While Jesus
was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is
the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied,
“Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you
observe and hear the word of God?
Why is there
abortion, terrorism, crime, abuse of the environment, egocentric people and the
like? Because we don’t hear and live the word of God. There are those who
listen to God’s words but they don’t live it.
Jesus is not
a self-centered God same as with the Blessed Mother they don’t want honor for
themselves. Truth be told, honor is the least that they want; let us look at
their lives, did they run after honors? They shunned it! They simply listened
to the word of God and followed it.
This is
actually the cure for the chaotic world we are in right now: to hear and read
the Word of God and follow it. We mustn’t seek personal honor; instead, we
should work silently, without any objective to raise ourselves at the altar of
prominence.
We must
remember that we only become effective followers of the Lord when we model our
lives after the simple and humble lives of Jesus and Mary. Our modern,
technology-driven times often push us to chase after honorific titles.
To love the
limelight and be the center of attention is ultimately meaningless before God.
What truly matters in the heart of God is our readiness to humbly hear His word
and live it. In doing so, we become blessed in His eyes.
Do you read
the word of God and do you live it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon,
samantalang nagsasalita si Jesus, sa mga tao, may isang babaing sumigaw mula sa
karamihan at nagsabi sa kanya, "Mapalad ang babaing nagdala sa inyo sa
kanyang sinapupunan, at nagpasuso sa inyo!"
Ngunit sumagot siya,
"Higit na mapalad ang mga nakikinig sa salita ng Diyos at tumutupad
nito!"
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of
the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out
demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew
their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be
laid waste and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his
kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If
I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them
out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that
I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong
man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one
stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he
relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me, and
whoever does not gather with me scatters.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams
through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall
return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept
clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more
wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that
man is worse than the first.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What motivates us to accuse falsely or to destroy the
good reputation of our fellowmen? It’s greed, anger, envy and other negative
and hedious emotions. These emotions are so dangerous that it could even lead
us to kill. All of these are devious instruments of Satan. All of these are
used by Satan to capture us.
How could we refuse these enticements of Satan? We
must be prayerful, we must always do good. We must at all times be focused on
our mission to spread the teachings of Jesus through our words and
actions.
By doing good, Jesus was accused as being with Satan,
what a reckless and baseless accusation from the crowd! Is Jesus siding with
the demon or the crowd siding with the demon? Of course it was the crowd who
was siding with the demon. The demon will never do good it will always seek to
create chaos, intrigues and manufacture baseless accusations.
Come to think of it, by accusing Jesus the crowd
allowed themselves to be used by the demon himself. In like manner we also
allow ourselves to be an instrument of the demon when we purposely accuse
people even without a grain of truth.
The demon or devil is a clear and present danger to
all of us. It’s always by our side looking for the right timing to capture us.
However, if we are close to Jesus and we practice and live the teachings of
Jesus. We have nothing to worry because the devil can do nothing to us.
Do you always create time to get closer to Jesus? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one
of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me
three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a
journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do
not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are
already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if
he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get
up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks,
receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door
will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks
for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you
then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Isn’t God all-knowing? Doesn’t He read our minds? So,
why do we need to badger Him in prayer about our needs? God is all-knowing, and
He reads our minds, but we still need to persistently let Him know what we want
Him to do for us. Why? For the simple reason that it’s through our persistence
that we develop a deep friendship with Him. It’s through our persistent prayer
that we obtain the grace to know Jesus much more deeply.
What if we don’t persist? We miss the chance to know
Jesus more deeply, and we miss the opportunity to develop a much deeper
friendship with Him. Take, for example, our Sunday Mass obligation. What would
happen if we stop attending every Sunday? We would miss the chance to know
Jesus deeply, be showered by His many blessings, and grow in faith.
Yes, God knows everything about us already but we
still need to be persistent before Him. For this is where He would know how
deep is our love for Him. When we don’t give up on Jesus and when we continue
to let Him know that we always hunger for Him. Surely Jesus will not be deaf
and blind to our petitions before Him.
Jesus will certainly smile at us and tell us: Here it
is that you want I’m giving it to you now because you did not give up. – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Jesus was
praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said
to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
He said to
them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves
forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Has anyone
asked you to teach him/her to pray or have you taught somebody to pray?
It’s a
humbling experience if somebody would ask you to teach him/her to pray. Just
like the same petition that the disciples of Jesus asked Him. But before you
could expect others to ask you to teach them how to pray you must learn to live
your prayer first.
For example,
if you pray for humility it is incumbent upon you to live humility as well. If
you pray for forgiveness you should be forgiving as well. If you pray for peace
in your life you should live a peaceful life. In other words, you should always
learn to live your prayers before Jesus.
What will
move others to ask you to teach them how to pray? You should ensure that you
live your faith and you are humble at all times. This is how Jesus lived His
life; He always ensured that His prayers are always accompanied by humble acts
of faith.
Just like
Jesus, you too must see to it that you live what you pray or you walk and live your
talk so that others may see in you Jesus. You become like magnet for Jesus if
you live your prayers and you live it with humility.
Has anyone
asked you to teach them to pray or have you taught somebody to pray? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Minsan, nananalangin si Hesus.
Pagkatapos niya, sinabi ng isa sa kanyang mga alagad, “Panginoon, turuan po
ninyo kaming manalangin, katulad ng ginawa ni Juan sa kanyang mga
alagad.”
Sinabi
ni Hesus, “Kung kayo’y mananalangin, ganito ang sabihin ninyo: ‘Ama, sambahin
nawa ang pangalan mo. Magsimula na sana ang iyong paghahari. Bigyan mo kami ng
aming makakain sa araw-araw. At patawarin mo kami sa aming mga kasalanan,
Sapagkat pinatatawad namin ang bawat nagkasala sa amin. At huwag mo kaming
iharap sa mahigpit na pagsubok.’”
Jesus entered
a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister
named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha,
burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that
my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to
help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and
worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the
better part and it will not be taken from her.
+ + + +
+ + +
Reflection:
What are you
going to do if you visit a house of a friend and you get the same treatment
that Jesus received from Martha and Mary? Who are you going to favor Martha or
Mary? It actually depends upon you who are you going to favor. But Jesus
obviously preferred the action of Mary who sat down at His feet and faithfully
listened to Him.
What did
Martha do that it did not get the merit of Jesus? Martha was busy preparing
food for Jesus. Why did Jesus not favor Martha when what she was doing was for
His honor also? Jesus is a preacher and perhaps being a preacher he wants
people to listen to Him so that He could impart His wisdom. This was perhaps
the reason why Jesus preferred the reverent act of Mary.
What happens
to us when we listen to Jesus and when we meditate on His words? We gain wisdom
from Jesus himself and we are enlightened by Him no less. But do we still have
time to listen to Jesus? Are we not very busy with our many worldly
undertakings?
Some of us may say that we have to move and be
busy because we have to earn otherwise we’ll get hungry. Yes, this is true, but
what would happen to us if we are all work? If we have no more time to listen
to Jesus or if Jesus is just a minuscule entity in our lives? - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
There was a scholar of the law who stood
up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in
reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your
being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as
yourself.”
He replied to him, “You have answered
correctly; do this and you will live.” But because he wished to justify
himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell
victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and
beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that
road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite
came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But
a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged
them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and
cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you
spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which
of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He
answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do
likewise.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Is there such a word as perfect love? Yes,
there is it’s when we are able to live our love for God and neighbor. To love
God is to worship Him with all our being and to love our neighbor is to
humanize our love for God.
It was very ironic that the priest who was
supposed to love God failed to humanize his love for God same as with the
Levite who was also involved in the service for God. Both the priest and the
Levite failed the test of true love and discipleship because they simply
ignored the man in need of their help.
They might have reasons for ignoring the
man in need but whatever reasons that they might have was not valid at all.
What if the Samaritan did not pass by? The victim may have died due to the
indifference of the two.
It was good that the exemplar of perfect
love (Samaritan) passed by otherwise the victim might have bleed to his death.
Many of us who love and worship God fails
to translate this love to a love for our fellowmen. Some of us are able to
translate this love for God to a love for our neighbor. But we oftentimes limit
our love for our neighbor to those whom we only know and to those who are only
good to us.
If the person in need of our help is not
good to us we may simply pass them by and ignore them just like what the priest
and Levite did. Jesus urges us to follow the example of the Good Samaritan who
exemplified perfect love. He took care of the victim even if he doesn’t know
him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. 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, no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."
And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A blind man fell in love with his neighbor. When he was asked by his parents what made him love the woman, he said, "I can sense her inner beauty, her caring and loving ways. She also has a very gentle and good heart.
Eventually, this man was cured of his blindness and now had a clear picture of the physical appearance of the woman he had fallen in love with. He saw that the woman was not physically beautiful; nevertheless, he still decided to marry her. However, after a few months, the lack of physical beauty somehow diminished his love for her. Soon after, he deserted her for a young and physically attractive woman.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus talks about the indissolubility of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman. He emphasizes that no one has the right to dissolve this marriage. Jesus himself said, "What God has joined together, no human being must separate" (Mark 10:9).
However, many of us still violate the sanctity of the marriage covenant with impunity. Like the man in the story, we allow ourselves to be captivated by external appearance, even when we are already married. But what is external beauty when it will eventually fade away?
There is something far more important than a person's external appearance, and that is their inner character. Inner beauty is far more valuable than what can be seen with our eyes. A person’s attitude, goodness, and gentleness count far more than physical appearance.
Let us be faithful to our marriage covenant. Let us not give room for Satan to destroy this covenant. Satan, who often comes to us with a beautiful or handsome face and a charming body. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, may mga Pariseong lumapit kay Hesus. Ibig nilang masilo siya kaya’t kanilang tinanong, “Naaayon ba sa Kautusan na hiwalayan ng lalaki ang kanyang asawa?” Tugon niya, “Ano ang utos sa inyo ni Moises?” Sumagot naman sila, “Ipinahintulot ni Moises na hiwalayan ng lalaki ang kanyang asawa matapos bigyan ng kasulatan sa paghihiwalay.”
Ngunit sinabi ni Hesus, “Dahil sa katigasan ng inyong ulo kaya niya inilagda ang utos na ito. Subalit sa pasimula pa, nang likhain ng Diyos ang sanlibutan: ‘Nilalang niya silang lalaki at babae. Dahil dito’y iiwan ng lalaki ang kanyang ama at ina, at magsasama sila ng kanyang asawa, at sila’y magiging isa.’ Kaya’t hindi na sila dalawa kundi isa. Ang pinagsama ng Diyos ay huwag paghiwalayin ng tao.”
Pagdating sa bahay, ang mga alagad naman ang nagtanong kay Hesus tungkol sa bagay na ito. Sinabi niya sa kanila, “Ang sinumang lalaking humiwalay sa kanyang asawa at mag-asawa sa iba ay gumagawa ng masama sa kanyang asawa – siya’y nangangalunya. At ang babaing humiwalay sa kanyang asawa at mag-asawa sa iba ay nangangalunya rin.”
May nagdala ng mga bata kay Hesus upang hilinging ipatong niya sa mga ito ang kanyang kamay; ngunit pinagwikaan sila ng mga alagad. Nagalit si Hesus nang makita ito, at sinabi sa kanila, “Pabayaan ninyong lumapit sa akin ang mga bata, huwag ninyo silang sawayin, sapagkat sa mga katulad nila naghahari ang Diyos.
Ito ang tandaan ninyo: ang sinumang hindi tumatanggap sa paghahari ng Diyos tulad ng isang maliit na bata ay hindi mapapabilang sa mga pinaghaharian niya.” At kinalong ni Hesus ang mga bata, ipinatong ang kanyang mga kamay sa kanila at pinagpala sila.
The seventy-two disciples returned rejoicing and said to Jesus, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What does Jesus require from us so that we could know Him deeply? Childlike trust and confidence in Him. We will not know Jesus deeply if we only rely on ourselves no matter how educated and intelligent we are. No matter the volumes of books that we’ve read about Jesus and our faith. No matter how many degrees we have earned. It would still not be enough because we have no childlike trust in the Lord.
If we have childlike trust before Jesus this simply means that we rely on Him and not on ourselves. And we entrust our lives to Him and not entrust it in our hands. The moment we begin to trust Jesus, He also begins to open and equip our minds with knowledge that is not available to those who do not trust Him no matter how intelligent they may be.
The seventy-two disciples came back from their very fruitful mission of spreading the good news because they had childlike trust. And therefore the power of Jesus reigned upon them.
Do you have a childlike trust in the Lord? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, Chorazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done
in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and
ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than
for you. And as for you, Capernaum, ‘Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.’ Whoever listens
to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me
rejects the one who sent me.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Is it possible for us not to sin anymore?
No, as we live here in this world we will continue to
sin for we are mere mortals with frailties. We sin through our thoughts, words
and actions. However, as we keep on sinning God calls us always to repentance
until the time comes that our sins will be diminished.
Amid our humanness and sinfulness God wants us to know
that we need to repent this is why He created the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
For us to humbly submit ourselves and for us to be aware of God’s goodness and
forgiveness. Obviously the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida and
Capernaum were stone hearted. They did not listen to the call of Jesus for them
to repent.
There really are people who are like the people of
Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. No matter how we try to help them and no
matter how hard we gently speak to them. They will not walk away from
their sinfulness they will really not hear us.
This is perhaps the mystery of human psychology; God comes to us yet we refuse
Him. Or we are given advice by those who are concerned for our welfare yet we
refuse to hear them.
So, for those who refuse to hear the wisdom of God and
the wise counsel of the people around them. Be prepared for the consequences
for there are really consequences for those who refuse to hear. But why wait
for the price of our stubbornness to befall us? Why not listen and walk
away from our sinfulness?
Let us repent while we still have time and let us
humbly ask Jesus to forgive us of all our sins. The best vehicle for us to do
this is to humbly submit ourselves to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Jesus appointed seventy-two other
disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he
intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers
are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his
harvest.
Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs
among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along
the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it
will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is
offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from
one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is
set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is at
hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our
feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is
at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for
that town.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Would you be willing to be an ambassador of
Jesus?
It’s hard to respond to this call of Jesus to follow
Him most especially when you see nothing but challenges. For example,
provisions are very scarce, nobody wants to be with you for the simple reason
that they don’t love God as much as you do.
What would you do then? You must carry on! The harder
the challenges in front of you the firmer your resolve to pursue and follow the
Lord. The enemy of God which is no other than the devil will continue to badger
you to give up. It will continue to paint a picture of hopelessness with what
you do for Christ so as to discourage you. But you must not give up. You must
continue to hold on with your desire to partake with the mission of
Jesus.
The statement of Jesus that the harvest is abundant
but the laborers are few is as true as the sunshine today. Each day we see the
decline of the morality and values of many people. Each day we see the
debasement of the sanctity of marriage. Each day we see the disintegration of
families most especially in the so called first world countries. This is the
abundant harvest that Jesus pertains today.
Don’t say that you don’t see any abundant harvest.
Look in your own sphere of environment and you’ll see them. Focus on them;
share Jesus with them thru your words or thru your lifestyle for they are your
abundant harvest. Don’t worry about anything for Jesus is with you, He will
protect you and He will provide for you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, ang Panginoon ay
humirang pa ng pitumpu’t dalawa. Pinauna niya sila nang dala-dalawa sa bawat
bayan at pook na patutunguhan niya. Sinabi niya sa kanila, “Sagana ang aanihin,
ngunit kakaunti ang mga manggagawa. Idalangin ninyo sa may-ari na magpadala
siya ng mga manggagawa sa kanyang bukirin.
Humayo
kayo! Sinusugo ko kayong parang mga kordero sa gitna ng mga asong-gubat. Huwag
kayong magdala ng lukbutan, supot, o panyapak. Huwag na kayong titigil sa daan
upang makipagbatian kaninuman. Pagpasok ninyo sa alinmang bahay, sabihin muna
ninyo, ‘Maghari nawa ang kapayapaan sa bahay na ito!’ Kung maibigin sa
kapayapaan ang nakatira roon, sasakanila ang kapayapaan; ngunit kung hindi,
hindi sila magkakamit nito.
Manatili
kayo sa bahay na inyong tinutuluyan; kanin ninyo at inumin ang anumang idulot
sa inyo – sapagkat ang manggagawa ay may karapatang tumanggap ng kanyang upa.
Huwag kayong magpapalipat-lipat ng bahay. Kapag tinanggap kayo sa alinmang
bayan, kanin ninyo ang anumang ihain sa inyo; pagalingin ninyo ang mga maysakit
doon at sabihin sa bayan, ‘Nalalapit na ang paghahari ng Diyos sa inyo.’
Ngunit
sa alinmang bayang hindi tumanggap sa inyo, lumabas kayo sa mga lansangan nito
at sabihin ninyo, ‘Pati ang alikabok dito na dumikit sa aming mga paa ay
ipinapagpag namin bilang babala sa inyo. Ngunit pakatandaaan ninyong nalalapit
na sa inyo ang paghahari ng Diyos!’ Sinasabi ko sa inyo: sa Araw ng Paghuhukom
ay higit na mabigat ang kaparusahan ng mga tao sa bayang yaon kaysa dinanas ng
mga taga-Sodoma!”
