Reflection for Sunday November 16, Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 25:14-30

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.

After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy. Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy. Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back. His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has more will be given and he will grow rich but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

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Reflection:

What if the master did not return? There would have been no accounting for the servants most especially the third unproductive servant who was given one talent. But the master returned thus creating a problem for the third servant.

Inaction or status quo is never an option in our faith life or even in our life itself. We have to move we have to take calculated risk and sweat it out otherwise we will not grow and bear fruit in our faith life. The same with our daily existence; if we would just lay idle and not move we will not survive we will die of hunger. 

Because of his laziness and lack of initiative to move the third servant was labeled as useless by his master. He was thrown into the darkness of hell where there was grinding and wailing of teeth. 

By our baptism the Good Lord has entrusted us also with talents and responsibilities according to our abilities. If we are parents we have this inherent responsibility which we must use for us to become good and Godly parents.

In what manner could we become good and Godly parents? We teach our children about our faith for the simple reason that we are the first formators or teachers of our children. The home is also the domestic church or the little church where children are initially introduced to Jesus and formed with values. Parents must also teach children how to live simply because God created us to live simply and not to live complicated and worldly lives.

How else could be become productive talent bearers of the Lord in this world? We have to serve the church in whatever capacity, we have to integrate our faith life with our parish church for us to grow more in our faith life. And of course we also have to teach and live our faith so that through us it could grow further.

Someday there would also be an accounting of the talents or responsibilities that Jesus has entrusted to us. How would we report to the Good Lord? Would we be like the two productive servants or we would be like the third unproductive servant who did nothing and risked nothing. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday November 15, Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 18:1-8

Gospel: Luke  18:1-8

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary. For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’ The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

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Reflection:

Do we always pray with persistence? Meaning we pray and pray and never lose heart until we have what we’ve been praying for. Jesus in our gospel is teaching us that we must be persistent in prayer. Even if what we’ve been praying seems impossible in our eyes to have for it’s in our prayer/s where the impossible becomes possible.

In our gospel there’s the presence of a heartless judge who feared and respected no one. Yet when he was pestered by the widow for a just decision he gave-in for the simple that the widow never gave-up.

If we are in the shoes of the widow and we know that this judge is impertinent would we still pursue our request for a decision? Or we simply give-up and if possible request for another judge who would be more sympathetic to our plight?   

When we have a prayer request before God we must always have the motivation to humbly request God again and again to grant us what we want to have from Him. Never mind if it will take time before God answers what is important is we never give-up. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday November 14, Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 17:26-37

Gospel: Luke 17:26-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of the end times? Of course we all are, Jesus mentions frightening scenarios in our gospel reading for this Friday. He mentions similar destructive occurrence like in the days of Noah where everyone on the face of the earth were wiped-out except for Noah and his group.

The same destruction happened in the place of Sodom and Gomorrah where the people there became very sinful. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah committed despicable sins such as sexual sins, thus earning the wrath of Yahweh.    

Our own respective end time will come to us; we cannot prevent this from happening for this is the nature of our life. But then again we hold in our hands what kind of end time and life after our end time we would have. If it would be a hellish end time or a heavenly and peaceful  end time. What Jesus mentioned to the disciples is a fair reminder for all of us to straighten our lives.

While we are alive we still have in our hands the luxury of time to leave behind everything that makes and influence us to sin. Let’s seriously reflect on this call of Jesus to repentance, sin has done nothing good to us. It made our lives miserable and if we would not leave it behind us it would further make our lives more miserable.   

Why continue to live a sinful life when Jesus is always offering us His mercy and forgiveness? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday November 13, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini; Luke 17:20-25

Gospel: Luke 17:20-25

Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

Then he said to his disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”

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Reflection:

Could you say that you have the kingdom of God? You already have the kingdom of God in your heart when you are already at peace with yourself. You already have the kingdom of God if you feel the love of Jesus in your heart. You already have the kingdom of God when you have peace and contentment in your heart.

Many of us including our politicians today seek the kingdom of this world. We amass corrupted wealth beyond our imaginations; We amass vast properties to serve as our earthly kingdoms. But this kind kingdom will not last forever, this we will leave behind eventually and we will be left without anything except loneliness and isolation.  

At what price are we willing to pay just to have this earthly kingdom? Are we willing to sell our souls to the devil just to have possession of this earthly kingdom? Let us wake up before it’s too late otherwise our greed for earthly kingdom would become our rope downward to hell.  

In our gospel for this Thursday Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you (Luke 17:20-21).

Indeed the kingdom of God is within our midst yet it cannot be physically felt and measured nor could it be bought by any amount of money.  This kingdom of God is planted into our hearts by Jesus Himself.

Do you also want to have the kingdom of God? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Wednesday November 12, Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr; Luke 17:11-19

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

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Reflection:

Are you grateful for whatever you have in life? Do you express this gratefulness to God? In our gospel for today we read about the ungratefulness of the nine lepers for the reason that they failed to go back to Jesus to express their gratitude. Were the nine lepers really ungrateful or they were simply busy in complying with the command of Jesus for them to go to a priest?    

We never know the reason but one thing is certain the nine Jews failed to seize the moment to personally thank Jesus and be up close and personal with Him. If the Samaritan who was not a member of Jesus faith took time to went back to Jesus to express his gratefulness. Why couldn’t they do it also?  

What happens to us when we are grateful? The blessings of God keeps coming to us this does not say that God has favorites among us for we are all equal before His eyes. But humanly speaking when we are grateful the more that the giver is motivated to give more to us.

How do we prove this? For example if we are the giver of the blessing would we not unceasingly give to those who express their appreciation? As opposed to those who do not know how to appreciate the things that we do for them?

Jesus even if He is God the son has a human side also and part of His human side was His longing for the nine whom he had cured. Perhaps not anymore seeking from them to hear their words of gratitude. But in a deeper sense Jesus was looking for the nine so that He could have an up close and personal encounter with them.

Like Jesus longing for the nine cured lepers, Jesus is also yearning for us; we who always receive the miracle of life in every morning that we wake-up.      

Do we always prayerfully express our gratitude to Jesus for this new life every morning? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday November 11, Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Bishop; Luke 17:7-10

Gospel: Luke Luke 17:7-10

(Jesus said to His disciples) “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’

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Reflection:

What is the frequent failing of many who serve in the vineyard of the Lord Jesus Christ? It’s the feeling of arrogance and the feeling that he/she is special because he/she is serving in the church.

Take for example a priest who has a high sense of himself and who gives orders to those who are at church as if they are his slaves. Sad to say but this is true, it’s not only the priest who is guilty of this kind of failing we too are often guilty of this kind of ill-mannered behavior.

If we are like this then how could we bring others closer to Jesus and how could they see Jesus in us? Let us not forget that we who are followers of Jesus are His walking advertisement in this world. If we are arrogant and ill-mannered they might think that Jesus is like that too!

In our gospel Jesus reminds us that we are all servants before Him and our fellowmen. It doesn’t matter how high our position in the church, it doesn’t matter how educated/rich we are. If we are true followers of Jesus we must then become the servant of everyone.

For it’s in serving others and in our humility that we become real and authentic followers and servants of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday November 10, Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor; Luke 17:1-6

Gospel: Luke 17:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry, you should forgive him.”

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

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Reflection:

Why do we sin? We sin because we allow sin to envelope us and we sin for our faith in Jesus is weak it is easily defeated by temptations. The devil is like a drone that always hovers above us it sees us and it detects if our faith in Jesus is weak. The moment that the devil finds out that our faith is weak he then quickly sends his slaves to entice us with sinfulness.

What is the antidote to sin? Very simple but we often neglect to harness this antidote called faith in Jesus. This is what defeats the devil and sin, the moment we ask Jesus to strengthen our faith He will surely oblige our request. But do we humbly and prayerfully ask Jesus to strengthen our faith? Are we faithful Holy Mass goers? Do we read our bible? Do we pray the Holy Rosary?

If we want to have an increase of faith we should not only ask Jesus we should also show Jesus that we are deserving of this faith. Once we do so we would notice a significant improvement in our faith life and in our journey with Jesus in this world.

Faith is a gift but at the same time faith is also given by Jesus to those who deserve it. And one testament of a person who deserves the gift of faith is someone who strives to know more about Jesus. And someone who endeavors to share his/her faith about Jesus.

Do you want to have an increase of faith? Try to know more about the life of Jesus and don’t forget to share what you know about Jesus. Amen. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday November 9, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome; John 2:13-22

Gospel: John 2:13-22

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold doves he said, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” His disciples recalled the words of Scripture, Zeal for your house will consume me. At this the Jews answered and said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?”But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the Scripture and the word Jesus had spoken.

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Reflection:

What do we do when we go to church to pray or for Holy Mass? Do we always go there so that we could feel the solemn atmosphere and have a personal encounter with Jesus?

The church is always our place of worship and this is our safe refuge whenever we are burdened by life’s challenges. It is also here where we get to have a personal encounter with Jesus before, during and after the celebration of the Holy Mass.

Do we still observe the proper discipline when we are at church? Do we still dip our finger in the holy water font, make the sign of the cross and genuflect with our eyes fixed on the tabernacle before we officially enter the church and before we go outside of the church?   

In our gospel we read about Jesus who went to the temple, to His dismay he found the temple in disarray. For they made the temple of worship to a temple of commerce. The people who were supposed to worship was there to do business and other things not in anyway related with worship for God. Therefore to create order and to restore the sanctity of the temple Jesus angrily drove out all those who corrupted the temple.   

 

This is a good reminder for all of us when we are at church for Holy Mass or to pray. We go to church to encounter to worship and to give glory and honor to Jesus. The church is not a business office where wheeling and dealing occurs.

When we go to church to pray or for Holy Mass let us go there with our focus on Jesus. So that when we go out of the church we carry with us this renewed strength and hope that will energize us as we once again face our life’s challenges. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Repleksyon para sa November 9, Pagtatalaga ng Basilika ni San Juan de Letran sa Roma; Juan 2:13-22

Mabuting Balita: Juan 2:13-22

13 Malapit na noon ang Paskuwa ng mga Judio, at umahon si Jesus pa-Jerusalem. 14 Natagpuan niya sa patyo ng Templo ang mga nagtitinda ng mga baka, mga tupa at mga kalapati, at ang mga nakaupong tagapalit ng pera. 15 Kaya gumawa siya ng panghagupit mula sa mga lubid, at ipinagtabuyan ang lahat mula sa Templo, pati ang mga tupa at mga baka, at isinabog ang pera ng mga tagapalit at ipinagtataob ang mga mesa. 16 At sinabi niya sa mga nagtitinda ng mga kalapati: “Alisin n’yo ang mga ito! Huwag n’yong gawing palengke ang Bahay ng aking Ama.” 17 Naalaala ng kanyang mga alagad na nasusulat: “Tinutupok ako ng mala¬sakit sa iyong Bahay.” 18 Kaya sumagot ang mga Judio: “Anong tanda ang maipapakita mo sa amin at ginagawa mo ito?” 19 Sinagot sila ni Jesus: “Gibain n’yo ang templong ito, at ibabangon ko ito sa tatlong araw.”20 Sinabi naman ng mga Judio: “Apat¬¬-napu’t anim na taon nang itina¬tayo ang templong ito, at ibabangon mo ito sa tatlong araw?” 21 Ngunit and templong katawan niya ang kanyang tinutukoy. 22 Nang iba¬ngon siya mula sa mga patay, naalaala ng kanyang mga alagad ang sinabi niyang ito. Kaya naniwala sila sa Kasulatan at sa salitang sinabi ni Jesus.

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Repleksyon:

Ano po ba ang ginagawa natin pag tayo ay nagpupunta sa simbahan para manalagin o para dumalo sa Banal na Misa?  Tayo ba ay nagpupunta doon para damhin ang banal na kapaligiran at para mag karoon tayo ng personal na pakikipag ugnay kay Jesus?

Ang simbahan ay banal na lugar kung saan tayo ay nakikipag ugnay kay Jesus. Ito rin ang ating puntahan pag tayo ay nahihirapan sa ating mga pasanin sa buhay. Dito rin tayo nakikipag tagpo kay Jesus bago, habang at pagkatapos ng pagdiriwang ng Banal na Misa.

Tayo po ba ay sumusunod sa tamang disiplina pag tayo ay nasa simbahan?  Isinasawsaw paba natin ang ating daliri kung saan nakalagay ang banal na tubig. Nag aantanda paba tayo ng krus at lumuluhod ng sandali habang ang ating mata ay nakatiggin sa Tabernakulo bago tayo pumasok at bago tayo lumabas ng simbahan?

Sa ating mabuting balita ay mababasa natin si Jesus na nagpunta sa templo ngunit nadatnan niya ang hindi magandang nangyayari doon. Sa dahilan na ginawa ng mga tao ang templo ng dalaginan para sa templo ng negosyo. Ang mga tao na dapat sana ay nandoon para manalangin sa Diyos ay nandoon para mag negosyo. At gumawa ng mga bagay na walang kaugnayan sa pagsamba sa Diyos. Kaya para maibalik ang kaayusan at kabanalan ng templo ay ipinagtabuyan ni Jesus silang lahat kasama na ang mga hayop.  

Ito po ay magandang paalala sa ating lahat pag tayo ay nasa simbahan para mag simba o manalangin. Tayo ay nagpupunta sa simbahan para sambahin ang Diyos, makipag-ugnay at magbigay parangal sa kanya. Ang simbahan ay hindi lugar kung saan may nangyayaring transaksyon ng kung ano anong bagay o negosyo.     

Pag tayo po ay nag pupunta sa simbahan para manalangin o para magsimba mag punta tayo doon na naka sentro ang ating atensyon kay Jesus. Para pag labas natin dito ay dala dala natin ang  bagong lakas at pag-asa para harapin na naman ang ating mga pagsubok sa ating mga buhay. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday November 8, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 16:9-15

Gospel: Luke 16:9-15

Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And he said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”

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Reflection:

What is dishonest wealth and true wealth that Jesus speaks about in our gospel? Dishonest wealth is any material wealth that you presently possess true wealth is no other than Jesus Himself. Material wealth is dishonest wealth in the sense that it will not give you peace, serenity and contentment no matter how big.

Has anyone of us found peace and contentment with the money that we have? No we have not found the serenity that we have been looking for. In fact the more money, power and wealth we have the more that we have no peace of mind. This is the paradox of earthly wealth and power: it will not give us the peace of mind that we have been longing for.  This is the reason why this is called dishonest wealth.

What is true wealth then? When you have Jesus in your life you already have this true wealth no matter if you are materially poor and no matter if you are sick. Because when you have Jesus in your life you lack nothing and you will not anymore desire for anything.

What is the worth of your life if you have all the wealth and power in this world yet you don’t have Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday November 7, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 16:1-8

Gospel: Luke 16:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward. The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master? He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil. He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty. Then to another he said, ‘And you, how much do you owe? He replied, ‘One hundred measures of wheat. He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note write one for eighty. And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”

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Reflection:

Why was the steward removed from his position as the fund manager of his master? Because he became complacent and negligent on his job. Otherwise if he did his job competently he would have not been removed but he became complacent.

On the surface it may seem that the only issue here is the incompetence of the steward. But in a deeper sense there is a lesson that we could all learn from the steward. When he learned that he was suddenly to be removed fear suddenly set-in to him. He was worried about his future for the reason that he would be without a job.

Therefore to ingrain a debt of gratitude from their debtors and to assure his survival he collected their debts with a discount. With the fervent hope that they would take care of him when he is finally dismissed from his job.  On the first debtor he discounted fifthly and on the second he discounted twenty. Suddenly this complacent steward became very creative because what was at stake was his very survival.

We are also being reminded to be creative not in assuring our survival in this world. For the simple reason that all that we have in this world are all temporary and passing. We are reminded to be creative in sharing our faith in Jesus most specially during this time wherein technology is very advance.

 Let us therefore creatively harness the many social media portals that are available at our disposal to continuously share Jesus. For this will assure us of survival not in this world anymore but our survival after our lives in this world is over and done with already. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday November 6, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 15:1-10

Gospel: Luke 15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus addressed this parable to them. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. 

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

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Reflection:

What is your attitude toward the so called sinners of our society? For example if you have a brother and you perceive him to be a sinner, how do you treat him? Should you simply ignore him because you are angry with him for the many sins that he committed? Or you would build bridge to seek him out and let him know that the love of Jesus knows no bounds. That the love of Jesus is not diminished by the sins that he has committed.

There are many of us who give-up on the lost or sinners and we cannot blame ourselves for this because this is basic human nature. For example if you have a spouse who is a serial womanizer  and you have forgiven him for so many times and yet he does not change his ways. What is our natural reaction to this kind of attitude? Isn’t that our natural reaction is to raise our hands in surrender and give-up on that unrepentant spouse?

If we give-up with sinners, Jesus doesn’t give-up He will continuously seek out the lost or sinners until He finds them. And when Jesus finds them He will do everything (without questions asked!) to let this sinner feel His infinite love and forgiveness.   

The parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin is a showcase of the infinite love of Jesus for us. We who are all sinners, we who continue to struggle with sin. There’s hope after all for all of us sinners. And this hope is brought to us by the infinite love and mercy of Jesus. Amen. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday November 4, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 14:15-24

Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

One of those at table with Jesus said to him, “Blessed is the one who will dine in the Kingdom of God.” He replied to him, “A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many. When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’ But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves. The first said to him, ‘I have purchased a field and must go to examine it; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have purchased five yoke of oxen and am on my way to evaluate them; I ask you, consider me excused.’ And another said, ‘I have just married a woman, and therefore I cannot come.’ The servant went and reported this to his master. Then the master of the house in a rage commanded his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in here the poor and the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ The servant reported, ‘Sir, your orders have been carried out and still there is room.’ The master then ordered the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled. For, I tell you, none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.’

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Reflection:

What occurs in a dinner? There’s breaking of the bread, there’s sharing, interaction, exchange of ideas and the like. We are not invited to a dinner to simply eat and go. We are invited because the host wants to know more about us, the host wants to bless us with the food that he prepared.  And he wants to exchange even for a brief moment small talk that could further enhance and strengthen the relationship between the invitee and the host.

When we honor the Holy Mass with our presence we respond to the invitation of Jesus to be present at this Sacred and Holy celebration. We break bread with Jesus, we interact with Jesus and we open ourselves to the innumerable blessings that Jesus alone could bestow upon us.

But like in the gospel many of us will refuse to go to Holy Mass because we have our other preoccupations. We miss a lot when we decline to be present at Holy Mass foremost of this is we miss this opportunity to know Jesus deeply.

It’s sad to think that many Catholics leave the church for other Christian churches because as they would say. They want to develop a personal relationship with Jesus through His written words in the bible.

But if only we would take time to religiously be present at Holy Mass. Jesus Himself will give us the grace to know Him deeply. Jesus Himself would prod us to open our bibles so that He could reveal more about Himself to us.

The deepening of our intimacy with Jesus emanates with our presence at His dinner banquet which is none other than the Holy Mass. Let us therefore go to this one hour celebration and build a deeper relationship with Jesus.   

Do we always honor this invitation of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday November 3, Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 14:12-14

Gospel: Luke 14:12-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

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Reflection:

 Have you noticed that there’s a greater feeling of satisfaction when you give to the poor than when you give to someone who could repay you? If you have not done this yet just try doing it so that you would feel it.

For example, try preparing two sets of the same food; you give one to your neighbor and the other one you give to the poor. Notice immediately the deeper feeling of grace and fulfillment that will set-in to your heart after you’ve given the food to the poor.

Why is this so? Because the poor, the unwanted and the less fortunate of our society are closest to the heart of Jesus. In-fact Jesus Himself told a story about the last judgment where the king said: ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me (Matthew 25:40).’

In our gospel for this Monday, Jesus was invited to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees and while there Jesus gave them a food for thought or something to think about and ponder.

Jesus said this to the host who invited Him: “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:12-14).”

This loaded and meaningful lecture of Jesus is not only for the host who invited Him this is also for us. We who sometimes or oftentimes forget the poor and the abandoned in favor of those who could pay us back. And we who oftentimes discriminate upon the less fortunate of our society.

Let us reflect on this for Jesus is speaking to us through our gospel. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday November 2, Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Souls); John 14:1-6

Gospel: John 14:1-6

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 * And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. 4 Where [I] am going you know the way. 5 Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth* and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

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Reflection:

Today we remember all of our loved ones who've gone to the great beyond. We do this in many ways: By visiting them where they rest now, by offering prayers for the eternal repose of their souls and by recalling their countless acts of goodness.

It’s hard to forget the memories and we often get emotional when we remember them. But this is our life; someday somehow we would be also going through the process of sickness, hospitalization and eventually the inevitable which is our death.

Perhaps many of us may lose sleep by mere mention of death, we don’t want to die at this point because we are not yet prepared. But who is prepared to die? Nobody, we are not prepared to die or we are afraid to die because we are all sinners otherwise if we are clean we would not be afraid to die anytime.

Nevertheless, Jesus is telling us in our gospel not to be troubled. For as long as we have faith in Him we would be OK. Because our faith in Jesus is more than enough to conquer our fear of death.

In this day of remembrance for our departed love ones we are encouraged to continue to pray for their souls. We must also continue to strengthen our faith in Jesus because if we have faith we lack nothing and we fear nothing even death.

Jesus Himself assures us with these words: Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places (John 14:1-2). - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday November 1, Solemnity of All Saints; Matthew 5:1-12A

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12A

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the land.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the clean of heart,

for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,

for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you

and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

Rejoice and be glad,

for your reward will be great in heaven.”

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Reflection:

How does one become a saint in his/her own little way? To be saint is to embody the character of Jesus to be saint is to embody the words of Jesus in our gospel today.

We can be saint in our own little way for as long as we aspire to follow the life of Jesus and for as long as we live the words of Jesus in the gospel. For example if you’re a parent and you try your very best to rear your children according to the teachings of Jesus you are already a saint for them. If you’re a son or daughter and you try your very best to take care of your retired parents you are already a saint for them.

In our gospel Jesus mentions nine blessed situations. The first is poor in spirit; how does one become poor in spirit? Does this mean that we are blessed because we lack the necessary spiritual vitality? No, to be poor in spirit means that we continuously hunger for the worlds of Jesus. 

Nobody can fill this hunger than the words of Jesus in the gospels, after we are filled with the words of Jesus. We once again are looking for our bible so that we could once again be filled by His words.  To become poor  in spirit is therefore a character that we must all aspire for as long as we continue to exist in this world. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday October 31, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 14:1-6

Gospel: Luke 14:1-6

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?”

But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.

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Reflection:

What is the purpose of the Sabbath law? It’s to bring honor to God by resting and doing nothing for the world on that day. What if there’s somebody who is need of help on that same day? Should they (Jews) ignore the person for the reason that it was a day of rest?

In our gospel Jesus asked this question to the scholars of the law and the Pharisees: “Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not (Luke 14:3)?” Not hearing any reply from them Jesus simply healed the man sick with dropsy. By doing so Jesus sent a clear message to the scholars of the law and the Pharisees that to bring healing or help to someone is more noble than the observance of the law. In other words the immediate need of somebody takes precedence over the observance of the Sabbath law.

How could we relate this with our own exercise of our faith life? In like manner say for example, if we have an obligation to our faith such our scheduled prayer meeting. Scheduled time for our prayers or our presence at Sunday Mass which is a day of obligation for us Catholics.

All of these exercise of worship for God must take a backseat over our acts of mercy. For example if we are in the process of fulfilling our obligation to our faith. And it so happen that there is a person who is in need of our immediate help. Our exercise of mercy must take precedence over our obligation to our faith.

Why is Pope Francis so admired, revered and respected? Is this because he is always shown presiding at Holy Mass or shown praying the Holy Rosary? No, it’s because of the Pope’s spontaneous acts of mercy and humility. Such as his non judgmental words, his action of embracing a badly disfigured man and countless more acts of compassion. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Thursday October 30, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 13:31-35

Gospel: Luke 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you.” He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose. Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day, for it is impossible that a prophet should die outside of Jerusalem.’

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

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Reflection:

Would we be willing to die for our faith? I’m sure that many of us would say yes with an exclamation point! But when the actual time comes that we would be killed for standing up for our faith we may renounce our faith to save our life. Many of our saints died for our faith they could have renounced it to save themselves but they chose to be faithful until the very end.

When Jesus was told by the Pharisees to go away because King Herod wants to kill Him. Jesus did not budge a bit He courageously stared the challenge in the eye and faced it notwithstanding the threat to His life.

Do we recognize that to be a follower of Jesus is no joke? This is for the reason that like Jesus, the prophets before Him and the saints we are also called to stand-up for what is right. To face anyone and courageously stare them eyeball to eyeball so that we could advance the teachings of Jesus.

To be a follower in name only is easy but to be a committed follower until the very last gasp of our breath is never easy. For it will require us to get out of our own comfort zones or to even sacrifice our very own lives so as to preserve and advance the teachings of Jesus.   

Are we committed followers or followers in name only? - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday October 28, Feast of Saints Simon and Jude; Luke 6:12-16

Gospel: Luke 6:12-16

Jesus went up 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.

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Reflection:

Among the many to be called, why did Jesus chose these twelve ordinary men to be His apostles? We never know the reason considering that before a man becomes a Priest or Deacon he needs to study for years. Same as when a woman desires to become a nun she also has to go through a formation process that takes years to complete.

So why did Jesus called these very ordinary men to become apostles? The reason perhaps that Jesus wants to convey is this: We need not become a priest or a nun to become a follower of Jesus. Anyone of us by virtue of our baptism could become a follower even if we have no education and even if we are not educated about our faith.

Some if not many of us may have this mistaken notion that the sole responsibility of spreading the faith lies in the hands of the priest. No for we are all called by Jesus to become his follower and to spread the faith. The less educated we are the more that He calls us to follow Him this is for the reason that Jesus does not call the qualified He qualifies the called.   

Therefore each and everyone of us has this special mission given to us by Jesus. Jesus wants us to become His missioners so that our faith could grow much further. So that through us Jesus could save and inspire more lives.

Do you find time to share Jesus through your words and actions? - Marino J. Dasmarinas