Jesus entered the temple area and
proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is
written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of
thieves.”
And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The
chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were
seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their
purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A few years ago I read an article about the confession of a young man who
had a sex change. From male he became female, after a few months of going
through the procedure this young man was already full of regrets.
According to him, he was being deeply bothered by his
conscience and he felt that something is wrong with the function of his body. I
can’t remember if he died but he got sick a few months after going through that
procedure.
Are we aware that our body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit? Are we aware that Jesus is deeply saddened when we try to alter the
physical composition of our body? Today with the help of science we can make
ourselves appear younger. We can even make our bodies a walking expression of
who we are.
Is this right? Of course not for God created our
bodies to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is the reason why it does not
deserve to be altered by any form of medical procedure and by our own wild
imagination disguised as self-expression.
In the gospel, Jesus got angry with those who were
defiling the temple. Why? Because they were using the temple not for worship
anymore but to advance their own self-interest. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace–but now it is hidden from your eyes.
For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.
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Reflection:
What will happen to us if we refuse to hear the wise counsel of our elders? For example, if we are advised to stop doing what is not good or to stop doing something which is immoral or wrong? If we continue to refuse to hear their wise counsel. Eventually these wrongdoings that we continue to do will take us down through sickness, embarrassment and so forth.
In the gospel for today, Jesus wept over Jerusalem and its people for they refused to hear His call of repentance and to reform their lives. Not only that they refused to listen to Jesus they also refused to listen to the prophets who were sent before Jesus. They instead mired themselves in sin similar to a beast miring itself in a cesspool.
When we refuse to let Jesus come into our life and when we continue to refuse to hear His call of repentance. There would surely be no peace within us no matter how rich we are and how powerful we are. For as long as we refuse to hear the Lord’s call we will have no peace we would still be living complicated lives that may eventually destroy us.
Jerusalem did not find peace and were destroyed by the Romans during the first revolt in A.D 70, because they refused Jesus, they did not recognized Him as the ultimate peace bearer. They instead continued to stray far from Him.
Jesus is always knocking at our hearts, always waiting for us to open our life to Him. For the reason that he will not only bring us peace He would also bring us contentment, serenity and other things that this world cannot give us.
Would you listen to the voice of the Lord, who always speaks to you through the many events in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
While people were listening to Jesus
speak, he proceeded to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they
thought that the Kingdom of God would appear there immediately. So he said,
"A nobleman went off to a distant country to obtain the kingship for
himself and then to return.
He called ten of his servants and gave them ten gold
coins and told them, 'Engage in trade with these until I return.' His fellow
citizens, however, despised him and sent a delegation after him to announce,
'We do not want this man to be our king.' But when he returned after obtaining
the kingship, he had the servants called, to whom he had given the money, to
learn what they had gained by trading.
The first came forward and said, 'Sir, your gold coin
has earned ten additional ones.' He replied, 'Well done, good servant! You have
been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of ten cities.' Then the
second came and reported, 'Your gold coin, sir, has earned five more.' And to
this servant too he said, 'You, take charge of five cities.' Then the other
servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your gold coin; I kept it stored away in a
handkerchief, for I was afraid of you, because you are a demanding man; you
take up what you did not lay down and you harvest what you did not
plant.'
He said to him, 'With your own words I shall condemn
you, you wicked servant. You knew I was a demanding man, taking up what I did
not lay down and harvesting what I did not plant; why did you not put my money
in a bank? Then on my return I would have collected it with interest.'
And to those standing by he said, 'Take the gold coin
from him and give it to the servant who has ten.' But they said to him, 'Sir,
he has ten gold coins.' He replied, 'I tell you, to everyone who has, more will
be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Now as for those enemies of mine who did not want me as their king, bring them
here and slay them before me.'" After he had said this, he proceeded
on his journey up to Jerusalem.
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Reflection:
The story is
told about a successful businessman who suddenly died, when his soul was about
to separate from his body he saw an angel and a devil. He naturally veered away
from the devil and he put himself at the side of the angel. When they were
about to enter the heavenly gates God was there to ask him this question: What
can you say about your life on earth? The man said, I was a successful businessman
when I was still alive and I did no wrong to anyone.
Then God said that’s very good! But have you done
something for my kingdom? The man was not able to answer for he did nothing to
help grow the kingdom of God. Subsequently, God commanded the angel to bring
him to the other side of the fence where the environment was very hot and humid
for he did nothing to advance the kingdom of God.
What is your present preoccupation right now? Are you
very busy with the things of this world? Like how to expand your business and
how to grow your money in the bank and the like? Many of us are perhaps very
earthly and always very busy with earthly things. But if we are all busy with
the affairs of this world where would we be after our journey in this world is
already over and done? Where would we end up if we do nothing for the kingdom
of God in this world?
In the gospel a nobleman gave his servants gold coins
so that they could do something to make it grow. Two of them were able to
increase its value but there was one who simply kept in a handkerchief what was
entrusted to him. He did nothing to grow the money entrusted to him by his
master.
In our faith life doing nothing is never an option or
faith in Jesus that is kept to oneself is never an alternative. We must share
this faith that Jesus has entrusted to us in whatever manner possible so that
it could grow and have life.
When you share your faith you also enrich your
spiritual life and you become a productive servant of the Lord. - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
At that time Jesus came to Jericho and
intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a
chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was;
but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in
stature.
So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order
to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus
looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at
your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw
this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a
sinner.”
But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord,
“Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have
extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said
to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a
descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was
lost.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Was it only
Zacchaeus who was seeking an encounter with Jesus? Was Jesus not also seeking
an encounter with Zacchaeus? Yes, Jesus was also seeking an encounter
with Zacchaeus! Why? Because Zacchaeus was a sinner like all of us and truth be
told Jesus always wants to have an encounter with sinners so that He could
convert them. And what made it more interesting for Jesus to seek out Zacchaeus
was Zacchaeus’ desire to see Jesus as well.
Before Jesus arrived in Jericho He already had in mind
Zacchaeus He knew that this chief tax collector was looking for Him and ready
to change his sinful ways. With this factor present the encounter of Jesus and
Zacchaeus occurred. After their meeting Jesus subsequently went to the house of
Zacchaeus to purify his house. As well as to liberate Zacchaeus from any form
of sinfulness and right then and there his conversion and liberation from any
form of sinfulness happened.
How could we relate this gospel episode with our
personal lives? Like Zacchaeus we too are sinful and Jesus is knocking at our
hearts so that he could also have a personal encounter with us.
If we say that we are not yet ready to have an
encounter with the Lord, then when? Next month or next year? It may be
too late already, nothing is certain in this world anything can happen the next
seconds or minutes.
Therefore, we must also be like Zacchaeus who
responded to the desire of Jesus to meet him. Let us not delay anymore let us
rush to meet Jesus now for tomorrow may be late already.
Would you want to have a personal encounter with Jesus
today? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man
was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired
what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He
shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front
rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me!”
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to
him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for
you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your
faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him,
giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who is Jesus
to you? Is Jesus the hope and salvation of your life? The blind man in our
gospel had his hope and salvation anchored on Jesus. When he heard that Jesus
is passing by he shouted with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on
me!” His shout comprised his prayer with faith in Jesus.
From a hopeless situation the blind man suddenly found
hope and salvation because Jesus passed by him. And Jesus did not disappoint
the blind man because He asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Then
the blind man said in reply, please let me see my Lord and immediately he
receive his sight and he became a follower of Jesus from thereupon.
What separates the blind man from many of us? It’s his
persistent and persevering faith, it’s faith that can move mountains. This is
what separates this blind man from many us, what if we are in the shoes of the
blind man? Would we simply give up and be silent because we were rebuked and
sternly told to be silent?
But this blind man, when he was rebuked and told to be
silent the more that he persisted and the more that he cried loudly to Jesus
for help. And because of his persevering and persistent faith he was
heard and given the gift of sight by the Lord.
What is it that you want from the Lord? Don’t give up,
be persistent and have faith for the Lord will soon hear you. - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back. His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has more will be given and he will grow rich but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you prepared if the Lord were to call you to account for the talents He has given you? In the gospel, the master who returned from a journey had an accounting of the talents that He loaned to His servants.
What if the master did not return? There would have been no accounting for the servants, especially the third unproductive servant who was given one talent. But the master returned, thus creating a problem for the third servant.
Inaction or status quo is never an option in our faith life or even in life itself. We have to move; we have to take calculated risks and sweat it out; otherwise, we will not grow and bear fruit in our faith life. The same goes for our daily existence; if we just lay idle and do not move, we will not survive; we will die of hunger.
Because of his laziness and lack of initiative to move, the third servant was labeled as useless by his master. He was thrown into the darkness of hell, where there was grinding and wailing of teeth.
Through our baptism, the Good Lord has entrusted us with talents and responsibilities according to our abilities. Parents have this inherent responsibility, which they must use for them to become good and Godly parents.
In what manner could we become good and Godly parents? We teach our children about our faith for the simple reason that we are the first formators or teachers of our children. The home is also the domestic church or the little church where children are initially introduced to Jesus and formed with values. Parents must also teach children how to live simply because God created us to live simply, not to live complicated and worldly lives.
How else can we become productive talent bearers of the Lord in this world? We have to serve the church in whatever capacity. We have to integrate our faith life with our parish church even for a short period of time for us to grow more in our faith life. And, of course, we also have to teach and live our faith.
Someday there will also be an accounting of the talents or responsibilities that Jesus has entrusted to you. How will you account to the Good Lord? Will you be like the two productive servants, or will you be like the third unproductive servant who did nothing and risked nothing? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus told his disciples a parable about
the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There
was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human
being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just
decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling,
but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor
respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver
a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the
dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you,
he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of
Man comes, will he find faith on earth?
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Does God always answer our prayers? The
gospel would tell us that He always answers our prayers. But the reality of it
all is there are times that God doesn’t answer our prayers. There are times
that God fails us. We don’t know the reason behind these unanswered prayers
only God knows.
If God seems deaf to our prayers would it
be right for us to stop kneeling in prayer before God? We need not stop praying
even if we get no answer from God. For the simple reason that our prayers
before God gives us hope. Our prayers before God brightens our gloomy day. Our
prayers tell us that amidst our life struggles there is a powerful God who is
ever ready to listen notwithstanding the nature of His reply.
It's already immaterial if God answers or
not because our prayers are not only limited with God answering or not
answering it. Our prayers before God is much bigger that the reply that we
expect from Him. This is for the reason that the gift of prayer in itself is
already an enormous blessing from God.
What happens to us when we pray and after
we pray? When we pray we connect with our loving and powerful God and
after we pray we become hopeful and we feel relieved, right? Therefore, the
gift of prayer that Jesus had gratuitously given us is a balm that immediately
soothes our wounded and burdened lives.
We therefore have to pray as often as we
can since a life without prayer is a life without hope and a life bereft of the
presence of God.
Do you have a healthy prayer life? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in
the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered
the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day
when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them
all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone
who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down
to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left
behind. Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will
lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there
will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there
will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.”
They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
When are we going to walk away from our
sins? Should we still delay and wait when the most opportune time comes? It
might not come and it might be too late already. We should change our ways
right at this very moment for we do not know until when our life will be.
The people during Noah’s time were
merrymaking and sinning until the floods came so they died without repentance.
Same as with the people of Sodom and Gomorra who were engaged in grievous
sexual sins they died without repentance as well.
What is sin that many of us are so smitten
by it? Sin is the bait or trap of Satan for us to be his slaves and eventually
to permanently be in his kingdom. Many of us fall into this bait for the simple
reason that we are enticed by the attractiveness of sin. This is basically the
reason why we sin. But sin will bring us nothing but troubles and problems and
it will surely not bring us any good in the end.
Let us take time to read and listen to the
words of Jesus in the Bible, and let us be faithful to His teachings. The Lord
will surely find a way for us so that we can permanently walk away from sin.
Sin doesn’t offer us any good at all, and it will bring us nothing but chaos
until it destroys us. Therefore, we must confront it and, soon after, leave it,
no matter how attractive it may be. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of
God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot
be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Then he said to his disciples, “The days
will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you
will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’
or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as
lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the
Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by
this generation.”
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Reflection:
When do you say that the kingdom of God is
within you already? It is when you are not afraid of anything that may happen
to you for you know that somebody very powerful is in charge. If you already
have Jesus in your life you would even embrace death because you know that
death is the last passage before you meet God.
How could you have His kingdom within you?
It’s when you faithfully follow Him in your words and deeds. It’s when you have
your regular moment of interactions with Jesus. This is when you would
feel the presence of God in your life.
For those who believe that Jesus Christ is
their Lord and savior the kingdom of God is within them already. For those who
choose to follow the path of sacrifice of Jesus the kingdom of God is within
them already. For those who are meek and humble the kingdom of God is within
them already.
For those who surrender their lives in the
hands of God amidst the chaos and worries of this world the kingdom of God is
within them already. The kingdom of God is also your rock solid faith in Jesus
for He is your safe refuge whenever you are being battered by the trials of
daily life.
Do you already have the kingdom of God? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
As Jesus continued his journey to
Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a
village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their
voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. And
one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud
voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other
nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said
to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
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Reflection:
A young man who was sent through college
by a rich old man went to the old man’s house after he got his degree. He did
it to express his gratitude towards his benefactor. When they met the old man
said, “I have helped a lot of people but you are the only one who came back to
express appreciation. Since, you have a grateful attitude I will give you one
of my business take care of it for it’s yours already.”
Are you grateful to those who have helped
you become who you are today? In the gospel we read about the gratefulness of
the Samaritan leper who is healed by the Lord. They were actually ten but the
nine did not show up to Jesus to express their gratefulness.
What happens to us when we are grateful?
The blessings of God keep coming to us. When we are grateful the more that the
giver is motivated to give more to us. Therefore, the stream of blessings
continues.
How can we prove this? For example if we
are the giver of the blessing. Would we not unceasingly give to those who
express their appreciation? As opposed to those who do not know how to
appreciate the things that we do for them?
Why was Jesus looking for the other nine
whom He healed? Perhaps it was not anymore for Him to hear their words of
gratitude. But in a deeper sense Jesus was looking for the nine so that He
could have an up close and personal encounter with them. And in the process of
their encounter He could subsequently bless them again and again and again
because an encounter with Jesus is always a blessing.
Jesus is also always looking for us not
anymore to hear words of gratitude from us. He looks for us so that He could
continuously bless us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
(Jesus said to His disciples) “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’
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Reflection:
What is the frequent failing of many who serve in the vineyard of the Lord Jesus Christ? It’s the feeling of being above everyone and the feeling that they are special because they are serving in the church.
Take for example a priest who has a high sense of himself and who gives orders to those who volunteer their time for the church as if they are his slaves. Sad to say but this is true: there are ill-mannered priest. It’s not only the priest who is guilty of this kind of failing we too are often guilty of this kind of ill-mannered behavior.
If we are like this then how could we bring others closer to Jesus and how could they see Jesus in us? Let us not forget that we who are followers of Jesus are His walking advertisement in this world. If we are arrogant and ill-mannered, how can we bring them closer to Jesus?
In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all servants before Him and our fellowmen. It doesn’t matter how high our position is in the church or how educated or rich we are. If we are true followers of Jesus, we should become servants to everyone.
For it’s in serving others with humility that we become real and authentic followers and servants of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that
cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It
would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be
thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard! If your brother sins,
rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in
one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive
him.”
And the Apostles said to the Lord,
“Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a
mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in
the sea,’ and it would obey you.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Jesus has a lot of things to say to us in
this gospel reading about Sin, Forgiveness and Faith.
First: We must always be careful not to be
a conduit for our brothers and sisters to sin. And if we see somebody
committing sin in whatever manner we must always have the courage to advice
them to avoid sin. Sometimes we think twice if we would advice a sinner simply
because we are afraid of the consequence of our actions. We should not allow
these factors to deter us because it is our moral obligation to correct those
who go astray.
Second: We must always forgive those who
have done us wrong no matter how deep the wound that they have caused us. If
God can forgive who are we not to forgive? Let us always remember that the more
we keep deep-seated resentment and anger in our hearts the more that we allow
them to hurt us. When we forgive we would feel that a big burden has been taken
off our backs.
Third: No matter how hard the times are
right now, we must continue to have faith for it is in having faith that we
manifest how deep our love and hope for God. The apostles said to Jesus:
"Increase our faith."
Isn’t this what we also want to have in
our life an increase in our faith on Jesus? If this is so, we should not only
ask, we should do something about it by thirsting for Jesus. In other words we
have to walk our talk. If we will not work for it, our increase of faith will
not drop like manna from heaven.
God smiles to those who exert effort to
know Him and He surely showers His wisdom upon them. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you always prepared for the arrival of the Lord?
In the gospel, there are two sets of virgins, each composed of five women who waited for the bridegroom. One set belongs to the five who were foolish, and the other set belongs to the wise ones.
We would always want to be identified with the five wise virgins who brought more than enough oil. The oil that they brought kept their lamps burning until the arrival of the bridegroom. By doing so, they gained entry to the wedding reception, which is the kingdom of heaven.
The other five were not as fortunate, for they were refused entry. They have nothing to blame but themselves; if only they were like the five wise virgins, they could have also been present at the wedding feast.
One of the realities of life is its fragility; it could end at any time. We don’t control our lives; it's God who knows when our call to the great beyond will be. This is the mystery of our existence; it’s temporary and uncertain.
Hence, while we are still alive, let us always be prepared by doing good, by confronting and avoiding sin, so that we will have no worries when our time comes.– Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you,
make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you
will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very
small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is
dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy
with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not
trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No
servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or
be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all
these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, “You justify yourselves
in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem
is an abomination in the sight of God.”
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Reflection:
What is dishonest wealth and true wealth
that Jesus speaks about in our gospel? Dishonest wealth is any material wealth
that you presently possess true wealth is no other than Jesus Himself. Material
wealth is dishonest wealth in the sense that it will not give you peace,
serenity and contentment no matter how big.
Has anyone of us found peace and
contentment with the money that we have? No, we have not found the serenity
that we have been looking for. In fact, the more money, power and wealth we
have the more that we have no peace of mind. This is the paradox of earthly
wealth and power: it will not give us the peace of mind that we have been
longing for. This is the reason why this is called dishonest wealth.
What is true wealth then? When you have
Jesus in your life you already have this true wealth no matter if you are
materially poor and no matter if you are sick. Because when you have Jesus in
your life you lack nothing and you will not anymore desire for anything.
What is the worth of your life if you have
all the wealth and power in this world yet you don’t have Jesus? - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
