Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say
to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the
disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be
saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God
all things are possible.”Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have
given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to
them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when
the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up
houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the
sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal
life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What have we given up for our love of
Jesus? Have we given up our vices, sinfulness and other ungodly behaviors?
In the gospel Peter said to Jesus, “We
have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Perhaps
this is also our question before Jesus, What will there be for us your
followers? Ah, Jesus would probably say, there would be peace in your life,
there would be less human created stress and the like.
But judging from the life of Jesus and of
those who faithfully followed Him there will be hardships, sacrifices, poverty
and even martyrdom. Now that we have an idea, would we still follow? We must
still follow Jesus even if people would persecute us for following Him and even
if there would be hardships and sacrifices. For this is the true measure of our
discipleship.
Before gold becomes a magnificent piece of
jewelry it passes through severe purifying by fire. And before a diamond is
made it goes through several painful processes that involves crushing, cutting
and refining.
So is our life with Jesus, there would be
humps and bumps here and there. But nothing to worry about these humps and
bumps for its just part of the testing of our faith and certainly part of our
purification.
Would we still faithfully follow Jesus
from now on notwithstanding the purification that we have to go through? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad, “Sinasabi ko sa inyo: napakahirap mapabilang ang mayayaman sa mga pinaghaharian ng Diyos! At sinasabi ko rin sa inyo: madali pang makaraan ang kamelyo sa butas ng karayom kaysa pasakop sa paghahari ng Diyos ang isang mayaman.”
Nagtaka ang mga alagad nang marinig ito, kaya’t naitanong nila. “Kung gayun, sino po ang maliligtas?” Tinitigan sila ni Hesus at sinabi, “Hindi ito magagawa ng tao, ngunit magagawa ng Diyos ang lahat ng bagay.”
At nagsalita si Pedro, “Tingnan po ninyo: iniwan namin ang lahat at kami’y sumunod sa inyo. Ano po naman ang para sa amin?” Sinabi sa kanila ni Hesus, “Tandaan ninyo ito: kapag nakaluklok na ang Anak ng Tao sa kanyang maringal na trono sa bagong daigdig, kayong sumunod sa akin ay luluklok din sa labindalawang trono upang hukuman ang labindalawang lipi ng Israel.
At ang sinumang magtiis na iwan ang tahanan, mga kapatid na lalaki at babae, ama, ina, mga anak, o mga lupain alang-alang sa akin ay tatanggap ng makasandaang ibayo, at pagkakalooban ng buhay na walang hanggan. Ngunit maraming una na magiging huli, at maraming huli na magiging una.”
A young man approached Jesus and said,
“Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do
you ask me about the good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter
into life, keep the commandments.”
He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus
replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not
steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and
you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of
these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish
to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this statement,
he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Would you give up all your material riches
for the sake of the Lord?
The young man did all of the commandments
except for one, to sell all his materials treasures and give the proceeds to
the poor. This was the stumbling block to his desire to follow Jesus - not
being able to do what Jesus wanted him, he walked away sad for he was rich.
This is a sad ending to a promising
story of discipleship all because of material possessions. The man
failed to discern what is temporary and what is eternal. He didn’t discern that
his riches were temporary and following Jesus was everlasting. If only he knew
it he would have abandoned everything for the sake of following Jesus.
We are being challenged by the gospel to
be more discerning than the rich young man. We are being challenged by Jesus to
look deeply into our hearts for the reason that we may be slaves already of
this material world.
In hindsight, why is it that many of us
are very much willing to become slaves of this world when all that is in this
world are passing? For example, power, riches and other worldly comforts there
will come a time that we will leave it behind.
There will come a time that everything
that we have will not matter anymore except our relationship with Jesus. So, we
have to follow the Lord than be slaves of this world. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, may isang lalaking lumapit kay Hesus at nagtanong, "Guro, ano pong kabutihan ang kailangan kong gawin upang magkamit ng buhay na walang hanggan?" Sumagot si Jesus, "Bakit mo ako tinatanong kung ano ang mabuti? Iisa lamang ang mabuti. Kung ibig mong magkamit ng buhay, sundin mo ang mga utos."
"Alin-alin po?" tanong niya. Sumagot si Jesus, "Huwag kang papatay; huwag kang mangangalunya; huwag kang magnanakaw; huwag kang magsisinungaling sa iyong pagsaksi; igalang mo ang iyong ama at ina; at ibigin mo ang iyong kapwa, gaya nang pag-ibig mo sa iyong sarili."
Sinabi ng binata, "Tinutupad ko na pong lahat iyan. Ano pa po ang dapat kong gawin?" "Kung ibig mong maging ganap, humayo ka, ipagbili mo ang iyong ari-arian at ipamahagi sa mga dukha ang pinagbilhan. Kapag ginawa mo iyan, magkakaroon ka ng kayamanan sa langit. Pagkatapos, bumalik ka at sumunod sa akin." sagot ni Jesus. Pagkarinig nito, malungkot na umalis ang binata, sapagkat siya'y napakayaman.
Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
St. Catherine of Genoa was a daily communicant. It was said that during the seasons of Advent and Lent, she lived without food, being nourished solely by receiving Jesus daily through Holy Communion.
During the thirteenth century in Italy, there was a priest who almost lost his faith in the reality of Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist. Right before the 'Lamb of God,' where the priest breaks the host to put a small part of it into the chalice, the host in his hands began to bleed profusely. It bled over his hands, onto the corporal, and onto the altar cloths.
There are many more written and unwritten Eucharistic miracles that have happened and will continue to happen in the future. But how about us? Have we personally experienced any form of miraculous Eucharistic occurrence? Perhaps we have not yet experienced it, or maybe we’re simply unaware that Jesus, through His Body and Blood, is actually transforming us into the person He wants us to be.
Is it possible that something miraculous could happen to us if we reverently receive Jesus at Mass? If we faithfully and piously receive Jesus in every Holy Mass, it is not impossible that He will transform us into the person He wants us to become.
Take, for example, a man who is a chain smoker and an alcoholic—what will happen to him if he doesn’t stop smoking and drinking? He will likely suffer from serious health issues related to cigarettes and alcohol. On the other hand, consider a health-conscious man who exercises regularly and only eats healthy food and vegetables. Naturally, he will look good and be healthy because of his consistent regimen.
The same is true if we faithfully attend Holy Mass and receive Jesus regularly during Holy Communion. There will be a transformation within us; we may not notice it ourselves, but others will become aware of it. This is the miracle that we often are not aware of.
The Body and Blood of Jesus that we receive during Holy Communion makes a significant difference in our lives because Jesus comes into us. We become one with Jesus during Holy Communion, and if we allow it, He will transform us into the person He wants us to be.
Do you always receive Jesus with reverence during Holy Communion? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa mga tao: "Ako ang pagkaing nagbibigay-buhay na bumaba mula sa langit. At ang pagkaing ibibigay ko sa ikabubuhay ng sanlibutan ay ang aking laman." Dahil dito'y nagtalu-talo ang mga Judio. "Paanong maibibigay sa atin ng taong ito ang kanyang laman upang kanin natin?" tanong nila.
Kaya't sinabi ni Jesus, "Tandaan ninyo: malibang kanin ninyo ang laman ng Anak ng Tao at inumin ang kanyang dugo, hindi kayo magkakaroon ng buhay. Ang kumakain ng aking laman at umiinom ng aking dugo ay may buhay na walang hanggan, at muli ko siyang bubuhayin sa huling araw. Sapagkat ang aking laman ay tunay na pagkain, at ang aking dugo, tunay na inumin.
Ang kumakain ng aking laman at umiinom ng aking dugo ay nananahan sa akin, at ako sa kanya. Buhay ang Amang nagsugo sa akin, at ako'y nabubuhay dahil sa kanya. Gayon din naman, ang sinumang kumakain sa akin ay mabubuhay dahil sa akin.
Ito ang pagkaing bumaba mula sa langit; ang kumakain nito'y mabubuhay magpakailanman. Hindi ito katulad ng kinain ng inyong mga magulang sa ilang; namatay sila bagamat kumain sila niyon."
Children were brought to Jesus that he
might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked them, but Jesus
said, "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the
Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." After he placed his hands on
them, he went away.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
In a faraway village lived two families
with five children each. Family number one is a devout catholic; they always
attend Sunday Holy Mass. The parents lead their children in reflecting the
words of Jesus in the bible and they regularly pray the Holy Rosary. On the
other hand, family number two is the complete opposite of family number
one.
Twenty years after, the children of family number one
were all successful and respected in their respective communities. The children
of family number two were again the opposite of the children of family number
one.
Many parents today forget the primacy of God over
everything that this world offers us. They are always very busy with their
worldly undertakings. They don’t gather their children during Sundays to attend
Holy Mass. They forget to share to their children the words of Jesus in the
bible. They forget to teach their children about the faith.
We all know that as children grow up they would
encounter their own share of problems. Where would they go to unburden their
problems if they don’t know God?
In the gospel, Jesus tells us, “Let the children come
to me (Matthew 19:14)”. Why? For the simple reason that the Good Lord wants to
ensure a Bright, Good and Godly future for our children.
Have you already introduced your children to the Lord
and are they friends with Him? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, may nagdala ng mga bata kay Jesus upang
hilinging ipatong niya sa mga ito ang kanyang kamay at ipanalangin.
Ngunit pinagwikaan sila ng mga alagad. Datapwat sinabi ni Jesus,
"Hayaan ninyong lumapit sa akin ang mga bata. Huwag ninyo silang
hadlangan, sapagkat sa katulad nila naghahari ang Diyos." Ipinatong niya
sa kanila ang kanyang mga kamay, saka umalis.
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and
tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause
whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the
Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave
his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one
flesh?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore,
what God has joined together, man must not separate. They said to him, “Then
why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss
her?” He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed
you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. I say to you,
whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries
another commits adultery.
His disciples said to him, “If that is the case of a
man with his wife, it is better not to marry. He answered, “Not all can accept
this word, but only those to whom that is granted. Some are incapable of
marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others;
some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom of
heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
How’s your married life?
From the beginning up until this very moment
separation is never in the agenda of God. God’s desire for married couples is
to remain married until death. Yet, some contradict this agenda of God by
introducing separation in the marriage. Some contradict this agenda of God by
betraying the sacred marriage vows, not once, not twice but many
times.
But come to think of it, why do married couples
separate? They separate because there is an absence of God in their marriage.
They separate because they allow the temptations of the devil to overpower God
and His command to make marriage Sacred and Holy. This is the primary
reason otherwise they wouldn’t separate if there’s an active presence of God in
their marriage.
When God is left out of the marriage or the teaching
of God is not taken seriously. The devil is given the opportunity to create
havoc in the couple’s married life. And the devil will never stop until it
finally destroys the marriage covenant of the couple.
Therefore, make Jesus an active player in your
marriage. How are you going to do this? Have time for Holy Mass as a
family. Have time for prayer as a family and have time for reading and
afterwards reflection of the words of Jesus in the bible as a
family.
Is Jesus an active member in your marriage? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, may mga
Pariseong lumapit kay Hesus at tinangkang siluin siya sa pamamagitan ng tanong
na ito: "Naaayon ba sa Kautusan na hiwalayan ng lalaki ang kanyang asawa
sa kahit anong kadahilanan?" Sumagot si Jesus, "Hindi ba ninyo
nababasa sa Kasulatan na sa pasimula'y nilalang sila ng Maykapal, lalaki at
babae? At sinabi, 'Dahil dito, iiwan ng lalaki ang kanyang ama't ina, at
magsasama sila ng kanyang asawa; at sila'y magiging iisa.
kaya't hindi na sila dalawa kundi isa. Ang pinagsama ng Diyos ay
huwag paghiwalayin ng tao." Tinanong siya ng mga Pariseo, "Bakit
iniutos ni Moises na bigyan ng lalaki ang kanyang asawa ng kasulatan sa
paghihiwalay bago hiwalayan iyon?" Sumagot si Jesus, "Dahil sa
katigasan ng inyong ulo kaya ipinahintulot ni Moises na hiwalayan ninyo ang
inyong asawa.
Subalit hindi gayon sa pasimula. Kaya sinasabi ko sa inyo:
sinumang lalaking humiwalay sa kanyang asawa sa anumang dahilan liban sa
pakikiapid, at mag-asawa sa iba, ay nangangalunya. At ang mag-asawa sa babaing
hiniwalayan ay nangangalunya rin." Sinabi ng mga alagad, "Kung ganyan
po ang kalagayan ng lalaki sa kanyang asawa, mabuti pang huwag nang
mag-asawa." Sumagot si Jesus, "Hindi lahat ay makatatanggap ng
simulaing iyan kundi iyon lamang pinagkalooban ng Diyos.
Sapagkat may iba't-ibang dahilan kung bakit may lalaking hindi
makapag-asawa; ang ilan, dahil sa kanilang katutubong kalagayan; ang iba, dahil
sa kagagawan ng ibang tao ay nagkagayon sila; mayroon namang hindi nag-aasawa
alang-alang sa ikauunlad ng paghahari ng Diyos. Ang makatatanggap ng simulaing
ito ay tumanggap nito."
Mary set out and traveled to the hill
country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped
in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud
voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of
your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached
my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his
lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty
has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those
who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, he has
scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their
thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his
servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made
to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”
Mary remained with her about three months and then
returned to her home.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A rich and generous woman always gave to anyone in
need, whether or not they asked for help. A close friend, amazed by her
generosity, asked, 'Why are you so generous? Don’t you keep something for
yourself?' The generous woman replied, 'I am not a permanent dweller in this
world. Sooner or later, I will be leaving, and my acts of generosity are my way
of preparing for my journey to heaven, where I will permanently dwell with my
God.
Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary. This dogma was defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1
1950. It states that the immaculate Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, after
completing her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly
glory.”
The solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
reminds all of us of what awaits us when our time to depart this world comes.
We are also destined for heaven someday but we are still presently in a
journey. Therefore we are called to do good and to touch lives.
In the gospel, the Blessed Mother went to visit her
cousin Elizabeth for she knew that her cousin was in need of her help. It was
an unexpected visit from the Blessed Mother which her cousin Elizabeth deeply
appreciated. They shared lots of stories about themselves. They strengthened
each other’s morale, love and bond. Thus, the Blessed Mother stayed with her
cousin until she gave birth.
After Elizabeth gave birth, Mary went home happy and
fulfilled for she has done something worthy and important in the life of her
cousin Elizabeth. When we do something
worthy and important towards others we would also feel that happiness and
fulfillment. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Si Maria'y
nagmamadaling pumunta sa isang bayan sa kaburulan ng Juda. Pagdating sa bahay
ni Zacarias, binati niya si Elisabet. Nang marinig ni Elisabet ang bati ni
Maria, naggagalaw ang sanggol sa kanyang tiyan.
Napuspos
ng Espiritu Santo si Elisabet, at buong galak na sinabi, "Pinagpala ka sa
mga babae, at pinagpala rin ang dinadala mo sa iyong sinapupunan! Sino ako
upang dalawin ng ina ng aking Panginoon? Sapagkat pagkarinig ko ng iyong bati
ay naggagalaw ang sanggol sa tuwa sa aking tiyan.
Mapalad
ka sapagkat nanalig kang matutupad ang ipinasasabi sa iyo ng
Panginoon!"
At
sinabi ni Maria, "Ang puso ko'y nagpupuri sa Panginoon, at nagagalak ang
aking espiritu dahil sa Diyos na aking Tagapagligtas. Sapagkat nilingap niya
ang kanyang abang alipin! At mula ngayon, ako'y tatawaging mapalad ng lahat ng
salinlahi. Dahil sa mga dakilang bagay na ginawa sa akin ng Makapangyarihan --
Banal ang kanyang pangalan!
Kinahahabagan
niya ang mga may takot sa kanya, sa lahat ng sali't-saling lahi. Ipinakita niya
ang lakas ng kanyang mga bisig, pinangalat niya ang mga palalo ang isipan.
ibinagsak niya ang mga hari mula sa kanilang trono, at itinaas ang mga nasa
abang kalagayan.
Binusog
niya ng mabubuting bagay ang mga nagugutom, at pinalayas niyang wala ni anuman
ang mayayaman. Tinulungan niya ang kanyang bayang Israel, bilang pagtupad sa
pangako niya sa ating mga magulang, kay Abraham at sa kanyang lahi,
magpakailanman!"
Tumira
si Maria kina Elisabet nang may tatlong buwan, at saka umuwi.
Jesus said to his disciples: “If your
brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.
If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen,
take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on
the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If he refuses to listen to them, tell the
Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would
a Gentile or a tax collector.
Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about
anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly
Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in
the midst of them.”
+ + + + + +
Reflection:
Mr. A and Mr. B have been friends for more than thirty years. Like in other friendships, they have their share of disagreements. Ninety-five percent of these disagreements stem from their strong sense of self, or ego. Whenever they disagree, it usually takes them almost a month before they talk again—all because of their egos.
In the gospel reading it says: “If your
brother sins against you go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.”
This is not easy to do, if someone sins against us would we still be willing to
go to the individual at fault just to tell him about it? Isn’t our mindset the
other way around?
To reach out to someone who did us wrong
is hard to do, unless we have the virtue of Humility. The normal scenario here
would be like this: You sinned against me or you did me wrong, you therefore
have to apologize to me and not me going to you to tell you that you sinned
against me.
It takes great humility to say: I’m sorry
or to apologize. However, this is what we are called to do as followers of
Jesus for the simple reason that Jesus is the number one model of humility.
We may not know this but truth be told, if
we are humble we silently earn the respect and admiration of
everyone. If we are humble we are always peaceful and the more that
Jesus is seen in our lives. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus
sa kanyang mga alagad: "Kung magkasala sa iyo ang kapatid mo, puntahan mo
siya at kausapin nang sarilinan. Kapag nakinig siya sa iyo, ang pagsasama
ninyong magkapatid ay napanauli mo sa dati at napapanumbalik mo siya sa
Ama.
Ngunit kung hindi siya makinig sa iyo, magsama ka pa ng isa o
dalawang tao upang ang lahat ng pinag-uusapan ninyo ay mapatunayan ng dalawa o tatlong
saksi. Kung hindi siya makinig sa kanila, sabihin mo ito sa pagtitipon sa
simbahan.
At kung hindi pa siya makinig sa natitipong simbahan, ituring mo
siyang isang Hentil o isang publikano." "Sinasabi ko sa inyo: anumang
ipagbawal ninyo sa lupa ay ipagbabawal sa langit, at anumang ipahintulot ninyo
sa lupa ay ipahihintulot sa langit."
"Sinasabi
ko pa rin sa inyo: kung ang dalawa sa inyo dito sa lupa ay magkaisa sa paghingi
ng anumang bagay sa inyong panalangin, ipagkakaloob ito sa inyo ng aking Amang
nasa langit. Sapagkat saanman may dalawa o tatlong nagkakatipon dahil sa akin,
naroon akong kasama nila."
