Reflection for Sunday March 8, Third Sunday of Lent; John 2:13-25

Gospel: John 2:13-25

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.

While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing. But Jesus would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, and did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.

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Reflection:

What made Jesus lose His temper? What drove Him to angrily overturn the tables of the money changers and the others who were doing business in the temple area? Is it out of the character of Jesus to get angry because He was supposed to be gentle and kindhearted?  

The temple area was not anymore being used according to its real purpose. It was OK to have business there for that area was intended to be used as such. But there was fraudulent business that was going there. The animals that was to be offered to the temple was overpriced and there was many more deceit and cheating in the conduct of their business.  

Therefore Jesus had no other choice but to create order and in the process He got angry. Anger that was justified for it reminded the people that the temple area should be free from anything that is fraudulent. And anything that is against the will of God. The temple area and the temple itself must always be free from any form of desecration for it is the house of God.

This is a good reminder for all of us when we go to church to worship God. We should go there only to worship God and not do anything that would defile the temple of God. The defilement or desecration that we do is not limited to physical defilement. We also defile the church when we think of anything that is not good and ungodly while we are in the church.

How about if we are already not in the church or not anymore within the area of the church? Is it now justified to think of sinister things against our fellowmen, anyway we are now way outside of the church?

 It’s still not right, For we are the church our body is the visible representation of the church. Therefore we must at all times be free from any form of deceit or anything that would make us unworthy before the eyes of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 7, Saturday of the Second Week in Lent; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Gospel: Luke  15:1-3, 11-32

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 to them Jesus addressed this parable. “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father ‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers. So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.

But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found. Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound. He became angry and when he refused to enter the house his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.

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Reflection:

What kind of God is our God? He is a God of love, mercy and forgiveness, what does this mean? This simply means that nobody is beyond reach of the love of God. No matter how sinful we are and no matter how grave the sins that we have committed we are still loved dearly by our God.

But there’s one quality that we must have to experience God’s love mercy and forgiveness . And this is repentance, we have to realize first our own sinfulness and have the desire to walk away from our sinfulness and be one again with God.

After wasting his inheritance to debauchery and sinfulness the younger son in our gospel parable had a humbling experience. He had nowhere to go, he lived a life of a beggar so to speak.

 So different from his life of comfort when he was still with his father.  He therefore said to himself, why not go back home and ask for forgiveness from my father? So he did, and to make a long story short his father forgave him.     

This season of lent let us think and reflect about our own sinfulness and other offenses that we’ve done that created distance between us and Jesus. Let us go back home to Jesus loving embrace by asking for His forgiveness. This we could do best if we would humbly submit ourselves to the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.

Would you be willing to submit yourself to the Sacrament of Confession? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for March 6, Friday of the Second Week in Lent; Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times. Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

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Reflection:

What is our mission as far as our faith life in this world is concerned? It’s to pay forward or share whatever we know about our faith. It’s to give life to our faith by not keeping it to ourselves. And it’s to generously share whatever we know about our faith. But have we already shared our catholic faith or whatever we know about our faith and Jesus?    

 In our gospel for today, Jesus gives us the parable of the tenants who were entrusted by the landowner of his property. Before the landowner left them he first ensured that they already have all that they would be needing to make them productive. And so the landowner left and when harvest time came the landowner was now demanding his share from the tenants.

We are the tenants which Jesus is speaking about in the gospel.  The land or property that Jesus has entrusted to us is no other than our faith. What have we done so far to the gift of faith that He has entrusted us? Have we already shared it? Or we are still up to know keeping it to ourselves?

If we want to grow in faith we have to humbly share it. For it is in sharing our faith that we would grow in faith. It is in sharing our faith that would make us productive followers of Jesus. Many are still not properly educated as far as their faith life is concerned and many are Catholics in name only. And who is to blame for this lack of education of our catholic faith? We are partly to be blamed because many of us have not yet shared the gift of faith that Jesus has entrusted us.

But it’s not yet late to share our faith for we still have time.  Therefore we have to do something, start first by inviting your family to go to Holy Mass. Then gently teach them with whatever you know about your catholic faith.

Have courage to do this for God’s blessings will be upon you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 5, Thursday of the Second Week in Lent; Luke 16:19-31

Gospel: Luke  16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.’ Abraham replied, ‘My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours. He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him to my father’s house for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them lest they too come to this place of torment. But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them. He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. Then Abraham said ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.

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Reflection:

Does the poor have a purpose in the life of the rich and affluent? Yes they have! The poor closes the gap between the rich and God, the poor brings God closer to the rich for the poor represents God. Jesus himself said that whatever we do to the least or poor we do unto Him (Matthew 25:40).

We have in our gospel the characters of the nameless rich man (He could be anyone of us) and the poor man Lazarus. The nameless rich man was insensitive to the needs of the poor man Lazarus. Why? Because the rich man perceived the poor Lazarus as good for nothing, Lazarus would simply disturb him from his enjoyment of his riches.

What if the rich man knew beforehand that at the back his door stands God in disguise of the poor man Lazarus? Who unceasingly knocks to bring him more blessings and to save him from going to hell? He would have immediately opened his door and give Lazarus every precious things and every royal treatment that he could give him.

But the rich man never recognized the presence of God in Lazarus, he instead nonchalantly continued with his greedy lifestyle.

How then could we connect this gospel to our own personal life? We see and encounter the poor (Materially and Spiritually poor) almost everyday. Do we even care to take a second look at them and then give them something to fill their empty stomachs and spirits? If we can’t give them anything because we are also poor, do we even care to talk to them or even smile at them?

There are times that yes we give to the poor and to those who are in need. But we limit our giving to the things that we don’t need anymore. We limit our generosity to give them money that will not hurt our own bank accounts! 

If only we know that it’s Jesus whom we are helping. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 4, Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent; Matthew 20:17-28

Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

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

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Reflection:

What makes us worthy in the eyes of Jesus? Obviously it’s not our title/s or any worldly appendages. What makes us worthy in the eyes of Jesus is our readiness to humbly serve without seeking any recognition in return. This is what makes us worthy in the eyes of Jesus.

Why do we follow Jesus in the first place? Is it for us to have an exalted position in our community or in our parish church? We love it so much to be looked-up because we advertise ourselves to be close to Jesus.

And when nobody is noticing us we seek attention for we serve Jesus. Do we make Jesus happy when we use Him for us to be exalted? Of course not! But this is where we always fall! We use Jesus as our springboard for us to be exalted and respected.

Can’t we simply fade away in silence after we’ve served our church or after we’ve done good to our fellowmen? Can’t we simply fade away and let our gentle and merciful God be in-front so that He could attract more believers?

Many of us are afraid to be humble because we perceive humility as weakness. But truth be told, our humility is powerful very powerful that it creates endless echoes in the hearts of those who see and feel it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for March 2, Monday of the Second Week in Lent; Luke 6:36-38

Gospel: Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

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Reflection:

What is the mother of mercy? Its love, you can’t be merciful if you do not know how to love. The moment you feel mercy in your heart you already have love that you can freely dispense anytime to any person or group of persons.

What kind of love is this that gives birth to mercy? Obviously this is not only romantic love for romantic love is a limited kind of love. The kind of love that gives birth to mercy is the perfect kind of love or the highest form of love.

Who gives us this highest form of love? Jesus Himself gives us this kind of love. We receive this from Jesus when we are always in close contact with Him. By way of our faithful presence at Holy Mass, through our frequent interaction with Jesus by means of the Sacraments of the Church. And by readings His life transforming and life giving words in the bible.

Come to think of it, what happens to us if we are not merciful, if we are quick to condemn and if we don’t forgive? We allow ourselves to be imprisoned by  toxic emotion/s that is brought to our feet by the devil.

When we are always in close contact with Jesus we are always merciful. We will never condemn or judge anyone. And we will always forgive no matter how deep the hurt that has been inflicted upon us. 

Find it in your heart to follow and seek Jesus now and be free from any form of hatred in your heart. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday March 1, Second Sunday of Lent; Mark 9:2-10

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

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; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him. Suddenly, looking around, they 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.

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Reflection:

What if Peter, James and John refused to go with Jesus to the mountain of transfiguration? They would have missed the once in a lifetime experience of heaven. They would have missed seeing Jesus transfigured before their very eyes. They would have missed seeing Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah. (The great prophets of the Old Testament). They would have missed the opportunity to hear the voice of God telling them: This is my beloved Son. Listen to him (Mark 9:7).    

But they did not refuse the invitation of Jesus they simply obeyed and went with Him to the mountain of transfiguration. Thus, they had that sudden experience of heaven. And they knew from thereon that if they would only be faithful to their discipleship for Jesus they already have their own dwelling in heaven.

In our first reading, when God told Abraham to bring his son Isaac to the mountain of moriah. So that Isaac could serve as his own sacrificial offering to God, Abraham obeyed without questioning the wisdom of God.

When Abraham was about to kill Isaac. A messenger of God intervened and told Abraham not to kill Isaac for God was just testing his faith. And what was the price for Abraham’s fidelity? He was blessed with so many descendants as many as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore (Genesis 22:17).

Perhaps, when Jesus told Peter, James and John to go with Him onto the mountain of transfiguration. Jesus was also testing the three of them.  He was testing  the strength of their faith and discipleship for Him. They passed their test of faith just like Abraham who passed his own test of faith also. 

Thus, Peter, James, John  and Abraham  were richly rewarded by God. The reward for the three disciples were the foretaste of heaven among others. And the reward for Abraham was the descendants that was as many as the stars in heaven and the sand on the seashores.

As long as we live in this world we will also have our own tests of faith. It will come to us in different forms and shapes. Let us remain faithful no matter how hard and difficult the tests. For there’s always a reward for those who would be faithful. 

Have we already passed our own test of faith from Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas