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

Reflection for Monday October 27, Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 13:10-17

Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

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Reflection:

What made Jesus notice the woman crippled by a bad spirit considering that the woman did not even ask Jesus to heal her? Why did Jesus healed her on a Sabbath day when it was prohibited to do so?

The woman who never asked for healing from Jesus was in the synagogue to listen to Jesus. Yes she did not ask favor from Jesus but her desire to listen to Jesus speaks volumes about her trust and faith in Jesus. Therefore her trust and faith in Jesus was the channel for her to be noticed and healed by Jesus.

How can we listen to Jesus in this modern time? We listen to Jesus by reading His very words in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We listen to Jesus when we have an audio file of the same gospels in our hi-tech and touch screen cell phones. How many of us have an audio file or even a video file of these gospels in our cell phones?  

In the process of listening to Jesus we are healed already even if we don’t ask Him to heal us. Jesus is a proactive God, He knows everything about us and He knows every sickness or illness that we have long before we ask Him to heal us.

We need not ask Him anymore for healing or for anything for that matter for as long as we have this hunger and thirst to listen to Him. Because it’s in listening to Jesus that we are healed, it’s in listening to Jesus that we acquire wisdom that He only could give us. It’s in listening to Jesus that we are strengthened and motivated to face our daily trials no matter how difficult.   

Do we still have time to listen to Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday October 26, Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 22:34-40

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and  one of them, a scholar of the law tested him by asking, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

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Reflection:

How deep is God’s love for us? We will never know because God’s love for us is infinite. As a testament of God’s infinite love He even gave His only begotten son so that we could be freed from the curse of original sin.

How deep is our love for God? Is it enough to express our love for God by fulfilling our Sunday obligation? Certainly not for God requires that our love for Him should translate to our love for our neighbor. Therefore if we say we love God we also should learn to love our neighbor no matter how unlovable this neighbor.

Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor could be a relative, a friend, a literal neighbor or a complete stranger who needs our help. The big question here is what if this neighbor is unlovable or what if this neighbor is not good to us? Should we still give our love to this neighbor?  

Yes of course for we cannot separate our love for God with our love for our neighbor. If we say that we love God yet we don’t love our neighbor because they are not good to us, then how could this love of God that we profess be true?    

Therefore to love God is to unconditionally love our neighbor no matter if this neighbor has deeply hurt us. To love God is to forgive a spouse who is asking for a second chance, to love God is to forgive a friend who betrayed us and to love God is to help a stranger in need.

Do we truly love God? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday October 25, Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 13:1-9

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them–do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”

And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”

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Reflection:

What will happen to us if we will not walk-away from our sinfulness? Sooner or later there will be punishment, there will be reckoning or payback. This is the normal cycle of life; if we refuse to walk-away from all of our sinfulness there shall be punishment. If punishment will not catch-up with us here in this world it will surely get hold of us in the afterlife.

In our gospel Jesus told those who were listening to Him to repent while they have the luxury of time. Because if they will not repent something very bad may happen to them. Same as what happened to the Galileans who were killed by Pilate and the eighteen people who perished when the tower of Siloam fell upon them.     

This is how much Jesus loves us, He will continuously call upon us to repent from all of our sinfulness. Because as much as possible Jesus wants us to be saved from severe punishment. Jesus will give us every opportunity to come back to Him no matter the sins that we have committed.

But at the end of the day, it’s still in our hands if we would listen to this call of Jesus or not for Jesus has given us the freedom of choice. Let us say we listened to this call of repentance of Jesus, what would happen to our lives? There would be essential transformation in our lives: From a chaotic to a peaceful life from a life of sin to a life free from sin. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday October 23, Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 12:49-53

Gospel: Luke 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

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Reflection:

What does it mean to be on fire for Jesus? It simply means that we have allowed the Holy Spirit to work in our lives by sharing and living the teaching of Jesus. During Pentecost the Blessed Mother, some women and many of the apostles were in the upper room (Acts 1:12-14). While there the Holy Spirit appearing in tongues of fire descended upon each of them (Acts 2:1-3). And from thereon they have allowed themselves to be set on fire by the teachings of Jesus.

During our Baptism we too have received the same fire of the Holy Spirit and the same Holy Spirit was further strengthened within us during our Confirmation. After we have received the Holy Spirit through these two Sacraments, could we now say that we are on fire for Jesus?

Or we have never been on fire even if we have received already the presence of the Holy Spirit. We remain to be timid Roman Catholics for we never cared to share our faith in Jesus. We remain to be Roman Catholics in name only with our faith always hidden within us.

Why not try to reverse this culture of complacency by allowing the fire of the Holy Spirit to move us to share the gospel of Jesus? For example, why not try to schedule a weekly or even monthly reading and reflection of the words of Jesus in the bible amongst your family members or friends?

This may divide families and friends we may be even be labeled us neurotics for doing this but for as long as we do this with humility. We have nothing to worry about because we are simply living our faith. The division that we create for sharing the gospel will eventually heal and turn into cohesion and this is the miracle of Jesus.      

   

Are you on fire for Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Wednesday October 22, Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 12:39-48

Gospel: Luke 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

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Reflection:

When a typhoon is about to hit a certain area the government would always remind its citizens to be prepared or even relocate for a period of time. The reason behind is very basic: to avoid destruction of lives and properties. Those who would hear the call for preparedness would survive and those who wouldn’t would suffer from their indifference.

In today’s gospel Jesus once again calls us to be prepared for He will come to us when we least expect Him to come into our lives. But does Jesus really come to our lives without prior warning? Does He really surprise us with His immediate presence thus we are caught unaware?

Before Jesus comes to us He would first knock into our hearts so that we could open our hearts to Him and embrace His offer of renewal with open arms.  By doing so we hear His call for us to be prepared.

But for those who would pretend not to hear even if they hear, those who would continue with their sinful lives even if Jesus is calling him/her for renewal. They may be awakened to the sad reality of life and this sad reality is the sufferings that they may face for the reason that they did not listen to Jesus.    

Nevertheless, everything is not lost yet, for as long as we breathe there’s always a chance to listen to the voice of Jesus coursed through people around us or even events around us. Who earnestly call upon us to be prepared by means of walking away from all of our sinfulness.  

In Revelation 3:19-20, the Lord tells us: I reprimand and correct all those I love. Be earnest and Change your ways. Look I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my call and opens the door. I will come into him and have supper with him. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday October 21, Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 12:35-38

Gospel: Luke 12:35-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.”

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Reflection:

Why does Jesus tells us to be vigilant? Because we never know when he will come, He may come any day that we least expect. This is how much Jesus loves us! If Jesus doesn’t love us He wouldn’t bother to tell us to be prepared. But in truth and in fact Jesus loves us dearly, are we able to reciprocate this great love of Jesus for us?

If we continue to do good; if we continue to be humble, if we are able to submit ourselves to the Sacrament of Confession. If we continue to bring others closer to Jesus and so forth then we are prepared. Are these already enough preparation for the coming of the Lord? We never know for we don’t have the capacity to read the mind of God.

Nevertheless, Jesus has already given us the lead on how we could best prepare ourselves for the great coming of the Lord. What if we are not prepared? We have nobody to blame but ourselves for this simply means that we refused to heed the call of Jesus.

But there are many who live their lives as if they own it for themselves, as if they are in-charge of their lives. But nobody is in-charge except Jesus that’s why we must always be prepared.

Life is never permanent we may be in the pink of health today but we never know what may happen to us the next day or even the next minute. We never know if the breath that we will take before we sleep tonight is our last or not, this is how fragile life is.

This gospel is a wake-up call for all of us to always be prepared. Are you prepared? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday October 20, Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 12:13-21

Gospel: Luke 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest? And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry! But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”

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Reflection:

What will be the scenario when we are a few inches away from the doorway of death? Would we still be concerned about our wealth? No, not anymore what would be of prime importance during that time are the relationships that we’ve built.

The first that will matter is the relationship that we’ve built with God, the next is the relationship that we’ve built with our relatives and friends. Our wealth no matter how enormous will not occupy a space in our minds.

Why is this so? Because wealth will not count as our ticket to heaven, what will count is the relationship that we have created with God. What will count are the good deeds that we’ve done to those who are in need.

 But the paradox is so many of us today who are alive and healthy are actively in pursuit of wealth. That we don’t anymore care how many lives would we be stepping on just to have it. We don’t anymore care if we will be called greedy or corrupt just to have it.

In our gospel for this Monday, Jesus is teaching us not to live our lives for the accumulation of wealth, He teaches us not to be greedy. Jesus teaches us instead to build a relationship with Him. To spread and share our blessings with others most especially with those who are in need.

For what is wealth when it will not count as your ticket to heaven? – Marino J. Dasmarinas