Reflection for Thursday May 10; Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:16-20

Gospel: John 16:16-20

Jesus said to his disciples: "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me."So some of his disciples said to one another, "What does this mean that he is saying to us, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" So they said, "What is this 'little while' of which he speaks? We do not know what he means." Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you discussing with one another what I said, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy."

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Reflection:

Are you baffled by the mystery of life or life is just ordinary for you?

For many of us life is quite simple: we eat, sleep, work and do our daily ordinary routines. But for some life is mysterious also, we live today but we will not know what may happen next. This is life, very simple yet mysterious also.    

The disciples in our gospel for today were not able to comprehend this cryptic statement of Jesus: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” Of course Jesus is referring here of His impending arrest and His resurrection and reappearance to them.  Perhaps even if we were present during that time we would also fail to understand the deeper meaning of Jesus statement.

As we continue with our earthly journey there would be life events that will be very hard for us to understand. For example, the diagnosis of an unexpected sickness or an unexpected problem.  Thus, we may reach a point to contemplatively ask God, why is this happening to me?

Nonetheless, we must continue to believe that there’s a God who is in control. And we must continue to trust that things happen for a deeper reason that only God knows. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Wednesday May 9; Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:12-15

Gospel: John 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

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Reflection:

What is the impediment that prevents us from discerning the presence of God the Holy Spirit? It’s when we live our lives away from the teachings of the church. It’s when we create our own rules to follow instead of following the rules of the church. It’s when we follow the teachings of the church based on our convenience.

 For example, the obligation of going to Holy Mass every Sunday. Many of us do not follow this Sunday obligation we instead follow our own self-created rule/s. This is the reason why we just go to Holy Mass when we feel like going. This kind of behavior prevents us from discerning the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

The Holy Spirit acts as our honest and true counsellor who will never dare tell us to distort the truth. In fact it will tell us to speak the truth no matter who gets hurt. It will forever counsel us to do good and not to do evil.

This is the reason why we are bothered by our conscience whenever we tell lies and do wrong. And this feeling of guilt does not fade away until we tell the truth and correct the wrong that we have committed.

Do you have an awareness of the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday May 8; Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:5-11

Gospel: John 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of separation?

There’s a sense of melancholy in the words of Jesus in our gospel for today. He tells the disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me.” Just imagine the effect of these words to the disciples. Their teacher, leader, healer, father figure and close confidant would suddenly be leaving their presence?

But Jesus will not be leaving them holding an empty bag because He is promising them the abiding presence of the Advocate or the Holy Spirit. The advocate who will always be there to guide them in every step of the way as they do their mission.

Someday we will also be leaving this world. Through death our mortal being will vanish from the sight of our loved ones and friends. And surely there will be grief and loneliness as well. But our legacy would hopefully remain enduring and we hope that we would leave a lasting imprint in the hearts of the people whom we have been acquainted.

This is the reality of life. There’s a time for everything in this world but we need not worry. For so long as we believe in Jesus we have nothing to worry. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday May 7; Sixth Week of Easter: John 15:26-16:4a

Gospel: John 15:26-16:4a

(Jesus said to his disciples) “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”

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Reflection:

Who is the advocate of your life?

We know that the Advocate is the Holy Spirit, It moves our lives; it whispers to us. And we listen to what it tells us for what it tells us is for our own good. However, not everyone knows the Holy Spirit, not everyone listens to it and not everyone feels its presence.

We have a role to accomplish to those who don’t know and feel the presence and role of the Holy Spirit/Advocate. And what is our role? Our role is to introduce the advocate to them. We gently  educate and guide them we gently advice them.

Thus, we give them something that they could hold on forever no other than the Holy Spirit. And when they already have an awareness we take a backseat and let it move in their life.

You are the visible representation of Jesus in this world. Your fellowmen will know Jesus through your exercise of love, gentleness and humility. By these acts you give them an awareness of the presence of the advocate.

You therefore have to always be like Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday May 6, Sixth Sunday of Easter; John 15:9-17

Gospel: John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

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Reflection:

There’s a story of a wife whose husband has strayed so many times. Therefore, the wife’s relatives were asking her to leave her philandering husband. However, the wife would have none of her relatives’ suggestion. She instead remained in their marriage covenant. Eventually, the philandering husband was enlightened and they lived happily until the end of their lives.

How could we remain in God’s love forever? Jesus gives us the answer, we must keep the commandments.

For example in the marriage covenant, Jesus command for the couple is to be married until the end.  To share burdens, trials and joys forever. Not to give burdens, domination and mental torture forever.   

The only way for a married couple to remain in God’s love forever is to love his/her spouse until the end. But none of us are perfect, many of us sin and wander away from the marriage covenant. Nonetheless, we are not hopeless for Jesus also instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation for us to be within the ambit of His love again whenever we sin and stray.

There is no perfect marriage in this world because we are not perfect beings; each of us has our own flaws and shortcomings. Therefore we must be forgiving and must always have the humility to admit our own mistakes and shortcomings.

The love of God is always there for us each day to assure us that none of us are beyond its reach. The same with the love of a spouse for his/her beloved He/she always keeps that sacred love for his/her beloved inside her/his heart. Always hoping that the spouses who strayed would soon find the light, forgiveness and love of God.

This is also God’s hope and expectation for you. That you may soon find the light, love and forgiveness of God which by the way is always there for you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday May 5; Fifth Week of Easter: John 15:18-21

Gospel: John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

There were two brothers who had two different motivations in life. One aspired to become rich and the other one had simple aspirations. His only aim was to serve God in whatever capacity and then live a simple and quite life.

After forty years both of them had retired already the one who became worldly was very envious of his brother. This is for the reason that the brother who served the church had a settled and peaceful life than him.

Jesus in our gospel gives us the two pathways of life that we could choose: The worldly life or a peaceful life with Him. By virtue of our baptism Jesus had already called us to tread the peaceful and simple life with Him.

This has always been His desire for all of us but many of us chose not to follow of this plan of God. Thus, we create our own selfish plan for ourselves and we embrace the chaotic and problematic life of this world. We all know what will happen to all of us once we chose to embrace the life of this world. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Friday May 4; Fifth Week of Easter: John 15:12-17

Gospel: John 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

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Reflection:

What would happen if you follow this love commandment of Jesus?

There would be no more hatred and separation amongst married couples only love. But the sad reality is we choose to turn a deaf ear to this love commandment of Jesus. For the simple reason that we love ourselves more than we love Jesus and our fellowmen.

There’s a saying that before you give love you have to love yourself first. For how would you know how to give love if you have not experienced loving yourself first? However this statement does not jibe on how Jesus interprets love or on how Jesus gives the truest meaning of love.

For Jesus to love is not to love oneself first, to love is to lay down ones life for the beloved, for Jesus to love is to forgive the many hurts that has been hurled and inflicted at you by your beloved. For at the end of the day if we love the way Jesus loves us what would remain is love no hatred but only love.

But how do we love? We love selectively and we love with measure, we calibrate the love that we give by the love that we receive. And we oftentimes do not love our fellowmen when they do not fulfill our selfish expectation for them.

Let us love without condition and let us love without expecting love in return.  -  Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for Thursday May 3; Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles: John 14:6-14

Gospel: John 14:6-14

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

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Reflection:

Do you want to know God? You first have to know Jesus for it’s only through Jesus that you will know God. But how would you know Jesus? Prayer should be an integral part of your lifestyle. And you have to ask Jesus to give you the grace of knowing Him deeper and the grace of having a personal relationship with Him.

How else would you have a personal encounter with Jesus? You have to read His life in the bible you have to attend Holy Mass most especially during Sunday. And then whatever you learn about Jesus you have to live in your life.

It’s always through Jesus that you will have an awareness of the presence of God the Father in your life. For Jesus is the gateway to knowing more about God and through Jesus our eyes will be opened to the many truths about our faith.  

Do you want to know the way, do you want to know the many real truths about life and do you want to find the real meaning of your life? You have to ask Jesus and you have to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you more about Jesus.

To have Jesus is to have life, to have Jesus is to find the real way that leads to peace and contentment. To have Jesus is to discover the real meaning of life a life that is very much different from the life that this world is forcing us to accept.  

In our gospel, Jesus tells Thomas and us too, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him (John 14:6-7).” – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday May 2; Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: John 15:1-8

Gospel: John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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Reflection:

What is the meaning of life without Jesus? Nothing its pure emptiness it’s like you are chasing for something that doesn’t exist. What then is the meaning of life with Jesus? With Jesus in your life you exist with a purpose in this world. You may not have the worldly riches and power which by the way cannot give you real peace and contentment.  

However, to journey with Jesus in this world is not all walk in the park. There would be hardship and to some extent persecution every now and then. But we have nothing to worry, if God is with us who can be against us?

 In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that HE is the true vine, and His Father is the vinedresser (John 15:1). What does this statement of Jesus tells us? Being the true vine we must always choose to be attached to HIM. We should not attach ourselves with anything that is worldly and anything that would only make us sin.

We should always have a vision as we exist in this world and this vision is heavenward. Therefore, it’s very important for us to always be connected with the true vine and the vine dresser, nobody else but Jesus and God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Tuesday May 1; the Fifth Week of Easter: John 14:27-31a

Gospel: John 14:27-31a

Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

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Reflection:

There was an ambitious young man who thought that he would have a peaceful life the moment he becomes rich. But the more that he becomes richer by the day the more that his life was mired with pressure and problems.    

Peace of mind is something that we all desire for our lives. But somehow the more that we want peace the more that it becomes elusive for us. Why is this so?  This is for the reason that many of us have a wrong idea on how to have peace in our lives.   

Where can we find peace? We can find this elusive peace only in Jesus.  We will not be able to find this peaceful feeling in accumulating the riches and power of this world. No matter how rich we are and no matter how powerful we are we will have no peace. Why? For the simple reason that we seek peace in the wrong things.

We have to be aware that true peace is something that only Jesus can give us. Nobody can give it to us except Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Monday April 30; the Fifth Week of Easter: John 14:21-26

Gospel: John 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

"I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name— he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."

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Reflection:

Do you deeply love Jesus?

Love begets love, for example if a husband will show his love for his wife he gets love in return from his wife. As the marriage move on the love between spouses flounders it passes through stormy waters. And it will take humility and forgiveness for both spouses to triumphantly pass through that turbulence. 

The love of Jesus for us is unconditional He loves us even if we have betrayed Him so many times. It is not even attached to any actions that we do for God has already forgiven us for the many betrayals that we’ve caused Him.

However, even if Jesus has forgiven us already it is still our obligation to always humble ourselves before Him. We show Jesus that we love Him deeply when we humbly say sorry to Him for the many hurts that we’ve caused Him. This we do when we humbly submit ourselves to the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.

When was your last Confession? Would you want to show your love for Jesus by humbly submitting yourself to this healing sacrament? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for April 29, Fifth Sunday of Easter; John 15:1-8

Gospel: John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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Reflection:

There is a story about a rich man who does not believe in Jesus, he is a self-made rich man so to speak. He attributes every success that he has to himself alone never on Jesus. His friends believed him for they saw how he worked very hard to achieve his vast fortune. Until he went through a severe financial misfortune wherein he lost everything that he owned.

In his lowliness and nothingness he suddenly thought of his relative who was a Eucharistic Minister. He went to him and asked for his wise counsel. He was advised to always connect with Jesus through his frequent presence in the Eucharistic celebration/Holy Mass and by regularly reading the bible.

This man who once was very averse to the Holy Mass and the Bible became a regular Mass attendee and has formed a habit of regularly reading the bible. True enough, he regained and eventually surpassed everything that he lost.

Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel exhorts us to remain in Him. Why?  Because apart from Him we are nothing, no matter how rich and learned we are. We are still nothing because we are not connected with Jesus.

The money that we have it can fly away from our possession anytime. The learning/knowledge that we have, it will escape our mind once we become senile. But if we remain with Jesus we are assured with something that is way beyond possession and learning. Time will come that we will leave this world, our possession neither our knowledge no matter how vast will not be able to give us eternal life.

There are those who live for today only or for this world only. They work hard to amass wealth; they seriously study to accumulate learning. Only to discover that something very important is still lacking in their lives. They search and endlessly search for it until they end up holding an empty bag because they’ve not found the true vine that is Jesus.  

Let us seriously think about what Jesus wants to convey to us through our gospel: “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday April 28; the Fourth Week of Easter: John 14:7-14

Gospel: John 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples:“If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

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Reflection:

Do you believe this pronouncement of Jesus that He is one with God? Of course you do, then what’s next after believing? Next after believing is to put into concrete actions what you believe.

Belief only is not enough, you have to translate this into living faith. Faith that is seen though your deeds, because if you only say that you believe. Yet you don’t translate your belief into actual acts of mercy and compassion, then it’s empty.

Jesus in our gospel tells us, “Whoever believes in me will do the things that I do (John 14:12).” Let us pause and reflect if we are able to somehow measure up to this challenge by Jesus. Are you doing the works of Jesus? Do you help someone in need? Do you always say words that heal a broken person? Or you are quick to throw judgment and condemnation?

 It’s so easy to say, I believe in the oneness of Jesus  and God.  Yet we are always challenged by Jesus to always prove it by our words and actions. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday April 27; the Fourth Week of Easter: John 14:1-6

Gospel: John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

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Reflection:
Do you want to find meaning in your life?

Perhaps many of us are already tired of the drudgery of life, It may seem that life is just a routine. We wake-up in the morning, go to work and go home, then the next morning we do the same once again. As if we live like robots in this world; there is no clear path that would point us to something meaningful and profound.

In our gospel for today Jesus gives us a revelation on how to have a meaningful and profound life in this world. Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).” What does this statement of Jesus represent to us? Does this impel us to hunger for Him daily? Or there is no effect at all and there’s no feeling of  urgency to know more about Jesus.

When Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. He was ingeniously telling His disciples to follow Me and you’ll know the truth about life. That the true meaning of life has nothing to do with anything of this world. What you cling now in this world is nothing compared to what you’ll receive if only you would decide to follow me. – Marino J. Dasmarinas