Reflection for November 4, Wednesday; Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop: Luke 14:25-33

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were travelling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

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Reflection:

Why do we follow Jesus?

When Jesus noticed that great crowds were travelling with him, he knew that they were there because of the many miracles and healings that he does, he knew that when push comes to shove this crowd would eventually abandon him. Jesus knew it like seeing through crystal clear water!

So he addressed them, "If any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple (Luke 14:26-27).”

Other Christian denominations project Jesus as a God who can immediately lighten our burdens the moment we accept Him as our Lord and savior, a cure all God so to speak! Many are immediately hypnotized by this promise so they leave the church and join the Christian denomination/sect.

However there would be instances wherein Jesus will not help us carry our burden; will not cure us of our sickness. It may even seem that Jesus is an absentee God, a God who doesn’t care. Yes, it’s not all the time that we would get what we want from Jesus. He cares nevertheless and He is with us even in the difficult episode/s of our life.

What Jesus is telling us in the Gospel is: if you want to really follow me be prepared to persevere, be prepared to carry your own cross and be prepared to sacrifice and leave your own comfort zone/s for my sake.

To follow Jesus amidst the trials and persecution is the best decision that we can ever do in our lives. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 3, Tuesday; of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:15-24

Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.'"

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Reflection:

Why did the invited guest excuse themselves from attending the dinner? The reason behind is they all have their own worldly preoccupations. All the invited guests were very busy with their own personal activities. Thus, they missed the opportunity to break bread with the gracious host.

If only they put aside first their personal undertaking to honor the invitation. They could have known more about the generous host who invited them.  They would have known that the host wanted to build genuine and lasting friendship with them.

Our busyness with the things of this world always prevents us from knowing Jesus more deeply. It prevents us from building strong and lasting friendship with Him. We therefore become creatures of this world rather than becoming future dwellers of God’s kingdom.

Time will surely come that we all have to say goodbye from this world. What would happen to our souls if we have no time for God? If we are all work and pleasure and we don’t honor Jesus’ offer of friendship?

It’s always better to have time for God rather than have time for this world. It’s always better to be poor but have God in our life than be rich without God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

1Reflection for November 2, Monday; The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day) John 11:17-27

Gospel: John 11:17-27

17 When Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. 18 As Bethany is near Jerusalem, about two miles away, 19 many Jews had come to Martha and Mary, after the death of their brother, to comfort them. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him, while Mary remained sitting in the house. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23 Jesus said, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection, at the last day.” 25 But Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. 26 Whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 Martha then answered, “Yes, Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.”

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Reflection:

Anyone who wants to die now? Surely nobody would want to die now for we all want to live longer. However death is a certainty of life. Somewhere along our journey in this world we will get sick and we die.

Today is All Souls’ Day, we reserve this day to remember our departed love ones. Have you already offered Holy Mass for the eternal repose of their souls and are they always part of your prayers?  We always beseech Jesus to remember our departed love ones whenever we offer Holy Mass and prayers for them.

Like our love ones who’ve gone ahead of us we too will come to the point of death. But we have nothing to fear about our mortality for it’s simply death of our mortal body. Death can do nothing to us we are in fact forever immortal in spirit if we have Jesus in our life. Our spirit will continue to live even if we die because we have faith and belief in Jesus.  

In our gospel Jesus tells us, I am the resurrection. Whoever believes in me, though he die, shall live. Whoever lives and believes in me will never die (John 11:25-26). – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday November 1, Solemnity of All Saints; Matthew 5:1-12a

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven.”

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Reflection:

What is the objective of our life? Is it limited only for the enjoyment of the things of this world? There is a more meaningful life that lies behind this superficial life. However, we wouldn’t be able to discover the essence of life unless we learn to detach ourselves from this world and learn to embrace Jesus.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit and why is it a blessing to be poor in spirit? As the literal poor relies on the generosity of his fellowmen so that he could sustain himself. To be poor in spirit means that we always rely on Jesus for our spiritual nourishment.

This means that we humbly rely on the generosity of Jesus. We don’t rely on ourselves so that we could grow in faith. We continuously rely and hunger for God to fill our empty lives so that He could enrich us spirituality.

Today is all Souls Day, we solemnly remember the Saints. They who generously gave their very lives for the mission of Jesus. The saints are not actually spotless when it comes to sin. Just like us they also had their own battle with sin and they triumphed over it because of the help of Jesus.

The saints became saints for the simple reason that they recognized their spiritual poverty. They discerned that life is empty and meaningless without the guidance of Jesus. We too could become saints in our own little way.

If only we would recognize our own poverty of spirit. And if only we would invite Jesus to come into our lives and fill our empty and barren life. - Marino J. Dasmarinas   

When I'm Gone. A Poem for All Souls Day

When I'm Gone
By: Lyman Hancock

When I’ve come to the end of my journey
and I have traveled my very last mile
Forget if you can that I’ve frowned
Remember only my smile...

Forgive unkind words I have spoken
Remember some good I have done
Forget I ever had heartache
And remember only our fun...

Forget that I've stumbled and fumbled
And sometimes fell by the way
Remember: I fought some hard battles
But had you at the close of my day...

Do not grieve for my going
I would not have you sad this day
But in time gather some flowers
And remember the place where I lay...

Perhaps in the shade of evening
When the sun paints the sky in the West
Come stand a few moments above me
Remembering only the best...

Reflection for October 31, Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:1, 7-11

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-11

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

Do you always love to be at the forefront so that others would notice you? Do you hunger for honor and accolades? Or you’re the type who prefers to do things quietly without any desire to be noticed with what you’re doing? 

In our gospel, Jesus talks about our need to always be humble and not to love the spotlight. However, it’s so tempting for many of us to love to be exalted, to love praise and honor.

 But come to think of it, when we love the spotlight; when we love honorific titles. We are actually giving more importance to this world more than we give importance to God. We become creatures of this world so to speak.  

But what is prominence, what is honor? As time passes by prominence, honor and anything that is worldly and self-serving will fade away. Thus, anything that we do for the love of ourselves and of this world will be buried and will not be remembered anymore.

But our acts of humility? It will outlive us; it will permanently be etched in the heart of God and in the hearts of those who know us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for October 30, Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:1-6

Gospel: Luke 14:1-6

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.

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Reflection:

To cure or not to cure on a Sabbath day? Sabbath day is supposed to be a day of rest and worship. But here is Jesus not following the rules of their Jewish religion. Did Jesus deliberately disregard His Jewish faith? Or there is something more important for Jesus than mere observance of His Jewish faith?  

Jesus doesn’t choose a special place, occasion or time to help and to heal as what is shown in the gospel. As long as Jesus’ sees a need He would do something about it regardless if it’s a Sabbath day or not.

The Pharisees and the scholars of the law were those who faithfully observe the Sabbath law. However, Jesus by His action simply told them that there’s an exception; that the law of the Sabbath can be violated also. For as long as there is a valid reason to violate it. Therefore the observance of the Sabbath day should be superseded by the more important need. In this instance the need to heal the man sick with dropsy.

What would you do for instance if you were in the situation of Jesus? Would you simply let the man suffer from his severe sickness even if you can actually do something to help him?

Our faith in God is made more real, alive and dynamic when we are able to live it. When we are able to translate it to living acts of love and kindness.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for October 29, Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:31-35

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

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Reflection:

Do you have the courage to peacefully face anyone who tries to bully you or even threaten your life?

Jesus life was being threatened by King Herod the very same King Herod who ordered the beheading of John the Baptist. But instead of scampering to look for a safe hiding place Jesus told the Pharisees: “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose (Luke 13:32-33). ...

Jesus was so focused on His mission that He did not allow even a threat to His life to deter Him. Such is Jesus, always true to His mission and always courageous even at the cost of His life. 

As we move on with our life we too will have our own set of obstacles and challenges to face. Many of us would crumble because of the overwhelming odds and the weight of the responsibilities. But if what we are doing is for God and for the good of His people.  We must continue with fervor and not lose heart.

We must always look at Jesus as our role model of courage and fortitude. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for October 28, Wednesday, Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles: Luke 6:12-16

Gospel: Luke 6:12-16

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

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Reflection:

Do you have a habit of prayer or is prayers part of your daily life? 

In His humanity Jesus is a man of prayer, He always makes it a point to pray and commune with God. Prayer is an important part of His life.

There are many of us who only remember to pray when there’s a need for it or when we have problems. And sometimes the intensity of our prayers varies also. Serious problem equals intense prayers, not so serious problem equals not so intense prayers.

There are even many of us who treat prayer like a thing in the house that we just use when there’s a need. When there’s no need for it we just keep it somewhere. Until a new problem jolts us out of our comfort zones and therefore we are forced to pray once again.

Our active prayer life is one of the primary foods for our soul. We beseech Jesus when we pray and we humbly bare ourselves to Him. We ask Him to be with us, to strengthen us and to listen to us. We also develop a deeper intimacy with Jesus when we always pray and prayer makes us peaceful. 

In the gospel, before choosing the twelve apostles that will help Him advance the faith. Jesus went first to the mountain to pray (Luke 6:12). Jesus went to the mountain to seek God’s guidance. He had a dialogue in the mountain with God and Jesus was there all night praying (Luke 6:12). After which He went down from the mountain and He chose the twelve apostles (Luke 6:13).

Do you always have your daily prayer moments with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 27, Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:18-21

Gospel: Luke 13:18-21

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

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Reflection:

Where does the kingdom of God begin in your life?

The Kingdom of God starts small in your heart like a tiny mustard seed. If you would nurture it, it will have life until it grows big. Where others could benefit from it thus you become God’s instrument of blessing for others.

But others don’t allow God’s Kingdom to take root in their hearts. They prefer the things of this world than God. They choose the temporary over what is eternal, the worldly over Godly.  We should not commit the same mistake.

We should allow God to have His dwelling in our heart no matter how small then we have to nurture it so that it could grow. Nurture it with prayers, reading the bible and other books that will help us grow in faith.

We should also strive to be present at Holy Mass whenever we could most especially during Sundays. And of course we should live our faith. If we would do all of these the kingdom of God would surely be upon us.

Will you allow the kingdom of God to have a permanent dwelling in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Reflection for October 26, Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:10-17

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

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Reflection:

Do you believe that Jesus would heal you of anything that you’re feeling right now? Have faith and believe for indeed you will be healed by Jesus.

Jesus compassion for us is unfathomable; His desire to heal us of our sickness (whatever it may be) is beyond question. But He also requires something from us and that is faith. If we have faith Jesus healing hands will touch and heal us.

The woman in the gospel who has been crippled by an evil spirit has faith. This is the reason why Jesus cured her even if it was Sabbath day, a day of rest for the Jewish people. Faith is the most important requirement for us to receive healing from Jesus. Without faith there would be no healing from Jesus.

Are you in-need of healing from Jesus right now? Pray and ask the greatest healer who ever walked this earth to heal you. For nothing is impossible for Jesus, He always makes a way for us when there seems to be no way. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday October 25, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Mark 10:46-52

Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

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Reflection:

Is the blind man Bartimaeus desperately seeking Jesus? Desperation is an understatement  for he is seeking Jesus with all of his might. This is for the reason that he knows the real identity  of Jesus. Deep in his heart he knows that it is only Jesus who can cure his physical blindness. Bartimaeus physical blindness did not prevent him from uncovering the true identity of Jesus. Why? Because Batimaeus has the eyes of faith that many of us do not have yet.

Through the eyes of faith Bartimaeus saw the real identity of Jesus. Through the eyes of faith Bartimaeus discovered that it is only Jesus who could cure his physical blindness.  This is the reason why he mightily shouted and went after Jesus when He passed by him.

The eyes of faith of this blind man did not fail him for he was noticed and soon after called by Jesus. And right there while face to face with Jesus he was asked by Jesus: "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus said, Master, I want to see. And at that very moment his physical blindness was cured by Jesus.

How about us? Do we have these eyes of faith of Bartimaeus? Let us reflect upon this for we may be able to see physically yet we are still blind spiritually. Perhaps this is the reason why up to this very moment many of us still don’t have this deep friendship with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas       

Reflection for October 24, Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:1-9

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”

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Reflection:

Why is there a need for us to repent now? The simple answer is we are all sinners; we sin almost every day through ours words, actions and thoughts. Life is dynamic and we may not know what may happen to us the next minutes or seconds of our life. Let us not delay from repenting the sooner the better for us.

What if we suddenly die and we are not able to repent for the reason that we keep on delaying our repentance? We miss the golden opportunity to be with Jesus in heaven and we have nobody to blame but us.

Repentance frees us from the burden of sin and guilt. It frees our soul and it opens the door of God’s blessings for us. What if we refuse to repent and instead continue on sinning? We then have to be prepared for the consequence/s of our stubbornness and sinfulness.

In the church complete repentance occurs once we decide to humbly submit ourselves to the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation. Here we humbly submit to the will of God, here we allow God to heal us from the wounds of sin. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for October 23, Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:54-59

Gospel: Luke 12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”

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Reflection:

Fortune tellers make a living by means of predicting the obvious things that will happen in our future. There are those who believe because what they foretold became a reality so they make a habit of consulting the seer whenever there are major decisions to be made.

For some who cannot afford to pay their services, they make do by reading the daily horoscope available for free in some internet sites and other newspapers. These are all wrong.

If we have faith in Jesus, there’s no need to consult anyone regarding our future. We only have to get closer to Jesus through prayer, by listening to Him who directly speaks to us when we read the bible and through our pious attendance at Holy Mass.

Jesus is always an ever present friend who is always there for us. He will not predict our future based on the obvious signs of the times. But He will always be an omnipresent companion as we walk from our present going to our future.

Jesus will never abandon anyone who would desire to travel with Him going to his/her future. – Marino J. Dasmarinas