Reflection for March 16, Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent; John 8:31-42

Gospel: John 8:31-42

Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How can you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free. I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you are trying to kill me, because my word has no room among you. I tell you what I have seen in the Father’s presence; then do what you have heard from the Father.”

They answered and said to him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works of Abraham. But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. You are doing the works of your father!” So they said to him, “We were not born of fornication. We have one Father, God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and am here; I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

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Reflection:

What would happen to us if we decide to faithfully follow Jesus? Jesus will set us free from all forms of worldliness. He will open our mind about the deeper truths of life and our faith. He will make us appreciate that our life in this world is just a bridge that we must pass through for us to go to His kingdom or the kingdom opposite to His where the evil one holds court.

But there’s a condition for us to have this enlightenment. We must always choose to remain in the company of Jesus. We should not believe the many lies of the devil no matter how attractive and tempting his lies are.

However, why is it that many are still choosing this world over Jesus? They do so for the simple reason that they are more comfortable with the material offerings of this world. They do so because they’ve not allowed the teachings of Jesus to take root in their hearts.   Until they get sick or they encounter a defining event in their lives which would now force them to look for God.

Let us not wait for that defining moment to come before we choose to be faithful to Jesus. Let us do it now while we are still healthy and in complete control of our health and mental faculties.

Let us therefore decide to embrace Jesus now and leave behind our sinfulness while we have the luxury of time.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for March 15, Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent; John 8:21-30

Gospel: John 8:21-30

Jesus said to the Pharisees: “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going you cannot come.” So the Jews said, “He is not going to kill himself, is he, because he said, ‘Where I am going you cannot come’?” He said to them, “You belong to what is below, I belong to what is above. You belong to this world, but I do not belong to this world. That is why I told you that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” So they said to him, “Who are you?” Jesus said to them, “What I told you from the beginning. I have much to say about you in condemnation. But the one who sent me is true, and what I heard from him I tell the world.” They did not realize that he was speaking to them of the Father. So Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him.

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Reflection:

What does sin do to us? It separates us from the infinite love of God, the more we sin the more that we widen the distance between us and God.  Why do we sin? We sin because we succumb to the devil’s temptation. But we are not beyond redemption for the reason that we have someone who is always there for us to save us from the bondage of sin and He’s no other than Jesus.

The moment we submit ourselves to the sacrament of Confession we allow Jesus to heal us from the bondage of sin.  We allow Jesus to exterminate whatever evil particle that we have in our system.

As we get closer to the holiest of weeks we are slowly but surely being brought by the church closer to Jesus. For what reason is this? This to make us realize about the great love and sacrifice that Jesus did on the cross. Jesus died for us on the cross, He need not die on the cross but He gave His life for His love for us.

At the end of the day it’s still upon us if we want to permanently separate ourselves from the love of Jesus. Or if we go to Jesus and accept His offer of salvation Jesus is always there waiting for us ever ready to forgive and love us once again.

We have everything to gain and nothing to lose if we surrender everything to Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for March 14, Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent; John 8:12-20

Gospel: John 8:12-20

Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” So the Pharisees said to him, “You testify on your own behalf, so your testimony cannot be verified.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I do testify on my own behalf, my testimony can be verified, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by appearances, but I do not judge anyone. And even if I should judge, my judgment is valid, because I am not alone, but it is I and the Father who sent me. Even in your law it is written that the testimony of two men can be verified. I testify on my behalf and so does the Father who sent me.” So they said to him, “Where is your father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” He spoke these words while teaching in the treasury in the temple area. But no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

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Reflection:

Who is the light of your world? Is it Jesus or the things of this world?  Many of us make the things of this world our light. We are motivated to succeed in this world that it becomes our primary  focus. And Jesus becomes our second priority. But the problem of making this world the light of our world is our life in this world is not forever. Even this world will not last forever it can end anytime.    

In the gospel, Jesus boldly proclaims to us that He is the light of the world that illuminates each and everyone of us (John 8:12). Some of us know this some of us don’t because we continue to allow ourselves to be lighted by this world.

For those who had been enlightened by the light of Jesus. They have to ensure that this light of Jesus will continue to illuminate others most especially those who don’t know Him fully well. And those who continue to allow themselves to be enslaved by the many things of this world.  Let us therefore allow the proclamation of Jesus that He is the light of the world echo through us: Thru our words and actions.

Who is the light of your life? Is it the insatiable desire for the things of this world or Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Sunday March 13, Fifth Sunday of Lent; John 8:1-11

Gospel: John 8:1-11

Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

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Reflection:

Are you a person who easily judge without looking at yourself first if you deserve to give judgment? Many of us like it very much to judge not knowing that when we judge we also invite others to judge us. This is our weakness we are very quick to judge! What influences us to judge and to give condemnation?

We are quick to judge because we have a mindset of superiority and arrogance. This is what compels us to quickly judge those who sin. Otherwise if we don’t have this mindset of superiority we will not judge. We instead would give advice or give counsel for this is the best remedy for those who sin.

Judgment or condemnation will never heal a sinner it will even push a sinner deeper into sin until it destroys him/her.

In the gospel the woman caught committing adultery was very blessed because her accusers brought her to Jesus. Otherwise if she was brought somewhere else she would have immediately been killed by the arrogance of her accusers. But thanks God Jesus was there to save her!

To whom do we bring ourselves to find shelter and solace when we are being condemned and judged by the worries of this world? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 12, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent; John 7:40-53

Gospel: John 7:40-53

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said, “This is truly the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he? Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not bring him?” The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them, “Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him and finds out what he is doing?” They answered and said to him, “You are not from Galilee also, are you? Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.” Then each went to his own house.

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Reflection:

What happens when we engage in useless self-centered debates? The protagonist will try very hard to upstage each other, and then it will turn ugly by trying to destroy each other’s reputation. No worthy outcome comes out of it, only mudslinging and character assassination.

The crowd were debating about Jesus’ origin that it created division within their ranks. They were trying to outdo each other in terms of their knowledge about the origin of Jesus. Thoughts were running in their minds, such as if Jesus was a prophet and the promised messiah. They were like little children in a contest of arguments as to who amongst them had the best idea about Jesus.    

This scenario still exists today, many of us argue about Jesus to prove that one has a superior knowledge about Jesus over the other. However, what would we get if we argue? If we try to show that we know more than anyone else about Jesus? Nothing except a showcase of our arrogance and bloated egos which results to more division and alienation.

Instead of arguing let us show through our works the love, humility, mercy and compassion of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 11, Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent; John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Gospel: John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30

Jesus moved about within Galilee; he did not wish to travel in Judea, because the Jews were trying to kill him. But the Jewish feast of Tabernacles was near.

But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, he himself also went up, not openly but as it were in secret.

Some of the inhabitants of Jerusalem said, “Is he not the one they are trying to kill? And look, he is speaking openly and they say nothing to him. Could the authorities have realized that he is the Christ? But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said, “You know me and also know where I am from. Yet I did not come on my own, but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.

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Reflection:

How courageous are you in your desire to spread your faith?

In the gospel for today, even if there was a threat on His life Jesus still secretly went to Judea to attend the Feast of the Tabernacle. He courageously spoke in the temple area at the risk of His life. Where does His courage comes from? It originates from His deep oneness and intimacy with God.

Let us also aspire to have the same intimacy with God. So that we would also have the courage to express what we want to say on how God has made a big difference in our life. A good way to start is to have a regular time for God through our daily readings of his words in the bible. Through our presence at Holy Mass and through our prayers.

If we do these acts of worship and piety we surely would develop an intimacy with Jesus. And the result is we will now have the courage to live His teachings and even preach it.

A faithful follower should live and preach the teachings of Jesus. If he/she can't preach it because not everyone has the gift of preaching he/she must live it. For this is one of the marks of a faithful follower of Jesus. 

What kind of follower are you? Are you a follower in name only or follower in name and in deed? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 9, Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent; John 5:17-30

Gospel: John 5:17-30

Jesus answered the Jews: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” For this reason they tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes. Nor does the Father judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself. And he gave him power to exercise judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own; I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

Do you believe in the oneness of God the Father and God the Son?

We can best summarize the first half of Jesus pronouncements in the gospel as, “Like father like son.” We believe this because Jesus is the second person in the Trinity. He is the word made flesh (John 1:14).

Since we look-up to Jesus as the leader of our faith it is without doubt that we are His followers. But are we worthy followers of Jesus? Yes, we believe His pronouncements in the gospel about His oneness with the Father. But do we translate this belief or this adherence to actual actions of faith?

 For example, do we extend help if there’s someone in need? Do we speak the truth when we need to speak the truth? Do we always embody the great virtue of humility? Do we live what read in the gospel?

Do we live the preaching of Jesus? For example, if a spouse who went ashtray will ask for your forgiveness and wants to reconcile with you. Will you forgive and reconcile? Or you will already slam the door and lock it permanently with unforgivingness?   

These are questions that are so hard and difficult to answer but in hindsight we have to forgive and we have to reconcile if we truly profess to be followers of the Father and the Son. – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Reflection for March 8, Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent; John 5:1-16

Gospel: John 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes. In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.” Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” He answered them, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’“ They asked him, “Who is the man who told you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” The man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there. After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him, “Look, you are well; do not sin any more, so that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went and told the Jews that Jesus was the one who had made him well. Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

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Reflection:

Is there a relationship between sickness and sin? Based on the pronouncements of Jesus in the gospel there is.

The man who had been sick for thirty-eight long years was asked by Jesus, “Do you want to be well (John 5:6)?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your mat, and walk (John 5:7-8).” Then on the latter part of the gospel Jesus said to the healed man: “Look, you are well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse may happen to you (John 5:14).”

We may not know it but many of our sickness are brought about by our sins. For example, the sin of Greed, Anger and Gluttony, in so many ways Greed and Anger are one of the triggers for us to have sickness such as high blood pressure and the like. The same is true with Gluttony, over indulging on any kind of food will eventually make us sick in the long run.

  

Let us therefore repent from our sins and avoid it thereafter. The moment we repent by way of the Sacrament of Confession we would be free from any guilt of conscience and surely free from the possession of the devil which sometimes disguises itself as sickness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for March 7, Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent; John 4:43-54

Gospel: John 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

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Reflection:

How deep is your faith in Jesus? Is your faith limited to what you can perceive and see? Or your faith is not bounded by what you can perceive and see?

 Sometimes it’s hard to have faith if we don’t see something concrete that would reinforce our faith. But faith that is dependent on what we can see is shallow. Deep faith is something that we hold in our hearts even without visible manifestation.

The royal official in our gospel had this deep faith. He believed what Jesus told him without any visible manifestation whatsoever he simply believed in the words of Jesus. When Jesus told him to go back home for his sick son will live, he left without asking any question. He held close to his heart the very words of Jesus that his son would live. And upon arriving home his son was indeed healed the very same time that Jesus uttered the miraculous words to him.

There will come a time that our faith in Jesus will be tested, say for example a severe sickness. What are we going to do when we reach this point of no return? What are we going to do if for example the doctor would tell us that we only have a few months to live?

We must hold on tightly to our faith in Jesus and never give-up no matter what our present circumstances are. This is for the reason that our faith in Jesus is much bigger than any trials or problems that we may face. Our faith in Jesus is far stronger than any sickness that could kill our bodies but not diminish our rock solid faith in Jesus. 

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

Reflection for Sunday March 6, Fourth Sunday of 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:

Can you measure the love of God?

The infinite love of God is showcased in our gospel for this fourth Sunday of Lent. The loving and infinitely forgiving father is no other than God. And the repentant young son who squandered all of his inheritance through debauchery and sinful living could be anyone of us.

We may think that because of our many sins we are already beyond reach by God’s love and forgiveness. No we are not for the simple reason that God’s love is pervading and infinite. It’s like the sun which is available to all of us no matter where we are and no matter who we are.

But for us to be reached by this infinite and pervading love of God. We must first be willing to repent from all of our sins and we must be willing to humble ourselves before God. We have to humbly admit and realize that we are all sinners. Thus, just like the younger son  we too are in need of God’s mercy, love and forgiveness.  

Being the season of lent, it’s about time that we return back to our forgiving, merciful and loving God. It’s about time that we repent and leave behind us our sinful lives and those people who influence us to commit sin.

Will you humbly submit yourself to the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for March 5, Saturday of the Third Week of Lent; Luke 18:9-14

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity — greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

Is humility the weakness of God?

We see in the gospel the humility of the tax collector. He humbly admitted to God his own sinfulness. He was very much aware that before God he was nothing and deserves nothing. This was the reason why the tax collector went home possessing the favor of God.

The secret therefore to gain the favor of God is humility and awareness of our own shortcomings and limitations. The tax collector who gained the favor of God was truly aware of his own sinfulness. He did not attempt to hide it from God, did he know that God knows everything about him? Perhaps he did not know, what he was sure of was his own sinfulness that’s why he humbly asked mercy from God.

It is a given fact that the humble has the eyes and ears of God. The humble doesn’t only gain the favor of God he also gains the respect of his fellowmen. Many of us do not want to be humble because we see it as weakness. But humility is not a weakness it’s actually  a strength! For the simple reason that those who are humble are more respected than those who are not. 

However, to become humble before Jesus and our fellowmen is not easy. For the reason that this entails sacrifice and swallowing of our bloated egos. This entails awareness that we have nothing to be proud of before the presence of God.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton once said: “The gate of Heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it.” We therefore have to be humble if we want to gain entry to heaven. We therefore have to be humble if we want to gain the favor and guidance of God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas