Noong panahong iyon, dumating si Hesus sa Jerico, kasama ang kanyang mga alagad at marami pang iba. Nang umaalis na sila roon, may naraanan silang isang bulag na nakaupo sa tabi ng daan at namamalimos. Siya’y si Bartimeo, anak ni Timeo. Nang marinig niyang naroon si Hesus na taga-Nazaret, sumigaw siya ng ganito: “Hesus, Anak ni David, mahabag po kayo sa akin!”
Pinagsabihan siya ng mga tao at pinatatahimik, ngunit lalo pa siyang nagsisigaw, “Anak ni David, mahabag po kayo sa akin!” Tumigil si Hesus at kanyang sinabi, “Tawagin ninyo siya.” At tinawag nga nila ang bulag. “Lakasan mo ang iyong loob,” sabi nila. “Tumindig ka. Ipinatatawag ka niya.”
Iniwaksi niya ang kanyang balabal, paluksong tumayo at lumapit kay Hesus. “Ano ang ibig mong gawin ko sa iyo?” tanong sa kanya ni Hesus. Sumagot ang bulag, “Guro, ibig ko po sanang makakita.” Sinabi ni Hesus, “Humayo ka; magaling ka na dahil sa iyong pananalig.” Noon di’y nakakita siya, at sumunod kay Hesus.
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to
them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent, you
will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the
tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than everyone
else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable: “There once
was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in
search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years
now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut
it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave
it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize
it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Why is there a need for us to repent now?
The simple answer is because we are all sinners. We sin almost every day
through ours words, actions and thoughts.
What if we suddenly die and we are not
able to repent for the reason that we keep on delaying our repentance? We miss
the golden opportunity to be with Jesus in heaven and we have nobody to blame
but us.
Repentance frees us from the burden of sin
and guilt. It frees our souls and it opens the door of God’s blessings for us.
What if we refuse to repent and instead continue on sinning? We then have to be
prepared for the consequence/s of our stubbornness and sinfulness.
In the church complete repentance occurs
the moment we decide to humbly submit ourselves to the healing Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Here we humbly ask forgiveness from the Lord, here we allow God
to heal us from the wounds of sin.
When was your last Confession? – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Dumating noon ang ilang mga tao at
ibinalita kay Hesus na ipinapatay ni Pilato ang ilang Galileo samantalang ang
mga ito’y naghahandog sa Diyos. Sinabi niya sa kanila, “Akala ba ninyo, higit
na makasalanan ang mga Galileong ito kaysa ibang mga taga-Galilea dahil sa
gayun ang sinapit nila? Hindi! Ngunit sinasabi ko sa inyo: kapag hindi ninyo
pinagsisihan at tinalikdan ang inyong mga kasalanan, mapapahamak din kayong
lahat.
At ang labingwalong namatay nang mabagsakan ng tore sa Siloe – sa
akala ba ninyo’y higit silang makasalanan kaysa ibang naninirahan sa Jerusalem?
Hindi! Ngunit sinasabi ko sa inyo: kapag hindi ninyo pinagsisihan at tinalikdan
ang inyong mga kasalanan, mapapahamak din kayong lahat.”
Sinasabi sa kanila ni Hesus ang talinghagang ito: “May isang tao
na may puno ng igos sa kanyang ubasan. Minsan, tiningnan niya kung may bunga
ito, ngunit wala siyang nakita. Kaya’t sinabi niya sa tagapag-alaga ng ubasan,
‘Tatlong taon na akong pumaparito at naghahanap ng bunga sa punong ito, ngunit
wala akong makita.
Putulin mo na! Nakasisikip lang
iyan!’ Ngunit sumagot ang tagapag-alaga, ‘Huwag po muna nating putulin sa taong
ito. Huhukayan ko ang palibot at lalagyan ng pataba. Kung mamunga po ito sa
darating na taon, mabuti; ngunit kung hindi, putulin na natin!’”
Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a
cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it
does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that
it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret
the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret
the present time?
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If
you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle
the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into
prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last
penny.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you consult fortunetellers to learn about your future?
Fortunetellers make a living by means of predicting
the obvious things that will happen in our future. There are those who believe because
what they foretold became a reality. So, they make a habit of consulting
fortunetellers whenever there are major decisions to be made.
For some who cannot afford to pay their services. They
make do by reading the daily horoscope available for free in some internet
sites and other newspapers. And if what is written in their horoscopes is not
favorable for them they would be bothered by it.
If we have faith in Jesus, there’s no need to consult
anyone regarding our future. We only have to get closer to Jesus through
prayer, by listening to Him who directly speaks to us when we read the bible
and through our pious attendance at Holy Mass.
Jesus is always an ever-present friend who is always
there for us. He will not predict our future based on the obvious signs of the
times. But He will always be an omnipresent companion as we walk from our
present going to our future. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Jesus
sa mga tao, "Kapag nakita ninyong Makapal ang ulap sa kanluran, sinasabi
ninyong uulan, at gayon nga ang nangyayari. At kung umiihip ang hanging timog
ay sinasabi ninyong iinit, at nagkakagayon nga. Mga mapagpaimbabaw! Marunong
kayong bumasa ng palatandaan sa lupa't sa langit, bakit hindi ninyo mabasa ang
mga tanda ng kasalukuyang panahon?
"Bakit
hindi ninyo mapagpasiyahan kung alin ang matuwid? Kapag isinakdal ka sa
hukuman, makipag-ayos ka sa nagsakdal habang may panahon; baka kaladkarin ka
niya sa hukuman, at ibigay ka ng hukom sa tanod, at ibilanggo ka naman nito.
Sinasabi ko sa iyo: hindi ka makalalabas doon hangga't hindi mo nababayaran ang
kahuli-hulihang sentimo."
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come
to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a
baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is
accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be
divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided
against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and
a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is
told about a man who rebuked his wayward
sister for not living her life properly. While in the process of reprimand the
sister angrily walked out from his brother. She told him not to meddle in her
life and to mind his own life not hers.. By having the courage to correct a
wayward behavior the brother unexpectedly created enmity and an enemy for
himself.
This is the reality of a life with Jesus there would
be times that we would be hated and ostracized by our fellowmen for doing what
is right. But we must not be bothered by these temporal difficult circumstances
in our lives. We must always have the courage to speak out and correct a
wayward behavior no matter what the cost because this is part of our mission as
followers of Christ.
If we would not correct a wrong behavior and just go
with the flow even if it’s wrong. We are betraying Christ and sad to say, we
are not also a true follower of Christ. For the simple reason that we are
afraid to create an enemy for the sake of Jesus Christ.
We will always pay a worldly price that is sometimes
painful to accept for the sake of our passionate discipleship for Jesus. We may
even temporarily or even permanently create enemies or lose friends and even
relatives for HIS sake.
But let us not be afraid of having frayed
relationships for the sake of our faithful disciples for Jesus. Because we are
already complete if we have Jesus in our life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad, "Naparito ako upang magdala ng apoy sa lupa -- at sana'y napagningas na ito! May isang binyag pa na dapat kong tanggapin, at nababagabag ako hangga't hindi natutupad ito! Akala ba ninyo'y pumarito ako upang magdala ng kapayapaan sa lupa?
Sinasabi ko sa inyo: hindi kapayapaan kundi pagkabaha-bahagi. Mula ngayon, ang lima katao sa isang sambahayan ay mababahagi: tatlo laban sa dalawa at dalawa laban sa tatlo. Maglalaban-laban ang ama at ang anak na lalaki, ang ina at ang anak na babae, at gayon din ang biyenang babae, at manugang na babae."
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of
this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at
an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Then Peter
said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord
replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will
put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper
time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say
to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says
to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the
menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that
servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will
punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant
who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with
his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his
master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten
only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and
still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you a
faithful and prudent steward of the Lord?
We are all
just stewards of everything that we have. It’s not ours everything that we have
right now is only lent to us by God. For example, the power that we have, the
intelligence, the material wealth and our spiritual gift and so forth. As
such, we should properly manage and use what we have in our possession.
We should all be worthy stewards; we should put to good use whatever talents
that God has given us.
However, if
we would not be up to the task that God has given us. We can rest assure that
eventually everything that we have will be taken from us because we were not
worthy of the blessings that God bestowed on us.
The gospel
today talks about the coming of the Son of Man. The servants who were
caught unaware were busy doing their own thing. These servants are like some of
us; always very busy with the things of this world. We forget God or God
becomes only our second or third priority.
We must put
God forward first, before anything else it should be God first. How about the
things of this world? It should be secondary. When we put God first and we
abhor sin everything else would follow including our needs for daily living. -
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad, "Tandaan ninyo ito: kung alam lamang ng puno ng sambahayan kung anong oras darating ang magnanakaw, hindi niya pababayaang pasukin ang kanyang bahay. Kayo ma'y dapat humanda, sapagkat darating ang Anak ng Tao sa oras na hindi ninyo inaasahan."
Itinanong ni Pedro, "Panginoon, sinasabi po ba ninyo ang talinghagang ito para sa amin o para sa lahat?" Tumugon ang Panginoon, "Sino nga ang tapat at matalinong alipin? Hindi ba siya ang pamamahalain ng kanyang panginoon sa sambahayan nito, upang magbigay sa ibang mga alipin ng kanilang pagkain sa karampatang panahon? Mapalad ang aliping iyon, kapag dinatnan siyang gumagawa ng gayon pagbabalik ng kanyang panginoon.
Sinasabi ko sa inyo: pamamahalain siya ng kanyang panginoon sa lahat ng ari-arian nito. Ngunit kung sabihin sa sarili ng aliping iyon, 'Matatagalan pa bago magbalik ang aking ppanginoon,' at simulan niyang bugbugin ang ibang aliping lalaki at babae, at kumain, uminom, at maglasing, darating ang panginoon ng aliping yaon sa araw na hindi niya inaasahan at sa oras na hindi niya alam. Buong higpit na parurusahan siya ng panginoon, at isasama sa mga di-tapat.
"At ang aliping nakaaalam ng kalooban ng kanyang panginoon ngunit hindi naghanda ni sumunod sa kalooban nito ay tatanggap ng mabigat na parusa. Ngunit ang aliping hindi nakaaalam ng kalooban ng kanyang panginoon at gumawa ng mga bagay na nararapat niyang pagdusahan ay tatanggap ng magaang na parusa. Ang binigyan ng maraming bagay ay hahanapan ng maraming bagay; at ang pinagkatiwalaan ng lalong maraming bagay ay pananagutin sa lalong maraming bagay."
Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your
loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return
from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are
those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in
the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those
servants.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you afraid to die?
The thought of death is something that we always
dread; we never want to speak about it. But death is one reality of life that
will come to each one of us. No one is exempted, rich or poor, educated or not
educated, whoever we are it will eventually come to us.
Jesus in our gospel is calling us to prepare for the
unannounced coming of the Lord in our lives. It’s sad that the coming of the
Lord comes to many of us through our death only. But do we need to be sad? For
example if we are given by our doctor a month to live, should we be sad with
this heart wrenching news? Of course we are entitled to be sad for this is part
of our being human.
But after a while the sadness should be replaced by
our confidence and faith in God. For the reason that we actually have nothing
to fear about death if we have strong faith in the Lord. For some, death is
even welcome news for them. How could this be?
Ahh, the reason is very simple; they have long
prepared for this by their obedience and closeness to Jesus. As such they are
not afraid to die and meet God who by the way is the author of our lives.
Therefore, it’s always imperative for us to take
seriously the advice of Jesus to the disciples. To always be prepared for the
coming of the Lord for we don’t know when it will be.
Are you already prepared for the Lord’s coming into
your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang
mga alagad, “Maging handa kayo at sindihan ang inyong mga ilawan. Tumulad kayo
sa mga taong naghihintay sa pag-uwi ng kanilang panginoon mula sa kasalan, para
pagdating niya ay mabuksan agad ang pinto. Mapalad ang mga alipin na abutang
nagbabantay pagdating ng kanilang panginoon.
Sinasabi
ko sa inyo, maghahanda siya, padudulugin sila sa hapag, at maglilingkod sa
kanila. Mapapalad sila kung maratnan niya silang handa, dumating man siya ng
hatinggabi o madaling-araw siya dumating.”
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him,
“Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the
crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s
life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose
land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do
not have space to store my harvest? And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I
shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my
grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so
many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!
But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life
will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they
belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is
not rich in what matters to God.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What will be
the scenario when we are a few inches away from the doorway of death? Would we
still be concerned about our wealth? No, not anymore what would be of prime
importance during that time are the relationships that we’ve built.
The first that will matter is the relationship that
we’ve built with God, the next is the relationship that we’ve built with our
relatives and friends. Our wealth no matter how enormous will not occupy a
space in our minds.
Why is this so? Because wealth will not count as our
ticket to heaven, what will count is the relationship that we have created with
God. What will count are the good deeds that we’ve done to those who are in
need.
But the paradox is so many of us today who are
alive and healthy are actively in pursuit of wealth and power. That we don’t
anymore care how many lives would we be stepping on just to have it. We don’t
anymore care if we will be called greedy or corrupt just to have it.
In our gospel for this Monday, Jesus is teaching us
not to live our lives for the accumulation of wealth, He teaches us to be
generous and not greedy. Jesus teaches us instead to build a relationship with
Him and to spread and share our blessings.
What occupies most of your time right now, is it still
the accumulation of wealth and other worldly things? – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Sinabi kay Jesus ng isa sa mga naroon, "Guro, iutos nga po ninyo sa kapatid ko na ibigay sa akin ang bahagi ko sa aming mana." Sumagot siya, "Ginoo, sino ang naglagay sa akin bilang hukom o tagapaghati ng mana ninyo?" At sinabi niya sa kanilang lahat: "Mag-ingat kayo sa lahat ng uri ng kasakiman; sapagkat ang buhay ng tao ay wala sa laki ng kayamanan.
" At pagkatapos ay isinaysay ni Jesus ang talinghaggang ito: Ang bukirin ng isang mayaman ay umani nang sagana. Kaya't sinabi niya sa sarili, 'Ano ang gagawin ko? Wala na akong paglagyan ng aking ani! A, gigibain ko ang aking mga kamalig, at magtatayo ako ng lalong mas malalaki. Doon ko ilalagay ang aking ani at ari-arian. At sasabihin ko sa aking sarili, Ayan! marami na akong ari-arian!
Hindi na ako kukulangin habambuhay! Kaya't mamamahinga na lang ako, kakain, iinom, at magsasaya!' Ngunit sinabi sa kanya ng Diyos, 'Hangal! Sa gabing ito'y babawian ka ng buhay. Kanino mapupunta ang mga bagay na inihanda mo?' Ganyan ang sasapitin ng nagtitipon ng kayamanan para sa sarili, ngunit dukha naman sa paningin ng Diyos."
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to
Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask
of you." He replied, "What do you wish me to do for you?" They
answered him, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and
the other at your left."
Jesus said to them, "You do not know what
you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the
baptism with which I am baptized?" They said to him, "We can."
Jesus said to them, "The cup that I drink, you will drink, and with the
baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right
or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been
prepared."
When the ten heard this, they became indignant
at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, "You know that
those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones make their authority over them felt.
But it shall not be so among you. Rather,
whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be
first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be
served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A young man aspired to become a priest. When he
was asked by the person in charge of screening the aspirants why he wanted to
become a priest, he said, "I want to serve the people, and I want to be
their servant.
However, this was not his true motivation.
The young man wanted to be a priest because he desired power. He wanted the
people of his community to look up to him, and he yearned for their respect and
adulation.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, we have the brothers
James and John, who asked to be seated beside Jesus in His kingdom. Why did
they ask for this undeserved honor? What were they thinking when they made such
a shameful request? Were they truly following Jesus to serve, or were they
simply seeking power and adulation?
We can see that the real intention of James and
John was to show the people that they were close to Jesus. In their minds,
sitting beside Him symbolized power and influence. They believed that, like
Jesus, they too would be revered and adored.
How many of us truly understand that following
Jesus means embracing humility and sacrifice? How many of us realize that being
close to Jesus requires letting go of power? How many of us know that being
close to Jesus is not about seeking adulation and respect?
We will never be close to Jesus if we seek power
and adulation. True closeness with Jesus requires us to reject these desires.
When we turn away from power and adulation, we begin to embrace servanthood and
humility, which Jesus embodies.
