Noong
panahong iyon, habang bumababa si Hesus sa bundok, kasama sina Pedro, Santiago
at Juan, ay nakita nila ang napakaraming taong nakapaligid sa mga alagad na
naiwan, at ang mga eskriba na nakikipagtalo sa mga ito. Nagulat ang mga tao
nang makita nila si Hesus. Sila’y patakbong lumapit sa kanya, at binati siya.
Tinanong ni
Hesus ang kanyang mga alagad, “Ano ba ang pinagtatalunan ninyo at ng mga taong
iyon?” Sumagot ang isa mula sa karamihan, “Guro, dinala ko po rito sa inyo ang
aking anak na lalaki, sapagkat siya’y inaalihan ng masamang espiritu, at hindi
makapagsalita. Tuwing aalihan siya nito, siya’y inilulugmok; bumubula ang
kanyang bibig at nagngangalit ang kanyang ngipin, at siya’y naninigas.
Hiniling ko
po sa inyong mga alagad na palayasin ang espiritu, ngunit hindi nila napalayas
ito!” Sinabi ni Hesus sa kanila, “Lahing walang pananampalataya! Hanggang
kailan ako dapat manatiling kasama ninyo? Hanggang kailan ko kayo pagtitiisan?
Dalhin ninyo rito ang bata!” At dinala nga nila ito sa kanya. Nang si Hesus ay
makita ng espiritu, biglang pinapangisay nito ang bata, anupa’t napalugmok ito
sa kanya, at gumugulong-gulong na bumubula ang bibig.
“Kailan pa
siya inalihan ng masamang espiritu?” tanong ni Hesus sa ama. “Mula pa po sa
kanyang pagkabata!” tugon niya. “Madalas siyang ihagis nito sa apoy at sa tubig
upang patayin. Kaya kung may magagawa kayo, mahabag po kayo sa amin at tulungan
ninyo kami.” “Kung may magagawa!” ulit ni Hesus. “Mapangyayari ang lahat sa may
pananalig.” Kaagad sumagot nang malakas ang ama ng bata, “Nananalig po ako!
Tulungan ninyo ako bagamat ako’y nagkulang.”
Nang makita
ni Hesus na dumaragsa ang mga tao, pinagsabihan niya ang masamang espiritu,
“Ikaw, espiritung nagpapapipi at nagpapabingi – iniuutos ko sa iyo: lumabas ka
sa bata! At huwag ka nang papasok sa kanya!” Nagsisigaw ang masamang espiritu,
pinapangisay ang bata, at saka lumabas. Naging mistulang bangkay ang bata,
kaya’t ang sabi ng marami. “Patay na!”
Subalit
siya’y hinawakan ni Hesus sa kamay at ibinangon. At tumindig ang bata. Nang
pumasok na si Hesus sa bahay, palihim siyang tinanong ng kanyang mga alagad,
“Bakit po hindi namin napalayas ang espiritu?” Sumagot si Hesus, “Ang ganitong
uri ng espiritu ay hindi mapalalayas kundi sa pamamagitan ng panalangin.”
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
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Reflection:
Are we capable of not keeping hatred in our heart? For example, when somebody hurts us, are we capable of not taking revenge? When someone strikes us on the right cheek could we turn the other side as well? Are we capable of not refusing somebody who wants to borrow from us? Can we love our enemy and can we still pray for those who’ve been persecuting and hurting us?
Jesus in the gospel gives us teachings that are very difficult for many of us to follow. We may wonder, why these teachings are very hard for us to follow? This is so for the reason that we are humans and as such we respond because this is the normal human instinct to respond accordingly to what is done to us.
But if we respond to an evil act done to us we only permit the cycle of evil to continue until the same cycle of evil destroys us. However, if we don’t respond to an evil act we immediately kill the evil act and we eventually convert the person who did us evil.
We also normally compartmentalize our fellowmen. For example we label them as those we hate and those we do not hate. Those we love and those we do not love, those who are good to us and those who are not good to us. Therefore, we respond to them according to what they give us.
Jesus invites us today to discard our mindset of compartmentalization and retaliation. He invites us to treat everyone equally regardless if this and that person is good or not good to us. He invites us to throw away our mindset of revenge. And finally the Lord invites us all to be humble, to be loving and forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: “Narinig ninyo na sinabi, ‘Mata sa mata at ngipin sa ngipin.’ Ngunit ngayo’y sinasabi ko sa inyo: huwag ninyong labanan ang masamang tao. Kung may sumampal sa iyo sa kanang pisngi, iharap mo pa sa kanya ang kabila.
Kung ipagsakdal ka ninuman upang makuha ang iyong baro, ibigay mo sa kanya pati ang iyong balabal. Kung sapilitang ipapasan sa iyo ng manlulupig ang kanyang dala nang isang kilometro, pasanin mo ito nang dalawang kilometro. Magbigay ka sa naghihingi sa iyo, at huwag mong pahindian ang nanghihiram sa iyo.
“Narinig na ninyong sinabi, ‘Ibigin mo ang iyong kaibigan at kapootan mo ang iyong kaaway.’ Ngunit ito naman sabi ko: ibigin ninyo ang mga umuusig sa inyo, upang kayo’y maging tunay na anak ng inyong Amang nasa langit. Sapagkat pinasisikat niya ang araw sa masasama at sa mabubuti, at pinapapatak niya ang ulan sa mga banal at sa mga makasalanan.
Kung ang mga umiibig sa inyo ang siya lamang ninyo iibigin, ano pang gantimpala ang inyong hihintayin? Hindi ba’t ginagawa rin ito ng mga publikano? At kung ang binabati lamang ninyo’y ang inyong mga kapatid, ano ang nagawa ninyong higit kaysa iba? Ginagawa rin iyon ng mga Hentil! Kaya, dapat kayong maging ganap, gaya ng inyong Amang nasa Langit.”
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led
them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could
bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were
conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were
so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the
cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, the disciples no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone
with them.
As they were coming down from the
mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except
when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to
themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. Then they asked him,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He told them,
"Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it
written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated
with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever
they pleased, as it is written of him."
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Reflection:
Do you want to be in heaven with the Lord
when your journey in this world is already over?
Jesus showed to the three apostles what
heaven was like; He gave them a fleeting taste of heaven. But then, He said not
yet; let us go down first and continue my mission of salvation. By doing so He
would go through severe hardship, pain and betrayal. But at the end of these
all Jesus rose up triumphantly to defeat the wickedness of evil.
Before we achieve success, we must toil in
the sun and sacrifice. Before we go to heaven, we have to do something for the
Lord and His church. And this will surely entail sacrifice even hardship.
Why? Because that’s how it is, there are
no shortcuts to triumph. We must go through the eye of the needle so to speak
to fully enjoy the sweetness of our victory and success. Free riders and
freeloaders have no place in the mission for Christ.
We have to sacrifice if we want to be with
the Lord in heaven someday. We have to sweat it out if we want to taste success
in this world. There are no shortcuts. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, umakyat si Hesus sa isang mataas na bundok. Wala siyang isinama
kundi sina Pedro, Santiago at Juan. Samantalang sila’y naroon, nakita nilang
nagbagong-anyo si Hesus, nagningning ang kanyang kasuutan na naging
puting-puti, anupat walang sinumang makapagpapaputi nang gayun.
At nakita ng
tatlong alagad si Moises at si Elias, na nakikipag-usap kay Hesus. Sinabi ni
Pedro kay Hesus, “Guro, mabuti pa’y dumito na tayo. Gagawa po kami ng tatlong
kubol: isa sa inyo, isa kay Moises at isa kay Elias.” Hindi nalalaman ni Pedro
ang kanyang sinasabi sapagkat masyado ang takot niya at ng kanyang mga kasama.
At nililiman
sila ng isang alapaap at mula rito’y may tinig na nagsabi, “Ito ang minamahal
kong Anak. Pakinggan ninyo siya!” Pagdaka, tumingin ang mga alagad sa paligid
nila at nakitang wala na silang kasama roon kundi si Hesus. Habang bumababa
sila sa bundok ay mahigpit na itinagubilin sa kanila ni Hesus: “Huwag ninyong
sasabihin kaninuman ang inyong nakita hangga’t hindi muling nabubuhay ang Anak
ng Tao.”
Sinunod nila
ang tagubiling ito, ngunit sila-sila’y nagtanungan kung ano ang kahulugan ng
sinabi niyang muling pagkabuhay. At tinanong nila si Hesus, “Bakit po sinasabi
ng mga eskriba na dapat munang pumarito si Elias?” Tumugon siya, “Paririto nga
si Elias upang ihanda ang lahat ng bagay.
Kung gayo’y
bakit sinasabi ng Kasulatan na ang Anak ng Tao’y hahamakin at magtitiis ng
maraming hirap? Sinasabi ko sa inyo na pumarito na si Elias, at ginawa sa kanya
ng mga tao ang gusto nila, ayon sa sinasabi ng Kasulatan tungkol sa kanya.”
Jesus 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.
What profit is there for one to gain the
whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s
glory with the holy angels.”
He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the
Kingdom of God has come in power.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a middle aged man
who was newly retired from politics. When he was still active he amassed a lot
of dubious wealth. Having a feeling of financial security already, he said to
himself now I can enjoy all of my money.
However, in spite of his wealth he
didn’t have peace of mind he was always being hounded by the questionable deals
that he made while he was still in power. Then he had a heart attack and he
died immediately without enjoying his stolen wealth.
When he was about to enter the pearly
gates, Saint Peter refused him entry and told him that he’s not welcome because
of the things that he did when he was still alive.
What will it profit us if we gain the
riches of this world if we will not be able to gain entry in heaven? What will
it profit us if we will continue to steal dubious money if we will not have
peace of mind?
Unfortunately, this is the mentality of a
lot of us; we are so short-sighted that we focus on the here and now even if
it’s sinful. We continuously neglect to do good, we purposely shut God out of
our system to enjoy worldly life.
All of us are temporary travellers passing
through this world. In God’s time we will leave this world. Where would we be
by then? Would we be in heaven with Jesus or in the other side? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, 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.
Ano nga ang
mapapala ng isang tao, makamtan man niya ang buong daigdig kung ang katumbas
naman nito’y ang kanyang buhay? Ano ang maibabayad ng tao para mabalik sa kanya
ang kanyang buhay? Kapag ang sinuman ay nahiyang kumilala sa akin at sa aking
mga salita sa harapan ng lahing ito na makasalanan at hindi tapat sa Diyos,
ikahihiya rin siya ng Anak ng Tao, pagparito niya na taglay ang dakilang
kapangyarihan ng kanyang Ama, at kasama ang mga banal na anghel.”
Sabi pa ni
Hesus sa kanila, “Tandaan ninyo: may ilan sa inyo rito na hindi mamamatay
hangga’t di nila nakikitang naghahari ang Diyos nang may buong kapangyarihan.”
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.”
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Reflection:
Have you suffered for someone you love?
Suffering is part and parcel of loving,
there’s no real love without suffering for that love. For so long as you love
you should expect some big and little sufferings along the way. Why? Because
suffering perfects and purifies love, love without suffering is not love it’s
simply lust or a shallow object of attraction.
For example, a man and a woman decided to
marry. So, after their marriage they move to a place to be
together. After a few months the man found out that his partner is
sick of cancer so he decided to leave her. It was not real love that
attracted the man to the woman. It was simply lust for he was not willing to
suffer for his beloved.
Jesus in the gospel gives us the best
example of perfect love when He said that the Son of man must suffer greatly.
To whom did Jesus suffer? For us, He suffered out of His great love for us; He
could have avoided going thru intense suffering for He was God too. But He
chose to tread the road of suffering so that we can be redeemed from our
sinfulness.
Would you be willing to suffer for someone
you love? – 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.”
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at
Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He
took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle
on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people
looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second
time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything
distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a woman who was a
come and go Catholic who suddenly decided to leave the church in favor for
another Christian denomination. When she was asked why she decided to leave,
she said: “The protestant faith opened my eyes to the real Christian church.”
Perhaps we know of Catholics who are not
well versed about the basic teachings of the church. They are also vulnerable
to abandon the faith. What should we do? We must be the vehicle for their
enlightenment about the truths of the catholic faith.
Let us open their eyes and let them know
that we don’t worship the saints. Let us open their eyes and let them know that
the Catholic church was founded by Jesus through Peter. Let us open their eyes
and let them know that the Holy Bible is the book of the church that we must
always read.
There are many more truths about the
church that our fellow Catholics do not know yet. Let us allow ourselves to be
Jesus’ vehicle so that their eyes of faith will be opened. So that they will
not anymore be blinded to decide to leave the church which Jesus founded
through Peter. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, dumating sina Hesus at ang mga alagad sa Betsaida. Dinala kay
Jesus ng ilang tao ang isang bulag at ipinamanhik na hipuin ito. Inakay niya
ito sa labas ng bayan, niluran sa mga mata saka ipinatong ang kanyang mga
kamay. "May nakikita ka na bang anuman?" tanong niya.
Tumingin
ang lalaki at ang wika, "Nakakakita po ako ng mga taong lumalakad, ngunit
sila'y parang punongkahoy." Muling hinipo ni Jesus ang mga mata ng bulag;
ito'y tuminging mabuti. Nanumbalik ang kanyang paningin at malinaw na niyang
nakita ang lahat. Sinabi sa kanya ni Jesus, "Umuwi ka na. Huwag ka nang
dumaan sa bayan."
The disciples had forgotten to bring
bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them,
“Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he
became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because
you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do
you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many
wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up? They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of
fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do
you still not understand?”
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Reflection:
How do you handle power?
Power corrupts people who don’t know how
to handle it. The Pharisees and King Herod were very powerful but they did not
use their power responsibly they in fact abused it. They used it to oppress and
manipulate people. Eventually they allowed the same power that they had to
corrupt them.
Opposed to the manipulative and arrogant
power of the Pharisees and Herod is the power of Jesus that emanates from God.
Power that is used to sincerely help and power that is used with humility and
purity. This power was shown to them by Jesus when He feed twice the thousands
of people.
Many of us handle power like how the
Pharisees and Herod handled it. We use it to manipulate, we use it to advance
our selfish agendas. Many politicians use their power to steal money from the
government in the guise of helping the poor. The power of the Pharisees and
King Herod is temporary it doesn’t last and this kind of power has a
retribution factor in the end.
Of course, we know the power of Jesus; it
forever leaves an imprint in our hearts. It’s power firmly rooted in humility
and power that will bring us safely to God’s kingdom someday.
Whose power do you embrace? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, nalimutan ng mga alagad na magdala ng tinapay, at iisa lang ang
kanilang tinapay sa bangka. "Kaiingat kayo! Ilagan ninyo ang lebadura ng
mga Pariseo at ang lebadura ni Herodes," babala ni Jesus sa kanila.
Nag-usap-usap ang mga alagad, "Wala kasi tayong dalang tinapay kaya niya
sinabi iyon."
Alam
ito ni Jesus, kaya't sila'y tinanong niya, "Bakit ninyo pinag-uusapan na
kayo'y walang dalang tinapay? Hindi pa ba kayo nakababatid o nakauunawa? Hindi
pa ba abot ng inyong isip? Wala ba kayong mata? Wala ba kayong tainga?
Nakalimutan na ba ninyo nang pagpira-pirasuhin ko ang limang tinapay para sa
limanlibo?
Ilang
bakol ang napuno ninyo sa mga lumabis na tinapay?" "Labindalawa
po," tugon nila. "At nang pagpira-pirasuhin ko ang pitong tinapay
para sa apatnalibo, ilang bakol na malalaki ang napuno ninyo?" tanong
niya. "Pitong bakol po," tugon nila. "At hindi pa rin ninyo
nauunawaan?" wika niya.
The Pharisees came forward and began to
argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed
from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left
them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.
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Reflection:
The story is told about a woman wanted to
see a sign from her beloved so that she could finally say yes to him. So she
said: “If this man would bring me flowers and chocolates that would be the sign
that he loves me.” Lo and behold the man came knocking at their gate with
flowers and chocolates. To make a long story short she finally said yes to him
but after a few months they broke up.
Unlike the love of a suitor which is often
times fickle and bounded by time, Jesus love for us is always there it’s not
fickle or bounded by time. What are the signs of God’s love? The food on
the table, the new life in the morning and countless more! These are obvious
signs of Jesus infinite love for us.
But often times these are still not enough
for us, we still seek more signs to strengthen our faith in Him. When we seek
additional signs from Jesus it also shows how feeble our faith in Him.
Otherwise if we have full faith and confidence we would not anymore seek or ask
for whatever sign/s. Let us not anymore seek signs from the Lord let us instead
ask the Lord to deepen our faith in Him.
Do
you sometimes seek signs from the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, may dumating na mga Pariseo at nakipagtalo kay Hesus. Ibig
nilang masila siya kaya hiningi nila na magpakita si hesus ng isang tanda mula
sa langit.
Napabuntong-hininga
nang malalim si Hesus at ang wika, “Bakit naghahanap ng tanda ang lahing ito?
Sinasabi ko sa inyo: hindi sila pagpapakitaan ng anumang tanda.” Iniwan niya
sila, at pagkasakay sa bangka ay tumawid sa ibayo.
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not
think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to
abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the
law, until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the
least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in
the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be
called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of
heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your
ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the
altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your
gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then
come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to
court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge
will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I
say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said, You
shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with
lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye
causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away It is better for you to lose
one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better
for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into
Gehenna.
“It was also said, whoever divorces his
wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his
wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and
whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again you have heard that it was said
to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that
you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a
single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”
+ +
+ + + + +
Reflection:
Imagine a world without laws, there would be no order; there would
be chaos and anarchy. Imagine life without following the laws of your country.
And let us imagine ourselves not being faithful to the teachings of God. There
would also be disorder in our life; we will have no peace of mind.
In our first reading according to Sirach (Sirach 15:15-20) we are
given choices, life and death, good and evil. We are made to choose
whichever we like. If we like death and evil, it’s really up to us; if we like
good and life, it’s also upon our hands. God gave us the freedom but this
freedom is not absolute because God wants us to carefully discern
our choices. For example if we choose death disguised as fulfillment of the law
over life or evil desires over good where would these faulty choices bring us?
But what if we choose life and we choose to do good? Of course we
would have peace of mind we will not be bothered by our conscience for the
reason that we followed what God wants us to do. And this is absolutely what
God wants us to always do in our life!
For example in our gospel, Jesus gives us teaching about Anger
(Matthew 5:21-26), teaching about Adultery (Matthew 5:27-30) and teaching about
Divorce (Matthew 5:31-32). Just imagine if we would follow all of these teachings. There would be peace and
serenity in our life most specifically in our
married life. But are we following these
teachings or laws of Jesus?
These laws were given to us by Jesus to serve as our lighthouse as
we continue to sail in this world. We follow these commands not because we fear
it. We follow it because we love Jesus who is the spirit behind His laws. Therefore, if we follow we’ll have peace in our life and we would be much closer to Jesus in this world and beyond this
world.
Imagine a peaceful life and imagine a life very close to Jesus,
would you not want to have it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: “Huwag
ninyong akalaing naparito ako upang pawalang-bisa ang Kautusan at ang aral ng
mga propeta. Naparito ako, hindi upang pawalang-bisa kundi para ipaliwanag at
ganapin ang mga iyon. Tandaan ninyo ito: magwawakas ang langit at ang lupa,
ngunit ang kaliit-liitang bahagi ng Kautusan ay di mawawalan ng bisa hangga’t
hindi nagaganap ang lahat.
Kaya’t sinumang magpawalang-halaga
kahit sa kaliit-liitang bahagi nito, at magturo nang gayon sa mga tao, ay
ibibilang na pinakamababa sa kaharian ng Diyos. Ngunit ang gumaganap ng
Kautusan at nagtuturo na tuparin iyon ay ibibilang na dakila sa kaharian ng
Diyos.
Sinasabi ko sa inyo: kung ang
pagsunod ninyo sa kalooban ng Diyos ay tulad lamang ng pagsunod ng mga eskriba
at mga Pariseo, hindi kayo makapapasok sa kaharian ng Diyos.
“Narinig ninyo na noong una’y iniutos
sa mga tao, ‘Huwag kang papatay; ang sinumang makamatay ay mananagot sa
hukuman.’ Ngunit ngayo’y sinasabi ko sa inyo: ang mapoot sa kanyang kapatid ay
mananagot sa hukuman; ang humamak sa kanyang kapatid ay mananagot sa Sanedrin,
at sinumang magsabi sa kanyang kapatid ‘ulol ka!’ ay mapapasaapoy ng impiyerno.
Kaya’t kung naghahandog ka sa Diyos,
at maalaala mo na may sama ng loob sa iyo ang kapatid mo, iwan mo muna ang
iyong handog sa harap ng dambana at makipagkasundo ka sa kanya. Saka ka
magbalik at maghandog sa Diyos.
“Kung may magsakdal laban sa iyo sa
hukuman, makipag-ayos ka sa kanya habang may panahon, bago ka niya iharap sa
hukom. At kung hindi’y ibibigay ka niya sa hukom, na magbibigay naman sa
iyo sa tanod, at ikaw ay mabibilanggo. Sinasabi ko sa iyo: hindi ka
makalalabas doon hangga’t hindi mo nababayaran ang kahuli-hulihang kusing.”
“Narinig ninyo na noong una’y iniutos
sa mga tao, ‘Huwag kang makikiapid.’ Ngunit ngayo’y sinasabi ko sa inyo: ang
sinumang tumingin nang may mahalay na pagnanasa sa isang babae, sa isip niya’y
nakiapid na siya sa babaing iyon. Kung ang mata mo ang siyang nagiging sanhi ng
iyong pagkakasala, dukutin mo at itapon!
Sapagkat mabuti pang mawalan ka ng
isang bahagi ng katawan kaysa buo ang iyong katawang itapon sa impiyerno. Kung
ang iyong kamay ang siyang nagiging sanhi ng iyong pagkakasala, putulin mo at
itapon! Mabuti pang mawalan ka ng isang bahagi ng katawan kaysa buo ang iyong
katawang itapon sa impiyerno.
“Sinabi rin naman, ‘Kapag pinahiwalay
ng lalaki ang kanyang asawa, ito’y dapat niyang bigyan ng kasulatan ng
paghihiwalay.’ Ngunit ngayo’y sinasabi ko sa inyo: kapag pinahiwalay ng isang
lalaki ang kanyang asawa nang hindi naman ito nangangalunya, at ito’y
nag-asawang muli, ang lalaking iyo’y nagkasala – itinulak niya ang kanyang
asawa sa pangangalunya. At sinumang mag-asawa sa babaing hiniwalayan ay
nangangalunya.”
“Narinig pa ninyo na noong una’y
iniutos sa mga tao, ‘Huwag kang sisira sa iyong pinanumpaang pangako bagkus ay
tupdin mo ang iyong sinumpaan sa Panginoon.’ Ngunit ngayo’y sinasabi ko sa
inyo: huwag na kayong sumumpa kung nangangako kayo. Huwag ninyong sabihing,
‘Saksi ko ang langit,’ sapagkat ito’y trono ng Diyos; o kaya’y ‘Saksi ko ang
lupa,’ sapagkat ito’y tuntungan ng kanyang mga paa.
Huwag din ninyong sabihing, ‘Saksi ko
ang Jerusalem,’ sapagkat ito’y lungsod ng dakilang Hari. Ni huwag mong
sabihing, ‘Mamatay man ako,’ sapagkat ni isang buhok sa iyong ulo’y hindi mo
mapapuputi o mapaiitim. Sabihin mo na lang na ‘Oo’ kung oo at ‘Hindi’ kung
hindi; sapagkat buhat na sa masama ang anumang sumpang idaragdag dito.”
In those days when there again was a great
crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart
is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three
days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they
will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.
His disciples answered him, “Where can
anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he
asked them, “How many loaves do you have? They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the
crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks,
broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed
them to the crowd.
They also had a few fish. He said the blessing
over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They
picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand
people.
He dismissed the crowd and got into the
boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you know how it feels to be hungry?
Having nothing to eat is an indescribable
feeling of being weak. We cannot do the things that we would normally want to
do. We may even limit our movement because the more we move the more that we
feel the pain of hunger.
In the gospel reading; Jesus speaks about
the crowd without anything to eat: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat If I
send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some
of them have come a great distance (Mark 8:2-3)."
Then, He asked His disciples, "How
many loaves do you have (Mark 8:5)?" They replied, "Seven." He
ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Afterwards He gave thanks, broke
them and gave them to the disciples to give to the crowd. The same happened to
the few fish that they had; the four thousand people were able to eat and they
still had seven basketfuls of excess bread and fish.
What lesson does Jesus wants us to learn
from the miracle of the loaves and fish? Perhaps Jesus wants us to learn how to
give, why? For the simple reason that many are going hungry. Let us not worry
of the cost of giving that would bring us because the more we give the more
that we would receive. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong mga
araw na iyon, muling nagkatipon ang mga tao. Naubos nila ang kanilang pagkain,
kaya’t tinawag ni Hesus ang kanyang mga alagad, at sinabi sa kanila, “Nahahabag
ako sa mga taong ito, sapagkat tatlong araw na ngayong kasama ko sila at wala
na silang makain. Kung pauuwiin ko nang gutom, mahihilo sila sa daan – galing
pa naman sa malayo ang ilan sa kanila.”
“Saan po tayo
kukuha ng tinapay dito sa ilang para magkasya sa ganito karaming tao?” tugon ng
mga alagad. “Ilan ang tinapay ninyo riyan?” tanong ni Hesus. “Pito po,” sagot
nila. Ang mga tao’y pinaupo ni Hesus sa lupa. Kinuha niya ang pitong tinapay,
at nagpasalamat sa Diyos. Pinagpira-piraso niya ang mga iyon at ibinigay sa mga
alagad upang ipamahagi sa mga tao.
Gayun nga ang
ginawa ng mga alagad. Mayroon din silang ilang maliliit na isda. Muli siyang
nagpasalamat sa Diyos, at iniutos niyang ibigay din iyon sa mga tao. Kumain ang
lahat at nabusog; at nang tipunin nila ang mga pira-pirasong tinapay na
lumabis, nakapuno sila ng pitong bakol na malalaki. At may apat na libo ang
kumain. Pinayaon ni Hesus ang mga tao, saka siya sumakay sa bangka, at nagtungo
sa lupain ng Dalmanuta.
Again 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.”
In the gospel we are presented with an
authentic healing presided by Jesus. A deaf man who had a speech impediment is
brought to Jesus for healing. To make a long story short Jesus healed the deaf
man: he was able to hear and talk again.
I’d like to zero in on the personal
healing actions of Jesus. They walked away from the madding crowd and once they
were both by themselves Jesus conducted the personal healing. 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.
This healing action of Jesus is very much
opposite to what we see nowadays. Healers now want it to be publicized they
want to be noticed they want to maximize their media exposure so to speak! I
can only speculate of their true motives.
Is it still possible for us to have this
personal and one on one healing with Jesus now? Yes, a pious presence at Holy
Mass or quite visit to our church’s Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel
would do it for us. Jesus is there personally waiting for us to heal us of our
sickness our personal hurts and pains.
If only we would discover the healing and
calming presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, if only we will learn to
allocate a portion of our time to give Him a visit there. We would also have an
Ephphatha experience.
Our hearts and minds would also be opened
to this personal and wondrous healing experience with Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament and with Jesus at Holy Mass. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He
entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape
notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She
came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed
first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the
dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat
the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The
demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the
child lying in bed and the demon gone.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you persistent when you pray before
The Lord?
A Greek woman went to Jesus to ask Him to
drive out a demon from her daughter. What is very significant here is the woman
is an outsider, not a follower of Jesus not even a Jew. But with courage and
faith she went to Jesus for help, her mind was focused on reaching out to
Jesus.
When she finally was able to reach Jesus,
she told Him about her sick daughter. Jesus was reluctant at first to help. But
she persisted and she humbled herself before Jesus after which her daughter was
healed.
We all have our own problems that we carry
in our hearts and we surely have brought these problems to Jesus. Let us not
lose heart if we have not yet received a response from Jesus. Let us continue
to persist, continue to humble ourselves before Him and untiringly beseech His
guidance and help.
The woman never gave up until she got what
she wanted from Jesus. So we too must never give up we must continue to badger
Jesus with our humble and persistent prayers. Often times we don’t get what we
want from Jesus because we easily give up. Same as with our ambitions in life;
we don’t get what we want because we give up.
What if we don’t give up? What if we
continue to persist and humbly ask the Good Lord to grant us our prayer/s? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, nagtungo si Hesus sa lupain ng Tiro at tumuloy sa isang bahay
doon. Ayaw sana niyang malaman ninuman na naroon siya, subalit hindi gayon ang
nangyari. Ang pagdating niya'y nabalitaan ng isang inang may maliit na anak na
babaing inaalihan ng masamang espiritu. Pumunta siya kay Jesus at nagpatirapa
sa kanyang harapan.
Ang
babaing ito'y Hentil -- tubo sa Sirofenicia. Ipinamanhik niya kay Hesus na
palayasin ang demonyo na nasa kanyang anak; ngunit sinabi ni Hesus,
"Kailangang busugin muna ang mga anak. Hindi dapat kunin ang pagkain ng
mga anak upang ihagis sa mga tuta."
"Tunay
nga po, Panginoon," tugon ng babae, "ngunit ang mga tuta mang nasa
ilalim ng hapag ay naninimot ng mga mumong nalalaglag ng mga anak." Kaya't
sinabi sa kanya ni Hesus, "Dahil sa sinabi mo, maaari ka nang umuwi. Iniwan
na ng demonyo ang iyong anak." Umuwi ang babae, at naratnan niya sa higaan
ang bata. Iniwan na nga ng demonyo.
Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to
them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from
outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are
what defile.”
When he got home away from the crowd his
disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you
likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes
into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the
stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is
what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts,
unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness,
envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they
defile.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do we discern the voice of the Lord when
it speaks to us?
When Jesus said, “Nothing that enters one
from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within
are what defile.” The disciples were asking Him about the meaning of His
statement. As if they were saying, Come again Lord, we do not understand what
you’ve said. And perhaps in exasperation Jesus said, “Are even you likewise
without understanding?
In our walk with the Lord there would be
times that we will not understand also the things that are happening in our
lives. For example, we might ask the Lord, Why is this happening to me Lord? I
don’t get your message; I don’t understand the reason of this event/s in my
life.
Why is it that we don’t understand?
Because we don’t listen carefully to Him or we may listen but our attention is
focused on something else. If only we would learn to carefully listen to the
Lord and if only we would try to live to the fullest His teaching.
But how are we going to listen to the
Lord? We have to consistently go to Holy Mass. We also have to consistently
read the bible which more often than not is not being read. We also have to be
humble for the reason that humility is the key for us to discern the voice of
the Lord.
Then, we would know and we would
understand that everything that happens in our life is for a good reason. We
would discern that Jesus has a purpose why we are going through this and that
trial. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, muling pinalapit ni Hesus ang mga tao at sinabi sa kanila,
"Makinig kayong lahat, at unawain ang aking sasabihin! Hindi ang pumapasok
sa bibig ng tao ang nakapagpaparumi sa kanya sa mata ng Diyos kundi ang
nagmumula sa kanya. Ang may pandinig ay makinig."
Iniwan ni
Jesus ang mga tao; at nang makapasok na sa bahay, siya'y tinanong ng kanyang
mga alagad tungkol sa talinghaga. "Kayo man ba'y wala ring
pang-unawa?" tugon ni Hesus. "Hindi ba ninyo alam na hindi
nakapagpaparumi sa tao ang kinakain niya, sapagkat hindi naman iyon pumapasok
sa kanyang puso, kundi sa tiyan, at pagkatapos ay idinudumi." Sa pagsasabi
nito'y para nang ipinahayag ni Hesus na maaaring kanin ang lahat ng pagkain.
Nagpatuloy
siya sa pagsasalita: "Ang lumalabas mula sa tao ang nagpaparumi sa kanya
sa mata ng Diyos. Sapagkat sa loob-- sa puso ng tao-- nagmumula ang masasamang
isipang nag-uudyok sa kanya na makiapid, magnakaw, pumatay, mangalunya,
mag-imbot, at gumawa ng lahat ng kabuktutan, tulad ng pagdaraya, kahalayan,
pagkainggit, paninirang puri, kapalaluan, at kahangalan, Ang lahat ng ito'y
nanggagaling sa puso ng tao, at siyang nagpaparumi sa kanya."
