Reflection for March 15; Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 5:31-47

Gospel: John5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews: “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.

“I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

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Reflection:

How do you testify your life as a follower of Jesus? The best testimony of a follower is how he lives his life. Does he live his life with forgiveness, humility, simplicity, sacrifice, unconditional love and the like?  Many of us call ourselves follower of Jesus but when it comes to forgiving those who’ve hurt us we cannot forgive.

If we cannot forgive those who’ve hurt us we then are followers in name only and sad to say many of us are like that: Followers in name only. On the aspect of humility; we can best testify that we are followers of Jesus when we don’t seek prominence and we silently do our work for the lord without any fanfare or publicity.

On the aspect of simplicity, Jesus is the supreme model of simplicity. He is content with whatever that He possesses Jesus did not desire expensive things and other appendages. Many of us live complicated lives for the simple reason that we live the life of this world rather than live the life of Jesus.

Therefore, you can always become the best witness for Jesus by simply following His humility, gentleness, unconditional love and forgiveness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for March 14; Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 5:17-30

Gospel: John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

Do you believe that Jesus and the Father are one? The critics of Jesus did not believe this oneness of the father and the son. The critics of Jesus did not believe because their mindset is based on their human understanding which is always subject to limitations.

What separates us from the critics of Jesus in our gospel? We believe in the oneness of the father and the son, we believe because we have faith. Faith that is not subject to what our eyes and ears can see and hear.

If our faith is confined to what we could only see and hear this is actually not faith because true faith or deep faith requires believing even without seeing.  Through our faith in both the father and the son we are able to further discover the many truths about our catholic faith.  And we are also able to grow more in faith and knowledge about our universal church.

Perhaps some of us may ask, Why am I not growing in faith? The answer to this is we lack something, perhaps this something is our lack of faithful adherence to the teachings of our universal church.

Say for example our lack of adherence to the insolubility of the Sacrament of Matrimony, the Sanctity of human life, the healing and cleansing value of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the many more teachings of our catholic faith. We would not grow in faith if we don’t believe these teachings.  

Do you believe in the oneness of the Son and the Father and do you also believe and practice the teachings of our catholic faith? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 13; Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 5:1-16

Gospel: John 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me. Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk. Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat. He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk. They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’? The man who was healed did not know who it was for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

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Reflection:

How does it feel to be sick? Those who got sick already would answer that it doesn’t feel good to be sick for you feel weak and can’t function properly. Absurd as it may sound but sickness is sometimes God’s gift to us for it’s through our sickness that we get to know God more deeply. It’s through our getting sick that we become aware of the majestic healing power of God.

The blind man in our gospel had this kind of experience. He was beside the pool waiting for someone to help him immerse in the pool. He didn’t know Jesus thus he did not ask Jesus to heal him.  Jesus by Himself desired to appear to this man and heal him right there. If the man was not sick Jesus would not have appeared to him.  

It’s through our sickness often times that Jesus strongly manifest Himself to us. Through our getting sick we get a clearer picture of who Jesus is. If Jesus healed the man in our gospel without asking for it, would He not heal us as well? We who know Him and we who always pray to Him.   

There's always a silver lining when we get sick, we may not know it immediately but there's certainly silver lining. And one of this is to get to know more Jesus deeply and to have this up close and personal encounter with Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 12; Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent: John 4:43-54

Gospel: John 4:43-54

43 After the two days he departed to Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." 49 The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

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Reflection:

How profound is your faith in Jesus?

To have faith is to believe in something that you don’t see yet. The official in the gospel who begged Jesus to heal his sick son has this kind of faith. He wanted Jesus to go and personally heal his son who at that time was near death.

But Jesus did not gave in to his request, Jesus simply told the official, “Go; your son will live.” So he went home without Jesus but with faith in the words of Jesus in his heart. And when he arrived home his son was already recovering.

To believe in something that we don’t see yet is very difficult to do most especially for those who have feeble faith. But for those who have faith, they will believe no matter the odds against them. If the official in our gospel did not believe in Jesus his son would surely not been healed. But he believed with faith!

We all have our own petitions before Jesus. He asks us nothing but to believe with faith, to believe with faith on something that we don’t see yet. And to believe and have faith even if others would not believe us.

What are your petitions before Jesus? Simply believe, have faith and work for it also for He will never fail you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday March 11, Fourth Sunday of Lent; John 3:14-21

Gospel: John 3:14-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

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Reflection:

There is a story of a woman who was actively sharing her life activities on social media. She would always document all her daily undertakings and post it on her many social media accounts. By doing so her life was like a reality show already. However, she noticed that in spite of her social media interactions with her friends there was still a deep void within her.

As far as self expression is concerned Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like are the in thing right now for many of us and we have our own way of expressing ourselves there. We express to the internet what is in our minds and we show to the world our best activities, best photos and best videos.

Yet, we seldom see post about Jesus or self-expression that relates with God. We seldom see also pictures and activities that reveal the nature of God. Is this sign that our love for God is slowly being eased out by our love for ourselves and the things of this world? Where would we go if our life is centered on ourselves and on our worldly activities?

The gospel for this Sunday directs us to refocus our life once again to the one who is the creator of this world and that is God. We must look to Jesus once again and make Him the center of our lives. Let us not focus our lives on worldly things and possessions for these are passing, and temporary.

We may have the best luxuries in this world but if we don’t have God in our lives it would all be for naught and worthless. We may have all the wealth in our family but if we don’t have Jesus it amounts to nothing.  Our possessions will not grant us salvation it’s only God who can give us salvation and eternal life.

Are you willing to once again refocus your life on Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 10; Saturday of the Third Week of Lent: Luke 18:9-14

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

Is humility part and parcel of your way of life?

Aside from Jesus there are two main characters in this Gospel: the Pharisee, he is an educated believer, he seriously observes and teaches God’s law and the Tax collector he is known to be greedy, corrupt and sinful. They both went to the temple to pray.

The Pharisee was self-righteous he claims that he is not greedy, unjust, adulterous. He is so sure of his goodness, holiness and maybe of his own salvation he even despised the tax collector.

There is also this repentant sinner (tax collector) who did not dare to raise his eyes to heaven. He was remorsefully beating his breast and he keeps on asking God for forgiveness.

Jesus said: “the tax collector went home at peace with God.” and the Pharisee? He did not gain any favor from God because he is self-righteous and proud.

This Gospel is a good reminder for us all who are self-righteous, who are proud and who are egotist. This is also for those who look down on their fellowmen for the simple reason that they are rich and learned.

God looked kindly on the tax collector because he has the greatest virtue called HUMILITY. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for March 8; Thursday of the Third Week of Lent: Luke 11:14-23

Gospel: Luke 11:14-23

Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute, and when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke and the crowds were amazed. Some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”

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Reflection:

Is the devil real?

The devil is real and he's a pervading influence in our society and in our political system as well. Why is the Philippines still a third world country considering that it has rich human and natural resources? The reason is many of our leaders have allowed themselves to be seduced and manipulated by the devil. The devil in the guise of corrupted wealth and power always offers himself to our politicians in exchange for their honest to goodness public service and governance.

In the same vein, The devil is also a presence inside the Filipino family. This is the reason why there are separation and infidelity inside the marriage covenant. Who can defeat the influence of the devil in our society’s political system and in our respective families? It’s our practice of our faith in Jesus.

Many of us profess to be believers in Jesus and many of our politicians are graduates of catholic schools. Yet there are many plunderers in government, yet there are many broken families. Why is this so? This is for the reason that many of us are believers in name only. Many of us attend Holy Mass but we don’t live the grace of Holy Mass.

If only we would allow our faith in Jesus to take root deep into our bones, our country would once again be progressive. If only we would allow our faith in Jesus to take center stage in our respective families there would also be no more broken marriages.

Let us think about how many times we have betrayed our faith in Jesus. In exchange for the salivating offers of the devil which in the long run will only destroy us. Reject the devil therefore and do not allow yourself to become his agent and slave in this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for March 7; Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent: Matthew 5:17-19

Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

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Reflection:

What will happen to us if we would always observe the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-1) and the two greatest commandments that Jesus gave us (Matthew 22:36-40)? We surely would move closer to Jesus, we would grow in faith and there would be peace in our life.

This is the price that awaits those who would observe the laws of God. Without close observance of God’s commandments there would also be no close relationship with God. Observe those who don’t follow the commandments of God or observe your very own self when you don’t follow God’s commandments. What kind of life would you have? Isn’t a life of chaos, disturbance and endless problems?

Therefore the key to intimacy with God is our faithful observance of His commandments. But human as we are we are subject to our own frailties. We fall and sin every once in a while and thus we are temporarily separated from the love of God.

However Jesus also instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession so that whenever we sin we have a recourse out of sin. But do we care to submit ourselves to this healing, forgiving and merciful sacrament? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for March 6; Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent: Matthew 18:21-35

Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

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Reflection:

Is it normal for us to harbor resentments? Yes of course for we are humans with emotions. But after that short moment wherein we respond to our feelings let us quickly allow Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness to take over our selfish feelings. 

In the gospel Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?"  Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times (Matthew 18:21-22).

This is a very simple yet very effective teaching on forgiveness for us from Jesus. In other words He is saying to us that we should always be forgiving. It’s normal for us to be hurt but let us not allow these hurtful feelings to control us. Therefore, we can only be freed from the vicious control of anger which by the way comes from the devil, if we forgive those who have hurt us without any preconditions.

Try to observe yourself when you don’t listen to Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness. Isn’t it that you carry a heavy burden in your heart? When you allow unforgiveness to reside in your heart you allow yourself to be imprisoned and controlled by the devil and your anger. 

What if you follow Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, how would you feel? You will feel light and free. You will feel no burden in your heart. Don’t we all want to feel light, to feel free and without any burdens and hurtful feelings in our heart?

These are the two options before you: To follow Jesus’ teaching on infinite forgiveness or you continue to punish and burden yourself by unforgiveness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for March 5; Monday of the Third Week of Lent: Luke 4:24-30

Gospel: Luke 4:24-30

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

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Reflection:

Are you sometimes envious of the success of your fellowmen?

Crab mentality perhaps was in the minds of Jesus townmates that is why they did not acknowledge Him as their prophet. His townmates were envious of His newfound celebrity status they could not accept that a simple carpenter was doing all these life changing preachings, healings and miracles.

The reality of our lives is this: We don’t control the destiny of others only God controls it. God can raise up seemingly ordinary people to give them extraordinary gifts and missions. We must not be envious of these people who were given by God with these extra ordinary gifts we instead must be happy for them.

The result of their loathsome behavior towards Jesus is this: Jesus did not do much miracles in their place.  Let us not be like the townmates of Jesus let us embrace Jesus and let us deeply believe in Him for He is the Son of God and our Lord and Savior.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Sunday March 4, Third Sunday of Lent; John 2:13-25

Gospel: John 2:13-25

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.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

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Reflection:

A father would always tell his children to observe silence when they are at church for Holy Mass.  In turn the children would also ask their father: “Why do we need to be silent at church?” Their father would right away tell them: “This is for the reason is that the church is a temple of worship for God, therefore when you are at church you always need to focus on Jesus, be silent and prayerful.”

When Jesus went to the temple for the feast of Passover, He saw that it was not anymore being used as it was supposed to be. Jesus was expecting that the temple was being used with solemnity and reverence for the simple reason that is the temple of God. 

But to His dismay the temple was converted to a marketplace where people were wheeling and dealing to earn a living. Perhaps the temple was not only being used for business perhaps it was being used for other sordid activities.  Therefore, Jesus had to intervene; He has to put order and discipline so that the temple would be fit for worship again.

Every Sunday or even every day we go to our respective temple of worship that is our parish church for Holy Mass. How do we behave when we are at church? Do we create noise by chit-chatting with friends/relatives while we wait for the Holy Mass to commence?   Or we begin to connect with God by praying and listening to Him without uttering a single word?

When we are at church we have to ensure that we only use it for one purpose alone and that is to worship and connect with God silently. No noise whatsoever for this is how it should be. Otherwise, if we create noise we become one with those who transformed the temple into a marketplace which provoked anger from Jesus.

How are you when you are at church? – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for March 3; Saturday of the Second Week of Lent: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them. So to them Jesus addressed this parable. “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers. So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.

But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found. Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound. He became angry and when he refused to enter the house his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.

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Reflection:

Would you return and ask forgiveness to someone you’ve hurt?

After wasting his money on his vices and other sinful cravings the younger son decided to humbly return to his father. He swallowed his pride; he braved the insults and ridicule that might come his way just to be home again with his father who unconditionally loved him.

There is also a stretch in our lives that we drift away from God; we personally take command of our lives. We indulge in different worldly vices and sins thinking that it would make us happy. Then we realize that there is still this void that has not been filled by our worldly and sinful cravings.

So to where would we go? We humbly go back to Jesus and ask for His mercy and forgiveness. Jesus will surely not refuse a repentant sinner like us. What we only have to do is to go back to Him. Never mind the many sins that we have committed for Jesus doesn’t count the sins that we have committed.  

He is always looking at our humble and repentant heart. Therefore, we have to go back to Him for Jesus is compassionately waiting to lovingly embrace us back again. Don’t look back at your dark past anymore what is important for Jesus is the here and now.

The here and now where you are ready to start a new journey in your life: A journey walking   hand in hand with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Reflection for March 2; Friday of the Second Week of Lent: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times. Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

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Reflection:

What is your mission as far as your faith life in this world is concerned? It’s to pay forward or share whatever you know about your faith. It’s to give life to your faith by not keeping it to yourself. And it’s to generously share whatever you know about your faith. 

 In our gospel for today, Jesus gives us the parable of the tenants who were entrusted by the landowner of his property. Before the landowner left them he first ensured that they already have all that they would need to make them productive. And so the landowner left and when harvest time came the landowner was demanding his share from the tenants.

We are the tenants which Jesus is speaking about in the gospel.  The land or property that Jesus has entrusted to us is no other than our faith. What have we done so far to the gift of faith that He has entrusted us? Have we already shared it? Or we are still up to know keeping it to ourselves?

If we want to grow in faith we have to humbly share it for it is in sharing our faith that we would grow in faith. It is in sharing our faith that would make us productive followers of Jesus. Many are still not properly educated as far as their faith life is concerned and many are Catholics in name only. And who is to blame for this lack of education of our catholic faith? We are partly to be blamed because many of us have not yet shared the gift of faith that Jesus has entrusted us.

But it’s not yet late for we still have time.  Therefore we have to do something, start first by inviting your family to go to Holy Mass. Then gently teach them with whatever you know about the Bible and your catholic faith.

Have courage to do this for God’s blessings will be upon you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 1; Thursday of the Second Week of Lent: Luke 16:19-31

Gospel: Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.’ But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.’ He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”

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Reflection:

Imagine that you are the rich man in the gospel and you also saw the poor man Lazarus at your door. How would you react? Will you do the same as the rich man did in the gospel? Or you will give food to the poor man Lazarus?

You would surely answer that you will give food because this is the right action to do. And your decision to give food would also be influenced by the misfortune of the rich man after he died for he ended in hell. But is this who we really are? Do we really help the poor most especially when nobody is watching us?

Often times we do good because we are influenced by the circumstances that surrounds us. For example, in the gospel we read the rich man ended up in hell. Of course this is the circumstance that will influence us to do good for we don’t want to be in hell after we die.

The gospel is an invitation for all of us to reflect on how we take care of the poor. For example, you may have a poor relative or a poor neighbor. How do you treat them? Do you treat them like a third class citizen or you treat them with respect and love? – Marino J. Dasmarinas