nila. "Sumainyo ang kapayapaan!" sabi niya sa kanila. Ngunit nagulat sila at natakot sapagkat ang akala nila'y multo ang nasa harapan nila.
Kaya't sinabi ni Hesus sa kanila, "Ano't kayo'y nagugulumihanan? Bakit nag-aalinlangan pa kayo? Tingnan ninyo ang aking kamay at paa, ako nga ito. Hipuin nga ninyo at pagmasdan. Ang multo'y walang laman at buto, ngunit ako'y mayroon, tulad ng nakikita ninyo." At pagkasabi nito, ipinakita niya sa kanila ang kanyang mga kamay at mga paa. Nang hindi pa rin sila makapaniwala dahil sa malaking galak at pagkamangha, tinanong sila ni Hesus, "May makakain ba riyan?" Siya'y binigyan nila ng kaputol na isdang inihaw, kinuha niya ito at kinain sa harapan nila.
Pagkatapos, sinabi sa mga alagad, "Ito ang tinutukoy ko nang sabihin ko sa inyo noong kasama-sama pa ninyo ako: dapat matupad ang lahat ng nasusulat tungkol sa akin sa Kautusan ni Moises sa mga aklat ng mga propeta at sa aklat ng mga Awit." At binuksan niya ang kanilang mga pag-iisip upang maunawaan nila ang mga Kasulatan.
Sinabi niya sa kanila. "Ganito ang mga nasusulat: kinakailangang magbata ng hirap at mamatay ang Mesias at muling mabuhay sa ikatlong araw. Sa kanyang pangalan, ang pagsisisi at kapatawaran ng mga kasalanan ay dapat ipangaral sa lahat ng bansa, magmula sa Jerusalem. Kayo ang mga saksi sa bagay na ito."
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.
When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Where do you go when you are fearful or when there’s an absence of peace in your life? Do you go to Jesus and ask Him to calm you and give you peace?
As we continue to with our temporary journey we would be encountering many fears and many of these fears will certainly unsettle us. Yes, we would worry about these fears but after a while we also learn to submit everything to Jesus and the moment we do we already have peace.
While the disciples were on a boat on their way to Capernaum they encountered a strong wind and they were certainly bothered by it. What would have happened if Jesus was with them? Jesus would have told them, keep calm don’t worry for I am with you. But Jesus was not with them so they were all fearful.
Many fears bother us when there’s an absence of Jesus in our lives. Why? Because there’s an absence of stability, serenity and peace. Even if a person is rich or powerful if he/she doesn’t have Jesus there would certainly be absence of peace and calmness.
You will only have peace in your life if you have Jesus, if you don’t have Jesus expect the absence of peace to bother you. Wealth will not give you peace; power will not give you peace only Jesus will give you this elusive peace. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
