Reflection for Monday March 30, Fifth Week of Lent: John 8:1-11

Gospel: John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? She replied, “No one, sir. Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.

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Reflection:

Are we sometimes quick to judge those whom we perceived to be sinners?  In the gospel the Pharisees and scribes were very quick to draw judgement from the woman caught committing adultery. They brought this woman to Jesus with the expectation that Jesus Himself would pronounce judgment upon her.

Yet Jesus never judged her for what she did, Jesus choose to highlight God’s mercy and compassion upon her. At the end of the gospel Jesus told her, “I do not condemn you, go and do not sin anymore (John 8:11). As if Jesus was telling her, go and start a new life forget the past for I have already forgiven you. This gospel episode is perhaps one of the best showcase of Jesus’ mercy and compassion.

Through this gospel Jesus is also inviting us to look at ourselves and have a self-reflection on how we relate with sinners. Do we also judge them quickly just like the Pharisees and scribes did? When we judge we also invite judgment on ourselves, when we judge we further push this person to commit more sins. And when we judge we only highlight the arrogance of the devil instead of the mercy and compassion of Jesus.

But who are we to condemn or judge when we are to be judge also? Who are we to judge when we are sinners also? Instead of judging let us always show the mercy and compassion of Jesus. In doing so we show the sinner that there’s a God who cares, a God who listens and surely a God who is always merciful and forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday March 29, Fifth Sunday of Lent: John 11:1-45

Gospel: John 11:1-45

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill. So the sisters sent word to him saying, "Master, the one you love is ill." When Jesus heard this he said, "This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." The disciples said to him, "Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?" Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." He said this, and then told them, "Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him." So the disciples said to him, "Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved." But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, "Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him." So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with him." When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise." Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day." Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world." When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, "The teacher is here and is asking for you." As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to him, "Sir, come and see." And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, "See how he loved him." But some of them said, "Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?" So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the dead man's sister, said to him, "Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days." Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, "Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me." And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go."

Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him.

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Reflection:

The story is told about a middle-aged woman who was afraid to die; the mere mention of death would make her tremble. Until one day he read about the gospel passage about the friendship of Jesus with the siblings Martha, Mary and Lazarus. So, he tried to discover more about Jesus by reading her bible most specially the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and by piously attending Sunday Holy Mass.

In our present time life is so uncertain caused by the pandemic called Covid-19 or Coronavirus. No matter how hard we try to be careful not to be infected by it there is still no assurance that we will get it. No one is exempt from catching this deadly virus even many of the rich, famous and powerful have been infected by it already. So we are naturally afraid of that deadly virus, who would not be?

In our gospel for this Sunday the display of deep and true friendship of Jesus and the siblings Martha, Mary and Lazarus is very obvious. When the sisters were in need of help because of the death of their brother Lazarus. Jesus went to them to reassure them that He would be with them to help them in whatever way possible.

When Jesus raised Lazarus from the grave, He showed us that there is life after death. There is hope and resurrection even if we die but to have this resurrection and hope we must be friends first with Jesus!. For it’s only through Him that we can have hope and resurrection.

Let us therefore develop our friendship with Jesus, let us discover more about Him. Through our faithful attendance at Holy Mass, through our daily reading of the scriptures and through our deep prayer life.

Just imagine if you’re a friend of Jesus, He will always be there for you even in your most difficult and darkness moments. He will always be there to give you that helping hand that no one else can give you.

Hence, in the midst of this very difficult and uncertain times that we are in caused by this pandemic called Covid-19 or Coronavirus. Let us not be afraid for our Lord Jesus Christ will always be there for us to give us hope, to protect us and to envelope us with His unfailing love. 

We have nothing to be afraid if we strongly believe in Jesus and if we have already developed a deep friendship with Him. In the Bible/Scripture it says: "Everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Do you strongly believe in Jesus and do you have a deep friendship with the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Marso 29, Ikalimang Linggo ng Kuwaresma: Juan 11:1-45

Mabuting Balita: Juan 11:1-45

• 1 Ngayon may isang maysakit na Lazaro ang panga­lan. Taga-Betania siya, sa nayon ni Maria at ni Martang kapatid nito. 2 Si Maria ang nag­pahid ng pabango sa Panginoon at nag­punas ng kanyang buhok sa mga paa niya. At maysakit ang kapatid niyang si Lazaro.

3 Kaya nagsugo ang magkapatid kay Jesus para sa­bihin: “Panginoon, may­sakit ang iyong iniibig.” 4 Pagka­rinig nito, sinabi ni Jesus: “Hindi tungo sa kamatayan ang pagkakasakit na ito kundi alang-alang sa ikaluluwalhati ng Diyos at lulu­wal­hatiin ang Anak ng Tao sa pama­magitan nito.” 5 Mahal ni Jesus si Marta at ang kapatid nitong babae at si Lazaro.

6 Ngunit pagka­rinig niyang may sakit ito, dalawang araw pa siyang namalagi sa lugar na iyon. 7 Pag­karaan lamang nito saka niya sinabi sa mga alagad: “Tayo na uli sa Judea.” 8 Sinabi sa kanya ng mga alagad: “Rabbi, ngayon-ngayon lang eh pinagtatangkaan kang batuhin ng mga Judio, at pupunta ka uli roon?”

9 Sumagot si Jesus: “Di ba’t labin­dalawang oras meron sa maghapon? Hindi natitisod sinumang naglalakad sa araw sapagkat nakikita niya ang liwa­nag ng mundong ito. 10 Ngunit nati­tisod ang sinumang naglalakad sa gabi sapagkat wala sa kanya ang liwanag.”

11 Sinabi niya ito at saka niya winika sa kanila: “Nahihimlay na ang kaibigan nating si Lazaro pero pu­punta ako para gisingin siya.” 12 Kaya sinabi ng mga alagad sa kanya: “Pangi­noon, kung nahi­himlay na siya, pagaling na siya.” 13 Ang pagkamatay niya ang tinutukoy ni Jesus. Inakala naman nilang pag­himlay na pagtulog ang sinasabi niya. 14 Kaya noo’y lantarang sinabi sa kanila ni Jesus: “Patay na si Lazaro.

15 Pero nagagalak ako para sa inyo at wala ako roon kaya maniniwala kayo. Puntahan natin siya.” 16 Kaya sinabi ni Tomas na tinaguriang Kambal sa kan­yang mga kapwa-alagad: “Pumunta rin tayo at mamatay kasama niya.” 17 Pagdating ni Jesus, apat na araw na palang naka­libing si Lazaro. 18Mala­pit ang Betania sa Jerusalem, halos tatlong kilo­metro ang layo. 19 Marami sa mga Judio ang pumunta kina Marta at Maria para maki­ramay sa kanila sa kanilang kapatid.

20 Kaya pagkarinig ni Marta na duma­rating si Jesus, sinalubong niya ito. Si Maria naman ay nakaupo sa bahay. 21 At sinabi ni Marta kay Jesus: “Pangi­noon, kung naririto ka, hindi sana namatay ang kapatid ko. 22 Ngunit kahit na ngayon, alam kong anuman ang hingin mo sa Diyos ay ibibigay sa iyo ng Diyos.”

23 Sinabi sa kanya ni Jesus: “Baba­ngon ang kapatid mo.” 24 Sinabi naman sa kanya si Marta: “Alam ko na baba­ngon siya sa pagkabuhay sa huling araw.” 25 Sinabi sa kanya ni Jesus: “Ako siyang pagkabuhay (at ang buhay.) Mabu­­buhay ang nananalig sa akin kahit na mamatay siya. 6 Hinding-hindi mama­matay kailanman ang bawat nabubuhay at nananalig sa akin. Pinani­niwa­laan mo ba ito?”

27 Sinabi niya sa kanya: “Opo, Pangi­noon. Nananalig nga ako na ikaw ang Kristo, ang Anak ng Diyos, na dumarating sa mundo.” 28 Pagkasabi nito, umalis siya at pabu­long na tinawag si Mariang kapatid niya: “Narito ang Guro at tina­tawag ka.” 29 Pag­ka­­rinig naman nito, madali itong tumindig at pumunta sa kanya.

30 Hindi pa nakara­rating si Jesus sa nayon kundi naroon pa kung saan siya sinalubong ni Marta. 31 Na­kita ng mga Judiong kasama ni Maria sa bahay at nakikiramay sa kanya na nagmamadali siyang tumayo at lumabas kaya nagsunuran sila sa kanya sa pag-aakalang papunta siya sa libingin upang doon humagulhol.

32 Pagkarating ni Maria sa kinaro­roonan ni Jesus at pagkakita sa kanya, nagpa­tirapa siya sa paanan nito at nagwika sa kanya: “Panginoon, kung naririto ka, hindi sana namatay ang aking kapatid.” 33 Kaya nang makita ni Jesus na humahagulhol siya pati ang mga Judiong nangagsisama sa kanya, nabagabag ang loob niya at naligalig ang sarili. 34 At sinabi niya: “Saan n’yo siya inilagay?” Sinabi nila sa kanya: “Panginoon, halika’t tingnan mo.”

35 Lu­mu­ha si Jesus. 36 Kaya sinabi ng mga Judio: “Ting­nan n’yo kung gaano ang pag-ibig niya sa kanya.” 37 Sinabi naman ng ilan sa kanila: “Pinadilat nga niya ang mga mata ng bulag; hindi rin kaya niya magagawang huwag mamatay ang taong ito?”38 Muling nabagabag ang sarili ni Jesus at dumating siya sa libingan. Isang yungib ito, at may batong nakatakip doon.

39 Sinabi ni Jesus: “Alisin n’yo ang bato.” Sinabi sa kanya ni Martang kapatid ng yumao: “Pangi­noon, nangangamoy na siya ngayon dahil apat na araw na.” 40 Sinabi sa kanya ni Jesus: “Di ba’t sinabi ko sa iyo, na kung nananalig ka, masa­sak­sihan mo ang kaluwalhatian ng Diyos?” 41 At inalis nila ang bato. Tumingala naman si Jesus – sinabi: “Ama, pinasasalamatan kita pagkat dini­nig mo ako.

42 Alam kong lagi mo akong dinidinig ngunit dahil sa mga taong nakapaligid kaya ako nangusap upang manalig na sila na ikaw ang nagsugo sa akin.” 43 Pagkasabi niya nito, buong-lakas siyang sumigaw: “Lazaro, halika sa labas!” 44 Lumabas ang namatay na natatalian ng telang panlibing ang mga paa at kamay, at napupuluputan din ng panyo ang muk­ha niya. At sinabi ni Jesus sa kanila: “Kalagan siya nang maka­lakad.”

45 Kaya nanalig sa kanya ang marami sa mga Judiong pumunta kay Maria at nakasaksi sa kanyang ginawa.

Ang Mabuting Balita ng Panginoon.

Reflection for Saturday March 28, Fourth Week of Lent: John 7:40-53

Gospel: John 7:40-53

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” Then each went to his own house.

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Reflection:

What happens when we engage in useless self-centered debates or conversation? The protagonist would try very hard to upstage each other. And then it will turn ugly by trying to destroy each other’s reputation. No worthy outcome comes out of it, only mudslinging and character assassination.

The crowd were debating about Jesus’ origin that it created division within their ranks. They were trying to outdo each other in terms of their knowledge about the origin of Jesus. Thoughts were running in their minds, such as if Jesus was a prophet and the promised messiah. They were like little children in a contest of arguments as to who amongst them had the best idea about Jesus.    

This scenario still exists today, many of us argue about Jesus to prove that one has a superior knowledge about Him over the other. However, what would we get if we argue? If we try to show that we know more than anyone else? Nothing except a showcase of our arrogance, feeling of superiority and bloated egos which results to more division and alienation.

Instead of arguing let us show through our works the love, humility, mercy and compassion of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday March 27, Fourth Week of Lent: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near. But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.

Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.

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Reflection:

How courageous are we in our desire to spread our faith?

In the gospel for today, even if there was a threat to His life Jesus still secretly went to Judea to attend the Feast of the Tabernacle. He courageously spoke in the temple area at the risk of His life. Where does His courage comes from? It originates from His deep oneness with God.

Let us also aspire to have the same oneness with God. So that we would also have the courage to express what we want to say on how God has made a big difference in our life. So that we would be able to face and overcome whatever problems and trials that may come our way.  

A good way to start is to have a regular time for God through our daily readings of his words in the bible. Through our presence at Holy Mass and through our prayers.

If we do these acts of worship and piety we surely would develop a deep friendship with Jesus. And the result is we will have the courage to live His teachings, to share it and even preach it.

A faithful follower should live and preach the teachings of Jesus. If he/she can't preach it because not everyone has the gift of preaching he/she must live it. For this is one of the many marks of a faithful follower of Jesus. 

What kind of follower are we? Are we  followers in name only or follower in name and in deed? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday March 26, Fourth Week of Lent: John 5:31-47

Gospel: John 5:31-47

Jesus said to the Jews: “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is not true. But there is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that the testimony he gives on my behalf is true. You sent emissaries to John, and he testified to the truth. I do not accept human testimony, but I say this so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. Moreover, the Father who sent me has testified on my behalf. But you have never heard his voice nor seen his form, and you do not have his word remaining in you, because you do not believe in the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures, because you think you have eternal life through them; even they testify on my behalf. But you do not want to come to me to have life.

“I do not accept human praise; moreover, I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I came in the name of my Father, but you do not accept me; yet if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father: the one who will accuse you is Moses, in whom you have placed your hope. For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

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Reflection:

How do we testify our life as a follower of Jesus? The best testimony of a follower is how he/she lives his own life. Does he live his life with forgiveness, humility, simplicity, sacrifice, unconditional love and the like?  Many of us call ourselves follower of Jesus but when it comes to forgiving those who’ve hurt us we cannot forgive.

If we cannot forgive those who’ve hurt us we then are followers in name only and sad to say many of us are like that: Followers in name only. On the aspect of humility; we can best testify that we are followers of Jesus when we don’t seek prominence and we silently do our work for the lord without any fanfare or publicity.

On the aspect of simplicity, Jesus is the supreme model of simplicity. He is content with whatever that He possess Jesus did not desire expensive things and other appendages. Many of us live complicated lives for the simple reason that we live the life of this world rather than live the life of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Wednesday March 25, Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord: Luke 1:26-38

Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

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Reflection:

Among many women why was Mary chosen to be the mother of Jesus? This is for the reason that Mary was humble and compliant to the will of God. Mary did not say I will not submit to the will of God because I have my own will for myself Mary humbly said yes.

The Lord always chooses and uses the humble and the compliant for the realization of His plans in this world. Simply put Mary humbly submitted her own humanity to the wisdom of our all-knowing God. Like Mary do we always submit to the wisdom of God? Or we only submit when it favor us when it doesn’t favor us, we decline God’s wisdom and submit to our own will.

God’s wisdom is always for our own betterment. We may initially see it as something that is very hard to follow because we would be pulled out from our own comfort zones or from our own sinful zones. But at the end we would realize that the plan of God is correct and it’s for our own good.

Today being Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. Let us reflect upon the Blessed Mother’s humility and compliance to the plan and will of God. That the plan of God is always designed for our own good. We may not understand it now but God’s plan is always for our own good. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday March 24, Fourth Week of Lent: John 5:1-16

Gospel: John 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’“ They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

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Reflection:

Imagine that Jesus is in front of you and He tells you this question:  “Do you want to be well?” How would you reply? Of course you will say, Yes I want to be well! After which Jesus will tell you, then go humble yourself before me in the Sacrament of Confession. Then you tell Jesus some other time Jesus I’m busy right now and with the passing of days you eventually forgot about the command of Jesus to go to the Sacrament of Confession.

Many of us want to get closer to Jesus and we want to be healed by Jesus. Yet we don’t bother to humbly submit ourselves to the healing Sacrament of Confession. In this sacrament we are healed from our spiritual sickness and we may not know it that through His infinite grace we are also healed from our many physical sickness.

When we humble ourselves through this sacrament we allow Jesus to wash away all our sins no matter how severe. We entrust ourselves to the healing mercy of Jesus. Saint John Paul II once said:  "Confession is an act of honesty and courage - an act of entrusting ourselves beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God." 

The disabled man in our gospel for today who had been sick for thirty eight long years was instantly healed by Jesus because he obeyed His command. The disabled man did not care if it was a Sabbath day, a day of rest for them. What was important for him was to obey the command of the Lord.

In the midst of the Wuhan Covid-19 virus which is currently savaging our country and the world. Would you submit yourself to the Sacrament of Confession after we have defeated this Wuhan Covid-19 virus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday March 23, Fourth Week of Lent: John 4:43-54

Gospel: John 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

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 Reflection:

A  woman was praying to have a boyfriend she however did not get what she wanted from the Lord. So she did not pray anymore and permanently distanced herself from God. For the simple reason that she did not get what she was praying for.  

For many of us miracles are very important anchor of our faith in Jesus. For example, the royal official’s son in our gospel who was cured by Jesus; he and his household believed immediately because his son was healed.

What if Jesus tested their faith? Would they still believe even if there was no occurrence of healing? Perhaps they will not, and then the father would have searched for someone else who could heal his son.

Our discipleship in Jesus or our faith in Jesus must not only be anchored on miracles alone. It must be based on our deep friendship with Him. Regardless if we’ve experienced miracles or not, immaterial if we gained material blessings or not we must continue to believe, follow and have faith in Him.

We have in Jesus a friend who will always be honest to us. There will be times that he will say no to us. Let us not be disheartened with these rejections from Him for He always knows what’s best for us. Let us remember that it’s not us who knows what is best for us it’s always Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday March 22, Fourth Sunday of Lent: John 9:1-41

Gospel: John 9:1-41

As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither he nor his parents sinned; it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him. We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes, and said to him, "Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—.So he went and washed, and came back able to see.

His neighbors and those who had seen him earlier as a beggar said, "Isn't this the one who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is, " but others said, "No, he just looks like him." He said, "I am." So they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" He replied, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and told me, 'Go to Siloam and wash.' So I went there and washed and was able to see." And they said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."

They brought the one who was once blind to the Pharisees. Now Jesus had made clay and opened his eyes on a sabbath. So then the Pharisees also asked him how he was able to see. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and now I can see." So some of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he does not keep the sabbath." But others said, "How can a sinful man do such signs?" And there was a division among them. So they said to the blind man again, "What do you have to say about him, since he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."

Now the Jews did not believe that he had been blind and gained his sight until they summoned the parents of the one who had gained his sight. They asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How does he now see?" His parents answered and said, "We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. We do not know how he sees now, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him, he is of age; he can speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone acknowledged him as the Christ, he would be expelled from the synagogue. For this reason his parents said,"He is of age; question him."

So a second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, "Give God the praise! We know that this man is a sinner." He replied, "If he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see." So they said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them, "I told you already and you did not listen. 

Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?" They ridiculed him and said, "You are that man's disciple; we are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this one is from." The man answered and said to them, "This is what is so amazing, that you do not know where he is from, yet he opened my eyes. 

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if one is devout and does his will, he listens to him. It is unheard of that anyone ever opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he would not be able to do anything." They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in sin, and are you trying to teach us?" Then they threw him out.

When Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, he found him and said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered and said, "Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?" Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, the one speaking with you is he." He said, "I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him. Then Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind."

Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are not also blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you are saying, 'We see,' so your sin remains.

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Reflection:

In a faraway place lived an arrogant king who was advised by his people to prepare for an incoming dreaded disease. The king arrogantly told his people that they need not worry because he will immediately kill the dreaded disease the moment it arrives in his kingdom.  Soon after, the dreaded disease arrived and because of his arrogance and laxity his kingdom was ravaged by the dreaded disease.   

Arrogance is a spiritual sickness that blinds a person of the power of God. When a person is arrogant he thinks that he is bigger than God as such he belittles the power of God. But we all know that when a person belittles the power of God that person sooner or later will eventually be brought down to his knees by God.

In the gospel, we read about a blind man who was cured by Jesus but some Pharisees did not believe the man. Considering that the former blind man was personally witnessing about the power of Jesus the Pharisees should have believed but they did not. 

Why is it that some of the Pharisees did not believe the personal witness of the former blind man cured by Jesus? It was simply because of their arrogance! The Pharisees were powerful Jews; they were strict observers of their Jewish laws and tradition. And it happened that the blind man was cured by Jesus on the day of Sabbath which was a day of rest for the Jews. As such no healing activity should happen on that day.

So, some of the Pharisees did not believe Jesus and they also belittled the former blind man cured by Jesus. What if they believed in the power of Jesus and what if they did not belittle the former blind man? They too could have benefited from the power of Jesus and they could have learned valuable lessons from the former blind such as lesson about humility, lesson about obedience to the Lord and lesson about faith. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Marso 22, Ikaapat na Linggo ng Kuwaresma: Juan 9:1-41

Mabuting Balita: Juan 9:1-41

1 Sa kanyang pagdaan, nakita niya ang isang taong ipina­nganak na bulag. 2 Tinanong siya ng kanyang mga alagad: “Rabbi, sino ang nagkasala at ipinanganak siyang bulag: siya ba o ang kanyang mga ma­gu­lang?”

3 Sumagot si Jesus: “Hindi dahil nag­kasala ni ang kanyang mga magulang kundi upang mahayag ang mga gawa ng Diyos sa kanya. 4 Kailangan nating gawin ang mga gawa ng nagpadala sa akin sa­man­­talang araw pa. Duma­rating ang gabi at wala nang maka­gagawa. 5 Habang nasa mundo ako, liwanag ako ng mundo.”

6 Pagkasabi niya ng mga ito, lumura siya sa lupa at gumawa ng putik mula sa lura at nilagyan ng putik ang mga mata ng tao. 7 At sinabi sa kanya: “Pumunta ka’t at mag­hilamos sa pala­nguyan ng Siloam (na kung isasalin ay sinugo).” Kaya pumunta siya at nag­hilamos at umalis na naka­ka­kita.

8 Kaya sinabi ng kanyang mga kapit-bahay at ng mga dating nakakapansin sa kanyang nagpapalimos: “Di ba’t ito ang nakaupo at namamalimos?” 9 Si­nabi ng ilan: “Ito nga siya!” At sinabi naman ng iba: “Hindi! Kamukha lamang siya.” Ngunit sabi niya: “Ako siya!” 10 Kaya sinabi nila sa kanya: “Paano napadilat ang iyong mga mata?”

11 Sumagot siya: “Gumawa ng putik ang taong tinatawag na Jesus at pina­hiran ang aking mga mata at sinabi sa akin, ‘Pumunta ka sa Siloam at mag­hilamos.’ Kaya umalis ako at naghi­la­mos at naka­kita ako.” 12 Sinabi nila sa kanya: “Nasaan siya?” Aniya: “Hindi ko alam.”

13 Dinala nila siya sa mga Pariseo, siya na dating bulag. 14 Araw ng Pahi­nga noon nang gumawa ng putik si Jesus at nagpa­dilat sa kanyang mga mata. 15 Kaya muli siyang tinanong ng mga Pariseo kung paano siya nakakita. At sinabi niya sa kanila: “Nilagyan niya ng putik ang aking mga mata at naghi­lamos ako at naka­ki­ta.”

16 Kaya sinabi ng ilan sa mga Pariseo: “Hindi mula sa Diyos ang taong iyon dahil hindi niya ipinangingilin ang Araw ng Pahinga.” Ngunit sinabi naman ng iba: “Paanong magagawa ng taong maka­salanan ang ganitong mga tanda?” At nahati sila. 17 Kaya sinabi nilang muli sa bulag: “Ikaw, ano’ng masasabi mo tungkol sa kanya pagkat mga mata mo ang pinadilat niya?” At sinabi niya: “Siya ang Propeta!”

18Hindi nga naniwala ang mga Judio na dati siyang bulag at nakakakita na, hang­gang ipatawag nila ang mga ma­gulang ng taong nakakita. 19 At tina­nong nila sila: “Ito ba ang inyong anak na sinasabi n’yong ipinanganak na bulag? Paano’t nakakakita siya ngayon?”

20 Kaya sumagot ang kanyang mga magulang: “Alam naming ito ang aming anak at ipinanganak siyang bulag. 21 Pero hindi namin alam kung paano’t ngayo’y nakakakita siya, at wala kaming kaalam-alam kung sino ang nagpadilat sa kan­yang mga mata. Siya ang tanungin n’yo. May edad na siya at makapangungusap mismo tungkol sa kanyang sarili.”

22Sinabi ito ng kanyang mga magu­lang dahil takot sila sa mga Judio. Sapagkat napagkasunduan na ng mga Judio na itiwa­lag sa sinagoga ang sinumang kikilala sa kanya bilang Kristo. 23 Dahil dito kaya sinabi ng kan­yang magulang: “May edad na siya. Siya ang inyong tanu­ngin.” 24 Kaya makalawa nilang tinawag ang taong dating bulag at sinabi sa kanya: “Umamin ka sa harap ng Diyos. Alam naming makasalanan ang taong ito.”

25 Kaya sumagot siya: “Kung maka­salanan siya, hindi ko alam. Iisa ang alam ko: bulag ako noon at ngayo’y nakaka­kita.” 26 Kaya sinabi nila sa kanya: “Ano’ng ginawa niya sa iyo? Paano niya pinadilat ang mga mata mo?” 27 Sinagot niya sila: “Sinabi ko na sa inyo at ayaw n’yong makinig. Ano’t gusto n’yo na namang marinig? Hindi kaya gusto n’yo ring maging mga alagad niya?”

28 At nilait nila siya: “Alagad ka niya pero mga alagad kami ni Moises. 29 Alam naming kay Moises nangusap ang Diyos pero hindi namin alam kung saan galing ang taong ito.” 30 Sumagot ang tao sa kanila: “Ito nga ang kataka-taka: hindi n’yo alam kung saan siya galing at pinadilat niya ang aking mga mata. 31 Alam natin na hindi dinidinig ng diyos ang mga maka­salanan pero kung merong maypitagan sa Diyos at ang kalooban niya ang ginagawa, dinidinig niya ito.

32 Kailan­ma’y wala pang narinig na may naka­pagdilat sa mga mata ng isang ipina­nganak na bulag. 33 Kung hindi siya galing sa Diyos, wala siyang anumang magagawa.” 34 Sumagot sila sa kanya: “Tinu­tu­ruan mo ba kami, ikaw na ipina­nganak na tagos ng mga kasalanan?” At ipi­nagta­buyan nila siya palabas.

35 Narinig ni Jesus na ipinagtabuyan nila siya palabas. At pagkatagpo niya sa kanya, sinabi niya: “Nananalig ka ba sa Anak ng Tao?” 36 Sumagot siya: “Sino po siya upang manalig ako sa kanya?” 37 Sinabi ni Jesus: “Naki­kita mo siya at siya ang nakikipag-usap sa iyo. (38 Aniya: “Nananalig ako, Pangi­­­noon.” At nagpa­tirapa siya sa kanyang pa­anan. At sinabi ni Jesus:) 39 Sa paghatol ako dumating sa mun­dong ito: makakakita ang mga walang paningin, at magiging bulag ang mga nakakakita.”

40 Narinig ito ng ilang Pariseo na nasa tabi ni Jesus at sinabi nila sa kanya: “E di bulag din kami?” 41 Suma­got sa kanila si Jesus: “Kung sakaling bulag kayo, wala sana kayong kasa­lanan. Ngunit ngayong sinasabi n’yong ‘Nakakakita kami,’ nama­ma­lagi ang inyong kasalanan.”

Ang Mabuting Balita ng Panginoon.

Reflection for Saturday March 21, Third Week of Lent: Luke 18:9-14

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

Is humility the weakness of God?

We see in the gospel the humility of the tax collector. He humbly admitted to God his own sinfulness. He was very much aware that before God he was nothing and deserves nothing. This was the reason why the tax collector went home possessing the favor of God.

The secret therefore to gain the favor of God is humility and awareness of our own shortcomings and limitations. The tax collector who gained the favor of God was truly aware of his own sinfulness. He did not attempt to hide it from God, did he know that God knows everything about him? Perhaps he did not know, what he was sure of was his own sinfulness that’s why he humbly asked mercy from God.

It is a given fact that the humble has the eyes and ears of God. The humble doesn’t only gain the favor of God he also gains the respect of his fellowmen. Many of us do not want to be humble because we see it as weakness. But humility is not a weakness it’s actually a strength! For the simple reason that those who are humble are more respected than those who are not. 

However, to become humble before Jesus and our fellowmen is not easy. For the reason that this entails sacrifice and swallowing of our bloated egos. This entails awareness that we have nothing to be proud of before the presence of God.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton once said: “The gate of Heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it.” We therefore have to be humble if we want to gain entry to heaven. We therefore have to be humble if we want to gain the favor and guidance of God. And we therefore have  to be humble if we want to gain the respect of our fellow men and women. – Marino J. Dasmarinas