Herod the tetrarch heard about all that
was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has
been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still
others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.”
But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then
is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you sometimes being haunted by a wrong
which you’ve done in the past?
The wrongs that we’ve done will continue
to haunt us for so long as there is no closure to it. It happened to Herod the
tetrarch when he ordered his soldiers to kill John at the behest of the woman
who lustfully danced in front of them.
We need to be careful of the
actions/decisions that we make in our lives. Impulsive or spur of the moment
decisions are usually wrong. Like when Herod to impress his friends impulsively
decided to kill John.
These thoughtless decisions that we’ve
made or we’ll make in the future will bother us, in will constantly pop in our
minds until we do something to close it. So what is the cure to this dilemma?
We have to seek closure, if we have to walk
an extra mile for us to obtain closure so be it. We obtain closure by making
amends with the person concerned. And then we walk away ready to live a new
life with Christ Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them
power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to
proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He said to them, “Take
nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Whatever house you enter, stay there and
leave from there. And as for those who do not welcome you, when you leave that
town, shake the dust from your feet in testimony against them.” Then they set
out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing
diseases everywhere.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
When Jesus said to the twelve,
'Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor
money, and let no one take a second tunic,' He was espousing absolute
detachment from any kind of worldly things. He was telling them to rely on no
one except Himself, for He would provide for them.
This is how Jesus also lived His
ministry—He relied on no one except the providence of God. God provided for Him
because He entrusted His life to Him. In our present, materially driven world,
it’s difficult to solely trust in God. For example, how can we advance His
teachings without any material provisions? How can we keep going without financial
help? These are valid questions that are difficult to ignore.
Nevertheless, if we truly have rock-solid
faith, we would let go of our worldly worries and rely on no one but God alone.
This is the challenge for all of us believers: to rely on no one except God.
Often, we fail to recognize how God is moving in our lives because we don’t
fully rely on Him. We tend to rely more on ourselves and those around us rather
than on God.
We would not be able to feel the presence
of Jesus in our lives if we continue to rely on ourselves. Let us continue to
have faith, for Jesus has not forsaken anyone who follows Him. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
The mother of Jesus and his brothers came
to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your
mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.”
He
said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word
of God and act on it.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who would not want to become a relative of Jesus? Of
course we all want to become His relatives. But Jesus has one important
requirement for all of us so that we could become His relatives: Hear His word
and act on it (Luke 8:21).
Do we hear the word of God and act upon it? For
example the commandment of Jesus to love our enemies and to do good to those
who hurt us (Matthew 5:44). Do we love our enemies and do good to them?
Or we immediately follow our natural instinct not to love those who don’t love
us and hurt those who hurt us.
But what would happen if we follow our selfish human
instinct? There would be more hatred and hurt, more walls than bridges. Mahatma
Gandhi once said: An Eye for an eye would only make the whole world
blind.
It’s not easy to become a relative of Jesus if we
place too much value on ourselves. If we hold ourselves in such high regard, we
may quickly despise those who have hurt or disrespected us. However, Jesus
himself forgave those who hurt, persecuted, and killed Him.
Though it’s difficult to become a relative of Jesus
for it requires humility and forgetting of ourselves. Nevertheless, we must
aspire to become a relative of Jesus and not aspire to become a lover of
unforgiveness, ego and pride. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to
the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under
a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the
light.
For there is
nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not
be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has,
more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have
will be taken away.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is
told about a long dormant lighthouse that was revived and brightly lighted by
the community around it. The voyagers
and fishermen were very happy to see its light once again. For it gave them
direction and it made their life easier at sea.
By virtue of
our faith and what we know about Jesus we also have the potential to become a
bright lighthouse. That gives direction, inspiration and hope to our fellowmen.
This could happen provided we have the courage to live and share Jesus through
our words and actions.
But how many
of us have become the living light of Jesus to our fellowmen? How many of us
have dared to live and share the teachings of Jesus? If we don’t dare live and
share Jesus we simply become an unlighted lighthouse. A lighthouse that is
overcome by darkness it doesn’t give hope, inspiration and direction.
Let us never
forget to remember that we can always become a lighted lamp that is placed on a
lampstand that Jesus mentions in the gospel. In that way we can bless others by
sharing and living our faith. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. For they had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told about a man who heard an announcement in their parish church about its need for those who would be interested to volunteer for parish work. Thus, he volunteered and he went through the formation process.
However, he had this thought that his volunteer parish work was an opportunity to become popular and influential in the community. He was already imagining that his newfound popularity would lead him into politics.
In the Gospel, while journeying through Galilee, Jesus heard His disciples arguing. When they were in a house in Capernaum, He asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the way?' (Mark 9:33). They were unable to answer because they had been arguing about who was the greatest among them.
Who is the greatest in the eyes of the Lord? For Jesus, the greatest is the one who is willing and ready to serve and not be served. The greatest is the one who humbles himself despite the temptation to boast and be arrogant. The greatest are those who quietly fulfill their vocation for the Lord without expecting anything in return.
Many of us love to project power and feel superior because we hold exalted positions in our work, church, or community. However, this is of no importance in the eyes of the Lord. What matters to Jesus is our childlike humility and our willingness to follow Him without expecting anything in return.
Are you ready to humbly follow the Lord without expecting anything in return? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
As Jesus
passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to
him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his
house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his
disciples.
The Pharisees
saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax
collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not
need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I
desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Does Jesus
have a soft spot for sinners? Yes, Jesus has a soft spot for all of us sinners.
For example, in the Gospel, He called a tax collector and a sinful man named
Matthew. After calling Matthew, Jesus went to Matthew’s house to dine with tax
collectors and sinners.
All of us are
sinners, and Jesus is continuously calling us to leave our sinful lives for
good and follow Him. The gravity of our sins is no longer important to Jesus.
What matters to Him is that we respond to His call, just as Matthew did in the
Gospel.
Perhaps we
may ask, why is Jesus calling us to follow HIM? Among many other reasons Jesus
wants us to be freed from the bondage of sin; HE wants us to be enlightened by
HIS grace. And Jesus wants to save us from hell where Satan holds court. These
are the reasons why Jesus is calling us to follow HIM.
Our lives
will never be the same again the moment we accept this call of Jesus. There will
be healing in the family; we will now become averse to commit any form of sin
and we will be freed from its bondage. We
have nothing to lose if we would follow the Lord in fact we gain everything
including our future dwelling in heaven someday.
Would you
respond to the Lord’s call? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, umalis si Jesus
sa lugar na iyon. Sa kanyang paglalakad, nakita niya ang isang taong ang pangala'y
Mateo; nakaupo ito sa paningilan ng buwis. Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanya,
"Sumunod ka sa akin." Tumindig si Mateo at sumunod sa kanya.
Nang si Jesus at ang kanyang mga alagad ay nasa bahay ni Mateo,
dumating ang maraming publikano at mga makasalanan. At sila'y magkakasalong
kumain. Nang makita ito nang mga Pariseo, tinanong nila ang kanyang mga alagad,
"Bakit sumasalo sa mga publikano at sa mga makasalanan ang inyong
guro?"
Narinig
ito ni Jesus at siya ang sumagot, "Ang mga maysakit ang siyang nangangailangan
ng manggagamot, hindi ang mga walang sakit. Humayo kayo at unawain ang
kahulugan nito, 'Habag ang ibig ko at hindi hain.' Sapagkat naparito ako upang
tawagin ang mga makasalanan, hindi ang mga banal."
Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who are the majority crowd during Sunday Holy Mass or daily Holy Mass for that matter? The majority are women, who are the majority who volunteers for church work? It’s women again! During the time of Jesus and as it is today the silent workers and supporters of Jesus and His church are women.
When Jesus was dying on the cross the majority of those who remained loyal to Him are women too (Luke 23:49)! The same when Jesus resurrected, the loyal woman supporters of Jesus saw Him first (Luke 24:9–11).
The gospel this Friday mentions Jesus, the twelve apostles and a number of women with different backgrounds. Some are sinners, some are rich and some are poor also. What brought these women with diverse background together? What made them silently support Jesus?
It’s their love and loyalty to Jesus. The same love and loyalty to Jesus that fuels the many women of today who silently support Jesus and the church that He founded through peter.
Like the women in the gospel who followed and provided help for Jesus. We too are being challenged to humbly follow Jesus and provide support for the church that He founded through Peter.
What can you contribute to Jesus and the church today? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine
with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now there
was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of
the Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at
his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed
them, and anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited
him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who
and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus
said to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me,
teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain
creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since
they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both. Which of them will
love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was
forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Then he turned to the woman and said to
Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me
water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with
her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet
since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil, but
she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been
forgiven; hence, she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is
forgiven, loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others
at table said to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said
to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Why is it that many of us are very quick
to condemn those who are supposedly sinners? I for one is oftentimes like that
I’m very quick at judging people but on second thought who are we to judge
them? When we in fact are sinners too! We are quick to judge because we see
them as bigtime sinners so we condemn or judge them.
How about the private sins that we commit?
Those sins that nobody else knows except us and God only. Most of the time
those who are self-righteous are sinners too. They only refuse to admit that
they are for they are blinded by the very high esteem that they give to
themselves.
Regardless if we are a public sinner of
private sinner Jesus wants us to have a renewal in our lives. This we do by
means of humbly approaching Him through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation/Confession.
Most of the time repentant public sinners
are the most effective bearers of Jesus love and forgiveness. Why? For the
reason that they have nothing to hide anymore they humbly open themselves to
God’s infinite grace, mercy and forgiveness.
Are you a sinner who is very much willing
to repent? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I
compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like
children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another, ‘We played the
flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’
For John the Baptist came neither eating
food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of
Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a
drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. But wisdom is vindicated by
all her children.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you quick to judge?
Every once in a while, each and every one
of us are guilty of judging our fellowmen by what we exteriorly see on them.
This happened to John and Jesus, they both were unfairly judged based on what
they exteriorly saw. But the danger of judging quickly is we immediately close
our minds to further be enlightened by the person/s that we judge.
But how could we know the person better if
we quickly judge them? How could we see their pureness, gentleness and humility
if we judge them? It’s always better to know the person first and if possible
to get acquainted with them before we judge them.
Because if we do, we would not be judging
or condemning them quickly anymore. This is for the reason that we would be
able to discover who they really are. Those who judged John and Jesus were
deprived of discovering the real identity of Jesus and John. They also
unknowingly deprived themselves of their friendship, blessing and wisdom.
This may happen also to us if we are quick
to judge. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus
journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd
accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died
was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.
A large crowd
from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for
her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin;
at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The
dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized
them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in
our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread
through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What does Jesus do to our life?
He makes
miracles for us everyday some of us notice these miracles that’s why we always
thank HIM everyday through prayers. Many of us also do not notice this, so we
live our lives without being aware of the goodness of Jesus.
While on
their way to Nain Jesus saw a funeral march with a grieving widow. Jesus saw
her approached her and told her, “Do not weep.” And thereafter HE approached
the coffin of her son and HE said, Young man I tell you arise! The grieving
widow suddenly became joyous and thankful for the reason that Jesus brought to life
again her only son.
This is Jesus
for you and me, a God who heals, a God who create miracles. And a God that is
always by our side ever ready to help us in whatever way. Therefore, in
everyday of our life we must strive to walk with Jesus. We must discard any
actions and thoughts which would only make us sin.
Do you make a
conscious effort to avoid sin or distance yourself away from people who
influence you to sin? Have you recently thought of submitting yourself to the
healing Sacrament of Reconciliation? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When Jesus had finished all his words to
the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and
about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent
elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his
slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come,
saying, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and
he built the synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was only
a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord,
do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to
you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person
subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and
he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’
and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and,
turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have
I found such faith.” When the messengers returned to the house, they found the
slave in good health.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you have concern for the poor and powerless? The
concern of the military officer/centurion for his slave is very
admirable. We must emulate his worthy action of giving concern most especially
to those who are poor and powerless.
What if the officer was heartless? There would have
been no healing for the slave. By his act of concern his slave was healed by
Jesus. We often times lose sight of the fact that we need to be concerned as
well with the wellbeing of others especially those who are powerless and
poor.
The me first attitude often times envelope us already
thus we fail to see the many needs of others most especially the poor and
powerless. Why? For the simple reason that we are already overly fixated with
our own needs.
We would reap enormous spiritual blessings if we would
find time to help those who are poor and powerless. Thus, we would be closer to
Jesus who loves the poor dearly. And we will find true joy and fulfillment the
moment we begin to help them. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, nang maituro ni Hesus sa mga tao ang kanyang aral, siya’y
pumasok ng Capernaum. Doo’y may isang kapitang Romano na may aliping mahal sa
kanya. May sakit ang aliping ito at nasa bingit ng kamatayan. Nang mabalitaan
ng kapitan ang ginagawa ni Hesus, nagpasugo siya sa ilang matatanda sa mga
Judio upang ipakiusap kay Hesus na puntahan at pagalingin ang
alipin.
Nang makita
nila si Hesus, taimtim silang nakiusap sa kanya, “Siya’y karapat-dapat na
pagbigyan ninyo sapagkat mahal niya ang ating bansa,” wika nila. ”Ipinagpatayo
pa niya tayo ng isang sinagoga.” Kaya’t sumama sa kanila si Hesus. Nang
malapit na siya sa bahay, ipinasalubong siya ng kapitan sa kanyang mga kaibigan
at ipinasabi ang ganito: “Ginoo, huwag na po kayong magpakapagod. Hindi ako
karapat-dapat na puntahan ninyo sa aking tahanan. Ni hindi rin po ako
karapat-dapat na humarap sa inyo.
Ngunit
magsalita po lamang kayo at gagaling na ang aking alipin. Sapagkat ako’y isang
taong nasa ilalim ng mga nakatataas na pinuno, at may nasasakupan din po akong
mga kawal. Kung sabihin ko sa isa, ‘Humayo ka!’ siya’y humahayo; at sa iba,
‘Halika! siya’y lumalapit; at sa aking alipin, ‘Gawin mo ito!’ ito’y ginagawa
niya.”
Namangha si
Hesus nang marinig ito, at humarap sa makapal na taong sumusunod sa kanya.
Sinabi niya, “Kahit sa Israel ay hindi ako nakakita ng ganito kalaking
pananalig.” Pagbabalik sa bahay, naratnan ng mga sinugo na magaling na ang
alipin.
Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told of a man who wanted to have a personal encounter with Jesus. He said to Jesus, "Please show yourself to me. I want to see you. I want to follow you, and I want to have a deep friendship with you.
In his dream, Jesus replied, “Would you be willing to follow the path of my suffering and sacrifice?” With a forlorn expression, the man said, no. Jesus then said to him, “So, you will not be able to know me deeply, nor will you be able to have a personal friendship with me.
Just like many of us, Peter seemed to be averse to suffering, as he reproached Jesus after He told him that He must suffer, be rejected, and eventually be killed (Mark 8:31). Why are we afraid of suffering, by the way?
Is it because we love the self-indulgent lifestyle of this temporary world? Which would we prefer: the temporal pleasures of this world or a deep friendship with Jesus? A lot would blindly choose the many short-lived pleasures of this world than to have a deep friendship with Jesus. But a deep friendship with Jesus forged through our sufferings is the best choice.
Many of us lack a personal friendship with Jesus because we love this world more than we love Him. We do not experience personal closeness with Jesus because we easily forsake the Lord in favor of the many temptations and pleasures of this world.
What benefit is there if we gain the world but do not have Jesus in our lives? Nothing—it's pure emptiness! Yes, we may find worldly happiness and enjoyment, but it is always short-lived. It won't last long and will eventually lead us to sin. Then, emptiness and loneliness will follow. Let us not allow ourselves to be deceived by the self-indulgent lifestyle of this world, for we gain nothing from it.
It is only through our faithful discipleship with Jesus that we would be able to find ourselves. It is only through the carrying of our own cross that we would be able to develop personal, deep and lasting friendship with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
