The next day, the crowd that remained
across the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had
not gone along with his disciples in the boat, but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his
disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum
looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I
say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you
ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food
that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him
the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to
accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the
work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A man was
once asked why he attends the celebration of the Holy Mass every day. He said
that he does so because he wants to be nourished by Jesus every day. Then he
said these very profound words: “I don’t have the heart to refuse Jesus, who
always offers Himself to me during Holy Communion.”
Almost every
day of our lives, Jesus offers Himself to us through Holy Communion during the
celebration of the Holy Mass. He is the food that does not perish, and He is
the food that gives eternal life. Yet we oftentimes take Him for granted,
choosing not to go to Holy Mass even when we have the luxury of time.
But when are
we going to Jesus? When we are already in dire need of Him? Let us not wait for
the time when we are forced to go to Jesus—because we are already sick or only
a few breaths away from death.
Let us take
advantage of the present moment we have each day. Let us go to Jesus now. For
everything is ours to gain; we will lose nothing—except our sinfulness—the
moment we decide to go to Jesus.
Do you always
go to Jesus, who always offers Himself to you in the celebration of the Holy
Mass? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Kinabukasan, nakita ng mga taong nanatili sa ibayo ng lawa na naroon pa ang isang bangka. Alam nilang si Hesus ay hindi kasama ng mga alagad, sapagkat ang mga ito lamang ang sumakay sa bangka at umalis.
Dumating naman ang ilang bangkang galing sa Tiberias at sumadsad sa lugar na malapit sa kinainan nila ng tinapay matapos magpasalamat sa Panginoon. Nang makita ng mga tao na wala na roon si Hesus, ni ang kanyang mga alagad, sila’y sumakay sa mga bangka at pumunta rin sa Capernaum upang hanapin si Hesus.
Nakita nila si Hesus sa ibayo ng lawa, at kanilang tinanong, “Rabi, kailan pa kayo rito?” Sumagot si Hesus, “Sinasabi ko sa inyo: hinahanap ninyo ako, hindi dahil sa mga kababalaghang nakita ninyo, kundi dahil sa nakakain kayo ng tinapay at nabusog. Gumawa kayo, hindi upang magkaroon ng pagkaing hindi nasisira at nagbibigay ng buhay na walang hanggan.
Ibibigay ito sa inyo ng Anak ng Tao, sapagkat siya ang binigyan ng kapangyarihan ng Diyos Ama.” Kaya’t siya’y tinanong nila, “Ano po ang dapat naming gawin upang aming maganap ang kalooban ng Diyos?” “Ito ang ipinagagawa sa inyo ng Diyos: manalig kayo sa sinugo niya,” tugon ni Hesus.
At that time, Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told of a mother who would always pray to the Lord to help her make her children responsible, loving and successful. When her children grew older and had their own respective families, they became very responsible, loving and successful. The mother would always thank the Lord for granting her prayer for her children.
Do you always seek the guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ whenever you want to achieve something in your life? Do you always ask the Lord to help you realize it?
In the Gospel, still grieving and feeling lost because of Jesus’ death, the disciples reverted to their livelihood as fishermen. They went fishing by their own effort, and perhaps they forgot about the Lord—thinking that He had not risen.
Then, out of nowhere, as they approached the shore, the risen Christ was already there waiting. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered Him, “No” (John 21:5). Jesus said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish (John 21:6).
We see the miraculous influence that Jesus has in the lives of the disciples. When they went fishing without Jesus, they caught nothing—but when Jesus came into the picture, they caught plenty of fish.
This Gospel scenario is also applicable in our daily lives. If we do things by ourselves without seeking the guidance of the Lord, we will end up with nothing. Every activity or endeavor that we pursue without the Lord’s guidance is ultimately meaningless and empty.
But the moment we ask Jesus to be our guiding light in the pursuit of our goals and life’s endeavors, we will surely be able to achieve them—for the simple reason that we have invoked the guidance and help of the Lord.
Jesus is alive and risen! He makes the impossible possible, no matter how difficult it may seem. He gives hope to the hopeless. He makes a meaningless life meaningful and filled with purpose. We only need to do one thing—and that is to ask for His help and guidance.
Do you always pray for the Lord’s help and guidance as you pass through the many challenges of your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, muling napakita
si Hesus sa mga alagad sa tabi ng Lawa ng Tiberias. Ganito ang pangyayari.
Magkakasama sina Simon Pedro, Tomas na tinaguriang Kambal, Natanael na
taga-Cana, Galilea, ang mga anak ni Zebedeo, at dalawang pang alagad.
Sinabi sa kanila ni Simon Pedro,
“Mangingisda ako.” “Sasama kami,” wika nila. Umalis sila at lumulan sa bangka,
subalit walang nahuli nang gabing iyon. Nang magbubukang-liwayway na, tumayo si
Hesus sa pampang, subalit hindi siya nakilala ng mga alagad. Sinabi niya, “Mga
anak, mayroon ba kayong huli?” “Wala po,” tugon nila. “Ihulog ninyo ang lambat
sa gawing kanan ng bangka at makahuhuli kayo,” sabi ni Hesus.
Inihulog nga nila ang lambat at hindi
nila ito mahila sa dami ng huli. Sinabi kay Pedro ng alagad na minamahal ni
Hesus, “Ang Panginoon iyon!” Nang marinig ito ni Simon Pedro, siya’y nagsuot ng
damit sapagkat hubad siya at tumalon sa tubig. Ang kasama niyang mga alagad ay
sumapit sa pampang, sakay ng munting bangka, hila-hila ang lambat na puno ng
isda.
Hindi sila gaanong kalayuan sa
pampang – mga siyamnapung metro lamang. Pag-ahon nila sa pampang ay nakakita
sila roon ng mga baga na may isdang nakaihaw, at ilang tinapay. “Magdala kayo
rito ng ilang isdang nahuli ninyo,” sabi ni Hesus. Kaya’t sumampa sa bangka si
Simon Pedro at hinila sa pampang ang lambat na puno ng malalaking isda –
sandaan at limampu’t tatlong lahat.
Hindi napunit ang lambat, kahit gaano
karami ang isda. “Halikayo at mag-almusal tayo,” sabi ni Hesus. Isa man sa mga
alagad ay walang nangahas magtanong sa kanya kung sino siya, sapagkat alam nila
na siya ang Panginoon. Lumapit si Hesus, kinuha ang tinapay at ibinigay sa
kanila, gayon din ang isda.
Ito ang ikatlong pagpapakita ni Hesus
sa mga alagad pagkatapos na siya’y muling mabuhay.
Pagkakain nila, tinanong ni Hesus si
Simon Pedro, “Simon, anak ni Juan, iniibig mo ba ako nang higit kaysa mga ito?”
“Opo, Panginoon, nalalaman ninyong iniibig ko kayo,” tugon niya. Sinabi sa
kanya ni Hesus, “Pakanin mo ang aking mga batang tupa.” Muli siyang tinanong ni
Hesus, “Simon, anak ni Juan, iniibig mo ba ako?”
Sumagot si Pedro, “Opo, Panginoon, nalalaman
niyong iniibig ko kayo.” Ani Hesus, “Pangalagaan mo ang aking mga tupa,”
Pangatlong ulit na tinanong siya ni Hesus, “Simon, anak ni Juan, iniibig mo ba
ako?” Nalungkot si Pedro, sapagkat makaitlo siya tinanong: “Iniibig mo ba ako?”
At sumagot siya, “Panginoon, nalalaman po ninyo ang lahat ng bagay; nalalaman
ninyong iniibig ko kayo.”
Sinabi sa kanya ni Hesus, “Pakanin mo
ang aking mga tupa. Tandaan mo: noong kabataan mo pa, ikaw ang nagbibihis sa
iyong sarili at lumalakad ka kung saan mo ibig. Ngunit pagtanda mo, iuunat mo
ang iyong mga kamay at iba ang magbibihis sa iyo at dadalhin ka kung saan hindi
mo ibig.” Sinabi niya ito upang ipakilala kung paano mamamatay si Pedro at sa
gayo’y mapararangalan niya ang Diyos. Pagkatapos, sinabi sa kanya ni Hesus,
“Sumunod ka sa akin!”
+ + + + + + +
Repleksyon:
May isang kuwento tungkol sa isang ina na palaging
nananalangin sa Panginoon upang tulungan siyang palakihing responsable at
mapagmahal ang kanyang mga anak. Nang ang kanyang mga anak ay lumaki at
nagkaroon ng kani-kaniyang pamilya, sila ay naging responsible, mapagmahal at nagkaroon ng maayos na buhay.
Palagi mo rin bang hinahanap ang pag gabay ng Panginoong Hesukristo
tuwing may nais kang makamit sa iyong buhay? Humihingi ka ba palagi sa Kanya ng
tulong upang ito ay magkatotoo?
Sa ating pong Mabuting balita, habang nagluluksa pa rin at litong-lito ang
mga alagad dahil sa pagkamatay ni Hesus, sila ay bumalik sa dating hanapbuhay
bilang mga mangingisda. Nagsikap silang mangisda sa sarili nilang kakayahan, at
marahil ay nakalimot sila sa Panginoon kasi ang nasa isip nila ay siya ay hindi
pa muling nabuhay.
Ngunit sa di-inaasahang pagkakataon, habang sila’y papalapit sa pampang,
naroon na si Hesus na muling nabuhay at naghihintay sa kanila. Sinabi ni Jesus
sa kanila, “Mga anak, may nahuli ba kayong makakain?” Sumagot sila, “Wala po”
(Juan 21:5). Sinabi ni Jesus, “Ihulog ninyo ang lambat sa kanang bahagi ng
bangka at makakahuli kayo.” Inihulog nga nila, at halos hindi nila ito mahila
dahil sa dami ng isdang nahuli (Juan 21:6).
Makikita natin ang kamangha-manghang impluwensiya ni Jesus sa buhay ng
Kanyang mga alagad. Nang sila’y nangisda nang wala si Jesus, wala silang
nahuli. Ngunit nang dumating si Jesus sa kanilang piling ay napakarami nilang
nahuli.
Ang tagpong ito sa Ebanghelyo ay maaari ring maganap sa ating araw-araw
na buhay. Kapag tayo’y kumikilos nang sarili lamang nating kakayahan at hindi
humihingi ng gabay sa Panginoon, madalas ay nauuwi ito sa kabiguan. Bawat
gawain o layunin na tinatangka nating makamit nang walang gabay ng Panginoon ay
nauuwi sa kahungkagan o kawalan.
Ngunit sa sandaling hingin natin kay Jesus na siya ay maging ilaw at
gabay natin sa pagtupad ng ating mga mithiin at adhikain sa buhay, tiyak na
makakamtan natin ito—sapagkat tinawag natin Siya at hiniling ang Kanyang tulong
at paggabay.
Si Jesus ay buhay at muling nabuhay! Ginagawa Niyang possible para sa
atin ang mga imposibleng bagay, gaano man ito kahirap kamtin. Binibigyan Niya
ng pag-asa ang nawawalan ng pag-asa. Ginagawa Niyang makabuluhan ang isang
buhay na tila walang direksyon o saysay. Isa lamang ang hinihingi Niya sa
atin—na hingin natin ang Kanyang tulong at paggabay.
Palagi mo bang hinihiling ang tulong at paggabay ng Panginoon sa iyong
pagharap sa mga hamon ng buhay? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to
Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now
on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the
Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for
so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has
seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that
I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do
not speak on my own.
The Father
who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the
Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen,
I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do
greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask
in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you
ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”
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Reflection:
Do you want
to know God?
You first
have to know Jesus, for it is only through Jesus that you will know God. But
how will you come to know Jesus? Prayer should be an integral part of your way
of life. You also have to ask Jesus to give you the grace to know Him more
deeply and the grace to have a personal relationship with Him.
How else can
we have a personal encounter with Jesus? We must read about His life in the
Bible, and we must attend Holy Mass, especially on Sundays. Then, whatever we
learn about Jesus, we must live and share.
It is usually
through Jesus that we become aware of the presence of God the Father and God
the Holy Spirit in our lives. Jesus is the gateway to knowing more about God,
and through Him, our eyes will be opened to many truths about our faith.
Do you want
to know the way? Do you want to know the many real truths about life? Do you
want to live a life with deeper purpose and meaning? You have to ask Jesus—ask
Him to show you the way.
To have Jesus
is to have life. To have Jesus is to find the true way that leads to peace and
contentment. To have Jesus is to discover the real meaning of life—a life that
is very different from the life this world tries to impose on us.
In our
Gospel, Jesus tells Thomas—and us as well: “I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you
will also know my Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John
14:6–7)
Would you
invest some of your precious time to know more about Jesus? — Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus kay Juan, "Ako ang daan, ang katotohanan, at ang buhay. Walang makapupunta sa Ama kundi sa pamamagitan ko. Kung ako'y kilala ninyo, kilala na rin ninyo ang aking Ama. Mula ngayon ay kilala na ninyo siya at inyong nakita."
Sinabi sa kanya ni Felipe, "Panginoon, ipakita po ninyo sa amin ang Ama, at masisiyahan na kami." Sumagot si Jesus, "Matagal na ninyo akong kasama, Felipe! Diyata't hindi mo pa ako nakikilala? Ang nakakita sa akin ay nakakita na sa Ama.
Bakit mo sinasabing: 'Ipakita mo sa akin ang Ama?' Hindi ka ba naniniwalang ako'y sumasa-Ama at ang Ama'y sumasaakin? Ang mga salitang sinasabi ko ay hindi ko sinasabi sa ganang aking sarili. Ang Amang sumasaakin ang gumaganap ng kanyang mga gawain. Maniwala kayo sa akin: ako'y sumasa-Ama at ang Ama'y sumasaakin.
Kung ayaw ninyong maniwala sa sinasabi ko, maniwala kayo dahil sa mga gawang ito. Sinasabi ko sa inyo: ang nananalig sa akin ay makagagawa ng ginagawa ko at higit pa rito, sapagkat pupunta na ako sa Ama. At anumang hilingin ninyo sa Ama sa aking pangalan ay gagawin ko, upang maparangalan ang Ama sa pamamagitan ng Anak. Gagawin ko ang anumang hihilingin ninyo sa pangalan ko."
Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee. A
large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the
sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
The Jewish feast of Passover was near. When Jesus raised his eyes and saw that
a large crowd was coming to him, he said to Philip, "Where can we buy
enough food for them to eat?"
He said this to test him, because he himself knew what
he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of
food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." One of his
disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, said to him, "There is a
boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for
so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people recline."
Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So
the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Then Jesus took the loaves,
gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were reclining, and also as much
of the fish as they wanted. When they had had their fill, he said to his
disciples, "Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be
wasted.
"So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker
baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had been more than
they could eat. When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This
is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world." Since Jesus
knew that they were going to come and carry him off to make him king, he
withdrew again to the mountain alone.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is
told about a young woman who was doubting whether she would be able to fulfill
her childhood ambition of becoming a doctor. So, she asked her mother to pray
that she would be able to realize her dream. Her mother said to her, “My
daughter, the Lord will help you achieve your childhood dream for as long as
you don’t doubt.”
Do you sometimes doubt when you pray before Jesus?
Our doubts will always be a stumbling block to the
realization of what we pray for. But why do we doubt? Perhaps our faith is
lacking, or perhaps we have not yet developed a close friendship with
Jesus—that is why we doubt. Doubt, by itself, is a negative word, and as such,
it is neither good nor helpful to us. We must therefore eliminate doubt from
our way of thinking so that we can achieve whatever we desire.
In our Gospel for this Sunday, Philip and Andrew were
already doubting whether Jesus would be able to feed the large crowd that had
been following Him. Philip said to Jesus, "Two hundred days’ wages worth
of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little." (John 6:7)
Andrew said to Jesus, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and
two fish; but what good are these for so many?" (John 6:8–9)
Jesus simply told them, “Have the people recline.”
(John 6:10) And then the multiplication of the loaves and fish happened. They
were able to feed the five thousand men—and there was plenty to spare.
What is the lesson the Lord is trying to communicate
to us in this miracle of the loaves and fish? With Jesus, nothing is
impossible. Everything is possible for those who do not doubt, who always
believe, and who have faith in Him.
Do you want something from the Lord? Trust, believe,
have faith—and you will receive it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, tumawid si Jesus sa ibayo ng Lawa ng Galilea, na tinatawag ding
Lawa ng Tiberias. Sinundan siya ng napakaraming tao sapagkat nakita nila ang
mga kababalaghang ginawa niya sa pagpapagaling sa mga maysakit. Umahon si Jesus
sa burol kasama ang kanyang mga alagad at naupo roon. Malapit na noon ang Pista
ng Paskua ng mga Judio.
Tumanaw
si Jesus, at nakita niyang dumarating ang napakaraming tao. Tinanong niya si
Felipe, "Saan tayo bibili ng tinapay upang makakain ang mga taong
ito?" Sinabi niya ito upang subukin si Felipe, sapagkat alam ni Jesus ang
kanyang gagawin. Sumagot si Felipe, "Kahit na po halagang dalawandaang
denaryong tinapay ang bilhin ay di sasapat para makakain ng tigkakaunti ang mga
tao."
Sinabi
ng isa sa kanyang mga alagad, si Andres na kapatid ni Simon Pedro,
"Mayroon po ditong isang batang lalaki na may dalang limang tinapay na
sebada at dalawang isda. Ngunit gaano na ito sa ganyang karaming tao?"
"Paupuin ninyo sila," wika ni Jesus. Madamo sa lugar na yaon. Umupo
ang lahat -- humigit-kumulang sa limang libo ang mga lalaki.
Kinuha
ni Jesus ang tinapay at matapos magpasalamat sa Diyos ay ipinamahagi sa mga
tao; gayon din ang ginawa niya sa isda. Binigyan ang lahat hangga't gusto nila.
at nang makakain na sila, sinabi niya sa mga alagad, "Tipunin ninyo ang
mga lumabis para hindi masayang." Gayon nga ang ginawa nila, at nakapuno
sila ng labindalawang bakol.
Nang
makita ng mga tao ang kababalaghang ginawa ni Jesus, sinabi nila, "Tunay
na ito ang propetang paririto sa sanlibutan!" Nahalata ni Jesus na lalapit
ang mga tao at pilit siyang kukunin upang gawing hari, kaya muli siyang umalis
na mag-isa patungo sa kaburulan.
Jesus came to
his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished
and said, "Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not
the carpenter's son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph,
Simon, and Judas?
Are not his
sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?" And they took
offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor
except in his native place and in his own house." And he did not work many
mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Let us
imagine ourselves experiencing rejection. How would we feel about that
rejection directed at us? We would surely feel bad.
Jesus was
rejected and belittled when He returned to Nazareth, His native place. He did
not do anything offensive; He even taught in their synagogue. Yet He was
rejected. The sole reason for His rejection was that they knew Him only as the
son of a carpenter. His townspeople were too familiar with Him and His family.
They couldn’t
accept the fact that He had extraordinary wisdom and power. For these reasons,
they rejected Him. But why reject someone when they could have welcomed Him
with open arms? They rejected Jesus because they were envious of Him—envious of
His gift of healing, His intelligence, and the adulation He received from the
people. So, they rejected someone who could have helped them.
We will not
gain anything good if we harbor envy in our hearts. In fact, we are closing
ourselves off to the many blessings that Jesus wants to shower upon us. Instead
of being envious, why not simply be happy for the success of others? —Marino J.
Dasmarinas
God so loved the world that he gave his
only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but
might have eternal life. For God did n ot send his Son into the world to condemn
the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in
him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been
condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of
God.
And this is the verdict, that the light came into the
world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward
the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth
comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What would
happen to us if we do not embrace the teachings of God?
We will live miserable lives in this world. Almost all
of humanity knows that there is a God, but not all of us embrace His teachings.
We prefer to follow the ways of the world rather than the ways of God.
We prefer to enjoy life without God rather than life
with Him. Why? Is it because God sets rules and limits on how we live our
lives? Many of us do not want our freedom to be curtailed. But since freedom is
not absolute, there are limits to it.
God always wants us to avoid sin. The reason is
simple: the moment we commit sin, we envelope ourselves in darkness—and
darkness is the absence of the light of God. Just imagine a life in darkness. It’s
a life without hope, and this is precisely what the devil offers us: a life
without hope, sugar-coated with worldly pleasures.
But no sinner is beyond the reach of the love of God.
God always offers us His hand of forgiveness and love. This forgiveness and
love are for our benefit—but do we take advantage of this great gift?
God loves us so dearly that He gave us Jesus, His only
begotten Son, to save us from all our sinfulness. Let us not set Jesus aside
and tell Him that we will first enjoy the sinful pleasures of this world before
coming to Him—for it may be too late by then.
Let us embrace God now. Let us open our lives to Him
now. Let us start walking away from our sinfulness now. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Gayon na lamang ang pag-ibig ng Diyos
sa sanlibutan, kaya ibinigay niya ang kanyang bugtong na Anak, upang ang sumampalataya
sa kanya ay hindi mapahamak, kundi magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan.
Sapagkat sinugo ng Diyos ang kanyang Anak, hindi upang hatulang maparusahan ang
sanlibutan, kundi upang iligtas ito sa pamamagitan niya.
"Hindi hinahatulang maparusahan ang nananampalataya sa Anak
ng Diyos; ngunit hinatulan nang parusahan ang hindi nananampalataya sa kanya.
Hinatulan sila sapagkat naparito sa sanlibutan ang ilaw, ngunit inibig pa ng
tao ang dilim kaysa liwanag, sapagkat masama ang kanilang mga gawa.
Ang
gumagawa ng masama ay ayaw sa ilaw, at hindi lumalapit dito upang hindi mahayag
ang kanyang mga gawa. Ngunit ang namumuhay sa katotohanan ay lumalapit sa ilaw;
sa gayon, nahahayag na ang kanyang mga ginagawa'y pagsunod sa Diyos.
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “‘You must be
born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it
makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How
can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of
Israel and you do not understand this?
Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and
we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If
I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if
I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one
who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone
who believes in him may have eternal life.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who is Nicodemus and how does his situation relate to
us?
He is a Pharisee, a secret but faithful follower of Jesus. He visited Jesus
during the night (John 3:1–21). Nicodemus also appeared after the Crucifixion
of Jesus to provide the embalming ingredients for His body. He assisted Joseph
of Arimathea in preparing the body of Jesus (John 19:39–42).
Like Nicodemus, we too must become faithful followers of Jesus—followers
who are averse to sin, followers in words and in deeds, and followers who will
stay with Jesus no matter how strong the temptation to betray Him.
We should aspire to become modern-day Nicodemuses who will support
Jesus, work for Jesus, and do things for Jesus even outside the glare of
lights. For this is the challenge before us who are followers of the Lord.
But are we really His true followers?
Or are we followers only in good times, but when the testing of our faith
comes, we easily betray Jesus in favor of the many sinful enticements of this
world? Like Nicodemus, are we also followers who are ever ready to leave behind
everything for Jesus?
Leaving everything behind means leaving everything that made us sin. –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus
kay Nicodemo: Huwag kayong magtaka sa sinabi ko sa inyo, 'Lahat ay kailangang
ipanganak na muli.' Umiihip ang hangin kung saan ibig at naririnig ninyo ang
ugong nito, ngunit hindi ninyo alam kung saan nanggagaling at kung saan
naparoroon.
Gayon din ang bawat ipinanganak sa Espiritu." "Paano
pong mangyayari ito?" tanong ni Nicodemo. Sumagot si Jesus, "Guro pa
naman kayo sa Israel ay hindi ninyo nauunawaan ang bagay na ito? Tandaan ninyo:
ang aming nalalaman ang sinasabi namin, at ang aming nasaksihan ang
pinatototohanan namin, ngunit hindi ninyo tinatanggap ang aming patotoo.
Kung hindi ninyo paniniwalaan ang sinasabi ko tungkol sa mga bagay
sa sanlibutang ito, paano ninyo paniniwalaan kung ang sabihin ko'y tungkol sa
mga bagay sa langit? Walang umakyat sa langit kundi ang bumaba mula sa langit
-- ang Anak ng Tao."
"At
kung paanong itinaas ni Moises ang ahas doon sa ilang, gayon din naman,
kailangang itaas ang Anak ng Tao, upang ang sinumang sumasampalataya sa kanya
ay magkaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan.
There was a
Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and
said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for
no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.”
Jesus
answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from
above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man
once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot re-enter his mother’s womb and
be born again, can he?”
Jesus
answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he
cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is
born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born
from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it
makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with
everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you
already born again?
Every
Catholic who is faithful to the faith is born again. Being born again means we
practice the sacred teachings and rituals of our faith and are faithful to our
fidelity to Jesus. We have already been born again by virtue of our baptism;
this means that we are new individuals in Christ. As such, we have to do good
all the time, and we have to follow the teachings of the Church.
If we are
fair-weather Catholics, we have not yet been truly born again. Therefore, we
need to be born again by having a personal relationship with our Lord, Master,
and Savior Jesus Christ. This personal relationship with Jesus will facilitate
our being born again in the faith.
In our
Gospel, Nicodemus took literally the meaning of being born again. This is the
reason why he said to Jesus, "Surely he cannot re-enter his mother’s womb
and be born again, can he?" (John 3:4). Yet Jesus reminded Nicodemus that
the essence of being born again is to be born of water and Spirit — which
actually refers to our baptism.
By virtue of
our baptism, all of us have already been born again — that was years and years
ago. There’s no need for any of us to change our religion to be born again.
What we need is to have a personal encounter with Jesus within our Roman
Catholic Church.
How would we
do this?
We go to Holy
Mass faithfully and humbly beg God the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, so that we
may understand what goes on within the celebration of the Holy Mass. We visit
the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel as often as possible, speak to Jesus there,
and ask Him to renew us according to His will. And we open and read our Bible,
so that we may have a personal encounter with the very words and life of Jesus.
Are you
already a born-again Catholic? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
