Reflection for October 13, Saturday; Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 11:27-28

Gospel: Luke 11:27-28

While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

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Reflection:

Who was the woman who said to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed (Luke 11:27).” She obviously was so enthralled by the words and works of Jesus that she pointed to the Blessed Mother and gave her honor as the foundation of Jesus.

Do we give the same honor and reverence for the Blessed Mother? Some Christian faiths don’t honor the Blessed Mother as much as we honor her. But why cannot we honor the mother of Jesus? Without the Blessed Mother Jesus would have not been born and we would have no savior.      

But thanks to the humility of the Blessed Mother Jesus was born into this world. She humbly accepted her sacred mission as the mother of Jesus when she said, I am the handmaid of the Lord let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38).

This gospel is an invitation for all of us to give more honor and reverence to the Blessed Mother. We honor her by asking her to always pray for us and by praying the Holy Rosary. This also reminds us of the role of our own mothers in our lives. The countless sacrifices that they carried on their shoulders so that they could rear us with honor and dignity.   

Do you always remember to ask the Blessed Mother to pray for you and to bring your prayers to Jesus? Do you pray the Holy Rosary even for only once a week? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 12, Friday; Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 11:15-26

Gospel: Luke 11:15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd 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.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”

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Reflection:

What motivates us to accuse falsely or to destroy the good reputation of our fellowmen? Its greed, anger, envy and other negative emotions. These emotions are so dangerous that it could even lead us to kill. All of these are devious instruments of Satan. All of these are used by Satan to capture us.

How could we refuse these enticements of Satan? We must be prayerful, we must always do good. We must at all times be focused on our mission to spread the teachings of Jesus through our words and actions.

By doing good, Jesus was accused as being with the Demon, what a reckless accusation emanating from the crowd! Is it Jesus siding with the demon or the crowd siding with the demon? The demon will never do good it will always seek to create chaos and manufacture baseless accusations.

Come to think of it, by accusing Jesus the crowd allowed themselves to be used by the demon himself. In like manner we also allow ourselves to be an instrument of the demon when we purposely accuse people even without a grain of truth.

The demon or devil is a clear and present danger to all of us. It’s always there looking for the right timing to lure us. However, if we are close to Jesus and we practice and live the teachings of Jesus. We have nothing to worry because the devil can do nothing to us.

Do you always create time for Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for October 11, Thursday; Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 11:5-13

Gospel: Luke 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

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Reflection:

Isn’t God all knowing? Doesn’t He read our mind? So why do we need to badger Him in prayer about our needs? God is all knowing and God reads our minds but we still need to persistently let Him know what we want Him to do for us. Why? For the simple reason that it’s through our persistence that we develop deep friendship with Him. It’s through our persistent prayer that we obtain the grace to get to know Jesus much deeper.

What if we would not persist? We miss the chance to know Jesus more deeply and we miss the opportunity to develop a much deeper friendship with Him.  Take for example our Sunday Mass obligation, what would happen to us if we wouldn’t keep on attending it every Sunday? We miss the chance to know Jesus deeply, we miss the chance to be showered by His many blessing. And we miss the opportunity to grow in faith and the like.

Yes, God knows everything about us already but we still need to be persistent before Him. For this is where He would know how deep is our love for Him. When we don’t give up on Jesus and when we continue to let Him know that we always hunger for Him. Surely Jesus will not be deaf and blind to our petitions before Him.   

Surely Jesus will smile at us and tell us: Here it is that you want I’m giving it to you now because you did not give up. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for October 10, Wednesday; Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 11:1-4

Gospel: Luke 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”

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Reflection:

Has anyone asked you to teach him/her to pray? Or have you taught somebody to pray?

It’s a humbling experience if somebody would ask us to teach him/her to pray. Just like the same petition that the disciples of Jesus told Him. But before we could expect people to ask us to teach them how to pray we must learn to live our prayer first.

For example, if we pray for humility it is incumbent upon us to live humility as well. If we pray for forgiveness we should be forgiving as well. If we pray for peace in our lives we should live a peaceful life. In other words, we should always learn to live our prayers before Jesus.  

What will move our fellowmen to ask us to teach them how to pray? We should ensure that we live our faith and we are humble at all times. This is how Jesus lived His life; He always ensured that His prayers are always accompanied by humble acts of faith.

Just like Jesus, we too must see to it that we live what we pray or we walk our talk so that others may see in us Jesus. We become like magnets for Jesus if we live our prayers and we live it with humility.

Has anyone asked you to teach him/her to pray or have you taught somebody to pray? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 9, Tuesday; Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:38-42

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

In the course of their journey Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house.

She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord's feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha, who was distracted with all the serving, came to him and said, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me. But the Lord answered, 'Martha, Martha,' he said, 'you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part, and it is not to be taken from her.'

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Reflection:

What are you going to do if you visit a house of a friend and you get the same treatment that Jesus received from Martha and Mary? Who are you going to favor Martha or Mary? It actually depends upon you who are you going to favor. But Jesus obviously preferred the action of Mary who sat down at His feet and faithfully listened to Him.

What did Martha do that it did not get the merit of Jesus? Martha was busy preparing food for Jesus. Why did Jesus did not favor her when what she was doing was for His honor also? Jesus is a preacher and being a preacher he wants people to listen to Him so that He could impart His wisdom. This was perhaps the reason why Jesus preferred the reverent action of Mary.

What happens to us when we listen to Jesus and when we meditate on His words? We gain wisdom from Jesus himself and we are enlightened by Him no less. But do we still have time to listen to Jesus? Are we not very busy with our many worldly undertakings?

 Some of us may say that we have to move and be busy because we have to earn and eat otherwise we’ll get hungry. Yes, this is true, but what would happen to us if we are all work? If we have no more time for Jesus or if Jesus is just a minuscule entity in our lives? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 8, Monday; Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:25-37

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

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Reflection:

Do you want to have eternal life?

We all desire eternal life with Jesus and we are given by Him the keys toward it. The first key is to love Him and the second one is to love our fellowmen as how we love ourselves. But how can we manifest our love for God if we hardly have time for Him?

  

To love Jesus is to give our time to Him. He doesn’t ask us all of our time He only ask us a little of our time. For example, how many hours do we have for the entire week? Jesus only ask us to give Him one hour of those many hours a week though our presence in the Holy Mass. Many of us are not able to fulfill this one-hour meeting with Jesus for the reason that we are very busy.

To Love Jesus is to share Him with our fellowmen. How many of us are able to share Jesus through our words and actions? To love Jesus is to read the bible even for only five minutes a day. How many of us are able to read the bible daily for five minutes a day?

Finally, to love our fellowmen is to love them without preconditions, to love them by not imposing our will upon them. And to love them no matter who they are and no matter how sinful they may seem for we are all sinful children of God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday October 7, Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 10:2-16

Gospel: Mark 10:2-16

The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

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Reflection:

A story is told about a married couple who’ve been together for ten years.  After all those years of being happily married the wife was suddenly jolted when she discovered that her husband had been carrying an adulterous affair with his officemate.  Therefore, the wife who was trying to salvage whatever thread that was left in their marriage demanded that the he resigns from his job. However, citing self-serving reasons the husband refused to resign.

In the gospel Jesus is confronted with a probing question by the Pharisees: "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" Jesus replied: "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. (Mark 10:2-5)

This answer of Jesus loudly rings true for us today; because of the hardness of our hearts many of us choose to betray the Sacrament of Matrimony. In exchange for what? For a lifetime of misery afterwards?  In exchange for what? For a cursed and damned life afterwards? There is no reward but wretchedness when we decide to jump into an adulterous relationship.

When a couple jumps into the abyss of an adulterous relationship. They dive into the darkest part of life and the afterlife which is the kingdom of the fallen angel Satan. Yet, Satan the supreme deceiver and manipulator that he is paints love to cover lust in the eyes of the adulterous couple. Satan puts forward the overheating furnace of passion disguised as love. That will slowly but surely unravel to destroy both of them and those around them in the end. 

God’s plan for married couple is for eternity. In the Sacrament of Matrimony/Marriage Jesus commands us this through the officiating Priest: “To have and to hold, to this day onward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part.”

Have you been faithful to your married life so far? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 6, Saturday; Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:17-24

Gospel: Luke 10:17-24

The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

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

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

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Reflection:

Long time ago there was a religion that had a penchant for arrogantly showing their influence. They would boast that they are the true religion and that nobody would go to heaven except their members. Instead of attracting others to join them they were instead shunned by those they thought could be their future members. Eventually this religion stopped growing until it died a natural death.

What could attract people to join a religion? It’s certainly not arrogance but childlike humility. Arrogance is disliked by many as opposed to humility which is very much liked by the majority. Humility is like a magnet that attracts and gains the sympathy of people.

For example, would you prefer to belong to a religion that arrogantly flaunts its misplaced influence? Of course not! Would you prefer to befriend an arrogant person or a humble person? Of course, you would prefer to befriend the humble one.

In like manner, we could bring more people to our faith and we would become more effective fishers of men. If we live humility and if we become breathing example of Jesus’ humility. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for October 5, Friday; Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:13-16

Gospel: Luke 10:13-16

Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

Why is Jesus angry with the people of Chozarin and Bethsaida? Because they did not hear His call of repentance, they refused His offer of love and renewal for them.

It’s sometimes puzzling why we refuse to heed this call of Jesus when we have nothing to lose but everything to gain. For example, if we are living in sin right now and we decide to hear this call for renewal of Jesus. A big burden would be taken off from us but so many of us still refuse to walk away from sin, why?

 What does sin offer us that we can’t walk away from it? Does sin offer us heaven? Does sin offer us a quiet and contentment filled life? Why do many of us cling to sin when it doesn’t offer us anything good? Should we wait until something unfortunate happens to us before we listen?    

Let us all have a fresh start in our lives by refusing to commit any form of sin even for a few weeks or a month. And we compare our lives previously lived in sin and a life lived already lived away from sin and with the guiding light of Jesus. We surely would love this new life with Jesus than the old life with the  burden of sin. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 4, Thursday; Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi: Luke 10:1-12

Gospel: Luke 10:1-12

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

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Reflection:

Do you want to help Jesus in His mission of evangelization?

Jesus talks about the commissioning of His Seventy two disciples; He said to them that there’s an enormous work for them at hand. They are few but the people whom they will preach the gospel are many.

Up to this very day there are few who preach and fewer still those who preach and live the gospel yet there are millions who needs it badly. They are yearning to hear the words of Jesus and more has not even heard of the life changing words of Jesus.

So what are you doing about it? Will you sit still and stay in your comfort zone and do nothing to share in the ministry of Jesus? Preaching nowadays is not anymore confined to face to face vocal preaching. You could now preach using the internet via your computer and high-tech mobile phone.

 Instead of posting anything about yourself. Why not post anything that is related to Jesus, post anything about your faith. Post anything that could bring someone closer to God. If you do this you now become a follower not only in words but in deeds as well.

See to it also that you live what you preach or you live what you post in your social media accounts. The perfection of your discipleship for Jesus comes when you live what you preach. For example, if you preach simple living live simply as well, if you preach humility live humility. If you preach forgiveness then be forgiving and throwaway whatever bitterness that you may be keeping in your heart.    

Jesus wants you to be His co-laborers in His vineyard; you should not worry about your needs, for he will surely provide for you. Will you help Jesus in His mission of evangelization?  – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for October 3, Wednesday; Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 9:57-62

Gospel: Luke 9:57-62

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding on their journey, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” Jesus answered him, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.”

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Reflection:

What does it require for someone who wants to follow Jesus? It requires total surrender and abandonment to His will. When a person decides to follow Jesus he is ready to leave everything in favor of the Kingdom of God. He is ready to leave his own comfort zone and embrace the challenge of going to an unknown zone in the company of the Lord.

The gospel tells us that it’s not easy to follow the Lord. We have to adjust and make the necessary sacrifices. This may seem hard from a far but once you go near Jesus and begin your journey with Him. Things will now suddenly fall into its proper places this is for the reason that the Lord will make his way to accommodate us.

Has the Lord abandoned those who decided to leave everything for Him? Nobody has been abandoned by Jesus. He is always there by their side helping and strengthening those who courageously decide to follow Him.

In this era of high tech communication the Lord still wants us to follow Him. He may not even require us anymore to leave our love ones. Perhaps the Lord wants us to follow Him where we are at now.

For example, if you’re working or you have a business you can follow the Lord by being honest with your dealings. The opportunity to follow the Lord is manifold and limitless. We simply have to signify our desire and thereafter begin our own journey with Him.    

Would you be willing to follow the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for October 2, Tuesday; Memorial of the Guardian Angels: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.”

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Reflection:

Try looking at the face of a child, try also looking at the face of an adult. Which of them give you more joy? Of course, it’s the face of the child.

Jesus in the gospel gives us the secret on how we can enter the kingdom of heaven. Which is none other than to become like children or to be childlike, why? It’s for the reason of the pureness of their thoughts and their innocence.  No wonder being childlike is the key for us to enter God’s kingdom in heaven.

But are we childlike in terms of the pureness of our thoughts and absence of sin? Of course we are not! Who among us could say that our thoughts are as pure as a child?  Who among us could say that we are without sin? Of course, nobody because we are all sinners we sin through our words, actions and thoughts.

Nevertheless, it’s not yet late for us to go back to Jesus and be childlike before Him. Jesus through the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession is always inviting us to humble ourselves before Him. To be like a child who humbly runs to his parents with reckless abandon once he sees them coming home.

It takes childlike humility for us to submit ourselves to the Sacrament of Confession. Are you humble like a child? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 1, Monday; Memorial of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church: Luke 9:46-50

Gospel: Luke 9:46-50

An argument arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

Then John said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company. Jesus said to him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.

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Reflection:

Do you sometimes feel great for the reason of the things that you do or for the reason of your status in life?

We can’t help but ask, why did the disciples argue as to who among them is the greatest? Perhaps they got carried away with the sudden fame of being with Jesus. That’s why they were arguing as to who was the greatest among them. By being mindful of their egos they forgot that they were with their Lord and Master.

Jesus knew of their selfish desire for fame thus He took a child and placed it by his side and said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.”

Least in what aspect? Least in promoting oneself as the greatest and least in filling-up ones ego. It’s indeed very tempting to use Jesus to enhance our self-image. But reality check first, this is not what Jesus wants for us to become. Jesus desire for all of us is to embrace humility at all times.

No one is greatest for Jesus but those who are humble. And those who silently give their time to help him advance His teachings. They are the greatest people in the eyes of Jesus.

If you give your time for Jesus no matter how little so long as you give it with all your heart. If you give your time for Jesus without the objective to boast and the selfish desire to be popular. You’re already the greatest in Jesus eyes. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Sunday September 30, Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

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Reflection:

A parish priest was told by a catechist that there was a Christian denomination who wants to use the parish chapel for their Christian worship. The catechist was expecting the priest to reject the request but to his surprise the humble and good-natured priest allowed the Christian denomination to use the chapel.

Months had passed by and this Christian group was always using the chapel for their worship. Along with it they had built a solid friendship with the parish priest anchored on his humility and tolerance.  After two years of friendship and communication the Christian group decided to convert to the Catholic faith and they were warmly welcomed to the church by the humble and tolerant priest.

In our gospel for this Sunday Jesus speaks about tolerance, humility and love for our fellowmen. When John told Jesus that they tried to prevent someone from driving out demons in His name. Perhaps John was expecting Jesus to condone his arrogant behavior. But Jesus rebuked John by saying, “Do not prevent him, there is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us.” 

This rebuke of Jesus towards John echoes up to this time and it is not anymore addressed to John but it is now given to us. We are reminded by Jesus that if the cause that is being espoused by our fellowmen is also about him or if it’s for a good purpose. Let us be tolerant by all means.

We must always be tolerant, humble and loving to those who are not within the loop of our catholic faith.  Jesus at all times reminds us also that we must always live these virtues because this is one of the means that Jesus could become a living symbol in our lives.   

Sometimes it is so tempting to become proud and arrogant because of our status in life. Or because of the primacy our catholic faith which was founded by Jesus Himself. But how can we convince others to join our faith if we are domineering and arrogant? How can we highlight Jesus in our lives if we are always overbearing and superior? – Marino J. Dasmarinas