(Jesus said)
“Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden
herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God. These you
should have done, without overlooking the others. Woe to you Pharisees! You
love the seat of honor in synagogues and greetings in marketplaces. Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk.”
Then one of
the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are
insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You
impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one
finger to touch them.”
+ + + +
++ +
Reflection:
Where does
this anger of Jesus toward the Pharisees and the scholars of the law come from?
It originates from their hypocrisy! The Pharisees and the scholars of the law
are good at creating laws for the people to follow, yet they don’t follow them
themselves.
They use
their self-created laws as instruments to beguile and eventually enslave their
people. Instead of introducing God to them, they ultimately present themselves
as gods to their people.
Their style
of leadership is leadership by deception and many of our Politicians has this
kind of leadership. They pretend and project themselves to be leaders. But they
have the stomach to corrupt money that is for the poor, how could they do this
to the masses that they are supposed to truthfully serve?
Politicians
are not alone in this kind of pharisaic mentality we too are often times guilty
of this mentality. We tell others or even our children not to do this and that
yet when nobody is watching anymore we are the main violators of the rules that
we create.
The truth
hurts, but it is the truth, and we have to accept it. Hopefully, we can use
this as a springboard to live our lives according to the teachings of Jesus,
rather than the false and self-serving teachings of the Pharisees and the
scholars of the law. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus, "Kawawa kayo, mga Pariseo! Ibinibigay
ninyo ang ikapu ng yerbabuena, ng ruda, at ng iba pang gulayin, ngunit
kinaliligtaan ninyo ang katarungan at ang pag-ibig sa Diyos. Tamang gawin ninyo
ito ngunit huwag naman ninyong kaliligtaang gawin ang mga iba.
"Kawawa
kayo, mga Pariseo! Sapagkat ang ibig ninyo'y ang mga tanging luklukan sa mga
sinagoga, at ang pagpugayan kayo sa mga liwasang-bayan. Sa aba ninyo! Sapagkat
para kayong mga libingang walang tanda, at nalalakaran ng mga tao nang hindi
nila nalalaman."
Sinabi
sa kanya ng isa sa mga dalubhasa sa Kautusan, "Guro, sa sinabi mong iyan
pati kami'y kinukutya mo." At sinagot siya ni Jesus, "Kawawa rin
kayo, mga dalubhasa sa Kautusan! Sapagkat ipinapapasan ninyo sa mga tao ang
mabibigat na dalahin, ngunit ni daliri'y ayaw ninyong igalaw sa pagdadala ng
mga iyon."
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited
him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee
was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the
meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you
cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder
and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But
as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What do you do when you invite people to dine in your
home?
Many of us discreetly observe them especially if our
invited guests are few the more that we observe them. We sometimes pretend to
be busy but we observe them quietly: How they behave and so forth.
However, amidst our being observant Jesus wants to
tell us something: Let us not judge them based on their behavior. Because our
judgment based on what we see do not really represent who they really are.
There’s a whole lot more that we could discover from them if we would not be
quick on judging them.
It feeds our ego when we are noticed based on our
external appearance: What we do, the clothes that we wear, our physical
appearance etc. The more that we are noticed the more that we would reinforce
our external actions. These are all superficial, before God these egocentric
actions count for nothing before the eyes of God.
What counts before God are those that are not seen by
our eyes. What counts before the Lord is what is inside us not what is outside
of us. Those that are not seen such as: Clean conscience, a caring, forgiving
and loving heart and a mind that has no place for ill thoughts.
Perhaps, the Pharisee in the gospel invited Jesus to
his house not out of his goodwill and kindness. He invited Jesus because he
wants to see if Jesus would subscribe to the many rituals of their Jewish
faith.
Are many of us not like this Pharisee? When friends
come to our house we also observe them as to how they would behave. And based
on what we saw we would now conjure our unfavorable conclusion towards
them.
But our judgment is often wrong for we don’t know
what’s inside the heart of the person. And besides, it’s hard to judge based
solely on the few times that we’ve observed them. Let us not judge quickly and
let us not judge based on what we see.
Noong panahong iyon, pagkatapos
magsalita ni Hesus, siya’y inanyayahan ng isang Pariseo upang kumain, kaya’t
pumunta siya sa bahay nito. Pagdulog sa hapag, nagtaka ang Pariseo nang makita
niyang kumain si Hesus nang hindi muna naghugas ng kamay.
Sinabi
sa kanya ng Panginoon, “Kayong mga Pariseo, hinuhugasan ninyo ang labas ng tasa
at ng pinggan, ngunit ang loob ninyo’y punong-puno ng kasakiman at kasamaan.
Mga hangal! Hindi ba’t ang may likha ng labas ang siya ring may likha ng loob?
Ngunit ipamahagi muna ninyo sa mga dukha ang mga laman ng mga sisidlan at
magiging malinis ang lahat ng bagay para sa inyo.”
While still more people gathered in the
crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a
sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah
became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this
generation.
At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with
the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the
ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater
than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with
this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they
repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
How would you react if somebody tells you to mend your
ways and repent from all of your sinfulness? Will you not feel insulted and
antagonized? Many of us would feel insulted and antagonized because the call
for us to mend our ways is prophetic and true.
We get angry when others tell us to repent and walk
away from all of our sinfulness but why get angry when they are telling the
truth? Why get angry when those who are telling us to mend our ways are only
concerned for our own well-being?
Many listened to Jesus during His public
ministry but a lot more did not listen as well. In fact very few listened
to Jesus among the high and mighty because they loved sin more than the wise
counsel of Jesus. Isn’t this happening today? Many of us love sin
(disguised as pleasure/s) more than we love Jesus?
This is the paradox of our social media driven times
today. Many of us today give more time to our high-tech gadgets than listen to
Jesus by reading His words. Many of us have more time with our earthy
undertakings than have our important quite time with Jesus. What will happen to
us if we don’t anymore listen to Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, samantalang
dumaragsa ang mga tao, sinabi ni Hesus, “Napakasama ng lahing ito! Naghahanap
sila ng palatandaan mula sa langit, subalit walang ipapakita sa kanila maliban
sa palatandaang inilalarawan ng nangyari kay Jonas.
Kung paanong naging isang palatandaan
si Jonas sa mga taga-Ninive, gayun din naman, magiging isang palatandaan sa lahing
ito ang Anak ng Tao. Sa Araw ng Paghuhukom, titindig ang Reyna ng Timog
laban sa lahing ito at sila’y hahatulan niya ng kaparusahan. Sapagkat
nanggaling siya sa dulo ng daigdig upang pakinggan ang karunungan ni Solomon;
ngunit higit na di-hamak kay Solomon ang naririto!
Sa Araw ng Paghuhukom ay titindig ang
mga taga-Ninive laban sa lahing ito at hahatulan ng kaparusahan, sapagkat
nagsisi sila dahil sa pangangaral ni Jonas; ngunit higit na di-hamak kay Jonas
ang naririto!”
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother."
He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 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."
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, "Then who can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God." Peter began to say to him, "We have given up everything and followed you."
Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
There were two neighbors: one was rich, and the other was poor. The rich neighbor’s family was always busy, and they hardly had time for God. The poor neighbor’s family always made sure to set aside time to worship Jesus at Holy Mass. They also made time to pray together as a family at home.
After fifteen (15) years, there was a reversal of fortunes for the two neighbors. The rich family became poor, and their children did not achieve success. The poor family, on the other hand, became wealthy, and their children were successful in their chosen careers.
Our obsession and greed for earthly treasures, if not corrected, will always lead us away from loving and following Jesus. It can also result in our downfall and disgrace.
What is the use of earthly treasures if we have no peace of mind? What is the value of a big house and vast property if they only lead to disagreements and arguments within the family? What is the benefit of temporal wealth if it destroys communication among family members?
It’s better to be poor as long as you have God in your family. It’s better to live in a small house with God’s presence than in a mansion without Him. It’s better to own no material wealth as long as you have the greatest treasure of all, which is Jesus.
In our Gospel this Sunday, there is a man who stood on the verge of following Jesus. Yet, he walked away because he couldn’t part with his material treasures—treasures that, by the way, are temporary and often disturb our minds rather than bring us peace.
How about you? Will you give up your temporal treasures in favor of having Jesus in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, habang paalis na si Jesus
ay may isang lalaking patakbong lumapit, lumuhod sa harapan niya at nagtanong,
"Mabuting Guro, ano po ang dapat kong gawin upang magkamit ng buhay na
walang hanggan?" Sumagot si Jesus, "Bakit mo ako tinatawag na mabuti?
Walang mabuti kundi ang Diyos.
Alam mo ang mga utos: 'Huwag kang papatay; huwag
kang mangangalunya; huwag kang magnanakaw; huwag kang magsisinungaling sa iyong
pagsaksi; huwag kang magdadaya; igalang mo ang iyong ama't ina.' "
"Guro," sabi ng lalaki, ang lahat po ng iya'y tinutupad ko na mula pa
sa aking pagkabata."
Magiliw siyang tinitigan ni Jesus, at sinabi sa
kanya, "Isang bagay pa ang kulang sa iyo. Humayo ka, ipagbili mo ang iyong
ari-arian at ibigay sa mga dukha ang pinagbilhan, at magkakaroon ka ng
kayamanan sa langit. Pagkatapos, bumalik ka at sumunod sa akin." Namanglaw
ang lalaki nang marinig ito, at malungkot na umalis, sapagkat siya'y
napakayaman.
Tiningnan ni Jesus ang mga nasa paligid niya at
sinabi sa kanyang mga alagad, "Napakahirap mapabilang ang mayayaman sa mga
pinaghaharian ng Diyos." Nagtaka ang mga alagad sa pananalitang ito.
Muling sinabi ni Jesus, "Mga anak, talagang napakahirap mapabilang sa mga
pinaghaharian ng Diyos!
Madali pang makaraan ang kamelyo sa butas ng
karayom kaysa pasakop sa paghahari ng Diyos ang isang mayaman." Lalong
nagtaka ang mga alagad, kaya't sila'y nagtanungan, "Kung gayo'y sino ang
maliligtas?" Tinitigan sila ni Jesus at sinabi sa kanila, "Hindi ito
magagawa ng tao, ngunit hindi ito mahirap sa Diyos. Magagawa ng Diyos ang lahat
ng bagay."
At nagsalita si Pedro, "Tingnan po ninyo,
iniwan namin ang lahat at kami'y sumunod sa inyo." Sinabi ni Jesus,
"Tandaan ninyo ito: ang sinumang mag-iwan ng bahay, o mga kapatid, ina,
ama, mga anak, mga lupa, dahil sa akin at sa Mabuting Balita, ay tatanggap ng
makasandaang ibayo sa buhay na ito-- mga bahay, mga kapatid, mga ina, mga anak,
at mga lupa--ngunit may kalakip na pag-uusig. At sa kabilang buhay ay
magkakaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan."
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
Noong panahong iyon, matapos
palayasin ni Hesus ang isang demonyo, nanggilalas ang mga tao. Ngunit may ilan
sa kanila ang nagsabi, “Si Beelzebul na prinsipe ng mga demonyo ang nagbigay sa
kanya ng kapangyarihang magpalayas ng mga demonyo.” May iba namang nais siyang
subukin, kaya’t nagsabi, “Magpakita ka ng kababalaghang magpapakilala na ang
Diyos ang sumasaiyo.”
Ngunit batid ni Hesus ang kanilang iniisip, kaya’t sinabi sa
kanila, “Babagsak ang bawat kahariang nahahati sa magkakalabang pangkat at
mawawasak ang mga bahay roon. Kung maghimagsik si Satanas laban sa kanyang
sarili, paano mananatili ang kanyang kaharian? Sinasabi ninyong nagpapalayas
ako ng mga demonyo sapagkat binigyan ako ni Beelzebul ng kapangyarihang
ito.
Kung ako’y nagpapalayas ng mga demonyo sa pamamagitan ni
Beelzebul, sino naman ang nagbigay ng kapangyarihan sa inyong mga tagasunod na
makagawa ng gayun? Sila na rin ang nagpapatunay na maling-mali kayo. Ngayon,
kung ako’y nagpapalayas ng mga demonyo sa pamamagitan ng kapangyarihan ng
Diyos, nangangahulugang dumating na sa inyo ang paghahari ng Diyos.
“Kapag ang isang taong malakas at nasasandatahan ay nagbabantay sa
kanyang bahay, malayo sa panganib ang kanyang ari-arian. Ngunit kung salakayin
siya at talunin ng isang taong higit na malakas, sasamsamin nito ang mga
sandatang kanyang inaasahan at ipamamahagi ang ari-ariang inagaw. “Ang hindi
panig sa akin ay laban sa akin, at nagkakalat ang hindi tumutulong sa kaing
mag-ipon.
“Kapag
lumabas na mula sa tao ang isang masamang espiritu, ito’y gumagala sa mga
tigang na lugar at naghahanap ng mapagpapahingahan. Kung walang matagpuan ay
sasabihin nito sa sarili, ‘Babalik ako sa bahay na aking pinanggalingan.’
Pagbabalik ay matatagpuan niyang malinis na ang bahay at maayos. Kaya, lalabas
siyang muli at magsasama ng pito pang espiritung masasama kaysa kanya, at
papasok sila at maninirahan doon. Kaya’t sumasama kaysa dati ang kalagayan ng
taong iyon.”
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
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad, "Ipalagay natin na ang isa sa inyo'y nagpunta sa isang kaibigan isang hatinggabi at nagsabi, 'Kaibigan, bigyan mo muna ako ng tatlong tinapay. Dumating kase ang isa kong kaibigang naglalakbay at wala akong maihain sa kanya!'
At ganito naman ang sagot ng kanyang kaibigan sa loob ng bahay. 'Huwag mo nga akong gambalain! Nakatrangka na ang pinto at nakahiga na kami ng aking mga anak. Hindi na ako makababangon pa upang bigyan kita ng iyong kailangan.' Sinasabi ko sa inyo, hindi man siya bumangon dahil sa kanilang pagkakaibigan, babangon siya upang ibigay ang hinihingi ng kaibigan dahil sa pagpupumilit nito.
Kaya sinasabi ko sa inyo: Humingi kayo, at kayo'y bibigyan, humanap kayo at kayo'y makasusumpong; kumatok kayo, at ang pinto'y bubuksan para sa inyo. Sapagkat tumatanggap ang bawat humihingi; nakasusumpong ang bawat humahanap; at binubuksan ang pinto sa bawat kumakatok.
Kayong mga ama, bibigyan ba ninyo ng ahas ang inyong anak kung humihingi ng isda? Bibigyan ba ninyo siya ng alakdan kung siya'y humihingi ng itlog? Kung kayong masasama ay marunong magbigay ng mabubuting bagay sa inyong mga anak, gaano pa kaya ang inyong Amang nasa langit! Ibibigay niya ang Espiritu Santo sa mga humihingi sa kanya!"
