When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.
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Reflection:
Do you fear the unknown? Do you fear darkness? The disciples in the gospel were fearful of both the unknown and darkness. They were at sea in pitch darkness and being tossed by the waves, perhaps it was just fair for them to be fearful.
In total darkness and coupled with stormy seas. The disciples in the gospel were afraid when they saw Jesus walking towards their boat. Why were they afraid considering that they know Jesus? Perhaps they did not recognize Jesus at sea walking towards them thus they mistakenly labelled Jesus as a ghost.
There would be trials and problems that we will encounter for as long as we exist in this world. But in the midst of our trials, problems and fears we are also always assured of Jesus abiding presence in our lives. He is always with us notwithstanding the waves of trials, fears and problems that we’re going through.
All we need to do is to call upon Him, aspire to have a deep friendship with Him and we will be alright. We will not anymore fear the unknown and even the darkness we will not fear either. For the simple reason that we have Jesus who is ever ready to help and save us whenever we pass though the many trials, darkness and trepidations of life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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.
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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
Noong
panahong iyon, tumawid si Jesus sa ibayo ng Lawa ng Galilea, na tinatawag ding
Lawa ng Tiberias. Sinundan siya ng napakaraming tao sapagkat nakita nila ang
mga kababalaghang ginawa niya sa pagpapagaling sa mga maysakit. Umahon si Jesus
sa burol kasama ang kanyang mga alagad at naupo roon. Malapit na noon ang Pista
ng Paskua ng mga Judio.
Tumanaw si
Jesus, at nakita niyang dumarating ang napakaraming tao. Tinanong niya si
Felipe, "Saan tayo bibili ng tinapay upang makakain ang mga taong
ito?" Sinabi niya ito upang subukin si Felipe, sapagkat alam ni Jesus ang
kanyang gagawin. Sumagot si Felipe, "Kahit na po halagang dalawandaang
denaryong tinapay ang bilhin ay di sasapat para makakain ng tigkakaunti ang mga
tao."
Sinabi ng isa
sa kanyang mga alagad, si Andres na kapatid ni Simon Pedro, "Mayroon po
ditong isang batang lalaki na may dalang limang tinapay na sebada at dalawang
isda. Ngunit gaano na ito sa ganyang karaming tao?" "Paupuin ninyo
sila," wika ni Jesus. Madamo sa lugar na yaon. Umupo ang lahat --
humigit-kumulang sa limang libo ang mga lalaki.
Kinuha ni
Jesus ang tinapay at matapos magpasalamat sa Diyos ay ipinamahagi sa mga tao;
gayon din ang ginawa niya sa isda. Binigyan ang lahat hangga't gusto nila. at
nang makakain na sila, sinabi niya sa mga alagad, "Tipunin ninyo ang mga
lumabis para hindi masayang." Gayon nga ang ginawa nila, at nakapuno sila
ng labindalawang bakol.
Nang makita
ng mga tao ang kababalaghang ginawa ni Jesus, sinabi nila, "Tunay na ito
ang propetang paririto sa sanlibutan!" Nahalata ni Jesus na lalapit ang
mga tao at pilit siyang kukunin upang gawing hari, kaya muli siyang umalis na
mag-isa patungo sa kaburulan.
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.
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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.
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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
Gayon na
lamang ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa sanlibutan, kaya ibinigay niya ang kanyang
bugtong na Anak, upang ang sumampalataya sa kanya ay hindi mapahamak, kundi
magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan. Sapagkat sinugo ng Diyos ang kanyang
Anak, hindi upang hatulang maparusahan ang sanlibutan, kundi upang iligtas ito
sa pamamagitan niya.
"Hindi
hinahatulang maparusahan ang nananampalataya sa Anak ng Diyos; ngunit hinatulan
nang parusahan ang hindi nananampalataya sa kanya. Hinatulan sila sapagkat
naparito sa sanlibutan ang ilaw, ngunit inibig pa ng tao ang dilim kaysa
liwanag, sapagkat masama ang kanilang mga gawa.
Ang gumagawa
ng masama ay ayaw sa ilaw, at hindi lumalapit dito upang hindi mahayag ang
kanyang mga gawa. Ngunit ang namumuhay sa katotohanan ay lumalapit sa ilaw; sa
gayon, nahahayag na ang kanyang mga ginagawa'y pagsunod sa Diyos.
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.”
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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
Noong
panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus kay Nicodemo: Huwag kayong magtaka sa sinabi ko
sa inyo, 'Lahat ay kailangang ipanganak na muli.' Umiihip ang hangin kung saan
ibig at naririnig ninyo ang ugong nito, ngunit hindi ninyo alam kung saan
nanggagaling at kung saan naparoroon.
Gayon din ang
bawat ipinanganak sa Espiritu." "Paano pong mangyayari ito?"
tanong ni Nicodemo. Sumagot si Jesus, "Guro pa naman kayo sa Israel ay
hindi ninyo nauunawaan ang bagay na ito? Tandaan ninyo: ang aming nalalaman ang
sinasabi namin, at ang aming nasaksihan ang pinatototohanan namin, ngunit hindi
ninyo tinatanggap ang aming patotoo.
Kung hindi
ninyo paniniwalaan ang sinasabi ko tungkol sa mga bagay sa sanlibutang ito,
paano ninyo paniniwalaan kung ang sabihin ko'y tungkol sa mga bagay sa langit?
Walang umakyat sa langit kundi ang bumaba mula sa langit -- ang Anak ng
Tao."
"At kung
paanong itinaas ni Moises ang ahas doon sa ilang, gayon din naman, kailangang
itaas ang Anak ng Tao, upang ang sinumang sumasampalataya sa kanya ay magkaroon
ng buhay na walang hanggan.
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
May
isang Pariseo at pinuno ng mga Judio, na nagngangalang Nicodemo. Isang gabi,
siya'y nagsadya kay Jesus, "Rabi," sabi niya, "nalalaman po
naming kayo'y isang gurong mula sa Diyos, sapagkat walang makagagawa ng mga
kababalaghang ginagawa ninyo malibang sumasakanya ang Diyos."
Sumagot
si Jesus, "Sinasabi ko sa inyo: maliban na ipanganak na muli ang isang
tao, hindi siya paghaharian ng Diyos." Paano pong maiipanganganak na muli
ang isang tao kung matanda na siya? Makapapasok pa ba siya sa tiyan ng kanyang
ina para ipanganak uli?" tanong ni Nicodemo.
"Sinasabi
ko sa inyo," ani Jesus, "maliban na ang tao'y ipanganak sa tubig at
Espiritu, hindi siya paghaharian ng Diyos. Ang ipinanganak sa laman ay laman,
at ang ipinanganak sa Espiritu ay espiritu. Huwag kayong magtaka sa sinabi ko
sa inyo, 'Lahat ay kailangang ipanganak na muli.' Umihip ang hangin kung saan
ibig at naririnig ninyo ang ugong nito, ngunit hindi ninyo alam kung saan
nanggagaling at kung saan naparoroon. Gayun din ang bawat ipinanganak sa Espiritu."
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.
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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
