The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed
it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become
like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles
himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever
receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of
my heavenly Father.”
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Reflection:
Have you tried looking at the face of a child and have
you tried looking at the face of a grown-up person? Which of them give you more
joy? Of course, it’s the face of the child.
Jesus in the gospel gives us the secret on how we can
enter the kingdom of heaven. Which is none other than to become like children
or to be childlike, why? It’s for the reason of the pureness of their thoughts
and their innocence. No wonder being childlike is the key for us to enter
God’s kingdom in heaven.
But are we childlike in terms of the pureness of our
thoughts and absence of sin? Of course we are not! Who among us could say that
our thoughts are as pure as a child? Who among us could say that we are
without sin? Nobody because we are all sinners we sin through our words,
actions and thoughts.
Nevertheless, it’s not yet late for us to go back to
Jesus and be childlike before Him. Jesus through the Sacrament of
Reconciliation is always inviting us to humble ourselves before Him. To be like
a child who humbly runs to his parents with reckless abandon once he sees them
coming home.
Are you humble like a child? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When the days for Jesus to be taken up
were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent
messengers ahead of him.
On the way they entered a Samaritan village to
prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the
destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw
this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume
them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.
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Reflection:
Would you open the door of your house to Jesus?
The Samaritans did not welcome Jesus because they did
not know Him well. If only they knew Him they would have welcomed Him even if
He was going to Jerusalem. But they did not know Him that’s why they refused to
be hospitable to Him.
There are some problematic individuals who decide to
end their life by way of committing suicide. Why? Because they do not know
Jesus, if only they know Jesus they would have not committed that grievous
sin.
We miss so many blessings when we do not fully know
the Lord. For example, the blessing of hope, the blessing of love, the blessing
of understanding, humility, peacefulness, companionship and many more. These
are but a few of the many blessings that we miss when we do not know Jesus that
well.
But how do we come to know Jesus? We must read the
Bible, especially the first four books of the New Testament. We should also
make it a point to attend the celebration of the Eucharist or Holy Mass
regularly, particularly on Sundays. By doing these acts of faith, slowly but
surely, the eyes of our faith will be opened to the friendship of Jesus.
But how about those who do not know Jesus? How would
they know Jesus? We have to share Jesus and we have to live His teachings so
that through us they will know Jesus. To know Jesus is still not enough we have
to share Him and we have to live what we know about Him.
Do you want to live a more meaningful life? If your
answer is yes, you therefore have to share and live Jesus. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
An argument
arose among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. Jesus realized
the intention of their hearts and took a child and placed it by his side and
said to them, “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever
receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all of
you is the one who is the greatest.”
Then John
said in reply, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name and we
tried to prevent him because he does not follow in our company.” Jesus said to
him, “Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you.”
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Reflection:
Who is the
greatest? It’s the humble one, the one who is always willing to serve us,
always willing to be with us. We may not know it but Jesus has been serving us
since time immemorial. He is in the person of the priest during the Sacrament
of Reconciliation forgiving us of our sins.
He is always present in the Eucharistic or Holy Mass
celebration humbly giving His Body and Blood to nourish our body and our soul.
He is the greatest treasure that we can ever have! But His greatness is a
paradox to some of us because we measure greatness by our worldly standards.
Such as greatness thru power and influence this is
mostly fueled by political power, position in government and in the private
sector and the size of our bank accounts. But this greatness is passing and
temporary; the time will come that it shall pass us and we shall be forgotten.
Jesus is the personification of true greatness: His
humility, His self-sacrifice and His refusal to wield power for His own self-interest.
This greatness of Jesus is usually not heard by this world; nevertheless we
should emulate the greatness of Jesus and shun the greatness that this world
offers us.– Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, nagtalu-talo ang
mga alagad kung sino sa kanila ang pinakadakila. Batid ni Hesus ang kanilang
iniisip, kaya’t tinawag niya ang isang maliit na bata at pinatayo sa tabi niya.
At sinabi niya sa kanila, “Ang
sinumang tumatanggap sa batang ito alang-alang sa akin ay tumatanggap sa akin;
at sinumang tumatanggap sa akin at tumatanggap sa nagsugo sa akin. Ang
pinakaaba sa inyong lahat ay siyang pinakadakila.”
Sinabi
ni Juan, “Guro, nakita po namin ang isang taong nagpapalayas ng mga demonyo sa
pamamagitan ng pangalan ninyo. Pinagbawalan namin siya sapagkat siya’y hindi
natin kasamahan.” Ngunit sinabi ni Hesus, “Huwag ninyo siyang pagbawalan;
sapagkat ang hindi laban sa atin ay kapanig natin.”
At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.
"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
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Reflection:
A parish priest was informed by a catechist that a Christian denomination wanted to use the parish chapel for their worship service. The catechist expected the priest to reject the request, but to his surprise, the humble and good-natured priest allowed the denomination to use the chapel.
Months passed, and this Christian group continued to use the chapel for their worship. Over time, they developed a strong friendship with the parish priest, rooted in his humility and tolerance. After two years of friendship and communication, the Christian group decided to convert to the Catholic faith and were warmly welcomed into the Church by the humble and tolerant priest.
In our Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus speaks about tolerance, humility, and love for others. When John told Jesus that they had tried to prevent someone from driving out demons in His name, John may have expected Jesus to condone his arrogant behavior. However, Jesus rebuked John, saying, 'Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us' (Mark 9:39-40).”
This rebuke of Jesus toward John resonates even today, and it is no longer just addressed to John but to all of us. Jesus reminds us that if the cause being supported by our fellowmen is also about Him, or if it serves a good purpose, we should, by all means, be tolerant.
We must always be tolerant, humble, and loving toward those who are not within the fold of our Catholic faith. Jesus constantly reminds us to live out these virtues, as they are one of the ways He can become a living symbol in our lives.
Sometimes, it is tempting to become proud and arrogant because of our status in life, or because of the primacy of our Catholic faith, which was founded by Jesus Himself. But how can we convince others to join our faith if we are domineering and arrogant? How can we reflect Jesus in our lives if we are always overbearing and superior? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi kay Hesus ni Juan, “Guro, nakakita po kami ng isang taong nagpapalayas ng mga demonyo sa pamamagitan ng pangalan mo, at pinagbawalan namin sapagkat hindi natin siya kasamahan.”
Ngunit sinabi ni Hesus, “Huwag ninyo siyang pagbawalan, sapagkat walang taong matapos gumawa ng kababalaghan sa pangalan ko ang agad magsasalita ng masama laban sa akin. Sapagkat ang hindi laban sa atin ay panig sa atin. Sinasabi ko sa inyo: sinumang magbigay sa inyo ng isang basong tubig dahil sa kayo’y kay Kristo ay tiyak na gagantimpalaan.
“Mabuti pa sa isang tao ang siya’y bitinan ng isang malaking gilingang-bato sa leeg at itapon sa dagat kaysa maging sanhi ng pagkakasala ng isa sa maliliit na ito na nananalig sa akin. Kung ang kamay mo ang nagiging sanhi ng iyong pagkakasala, putulin mo! Mabuti pa ang mapunta ka sa langit nang putol ang isang kamay kaysa may dalawang kamay na mahulog ka sa impiyerno, sa apoy na hindi mamamatay.
Kung ang paa mo ang nagiging sanhi ng iyong pagkakasala, putulin mo! Mabuti pa ang mapunta ka sa langit nang putol ang isang paa kaysa may dalawang paa na mahulog ka sa impiyerno. At kung ang mata mo ang nagiging sanhi ng iyong pagkakasala, dukutin mo! Mabuti pa ang pumasok ka sa kaharian ng Diyos nang bulag ang isang mata kaysa may dalawang mata na mahulog ka sa impiyerno. Doo’y hindi mamamatay ang mga uod na kumakain sa kanila, at hindi mamamatay ang apoy.”
While they were all amazed at his every
deed, Jesus said to his disciples, “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The
Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
But they did not understand this saying;
its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and
they were afraid to ask him about this saying.
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Reflection:
Why were the disciples afraid to ask Jesus to
elaborate His meaningful statement that He is going to be handed over to men?
Did they sense that something dangerous is going to happen to Jesus soon? Were
they afraid to hear something that would deal with suffering and the cross? Or
the disciples were simply used to the image of Jesus as a powerful miracle
worker and healer?
Is it only for His miracles and healings that we
follow Jesus? Perhaps yes, many of us are only after Jesus the miracle worker
and Jesus the healer. But if we are only after His miracles and healings then
this is not true discipleship.
True discipleship happens to us when we are also ready
to suffer for Jesus and when we are also ready to carry our own cross for
Jesus. We cannot separate Jesus from suffering because He himself brutally
suffered. Thus we cannot also separate ourselves from suffering/s if we truly
follow Jesus.
Nevertheless, let us not be afraid to suffer for our
discipleship for Jesus because our suffering for Jesus will not be in vain.
There is always something glorious after suffering and carrying our own cross
for Jesus. We may not know it immediately but there surely will be glory after
we endure our cross and sufferings. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Once when
Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them,
“Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist;
others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then
he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The
Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, “The
Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
+ + + +
+ + +
Reflection:
If Jesus
would ask us, who am I to you? How would we answer Him? Would we answer based
on what we know about Jesus or we answer Him in a much profound manner like you
are my Lord, Savior and my God and I feel your abiding presence in my life
everyday.
We must not
limit our knowledge about Jesus to what we read or up to what only our minds
would feed us. We must dive deeper than that in such a way that Jesus is
already part and parcel of our daily life. This only means that we read and
live His teachings.
We become
more productive followers of Jesus if we read and live His teachings because
this would open us to a much deeper intimacy with Him. We read Jesus’ life and
teachings in the bible. If we only read or hear and we don’t live His teachings
our discipleship is lacking in substance.
We have to
know Jesus and then we have to live Jesus these two (Know and live) must always
go together. For this would help us endure the many trials/even sufferings that
we would be facing as we exist in this world.
Do you read
the life of Jesus and do you live the teachings of Jesus? - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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
