Reflection for August 20, Thursday Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church: Matthew 22:1-14

Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and the elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast. Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.

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Reflection:

Do you always find time for Holy Mass especially during Sunday? Every Holy Mass is an invitation for all of us to be present at the Lord’s banquet. To be present there will not cost us anything except a little of our time. In fact it’s us who will be greatly blessed by the Lord if we would make ourselves available for Holy Mass.

In the gospel Jesus tells us about a parable regarding a king who had invited guest to come to the wedding banquet of his son. But for the reason of their preoccupation nobody came to honor the king’s invitation. Thus, they missed the opportunity to break bread with the king, his son and other members of his family.

    

This is also what we miss when we fail to attend Holy Mass. We miss the opportunity to break bread with Jesus and partake of His Body and Blood and subsequently be strengthened by it. 

Let us always find time to respond to Jesus’ invitation to be with Him at Holy Mass no matter how busy we are. Let us not miss the opportunity to be blessed by Him and to be up close and personal with our Lord and Master.

Do you always find time to be with Jesus at Holy Mass? – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for August 19, Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 20:1-16

Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us. He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you.

Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

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Reflection:

How does the mind of God thinks? It definitely thinks not like our minds, it definitely decides not based on how we decide. There are times that God’s decisions are not according how we would like it to be. Nevertheless, we simply have to follow and obey no matter how much we disagree with God.

In the gospel, the workers who worked much earlier were complaining to the landowner (God) because they have the same wage as with those who worked late in the afternoon. Why did they complain to the landowner?

They complained because they thought that there seem to be an injustice on how the landowner paid them. But there was no injustice because everyone of them agreed to receive the usual daily wage. Therefore there was no injustice, it so happen that God was generous  to everyone of them.

There may be events in our lives that we may be tempted to  question the wisdom of God and His decisions. But who are we to question the wisdom of God? Who are we to complain before God?

Instead of questioning, why not simply obey? Why not always humble ourselves before God and continue to trust in His infinite wisdom? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for August 18, Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 19:23-30

Gospel: Matthew 19:23-30

Jesus said to his disciples:“ Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For men this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” Then Peter said to him in reply, “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

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Reflection:

Is there a reward for following Jesus? Yes there is! What then is the reward, material riches? No, it’s something more profound than anything in this world. It’s something that no worldly riches no matter how enormous could buy.

Many of us may quantify through material riches the reward that Jesus will give us once we decide to follow Him. This is a big lie for Jesus is not a God of materialism yet there is a

God of materialism named the devil. The devil would normally entice his prospects with material wealth. Then as the devil takes control of his prospects he slowly destroys the person and his/her family.

So what is the reward of following Jesus? It’s eternal life (Matthew 19:29)! Eternal life that you would even feel while you are still living in this world. For example, those who faithfully follow Jesus have this certain feeling of peace and serenity in their lives. They are always peaceful and not afraid no matter the challenges that they may encounter. This is so because they already gave their faith and confidence in the Lord.     

Then, when these faithful followers finally depart this world, they will be like seeds planted beneath fertile soil. They will once again rise and have new life. Not in this temporal world anymore but in heaven in the company of God and His holy angels.

Do you want to follow Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for August 17, Monday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 19:16-22

Gospel: Matthew 19:16-22

A young man approached Jesus and said, “Teacher,  what good must I do to gain eternal life?” He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

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Reflection:

Are your possessions in this world your sole obsession for living? The young man in our gospel was obsessed with his possessions for he couldn’t give it up in exchange for his discipleship with Jesus.  He was seemingly a good man but how come he couldn’t give-up his wealth? If this young man was all good, he would not have thought of giving up his wealth for Jesus.

Does this young man represent many of us today? Yes! For there are many of us who are enslaved by wealth. Yes we do good but sometimes the good that we do is for others to see. When nobody sees us anymore we once again allow ourselves to be possessed by wealth. We work hard for wealth some of us  even sacrifice our honor  for wealth as if it will give us peace, contentment and happiness.

Who can give us peace, happiness and contentment in this world? It’s only Jesus, He alone can give us peace and contentment. The rich young man in the gospel did not see it in Jesus that’s why he sacrificed his once in a lifetime opportunity in favor of his possessions/wealth.

How about you? Who would you choose the glitters of material wealth and power or the life of peace and contentment with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

1Reflection for Sunday August 16, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time; John 6:51-58

Gospel: John  6:51-58

Jesus said to the crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.

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Reflection:   

A drug addict was submitted by his relatives to a rehabilitation center. While in the center he was required to be present at Holy Mass everyday. Every Holy Mass this man would always humbly partake of the Body of Christ and he would silently ask Jesus to heal and transform him.

After six months of stay in the rehabilitation center the man was already free from addiction. When he was asked to whom he would attribute his successful rehabilitation. He humbly said, to Jesus the living Bread of Life which I regularly received everyday for six months.

Unlike regular bread that fills us and after a few hours makes us hungry again. The living Bread of Life which we partake during Holy Communion does not only fill our physical hunger. It also fills and heals our emotional and spiritual hunger.

Perhaps many will not believe that regular partaking of the Body of Christ would heal and fill us. But if we try it and be humble and docile to the will of Jesus, we would also feel His transforming power working within us.

Nevertheless at the end of the day our healing and transformation are still dependent on how docile and humble we are before God. The Lord in His infinite wisdom has given us the freedom also to allow or not to allow the living Bread of Life to heal us. This is the reason why many of us who partake of the Body of Christ, are not healed or transformed, because we are not docile and humble before Jesus.   

If only we would learn to always be docile and humble. If only we would allow the will of God to direct our lives. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for August 15, Saturday, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Luke 1:39-56

Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out and travelled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

And Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

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Reflection:

Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This doctrine was dogmatically and infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on November 1 1950.

The Blessed Mother, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory. Her acceptance into the glory of Heaven is a symbol of the promise made by Jesus to all enduring Christians that we too will be received into paradise.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is only one of the many rightful honors that we bestow upon her. We hold her in great esteem because amongst many women of her time she was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Why Mary amongst the many women of her time? It was her humility, docility and the readiness to subordinate her will to the will of God.  

She knew that she was chosen but she did not boast about it. The Blessed Mother choose to proclaim the greatness of the Lord instead of her own greatness. She chose share the blessing of God by visiting her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant during that time. And she did not leave her cousin until she gave birth.

Like The Blessed Mother, may we also learn to be humble, to comfort others to do big and little acts of kindness and to be selfless.

We may not know this but there are also at this very moment people who are longing for our physical presence. Or longing to simply hear something from us so that they will know that we still care.

It will not cost us much if we would give them a call or a text to simply say hello or how are you? Perhaps we can send them private message via facebook, twitter and instagram? Let us take advantage of the many modes of modern and internet based communication to let others know that we care for them.

Would you be willing to do it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for August 13, Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 18:21–19:1

Gospel: Matthew 18:21–19:1

Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full. Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe. Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back. But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!  I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

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Reflection:

How do you feel after you’ve been through the Sacrament of Confession/Reconciliation? You feel light and free as if a big burden has been taken off from your back. This perhaps was the feeling of the servant in our gospel who asked forgiveness from his master/king.

But the irony is this: the servant who was forgiven by his master did not forgive a fellow servant who owed him a small amount of money. Something is terribly wrong here because the servant should have also forgiven his fellow servant. But he did not take advantage of the grace of forgiveness that was showered upon him by his master.  

Do you always take advantage of the grace of forgiveness that is graciously given to you by God during the Sacrament of Confession? God’s desire for us is to forgive as we have been forgiven. To forgive and forget the offense/s that is done to us as God has forgiven the countless offenses that we’ve done to Him. Think about if you don’t forgive, you’re imprisoned by your anger and you don’t have peace of mind. 

You have everything to gain and nothing to lose if you will forgive or if you become forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for August 12, Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 18:15-20

Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church. If he refuses to listen even to the Church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

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Reflection:

A domineering husband would always shout at his wife whenever she commits mistake. Eventually the wife had enough of his domineering behavior so she decided to leave him for good and live her life in peace.

It’s always very tempting to show off our authority and power in the sphere of environment that we are in. Yet the more that we become authoritarian the more that we alienate ourselves from the people that we love. The more that we become domineering that more that we hasten our downfall.

Whenever there is conflict in our sphere of environment. The devil would always tell us to show-off our domineering behavior through the exercise of our authority.  But this kind of action will never heal conflict it will even exacerbate conflict.

Jesus has an advice for all of us on how to deal with those whom we have issues to settle.  The advice of Jesus is to always use the way of diplomacy and never the way of arrogance. To sit-down and talk as civilized and educated people, to stretch our patience to the limit and not to immediately get angry.

How do you behave when there are issues in your sphere of environment, say for example in your  family? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for August 11, Tuesday Saint Claire, Virgin: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father. What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

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Reflection:

A rebellious young lady has five children from five different men. She tried every sin that this world could offer her. There was no sign of repentance in her heart she continued to sin like it was breakfast in the morning. Her relative had already given up on her so they let her live her sinful life.

In the gospel Jesus speaks about searching for the lost sheep and searching for those who stray no matter where they are. Unlike us who often times give up on those who do not listen to us. Jesus doesn’t give up, He continuously search for those who sin or those who are lost. No sin is too big for the merciful heart of Jesus.

Each and every one of us are precious in the eyes of God, He holds us dearly in His loving heart. No matter if we are big time or small time sinners we are all precious in His eyes.

In so many ways the gospel invites us to self-reflection on how we feel towards those who sin. Have we already given up on them because they don’t listen to us? Or we continue to patiently wait or even search for them. Until we find them so that we could offer them our unconditional love.   

Do you easily give up on those who sin or you patiently wait and pray for  them until they see the healing light of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for August 10, Monday Saint Lawrence, deacon and martyr: John 12:24-26

Gospel: John 12:24-26

Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

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Reflection:

What does it mean to hate your life in this world? It’s to give your life in the service of Jesus so that through you others may know Jesus. When you do not give your life for the mission of Jesus and just keep it to yourself you will not grow in wisdom and faith. Yes, you will grow in worldliness and hedonism but eventually your life will come to a halt. And that’s basically the end of it.

When you choose to give your life for the mission of Jesus you will not anymore enjoy this world as you enjoyed it before.  Yet you will also discover a more profound and deeper meaning in your life.

 Why? Because you chose to give your life for the mission of Jesus. You chose to throwaway your life away from the prying eyes of worldliness going to the direction of Jesus so that you could walk hand in hand with Jesus.

As Jesus gave away His very own life on the cross so that God’s kingdom in this world could grow and flourish. We too should not be afraid to give away our lives for the sake of the kingdom of God for this is where the true essence and meaning of life lies.

Where are you in your life right now? Have you already found the true essence and meaning of life with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday August 9, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time; John 6:41-51

Gospel: John 6:41-51

The Jews murmured about Jesus because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven, ” and they said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop murmuring among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

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Reflection:   

How can Jesus be the bread that gives life? This is very hard to believe for a non-believer. But for those who believe they know that Jesus indeed is the Bread of Life.

The Jews were protesting about Jesus’ pronouncement that He is the Bread of Life that came down from heaven (John 6:41). They know Jesus pretty well as the son of Joseph and Mary, some of them perhaps grew with Him.  How could then He become the Bread of Life?  

Faith and actual experience is what moves us to believe this sacred declaration of Jesus that He is the Bread that gives life. Why do we yearn to receive Jesus during Holy Communion? Because our love and faith in Jesus pushes us to do so.

Everytime we submit to the desire of our faith in Jesus to partake of Him during the Sacrament of Holy Communion/Eucharist. We also obey Jesus’ desire to dwell in us and to be with us. The Jews did not submit themselves to this desire of Jesus that’s why they did not believe Him.

Each and every one of us goes through an extra-ordinary experience whenever we partake of Jesus’ Body and blood. Many of us do not notice this extra-ordinary experience anymore for the simple reason that we treat this experience as an ordinary experience.  

  

Whenever we receive The Body and Blood of Jesus it’s not us who desire to be one with our Lord and Master. It is Jesus our Lord and Master who desires to be one with Him. It’s Jesus who calls each and every one of us to receive Him so that He could dwell in us and in the process He could transform and bless us.

What then is your responsibility? You have to share the miracle of the Bread of Life; you have to share what you know about Jesus no matter how limited and you have to allow Jesus to transform you according to His will. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for August 8, Saturday Memorial of Saint Dominic, Priest: Matthew 17:14-20

Gospel: Matthew 17:14-20

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, “Why could we not drive it out? He said to them, “Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

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Reflection:

What can your faith in Jesus do to you? It will move you to have hope and it will move you to hold-on to Jesus no matter how difficult the situation. The man in our gospel who asked Jesus to cure his son has faith in Jesus. Otherwise he would not have dared approach Jesus and asked for the healing of his son.

In contrast to the faith of the man was the lack of faith of Jesus’ disciples. What was the cause of the disciples’ lack of faith? Perhaps they treated Jesus as an ordinary mortal like them. Perhaps their reverence for Jesus was little by little being eroded by the trials of their discipleship.

If we treat Jesus as an ordinary mortal we too are susceptible to a spiritual disease called erosion of faith. And the result of this is we will be lukewarm towards Jesus. There would be less motivation on our part to continue to pursue Jesus. We would be more susceptible to doubts and spiritual apathy.

What then is the cure to our dwindling faith? We should pray and ask Jesus for the gift of increase of faith. We should be present and always paying attention to the Eucharistic Celebration (Holy Mass). We should partake of His Body as often as possible and we should give time for reading the words of Jesus in the bible.

If we will have time to do all of these, we surely will always have rock solid faith in Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for August 7, Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 16:24-28

Gospel: Matthew 16:24-28

Jesus said to his disciples, “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 will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

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Reflection:

What does the cross signify to you? Does it signify hardship and burden? During the time of Jesus the cross was a judgment given by the authorities to whomever they want. It was a sign of oppression, hardship and unfair judgment.

By saying to the disciples that they have to take-up their own cross if they desire to follow Him. Jesus was telling them that they have to be ready to be oppressed, ready to face hardships and ready to be unfairly judged. Many of the disciples took this challenge of Jesus and in so doing they found the real meaning of life.

Many of us seek the life of ease and comfort thinking that this is what life is all about. But life of ease and comfort is not the real essence of life. Could you find your life by living a worldly life? Could you find purpose in this world by living the lifestyle of the rich and famous? Many rich and famous personalities in this world committed suicide because they struggled to find the purpose of their lives.

It is only through following Jesus that you will find your life. Therefore you have to carry your cross for you to be called a true follower of Jesus. Never worry about how hard and difficult the cross that you would be carrying for Jesus. This is for the reason that Jesus will always be there to help you carry your cross.      

Would you be willing to carry your cross for Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for August 6, Thursday the Transfiguration of the Lord: Mark 9:2-10

Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother 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:

Is heaven for real? Yes it is as evidenced by the transfiguration of the Lord. When Jesus brought along the three disciples (Peter, James and John) to have that mountain top experience. He wanted them to see that heaven is for real and not just a creation of the mind. Jesus wanted them to feel how it is to be in heaven.

Indeed, heaven is for real and it is open for all of us. But we have to do also our part so that we could be there. Of course we have to become faithful followers of Jesus and not followers in name only.  We have to become faithful followers and not fair weather followers.

Someday our journey in this world will be over and we all are surely hoping that we would be with Jesus in heaven. We therefore have to do our part no matter how small. We have to positively change so that we would have a chance to be with Jesus in heaven.

Nobody of us knows where we would end-up eventually, only God knows about it. But it’s a safe insurance that we ourselves be transfigured. From bad we now become good. From fair weather followers of Jesus we now become an all-weather follower.    

Are you willing to faithfully follow Jesus from now on? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for August 5, Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 15: 21-28

Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

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Reflection:

How is strong is your faith in Jesus? Can it endure severe testing from Jesus?

The great faith of the Canaanite woman whose daughter was tormented by a devil is very evident in the gospel. She was initially snubbed by Jesus but she persisted. She heard the disciples told Jesus: “Send her away.” But she did not budge a bit.

Then being a Canaanite woman, Jesus told her: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” The more that she persisted; she knelt before and said: “Lord help me.”

After a few more dialogues Jesus saw how strong was her faith when He said: “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

We too have our own special petitions for Jesus and we too must have been snubbed or ignored a number of times. It may even seem that Jesus is turning a deaf ear to our begging.

In spite of these all we must continue to have faith and be always persistent in following Him. God’s silence and rejections to our petitions is a test of faith for us. God wants to see until where are we willing to stretch our patience. He wants to see if we are still willing to walk an extra mile in our pursuit of Him.  

How strong is your faith in Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for August 4, Tuesday Saint John Vianney: Matthew 14:22-36

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-36

Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side of the sea, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.”

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret. When the men of that place recognized him, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought to him all those who were sick and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak, and as many as touched it were healed.

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Reflection:

A young woman was praying to the Lord for a husband.  After two years of praying there was still no reply from the Lord. So she said, I give up my Lord for you are deaf to my prayer. The Lord replied to her telling her, if you did not give up. I would have sent you a handsome, humble and good man that would be your husband and best friend for the rest of your life.

Lack of faith can oftentimes lead us to give-up on our dreams; it can even lead us to doubt the abiding presence of Jesus in our lives.

When Peter saw Jesus walking on the sea, he asked the Lord to let him walk also on the sea going to Him. While walking going to Jesus Peter saw the big waves and it distracted him. Thus Peter began to sink, yet as he was sinking he had the presence of mind to call on Jesus. Therefore Peter cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” And Jesus immediately saved him.

Human as we are we oftentimes falter in our journey of faith with Jesus. But even if we falter in our faith life Jesus is still there for us to help and save us in whatever difficult predicament that we are in.  All we need to do is to ask the Lord to save us and Jesus will surely be there for us to save us.

How is your faith right now in the Lord Jesus Christ? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for August 3, Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 14:13-21

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. The crowds heard of this and followed him on foot from their towns. When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already late; dismiss the crowds so that they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves.” He said to them, “There is no need for them to go away; give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over–twelve wicker baskets full. Those who ate were about five thousand men, not counting women and children.

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Reflection:

A man who was given a few weeks to live by his doctors was able to live a full life. And the irony of it all is he was even able to outlive some of the doctors who gave him a few weeks to live.  When he was asked why he was able to beat his sickness he simply said this: I have faith that Jesus will heal me.

When a person has faith the impossible becomes possible, the faraway becomes within reach and the unbelievable becomes believable.

In the gospel, when Jesus saw the vast crowd his heart was moved with pity for them (Matthew 14:14). Yet the disciples were telling Jesus to let the crowd go for it was already getting late and there was no available food to feed them. But Jesus was able to feed the more than five thousand crowd and there was still plenty to spare.

Why did the disciples doubt the power of Jesus to feed the vast crowd? Were they (disciples) losing faith in Jesus?

When the odds are against you or when you are faced with a seemingly impossible situation. Never doubt the power of Jesus to see you through out of your difficult situation. Continue to have faith in the miraculous power of Jesus. Continue to believe that Jesus will make a way when there seems to be no way. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday August 2, Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time; John 6:24-35

Gospel: John 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal. So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent. So they said to him, “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. So Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

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Reflection:   

A newlywed couple created a business to sustain their family, they soon after achieved material success. However they also noticed that they were always busy and they rarely had peace and harmony in their family.

If you only go after material success and you forget Jesus there surely would be emptiness in your life. No matter how rich you become there would still be emptiness. In fact the richer you become the deeper emptiness that you will have. Why? This is for the reason that material success only no matter how big will not give you peace and contentment.

In the gospel, the crowd who ate bread and fish in the miracle of the multiplication of the  loaves was again looking for Jesus (John 6:24). They were looking for Jesus for they were once again hungry. The effect of the bread and fish that filled them is now gone and they were looking for Jesus because they want to eat again.

Thus Jesus told them; you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled (John 6:26). The perishable bread and fish that they ate became their main reason for looking for Jesus. It was not Jesus Himself the true Bread of Life that they were looking for.

If you look for Jesus, do not look for Him because of the things that you can get from Him. Look and hunger for Jesus because of your love for Him. And once your love for Jesus becomes your motivation for your hunger for Him. You now can truly say that you have already found the true and imperishable Bread of Life. Thus, you will never hunger anymore with whatever this world will offer you.

Have you already found the True and Imperishable Bread of Life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for August 1, Saturday, Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Matthew 14:1-12

Gospel: Matthew 14:1-12

Herod the tetrarch heard of the reputation of Jesus and said to his servants, “This man is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him. Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him “It is not lawful for you to have her. Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. But at a birthday celebration for Herod, the daughter of Herodias performed a dance before the guests and delighted Herod so much that he swore to give her whatever she might ask for. Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist. The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests who were present, he ordered that it be given, and he had John beheaded in the prison. His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. His disciples came and took away the corpse and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.

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Reflection:

Who is King Herod? King Herod is a tyrant a leader who will never think twice to supress anyone who dares  cross his path. He will not only supress Herod could even order the killing of anyone he wants.

Respect for human rights was not part of the vocabulary of Herod, abuse of human rights and dignity was. This was the reason why John the Baptist was imprisoned. John did nothing wrong he simply said what was to be truthfully said yet John suffered for it. 

The Philippines is about to enter presidential election period. And naturally there would be leaders who will promise everything to the electorate. There would be leaders who will try to do everything to get sympathy. Yet we should be watchful not to be swayed by them.

Let us be observant about their pronouncements most especially off the cuff pronouncements for this is where they reveal their true personalities. This is where we could get a glimpse of the true character of an aspirant for the presidency.

Let us be watchful we may bring to the office of the presidency another King Herod. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for July 31, Friday, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest: Matthew 13:54-58

Gospel: Matthew 13:54-58

Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

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Reflection:

Do you sometimes have a selective treatment with your fellowmen?  The town mates of Jesus treated Him with disdain because they knew Him as one of them. They knew His family background and they couldn’t believe that Jesus would be able to do such an exceptional lecture in their synagogue.

Instead of welcoming Him they treated Him with disdain. For they couldn’t accept that this man whom they know very well is now able to talk with wisdom. What drove them to belittle Jesus? It was their arrogance and high sense of themselves. Jesus town mates could not accept that this son of a carpenter could now become a preacher in their synagogue.

Our arrogance and high regard of ourselves will do us no good. It even deprives us of so many blessings from Jesus. Just like what happened to His town mates who were deprived of many blessing from Jesus when they did not accept Him.

Instead of being arrogant be humble, be respectful and always treat everyone as better than you are. Don’t try hard to raise yourself in the consciousness of others, let Jesus do it for you. Thus you will earn the respect of everybody. – Marino J. Dasmarinas