Nang
nagtatakipsilim na, ang mga alagad ay pumunta sa tabi ng lawa, sumakay sa
bangka, patawid sa Capernaum. Madilim na'y wala pa si Jesus. Lumakas ang hangin
at lumaki ang alon. Nang makagaod sila nang lima o anim na kilometro, nakita
nila si Jesus na lumalakad sa ibabaw ng tubig, palapit sa bangka.
At
sila'y natakot. Ngunit sinabi niya sa kanila, "Huwag kayong matakot, ako
ito!" Tuwang tuwa nilang pinasakay si Jesus sa bangka; at pagdaka'y
sumadsad ang kanilang bangka sa kanilang patutunguhan.
Jesus went
across the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd followed him, because they saw the
signs he was performing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there
he sat down with his disciples. The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When
Jesus raised his eyes and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, he said to
Philip, “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?”
He said this
to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered
him, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each
of them to have a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon
Peter, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two
fish; but what good are these for so many?”
Jesus said,
“Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that
place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took
the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and
also as much of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he
said to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be
wasted.”
So they
collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five
barley loaves that had been more than they could eat. When the people saw the
sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come
into the world.” Since Jesus knew that they were going to come and carry him
off to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain alone.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do we thirst
for the spotlight after we’ve done something important? More often than not
it’s yes! We all want to be in the spotlight to be the one holding the starring
role. In other words we want attention and honor given to us.
But how did
Jesus handle Himself after miraculously feeding the five thousand who were
following Him? Not minding the adulation and spotlight, Jesus simply
walked away from them all and went to the mountain to be alone with God.
Jesus was
supposed to be proclaimed king by those He fed. But Jesus did not want that
kind of worldly honor and attention. What was important for Jesus was He did
what was expected of Him. Jesus is so unlike with all of us, we who always
thirst for honor and recognition.
By His action
of shunning recognition and honor Jesus is teaching us humility. He is teaching
us that after we have done our part for the greater glory of God it’s time to
move on. It’s time to silently evaporate from the prying eyes of the crowd and
be alone with God so that God could strengthen us and make us humbler.
Let us not
look for the spotlight when we serve God or when we do things for God. Let us
be content to silently fade away and let the goodness of God create a lasting
impression in the hearts of those that we serve. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The one who comes from above is above all.
The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the
one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and
heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever does accept his testimony
certifies that God is trustworthy.
For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He
does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given
everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but
whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon
him.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What would happen to us if we would detach ourselves
from Jesus? We become citizens of this world everything that we do in this
world is anchored in this finite world alone. Many people live for this world alone
they think that there’s no God and there’s no heaven and hell.
So when trials or problems come along their way they
have no other recourse but to solve their trials based on what this world has
taught them to do. And when they are not able to solve their trials. They begin
to lose hope in this world and in themselves as well and it seems that it is
the end of the world for them already. And sad to say some of them would
choose to end their lives.
What would happen to us if we have Jesus in our lives?
We would be full of hope even if the situation around us seem hopeless. This is
the great difference of having Jesus in our lives. We would be full of hope and
we would see things differently as opposed to someone who doesn’t have Jesus in
his/her life.
In our gospel for this Thursday it says: Whoever
believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see
life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.
The choice is ours to take, if we would allow Jesus to
come into our lives or we would continue to shut the doors of our hearts to
Jesus. Let us say that we allow Jesus to become part of our lives, we
would always have hope even if the world around us seems hopeless. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Ang mula sa
itaas ay dakila sa lahat; ang mula sa lupa ay taga lupa at nagsasalita tungkol
sa mga bagay sa lupa. Ang mula sa langit ay dakila sa lahat. Pinatototohanan
niya ang kanyang nakita at narinig, ngunit walang maniwala sa kanyang patotoo.
Ang naniniwala sa kanyang patotoo ay nagpapatunay na tapat ang Diyos.
Sapagkat ang
sinugo ng Diyos ay nagpapahayag ng salita ng Diyos; at walang sukat ang kanyang
pagkakaloob ng Espiritu Santo. Minamahal ng Ama ang Anak, at ibinigay sa kanya
ang kapamahalaan ng lahat ng bagay. Ang nananalig sa Anak ay may buhay na
walang hanggan; ngunit ang hindi tumatalima sa Anak, hindi magkakaroon ng buhay
-- mananatili sa kanya ang poot ng Diyos.
God so loved the world that he gave his
only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but
might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in
him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of
God.
And this is the verdict, that the light
came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their
works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does
not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever
lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as
done in God.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Can you measure God’s love for you? No you
cannot. God loves you infinitely that He even gave His only begotten son for
you. How about you can God measure your love for Him? Of course! If God’s love
for us is infinite, our love for God is finite it has boundaries. It only
extends up to a certain point, once that point is reached our love for God
starts to decline also.
But why do we limit our love for God? Why
can’t we love God as He loves us? This is for the reason that we are afraid to
lose our earthly liberty for God. To love God infinitely is to follow the
teachings of God without any preconditions.
However, the paradox of infinitely loving
God is we also have to begin to hate many of the things that this world offers
us. Number one on the list that we must hate from this world is sin. Number two
is our very high regard for ourselves for we always want to be above everyone
else. We often look down on those whom we perceive to be inferior, weak and
those not in our level. These are but a few of the things that prevent us from
loving God infinitely.
Come to think of it, if God loves us
infinitely then we must be prepared to do the same. We must reciprocate God’s
love for us by loving those who are difficult to love such as those who’ve hurt
us badly. Loving them means forgiving them of the many hurts that they’ve
carved in our lives.
Are you prepared to reciprocate God’s
infinite love for you? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “‘You must be
born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it
makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How
can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of
Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what
we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our
testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will
you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven
except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so
that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who is Nicodemus and how does his
situation relate with us? He is a Pharisee, a secret faithful follower of
Jesus; He visited Jesus during night time (John 3:1–21). Nicodemus also appeared
after the Crucifixion of Jesus to provide the embalming ingredients for the
body of Jesus. He also assisted Joseph of Arimathea in preparing the body of
Jesus (John 19:39–42).
Like Nicodemus we too must become a
faithful follower of Jesus. A follower who is averse to sin. A follower in
words and in deeds and a follower who will stay with Jesus no matter how strong
the temptation to betray him.
We should aspire to become a modern day
Nicodemus who will support Jesus. Who will work for Jesus and who will do
things for Jesus even outside of the glare of lights. For this is the challenge
before us who are followers of the Lord.
But are we really His true followers? Or
we are followers in good times only but when the testing of our faith comes. We
easily betray Jesus in favor of the many sinful enticements of this world. Like
Nicodemus, are we also followers who are ever ready to leave behind
everything in favor of Jesus?
Leave everything behind this means
everything that made you sin. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know
that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs
that you are doing unless God is with him.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen,
amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of
God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man once grown old be born again?
Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?”
Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What
is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be
amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it
wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes
from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who is Nicodemus?
Nicodemus is a follower who is seeking
deeper meaning in his discipleship with Jesus. So Jesus gave him a clue on how
to discover a more meaningful life with Him. And that is to be born
again.
How could we be born again when we have
already been born? Indeed, we can never be literally born again. However to be
born again with a more meaningful life of purpose in this world is very much
possible for everyone of us.
How can we be born again with a life of
purpose and meaning? We must be willing to leave behind our sinfulness. For
example, our greed, self-centeredness and anything that makes us sin we must be
willing to leave it all behind us. So that we can have a life of purpose and
meaning with Jesus and those people that we love.
Who would benefit if you allow yourself to
be born again with a life of purpose and meaning with Jesus? The first
beneficiary is you, second is your family and third is those who are around you
and those who know you.
Would you allow yourself to be born again
with a new life of purpose with the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you sometimes feel alone, fearful and without peace of mind caused by the worries that you have?
After the death of Jesus the apostles had this feeling of being orphaned and without a leader. Add to this was the feeling of fear that was constantly being fed to their minds by the religious leaders. To counter this feeling of helplessness the apostles would meet every now and then to strengthen each other’s morale.
So, while in a room meeting and in the midst of their loneliness and fear Jesus appeared to them and told them, “Peace be with you.” Jesus greeted them peace be with you to strengthen and assure them of His abiding presence in each and everyone of them.
Does Jesus still gives us this peace right now? Of course! Up to this very moment Jesus is still assuring us of this greeting of peace. But the peace that Jesus’ gives us is something that is elusive for many of us. Because the peace that Jesus’ imparts is not a byproduct of accumulation of money, material things and power.
We may all have the wealth and power in this world but if we don’t have Jesus we would still be without peace of mind. We would still be yearning for something far greater than wealth and that is to have peace within ourselves.
Jesus in the gospel greeted His followers: “Peace be with you” not once, not twice but three times! To say to them that amidst your difficulties continue to believe that I have risen, continue to have faith in me, and continue to be faithful to me. Because no one else can give you peace that transcends this world but me.
Wealth will not give us peace for it may even give us endless depression and pressure. Power whatever it is will not give us peace as well. Our friends may give us fleeting happiness but not peace of mind.
Who then can give us this feeling of true peace as we are being assaulted by the fear of uncertainty? He is no other than Jesus! He alone can give us this elusive peace and serenity within us. Jesus is always with us assuring us of peace that nobody in this world can give us except Himself.
Do you already have this peace which only Jesus can give you? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When Jesus had risen, early on the first
day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven
seven demons. She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not
believe. After this he appeared in another form to two of them walking along on
their way to the country. They returned and told the others; but they did not
believe them either.
But later, as the Eleven were at table, he
appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart
because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised. He
said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every
creature.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Among the many to whom Jesus can appear,
why to Mary Magdalene first? Mary Magdalene was a sinner who was formerly
possessed by seven demons? Why not to anyone of His eleven apostles first who
by the way were with Him for three years? Or why not appear first to His Mother
Mary?
Why appear to Mary Magdalene first? We
don’t know but what we know of Mary of Magdalene is she is a sinner who
repented. A former prostitute who left behind her sinful life to become a
follower of Jesus.
Perhaps the message to us is nobody is
beyond reach of the love of God. The more sinful we are the more that Jesus
desires to manifest Himself to us. The more that Jesus wants to convert us from
sinner to become nonsinner even saint.
Nothing is impossible for God. That God
when He so desires can effect change into our lives no matter how dark our
past. However, we must also cooperate with God’s plan of conversion for us.
This is for the reason that even if God desires
to convert us but we are not cooperating with His plan, then He can’t do
anything. For He also gave us the freedom of will, if we would abide with His
desire or not but if we abide with the plan of God we are assured of salvation.
Mary of Magdalene was docile to the desire
of God to convert her that’s why she totally left behind her sinful life and became
a follower of the Lord.
Umagang-umaga
ng araw ng Linggo, matapos na muling mabuhay si Hesus, siya’y unang napakita
kay Maria Magdalena. Pitong demonyo ang pinalayas ni Hesus sa babaing ito.
Pumunta siya sa mga alagad ni Hesus, na noo’y nahahapis at umiiyak, at
ibinalita ang kanyang nakita.
Ngunit hindi
sila naniwala sa sinabi ni Maria na buhay si Hesus at napakita sa kanya. Siya’y
napakita rin sa dalawang alagad na naglalakad patungo sa bukid, ngunit iba ang
kanyang kaanyuan. Bumalik sa Jerusalem ang dalawa at ibinalita sa kanilang
kasamahan ang nangyari, ngunit sila ma’y hindi pinaniwalaan.
Pagkatapos,
napakita siya sa Labing-isa samantalang kumakain ang mga ito. Pinagwikaan niya
sila dahil sa hindi nila pananalig sa kanya, at sa katigasan ng ulo, sapagkat
hindi sila naniwala sa mga nakakita sa kanya pagkatapos na siya’y muling
mabuhay. At sinabi ni Hesus sa kanila, “Humayo kayo sa buong sanlibutan at
ipangaral ninyo sa lahat ang Mabuting Balita.”
Jesus revealed himself again to his
disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together
were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them,
"I am going fishing."They said to him, "We also will come with
you."
So they went out and got into the
boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus
was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was
Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, have you caught anything to
eat?" They answered him, "No." So he said to them, "Cast
the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull
it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to
Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The
other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about
a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on
shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them,
"Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the
net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were
so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come, have
breakfast." And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are
you?" because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the
bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third
time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you sometimes feel spiritually weak and
empty? You’re not alone, everyone of us goes through this spiritual dryness and emptiness. This is the reason why we sometimes feel spiritually weak, vulnerable and empty.
After the death of Jesus some of the
apostles didn’t know that Jesus had already risen. So they went back to their
former work feeling spiritually empty and weak nonetheless they moved on with
their lives. Feeling weak and empty they went fishing and they returned ashore
without any catch at all.
Then afterwards, lo and behold the risen
Christ appeared before them and He said to them, have you caught any fish? They
said no, so Jesus told them to throw it once again onto the water, consequently
they did. And they caught so many fish that they couldn’t bring it anymore to
shore.
In their emptiness and weariness Jesus
appeared to them to give them hope and to give them strength. To tell them that
I am again here with you, I have risen, I have not abandoned you all even for a
single second. I was with you as you struggle with my death on the cross as I
was with you as you felt your emptiness and loneliness. Never have I abandoned
you!
The same is what Jesus is telling us all
today as we also struggle with our journey in this world. As we feel and face
our own moments of emptiness, helplessness and loneliness caused by the many
life challenges that we continuously face. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had
taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the
breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their
midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." But they were startled
and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you
troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my
feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh
and bones as you can see I have." And as he said this, he showed them his
hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece
of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them, "These are my words
that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about
me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them, "Thus it is
written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these
things."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who moves and inspires us to go on when we
feel spiritually/emotionally weary and tired? Of course He is no other than
Jesus! During these times of weariness and tiredness we earnestly pray to the Lord
and we ask Him for help and strength. And the moment we sincerely do these
prayers and petitions we would feel energized as such we are very much ready
again to face the many trials in our life.
While the disciples of Jesus were feeling
weary and down because they thought that Jesus had not risen. He suddenly stood
in their midst and He greeted them, "Peace be with you and He said to
them: “Why are you troubled?” And why do questions arise in your hearts? Jesus
appeared to his followers once again to tell them that He had truly risen and
that He is there for them.
Whether we admit it or not, we are often
times like the apostles of Jesus. We doubt, we feel abandoned by the Lord and
we sometimes question Him. If He is really there for us and if He is really
real!
If He is there and if He is truly real
then how come there are still difficult moments in our lives? In the midst of
these momentary difficulties let us persevere and let us continue to have faith
in Jesus.
What does this gospel episode tells us? It
tells us that we are never alone that the Risen Jesus is always by our side
most especially when we pass through trials and problems. He is always there to
help us and to strengthen us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, samantalang isinalaysay ng mga alagad ni Hesus ang nangyari sa
daan, at kung paano nila siyang nakilala nang pagpira-pirasuhin niya ang
tinapay. Samantalang pinag-uusapan nila ito, si Hesus ay tumayo sa gitna nila.
"Sumainyo ang kapayapaan!" sabi niya sa kanila. Ngunit nagulat sila
at natakot sapagkat ang akala nila'y multo ang nasa harapan nila.
Kaya't sinabi
ni Hesus sa kanila, "Ano't kayo'y nagugulumihanan? Bakit nag-aalinlangan
pa kayo? Tingnan ninyo ang aking kamay at paa, ako nga ito. Hipuin nga ninyo at
pagmasdan. Ang multo'y walang laman at buto, ngunit ako'y mayroon, tulad ng
nakikita ninyo." At pagkasabi nito, ipinakita niya sa kanila ang kanyang
mga kamay at mga paa. Nang hindi pa rin sila makapaniwala dahil sa malaking galak
at pagkamangha, tinanong sila ni Hesus, "May makakain ba riyan?"
Siya'y binigyan nila ng kaputol na isdang inihaw, kinuha niya ito at kinain sa
harapan nila.
Pagkatapos,
sinabi sa mga alagad, "Ito ang tinutukoy ko nang sabihin ko sa inyo noong
kasama-sama pa ninyo ako: dapat matupad ang lahat ng nasusulat tungkol sa akin
sa Kautusan ni Moises sa mga aklat ng mga propeta at sa aklat ng mga
Awit." At binuksan niya ang kanilang mga pag-iisip upang maunawaan nila
ang mga Kasulatan.
Sinabi niya
sa kanila. "Ganito ang mga nasusulat: kinakailangang magbata ng hirap at
mamatay ang Mesias at muling mabuhay sa ikatlong araw. Sa kanyang pangalan, ang
pagsisisi at kapatawaran ng mga kasalanan ay dapat ipangaral sa lahat ng bansa,
magmula sa Jerusalem. Kayo ang mga saksi sa bagay na ito."
