Reflection for Saturday December 3, Saint Francis Xavier, Priest; Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8

Matthew  9:35–10:1, 5A, 6-8

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples,  The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.

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Reflection:

What is your fulfilment in life?

To amass wealth and to have power is already a fulfillment for many of us. Some even make it their life’s mission but this is not our fulfilment neither this is our life’s mission. True fulfillment and true mission in life is when we make a positive difference in the lives of our fellowmen. We become this when we are able to share and introduce Jesus to our fellowmen. 

When Jesus summoned His twelve disciples He did not instruct them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and make money out of them. He rather told them: “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons.” In other words make a big difference in their lives without expecting anything in return.

Material things come and go but the help that we make in the lives of our fellowmen creates a lasting impact that they will forever remember. However, some of us will say: “Life is hard right now, how can I help when I have barely enough for me?”

We must not restrict the word help with money or anything that is material. For the reason that we can give help even without using money. For example, we can share Jesus, we can listen to emotional burdens and we can always share the gentleness and love of God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Friday December 2, First Week in Advent; Matthew 9:27-31

Gospel: Matthew 9:27-31

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

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Reflection:

What causes spiritual blindness? It’s our love affair with this world, love affair means that we are overly concerned about how we look. We are overly concerned of the external impression of our fellowmen about us. And we are overly fixated with chasing material wealth, power and other worldly appendage. All of these cause our spiritual blindness.

In the gospel, we have two physically blind men who are not blind spiritually because recognized the presence of Jesus who was passing by them.  Thus, they shouted toward Jesus “Son of David, have pity on us!” And very  quckly Jesus did not disappoint them.

We must not allow this world to rob us of our spiritual vision for the simple reason that this is where we would discover the true essence and meaning of life. We have to understand that life is not about earthly riches, influence and so forth for what is the use of riches and influence if we don’t have Jesus in our lives?

The moment we decide to faithfully follow Jesus our spiritual blindness will be cured and we will see things differently very different from how we see it before. We would be able to discover that nothing matters in this world except the love and light of Jesus.

Jesus Himself said this: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday December 1, First Week in Advent; Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Matthew 7:21, 24-27

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.  But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.

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Reflection:

Who do you listen to in this world? Do you listen to Jesus and shutout what this world is trying to dictate upon you? When you always listen to Jesus you have an impregnable anchor that nobody can destroy. Even the strongest of calamities will not be able to destroy much less discourage you for the simple reason that you have Jesus in your life.

Often times we are defeated by our problems, worries and sickness because Jesus plays no role in our life. What rule our life are the many worldly attachments which only make our life in this world burdensome and heavy. So when we encounter trials many of us are not able to withstand it.

Indulgence with the pleasures of this world makes us fragile physically and emotionally; it could even make us suicidal. We will be left with nothing except emptiness which will quickly lead us to nothingness.

Try making Jesus the anchor of your life and you will see that not even the worst of problems can defeat you or bring you down. Even the worst sickness will not be able to conquer you it may conquer your physical being but your spiritual being will remain strong.  And this is for the reason that Jesus is the rock solid foundation of your life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday November 30, Saint Andrew, Apostle; Matthew 4:18-22

Gospel: Matthew 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

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Reflection:

Are you ready to respond to Jesus’ call?

Jesus called ordinary fishermen to help Him advance the gospel, ordinary folks just like you and me. What is striking  in the gospel reading is their immediate response to the call of Jesus. When Jesus called Peter and Andrew they immediately left their nets (their livelihood) and they both followed Jesus.

The same occurrence happened when Jesus called the brothers Zebedee and John. Upon hearing the call of Jesus they left their boat and their father to immediately become a follower. When we hear God’s call for us to serve Him through the daily events in our lives we must immediately decide to follow Him; we must not be indecisive.

Let us take a closer look at the gospel for today because this is for us also. The four of them were ordinary fishermen, they were expert with their craft but they have no formal education about the faith. 

What does this mean to us? This simply means that a formal education about the faith is not a requirement to become an effective follower. What is important is the desire and willingness to respond to Jesus. For as long as we are ready to respond we all can have a humble role in the mission of Jesus. 

Let us not worry if we have no formal education about our faith because this is not the requirement of Jesus. What Jesus wants from us first is for us to be sensitive to His call, this is perhaps the first requirement sensitivity to His call. 

Jesus is always calling us to follow Him every second, every minute and hour that pass by. Let us be sensitive to this call of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Tuesday November 29, First Week in Advent; Luke 10:21-24

Luke 10:21-24

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

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Reflection:

Communication is an essential part to a successful marriage. The more communication time a married couple has the better that they would understand each other. Thus, communication facilitates smooth relationship and intimacy.

Jesus in our gospel for today communicates through His prayer with our Father the creator. He gives praise to the Father, Jesus did not only communicate to the Father to give praise. He communicated because he longs for His Father and it’s through this longing that He builds deeper oneness with Him.  

We too must always have this longing or thirst for God in every moment of our lives. We must always communicate with Him for He is our lifeline in this world. What would happen to us if we would not have our regular prayer moments with God? We become empty shells that looks sturdy outside but deep inside is spiritually shallow. 

Let us always have our regular prayer moment with God in everyday of our lives. Let us give praise to Him let us thank Him for all of the blessings that He has been giving us. Let us not wait for the time to come wherein we will look for God because we are already in dire need of Him.

Do you have your regular moment with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday November 28, First Week in Advent; Matthew 8:5-11

Matthew 8:5-11

When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.

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Reflection:

How deep is your faith in Jesus?

Aside from learning about the centurion’s deep faith in God what else do we learn from our gospel today? We learn how to deeply care and be concerned for our fellowmen no matter who they may be and regardless of their standing in our society.

The centurion is not an ordinary soldier he is an officer but he was very concerned of his servant that he went to Jesus with faith and asked for His healing. Considering his stature the centurion could have simply sent some of his underlings to Jesus. But he went personally to Jesus it speaks volumes of his goodness.

How many of us are caring enough for those who are lowly and poor; they are both neglected people of our society. How many of us truly care for our servants? Would we still care for your servant even if they cannot serve you anymore?  

On this Advent season perhaps Jesus is inviting our attention thru this gospel reading to take a closer look on the plight of the less fortunate: the poor, the servants. They’re everywhere and they badly need our help.

Who are the servants and poor that needs our love and care? They may be our poor siblings, our neighbor, our neglected children and parents or any nameless individual who is in need of our help. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday November 27, First Sunday of Advent; Matthew 24:37-44

Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

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Reflection: 

What does it mean to stay awake? It means to always be ready for anything that may come to us. Does this mean that when we are ready we would be able to handle whatever that may come to us?

For example a tragedy in the family, would we be able to handle it? Yes and no. Yes we would be able to handle it if we always have a connection with Jesus. No, we may not be able to handle it if we are not connected with Jesus.  

Today is the first Sunday of advent, advent means arrival or coming of somebody who is important and this is none other than Jesus. We therefore have to be prepared for His coming by intensifying our relationship with Him. We have to steer away from anything that would make us sin, we have to listen more to Jesus than to this world. 

If this world dictates us that we have to be materially prepared for the coming birth of Jesus.  Jesus is asking us to be more spiritually prepared by repenting from all forms of sinfulness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, by reconciling ourselves with those whom we have offended and so forth. For what good it will do us if we are materially prepared yet we are spiritually unprepared?

When we go to the malls we would see the heightened worldly preparation for the coming birth of the Lord. New gadgets are on sale, other material things are also there to entice us to buy it. The best Christmas lights and decoration will also be present to capture our attention.

 However, Jesus is telling us that we have to stay awake by not allowing ourselves to be deceived by the commercialization of HIS season. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday November 26, Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 21:34-36

Luke 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.

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Reflection:
Do you easily yield to temptations?

We are always vulnerable to the many temptations of this world. The temptation of the flesh, the temptation of money and many more secular temptations that will take us away little by little from God’s loving embrace.

What is the cure to these many temptations? We must always be connected with God by having an active relationship with Him. Active relationship means that we attend the Celebration of the Holy Mass, we read the scriptures and we translate this to a faith that is lived daily. This is the only way for us to avoid the many temptations of this secular world.

But majority of us do not take this seriously for we love the trappings of this world more than the intimacy that God constantly offers us.  Thus, we often times give-up the faith based values that was taught to us by the church.

After our life on this world comes to a close we will stand before God and He will ask us if we’ve been faithful to Him. Many of us will not be able to speak before God for we’ve failed Him. Let us not wait for the fearful day to happen. While there is still time let us mend our ways and tread the correct path that God is offering us.

Let us always bear in mind that there will be a day of reckoning which will happen anytime. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Friday November 25, Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 21:29-33

Luke 21:29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. 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.

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Reflection:

Are we aware that God is always manifesting Himself to us?

God uses creative ways for us to be aware of His presence: sometimes He comes to us through a friend who will share His words to us. He comes to us through events or even accidents in our lives. And there are many more ingenious manifestations of God in our lives for this is His desire: to introduce Himself to us. 

 But how do we react with these manifestations of God? Oftentimes this is ignored by us for the reason that we are so enamoured with what the world offers us such as: Wealth, Power, Treasures and the like. We therefore fail to discern that it was God because we have already been enslaved by this world.   

Then we get seriously sick that we are a few steps from death’s doorway and here we are cramming to know God. Here we are making amends with those whom we’ve hurt. And here we are trying our best to straighten our way of life.

Why wait for that time? Why not listen and get closer NOW with GOD while we are in the pink of health? Why not get close with God now? Why not reach-out and humble ourselves with those whom we have offended? Why not leave behind any form of sinfulness right now? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Thursday November 24, Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs; Luke 21:20-28

Luke 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the Scriptures are fulfilled. Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

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Reflection:

What makes you afraid? Are you afraid of problems and trials that may come your way?

Jesus talks about a very frightening scenario in the gospel. But at the same time at the end He also tells us that there shall be redemption. We also have our own share of frightening scenarios in our lives. Problems, trials, persecution and so forth and these will test also our faithfulness to God.

Let us continue to steadfastly hold-on, let us not let go of God no matter how hard our trials may be. For at the end there shall be redemption for us also. If we have God nobody could bring us down not even the severest problem and persecution.

However, there are times that we give-up but what many of us don’t know is problems and trials are part and parcel of our daily life. All of us have problems and trials that we go through and we don’t encounter these difficulties to defeat us. We encounter these trials/problems so that it could strengthen us and if we handle it properly we will come-out of it a much better and stronger person.

Let us not allow our trials and problems to weaken us. For the simple reason that there is always hope for as long as we continue to have faith in Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday November 23, Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 21:12-19

Luke 21:12-19

Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.

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Reflection:

Are you ready to be persecuted for Jesus?

We will undoubtedly be persecuted if we decide to faithfully follow Jesus; we will be losing friends. But we need not worry about persecution or losing friends for the sake of Jesus.

Therefore it is very important that we don’t make the mistake of betraying Jesus for the sake of this world. We must not make the mistake of betraying Jesus for the sake of vested friendships and interest. We must be faithful until the very end no matter the persecutions and sacrifices.

What would it benefit us if we gain the whole world yet we lose Jesus in our lives? We gain nothing except fleeting happiness; we gain nothing except temporal power and riches that may fly away from us anytime.

What would we gain if we have powerful friends if these friends bring us nothing but sinfulness which we often times enjoy? Nothing except disturbance in our lives! Should we allow ourselves to be deceived by these false friends who only bring us further away from the love of Jesus?  

But the moment we decide to be faithful to Jesus no matter the temptations and persecutions. We’ll have peace that He only can give us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday November 22, Saint Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr; Luke 21:5-11

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:

Are you afraid of the end times?

Jesus mentions destruction of all the beautiful structures that we see. Everything including beautiful places of worship will be destroyed. This scenario is somewhat like the end times already. But He also tells us do not be terrified (Luke 21:9), so what would we do? Should we allow the signs of the end times to terrify us? Or we hold on to Jesus who tells us, “Do not be terrified.” Of course we hold-on to what Jesus tells us.

Earthquakes and calamities with massive proportion are happening wars in different parts of the world are also raging. But let us take this calmly for this is bound to happen and let us not attribute these disastrous events to God as some would do. God doesn’t want this to happen to us otherwise if he wanted us destroyed God would have not sent Jesus to walk on this earth and die for us on the cross.

There are wars in different parts of the world because we humans create it. This is brought about by our greed for power and resources. The same is happening with our abuse of our environment.

There are very destructive typhoons/hurricanes because of human’s unrelenting abuse of its environment also. And what are the results? Massive destruction of lives and properties which is actually preventable if we have compassion for our environment.

In the midst of these bleak signs of the times let us not forget to always call on Jesus for He alone can give us peace of mind. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday November 21, The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Luke 21:1-4

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,  she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.

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Reflection:

Do we give from the heart?

Jesus in our gospel favored the generosity of the poor widow for the simple reason that it came from her heart. There is no string attached in her giving, it did not camo from her excess money, she gave whatever little amount she had.

This gospel invites us also to examine ourselves not only when we give to our church. It invites us also to reflect our motive of giving when we give to the poor or to anyone who is in need for that matter.

The ideal giving is to give from the heart. The amount of what we give is immaterial what is important is it originates from our heart and not from our head. In the gospel, it was not only the poor widow who gave some wealthy people also gave. However, Jesus is more pleased with the giving of the poor widow because her giving is pure and untainted by any form of ulterior motive.    

Whatever we give from the heart comes back to us a hundredfold. On Luke chapter six verse thirty eight (6:38) Jesus tells us this: “Give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday November 20, Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe; Luke 23:35-43

Gospel: Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God.” Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, “If you are King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was an inscription that read, “This is the King of the Jews.”

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us.”The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.

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Reflection:

Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us. This was one of the pointed words of one of the two criminals hanging on the cross beside Jesus who was Himself dying on the cross. Christ means messiah or savior, how could it be that Jesus the supposedly savior of the Jewish people was dying on the cross?

Isn’t Jesus powerful? He made the lame walk, He opened the eyes of the blind, He cured the sick, He spoke with mesmerizing authority, He feed thousands with two fish and five loaves and there are many more miracles attributed to the power of Jesus. Yet, He is now on the cross powerless and dying.

Come to think of it, why did this powerful man became powerless and helpless on the cross? He could have easily bolted out of the cross and reduced to nothing everyone who made life difficult for Him. Why did He restrain Himself?

It was His infinite love for us that Jesus restrained Himself from taking revenge from His persecutors. Jesus went through the agony of death because He wanted to save us and He wanted to tell us how much He loved us. It was all because of His infinite love for us that Jesus stripped Himself of His kingship.      

What have we done so far to reciprocate this infinite love of Jesus? Have we feed the hungry? Have we sheltered the homeless? Have we clothed the naked? Have we visited the sick and imprisoned? Have we helped bury the dead? Have we given alms to the poor?  – Marino J. Dasmarinas