Noong
panahong iyon, lumapit kay Jesus ang asawa ni Zebedeo, kasama ang kanyang mga
anak. May ibig siyang hingin, kaya't lumuhod siya sa harapan ni Jesus.
"ano ang ibig mo?" tanong ni Jesus. Sumagot siya, "Sana'y
ipagkaloob ninyo sa dalawa kong anak na ito ang karapatang makaupong katabi
ninyo sa inyong kaharian -- isa sa kanan at isa sa kaliwa."
"Hindi
ninyo nalalaman ang inyong hinihingi," sabi ni Jesus sa kanila.
"Mababata ba ninyo ang hirap na babatahin ko?" "Opo," tugon
nila. Sinabi ni Jesus, "Ang hirap na babatahin ko'y babatahin nga ninyo.
Ngunit wala sa akin ang pagpapasiya kung sino ang mauupo sa aking kanan at sa
aking kaliwa. Ang mga luklukang sinasabi ninyo'y para sa pinaghandaan ng aking
Ama."
Nang marinig
ito ng sampung mga alagad, nagalit sila sa magkapatid. Kaya't pinalapit sila ni
Jesus at sinabi sa kanila, "Alam ninyo na ang mga pinuno ng mga Hentil ay
naghahari sa kanila, at ang mga dinadakila ang siyang nasusunod.
Ngunit hindi
dapat ganyan ang umiral sa inyo. Sa halip, ang sinuman sa inyo na ibig maging
dakila ay dapat maging lingkod. At sinumang ibig maging pinuno ay dapat maging
alipin ninyo, tulad ng Anak ng Tao na naparito, hindi upang paglingkuran kundi
upang maglingkod at iaalay ang kanyang buhay upang matubos ang marami.
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to
Jesus, Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He said to them in reply, “An
evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given
it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of
the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart
of the earth three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will
arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the
preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the
judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it,
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and
there is something greater than Solomon here.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a woman who was in
her early forties and was getting desperate already for she was getting old yet
she couldn’t find the right man for her. So while at church she said to the
Lord, “Lord give me a sign so that I’ll have the man for my lifetime.”
Then she said to the Lord: “The first man
that I see who wears a red tee shirt is the one for me Lord.” Lo and behold, a
well built and handsome man wearing a red tee shirt suddenly entered the
church. But to her dismay the handsome man was with his wife and children. The
desperately seeking woman said to the Lord, this is not my day Lord, until next
time.
Many of us ask for signs and wonders from
the Jesus, isn’t our faith more than enough to carry us through in our journey
with Jesus? If our faith in Jesus is rock solid we would never ask for any sign
whatsoever. Because signs is of no use if we have rock solid faith in Jesus.
Our faith is more than enough to carry us
through our journey with Jesus in this world. Our faith is more than enough to
conquer all our fears. We will be able to survive whatever may come to us
because we have faith. And we believe that our faith in God will carry us
through than any dreadful signs, disease and pandemic from this world.
Let us not be like the scribes and
Pharisees in our gospel who asked Jesus for a sign. Let us rather continue to
hold on to our faith in Jesus. Let us continue to strengthen this faith in
Jesus by our consistent prayer life. By our consistent presence at Holy Mass,
by our frequent visitation at the Adoration Chapel. And by daily reading the
bible most specially the life of Jesus if we do these acts of faith we would
never anymore ask for a sign. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, sinabi ng ilang eskriba at Pariseo kay Jesus, "Guro, maaari
po bang pagpakitaan ninyo kami ng tanda mula sa langit?" Sumagot si Jesus,
"Lahing masasama at di-tapat sa Diyos! Naghahanap kayo ng tanda ngunit
walang ipakikita sa inyo maliban sa palatandaang inilalarawan ng nangyari kay
Propeta Jonas.
Kung
paanong si Jonas ay tatlong araw at tatlong gabing nasa tiyan ng dambuhalang
isda, gayon din ang Anak ng Tao ay tatlong araw at tatlong gabing nasa ilalim
ng lupa. Sa Araw ng Paghuhukom, titindig ang mga taga-Ninive laban sa lahing
ito at ito'y hahatulan ng kaparusahan, sapagkat nagsisi sila dahil sa
pangangaral ni Jonas; ngunit higit na di-hamak kay Jonas ang naririto!
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”
He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
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Reflection:
What is the meaning of Jesus’ parables? It’s a short story that imparts moral lessons about life which we can use for us to become more effective and productive followers of God.
The first parable is about a man who sowed good seeds. While they were asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds. The owner just let both the good seeds and weeds grow side by side. However, during harvest time the weeds were pulled first, after that they were tied in bundles and were burned. After which they carefully gathered the wheat and they put it into the owner’s barn.
If our lives will end now, where would we end up? Would it be in hell to burn like the weeds? Or would it be in heaven like the wheat that ended up in the owner’s barn?
The second parable is about the tiny mustard seeds that were sowed in the field. It grew big where birds found rest. When we were baptized the seed of our catholic faith was also sowed by Jesus to us. Has it risen as big as a mustard seed? Have we become instrument of Jesus’ compassion and mercy in words and in deeds? Have we been a safe refuge for those who are in distress?
The third parable is about the yeast that influenced a mass of dough to rise. Have we become yeast for those who are not properly acquainted with Jesus? For example, we introduce Jesus to them in that process we become the yeast that influenced the growth of their faith in Jesus.
These three parables invite us to ask these three questions to ourselves. How am I as a follower of Jesus? Am I like the weeds or the wheat? Is my faith now as big as the mustard seed whereby my fellowmen can take refuge and solace? Have I already become yeast to my fellowmen by way of helping them know Jesus in a much deeper sense? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, inilahad ni Jesus ang talinghagang ito sa mga tao. "Ang paghahari ng Diyos ay katulad nito: may isang taong naghasik ng mabuting binhi sa kanyang bukid. Isang gabi, samantalang natutulog ang mga tao, dumating ang kanyang kaaway at naghasik ng masasamang damo sa triguhan.
Nang tumubo ang trigo at magkauhay, lumitaw rin ang masasamang damo. Kaya't lumapit ang mga alipin sa puno ng sambahayan at sinabi rito, 'Hindi po ba mabuting binhi ang inihasik ninyo sa inyong bukid? Bakit po may damo ngayon?' Sumagot siya, 'Isang kaaway ang may kagagawan nito.' Tinanong siya ng mga utusan, 'Bubunutin po ba namin ang mga iyon?'
'Huwag!' sagot niya. 'Baka mabunot pati trigo. Hayaan na ninyong lumago kapwa hanggang sa anihan. Pag-aani'y sasabihin ko sa tagapag-ani: Tipunin muna ninyo ang mga damo at inyong pagbigkis-bigkisin upang sunugin, at ang trigo'y inyong tipunin sa aking kamalig.' "
Isa na namang talinghaga ang inilahad ni Jesus sa kanila. "Ang paghahari ng Diyos ay katulad nito: may isang taong nagtanim ng isang butil ng mustasa sa kanyang bukid. Pinakamaliit ito sa lahat ng binhi, ngunit kapag natanim na at lumago ay nagiging pinakamalaki sa lahat ng puno ng gulay. Ito'y nagiging punongkahoy, anupat napamumugaran ng mga ibon ang mga sanga nito."
Nagsalaysay pa siya ng ibang talinghaga, "Ang paghahari ng Diyos ay katulad ng lebadura na inihalo ng isang babae sa tatlong takal na harina, at umalsa ang buong masa." Sinabi ni Jesus sa mga tao ang lahat ng ito sa pamamagitan ng talinghaga at wala siyang sinabi sa kanila nang hindi gumagamit ng talinghaga. Ginawa niya ito upang matupad ang sinabi ng propeta: "Magsasalita ako sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng mga talinghaga, ihahayag ko sa kanila ang mga bagay na nalilihim mula nang likhain ang sanlibutan."
Pagkatapos, iniwan ni Jesus ang mga tao at pumasok sa bahay. Lumapit ang kanyang mga alagad at sinabi sa kanya, "Ipaliwanag po ninyo sa amin ang tungkol sa masasamang damo sa bukid." Ito ang tugon ni Jesus, "Ang Anak ng Tao ang naghahasik ng mabuting binhi. Ang bukid ay ang sanlibutan. Ang mga taong pinaghaharian ng Diyos ang mabuting binhi at ang mga taong pinaghaharian ng diyablo ang masasamang damo.
Ang kaaway na naghasik ng mga iyon ay walang iba kundi ang mga diyablo. Ang pag-aani ay ang katapusan ng daigdig, at ang mga anghel ang mga tagapag-ani. Kung paanong iniipon ang mga damo at sinusunog, gayon din ang mangyayari sa katapusan ng daigdig.
Susuguin ng Anak ng Tao ang kanyang mga anghel, at iipunin nila mula sa kanyang pinaghaharian ang lahat ng nagiging sanhi ng pagkakasala at ang lahat ng gumagawa ng masama, at ihahagis sa maningas na pugon. Doo'y mananangis sila at magngangalit ang kanilang ngipin. At magliliwanag na parang araw ang mga matuwid sa kaharian ng kanilang Ama. Ang may pandinig ay makinig!"
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Repleksyon:
Ano po ang ibig sabihin ng mga talinghaga ni Jesus? Ito ay isang maikling kwento na puno ng aral.
Ang unang talinghaga ay tunkol sa isang taong naghasik ng mabuting binhi sa kanyang bukid. Ang ikalawa ay tungkol sa isang taong nagtanim ng butil ng mustasa. Ang ikatlo ay patungkol sa lebadura na inihalo ng isang babae sa tatlong takal na harina, at umalsa ang buong masa.
Ang tatlong talinhagang ito ay nag a-anyaya sa atin na tanugin ang ating sarili ng ganito: Sino ako bilang tagasunod ni Jesus? Ako ba ay naghahasik ng mabuting binhi ng aking pananampalataya? Ang aking bang pananampalataya ay kasing laki na ng butil ng mustasa?
Ako ba ay naging isang lebadura na nag papapalago ng pananampalataya ng mga taong nakakikila sa akin? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
On the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and
saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and
to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the
Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And
as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting
there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They
have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around
and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman,
why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener
and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and
I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in
Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary
Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then
reported what he told her.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do we agree that we are all sinners?
All of us are like Mary Magdalene for like
her we too are sinners. Nevertheless, we too are always being called by Jesus
to conversion and to follow Him for the rest of our life.
But unlike Mary Magdalene who was
compliant to Jesus call for her to repent. We oftentimes are not; we follow the
many deceiving dictates of this world rather than follow the desire of Jesus
for us.
What would we gain if we follow the many
sinful dictates of this world? Nothing but emptiness and sin, has our cravings
for the things of this world gave us peace? This world will never give us peace
and contentment only Jesus will give it to us.
What if like Mary Magdalene we respond to
Jesus’ call and faithfully follow the Lord for the rest of our life? We will
have a foretaste of heaven while we are still in this world. What if we are
like Mary Magdalene who never gave up on searching for the risen Christ until
she found Him? We will have peace, serenity and contentment in our life.
Like Saint Mary Magdalene let us also
search for the Lord until we find Him for the Lord makes Himself available to
anyone who search for Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Madilim-dilim
pa nang araw ng Linggo, naparoon na si Maria Magdalena sa libingan. Naratnan
niyang naalis na ang batong panakip sa pinto ng libingan. Dahil dito, patakbo
siyang pumunta kay Simon Pedro at sa alagad na mahal ni Hesus, at sinabi sa
kanila, “Kinuha sa libingan ang Panginoon at hindi namin alam kung saan
dinala!”
Si Maria’y
nakatayong umiiyak sa labas ng libingan; yumuko siya at tumingin sa loob. May
nakita siyang dalawang anghel na nakaupo sa pinaglagyan ng bangkay ni Hesus,
ang isa’y sa gawing ulunan at ang isa nama’y sa paanan. Tinanong nila si Maria,
“Ale, bakit kayo umiiyak?”
Sumagot siya,
“Kinuha po nila ang aking Panginoon, at hindi ko alam kung saan nila dinala.”
Lumingon siya pagkasabi nito, at nakita niya si Hesus na nakatayo roon, ngunit
hindi niya nakilalang si Hesus iyon. Tinanong siya ni Hesus, “Bakit ka umiiyak?
Sino ang hinahanap mo?”
Akala ni
Maria’y siya ang tagapag-alaga ng halamanan, kaya’t sinabi niya, “Ginoo, kung
kayo po ang kumuha sa kanya, ituro ninyo sa akin kung saan ninyo dinala at
kukunin ko.” “Maria!” ani Hesus. Humarap siya at kanyang sinabi, “Raboni!” —
ibig sabihi’y “Guro.” “Huwag mo akong hawakan, sapagkat hindi pa ako
nakapupunta sa Ama,” wika ni Hesus.
“Sa halip,
pumunta ka sa king mga kapatid at sabihin mong aakyat ako sa aking Ama at
inyong Ama, sa aking Diyos at inyong Diyos.” Kaya’t si Maria Magdalena’y
pumunta sa mga alagad at sinabi, “Nakita ko ang Panginoon!” At tuloy sinabi sa
kanila ang bilin ni Hesus.
Jesus was going through a field of grain
on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain
and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your
disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to them, “Have you not read what
David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of
God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only
the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on
the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the Sabbath and are
innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew
what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned
these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
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Reflection:
Are we quick to judge?
When Pope Francis was asked about
homosexuals, he said this: "Who am I to judge them if they're seeking
the Lord in good faith? They shouldn't be marginalized. This comment by
the Pope evoked countless positive comments all over the world. Why? Because it
broke barriers, it erased the usual stigma that homosexuals are sinful.
When the disciples eat during the Sabbath
the Pharisees told Jesus, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do
on the Sabbath." (Matthew 12:2) But Jesus justly defended HIS disciples by
saying: “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were
hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which
neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have
you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple
violate the Sabbath and are innocent? (Matthew 12:3-5)
Like the Pharisees, it’s so easy for us to
judge based only on what we see but what we see is often a false representation
a person’s identity. Unlike many of us who easily judge, Jesus does not, what
is important for Jesus is mercy, what is important for Jesus is the pureness of
the intention.
How are we going to spread the goodness of
Jesus if we are overly strict and judgmental? The Pharisees in our gospel were
judgmental they want their laws to be strictly followed. But the irony of it
all is they were also the silent violators of the laws that they have
self-servingly created. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, isang Araw ng Pamamahinga, naparaan si Jesus sa triguhan.
Nagutom ang kasama niyang mga alagad kaya't nangitil sila ng uhay at kinain ang
mga butil. Nang makita ito ng mga Pariseo, sinabi nila sa kanya, "Tingnan
mo ang ginagawa ng iyong mga alagad. Bawal iyan kung Araw ng
Pamamahinga."
Sumagot
si Jesus, "Hindi ba ninyo nabasa ang ginawa ni David nang magutom siya at
ang kanyang mga kasama? Pumasok siya sa bahay ng Diyos at kumain ng tinapay na
handog sa Diyos at pinakain din niya ang kanyang mga kasama. Labag sa Kautusan
na kanin nila ang tinapay na iyon sapagkat ang mga saserdote lamang ang may
karapatang kumain niyon.
Hindi
pa ba ninyo nababasa sa Kautusan ni Moises na tuwing Araw ng Pamamahinga,
lumalabag sa batas tungkol sa araw na ito ang mga saserdote sa templo, gayunmay
hindi nila ipinagkakasala iyon? Sinasabi ko sa inyo, naririto ang higit na
dakila kaysa templo. Hindi sana ninyo hinatulan ang mga walang sala kung alam
ninyo ang kahulugan ng mga salitang ito, 'Habag ang ibig ko, hindi hain.'
Sapagkat ang Araw ng Pamamahinga ay nasa ilalim ng kapangyarihan ng Anak ng
Tao."
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor
and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for
yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a father who was
suddenly rendered out of job. He was therefore worried where he would earn the
money to feed his family. So, he prayed to the Lord for help to find a new job.
After only three days a neighbor who knows about his predicament asked him if
he would be willing to work as a family driver and he immediately said
yes!
Are you going through a difficult stage in
our life right now caused by a sickness or joblessness? Do you want to learn
how to let go of your worries? Jesus has an offer for you! In the gospel Jesus
tells you this: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will
give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Why does Jesus wants you to go to Him?
Because Jesus wants to help you carry whatever that burdens you right now. He
wants to ease your pains and sufferings; Jesus wants to help you in carrying
whatever that suffering might be.
Let us respond to this call of Jesus and
we will never regret making that decision. What would happen to us if we
respond now? The sufferings that we carry will become lighter this is for the
reason that Jesus will help us carry our suffering.
We will have hope and there will be many
more positive things that will happen to our life if you would respond to this
offer of Jesus. Let us respond now and see for ourselves the miracle that will
unfold in our life. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose
if we would respond to this offer of Jesus.
Would we respond to this offer of the
Lord? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus, "Lumapit kayo sa akin, kayong lahat na
napapagal at; nabibigatan sa inyong pasanin, at kayo'y pagpapahingahin
ko.
Pasanin
ninyo ang aking pamatok, at mag-aral kayo sa akin; ako'y maamo at
mababang-loob, at makasusumpong kayo ng kapahingahan para sa inyong kaluluwa.
Sapagkat maginhawang dalhin ang aking pamatok, at magaan ang pasaning ibibigay
ko sa inyo."
At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give
praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden
these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the
childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious
will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son
except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to
whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a man who was very
serious in his desire to know God. So, what he did was he read every book that
deals about God. But he was wondering how come that the more that he read books
about God the more that God becomes distant to him?
So he seek the advice of a wise man for
enlightenment thus he was told by the wise man: Your dilemma is simple. You
need to become more humble as you become more learned about God. You should put
into your heart and not into your head whatever learning that you obtain from
your readings.
Do you want to discover more about the
movement of God in our life? The secret word is humility: childlike humility;
this is for the reason that the more childlike you become in front of God the
more that you open yourself to His many graces.
What is the demeanor of Jesus when He prays
to God? Jesus is always humble before God, He doesn’t brag or boast anything
about Himself. So, we too should always be humble for this is the secret for us
to know more about God. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, sinabi ni Jesus, "Pinasasalamatan kita, Ama, Panginoon ng
langit at lupa, sapagkat inilihim mo ang mga bagay na ito sa marurunong at
matatalino at inihayag sa mga may kaloobang tulad ng sa bata.
Oo,
Ama, sapagkat gayon ang ikinalulugod mo. "Ibinigay sa akin ng aking Ama
ang lahat ng bagay. Walang nakakikilala sa Anak kundi ang Ama, at walang
nakakikilala sa Ama kundi ang Anak at yaong marapating pagpahayagan ng
Anak."
