Reflection for Sunday October 27, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 10:46-52

Gospel: Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. 

But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?”  

The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

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Reflection:

What would happen if you don’t give up on something that you truly desire? Sooner or later you will have what you want. What would happen if you have strong faith? You will never lose hope no matter the difficulties and challenges that you face in your life. 

In the gospel, we hear of a blind man named Bartimaeus. Due to his blindness, there was no way for him to go to Jesus to ask for His healing touch. Therefore, upon hearing that Jesus was passing by, he shouted his prayer to the Lord: 'Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.

He was told to keep quiet by those around him, but he did not obey them. Instead, he shouted even louder: 'Son of David, have pity on me.' His persistence immediately bore fruit, as Jesus heard him. The Lord subsequently called him, and after a brief conversation with Jesus, the blind man regained his sight and became His follower.

The healing of the blind man Bartimaeus shows us that there is hope even if we are in the darkest episodes of our lives there is hope. What is important is we do not give up no matter the difficulties so that we keep the fire of hope burning.  

What if Bartimaeus had easily given up? He would not have been healed by the Lord, nor would he have become His follower. Our prayers can move mountains, as long as we never give up on our faith in the Lord.

Do you have a prayer before the Lord? Don’t give up, continue to be persistent and continue to have faith because the good Lord will soon hear you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita, Linggo Oktubre 27 Ika-30 na Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Marcos 10:46-52

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 10:46-52

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.

Reflection for October 26 Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 13:1-9

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

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.’”

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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 

Ang Mabuting Balita Oktubre 26, Sabado ng Ika-29 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 13:1-9

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 13:1-9

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!’” 

Reflection for October 25 Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:54-59

Gospel: Luke 12:54-59

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.”

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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

Ang Mabuting Balita Oktubre 25, Biyernes ng Ika-29 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 12:54-59

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 12:54-59

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."

Reflection for October 24 Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:49-53

Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

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.

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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

Ang Mabuting Balita Oktubre 24, Huwebes ng Ika-29 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 12:49-53

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 12:49-53

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."

Reflection for October 23 Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:39-48

Gospel: Luke 12:39-48

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.”

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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 

Ang Mabuting Balita Oktubre 23, Miyerkules ng Ika-29 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 12:39-48

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 12:39-48

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."

Reflection for October 22 Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:35-38

Gospel: Luke 12:35-38

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.

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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

Ang Mabuting Balita Oktubre 22, Martes ng Ika-29 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 12:35-38

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 12:35-38

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.” 

Reflection for October 21 Monday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 12:13-21

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

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.”

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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 

Ang Mabuting Balita Oktubre 21, Lunes ng Ika-29 Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 12:13-21

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 12:13-21

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."