Reflection for November 24, Tuesday Saint Andrew Dũng-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs: Luke 21:5-11

Gospel: Luke 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them! When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

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Reflection:

When will the end times be? Many would say that the end time is here and now. Just look at the many wars being fought in many parts of the world. Just look at the many terroristic activities happening almost everywhere. Just look at the massive hunger in third rate countries. Just look at the massive environmental catastrophes around the world.

Aren’t these all signs of the end times? These are not yet the end times for no one of us knows about it, only God knows when it would be. But it seems that the telltale signs are already in place.

However it’s not the end times yet. This is for the reason that these unfortunate events that are happening now all over the world are created by us and not by God. For example, human’s greed for power and natural resources creates wars in many parts of the world. Our abuse of the environment creates natural disasters.

Terroristic activities that are happening everywhere are due to human’s misguided and fanatical  devotion to their creed. So who is creating these end times scenarios? It’s not God but us, by our misguided adherence to this world we actually are hastening the world’s end times. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 23, Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 21:1-4

Gospel: Luke 21:1-4

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”

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Reflection:

What is our motive when we give? Do we give because we are expecting something in return? Do we give out of our leftover?

We have countless motives when giving or helping others, whatever our motives are we can rest assure that God knows our reasons. We cannot hide anything from God not even our self-serving desires.

The ideal form of giving is to give without strings attached and to give from the heart. We don’t give because we are forced to give or we give because we have surplus. The joy of generous giving comes when you give freely. Just observe that unexplainable joy that you feel after you’ve given something straight from your heart. 

The two small coins given by the poor widow in the gospel seem to be insignificant compared to what were given by the wealthy people. However, Jesus was pleased with her act of generosity for she gave it all. She gave without conditions and she gave without expecting something in return.

What is your motive when you give? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Sunday November 22, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe; John 18:33b-37

Gospel: John 18:33b-37

Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

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Reflection:

An ambitious man wanted to be the king of his self-created world. So, he studied very well and after hurdling his studies he created a business that became very financially successful. He soon after achieved his dream of becoming the king of his world. For he could already do and buy whatever he wants yet there was still a deep emptiness in his life.

If we continue to aspire to become the king of our own self-created world there would still be emptiness. No matter how successful even powerful we become, we would still be longing for that something that will complete us.

Today is the Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe. This Kingship of Jesus  is the only Kingship that can satisfy our deepest longing. Because when we decide to embrace His Kingship we are already complete and there surely will be no more emptiness.

We will not anymore be chasing whatever this world will dangle in-front of us. But the great paradox of the Kingship of Jesus is it’s not based on anything of this world. Jesus Kingship is something which is not seen yet we can deeply feel it satisfying our deepest longing.

In the gospel, when Jesus was asked by Pilate if He is the King of the Jews (John 18:33b). Jesus did not deny His Kingship but He told Pilate, “My kingdom does not belong to this world (John 18:36).

Indeed, Jesus’ Kingship doesn’t belong to this world because His Kingship is in contradiction with worldly kingship. This is for the reason that Jesus chose to serve rather than be served, He chose humility over arrogance. He chose to obey the will of God to die on the cross rather than protect His life.

If we choose humility over arrogance, if we choose to serve rather than be served and if we choose to give our life so that others may live. We are already near the Kingdom of Christ our King. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 21, Saturday Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Luke 20:27-40

Gospel: Luke 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. they can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

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Reflection:

Do you believe that there is life after death? The Sadducees an organization within the Jewish faith did not believe in the resurrection. The Sadducees gave Jesus a story about a woman who married seven brothers. By asking whose wife will she be in the resurrection they were actually mocking Jesus teachings on the resurrection.

Some people have a limited understanding of the vastness of life that they thought that it is only up to the point of death, after that no more. But if there’s no life after death what then is the use of living a worthy life in this world?  

There is a resurrection! And we begin to sow the seeds of resurrection the moment we decide to walk away from all of our sinfulness. And when we die we will have an up close and personal encounter with this resurrection. Therefore, eternal life or resurrection will come to those who lived their lives pleasing to the eyes of God.

In the gospel Jesus tells us all the reality of afterlife, of heaven, of everlasting life and of angels. However, not all will have the privilege of being there. For it is only reserve for those who are considered worthy. Worthy based on the merciful eyes of God not based on our own subjective and judgmental eyes. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 20, Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 19:45-48

Gospel: Luke 19:45-48

Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.

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Reflection:

Do you cling to the words of Jesus as if your very life depends on it? Is your day not complete without reading or listening to His words? In the gospel the chief priest, the scribes and the leaders of the people wanted to kill Jesus. But they couldn’t execute it because they were afraid of the people most especially the ordinary people. For the reason that they treasure every word and pronouncement of Jesus.

The chief priest, the scribes and the leaders of the people are considered as intellectual or learned yet they did not believe Jesus. But the common folks they believe Jesus and they hang to His every word.

Many of the people of today don’t anymore treasure the words of Jesus they instead value more this world than Jesus. They let the hedonistic language of this world dictate upon them. And the words of Jesus? It has no more use to them, no wonder many people most especially the young ones live misguided and misdirected lives.    

Let us revisit once again the words of Jesus which we can easily find in the bible and let us read it everyday. Let us allow it to direct our life instead of this world shaping our lives.

Someday when we are already old and sickly we will find out that the passion that we’ve devoted for this world amounts to nothing. For the simple reason that whatever we’ve earned in this world we will leave behind. The only treasure that we can bring with us onto the afterlife is our faith and love for Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas        

Reflection for November 19, Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 19:41-44

Gospel: Luke 19:41-44

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.

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Reflection:

What will happen to us if we refuse to hear the wise counsel of our elders? For example, if we are advised to stop our vicious vices or to stop doing something which is immoral or wrong? If we continue to refuse to hear their wise counsel. Eventually these vices and the wrongdoing/s that we continue to do will take us down through sickness, embarrassment and so forth.     

In the gospel for today, Jesus wept over Jerusalem and its people for they refused to hear His call of repentance and reform in their lives. Not only that they refused to listen to Jesus they also refused to listen to the prophets who were sent before Jesus. They instead mired themselves in sin similar to a beast miring itself in a pool of poisonous mud.
   

When we refuse to let Jesus come into our life and when we continue to refuse to hear His call of repentance. There would surely be no peace within us no matter how rich we are, how powerful we are. For as long as we refuse to hear His call we will have no peace we would still be living complicated lives that may eventually destroy us.

Jerusalem did not find peace and were destroyed by the Romans during the first revolt in A.D 70, because they refused Jesus, they did not recognized Him as the ultimate peace bearer. They instead continued to stray far from Him.

Jesus is always knocking in our hearts, always begging us to open our life to Him. For the reason that he will not only bring us peace He would also bring us contentment, serenity and other things that this world cannot give us.  

If today you hear His voice  harden not your hearts. (Psalm 95) (Hebrew 3:15). – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for November 18, Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 19:11-28

Gospel: Luke 19:11-28

While people were listening to Jesus speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said, “A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for himself and then to return. He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold coins and told them, ‘Engage in trade with these until I return.’ His fellow citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce, ‘We do not want this man to be our king.’ But when he returned after obtaining the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to learn what they had gained by trading. The first came forward and said, ‘Sir, your gold coin has earned ten additional ones.’ He replied, ‘Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.’ Then the second came and reported, ‘Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.’ And to this servant too he said, ‘You, take charge of five cities.’ Then the other servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not plant.’ He said to him, ‘With your own words I shall condemn you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.’ And to those standing by he said, ‘Take the gold coin from him and give it to the servant who has ten.’ But they said to him, ‘Sir, he has ten gold coins.’ He replied, ‘I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them here and slay them before me.’”

After he had said this, he proceeded on his journey up to Jerusalem.

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Reflection:

What are you doing with the talent/s that the good Lord has given you? Are you using to further God’s kingdom in this world or you’re only using it to advance your own interest in this world?

We are taught by our faith that all blessings that come our way are God given. Thus, we have a responsibility to pay it forward specially to those who are in need. Whatever these blessings are, be it material blessings or intellectual blessings we have to share it. We should not keep it to ourselves only we have to share it. For it’s only in sharing what we have that we would receive more blessings from Him.  

The third servant was not productive like the first and second because he was fearful of the nobleman. Not only that he was fearful; I think he was also lazy and selfish that’s why he simply stored the gold coin in a handkerchief and left it there until it was taken back by the nobleman.

The feelings of fear, being lazy and selfish are the qualities that paralyze a person from becoming a more productive servant of the Lord. If we want to serve and share in the mission of Jesus we need to discard these negative traits. We also need to always have a positive outlook in life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 17, Tuesday, Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious: Luke 19:1-10

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

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Reflection:

Why did Zacchaeus exert so much effort to see Jesus? Because Zacchaeus was already tired of living a sinful life. He wanted to live a new life so to speak, a life free from sin and the guilt of sin!

So, when Zacchaeus a sinner and a wealthy tax collector heard that Jesus would be passing through their town. He immediately planned to see Him and consequently he immediately went to see Jesus. But because of the big crowd and because he was a short man there was no way  for him to see Jesus personally.

Butt the desire to mend his ways was so strong that Zacchaeus even climb a sycamore tree so that he would see Jesus. Surely, Jesus knew that there’s this repentant sinner named Zacchaeus who badly want to see HIM.

When Jesus was about to pass by the sycamore tree. Jesus looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And so he did and brought Jesus to his house and right there in his house Zacchaeus repented. And from his repentance Jesus gave him salvation.  

We all are sinner and being so we are all called to follow the action of Zacchaeus. We are called by Jesus to repent as well. Not tomorrow not next week and certainly not next month but today this very hour that you’re reading this. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ipagdasal po natin ang mga taga Paris.

Reflection for November 16, Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 18:35-43

Gospel: Luke 18:35-43

As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

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Reflection:

What is the most important qualification for those who wants to be healed by Jesus? It’s faith! Our faith in Jesus can make the impossible possible.

The blind man in our gospel has this exceptional faith. It was his faith in Jesus that drove him to call upon Jesus to heal him. It was his deep faith in Jesus that moved him to continuously shout Son of David even if he was already being admonished to keep quite.

This man is blind yes, but his faith in Jesus is not blind and his faith is incredibly bigger than his blindness. For sure he knew Jesus beforehand somebody told him who Jesus was and without question he immediately believed.

And after believing he started thinking more about Jesus, perhaps Jesus was always in his mind. Perhaps the blind man was already imagining what he would do if Jesus would pass by him. Our faith in Jesus is always affirmed and strengthened when we always think of Him. And when we always ask Him to give us the gift of faith.

The gospel for today used the blind man to show us all what deep faith in Jesus can do for us. Nothing is impossible for those who always pray with faith. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Sunday November 15, Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time; Mark 13:24-32

Gospel: Mark 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

"And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.

"Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

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Reflection:

A young man in desperate straits was contemplating of ending his own life. Yes he had money and could practically buy everything that he wants. But there was still that deep void within him  that was yearning for something that would give meaning to his life.

Have you been through this kind of experience wherein you yearn for something meaningful in your life? You yearn for meaning because you can’t find relevance in your present life in this world? We all go through this period of emptiness in our lives as if this is already our own version of end times experience.   

What should we do when we walk through this experience of spiritual barrenness? When everything before us seems dark and hopeless?  We have to look-up to the man on the cross for our salvation and deliverance. We have to ask Jesus to fill our barren life and we have to ask Him to give our life substance and meaning.

Many of us thinks that the meaning of life could be found in the material things that we possess. We think that material things are the be all and end all of life. Only to find out that we are still empty even if we seem to have all the wealth and power that we can afford. – Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for November 14, Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 18:1-8

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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Reflection:

What do you do when it seems that Jesus is deaf to your prayers? When you don’t see any visible signs of reply from Jesus? Do you give up and simply walk away from Jesus? Or you continue to hold-on to Jesus, you continue to pray and hope that somehow you will see and feel signs of His reply?

A few months after the death of Mother Teresa a book about her was published titled: Come be my light. It contained Mother Teresa’s letters regarding her struggle with her own faith. She described the emptiness and darkness of her faith life. She even wrote that she never experienced the presence of God since 1948. And this was the year when she founded her own religious congregation named Missionaries of Charities.

In spite of the emptiness that she felt Mother Teresa never gave-up with her mission of helping the poor and the abandoned. She never gave-up waking up 4:30 in the morning everyday to pray and converse with Jesus.         

In the Gospel Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He told them about a dishonest judge who neither feared God nor respected any human being.

 There is also a woman who keeps on bothering the judge to give her justice.  Due to her persistence the judge finally listened to the woman and gave her justice. And the Lord said, "Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?

God’s word is so alive that it speaks to us! What Jesus is saying is that we need to be prayerful and we must not give-up even if we don’t see signs of reply from Him.

In our short journey in this world there will be disappointments, there will be failures and struggles. Yet these trials must not lead to the waning of our faith. We must continue to be persistent in our prayer and we must continue to pray to Jesus no matter what the result of our prayer/s. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 13, Friday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 17:26-37

Gospel: Luke 17:26-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

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Reflection:

When are we going to walk away from our sins? Should we still delay and wait when the most opportune time comes? It might not come and it might be too late already. We should change our ways right at this very moment for we do not know until when our life will be.

The people during Noah’s time were merrymaking and sinning until the floods came so they died without repentance. Same as with the people of Sodom and Gomorra who were engaged in grievous sexual sins they died without repentance also.

What is sin that many of us are so smitten by it? Sin is the bait or trap of the devil for us to end in his kingdom. Many of us fall into this bait for the simple reason that we have weak faith in God. This is basically the reason why we sin. But sin will bring us nothing but troubles and problems, it will not bring us any good.

Let us take time to read about Jesus, let us take time to listen to Jesus and let us be faithful to Jesus. And He surely will find a way for us so that we could walk away permanently from sin. Sin doesn’t offer us any good at all and sin will not bring us except chaos until it destroys us.

The burden or curse of sin doesn’t end when we die, we carry it over onto the afterlife where the final judgment will be.   – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 12, Thursday, Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr: Luke 17:20-25

Gospel: Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

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Reflection:

When do you say that the kingdom of God is within you already? It is when you are not afraid of anything that may happen to you for you know that somebody very powerful is in-charge. If you already have Jesus in your life you would even embrace death because you know that death is the last passage before you meet God.

How could you have His kingdom within you? It’s when you faithfully follow Him in your words and deeds. It’s when you have your regular moment of prayer with Jesus.  This is when you would feel the presence of God in your life.

For those who believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and savior the kingdom of God is within them already. For those who choose to follow the path of servanthood and sacrifice of Jesus the kingdom of God is within them already. For those who are meek and humble the kingdom of God is within them already.

For those who surrender their lives in the hands of God amidst the chaos and worries of this world the kingdom of God is within them already. The kingdom of God is also your rock solid faith in Jesus for He is your safe refuge whenever you are being battered by the trials of daily life.   

Do you already have the kingdom of God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas