Reflection for Thursday November 9, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica: John 2:13-22

Gospel: John 2:13-22

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace." His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?" But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

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Reflection:

Do you still revere and respect the church as the temple of God?

Nowadays the church is not only used solely for worship and prayer. Some churches sometimes are used for rumor mongering, for business opportunities and sometimes sad to say it’s used as a trysting place for lovers.

And who are they? Some of them are the people who are directly involved in the church. They are not the ordinary Mass goer but those who spend time and do volunteer work for the church.  

Another temple that Jesus wants to speak about is our very own bodies which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. What have we done to our bodies? What are the values that we feed and conjure in our minds? Those who could afford take medicines to change the color of their skin. They also go to the doctor to beautify some noticeable parts of their bodies for them to look attractive.

Jesus wants to remind us about the real purpose of the church.  It's always a temple of worship and a safe refuge for the poor, for those who are lost and losing hope. We also have to accept our bodies and the color of our skin as God gave it to us. 

Nevermind if you are not attractive outside what is important is you are beautiful and Godly inside. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday November 8, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:25-33

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were traveling 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, anyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

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Reflection:

How many of us could say that I will be willing to follow Jesus based on His conditions stated on this gospel?

Here are Jesus conditions: Hate your parents, children, siblings and even your own life (hate not as hate per see) hate which means that you choose Jesus over them. Very hard to do isn’t it?  Another condition of Jesus: carry your own cross and renounce all your possessions to be able to follow Him.

Jesus lays down to us the true cost of discipleship, could we measure to these standards of Jesus? Perhaps you and I can’t but this should not stop us from seeking HIM. Then hopefully by HIS infinite grace we would be able to prioritize HIM over anything else in this world.

It doesn’t matter how many times we stumble with our desire to faithfully follow HIM. What matters is we get up after we fall and once again try our very best to follow Him and hope for His eternal grace to strengthen and guide us.

Jesus conditions for us today are actually a contradiction on how other preachers preach Jesus. Jesus is preached by many as someone who is a cure all God and savior. They do this for the reason that this is the best way for them to immediately attract followers.

But the reality of it all is this: We have to sacrifice our comfort zones.  And we have to leave behind us our worldly priorities so that we would be able to sincerely follow and serve Jesus.

Are you ready to sacrifice your own comfort zone and leave behind some of your worldly priorities in favor of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday November 7, 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:

A young mother was always being advised by her father to always bring her children to church for Mass. The young mother would always reason out that they have many preoccupations. When her children grew up they became disrespectful to her. All of them did not finish their studies and were not successful in their personal lives.

The celebration of Holy Mass is always an invitation for all of us to be there. Nobody is barred from attending its celebration but unfortunately not everyone of us responds to this invitation. And our usual reason is we also have our many concerns. Thus our presence at Holy Mass becomes the least of our priorities.

Let us not wait for the time when we become old and sickly to make time for God through our attendance in the Holy Mass. Let us take advantage to always be there while we are still in the pink of health.

At the end of our lives, our worldly achievement will not matter anymore no matter how significant it is, it will not matter anymore. What will matter then is our personal relationship with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday November 6, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:12-14

Gospel: Luke 14:12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

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Reflection:

Who are those that you normally invite to dine in your house? Of course your friends and relatives for this is our normal human nature and there’s nothing wrong with this. But Jesus points us to something that we often neglect, something that we often times purposely forget. And they’re the poor and unwanted; Jesus is pointing us to them for that is where He dwells.

Jesus’ contradicts you on how you normally invite people to dine in your house. Isn’t that you have not yet invited a poor stranger to dine for lunch or dinner? Yes, you have given food to the poor but you haven’t invited someone yet to dine in your house.

Why is it important to invite somebody who is poor to come and dine in your house? This is for the reason the you’re not only inviting the poor you are also opening your house to God. Hard to believe? Just try inviting someone who is poor to come into your house. Let him/her eat and give him/her whatever you could afford. And observe the unfathomable joy that it will give you.

In the story of the last judgment the King said: Whenever you did this to one of the least, you did this to me (Matthew 25:40). – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday, November 5, Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 23:1-12

Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation Rabbi. As for you, do not be called Rabbi. You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’ you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

A father would always remind his wife and his young children to attend Sunday Mass. But the problem is the father would not lead the way. He commands his family to go to Mass yet he does not go to Mass. The father miserably fails in his leadership by not living what he preaches. 

How could you become an effective sharer of your faith? It’s by being a living example of your faith. You also have to be sincere by doing what you preach. For example, if you want your family to go to Holy Mass you first have to lead and show the way.

What does this mean? You yourself have to go to Mass, you should be the first to wake up and dress up. it’s through these acts of leadership that you would win the respect and cooperation of your family.      

In the gospel for this Sunday Jesus speaks about leadership by example and servanthood. This seems to be a contradiction for how could be a leader be a servant at the same time? However, there is no contradiction between these two. They go together like best friends for the simple reason that one cannot exist without the other.

The Pharisees and Scribes were chastised by Jesus for trumpeting themselves as leaders. However, they were leaders in name only for they did not walk their talk and they did not serve the people that they were supposed to serve.

You might be a leader today or you might aspire for a leadership position somewhere along the way. You have to remember that a true leader always shows and leads the way. And He/she is always ready to serve the people that he/she leads. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Saturday November 4, Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop: 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:

A story is told about a wise man who shunned publicity. He would speak every once in a while and when he speaks everyone listens to him. After speaking he would immediately hide away into his own private place. Yet there would be rare times that he grants interviews and when he does he would always point to God as the giver of whatever wisdom that he possesses.

Many of us may be tempted to own to ourselves the wisdom or material wealth that we presently have. But we should not allow ourselves to be possessed by that temptation, for who are we to own to ourselves what we have? We have to always remember that we are mere vessels of God, whatever we have comes from God.   

In the gospel, Jesus highlights the great virtue of humility. Jesus tells us to always be humble and not to crave for attention and adulation. Why? For the simple reason that the humbler we are the more that Jesus is seen within us. The humbler we are the more the we become His effective vessels in this world.

The humbler you are the more that you allow Jesus’ light to shine upon you. – 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...

1Reflection for Friday November 3, 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:

Is the observance of the Sabbath day wrong? No, nothing’s wrong with the observance of the Sabbath day. It’s ok for the simple reason that it shows a person’s faithfulness to his faith. The Sabbath observance becomes wrong when we prioritize it more than our acts of mercy.

This is the point that Jesus is driving at in the gospel towards the scholars of the law and Pharisees. They are very strict with the observance of the Sabbath law. They are very much willing to sacrifice almost everything so that they could strictly observe it.

It’s not wrong to violate sacred religious traditions for a greater need. For what is the use of strictly observing religious tradition if we forego doing acts of mercy? It doesn’t in anyway serve its intended purpose.

We therefore have to be careful not to be overly legalistic in our observance of our religious traditions. We should be more tolerant and understanding so that we could bring more people closer to Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Thursday November 2, The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed: All Souls: Matthew 25:31-46

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ i And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ * j Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’  Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ l And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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Reflection:

Jesus speaks about the last judgment today, the separation of those who are worthy in His eyes and those who are not. Those who are worthy will be at His right and those who are not will be at His left. 

Do we need to fear His last judgment? Of course not! We who truly follow Jesus should not fear the judgment of God. If it comes to us we would welcome it with open arms, we will not hide from it.

Why welcome the judgment of God with open arms? For the reason that we did what we have to do, we feed the hungry. We gave water to the thirsty, we welcomed strangers without any reservations. We clothed the naked, we took care of the sick and visited those who were in prison.

Put these virtues together and we could label it now as Devine charity. We give not a part of ourselves to help our fellowmen but our very selves. We give and help the marginalized without any hidden motives whatsoever for we are just doing what Christ Jesus told us to do.

Someday we will be joining the multitude of souls in the great beyond. We will now be the ones who will be visited and prayed for by those who love us. But the paradox of the end of our lives is we don’t know which side we would be. Would we end up on the right side or left side of God?

Nobody knows except God, for now we simply have to continue our journey of faith, love and obedience to Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday 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:

How does one become a saint in his/her own little way? To be saint is to embody the character of Jesus. To be saint is to embody the words of Jesus in our gospel today.

We can be saint in our own little way for as long as we aspire to follow the life of Jesus and for as long as we live the words of Jesus in the gospel. For example, if you’re a parent and you try your very best to rear your children according to the teachings of Jesus you are already a saint for them. If you’re a son or daughter and you try your very best to take care of your retired parents, you are already a saint for them.

In our gospel Jesus mentions nine blessed situations. The first is poor in spirit; how does one become poor in spirit? Does this mean that we are blessed because we lack the necessary spiritual vitality? No, the poor in spirit are those who are lacking in material possessions and whose reliance is in God. To be poor in spirit means that we continuously hunger for Jesus.

Nobody could fill this hunger than the words of Jesus in the gospels, we rely on Jesus more than we rely on ourselves and this world. To become poor in spirit is therefore a character that we must all aspire for as long as we continue to exist in this world. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday October 31, 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:

Humility is a virtue that is disregarded by many of us. Why? Because humility for many of us is a display of our meekness, simplicity and littleness. On the other hand many love arrogance and egotism for this shows power and might. But come to think of it, many great personalities of our time are revered for their humility.

Think for example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Pope Francis and of course Jesus, to name a few. From their humility sprouted greatness and reverence by millions of people. Their words are carefully listened and serves as a refuge of wisdom.

On the other side of the fence is arrogance and egotism. Many dictators became giants by instilling fear in the hearts of their people. They imposed dictatorial rule to manipulate and oppress. And there is no doubt that this is brought about by their arrogance and egotism. But where are they now? Are they revered? Are they remembered with fondness and love? No! they are forgotten, despised and confined in the dustbin of history.  

Jesus mentions in the gospel the kingdom of God as a little mustard seed that eventually became big whereby birds took comfort in its shade. He also compared the kingdom of God to a little yeast that was mixed with three measures of wheat flour. After it was cooked it grew big and many ate from it. 

Plant in your heart the seemingly insignificant virtue of Humility. Don’t bother if you will be belittled and be perceived as nobody. In God’s own perfect time you will be admired, revered and your wisdom will be sought by many. – Marino J. Dasmarinas      

Reflection for Monday October 30, 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 choose the season when you extend help? There is no season or occasion when it comes to helping our fellowmen. For example, you are about to sleep and suddenly a neighbor knocks on your door asking you for help. What should you do? Of course you have to allow yourself to be disturb and help for the simple reason that this is the right action to do.

For Jesus there is no Sabbath or holy days when it comes to giving help, what is important for Him is to give help. That’s why He cured the woman who had been under the influence of Satan for eighteen long years during the Jewish holy day of Sabbath.

This must also be our attitude in giving help we must not allow ourselves to be restricted by anyone and we must not choose those whom we will help. For as long as there is someone who needs help let us help.

After giving help Jesus faced His detractors who were criticizing Him for healing the woman during the Sabbath day and they were humiliated. Why? They realized their very own hypocrisy, arrogance and selective observance of the holy day of Sabbath.  

Therefore, avoid like a plague hypocrisy and arrogance for it will not do you any good. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Sunday, October 29, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 22:34-40

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a scholar of the law, tested him by asking, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

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Reflection:

A wife discovered that her husband had a second family. The very angry wife left her husband however the husband humbly begged for forgiveness and second chance. After deeply pondering about it she eventually forgave her repentant husband.

When she was asked by her mother why she forgave and restored everything as if nothing happened. She said: “I deeply love God and I would be betraying my love for God if I will not forgive and heal my marriage.

Conflict is something that happens in marriage every now and then. This conflict usually emanates from the following: Betrayal of trust, behavioral incompatibility and financial disagreements among others. Every married couple goes through these episode a couple of times in their married lives.

But how come that notwithstanding the conflict there are couples who choose to forgive and remain married until the end of their lives? The simple answer is both of them love the Lord God first. And this love for God is the driving force that makes them forgiving and loving. 

Their love for each other is always preceded by the blessing of their love for God. This is the reason why married couples who truly loved God first can forgive, forget and have long term healing. They can start afresh once again as if nothing happened.

So the greatest commandment is to love God first and after that everything else would follow. We would be capable of loving anyone else even those who’ve deeply hurt us because we first loved God. 

If you don’t forgive and if you continue to harbor hidden sentiments against your spouse or anyone for that matter. And you still say that you love God it’s safe to say that your profession of love for God is superficial.

Therefore, the challenge that confronts you is to think deeply if your love for God is really authentic. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Saturday October 28, 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:

What do you usually do before making an important decision in your life? Do you first pray over it and ask the guidance of the Lord? Or you just make important decisions without asking the blessings of the Lord?

Before deciding to choose the twelve apostles Jesus went up first to the mountain to pray. There, He spent the whole night in prayer to God. This is the attitude of Jesus, He withdraws to a solitary place to commune with God and He asks for God’s guidance and blessings.  With the blessing from God the apostles (except for Judas Iscariot) became His partner in advancing the faith.

Let us not make Jesus irrelevant in our lives by not praying to Him let us make time for Him. Let us not allow the many distractions of this world to get our attention from Jesus. For what is this world compared to Jesus? There is no comparison at all for this world is temporary, finite and time bound. While Jesus is everlasting, infinite and He is not confined by the limits of time.

In our secularist world today dominated by high tech gadgets, facebook and twitter Jesus still matters. For the reason that Jesus gives hope, Jesus gives love and Jesus gives salvation. Therefore, embrace Jesus more than you embrace this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas