Reflection for May 18, Wednesday of the 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 everyone 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.”

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Reflection:

There is a story about a rich man who does not believe in Jesus, he is a self-made rich man so to speak. He attributes every success that he has to himself alone never on Jesus. His friends believed him for they saw how he worked very hard to achieve his vast fortune. Until he went through a severe financial misfortune wherein he lost everything that he owned.  

In his lowliness and nothingness he suddenly thought of his relative who was a man of God. He went to him and asked for his wise counsel. He was advised to always connect with Jesus through his frequent presence in the Eucharistic celebration/Holy Mass and by regularly reading the bible.  

This man who once was very averse to the Holy Mass and the Bible became a regular Mass attendee and has formed a habit of regularly reading the bible. True enough, he regained and eventually surpassed everything that he lost.  

Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel exhorts us to remain in Him. Why?  Because apart from Him we are nothing, no matter how rich and learned we are. We are still nothing because we are not connected with Jesus.  

The money that we have it can fly away from our possession anytime. The learning/knowledge that we have, it will escape our mind once we become senile. But if we remain with Jesus we are assured with something that is way beyond possession and learning. Time will come that we will leave this world, our possession neither our knowledge no matter how vast will not be able to give us eternal life.  

There are those who live for today only and for this world only. They work hard to amass wealth; they seriously study to accumulate learning. Only to discover that something very important is still lacking in their lives. They search and endlessly search for it until they end up holding an empty bag because they’ve not found the true vine that is Jesus.   

Let us seriously think about what Jesus wants to convey to us through our gospel: “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.” (John 15:4-5) – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 18 Miyerkules sa Ika-5 Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 15:1-8

Mabuting Balita: Juan 15:1-8

Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 1 “Ako siyang totoong puno ng ubas at ang Ama ko ang mag-sasaka. 2 Pinuputol niya ang bawat sangang di namumunga sa akin; at pinupungusan naman niya’t nililinisan ang bawat namumunga upang higit pang mamunga. 3 Ngayon malinis na kayo dahil sa salitang binigkas ko sa inyo. 4 Mamalagi kayo sa akin, at ako sa inyo.  

Hindi makapamumunga ang sanga sa ganang sarili, malibang mamalagi ito sa puno ng ubas; gayundin naman kayo, malibang mamalagi kayo sa akin. 5 Ako siyang puno ng ubas, kayo ang mga sanga. Ang namamalagi sa akin at ako sa kanya, siya ang namumunga nang sagana pagkat hiwalay sa aki’y hindi kayo makagagawa ng anuman. 6 Kung hindi namamalagi sa akin ang sinuman, ihahagis siya sa labas gaya ng sangang natuyo na tini¬tipon at ginagatong sa apoy at nagliliyab. 

7 Kung mamamalagi kayo sa akin at mamamalagi sa inyo ang mga pananalita ko, hingin ninyo ang anumang loobin n’yo at magkakagayon sa inyo. 8 Sa ganito parangalan ang aking Ama: kapag namunga kayo nang sagana at naging mga alagad ko.

Reflection for May 17, Tuesday of the 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.”

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Reflection:

What is the peace that Jesus speaks about in the gospel and can we also have this peace within us?  

The peaceful feeling that Jesus is talking about in the gospel is already within many of us, we feel it in the deepest recesses of our being. This is the reason why we are very much ready for whatever that may happen to us. We are not even afraid anymore to die because we acknowledge this gift of peace by Jesus.  

But while we are still alive and kicking in this world Jesus is entrusting us with a mission. And this mission is to help Him extend this gift of peace to those who do not have it yet.  Many are still not aware of this gift of peace by Jesus thus we must not sit idly. We must do something so that our fellowmen will know this wonderful gift by Jesus.  

Where would we start? Start within our domestic church that is our very own family circle. Let us strengthen their spirits and give them hope by sharing Jesus with them. We may not know it but there may be members of our family who are losing hope already because of their life struggles.  

We have everything to gain and nothing to lose if we would share and live Jesus with them. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 17 Martes sa Ika-5 Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 14:27-31a

Mabuting Balita: Juan 14:27-31a

27 Kapayapaan ang iniiwan ko sa inyo; kapaya­paan ko ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo. Hindi gaya ng ibinibigay ng mundo ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo. Huwag mabagabag ang inyong puso, ni panghinaan ng loob. 28Narinig ninyong sinabi ko sa inyo. ‘Paalis ako pero pabalik ako sa inyo.’ Kung minahal ninyo ako, magagalak kayo’t papunta ako sa Ama pagkat mas dakila sa akin ang Ama.   

29Ngunit sinabi ko ito ngayon sa inyo bago pa mangyari ito. 30Hindi ko na kayo kakausapin nang mahaba sapagkat parating na ang pinuno ng mundo. Walang anumang kanya sa akin 31ngunit dapat malaman ng mundo na mahal ko ang Ama, at ayon sa iniutos sa akin ng Ama, ito mismo ang aking ginagawa.

Reflection for May 16, Monday of the 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.”

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Reflection:

How do we convey our love for Jesus? Do we love Him through our words alone or through our words and deeds? The ideal expression of love for Jesus is love through words and deeds. By loving Jesus we also receive love from Him love that is far more than the love that we give Him.  

For example in marriage, if a man or a woman would express his/her love through words and deeds. He/she would receive more love than what he/she gives. This is the miracle of love that originates from God’s love for His only begotten Son which Jesus channels  to us.  

As we express love to our spouse, relative, friend or to a stranger. Let us not only convey it with words. Let us put deeds into it for this is how Jesus loved us. Jesus did not only express His love for us through His words. He reinforced it by giving His very life for us on the cross. 

Let us be assured that when we give love we would also receive love. Love that is more than the love that we give. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 16 Lunes sa Ika-5 Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 14:21-26

Mabuting Balita: Juan 14:21-26 

Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 21 Ang tumutupad sa tinanggap niyang mga kautusan ko, siya ang nag­ma­mahal sa akin. Mamahalin ng aking Ama ang nagmamahal sa akin, at mamahalin ko rin siya at ipamamalas ko sa kanya ang aking sarili.”  

22 Sinabi sa kanya ni Judas, hindi ang Is­kariote: “Panginoon, paano mangyaya­ring sa amin mo ipama­malas ang iyong sarili at hin­di sa mundo?” 23 Sumagot si Jesus at sinabi sa kanya: “Kung may nag­ma­mahal sa akin, isasakatuparan niya ang aking salita at mamahalin siya ng aking Ama at pupun­tahan namin siya at sa kanya kami gaga­wa ng silid para sa aming sarili. 24 Hindi naman isinasaka­tuparan ng hindi nagmamahal sa akin ang aking mga salita. At hindi sa akin ang salitang naririnig n’yo kundi sa Amang nagpadala sa akin.  

25 Sinabi ko sa inyo ang mga ito habang namamalagi pa akong kasama ninyo. 26 Ituturo naman sa inyo ng Tagapag­tanggol ang lahat – ang Espiritu Santong ipadadala ng ama sa ngalan ko – at ipaa­ala­ala niya sa inyo ang lahat ng sinabi ko sa inyo. 

Reflection for Sunday May 15, 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.”

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Reflection:

A Wife was distraught upon discovering that her husband had fathered a child outside of their marriage. She confronted him, the husband admitted his sin and asked for forgiveness but she never forgave him for what he did.  

There’s an absence of true love in this story otherwise the wife could have forgiven the  betrayal of her husband. And they could have started afresh as if nothing happened. But such is our attitude we oftentimes harbor in our hearts hatred instead of love and forgiveness.  

When Jesus told the apostles to love one another He meant that their love for each other must be like His love for them. And what is the love of Jesus? It’s a love that forgives, a love that is not dependent on the love that it receives. A love that doesn’t count the cost of loving and a love that is very much willing sacrifice.   

Perhaps, what Jesus wants to convey to us is we should try our very best to love as He loves. To love without counting the cost of loving and to love by being ready to suffer for the person that we love. Some of us may say that this kind of love doesn’t fit anymore our social media driven times today where love and sex are not anymore regarded with sacredness by many. But it’s still relevant today as it was relevant during Jesus’ time in this world. In fact, this love commandment of Jesus to His apostles is not hindered by the limitation of time.

When you love as Jesus loves you would also be willing to forgive no matter how deep the wound that it caused you. You would be willing to bury the past and let bygones be bygones. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Mayo 15, Ikalimang Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 13:31-33a, 34-35

Mabuting Balita: Juan 13:31-33a, 34-35

Pagkaalis ni Judas mula sa Huling Hapunan, sinabi ni Jesus, "Ngayo'y mahahayag na ang karangalan ng Anak ng Tao; at mahahayag din ang karangalan ng Diyos sa pamamagitan niya. At kung mahayag na ang karangalan ng Diyos, ang Diyos naman ang maghahayag ng karangalan ng Anak, at gagawin niya ito agad. Mga anak, kaunting panahon na lamang ninyo akong makakasama.

Isang bagong utos ang ibinibigay ko sa inyo: mag-ibigan kayo! Kung paanong inibig ko kayo, gayon din naman, mag-ibigan kayo. Kung kayo'y mag-iibigan, makikilala ng lahat na kayo'y mga alagad ko."

Reflection for Saturday May 14, 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.”

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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 simply 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 

Ang Mabuting Balita para Sabado Mayo 14, San Matias, apostol (Kapistahan): Juan 15:9-17

Mabuting Balita: Juan 15:9-17

Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 9 Kung paano ako minamahal ng Ama, gayon ko rin kayo minahal. Ma­ma­lagi kayo sa pagmamahal ko. 10 Kung isasa­katuparan ninyo ang mga kautusan ko, mamamalagi kayo sa pagmamahal ko kung paanong isina­katuparan ko ang mga kautusan ng aking Ama at nama­malagi sa kanyang pagmamahal.   

11 Sinabi ko sa inyo ang mga ito upang mapasainyo ang aking kaga­lakan at maging ganap ang inyong kagalakan. 12 Ito ang kautusan ko: magmahalan kayo kung paano ko kayo minahal. 13 Wala nang pagma­mahal na hihigit pa sa pag-aalay ng sariling buhay alang-alang sa kanyang mga kaibigan.   

14 Mga kaibigan ko kayo kung gina­gawa ninyo ang iniuutos ko sa inyo. 15 Hindi ko na kayo tinatawag na mga lingkod sapagkat hindi alam ng lingkod ang ginagawa ng kanyang panginoon. Mga kaibigan naman ang turing ko sa inyo sapagkat ipinagbibigay-alam ko sa inyo lahat ng narinig ko mula sa aking Ama.  

16 Hindi kayo ang humirang sa akin, ako ang humirang sa inyo at nagtalaga sa inyo para humayo at mamunga, at mamalagi ang inyong bunga. At ipagka­kaloob sa inyo anumang hingin n’yo sa Ama sa pangalan ko. 17 Iniuutos ko nga sa inyo: magma­halan kayo. 

1Reflection for May 13, Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter: John 14:1-6

Gospel: John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: “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. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 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.  

Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

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Reflection:

There were two senior citizens who were near death one was a believer the other was not. The non-believer was deeply troubled on what would happen to his soul when he dies. The believer was very calm and was not afraid to die. 

There are those who dread the mere mention of death as if it’s a plague that needs to be avoided. But no matter how hard we avoid death using our wealth and power we cannot escape it because it’s a certain fact of life and it’s the rite of passage for the next life.  

In the gospel Jesus said to his disciples: “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).” Therefore, Jesus is assuring us that we already have a place reserved for us there someday.  

But we are still here in this world and the big question is can we be there someday to be with our Lord? Nobody knows about it except the Lord, what we have to do is to simply follow His teachings.  

We do it not to buy our way to His Father’s house; we follow His teachings because that’s what the Lord wants us to do. Then, when our time comes we simply submit our fate to Him.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for May 12, Thursday of the 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.”

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of suffering and betrayal? In His humanity Jesus was also afraid of sufferings and betrayal. But His fears did not prevent Him from achieving His salvific mission. It even strengthened His resolve to continue amidst the difficulty of His mission. Jesus never gave up no matter how hard the odds against Him for He knew that He has a mission to fulfill.  

Marriage starts like a rose garden and it seems that everything is rosy, beautiful and sweet. But after a period of time problems would crop up, there shall be sufferings and sometimes betrayal of vows. So what must we do? Should we simply walk away with our heads bowed in defeat? Or we stay, bear the brunt of the sufferings/betrayal and fight for the sanctity of the marriage covenant.  

We must stay and fight for the sanctity of the marriage covenant. Let us remember that Jesus remained with His mission notwithstanding the sufferings and betrayals. What if Jesus simply gave up and walked away from His mission of salvation? Anyway He’s God and powerful but He remained for His love for God and for all of us.  

Many married couples nowadays choose the easy way out when testing comes to their marriage. They choose to betray and eventually walk away from their marriage covenant. They simply walk away notwithstanding their sacred vows and the welfare of their children.  

Jesus never walked away from His responsibilities towards humanity notwithstanding the sufferings and betrayals. He faced it all and triumphed over it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Mayo 12, Huwebes sa Ika-4 na Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 13:16-20

Mabuting Balita: Juan 13:16-20

Nang mahugasan na ni Jesus ang mag paa ng mga alagad sinabi ni Jesus 16 Talagang-talagang sinasabi ko sa inyo, walang ali­ping mas dakila sa kanyang pangi­noon, ni walang sinugong mas dakila sa nagpadala sa kanya. 17 Kung alam ninyo ito, mapalad kayo kung isina­sagawa n’yo ang mga ito.  

18 Hindi kayong lahat ang tinutukoy ko. Kilala ko ang mga hinirang ko. Ngunit kaila­ngang ma­ganap ang Kasu­latan: Ang nakikisalo sa aking pag­kai’y tumalapid sa akin.” 19 Sinasabi ko ito ngayon sa inyo bago pa mang­yari upang maniwala kayong Ako Nga kapag nangyari ito. 20 Talagang-talagang sinasabi ko sa inyo: ako ang tinatanggap ng tuma­tanggap sa ipinadadala ko, at ang nagpa­dala sa akin ang tinatanggap ng tuma­tang­gap sa akin.”

Reflection for May 11 Wednesday of the 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.”

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Reflection:

How can we 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 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 by our acts of goodness.  

In so doing we show the whole world that we truly are followers not only in words but also in deeds. Because the truest essence of faith is not exclusively confined to acts of worship alone it should always be coupled with acts of goodness.  

Is your belief in the oneness of Jesus and the Father always reinforced with acts of goodness? – Marino J. Dasmarinas