Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Agosto 4 Miyerkules San Juan Maria Vianney, pari (Paggunita): Mateo 15:21-28

Mabuting Balita: Mateo 15:21-28

Umalis doon si Jesus at nagpunta sa lupaing malapit sa Tiro at Sidon. Isang Cananea na nakatira doon ang lumapit sa kanya na sumisigaw, "Panginoon, Anak ni David, maawa po kayo sa akin! Ang anak kong babae ay sinasapian ng demonyo at labis na pinapahirapan nito."  

Ngunit hindi sumagot si Jesus. Lumapit ang kanyang mga alagad at sinabi kay Jesus, "Paalisin na nga po ninyo siya. Napakaingay niya at sunod nang sunod sa atin." Sumagot si Jesus, "Sa mga naliligaw na tupa ng sambahayan ng Israel lamang ako isinugo."    Ngunit lumapit sa kanya ang babae, lumuhod ito at nagmakaawa, "Tulungan po ninyo ako, Panginoon."  

Sumagot si Jesus, "Hindi dapat kunin ang pagkain ng mga bata at ibigay sa mga aso."  

Totoo nga, Panginoon. Ngunit ang mga aso man po ay kumakain ng mumong nalalaglag sa hapag ng kanilang panginoon," tugon ng babae. At sinabi sa kanya ni Jesus, "Napakalaki ng iyong pananampalataya! Mangyayari ang hinihiling mo." At noon di'y gumaling ang kanyang anak.

Reflection for August 3 Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 14:22-36

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone.  

Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.  

“It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.  

But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”  

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.

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Reflection:

The story is told about a woman who was praying to the Lord for a husband.  After two years of praying there was still no reply from the Lord. So she said, I give up my Lord for you are deaf to my prayer. The Lord replied to her telling her, if you did not give up. I would have sent you a handsome, humble and good man that would be your husband and best friend for the rest of your life.  

Lack of faith can oftentimes lead us to give up on our dreams; it can even lead us to doubt the abiding presence of Jesus in our lives.  

When Peter saw Jesus walking at sea, he asked the Lord to let him walk also on the sea going to Him and he did. While walking going to Jesus Peter saw the big waves and it distracted him. Thus Peter began to sink, yet as he was sinking he had the presence of mind to call on Jesus. Peter said, “Lord, save me!” And Jesus immediately saved him.  

This gospel episode is a timely reminder for all of us who are going through some rough times caused by the new covid-19 delta variant. We need not worry because with the Lord’s help we would eventually be able to get over this hump. We simply have to observe all the health protocols laid before us by the government, have a healthy lifestyle and of course we call on Jesus to take us out soon from this dreaded pandemic.   

Human as we are we oftentimes falter in our journey of faith with Jesus. But even if we falter in our faith life Jesus is still there for us to help and save us in whatever difficult predicament that we are in.  All we need to do is to ask the Lord to save us and Jesus will surely be there for us to save us.  

How is your faith in the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Agosto 3 Martes sa Ika-18 na Linggo ng Taon: Mateo 14:22-36

Mabuting Balita: Mateo 14:22-36

22 Agad pinasakay ni Jesus sa bang­ka ang mga alagad at pinauna sa kabilang ibayo habang pinaaalis niya ang mga tao. 23 At pagkaalis ng mga tao, mag-isa siyang pumunta sa kaburulan para mana­langin. Nag-iisa siya roon nang gumabi. 24 Samantala, malayo na sa lupa ang bangka, sina­salpok ng mga alon sapag­kat pasa­lungat ang hangin. 

25 Nang madaling-araw na, pinuntahan sila ni Jesus na naglalakad sa dagat. 26 Nang makita nila siyang nag­la­lakad sa dagat, natakot sila, at akala nila’y multo siya. Kaya sumigaw sila. 27 Ngunit agad niyang sinabi sa kanila: “Lakasan ang loob! Ako ito, huwag kayong matakot.” 28 Sumagot si Pedro: “Panginoon, kung ikaw nga, papuntahin mo ako sa iyo na naglalakad sa tubig.” 

29 At sinabi niya: “Halika.” Bumaba naman sa bangka si Pedro at naglakad sa tubig papunta kay Jesus. 30 Ngunit natakot siya sa harap ng malakas na hangin at nagsimulang lumubog. Kaya sumigaw siya: ”Panginoon, iligtas mo ako!” 31 Agad na iniunat ni Jesus ang kanyang kamay at hinawakan siya, at sinabi: “Taong maliit ang pananampalataya, bakit ka nag-alin­langan?” 

32 Nang nakasakay na sila sa bang­ka, tumigil ang hangin. 33 At yumuko sa harap ni Jesus ang mga nasa bangka at sinabi: “Totoo ngang ikaw ang Anak ng Diyos!” 34 Pagkatawid nila, dumating sila sa pampang ng Gene­saret. 35 Nakilala si Jesus ng mga tagaroon at ipinamalita nila sa buong kapaligiran. Kaya dinala nila sa kanya ang mga maysakit. 36 May naki­usap sa kanya na mahipo man lamang sana nila ang laylayan ng kanyang damit, at gu­maling ang lahat ng humipo rito.

Reflection for August 2 Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 14:13-21

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.  

When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.”  

But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.  

They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over— twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

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Reflection:

Do you believe that Jesus loves you dearly no matter who you are and no matter the sins that you’ve committed? Jesus’ love for the ordinary people, those who rest their lives in Him is unfathomable and it is very evident in this gospel.  

The disciples were already worried because there were so many people who were following Jesus and it was already getting late in the night and there was no available food for them. So they said to Jesus: , “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves (Matthew 14:15).”  

 The people whom the disciples wanted to dismiss were those who’d been following Jesus some were the very people whom Jesus’ cured. So Jesus said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves (Matthew 14:16).”  

The disciples were baffled! Where would they get the food for these multitudes of people? They temporarily forgot or they’ve already taken for granted that Jesus was with them. The very same Jesus who’d been performing miracles left and right for those who had been following Him.  

Perhaps, since Jesus was with them daily they’ve already treated Him as one of the guys, just an ordinary mortal. They’ve forgotten that Jesus is the Messiah and He is very capable of feeding the hundreds of people with them.  

This too happens to us: sometimes we take Jesus for granted that we don’t take Him seriously and the teachings of our catholic faith. Sometimes we don’t even care it we attend Mass or not. Sometimes we just attend Sunday Mass out of obligation not out of love and devotion for Jesus.  

Like the disciples we perhaps forget that Jesus is our God who’s capable of making a big difference in our lives. We perhaps forget that Jesus loves us no matter who we are and no matter the sins that we’ve committed.  

How's your relationship with the Lord? - Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Agosto 2 Lunes sa Ika-18 na Linggo ng Taon: Mateo 14:13-21

Mabuting Balita: Mateo 14:13-21

Nang marinig ni Jesus ang pagkamatay ni Juan, sumakay siya sa isang bangka at pumunta sa isang lugar na walang tao. Ngunit nang mabalitaan naman iyon ng mga tao, sila'y naglakad papalabas sa kani-kanilang bayan at sinundan si Jesus. Pagdating ni Jesus sa dalampasigan, nakita niya ang napakaraming taong iyon.  

Nahabag siya sa kanila kaya't pinagaling niya ang mga maysakit na dala nila. Pinaupo niya sa damuhan ang mga tao. Kinuha ang limang tinapay at dalawang isda, tumingala siya sa langit at nagpasalamat sa Diyos. Pinaghati-hati niya ang mga tinapay at iniutos sa mga alagad na ipamahagi iyon sa mga tao.  

Nang dapit-hapon na'y lumapit sa kanya ang mga alagad. Sinabi nila, "Malapit na pong lumubog ang araw at ilang ang lugar na ito. Papuntahin na po ninyo sa mga kalapit na nayon ang mga tao upang makabili ng kanilang makakain." "Hindi na sila kailangang umalis. Kayo ang magpakain sa kanila," sabi ni Jesus.  

Sumagot sila, "Wala po tayong pagkain kundi limang tinapay lamang at dalawang isda." "Dalhin ninyo rito," sabi niya.  Pinaupo niya sa damuhan ang mga tao. Kinuha ang limang tinapay at dalawang isda, tumingala siya sa langit at nagpasalamat sa Diyos.  

Pinaghati-hati niya ang mga tinapay at iniutos sa mga alagad na ipamahagi iyon sa mga tao. Nakakain at nabusog ang lahat. Nang ipunin ng mga alagad ang natirang pagkain, nakapuno pa sila ng labindalawang kaing ng tinapay. May limanlibong lalaki ang nakakain, bukod pa sa mga babae at mga bata.

Reflection for Sunday August 1, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: John 6:24-35

Gospel: John 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. 

Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal. So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.  

So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  

So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

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Reflection:   

Why do you seek the Lord?  

After the crowd was fed by Jesus in the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves (John 6:9-13) Jesus and His disciples went to Capernaum. After a day the crowd was hungry again and what happened in the multiplication of the loaves was still vivid in their minds. So they looked for Jesus hoping that He will feed them again and they found Him in Capernaum.  

They said: “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you (John 6:25-27).  

It was very clear that the crowd was looking for Jesus because He feed them. They did not look for Him because they wanted to follow Him and be one of His disciples. The action of the crowd invites us also to look at ourselves and reflect on our desire to be with Him. Do we go to Jesus because of His miracles? Or do we go to Jesus because we love Him and we want to be His partner in His mission of evangelization? Often times we go to Jesus because we need something from Him and that’s OK but the ideal desire is we go to Jesus out of our love for Him.  

In the latter part of the gospel Jesus told the crowd: “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Here, Jesus was already talking about himself to the crowd for they were still not aware of His true identity.  

Sad to say that some of us are not fully aware of the Divinity of Jesus. Some are not fully aware of what transpires during the liturgy of the Eucharist especially in the Consecration. Some are not fully aware that they receive Jesus during Communion that they don’t even care to observe Eucharistic fasting.  

Talking from experience, I noticed that during communion there are those who receive Jesus as if they are receiving ordinary bread. If only they know that what they’re about to received is the Bread of Life which is Jesus Himself!  

There is a great need for us to go to Jesus: not because we desire His miracles. We go to the Lord because of our love for Him and out of our desire to be His partner in His mission of evangelization. Let us not worry for the Lord will sustain us in this noble mission.  

Would you respond? Of course you will respond notwithstanding the distraction of the Covid-19 pandemic. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Agosto 1 Ika – 18 na Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Juan 6:24-35

Mabuting Balita: Juan 6:24-35

Noong panahong iyon, nang makita ng mga tao na wala na roon si Jesus, ni ang kanyang mga alagad, sila'y sumakay sa mga bangka at pumunta rin sa Capernaum upang hanapin si Jesus.  

Nakita nila si Jesus sa ibayo ng lawa, at kanilang tinanong, "Rabi, kailan pa kayo rito?" Sumagot si Jesus, "Sinasabi ko sa inyo: hinahanap ninyo ako, hindi dahil sa mga kababalaghang nakita ninyo, kundi dahil sa nakakain kayo ng tinapay at nabusog. Gumawa kayo, hindi upang magkaroon ng pagkaing nasisira, kundi upang magkaroon ng pagkaing hindi nasisira at nagbibigay ng buhay na walang hanggan.  

Ibibigay ito sa inyo ng Anak ng Tao, sapagkat siya ang binigyan ng kapangyarihan ng Diyos Ama." Kaya't siya'y tinanong nila, "Ano po ang dapat naming gawin upang aming maganap ang kalooban ng Diyos?" Ito ang ipinagagawa sa inyo ng Diyos: manalig kayo sa sinugo niya," tugon ni Jesus.  

Ano pong kababalaghan ang maipakikita ninyo upang manalig kami sa inyo? Ano po ang gagawin ninyo?" tanong nila. Ang aming mga magulang ay kumain ng manna sa ilang, ayon sa nasusulat, 'Sila'y binigyan niya ng pagkaing mula sa langit,' " dugtong pa nila. Sumagot si Jesus, "Dapat ninyong malamang hindi si Moises ang nagbigay sa sa inyo ng pagkaing mula sa langit, kundi ang aking Ama. 

Siya ang nagbibigay sa inyo ng tunay na pagkaing mula sa langit. Sapagkat ang pagkaing bigay ng Diyos ay yaong mula sa langit at nagbibigay-buhay sa sanlibutan." "Ginoo," wika nila, "bigyan po ninyo kaming lagi ng pagkaing iyon." "Ako ang pagkaing nagbibigay-buhay," sabi ni Jesus. "Ang lumalapit sa akin ay hindi na magugutom, at ang nananalig sa akin ay hindi na mauuhaw kailanman." 

1Reflection for July 31 Saturday Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest (M): Matthew 14:1-12

Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him. Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him “It is not lawful for you to have her.  

Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for.  

Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

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Reflection:

Who is King Herod?  

King Herod is a tyrant, a leader who will never think twice to suppress anyone who dares cross his path. He will not only suppress, Herod could even order the killing of anyone he wants so that he could remain in power.  

Respect for human rights is not part of the vocabulary of Herod, abuse of human rights and dignity are. This is the reason why John the Baptist was imprisoned John did nothing wrong he simply said what was to be truthfully said yet John suffered for it.  

Many leaders are like King Herod, they would bully themselves by the use of strong words and autocratic power to achieve what they want. We should be very careful and watchful of these kinds of leaders for they will not do us any good. They will only use and manipulate us and bring us to perdition.  

Many Herods are roaming around in this world today we therefore have to be watchful so that we can immediately distance ourselves from them. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Hulyo 31 Sabado San Ignacio de Loyola, pari (Paggunita): Mateo 14:1-12

Mabuting Balita: Mateo 14:1-12

1 Umabot kay Haring Herodes ang katanyagan ni Jesus. 2 At sinabi niya sa kanyang mga kasambahay: “Si Juan Bautista siya. Nabuhay si Juan mula sa mga patay kaya nagkakabisa sa kanya ang maka­langit na kapangyarihan.”  

3 Si Herodes nga ang nagpahuli kay Juan, at nag-utos na ikadena ito at iku­long dahil kay Herodias na asawa ng kanyang kapatid na si Felipe. 4 Sapagkat sinabi ni Juan kay Herodes: “Hindi mo siya puwe­deng ma­ging asawa.” 5 Talaga ngang gusto ni Herodes na patayin siya, pero takot siya sa mga tao na kumi­­kilala kay Juan bilang isang propeta.  

6 Kaarawan ni Herodes at nagsayaw ang anak na babae ni Herodias, at nasiyahan si Herodes sa kanya. 7 Kaya si­numpaan niya ang isang pangako na ibi­bigay sa kanya ang anumang hingin niya. 8 At sinabi ng babae ayon sa turo ng kan­yang ina: “Ibigay mo rito sa akin ang ulo ni Juan Bautista sa isang bandeha.”  

9 Nasaktan ang hari ngunit napanum­paan na niya ang pangako sa harap ng mga bisita kaya iniutos niya na ibigay iyon sa kanya. 10 At  pinapugutan niya ng ulo si Juan sa kulu­ngan; 11 inilagay sa isang plato ang kanyang ulo at ibinigay sa babae, at dinala ito ng babae sa kanyang ina. 12 At pagkatapos ay dumating naman ang mga alagad ni Juan at kinuha ang kanyang katawan at inilibing. At pagka­tapos ay ibinalita ito kay Jesus.

Reflection for July 30 Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 13:54-58

Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter's son' Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas' Are not his sisters all with us' Where did this man get all this?"  

And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house." And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

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Reflection:

Do you sometimes allow unbelief and envy to to rule over you? For example, you saw a post of your friend on facebook about his rich and expensive lifestyle. Are you once in a while taken over by envy because of that fb post?    

Unbelief and envy ruled the feelings of Jesus’ town mates towards Him because they were familiar with Him. To them He was just a carpenter’s son; they know Him so well that they were full of skepticism about His miraculous actions and moving teachings.  

But looking deeper into their motives we can also see that they were envious of the adulation that Jesus gets from the people. This is the reality of life there really are people who are envious of the success of their fellowmen. It happened to Jesus and it’s still happening right now.  

Envy and scorn are unhealthy emotions that muddle one’s mind and heart and it prevents a person from achieving a positive outlook in his own life. 

Jesus knew of their envy, scorn and lack of faith that’s why He did not perform much miracle in His native place. If only they were not envious and scornful of Jesus, if only they were not lacking in faith they could have witnessed and even received many miracles from the Lord.  

We must always have faith in Jesus and we must discard any envious feelings toward anyone from our hearts. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Hulyo 30 Biyernes sa Ika-17 na Linggo ng taon: Mateo 13:54-58

 

Mabuting Balita: Mateo 13:54-58

54 Pumunta si Jesus sa kanyang bayan at nagturo sa mga tao sa kanilang sinagoga. Namangha silang lahat at nag­sabi: “Saan kaya galing ang kanyang karunu­ngan at natatanging kapang­yarihan? 55 Di ba’t siya ang anak ng karpintero? Di ba’t si Maria ang kanyang ina at sina Jaime, Jose, Simon at Judas ang kanyang mga kapatid? 56 Hindi ba’t narito sa piling natin ang lahat niyang kapatid na babae? Ano’t nangyari sa kanya ang lahat ng ito?” 57 At bulag sila tungkol sa kanya.  

Sinabi naman sa kanila ni Jesus: “Sa kanyang sariling bayan lamang at sambahayan hinahamak ang isang propeta.” 58At kaunti lamang ang ginawa niyang himala roon sapagkat kulang sila sa pana­nampalataya.

Reflection for July 29 Thursday Saint Martha (M): John 11:19-27

Gospel: John 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. 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 anyone 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.”

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Reflection:

What compelled Martha to met Jesus while HE was on HIS way to their house? It was her faith. 

Martha was in grief because of the death of her brother Lazarus. But when she heard that Jesus was going to their house to comfort them Martha’s grief was immediately replaced by hope. Because Martha had deep faith in Jesus and being their close friend Martha also knew Jesus very well. 

What do we do when we are sorrowful and in distress? Don’t we also run to Jesus? Of course we also run to Jesus, the energy that compels us to go to the Lord is fueled by our deep faith, hope and friendship with Jesus. We are very blessed because we have this deep relationship with Jesus for we know where to go when we are in beset by the many trials of this world. 

But how about those who do not know Jesus deeply or those who do not know Jesus? Where would they go when they encounter trials? They may never go to Jesus, instead they may look for temporal alleviation of their distress in this world. 

This is where we must come in and illuminate those who do not know Jesus. We must have the courage to share Jesus and our faith so that those who are in distress will now go to Jesus for hope and salvation. 

Our faith in Jesus must not be an exclusive faith that is only limited to ourselves. It must always be an inclusive faith so that others too may feel the love, healing, hope and friendship of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Hulyo 29 Huwebes Santa Marta (Paggunita): Juan 11:19-27

Mabuting Balita: Juan 11:19-27

Noong panahong iyon 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. 26 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.”

Reflection for July 28 Wednesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 13:44-46

Gospel: Matthew 13:44-46

Jesus said to his disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  

Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.”

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Reflection:

What are you willing to give up so that you’ll find God? 

A lady in her late 20’ was working in a high paying job in a bank. Her parents thought that she was already settled in her job until she’ll have a family of her own and eventually retire.  

They suddenly had the shock of their lives when she told them that she would resign from her job and enter a convent to be a nun. After a few months she resigned and entered the convent. Years passed by until she became a full pledge member of a congregation of nuns. Amidst the secular life that she was in, the lady left everything to follow Jesus in her vocation.  

In the gospel, Jesus gave the disciples two parables about the kingdom of heaven. The first one was the parable of the treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The second one was the parable of the merchant who was searching for fine pearls. When he found the pearl of great price, he sold everything that he has and buys it.”  

In both instances the individuals involved left everything they have and sought  the kingdom of heaven. It was an easy decision for them to make because they saw the hidden splendor of God’s kingdom.  

The trappings of this material world often times present itself as the doorway to our happiness. We chase it even at the cost of our honor and dignity and after we catch up with it we find out that happiness does not reside there. We end up still looking for that elusive happiness and contentment in life. The big mistake of most of us is that we equate our happiness and contentment with the material things of this world.  

True happiness, contentment and peace of mind can only be found in God. For He is our hidden treasure; He is our pearl of exceptional quality. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas