Reflection for May 22, Wednesday: Fifth Week of Easter; John 15:1-8

Gospel: John 15:1-8
Jesus said to his disciples:“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Where does life lead us without Jesus? It leads us to nowhere and nothingness. Our life is without meaning without Jesus. We are like a boat being buffeted by waves that has nowhere to go.

Life is meaningless without our connection with Jesus, we may have an abundance of everything that this world could give us. But these are all temporary, all of these we will leave behind someday. All of these worldly things will not give us peace of mind, it will even create disturbance in our minds.

Jesus through the gospel for this Sunday tells us: You will never bear fruit unless you remain in me (John 15:4). Yet Jesus tells us also that we will bear much fruit if only we would decide to remain in Him.

Therefore let us always decide to be connected with Jesus, through our presence at Holy Mass. through the Sacraments, Through Adoration and through reading His words in the Bible. Let us not let go of Jesus even if life brings us tons of trials. Because no trials are insurmountable for Jesus, if we are connected with Him nothing can bring us down. Nobody could tear us apart for His abiding presence is with us. 

As the branch cannot survive without its connection to the vine. We too will not be able to survive without our connection with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for May 21, Tuesday: Fifth Week of Easter; John 14:27-31a

Gospel: John 14:27-31a

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

+ + + + +  + +

Reflection:

What is this peace that Jesus mentions to us in the gospel? It’s the peace that no one in this world can ever give us. We cannot find this peace with worldly power or riches. Because the more worldly power and riches we have the more that we’ll have no peace in our hearts.

Many of us think that we will have peace by having power and wealth that’s why we aspire for it! We don’t even care if we sin as long as we could have this corrupted wealth and power. But we must be wary for the reason that the devil has always a concession for us to have immoral wealth and power and the concession is sin.  And by accepting the offer of the devil we are permanently under the devil’s devious spell until we die and we end up in hell.

On the contrary, Jesus offers us His peace. Peace that no amount of worldly power and wealth could measure up.  Peace that will keep us permanently away from sin and peace that will plant contentment in our hearts. Therefore, we must embrace this peace that Jesus offers us.

Do you already have the peace of Jesus in your heart? – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

1Reflection for May 20, Monday: Fifth Week of Easter; John 14:21-26

Gospel: John 14:21-26

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

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

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

A retired man was often present at daily Mass. He looked pious and devoted to the faith but when he’s home he unravels himself. He acts as the lord and master of their household.

Does he truly love God? I don’t think so; his love for God is superficial and is limited inside the four walls of his church. In the gospel Jesus says: “Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”

Certainly, Jesus and the Father the first two persons of the trinity have not revealed themselves to this man. Jesus further states: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

Sometimes it’s very hard for us to understand the mysteries of our faith for the reason that we are not true to our faith. Yes, we worship Jesus at Holy Mass but we don’t allow the grace of the Holy Mass to change us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Sunday May 19, Fifth Sunday of Easter: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

Gospel: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

An old man who was about to die said to his children: In a few hours I know that I would be leaving you already. Since I have no material treasures to bequeath upon you. What I would be giving you is my love. My love that knows no bounds and this same love I want you all to have in your hearts as well.

Love is always easy to give when we receive love in return. But what if we don’t receive love? What if instead of receiving love we instead receive condemnation and hatred? Can we still give out love if what we get is hatred and condemnation?

In the gospel, the Lord commands His apostles to love each other because He would soon be leaving them. The Lord wants His apostles to love each other as He loved them. But the apostles were humans subject to their own frailties, from time to time they would be committing offenses against each other.

Notwithstanding their weaknesses the apostles soldiered onto their mission of evangelization. And they all achieved success, except for Judas who betrayed Jesus. Why did they achieve success? Because they lived to the hilt the command of Jesus to love each other.

Would you also follow and live to the hilt this love commandment of the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for May 18, Saturday: Fourth Week of Easter; John 14:7-14

Gospel: John 14:7-14

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

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Whenever I go for a vacation in our province and my friends and relatives would see me. They would always say that they are reminded of my father because of how I look and sound. I would always reply with a thank you and with a smile in return.

In the gospel Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).” The two personalities or the Trinity is revealed by Jesus, him and God the Father and they are acting as one person. Jesus further told them whoever believes in me will do the works that I do (John 14:12).

There is a great responsibility on us when we say that we are followers of Christ because Jesus tells us that if we are believers we must do the works that he did in other words we must emulate him if we profess to be His followers.

If we are true followers of Jesus we have no other choice but to do His works in the process we will be closer to Him. And whenever others would see us they will be reminded of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for May 17, Friday: Fourth Week of Easter; John 14:1-6

Gospel: John 14:1-6

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 * And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. 4 Where [I] am going you know the way. 5 Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth* and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Do you know where would you go after your journey in this world is through?

Perhaps many of us may lose sleep by mere mention of death, we don’t want to die at this point because we are not yet prepared. But who is prepared to die? Nobody, we are not prepared to die. Why? For the simple reason that majority of us still love to be in this world and enjoy whatever it can still offer us.

Nevertheless, Jesus is telling us in our gospel not to be troubled. For as long as we have faith in Him we would be OK. For our faith and friendship with Jesus is more than enough to conquer our fear of death.

Therefore, we have to do our part to get close to Jesus for as long as we live. If we are close to Jesus we have nothing to fear, even death we will not fear. Jesus Himself assures us with these words: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places (John 14:1-2).

Are you doing something for you to get close to Jesus?  - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for May 16, Thursday: Fourth Week of Easter; John 13:16-20

Gospel: John 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

What is the weakness of many followers of Jesus? It’s to act and behave as if they are bigger than Jesus. This is the failing of many who are followers of Jesus. But a true follower doesn’t aspire to become somebody, doesn’t aspire to raise himself in the pedestal of prominence.

He/she is simply content to become a nobody in the vast ocean of humanity who follow Jesus. He/she works tirelessly and silently with the end in mind that they have to advance the  teachings and goodness of Jesus in this world.

In the gospel, Jesus washed His disciple’s feet. Was this a simple ritual done by Jesus? Or there was a silent message for His disciples and for us as well. What lies beneath the act of washing His disciple’s feet is the message of humility. For they would not be productive in their mission without humility. And they would not be able to attract others to the faith without humility.

If we say that we are followers of Jesus it is also expected that we would be humble at all times. Never arrogant, never overbearing but always humble even if others are not. For the virtue of humility is what separates true followers from fake and fair-weather followers of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for May 15, Wednesday: Fourth Week of Easter; John 12:44-50

Gospel: John 12:44-50

Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I say, I say as the Father told me.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

How can we properly reinforce our belief in the oneness of Jesus and God? It’s to follow to the letter the teachings of Jesus. Profession of belief only is not enough, we have to do concrete actions to seal our belief and faith.  For example, if we believe that Jesus and God the Father are one yet we don’t give to somebody in need. What then is the use of our declaration of belief?    

We have to remember that we who profess belief in the oneness of Jesus and God. Are their walking advertisements in this world. As such we should always see to it that we should always do something concrete to reinforce our belief.

In so doing we tell the whole world that we truly are followers not only in words but also in deeds. The truest essence of faith is not exclusively confined to acts of worship alone. It should always be coupled with acts of humility, mercy, compassion and so forth.

Is your belief in the oneness of Jesus and the Father always reinforced with sincere acts of humility, mercy, compassion and so forth? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for May 14, Tuesday: 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.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

What is an ideal life in this world? It’s a life that is forever attached to the love of God. Without attachment to the love of God life would be empty, barren and meaningless. The love of God is the essence of life for we were not born to love this world. We came into this world to live and love God.   

Let us think about loving this world more than God and we only create emptiness in our lives we end up with nothing except emptiness. It’s a fact of life that everything that is in this world is temporary: wealth, power and the like. All of these we will leave behind or will eventually leave us, but the love of God will always be there for us.

What matters is the love of God nothing else but the love of God. It’s no brainer therefore why Jesus is telling us to remain in His love. For if we always remain in the love of God we would be able to hurdle. Whatever trials that may come our way and we would be able to conquer whatever fears that we may have even the fear of death.

Would you embrace this love that the Lord is offering you? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for May 13, Monday: Fourth Week of Easter; John 10:1-10

Gospel: John 10:1-10

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Do you consider yourself a good shepherd? Each and every one of us is a shepherd in our own little way. For example, if you are a parent, you have your own children to shepherd or guide. What kind of shepherd are you to your children?

Are you a good shepherd to them? Have you taught them already about our faith? Do you bring them to church for Holy Mass? Have you opened the bible to them and taught them about the life of Jesus? The model shepherd is Jesus, he is the one whom we should emulate.

Jesus tells us in the gospel: I am the gate for the sheep (John 10:7). Do we shepherd our own respective families going to Jesus? Or we instead lead them away from Jesus by exposing them to materialism?  

Who is the gate that Jesus mentions to us in the gospel? The gate is Jesus Himself! He is the good shepherd for He gave His very life for us. He established the church for us and He instituted the Eucharist for us His sheep.

Let us reflect on how we have been shepherding those who are under our care and guidance.  Are we good shepherds to them like Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Sunday May 12, Fourth Sunday of Easter: John 10:27-30

Gospel: John 10:27-30

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

Once upon a time there was a shepherd who promised to take care of his sheep. He did what he was supposed to do as their shepherd. Until a grave danger confronted his sheep, instead of protecting his sheep with his very life. The shepherd was the first to run for his life. He did not mind the safety of his flock, hence, he is selfish and a fake shepherd for he is only concerned with his own life.

  

Jesus our good shepherd is not like that He will stay with us until the end. When we are confronted with problems, He will be there to help us carry it. When we are tired of the drudgery of this life. Jesus is always there to enliven us and to tell us that we must move on for He will be there to help us.

  

This is how a good shepherd must be. He must show and lead the way for his people and the very personification of the good shepherd is Jesus. During His three years public ministry He showed the way for His disciples. He taught them life changing lessons; He taught them how to be humble, selfless and forbearing. He showed them how it is to be a real lider.

Jesus is always there for us as well, in whatever seasons of our lives the Lord is there to serve as our guiding light. We simply must hear His voice that calls us to follow Him. Because only in Him we can find peace and contentment, only in Him we would begin to live a meaningful life in this world.

When this world presents us with so many failures and despair. Jesus our Good Shepherd will always be there for us to urge us to move on, be strong and continue with the journey.

  

Is Jesus shepherding your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for May 11, Saturday: Third Week of Easter; John 6:60-69

Gospel: John 6:60-69

Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

When many of the followers of Jesus went back to their former way of life because they couldn’t believe that He is the Bread of Life. Jesus perhaps quite sad turned His attention to His twelve apostles and said to them: “Do you also want to leave (John 6:67)?” This is the million-dollar question that confronted the twelve apostles, “Do you also want to leave (John 6:67)?”

For many of us the teachings of Jesus are actually hard to follow. For example His teachings about Humility. How many of us are still willing to offer the other cheek if we are hit on the other side(Luke 6:29)?

 His teachings about fidelity to the Sacrament of Marriage. Are we still faithful or have we been faithful to our respective spouses? And there are many more teachings that Jesus wants us to follow but we don’t for the simple reason that we want to satisfy our earthly desires.

We see, it’s hard to follow Jesus because He will stir our lives according to what He wants it to become. Jesus will turn our life upside down, He will shake and disturb it until we are purified. And this is hard for us becaue we want to follow our own self-serving wants and sometimes immoral desires.

But where would we go? We follow the dictates of the flesh and this sinful world? if this is so we then end up in hell, we will even taste and feel how it is to be in hell while we are still living in this world.    

it’s only through Jesus that we can have peace, that this world cannot give us and it’s only through Jesus that we can have eternal life. The things that we have right now are all temporary; we will leave it or it will leave us anytime.

Will you also leave Jesus for the many temptations of this world?  – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Reflection for May 10, Friday: Third Week of Easter; John 6:52-59

Gospel: John 6:52-59

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

A man was on the verge of death, he was already gasping for breath. His doctors told his relatives that it was just a matter of minutes before he expires. During such situation relatives and close friends would seemingly be helpless and forlorn.

But no, we will not feel helpless if we know that the person on his deathbed is a frequent Holy Mass goer. And if we know that the person is frequently being nourished by the Body of Christ during Holy Communion.

 This is for the reason that we believe to the core of our bones the proclamation of Jesus that whoever eats His Flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life.

We hold on to this assurance by Jesus and we feel and believe this as we receive His Body and Blood during Holy Communion. But not everyone is knowledgeable of this Bread of Life which is none other than Jesus Himself.

It is therefore our responsibility now to echo this gift of life of Jesus so that many will be enlightened and saved. Let us not become hearers only let us also become sharers of this good news.

Will you share what you know about the Bread of Life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for May 9, Thursday: Third Week of Easter; John 6:44-51

Gospel: John 6:44-51

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God.

Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

+ + + + + + +

Reflection:

How could you have eternal life?  You have to regularly receive the Body of Christ at Holy Mass. Always receive it with reverence and piety never doubt and think of it as a simple bread. Because what you receive is Jesus Himself.

Just imagine the enlightenment and unfathomable blessing that it will bring you if you would always partake of the body of Christ. Just imagine the countless spiritual blessing that it would bring you if you would believe that Jesus is the Consecrated Host that you receive during Holy Communion.

Your belief and faith in the bread of life will open your mind to the many truths about Jesus and the church that He founded. Things that are hard to explain but is real and felt by the heart, all you have to do is to believe and have faith.

For without faith and belief you will not fully comprehend how this small and ordinary bread becomes the body of Jesus after it is consecrated by the priest. How this ordinary bread becomes your life and your reason for existing in this world.

Don’t wait for a Eucharistic miracle to happen before you for it may not happen in your lifetime. Simply believe and have faith in the that you receive during Holy Communion. Which is Jesus Himself and you yourself will become a living and breathing miracle for those who know you. Why? Because you always partake of the Body of Christ during Holy Communion. – Marino J. Dasmarinas