1Reflection for July 29, Monday; Memorial of Saint Martha; John 11:19-27

Gospel: John 11:19-27

Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.

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Reflection:

Who is Jesus to you? Is He your best friend that you always go to whenever you are disturb by the many worries of this world? Jesus was the best friend of the sisters Martha and Mary they have that close interaction with Him.

 When Jesus was going to their house to comfort them about the death of their brother Lazarus. Martha went to meet Jesus while He was still on His way to their house.  Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died (John 11:21).

 If Jesus was an ordinary friend Martha would not have bothered to meet Jesus, she would simply wait for Jesus to arrive in their house. But Jesus was their close friend, thus Marta met Him while He was on His way to their house.

How could you have a close friendship with Jesus? You have to become prayerful. You have to ask Jesus to increase your faith, you have to attend Holy Mass as frequent as you can. You have to learn more about the life of Jesus by reading your bible.

The best thing that could ever happen to your life is not to have the riches of this world. For it will fade away and you will leave it someday. The best thing that could ever happen to you is to have the friendship of Jesus. For He will always be there for you forever. This is the best thing that could ever happen to you in this world.

Is Jesus your best friend? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday July 28, Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 11:1-13

Gospel: Luke 11:1-13

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test."

And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

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Reflection:

The story is told about a knight who was plotting to kill his king. While in the process of executing his plan the knight was caught by the bodyguards of the king. So, the knight was sentenced to die, he begged for mercy and forgiveness from his king but the king did not listen to him.

Can you measure God’s love and mercy for you? No you can’t because God’s love and mercy is infinite. It is not like the mercy and love that we have towards our fellowmen which is always bounded by time, circumstances and space.

In our first reading for this Sunday we read about Abraham having a conversation with God. While he was conversing with God he tried to measure the love and mercy of God towards the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He asked God if He would destroy Sodom and Gomorrah notwithstanding the presence of innocent people: God said no to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

The same love and mercy of God is coursed through a story told by Jesus in the gospel. It is about a persistent friend who never gave up asking for three loaves of bread. By his persistence he uncovered the infinite love and mercy of God towards him.

The same love and mercy is also available for us: We simply have to persistently ask God, to persistently seek God and to persistently knock on the heart of God. Sooner or later we would have what we’ve been wishing from God to give us. Therefore, the key that would make God say yes to what we want from Him is our persistence.

What is it that you want the Lord to give you? Don’t quit continue to persist in prayer and you will soon have it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 27, Saturday; Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 13:24-30

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

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Reflection:

Do you fear the judgment of God?

God’s judgment is something that we all fear to come to us the reason perhaps is we are not yet prepared for it. There are times however that God’s judgment day will come to us when we least expect it. And when it comes to us we can’t do anything about it anymore we have to accept it whether we like it or not. For example if God will bar us from entering heaven we have to accept it and we can’t do anything about it no matter how hard we resist it.

If God will judge us to be in hell it simply means that the time that we spent in this world during our lifetime was not worthy in HIS eyes.  This means that we led sinful lives most of the time. Perhaps there were also instances wherein somebody called our attention to embrace God and leave behind everything that makes us sin. Yet we chose to ignore that call towards repentance.

Our gospel today offers us hope. It tells us that before God’s judgment comes to us. God will offer us first many chances for renewal or repentance. Let us therefore take advantage of this offering of God. This we can do by walking away from all our sins and by humbly asking forgiveness from HIM.

The Good Lord will not immediately judge us for what we do now no matter how sinful it is. This is for the reason that HE knows that deep within us lies goodness and our willingness to walk away from all of our sins. Truth be told, God is a patient God, a God of forgiveness, hope and love. A God of second chances HE will wait for us until we heed HIS call of repentance.

But what if we choose to ignore HIS call of repentance no matter the many chances that HE gave us, what will happen to us? -  Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 26, Friday: Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Matthew 13:18-23

Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23

Jesus said to his disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

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Reflection:

Do you allow the words of Jesus to transform you? For example you attend Holy Mass or you read the bible after doing it what happens to you? Do you allow these experiences to slowly transform you to become a better follower of the Lord?  Or nothing happens for it is just a passing experience that you did not treasure.

When you encounter the words of Jesus you must always allow it to create a transformation within you. It doesn’t matter how slow the transformation what is important is you are being transformed to become a better and productive followers of Jesus.

God would always want to connect Himself with us yet it’s us who creates distance from God. We don’t respond to God’s desire to connect because we fear that God would restrict our movement and behaviors.  But this is who God is the moment you get serious with Him. If you allow Him, He will truly restrict your movements and behaviors. 

For example, God will restrict you from doing bad, God will restrict you from continuing with your vices. Vices that does nothing to you except to  destroy you and your loved ones. But you need not worry about  these restrictions because these restrictions are for your own good. Not for anyone’s good but for our own good!

When you allow the words of God to grow and bear fruit in your heart you become like the seed sown on rich soil. Do you allow the words of God to transform you? Do you allow it to bear good and useful fruits in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 25, Thursday: Feast of Saint James, Apostle; Matthew 20:20-28

Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28

The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” He replied, “My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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Reflection:

What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? Does it mean to wield power and influence? Does it mean to be popular in your community? None of the above actually. To be a follower is to be ready to serve without any hidden agenda. To be a follower is not to desire greatness or any form of influence and popularity.

The mother of the sons of Zebedee desired her two sons to sit beside Jesus in His kingdom. Why did she ask for this? She asked because she did not know the real essence of a follower of Jesus. If only she knew that a follower must be the epitome of humility she would have not asked for that exalted position.

The mother of the two sons is the typical representation of the many modern parents of today. They want their children to be in the spotlight. To be in front and have all the attention that they could gather.

But if this is the mindset of many parents today, what are they teaching their children? They’re teaching their children to have an arrogant mindset instead of a mindset of humility. Their teaching their children to seek prominence whenever they do good instead of simply fading away. 

If you want to grow in faith and if you want to be exalted by Jesus. Learn therefore to be humble. Learn not to desire greatness in whatever form. Learn that humility is the only passport towards Jesus. –Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 24, Wednesday: Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 13:1-9

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

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Reflection:

Do you give time to listen to the Lord daily?

Whenever Jesus speaks everyone listens this is because whatever Jesus talks about is wisdom filled. Who wouldn’t want to listen to someone who imparts wisdom? We all want to listen to a person whose words are truth wisdom filled. 

How could we listen to Jesus in this smart phone dominated times? First, is we listen to HIM by reading HIS life and teachings in the bible. Many of us have no more time to open our bible even for a short time. Yet we have time for other worldly things that often times bring no value to our lives.

Second is we listen to Jesus through our solemn presence at Holy Mass. Because of our many self-created distractions. There are times that it’s so hard to focus our attention to this Holy and Sacred Celebration. Nevertheless, if we desire to pay attention no matter the distraction we could still concentrate on the celebration.

Third is we go to the Adoration Chapel to stay there to be with the Lord and allow Him to speak to us. If we can spend time daily using our smart phones.   Why can’t we have time for the Lord? There’s an enormous blessings that awaits us whenever we give time to the Lord.

Spend more time with Jesus, listen more to Him and be prepared for the spiritual blessings that will come upon you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for July 23, Tuesday: Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 12:46-50

Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.

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Reflection:

Who doesn’t want to be a relative of Jesus? Everyone of us of course wants to be Jesus’ relative. From the beginning and up until now God desires us to be His relative. God doesn’t want us to be distant from Him, as much as possible He wants us to always be close to Him.

But to be a relative or to be close to Jesus is not easy picking. You have to do your part to become a relative of Jesus. And this part that you have to do is for you to faithfully follow the will of God. You may ask, what is the will of God for myself? The will of God for you is to follow His commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). To do good and to find time to spread the good news. Are you able to faithfully follow this will of God?

Adam and Eve were initially close to God until they disobeyed His will not to eat the fruit of the tree of life. Adam and Eve sinned against God by following the devious scheming of the devil (Genesis 3:1-24). Therefore both of them were separated from God.

The decision is yours to take, if you want to become a relative of Jesus you simply have to follow God’s will. If you want to get close to the evil one, sin and disobey God’s commandments. But take the wise choice no other than to follow God’s will.

You will not only become a relative of Jesus if you follow the will of God, It will also save you from so many problems. It will save you too from the sharp and hellish clutches of the devil. Be discerning because the devil always hides his evil scheming through attractive and tempting things. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 22, Monday: Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene; John 20:1-2, 11-18

Gospel: John 20:1-2, 11-18

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he told her.

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Reflection:

How would feel if a very close friend or relative dies? Surely it would be very devastating as if your world has momentarily ended. This was the feeling of Mary Magdalene she was so devastated by the death of her beloved friend Jesus.

Mary Magdalene was so consumed by the death of Jesus that she failed to recognize the resurrected Jesus who asked her why she was weeping (John 20:14-15). Then afterwards Jesus revealed Himself to her and Mary Magdalene recognized Jesus (John 20:16).  

Death is a certainty of life, it visits anyone of us at a time that it chooses. A time that often times we don’t like but death comes to us and nobody can prevent it for it’s the cycle of our life.

But after death comes life, life that is very much different from the life that we have in this world.  Perhaps this was the reason why Mary Magdalene did not recognize the resurrected Jesus when He appeared to her. Mary Magdalene could not distinguish the image of the resurrected Jesus as opposed to Jesus before His death.

The resurrected Jesus also manifests Himself to us yet we don’t pay attention to  Him. He comes to us through the poor that we often see begging for whatever that we could give them. Jesus also manifests Himself to us through a sick relative or friend who is longing for our visit. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Sunday July 21, Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:38-42

Gospel: Luke 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

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Reflection:

What does habitual prayer do to you? What does daily bible reading do to you? What does consistent presence at the Celebration of the Holy Mass do to you? These actions if done with piety would bring you closer to Jesus.

In today’s gospel our attention is brought on the two actions of sisters Mary and Martha with Jesus at the center of it all.

When Mary recognized her Lord and Savior she didn’t do anything except to sat and listen to His wisdom filled and life changing words. This is what we do when we pray, this is what we do when we read the bible with all of our being and this is what we do when we reverently worship Jesus when we attend the celebration of the Holy Eucharist (Mass).

Jesus obviously favored the reverential action of Mary for it is through this that she could grow in closeness with Jesus. This is what Jesus wants for all of us too: To be close to Him.

What would our closeness to Jesus do to us? It creates awareness within us that life in this world is temporary and fleeting. We are made aware that accumulation of worldly wealth is nothing compared to our closeness with Jesus.  It opens our minds to the immense blessings that we can have the moment we spend time with Jesus. It teaches us that we must always live and share our lives with others especially to those who are in need.

How about Martha? She did no wrong to Jesus in fact what she was doing was for the benefit of Jesus. However, it would have not cost her much time if she first listened to the life changing words of Jesus before preparing food for Him.

As we continue our temporary journey; we will be compelled by the demands of this world to get busy and to work for our survival. This world will continue to deceitfully compel us to embrace the rat race lifestyle until it completely separate us from the Lord.

This we must now allow for what good will it bring us if we gain this world yet we are separated from the love of the Lord? Therefore we have to listen first to Jesus before plunging into this busy world. Because it is in listening to Him first that we would gain true wisdom which this world cannot give us no matter how hard we work.   

Do you always take time to listen first to the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for July 20, Saturday: Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 12:14-21

Gospel: Matthew 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

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Reflection:

What are you going to do if you know that powerful people are after your life? Of course you would do what Jesus did: You will also withdraw to a place where you will be safe. But unlike Jesus who continued to do HIS acts of mercy even if HIS life was already in danger. You may not do anything except hide and protect your life, this is what separate Jesus from all of us.

For Jesus the greater good is not to protect HIS life but to continue to serve the people that HE dearly loved. This love for HIS people eventually culminated in HIS death on the cross.

But not all of us are afraid to give our very life for the sake of our fellowmen. There are others who selflessly gave their lives so that others may live and be free. This is best exemplified by our heroes who selflessly gave their lives for our sake.

Let us therefore be like Jesus, let us not be afraid to give our time, treasure and even our life for His mission. Because someday we will be able to harvest our reward from the Good Lord. We may not receive it in our lifetime.

But will certainly receive it eventually when our journey in this world is over and that is already in heaven. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Reflection for July 19, Friday: Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 12:1-8

Gospel: Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the Sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

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Reflection:

A disciplinarian father suddenly realized that his strictness with his children was slowly creating a wall between him and his children. He carefully thought on how he could banish the wall that he himself created. So he said from now on I will not be strict anymore I would be more compassionate, approachable and merciful.

After a week the wall that created a gap between the father and his children had completely banished. From then on his children became more open to him and it created an ideal father and children relationship.

Mercy, understanding and openness are always higher than rigidity and strictness. Rigidity and strictness tears people apart it creates walls of communication and it foments strangeness and separation. On the other hand mercy, understanding and openness brings us closer, it breaks walls and it heals wounds.

Let go therefore of your hatred, let go therefore of your pent up emotions, let go and let the mercy of Jesus rule your heart. Let us always desire to be merciful because Jesus himself is merciful. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for July 18, Thursday: Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 11:28-30

Gospel: Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said to the crowds: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.

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Reflection:

There’s a story of a man who would always drink to kingdom come whenever he had problems. When he is drunk already he would disturb the peace of his family, he would verbally abuse his wife and his children and blame them for all their miseries.  Many fathers are like this! But what can they get from this temporal escape? They only further mire themselves with more problems until their problems takes control of them.

In our gospel for today Jesus gives us a foolproof invitation, HE tells us: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light (Matthew 11:28-30).”

What are we going to do with this invitation? Of course we have to accept and open our life to Jesus. If we would not accept and continue to keep out Jesus in our life we would continue to be enslaved by this world. And when a person is a slave of this world he/she has no peace of mind and will be forever be burdened by the worries of this world.

Will you go to Jesus and allow Him to help you carry your life’s burdens? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for July 17, Wednesday: Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 11:25-27

Gospel: Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

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Reflection:

What is the life of Jesus? It’s a life of simplicity, prayer and humility.

Simplicity is synonymous with humility and this is the life of Jesus, this ought to be our life too. Jesus even if He was equal with God. Jesus always found time also to pray regularly to  the Father: To communicate with Him, unburden to Him and praise Him. This we ought to do also.

To grow in wisdom, we need to be simple and humble. God doesn’t want self-righteous, self-centered and ego tripper personalities. Unknown to us, if we are simple and humble we are also creating a fertile environment for God to come and dwell in our heart. Unknown to us our simplicity and humility radiates through our persona and this is felt by those whom we encounter.

As what Jesus did, it is very important that we reserve time for God to talk to Him and feel His presence in the stillness of our hearts and minds. This will strengthen our bond with God. A good point to start is to have a prayer time every morning upon waking up.

It’s here where our minds are still fresh and not yet cluttered by the daily worries of life. The same thing at night when we are about to sleep, let us also pray and talk to God. We thank HIM for the day that HE gave us and we humbly ask HIM to be with us as we take our temporary rest at night.

If we think we don’t have yet the virtue of humility let us be patient and continue to ask the good Lord to bless us with the grace of humility. For its only through our humility that we will know God and HIS great plan for us.

Do you live humility and do you always find time for Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 16, Tuesday: Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 11:20-24

Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum:

Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the nether world. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

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Reflection:

Why do we sin?

We sin because we allow the devil to take control of our lives. Once the devil is in control already sinning becomes an ordinary routine. We don’t anymore have guilt of conscience, we become numb already from the criticism. We even have the temerity to be angry to those who are criticizing us.

So we enjoy sin since it brings us endless earthly gratification. Until we get caught and so we receive our due punishment. But why keep on sinning and why wait until we get caught? Why don’t we stop sinning, permanently walk away from it and embrace the unconditional love of Jesus?

In our gospel reading for today we notice Jesus reproaching the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida. For they refused to hear God’s call for them to permanently walk away from their sinfulness.

Every now and then God will gently nudge us to remind us that there’s no good with sin. That sinning will bring us nothing but problems and misfortunes. We may enjoy the fruits of our sinfulness but this kind of enjoyment is short lived. Eventually we will be caught and be punished.

Why not walk away from sin and embrace the forgiveness, mercy and love of God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 15, Monday: Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church; Matthew 10:34—11:1

Gospel: Matthew 10:34—11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple–amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

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Reflection:

There’s a saying that goes, “No pain no gain”. How could there be gain in pain? Why not gain without pain? When you gain something without pain what you gain can easily fly away and it can easily be forgotten. But when you gain something that is accompanied with pain, sweat and sacrifice you will treasure it and properly take care of it.

Would you be able to know Jesus more deeply without going through life’s many pains? No you will not gain Jesus and you will not have an up close and personal encounter with Him. For there’s no easy way going to Jesus.

 you have to pass through the many painful obstacles of life in order to find Jesus. You may even have to give up every inch of your worldliness in order to find Jesus. Therefore self-sacrifice is an important ingredient in finding Jesus in your lives.

Would you be willing to go through pains and sufferings so that you could experience an encounter with Jesus? If you really desire an encounter with Jesus in your life you have to embrace suffering/s and pains.

But worldly life has already conditioned us to veer away as much as we could from our crosses and pains. No small wonder that many if not majority has not yet found Jesus in thier lives. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Sunday July 14, Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 10:25-37

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He said in reply, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” He replied to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.’ Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

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Reflection:

A man said to his beloved, “I love you until the end of my life.” However, when the man saw another woman who winked at him. He left his beloved whom he promised to love until the end to be with the another woman who winked at him. How do you love? Do you love like this man or you love like God?

In the gospel a man fell victim to robbers and they left the dying man on the road to die. The priest and the levite passed by but did not help the dying man.  Either one of them were expected to help the dying man because both were serving in the temple of God. But they did not.  

Then came the Samaritan who walked on the same road. Unlike the priest and the levite who ignored the dying man. This samaritan took time to help the dying man and the Samaritan even brought the dying man to an inn so that he could be nursed.  

What if the Samaritan did not pass by? The victim may have died due to the indifference of the priest and Levite. Fortunately the Samaritan who was the exemplar of perfect love which is the love of God passed by otherwise the victim might have died.

Perhaps, many of us who profess to love and worship God fail to translate this love to an authentic love for our neighbor. Why? Because when the going gets tough many of us simply ignore the neighbor in need. Thus, we become like the priest and levite who indifferently walked away from the dying man.

The Lord wants us to always be like the Samaritan who went out of his way to help the dying man. For the simple reason that the action of the Samaritan represents the love and mercy of God. Love and mercy that we must all emulate. – Marino J. Dasmarinas