Reflection for Friday May 18, Seventh Week of Easter: John 21:15-19

Gospel: John 21:15-19

15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." 16 A second time he said to him, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." 17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you girded yourself and walked where you would; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go." 19 (This he said to show by what death he was to glorify God.) And after this he said to him, "Follow me."

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Reflection:

A young man told a young woman: I love you. The woman said to the man: Marry me to prove your declaration of love. So he married her and they lived as husband and wife only to separate after a few years. Why did they separate? For the reason that they were not able to withstand the turbulence and trials of married life. 

Perhaps, I love you; is the most abused phrase today; we often say it without thinking how profound and meaningful this phrase is. This is the reason why when married life is tested by turbulence, the phrase I love you now becomes I don’t love you anymore. Then after a period of time it deteriorates to become I want to separate from you.

In our gospel for today, Jesus wants us to know that the phrase I love you is always loaded with accountability and responsibility. This is the reason why when Jesus asked Peter, Do you love me (three times!)? HE attached it with threefold responsibilities (Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep, Feed my sheep).

Let us pause and think for we may have loosely said the phase I love you without taking into consideration its responsibility. Let us pause and think for we may have loosely said the phase I love you to simply satisfy our hidden desires. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday May 17, Seventh Week of Easter: John 17:20-26

Gospel: John 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

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Reflection:

What would happen if the love of Jesus is present in a family? There is unity and there is an unbreakable bond that exists no matter what happen inside that family.  On the other hand what would happen if the love of God is not present in a family? There would be disunity, chaos and dysfunctionality which will eventually lead to the disintegration of the family.

Jesus love for God and God’s love for Jesus is the only love that can bind and unify members of family.  It’s a love that is humble and persevering; no wonder Jesus remained faithful to HIS mission of salvation. Jesus humbled Himself even if HE is equal with God and He persevered to fulfill HIS salvific mission even at the cost of HIS earthly life.

If spouses want their family to remain united in love forever they must also have the same humility and perseverance. The children should have an active prayer life taught by their parents and anchored on their wisdom filled shepherding as well. Thus, it will not fall to the trap of the devil who always incite for the dismemberment of the family.

Let us  reflect if we have the love of Jesus and God inside our own family. Let us reflect if we breathe humility and perseverance for the sake of the wellbeing of our children. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Wednesday May 16, Seventh Week of Easter: John 17:11b-19

Gospel: John 17:11b-19

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying:“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

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Reflection:

A husband and wife wanted to adhere to the teachings of the church that marriage is for life. So they thought of ways on how they would go about it. In their reflection they thought of making prayer as an agent that would bind them together until they breathe their last in this world. To make a long story short they made prayer part of their married life. Thus they remained married until the end.

As Jesus was about to be arrested, He prayed to God for His disciples. That they may continually be united as one in their mission, united for the reason that they would not succeed without unity.  Isn’t this true also inside a family or married life? A family needs unity for it to succeed, what is the fruit of unity inside the family/marriage? The fruits are: Humility, Honesty, Forgiveness and many more positive attributes.

Every family/marriage that succeeds spiritually is a praying family and a praying family is a united family. Let us therefore not devalue the powerful miracle of prayer inside the family by not prioritizing prayer inside the family. This is for the reason that a family that prays as one would remain united until the end.  

Is prayer already part of the culture of your family and marriage? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday May 15, Seventh Week of Easter: John 17:1-11a

Gospel: John 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

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Reflection:

There is a story of a man who worked hard to amass wealth. But on the course of his obsession to be wealthy he also noticed that whatever wealth that he amassed immediately fly away from his hands.

It became a vicious cycle for him, he works hard then he ends up with nothing. Why? The reason behind is he worked with the wrong motivation, he worked for this world alone. Thus he was slowly being eaten by the materialistic and evil culture of this world.

What is your life’s motivation? Is it to live a comfortable life by way of amassing anything that is of this world? If this is your motivation that would be catastrophic, for anything of this world is of this world. Anyone that loves the things of this world is already imprisoned by the curse of this world.  

Jesus lived in this world not to become a citizen of this world. He lived in this world only to fulfill the will of God for HIM and that is to give His very own life for our sake. Jesus knew that He would gain nothing if HE favors this world over HIS fidelity to HIS mission of salvation. 

What are you living for in this world? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday May 14; Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle: 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:

Have you been in love? Many of us have fallen in love already and many have fallen out of love as well. For those who are still in love up to this very day, say for example to your spouse   notwithstanding the hurts and pains. The love that you have in your heart is somewhat near to the love of God.

The love of God is a love that does not discriminate. It is a love that welcomes everyone for it doesn’t discriminate. It does not look at the physical attributes and the social standing of a person. Neither does it look at the moral fitness of the one that desires His love. For the love of God is a love that restores and heals.

In the gospel, Jesus commands us, “love one another as I love you (John 15:12).” Here lies the challenge for all of us because if God’s love is encompassing our love for our fellowmen should be encompassing also.

We should be capable of loving even those who’ve hurt us and those who do not love us in return. If we truly love Jesus, we have no other choice but to love like Jesus. – Marino  J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday May 13, The Ascension of the Lord; Mark 16:15-20

Gospel: Mark 16:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

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Reflection:

A soldier was about to be assigned in a faraway place so he said to his wife: Properly take care of the children. Teach them about our faith so that they’ll grow up to become responsible and God loving individuals.

The wife followed the command of his husband. She taught their children the basic tenets of the faith, she introduced Jesus to them and she educated them about discipline good manners and values. After five years he came back. His children were grown up and he was so happy because they were all wonderfully brought-up by his wife.  

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His disciples this marching order: “Proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) All the disciples lived to the hilt this command of Jesus. In fact majority of them were martyred for the sake of advancing the gospel of Jesus. 

The words of Jesus are like stream of water it endlessly flows with the passing of time and it speaks to us now so that we can respond to it. It tell us that we too have a mission and what is that mission? We are also tasked by Jesus to proclaim and live the good news. Have we shared and lived the gospel?

Majority of us may have not shared and lived it yet we therefore have to live and share it. Not tomorrow, not next week but now, why now and not on a later date? This is for the reason that many are in need of the life transforming words of Jesus. Many are being eaten alive by worldliness, hedonism and sinfulness.

We therefore should share the good news as the disciples shared it because the Lord is commanding us to do so. Let us share Jesus’ teachings by how we live. We have to remember that we become more fruitful and useful followers of Jesus when we obey Him and when we help Him advance His teachings.

And we allow ourselves to become blessings for others when we share and give Jesus to them. We also allow Jesus to bless us more not with material wealth but with spiritual gifts when we follow His marching orders for us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday May 12; Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:23b-28

Gospel: John 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples: Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

“I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.

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Reflection:

 How does it feel to say goodbye? It’s heartbreaking to say the least, as much as possible we don’t want to hear goodbyes. But goodbyes are for real and part of life. But why is it that we don’t want to hear goodbyes and we don’t want to be separated from the person that we love? Because goodbyes and separations entails loneliness and sadness.

Perhaps the disciples in the gospel were also feeling lonely and sad. Just imagine being there in that situation where Jesus was already saying His goodbye to them. If we were with the disciples we surely would be lonely and sad also. But unlike human goodbyes which is often times permanent and leaves us empty. Jesus’ goodbye was not permanent and Jesus goodbye to His disciples did not left His disciples empty.

Jesus assured His disciples that after He left them they could still invoke His name when they pray for something to the Father. And through His name they can have whatever they ask in prayer to the Father.

Everything is possible with Jesus if we have faith in Him. We can have whatever we want to have for as long as we ask Jesus’ help. The impossible becomes very much possible when we pray to God through Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Friday May 11; Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:20-23

Gospel: John 16:20-23

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

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Reflection:

A good man was wondering about how difficult his life was. He was in debt and his house was possessed by a bank due to unpaid loans. He was now questioning the Lord about his very difficult life. After a few days he won in a lottery and he was able to pay everything and he had more to spare and save.

Jesus was telling the disciples that they would go through difficult moments in their lives while others are rejoicing. Nonetheless, Jesus was also assuring His disciples that for as long as you stay with me you all will be able to pull through all of your difficulties.

We must always remember that the life that we have chosen with Jesus will not always be a walk in the park or a bed of roses. There shall be drought and loneliness we may even feel alone. However, we will be able to pull through all of these problems and other difficulties because we continue to hold and rest our destiny upon Christ Jesus.

Let us never hold on to this world for it will never help us solve our problems/difficulties in life. Let us rather hold on to Jesus for HE has the words of eternal life (John 6:68).  – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

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