Reflection for Sunday November 11, Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 12:38-44

Mark 12:38-44

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

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Reflection:

There is a story of a poor woman who was always ready to give anything that she has for the sake of those who are in need. Because of her generosity there were instances that her children would gently remind her not to overly give and reserve something for them.

But the kindhearted woman would tell her children that it is always in giving that they would receive unfathomable blessings from God. True enough, there were no instance wherein they were in need of anything.

Even if they were poor, they always have something for themselves. Why? because God takes care of those who are generous. Very much like the poor widow in our first reading. She generously gave water and bread to the prophet Elijah. After which  the good Lord provided for her and her son. 

Many of us may not know this, but the poor are the most generous people in the world.  They give from the pureness of their hearts no matter how small.  They don’t give because they are not in need. They give for the simple reason that they are simply generous.

Compare this with many rich people who give from their excess. For example, the billionaires and millionaires who give millions to their favorite charities. Perhaps, most of them give because the money that they would give would never hurt their pockets anymore. They have already earmarked that money for charity.

True generosity is epitomized by the poor widow in the gospel. For she gave whatever little money that she has and she gave even if she herself needs it. She could have bought food with the two small coins to satisfy her hunger. But it never came to her thought, she simply gave from the goodness of her heart.

What is paramount for the poor widow is to give without any strings attached. Jesus consequently favored the poor widow because He saw the pureness of her intentions and the pureness of her generosity.

How do you give to your church? How do you give to the poor and to those who are need? Do you give generously as well like the poor widow in the gospel or you give because that is your excess already? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for November 10, Saturday; Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church: Luke 16:9-15

Gospel: Luke 16:9-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”

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Reflection:

What is dishonest wealth and true wealth that Jesus speaks about in our gospel? Dishonest wealth is any material wealth that you presently possess true wealth is no other than Jesus Himself. Material wealth is dishonest wealth in the sense that it will not give you peace, serenity and contentment no matter how big.

Has anyone of us found peace and contentment with the money that we have? No, we have not found the serenity that we have been looking for. In fact, the more money, power and wealth we have the more that we have no peace of mind. This is the paradox of earthly wealth and power: it will not give us the peace of mind that we have been longing for.  This is the reason why this is called dishonest wealth.

What is true wealth then? When you have Jesus in your life you already have this true wealth no matter if you are materially poor and no matter if you are sick. Because when you have Jesus in your life you lack nothing and you will not anymore desire for anything.

What is the worth of your life if you have all the wealth and power in this world yet you don’t have Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

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

Gospel: John 2:13-22

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

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Reflection:

What do you do when you go to church to pray or for Holy Mass? Do you always go there so that you could feel its solemn atmosphere so that you could have a personal encounter with Jesus?

The church is always our place of worship and this is our safe refuge whenever we are burdened by life’s challenges. It is also here where we get to have a personal encounter with Jesus before, during and after the celebration of the Holy Mass.

Do we still observe the proper discipline when we are at church? Do we still dip our finger in the holy water font, make the sign of the cross and genuflect with our eyes fixed on the tabernacle before we officially enter the church and before we go outside of the church?   

In our gospel we read about Jesus who went to the temple, to His dismay he found the temple in disarray. For they made the temple of worship to a temple of commerce. The people who were supposed to worship was there to do business and other things not related with worship for God. Therefore to create order and to restore the sanctity of the temple Jesus angrily drove out all those who were corrupting the temple.   

This is a good reminder for all of us when we are at church for Holy Mass or to pray. We go to church to encounter, to worship and to give glory and honor to Jesus. The church is not a business office where wheeling and dealing occurs.

When we go to church to pray or for Holy Mass let us go there with our focus on Jesus. So that when we go out of the church we carry with us this renewed strength and hope that will energize us as we once again face our life’s challenges. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 8, Thursday; Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 15:1-10

Gospel: Luke 15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus addressed this parable to them. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. 

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

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Reflection:

What is your attitude toward the so-called sinners of our society? For example, if you have a brother and you perceive him to be a sinner, how would you treat him? Should you simply ignore him? Or you would build bridge to seek him out and let him know that the love of Jesus knows no bounds. That the love of Jesus upon him is not diminished by the sins that he has committed.

There are many of us who give up on the lost or sinners and we cannot blame ourselves for this because this is basic human nature. For example if you have a spouse who is a serial womanizer  and you have forgiven him for so many times and yet he does not change his ways. What is your natural reaction to this kind of attitude? Isn’t that your natural reaction is to raise your hands in surrender and give up on that unrepentant spouse?

If we give up with sinners, Jesus doesn’t give up He will continuously seek out the lost or sinners until He finds them. And when Jesus finds them, He will do everything (without questions asked!) to let this sinner feel His infinite love and forgiveness.   

The parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin is a showcase of the infinite love of Jesus for us. We who are all sinners, we who continue to struggle with sin. There’s hope after all for all of us sinners. And this hope is brought to us by the infinite love and mercy of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 7, Wednesday; Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:25-33

Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

Great crowds were travelling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’ Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down and decide whether with ten thousand troops he can successfully oppose another king advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops? But if not, while he is still far away, he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms. In the same way, everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple.”

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Reflection:

Have you already watched a life testimony about Jesus? Majority of these testimonies deals with the many blessings that they’ve received from the good Lord. You would also  hear testimony about their sufferings and crosses and how Jesus helped them carry it.

In our gospel for today, Jesus speaks to us about the suffering and crosses that is incorporated with our discipleship. Jesus tells us: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” What do these profound words of Jesus convey?

This conveys that if we want to follow Jesus we should also open ourselves with the carrying of our own cross and enduring also our suffering. Because it is only through these two that we could have that true feeling of companionship with Jesus. If we say, that life is all bed of roses since we’ve followed Jesus. Then, we have not really felt the true companionship of Jesus in our lives.

True discipleship for Christ Jesus is felt only when we suffer for His sake, when we are willing to carry our cross for His sake. And when we are willing to give even our very lives so that others may live and have that encounter with Jesus. This is the real essence of authentic discipleship for Jesus.

In the silence of our hearts let us examine our own discipleship for Christ Jesus. Have we already suffered for Him? Have we already carried our cross for Him? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 6, Tuesday; Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:15-24

Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’

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Reflection:

What occurs in a dinner? There’s breaking of the bread, there’s sharing, interaction, exchange of ideas and the like. We are not invited to a dinner to simply eat and go. We are invited because the host wants to know more about us. The host wants to bless us with the food that he prepared.  And he wants to exchange even for a brief moment small talk that could further enhance and strengthen the relationship between the invited guest and the host.

When we honor the Holy Mass with our presence we respond to the invitation of Jesus to be present at this Sacred and Holy celebration. We break bread with Jesus, we interact with Jesus and we open ourselves to the innumerable blessings that Jesus alone could bestow upon us.

But like in the gospel many of us would refuse to go to Holy Mass because we have our other preoccupations. We miss a lot when we decline to be present at Holy Mass foremost of this is we miss the great previledge to know Jesus deeply.

It’s sad to think that many Catholics leave the church for other Christian churches. Because as they would say: “They want to develop a personal relationship with Jesus through His written words in the bible.”

But if only they would take time to religiously be present at Holy Mass. Jesus Himself will give them the grace to know Him deeply. Jesus Himself would prod them to open their bibles so that He could reveal more about Himself to them.

The deepening of our friendship with Jesus emanates from our presence at His dinner banquet which is none other than the Holy Mass. Let us therefore go to this one hour sacred celebration and build a deeper relationship with Jesus.   

Do you always honor this invitation of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for November 5, Monday; Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:12-14

Gospel: Luke 14:12-14

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

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Reflection:

Who do you normally invite when you have a banquet in your home?

The leading Pharisee who invited Jesus obviously was well known and powerful. Thus we could surmise that his circle of friends was naturally well known and powerful also. And Jesus knew about this that’s why Jesus gave the Pharisee something to think about or food for thought as far as inviting guest is concerned.

Jesus said to him; when you have a lunch or a dinner. Do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. Wow! This is very hard to do for the Pharisee and for us as well!

How could we invite them when they are not inside our circle of friends? How could we invite them when most of them live in an environment foreign to our environment? How could we invite them when they are not externally presentable and there are many more reasons not to invite them.

If we don’t invite them, we are judging them already based on what we see about them. And most of the time what we see on them is unpleasant and not worthy for our very judgmental eyes. But we don’t see the heart of the poor, the lame, the cripple, the lame and the blind. If only we could see what’s in their hearts, it’s none other than Jesus, Jesus dwells in their hearts.

Let us seriously take note of these teachings of Jesus because when we invite them we are actually inviting Jesus to come to our home. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for November 3, Saturday; Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 14:1, 7-11

Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-11

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

Do you always love to be at the forefront so that others would notice you? Do you hunger for honor and accolades? Or you’re the type who prefers to do things quietly without any desire to be noticed with what you’re doing? 

In our gospel, Jesus talks about our need to always be humble and not to love the spotlight. However, it’s so tempting for many of us to love to be exalted, to love praise and honor.

 But come to think of it, when we love the spotlight; when we love honorific titles. We are actually giving more importance to this world more than we give importance to God. We love to become creatures of this world than love to become sons and daughters of God.

But what is prominence, what is honor? As time passes by prominence, honor and anything that is worldly and self-serving will fade away. Thus, anything that we do for the love of ourselves and of this world will be buried and will not be remembered anymore.

But our acts of humility and goodness? It will outlive us; it will permanently be etched in the heart of God and in the hearts of those who know us. Therefore, we have to be humble and good and Godly at all times. We have to permanently delete from our minds the selfish desire to be known and prominent.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for November 2, Friday; Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed: Matthew 25:31-46

Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne,  and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous* will answer him and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ i And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’  Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ l And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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Reflection:

Imagine the last days of your life, would it be a happy last days or a lonely last days? We would ideally want a happy last days, this means that we did what we have to do in this world.  We followed the commandments, we feed and clothed the hungry and so forth.

If this is what we’re are doing right now we need not worry about where we would be after our last days are over. But we are still living and we are still on this temporal journey so we have to sustain the momentum by doing good most especially to the poor and unwanted.

We have to take sides and the side that we have to take is the side where we have to do good. Let us not get tired of doing good because whatever good that we do now we will harvest eventually. Let us not mind if we will not be given credit for the good that we do what is important is we continue to do good. God knows everything anyway.

  

In this day of the Souls we are reminded of our loved ones who’ve gone ahead of us. This is also a reminder that whether we like it or not we will also be one with them sooner or later. What should we do so that we will not be forgotten? We have to do good, as Jesus did good during His three years public ministry, we also have to do good.

Why do we have to do go? The answer is no brainer: We have to do good because this will be our ticket going to God’s kingdom someday.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for November 1, Thursday; Solemnity of All Saints: Matthew 5:1-12a

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven.”

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Reflection:

What is the objective of your life? Is it limited only for the enjoyment of the things of this world? There is a more meaningful life that lies beneath this superficial life. However, you wouldn’t be able to discover the essence of life unless you learn to detach yourself from this world and begin to embrace Jesus.

What does it mean to be poor in spirit and why is it a blessing to be poor in spirit? As the literal poor relies on the generosity of his fellowmen so that he could sustain himself. To be poor in spirit means that we always rely on Jesus in everything most especially for our spiritual nourishment.

This means that we humbly rely on the generosity of Jesus. We don’t rely on ourselves so that we could grow in faith. We continuously rely and hunger for God to fill our empty lives so that He could enrich us spirituality.

Today is all Souls Day, we solemnly remember the Saints. They who generously gave their very lives for the mission of Jesus. The saints are not actually spotless when it comes to sin. Just like us they also had their own battle with sin and they triumphed over it because of the help of Jesus.

The saints became saints for the simple reason that they recognized their spiritual poverty. They discerned that life is empty and meaningless without the guidance of Jesus. We too could become saints in our own little way.

If only we would recognize our own poverty of spirit. And if only we would invite Jesus to come into our lives and fill our empty and barren life. - Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for October 31, Wednesday; Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:22-30

Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, 'Sir, will there be only a few saved?' He said to them, 'Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. 'Once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you may find yourself standing outside knocking on the door, saying, "Lord, open to us," but he will answer, "I do not know where you come from." Then you will start saying, "We once ate and drank in your company; you taught in our streets," but he will reply, "I do not know where you come from; away from me, all evil doers!" 'Then there will be weeping and grinding of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrown out. people And from east and west, from north and south, will come and sit down at the feast in the kingdom of God. 'Look, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.'

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Reflection:

Mike and Joseph were best friends, Mike was from a poor family while Joseph was from a rich family. Being rich Joseph had everything that he could ask for and because of it he grew up a spoiled man thus he wasn’t able to finish his studies.  On the other hand Mike the financially disadvantaged boy had to become a working student so that he could finish his college studies.

Ten years had elapsed; there was now a reversal of roles. Mike was already a very successful man brought about by his hard work and determination. While Joseph the former rich and spoiled man became poor and miserable.

The ending statement of Jesus in our gospel is so meaningful, HE tells us: Behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

Our discipleship with Jesus in this world is never easy and always laden with trials. It may seem that we are going through a narrow gate. But this is the reality of faithfully walking with Christ in this world. In fact, Jesus himself said that anyone who is truly willing to follow HIM must forget himself and be ready to carry his own cross (Matthew 16:24).

We have nothing to worry about if we continue to face a difficult life for the sake of Christ. If we feel that we are the least/lowly person in this world because of our hardship for Christ. So be it, this life is temporary anyway; someday we shall depart this world.  And by that time those who are last/least in this world shall now become first in the kingdom of God in heaven. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for October 30, Tuesday; Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:18-21

Gospel: Luke 13:18-21

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”

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Reflection:

Where does the kingdom of God begin in your life?

The Kingdom of God starts small in your heart like a tiny mustard seed. If you would nurture it, it will have life until it grows big. Where others could benefit from it thus you become God’s instrument of blessing for others.

But others don’t allow God’s Kingdom to take root in their hearts. They prefer the things of this world than God. They choose the temporary over what is eternal, the worldly over Godly.  We must not commit the same mistake.

We should allow God to have His dwelling in our heart no matter how small, then we have to nurture it so that it could grow. Nurture it with prayers, reading the bible and other books that would help us grow in faith.

We should also strive to be present at Holy Mass whenever we could most especially during Sundays. And of course, we should live our faith. If we would do all of these the kingdom of God would surely be upon us and it would grow.

Will you allow the kingdom of God to have a permanent dwelling in your life so that God could bless others through you? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for October 29, Monday; Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:10-17

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

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Reflection:

What made Jesus notice the woman crippled by a bad spirit considering that the woman did not even ask Jesus to heal her? Why did Jesus healed her on a Sabbath day when it was prohibited to do so?

The woman who never asked for healing from Jesus was in the synagogue to listen to Jesus. Yes, she did not ask favor from Jesus but her desire to listen to Jesus speaks volumes about her trust and faith in Jesus. Therefore, her trust and faith in Jesus was the channel for her to be noticed and healed by Jesus.

How can we listen to Jesus in this modern time? We listen to Jesus by reading His very words in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We listen to Jesus when we have an audio file of the same gospels in our hi-tech and touch screen cell phones. How many of us have an audio file or even a video file of these gospels in our cell phones?  

In the process of listening to Jesus we are healed already even if we don’t ask Him to heal us. Jesus is a proactive God, He knows everything about us and He knows every sickness or illness that we have long before we ask Him to heal us.

We need not ask Him anymore for healing or for anything for that matter for as long as we have this hunger and thirst to listen to Him. Because it’s in listening to Jesus that we are healed, it’s in listening to Jesus that we acquire wisdom that He only could give us. It’s in listening to Jesus that we are strengthened and motivated to face our daily trials no matter how difficult.   

Do you still have time to listen to Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday October 28, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 10:46-52

Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.  So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you. He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you? The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see. Jesus told him, ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you. Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

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Reflection:

What is persistence and faith? It’s the act of not giving up no matter the great odds against us. We will continue to pursue what we want because we believe deep in our hearts that God will be with us and God will help and hear us.

The blind and poor man Bartimaeus had this very mindset. All the odds were stacked against him in his desire to have an encounter with Jesus. He was blind and poor, had no power and influence yet when he heard that Jesus was passing by he mightily shouted, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me (Mark 10:48).”

 Bartimaeus was rebuked and told to keep silent but the more that he persisted on calling Jesus. What made bartimaeus persist? What made him believe that Jesus would hear him as He passed by? Bartimaeus has great faith in Jesus, he believed deep in his heart that Jesus would hear and heal him.    

Ironically, Bartimaeus was blind, therefore he did not see Jesus performing miracles. But Bartimaeus believed even if he did not see Jesus doing miracles! It was enough for Bartimaeus to hear the powerful name of Jesus to believe that he would be healed.

By his deep faith and persistence Bartimaeus gained the attention of Jesus. And during that very moment Bartimaeus was healed thus he regained his sight. This is what faith in Jesus can do for us.

For as long as we will not give up on Jesus no matter the difficulties and the odds against us miracles would happen to us. Perhaps its healing from our sickness, perhaps it’s the granting of our persistent and faith filled prayers and the like.   

How persistent are you in your desire to have an encounter with Jesus? How persistence are you in your desire to get closer and to be healed by Jesus?  Do you always pray? Do you always attend Holy Mass? Do you have daily time to read His words in the bible? – Marino J. Dasmarinas