Reflection for Thursday May 26, Saint Philip Neri, Priest: John 16:16-20

Gospel: John 16:16-20

Jesus said to his disciples: "A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me."So some of his disciples said to one another, "What does this mean that he is saying to us, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the Father'?" 

So they said, "What is this 'little while' of which he speaks? We do not know what he means." Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you discussing with one another what I said, 'A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me'? Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy."

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Reflection:

Are you baffled by the mystery of life or life is just ordinary for you?  

For many of us life is quite simple: we get busy with our smart phones, we eat, sleep, work and do our daily ordinary routines. But for some life is mysterious also, we live today but we will not know what may happen next. This is life, very simple yet mysterious also.      

The disciples in our gospel for today were not able to comprehend this cryptic statement of Jesus: “A little while and you will no longer see me, and again a little while later and you will see me.” (John 16:16) Of course Jesus is referring here of His impending arrest and His resurrection and reappearance to them.  Perhaps even if we were present during that time we would also fail to understand the deeper meaning of Jesus statement.  

As we continue with our earthly journey there would be life events that will be very hard for us to understand. For example, the diagnosis of an unexpected sickness or an unexpected problem.  Thus, we may reach a point to contemplatively ask God, “Why is this happening to me?”  

Nonetheless, we must continue to believe that there’s a God who is in control. And we must continue to trust that things happen for a deeper reason that only God knows. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Huwebes Mayo 26 San Felipe Neri (Paggunita): Juan 16:16-20

Mabuting Balita: Juan 16:16-20

Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 16 Sandali pa at hindi n’yo na ako mapapansin, at sandali pa at makikita ninyo ako.” 17 At sinabi ng kanyang mga alagad sa isa’t isa: “Ano itong sinasabi niya sa atin: ‘Sandali pa at hindi n’yo na ako mapa­pansin at sandali pa at makikita ninyo ako.’ At ‘Papunta ako sa Ama’?” 18 At sinabi nila: “Ano ba itong sinasabi niyang ‘sandali’? Hindi natin maintin­dihan ang sinasabi niya.”  

19 Naintindihan ni Jesus na gusto nila siyang tanungin kaya sinabi niya sa kanila: “Nagtatanungan kayo tungkol dito dahil sinabi kong ‘Sandali pa at hindi n’yo na ako mapapansin, at san­dali pa at makikita ninyo ako.’ 20 Talagang-talagang sinasabi ko sa inyo, iiyak kayo at tataghoy, at maga­galak naman ang mundo. Maninimdim kayo ngunit magiging kagalakan ang inyong paninimdim.

Reflection for May 25, Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:12-15

Gospel: John 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.  

He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.”

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Reflection:

The story is told about a prayerful wife who would always make the first move to reconcile with her husband whenever they have problems. In their twenty five years of marriage it was always her who initiates the reconciliation. And she was always successful with her peace initiative towards her husband.  

Who impels her to reconcile? It’s the Holy Spirit, it guides her; it speaks to her mind and it tells her to be humble enough to make the first move to reconcile. Why does she listen? She discerns and pays attention to the voice of the Holy Spirit because she is prayerful.  

God the Holy Spirit is our guide, our advocate that has been with us since our Baptism. Its presence within us was further strengthened during our Confirmation. But not all of us are aware of its presence in our life.  

 Not all of us are aware that it's always there ready and willing to guide us. Why? Because many of us are not prayerful!  Our prayerful life lays the groundwork for us to discern the presence of the Holy Spirit within us.  

Are you always prayerful? Are you aware of the sacred presence of the Holy Spirit in your life? If not yet, try to be prayerful and slowly but surely you will have an awareness of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 25 Miyerkules sa Ika-6 na Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 16:12-15

Mabuting Balita: Juan 16:12-15

Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 12 Marami pa sana akong sasabihin sa inyo pero hindi ninyo masasakyan nga­yon. 13 Ngunit pagdating niya, ang Espi­ritu ng katotohanan, ihahatid niya kayo sa buong katotohanan.  

Hindi siya mangungusap mula sa ganang sarili kundi ang naririnig niya ang ipangungusap niya at ang mga bagay na darating ang ibabalita niya sa inyo. 14 Mula sa akin siya tatanggap at magbabalita sa inyo, at sa gayon niya ako luluwalhatiin. 15 Akin ang tanang sa Ama. Dahil dito kaya ko sinabing ‘Mula sa akin siya tatanggap at magbabalita sa inyo.’

Reflection for May 24, Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:5-11

Gospel: John 16:5-11

Jesus said to his disciples: "Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.  

But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation: sin, because they do not believe in me; righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of separation? 

There’s a sense of melancholy in the words of Jesus in our gospel for today. He tells the disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me.” Just imagine the effect of these words to the disciples. Their teacher, leader, healer, father figure and close confidant would suddenly be leaving their presence? 

But Jesus will not be leaving them holding an empty bag because He is promising them the abiding presence of the Advocate or the Holy Spirit. The advocate who will always be there to guide them in every step of the way as they do their mission.  

Someday we will also be leaving this world. Through death our mortal being will vanish from the sight of our loved ones and friends. And surely there will be grief and loneliness as well. But our legacy would hopefully remain enduring and we hope that we would leave a lasting imprint in the hearts of the people whom we have been acquainted.  

This is the reality of life. There’s a time for everything in this world but we need not worry. For so long as we believe in Jesus we have nothing to worry. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 24 Martes sa Ika-6 na Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 16:5-11

Mabuting Balita: Juan 16:5-11

Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 5 Ngayon nama’y papunta ako sa nag­­padala sa akin, at wala sa inyong nag-ta­tanong sa akin kung saan ako pa­punta, 6 kundi tigib ng lungkot ang inyong puso dahil sinabi ko sa inyo ang lahat ng ito.   

7 Ngunit sinasabi ko sa inyo ang kato­tohanan: makabubuti sa inyong ako’y umalis sapagkat kung hindi ako aalis. hinding-hindi darating sa inyo ang Tagapagtanggol. Kung aalis naman ako, ipadadala ko siya sa inyo. 8 At pagdating niya, hihiyain niya ang mundo tungkol sa kasalanan, sa daan ng pagkamatuwid at sa paghatol.   

9 Ito ang kasalanan: hindi sila nana­nalig sa akin. 10 Ito ang daan ng pagka­matuwid: sa Ama ako papunta, at hindi na ninyo ako mapapansin. 11 At hina­tulan na ang pinuno ng mundong ito: ito ang paghatol. 

Reflection for May 23, Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter: John 15:26-16:4a

Gospel: John 15:26-16:4a

(Jesus said to his disciples) “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. 

“I have told you this so that you may not fall away. They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God. They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.”

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Reflection:

Who is the advocate of your life? 

We know that the Advocate is the Holy Spirit, It moves our lives; it whispers to us to always do good. And we listen to what it tells us for what it tells us is for our own good. However, not everyone knows the Holy Spirit, not everyone listens to it and not everyone feels its presence. 

We have a role to accomplish to those who don’t know and feel the presence and role of the Holy Spirit/Advocate. And what is our role? Our role is to introduce the advocate to them. We gently  educate and guide them we gently advice them about the advocate. 

Thus, we give them something that they could hold on forever no other than the Holy Spirit. And when they already have an awareness we take a backseat and let it move in their life. 

We are the visible representation of Jesus in this world. Our fellowmen will know Jesus through our exercise of love, gentleness and humility. By these acts we give them an awareness of the presence of the advocate. 

We therefore have to always be like Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 23 Lunes sa Ika-6 na Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 15:26—16:4a

Mabuting Balita: Juan 15:26—16:4a

Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: "Ngunit ang Patnubay, ang Espiritu ng Katotohan, ang paparito mula sa Ama. Susuguin ko siya sa inyo buhat sa Ama, at siya ang magpapatotoo tungkol sa akin. At magpapatotoo rin kayo tungkol sa akin, sapagkat sa pasimula pa'y kasama ko na kayo.

"Sinasabi ko ito sa inyo upang huwag kayong mawalan ng pananalig sa akin. Palalayasin nila kayo sa mga sinagoga. Darating ang panahon na ang sinumang pumatay sa inyo ay mag-aakalang naglilingkod siya sa Diyos. At gagawin nila ito sapagkat hindi nila ako nakikilala ni ang Ama. Ito'y sinasabi ko sa inyo upang, pagdating ng oras na gawin nila, maalaala ninyong ipinagpauna ko na ito sa inyo." 

Reflection for Sunday May 22, Sixth Sunday of Easter: John 14:23-29

Gospel: John 14:23-29

Jesus said to his disciples: “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, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. 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.”

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Reflection:

How deep is our love for Jesus?

Do we express our deep love for Jesus by sacrificing our own needs and ambitions for the sake of the propagation of the teachings of Jesus? Do we love Jesus by way of allowing Him to take the center stage and we are simply content to be in the backstage? Do we love Jesus by doing things for His glory and not for our own earthly glorification?

If we truly love Jesus we would be willing to forgo whatever this world demands from us for the sake of Jesus. For example the demand of this world to be materially successful or to be powerful and influential. Because the truest form of love for Jesus is when we have already accepted to follow His demands and desires for us. Instead of us following our own desires and our own demand for ourselves.    

There’s always a struggle for supremacy within us, should it be our own supremacy or the supremacy of Jesus. The wisdom filled choice is to allow Jesus to reign supreme in our life by doing so we show Jesus the depth of our love for Him.

However,  there would be times that our love for the Lord will bring us hardship and challenges. Let us not worry about that because God will send us an advocate or helper who will always be there to guide and help us. For the reason that we are never alone in this world as we do our part for the mission of Jesus. 

There is always that ethereal being who will suddenly come into our lives to make things easy for us when it seems hard. To bring sunshine into our lives when cloud of darkness are before us and who will bring us to the right way when we seem to have lost our way. And that somebody is the advocate which God generously gives to those who are faithful to Him.    – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Mayo 22, Ikaanim na Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 14:23-29

Mabuting Balita: Juan 14:23-29

23 Sumagot si Jesus at sinabi sa kanya: “Kung may nagma-mahal 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 Tagapag-tanggol ang lahat – ang Espiritu Santong ipadadala ng ama sa ngalan ko – at ipaaalaala niya sa inyo ang lahat ng sinabi ko sa inyo. 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.

Reflection for May 21, Saturday of the Fifth Week of Easter: John 15:18-21

Gospel: John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.  

Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

There were two brothers who had two different motivations in life. One aspired to become rich and the other one had simple aspirations. His only aim was to serve God in whatever capacity and then live a simple and quite life.  

After forty years both of them were retired already the one who became worldly was very envious of his brother. This is for the reason that the brother who served the church had a settled and peaceful life than him.  

Jesus in our gospel gives us the two pathways of life that we could choose: The worldly life or a peaceful life with Him. By virtue of our baptism Jesus had already called us to tread the peaceful and simple life with Him.  

This has always been His desire for all of us but many of us chose not to follow this plan of God. Thus, we create our own selfish plan for ourselves and we embrace the chaotic and problematic life of this world. We all know what will happen to all of us once we chose to embrace the life of this world. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 21 Sabado sa Ika-5 Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 15:18-21

Mabuting Balita: Juan 15:18-21

Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 18 Kung napopoot sa inyo ang mundo, alamin n’yo na sa akin muna ito napoot bago sa inyo. 19 Kung kayo’y maka­mun­do, inibig na sana ng mundo ang sariling kanya. Ngunit dahil hindi kayo maka­mundo kundi hinirang ko kayo mula sa mundo kaya napopoot sa inyo ang mundo.  

20 Tandaan ninyo ang salitang sinabi ko sa inyo: ‘Walang lingkod na mas dakila sa kanyang panginoon.’ Di ba’t inusig nila ako? Uusigin din kayo. Tinupad ba nila ang aking salita? Gayon din nila tutuparin ang sa inyo. 21 Gagawin nila sa inyo ang lahat ng ito dahil sa aking pangalan sapag­kat hindi nila nakikilala ang nagpa­dala sa akin.

Reflection for May 20, Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter: John 15:12-17

Gospel: John 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “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 would happen if we follow this love commandment of Jesus?  

There would be no more betrayal, hatred and separation amongst married couples only love. But the sad reality is we choose to turn a deaf ear to this love commandment of the Lord. For the simple reason that we love ourselves more than we love Jesus and our fellowmen.  

There’s a saying that before we give love we have to love ourselves first. For how would we know how to give love if we have not experienced loving ourselves first? However this statement does not jibe on how Jesus interprets love or on how Jesus gives the purest meaning of love.  

For Jesus to love is not to love oneself first, to love is to lay down ones life for the beloved, for Jesus to love is to forgive the many hurts that has been hurled and inflicted upon us by our beloved. For at the end of the day if we love the way Jesus loves us what would remain is love no hatred but only love.  

But how do we love? We love selectively and we love with measure, we calibrate the love that we give by the love that we receive. And we oftentimes do not love our fellowmen when they do not fulfill our selfish expectation for them. Let us love without condition and let us love without expecting love in return for this is how Jesus loved us.  

 How do you love?  -  Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Ang Mabuting Balita Mayo 20 Biyernes sa Ika-5 Linggo ng Pasko ng Muling Pagkabuhay: Juan 15:12-17

Mabuting Balita: Juan 15:12-17

Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 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.