Noong
panahong iyon, pumunta si Hesus sa isang bayang tinatawag na Nain. Sumama sa
kanya ang kanyang mga alagad at ang napakaraming tao. Nang malapit na siya sa
pintuan ng bayan, nasalubong niya ang libing ng kaisa-isang anak na lalaki ng
isang babaing balo.
Marami
ang nakikipaglibing. Nahabag ang Panginoon nang makita ang ina ng namatay, at
sinabi sa kanya, “Huwag kang tumangis.” Lumapit siya at hinipo ang kinalalagyan
ng patay at tumigil naman ang mga may dala nito. Sinabi niya, “Binata, bumangon
ka!” Naupo ito at nagsalita; at siya’y ibinigay ni Hesus sa kanyang ina.
Sinidlan
ng takot ang lahat at sila’y nagpuri sa Diyos. Sabi nila, “Dumating sa atin ang
isang dakilang propeta! Nilingap ng Diyos ang kanyang bayan!” At kumalat sa
buong Judea at sa palibot na lupain ang balitang ito tungkol sa kanya.
When Jesus had finished all his words to
the people, he entered Capernaum. A centurion there had a slave who was ill and
about to die, and he was valuable to him. When he heard about Jesus, he sent
elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and save the life of his
slave.
They approached Jesus and strongly urged him to come,
saying, “He deserves to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation and
he built the synagogue for us.” And Jesus went with them, but when he was only
a short distance from the house, the centurion sent friends to tell him, “Lord,
do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof.
Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to
you; but say the word and let my servant be healed. For I too am a person
subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and
he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’
and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him and,
turning, said to the crowd following him, “I tell you, not even in Israel have
I found such faith.” When the messengers returned to the house, they found the
slave in good health.
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Reflection:
Do you have concern for the poor and powerless? The
concern of the military officer/centurion for his slave is very
admirable. We must emulate his worthy action of giving concern most especially
to those who are poor and powerless.
What if the officer was heartless? There would have
been no healing for the slave. By his act of concern his slave was healed by
Jesus. We often times lose sight of the fact that we need to be concerned as
well with the wellbeing of others especially those who are powerless and
poor.
The me first attitude often times envelope us already
thus we fail to see the many needs of others most especially the poor and
powerless. Why? For the simple reason that we are already overly fixated with
our own needs.
We would reap enormous spiritual blessings if we would
find time to help those who are poor and powerless. Thus, we would be closer to
Jesus who loves the poor dearly. And we will find true joy and fulfillment the
moment we begin to help them. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, nang maituro ni Hesus sa mga tao ang kanyang aral, siya’y
pumasok ng Capernaum. Doo’y may isang kapitang Romano na may aliping mahal sa
kanya. May sakit ang aliping ito at nasa bingit ng kamatayan. Nang mabalitaan
ng kapitan ang ginagawa ni Hesus, nagpasugo siya sa ilang matatanda sa mga
Judio upang ipakiusap kay Hesus na puntahan at pagalingin ang
alipin.
Nang makita
nila si Hesus, taimtim silang nakiusap sa kanya, “Siya’y karapat-dapat na
pagbigyan ninyo sapagkat mahal niya ang ating bansa,” wika nila. ”Ipinagpatayo
pa niya tayo ng isang sinagoga.” Kaya’t sumama sa kanila si Hesus. Nang
malapit na siya sa bahay, ipinasalubong siya ng kapitan sa kanyang mga kaibigan
at ipinasabi ang ganito: “Ginoo, huwag na po kayong magpakapagod. Hindi ako
karapat-dapat na puntahan ninyo sa aking tahanan. Ni hindi rin po ako
karapat-dapat na humarap sa inyo.
Ngunit
magsalita po lamang kayo at gagaling na ang aking alipin. Sapagkat ako’y isang
taong nasa ilalim ng mga nakatataas na pinuno, at may nasasakupan din po akong
mga kawal. Kung sabihin ko sa isa, ‘Humayo ka!’ siya’y humahayo; at sa iba,
‘Halika! siya’y lumalapit; at sa aking alipin, ‘Gawin mo ito!’ ito’y ginagawa
niya.”
Namangha si
Hesus nang marinig ito, at humarap sa makapal na taong sumusunod sa kanya.
Sinabi niya, “Kahit sa Israel ay hindi ako nakakita ng ganito kalaking
pananalig.” Pagbabalik sa bahay, naratnan ng mga sinugo na magaling na ang
alipin.
Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”
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Reflection:
The story is told of a man who wanted to have a personal encounter with Jesus. He said to Jesus, "Please show yourself to me. I want to see you. I want to follow you, and I want to have a deep friendship with you.
In his dream, Jesus replied, “Would you be willing to follow the path of my suffering and sacrifice?” With a forlorn expression, the man said, no. Jesus then said to him, “So, you will not be able to know me deeply, nor will you be able to have a personal friendship with me.
Just like many of us, Peter seemed to be averse to suffering, as he reproached Jesus after He told him that He must suffer, be rejected, and eventually be killed (Mark 8:31). Why are we afraid of suffering, by the way?
Is it because we love the self-indulgent lifestyle of this temporary world? Which would we prefer: the temporal pleasures of this world or a deep friendship with Jesus? A lot would blindly choose the many short-lived pleasures of this world than to have a deep friendship with Jesus. But a deep friendship with Jesus forged through our sufferings is the best choice.
Many of us lack a personal friendship with Jesus because we love this world more than we love Him. We do not experience personal closeness with Jesus because we easily forsake the Lord in favor of the many temptations and pleasures of this world.
What benefit is there if we gain the world but do not have Jesus in our lives? Nothing—it's pure emptiness! Yes, we may find worldly happiness and enjoyment, but it is always short-lived. It won't last long and will eventually lead us to sin. Then, emptiness and loneliness will follow. Let us not allow ourselves to be deceived by the self-indulgent lifestyle of this world, for we gain nothing from it.
It is only through our faithful discipleship with Jesus that we would be able to find ourselves. It is only through the carrying of our own cross that we would be able to develop personal, deep and lasting friendship with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, si Hesus, kasama ang kanyang mga alagad, ay nagtungo sa mga nayon ng Cesarea, sakop ni Filipo. Samantalang sila’y naglalakbay, tinanong niya ang kanyang mga alagad, “Sino raw ako ayon sa mga tao?” Sumagot sila,
“Ang sabi ng ilan ay si Juan Bautista kayo; sabi naman ng iba, si Elias kayo; at may nagsasabi pang isa kayo sa mga propeta.” “Kayo naman – ano ang sabi ninyo? Sino ako? tanong niya. “Kayo ang Kristo,” tugon ni Pedro. “Huwag ninyong sasabihin kaninuman kung sino ako,” mahigpit na utos niya sa kanila.
Mula noon, ipinaalam na ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad na ang Anak ng Tao’y dapat magbata ng maraming hirap. Siya’y itatakwil ng matatanda ng bayan, ng mga punong saserdote at ng mga eskriba at ipapapatay. Ngunit sa ikatlong araw, muli siyang mabubuhay.
Maliwanag na sinabi niya ito sa kanila. Kaya’t niyaya siya ni Pedro sa isang tabi at sinimulang pagsabihan. Ngunit humarap si Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad at pinagwikaan si Pedro: “Lumayo ka, Satanas! Ang iniisip mo’y hindi sa Diyos kundi sa tao.”
Pinalapit ni Hesus ang mga tao, pati ang kanyang mga alagad, at sinabi, “Kung ibig ninumang sumunod sa akin, limutin niya ang ukol sa kanyang sarili, pasanin ang kanyang krus at sumunod sa akin.
Ang naghahangad na magligtas ng kanyang buhay ay siyang mawawalan nito; ngunit ang mag-alay ng kanyang buhay alang-alang sa akin at sa Mabuting Balita ay siyang magkakamit niyon.”
Jesus said to Nicodemus: "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."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
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Reflection:
Why do we suffer and what is the purpose of our suffering in this world? We suffer because we refuse to embrace the love of God. Human suffering is not a suffering that God created for us because it’s us who create our own suffering/s. And when we suffer many of us point not to ourselves as the culprit.
Think about the many wars that the powerful leaders of this world have created. Think about the many personal and family problems that many of us have created for ourselves. Nevertheless, in the midst of our self-created sufferings there’s hope and this hope is being offered to us by Jesus on the cross.
Perhaps, many of us are averse to look at this cross of Jesus because we are reminded of Jesus’ own sufferings. We are reminded that to suffer entails hardship and sacrifice. But how would we know that there’s hope, healing and salvation in the cross of Jesus if we will not look up to it? If we will not embrace it and if we will not hold on to it?
In our first reading the people that were saved by Moses from the slavery of Pharaoh created their own sufferings by complaining to Moses about their hardships. And by complaining they were severely punished by God yet they would also be saved by the same merciful God.
That is If they’ll would look up to the bronze serpent mounted on a pole. We all know that the bronze serpent that was mounted on the pole that healed the suffering people in our first reading is now represented by Jesus on the cross in our gospel.
We have so many sufferings in this world and majority if not all of these sufferings are created by us that we ironically sometimes blame on God. Nevertheless our merciful God so loved us that He let His only begotten son to die on the cross for our salvation.
Do you have a cross with Jesus nailed upon it in your house or in your room? Look at it hold it if you could and prayerfully ask Jesus to heal all your pains and sufferings. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus kay Nicodemo, "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.
Gayun 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 maparusahan ang sanlibutan, kundi upang iligtas ito sa pamamagitan niya.
Jesus told
his disciples a parable: “Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not
both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully
trained, every disciple will be like his teacher. Why do you notice the
splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your
own?
How can you
say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove that splinter in your eye,’ when
you do not even notice the wooden beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! Remove
the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the
splinter in your brother’s eye.”
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Reflection:
What is the
sure-fire recipe for failure in a friendship? It’s the judgmental and
self-righteous attitudes of those inside the friendship relationship. When a
friend is quick to draw judgment and if he/she only listens to himself/herself.
We can be assured that somewhere down the road the friendship vehicle will stop
and will eventually permanently break apart.
Many
friendships fall apart because of our tunnel vision. We manage it with
dominance, we never allow a two-way street or a give and take relationship
thrive inside it. And so the friendship eventually falls apart.
Friendship or
any kind of relationship is always a democratic and participatory relationship.
Never has it become an autocratic and one sided relationship between two or
more different and unique individuals. Therefore the best recipe for success in
friendship is not to allow a judgmental and dominating mindset inside the
friendship.
In the gospel
for this Friday, Jesus warns about being judgmental. Wherein we only choose to
see the fault of the other person yet we purposely don’t notice our own
shortcomings. We are quick to point an accusing finger yet we don’t have the
courage and humility to point the same accusing finger to ourselves. – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, tinanong sila ni
Jesus ng patalinghaga: "Maaari bang maging tagaakay ng bulag ang isa ring
bulag? Kapwa sila mahuhulog sa hukay kapag ginawa ang gayun. Walang alagad na
higit sa kanyang guro; ngunit kapag lubusang naturuan, siya'y magiging katulad
ng kanyang guro.
"Ang
tinitingnan mo'y ang puwing ng iyong kapatid, ngunit hindi mo pinapansin ang
tahilan sa iyong mata. Paano mong masasabi sa iyong kapatid, 'Kapatid, bayaan
kong alisin mo ang iyong puwing,' gayong hindi mo nakikita ang tahilan sa iyong
mata? Mapagpaimbabaw! Alisin mo muna ang tahilan sa iyong mata, at makakikita
kang mabuti; sa gayo'y maaalis mo ang puwing ng iyong kapatid."
Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who
hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who
curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
To the person who strikes you on one cheek,
offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not
withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one
who takes what is yours do not demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to
you. For if you love those who love you what credit is that to you? Even
sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to
you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to
those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners
lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies
and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be
great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the
ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.
“Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be
forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together,
shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure
with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.
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Reflection:
The story is told of a man who would
always feel pain in his heart whenever he saw his sister, who had wronged him.
It was like that for many years until he had a near-fatal heart attack. He
reflected deeply on what had happened to him and finally decided to forgive his
sister.
What will liberate us from hatred and
negative emotion? Its forgiveness and love. The moment we truly forgive and
love every form of hatred and negativity disappears in our hearts. We become
free we exude nothing but positive aura. But human as we are we from time to
time succumb to hatred thus we allow it to control us instead of us controlling
it.
What is the cure for hatred? Its love,
forgiveness and humility; these three can conquer hatred. And it can free us
from emotions that bring nothing to us but sickness, disgust and negativity.
This could even result to the disruption of our day hence we will not be able
to function properly.
In our gospel reading Jesus tells us to
love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to bless those who curse us,
to pray for those who mistreat us (Luke 6:27-28). Difficult as it may seem;
nonetheless if we want to be free from the enslavement of Satan, hatred and
negative emotions, we have to follow what Jesus is telling us.
It’s only through forgiveness and humility
that we would be free from hatred. It’s only through the way of love that we
could become true followers of Jesus. There’s no other way but the way of love,
humility and forgiveness.
Would you be willing to forgive those
who’ve done you wrong? - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus
sa kanyang mga alagad: “Sinasabi ko sa inyo, mga nakikinig: Ibigin ninyo ang
inyong mga kaaway, gawan ninyo ng mabuti ang mga napopoot sa inyo, pagpalain
ninyo ang mga sumusumpa sa inyo, idalangin ninyo ang mga umaapi sa inyo.
Kapag sinampal ka sa isang pisngi,
iharap mo rin ang kabila. Kapag inaagaw ang iyong balabal, ibigay mo pati ang
iyong baro. Bigyan mo ang bawat nanghihingi sa iyo: at kung may kumuha sa iyong
ari-arian ay huwag mo nang bawiin pa ang mga iyon. Gawin ninyo sa iba ang ibig
ninyong gawin nila sa inyo.
“Kung ang iibigin lamang ninyo ay ang
mga umiibig sa inyo, ano pang gantimpala ang inyong hihintayin? Kahit ang mga
makasalanan ay umiibig din sa mga umiibig sa kanila. At kung ang gagawan lamang
ninyo ng mabuti ang gumagawa sa inyo ng mabuti, ano pang gantimpala ang inyong
hihintayin?
Kahit ang mga makasalanan ay gumagawa
rin nito! Kung ang pahihiramin lamang ninyo ay ang mga taong inaasahan ninyong
makababayad sa inyo, ano pang gantimpala ang inyong hihintayin? Kahit ang mga
makasalanan ay nagpapahiram din sa mga makasalanan sa pag-asang ang mga ito’y
makababayad!
Sa halip, ibigin ninyo ang inyong mga
kaaway, at gawan ninyo sila ng mabuti. Magpahiram kayo, na hindi umaasa ng
anumang kabayaran. Sa gayun, malaking gantimpala ang tatamuhin ninyo, at kayo’y
magiging mga anak ng Kataas-taasan. Sapagkat siya’y mabuti sa masasama at sa
mga hindi marunong tumanaw ng utang na loob. Maging mahabagin kayo gaya ng
inyong Ama.”
“Huwag
kayong humatol, at hindi kayo hahatulan ng Diyos. Huwag kayong magparusa at
hindi kayo parurusahan ng Diyos. Magpatawad kayo sa inyong kapwa, at
patatawarin kayo ng Diyos. Magbigay kayo, at bibigyan kayo ng Diyos: hustong
takal, siksik, liglig, at umaapaw pa ang ibibigay sa inyo. Sapagkat ang
takalang ginagamit ninyo sa iba ay siya ring gagamitin sa inyo.”
Raising his
eyes toward his disciples Jesus said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the
Kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be
satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are
you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce
your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on
that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors
treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to
you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who
are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will
grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors
treated the false prophets in this way.”
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Reflection:
Would we be
willing to be poor, to be hungry, to weep and to be insulted for our steadfast
faith in Jesus? Surely, these questions will drive us to think hard because
it’s not easy to be poor to be insulted, to weep and be hungry for the sake of our
steadfast discipleship.
But if this
is the means for us to gain closeness with Jesus we have no other way but to
embrace these hard choices. But how many of us are willing to embrace this kind
of life? Come to think of it, are these choices really hard? Is it really hard
to be poor, hungry, to weep and to be insulted?
It is hard if
Jesus is not with us but if Jesus is with us and if He walks with us. To be
poor, hungry, to weep and be persecuted becomes a blessing for us. For the
simple reason that this assures us of a life with Jesus in heaven after our
life in this world is over.
What would it
benefit us if we are rich, powerful and if everyone is praising us to high
heavens if it drives us to sin? If Jesus is not in our life or if Jesus is just
a miniscule particle in our life? The best choice therefore is to have a life
with Jesus even if it would entail sacrifices and hardship.
Noong panahong iyon, tumingin si Jesus sa mga alagad, at
kanyang sinabi, "Mapalad kayong mga dukha, sapagkat ang Diyos ang
maghahari sa inyo!" "Mapalad kayong mga nagugutom ngayon, sapagkat
kayo'y bubusugin!"
"Mapalad kayong tumatangis ngayon, sapagkat kayo'y
magagalak!" "Mapalad kayo kung dahil sa Anak ng Tao kayo'y
kinapopootan, ipinagtatabuyan at inaalimura ng mga tao, at pati ang inyong
pangalan ay kinasusuklaman. Magalak kayo at lumukso sa tuwa kung ito'y
mangyari, sapagkat malaki ang inyong gantimpala sa langit-- gayon din ang
ginawa ng kanilang mga ninuno sa mga propeta.
"Ngunit sa aba ninyong mayayaman ngayon, sapagkat
nagtamasa na kayo ng kaginhawahan!" "Sa aba ninyong mga busog ngayon,
sapagkat kayo'y magugutom!" "Sa aba ninyong nagsisitawa ngayon,
sapagkat kayo'y magdadalamhati at magsisitangis!" "Sa aba, ninyo kung
kayo'y pinupuri ng lahat ng tao, sapagkat gayon din ang ginawa ng kanilang mga
ninuno sa mga bulaang propeta."
Jesus
departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When
day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve,
whom he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother
Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of
Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas
Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came
down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his
disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the
coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their
diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and
healed them all.
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Reflection:
What is the
significance of this call on the apostles in our lives?
Looking back
on the lives of the apostles, except for Judas all were faithful followers of
the Lord. They were His eyes and ears they were His collaborators in His
mission. The apostles did not lead lives of ease and comfort in fact except for
Judas who betrayed the Lord. Almost all of them were martyred in doing the
mission that Jesus bestowed upon them.
By virtue of
our Baptism we too are called to collaborate with Jesus to spread the good news
of our salvation. We are called to lead Holy lives so that others may see Jesus
in us. We are called to be patient, to
shun the temptation of the flesh and materialism, to persevere and to be
enduring and faithful until the very end.
If you say
that you love Jesus it means that you’re always ready to suffer and be
humiliated for the sake of the advancement of His kingdom. Ready to persevere
and ready to face the hardship that may come your way. For this is the mark of
a true and faithful follower whose eyes are not solely fixated in this temporal
world.
Would you respond to the
call of the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, umahon si Hesus sa isang burol at magdamag doong nanalangin.
Kinaumagahan, tinawag niya ang kanyang mga alagad, at pumili siya ng
Labindalawa sa kanila, na tinawag niyang mga apostol: si Simon na pinangalanan
niyang Pedro, at si Andres na kanyang kapatid; sina Santiago, Juan, Felipe,
Bartolome, Mateo, Tomas, at Santiago na anak ni Alfeo, si Simon ang Makabayan;
si Judas na anak ni Santiago, at si Judas Iscariote, na naging taksil.
Bumaba
si Hesus, kasama sila, at tumayo sa isang patag na lugar. Naroon ang marami sa
kanyang mga alagad at ang napakaraming tao buhat sa Judea at Jerusalem, at sa
mga bayan sa baybaying-dagat ng Tiro at Sidon.
Pumaroon
sila upang makinig sa kanya at mapagaling sa kanilang mga karamdaman.
Pinagaling din niya ang mga pinahihirapan ng masasamang espiritu. At sinikap ng
lahat ng tao na mahipo siya sapagkat may taglay siyang kapangyarihang
makapagpagaling ng lahat.
On a certain sabbath Jesus went into the
synagogue and taught, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
The scribes and the Pharisees watched him closely to see if he would cure on
the Sabbath so that they might discover a reason to accuse him.
But he realized their intentions and said
to the man with the withered hand, “Come up and stand before us.” And he
rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do
good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy
it?” Looking around at them all, he then said to him, “Stretch out your hand.”
He did so and his hand was restored. But they became enraged and discussed
together what they might do to Jesus.
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Reflection:
Do you have the guts to defy someone so
that you could do something positive to others?
In the Gospel, Jesus cured the man with a
withered hand notwithstanding the presence of the Pharisees and the scribes.
They were keenly watching the Lord if He would heal the man on a Sabbath day: A
day of rest and a holy day for them. But Jesus defied the Pharisees and scribes
so He healed the man even if it was a Sabbath day.
Jesus placed greater importance on helping
the sick man than on observing the Sabbath. What unquestionable courage. Let’s
say there comes a time when we find ourselves in the same situation as Jesus.
What should we do then? Should we heal on that prohibited day or not?
Would we simply forgo helping those who
are in need because it is a sacred day? Or we will be like Jesus who put more
weight on extending help to someone in need.
The best path to take is to be like Jesus
who helped the man with a withered hand notwithstanding the presence of the
Pharisees and scribes. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Isang
araw ng Pamamahinga, muling pumasok si Jesus sa sinagoga at nagturo. May isang
lalaki roong tuyo't ang kanang kamay. Sa hangad ng mga eskriba at mga Pariseo
na maparatangan si Jesus, nagbantay sila upang tingnan kung siya'y
magpapagaling sa Araw ng Pamamahinga. Subalit batid ni Jesus ang kanilang
iniisip, kaya't sinabi ni Jesus sa lalaking tuyo't ang kamay, "Halika rito
sa unahan."
Lumapit
naman ang lalaki at tumayo roon. Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanila, "Tatanungin ko
kayo. Alin ba ang ayon sa Kautusan: ang gumawa ng mabuti o ang gumawa ng masama
sa araw ng Pamamahinga?" Magligtas ng buhay o pumatay?”
Tiningnan ni Jesus
ang mga nasa palibot niya at sinabi sa lalaki, "Iunat mo ang iyong
kamay!" Iniunat nga niya ang kanyang kamay at ito'y gumaling.
Nagngingitngit sa galit ang mga eskriba at Pariseo, at pinag-uusapan nila kung
ano ang dapat gawin kay Jesus.
Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd.
He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A young man was complaining to his father that he does not feel the presence of Jesus in his life. His father told him, 'Examine your lifestyle. You are always out with your friends. When you are home, you are either in front of the computer, playing with your smartphone, or watching TV. If you continue with that lifestyle, you will not feel the presence of Jesus in your life.
How can we have an up-close and personal encounter with Jesus? It’s when the environment around us is silent, and there's no one else present except us and Jesus. This is always the most conducive environment for us to encounter the Lord. It’s very difficult to encounter and feel the presence of Jesus when there are many people around and when there is noise.
Only in the quietness of our life will we be able to encounter and feel the healing presence of Jesus. And in the quietness of our life, we will be able to hear the voice of Jesus, telling us what we need to hear so that we can find the motivation and energy to move on amidst the noisy and difficult grind of our life.
Do we feel the presence of Jesus in our life? If not, let us try to live a quiet life and give more time to Jesus than give time satisfying our pleasure-seeking and loud lifestyle. This doesn’t mean that we will isolate ourselves from our friends and usual environment.
This simply means that we will lessen the noise in our life and reduce our engagement with worldly pleasures until we completely get rid of it. We still remain connected to this world, not to seek earthly pleasures anymore. But to reach out to those who are engaged with these earthly pleasures, so that we can bring them closer to Jesus.
The deaf mute man in our gospel was healed by Jesus, not in the midst of the noisy crowd. Instead, Jesus brought the deaf mute man away from the crowd to be with Him alone in a quiet place, and in the stillness of that environment, Jesus healed him (Mark 7:33-35).
Do you regularly have your own quiet time with the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, pagbabalik
ni Hesus mula sa lupain ng Tiro, dumaan siya sa Sidon, at nagtuloy sa Lawa ng
Galilea, matapos tahakin ang lupain ng Decapolis.
Dinala sa kanya ang isang
lalaking bingi at utal at ipinamanhik nila na ipatong sa taong ito ang kanyang
kamay. Inilayo muna siya ni Hesus sa karamihan, at isinuot ang kanyang mga
daliri sa mga tainga nito. Pagkatapos, lumura at hinipo ang dila nito.
Tumingala si Hesus sa langit at
nagbuntong-hininga, at sinabi sa tao, “Effata,” ibig sabihi’y “Mabuksan!” At
nakarinig na ito, nawala ang pagkautal at nakapagsalita na nang malinaw. Sinabi
ni Hesus sa mga tao na huwag ibalita ito kaninuman; ngunit kung kailan sila
pinagbabawalan ay lalo naman nilang ipinamamalita ito.
Sila’y lubhang nanggilalas, at ang
wika, “Anong buti ng lahat ng kanyang ginawa! Nakaririnig na ang bingi, at
nakapagsasalita ang pipi!
While Jesus was going through a field of
grain on a sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them
in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what
is unlawful on the sabbath?”
Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what
David did when he and those who were with him were hungry? How he went into the
house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully
eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them,
“The Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
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Reflection:
Do you always do what is right even if it’s
unpopular?
There are times that we are hindered of doing
something that is noble because we fear the judgment of others. For example, a
young woman who suddenly had an unwanted pregnancy. Since she was
still young her family wanted her to abort the life in her womb. But the lady
rightfully stood her ground and went through her pregnancy and gave
birth.
While the disciples were picking grains some Pharisees
admonished them because it was their day of rest or Sabbath day. But Jesus
reproved the ever critical Pharisees by citing what David and his companions
did: They ate the bread offering which was exclusively for the priest. Then,
Jesus topped HIS rebuke of the Pharisees by saying that HE is over and above
their Sabbath law.
The rule that Jesus’ follows is this: Rightful human
need/s such as our need for food takes precedence over any laws even the
Sabbath law. Doing acts of mercy is more important than fulfilling a custom or
tradition. For the Lord it’s the greater good that must prevail even if it’s
not written.
Come to think of it, what good would it do us if we
follow the law/s but in the process of following it we deprive those who are in
need? What good is our presence at church every Sunday for Holy Mass if we
don’t live the teachings of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
