Reflection for April 27 Wednesday of Fifth Week of Easter, John 15:1-8

Gospel: John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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Reflection:

There’s a story of two neighbors: one has a bright and positive disposition in life the other one was always gloomy and negative in whatever aspects of life that he deals with. Delving deeper into their lifestyles, the positive one always makes it a point to go to Mass and he has a daily prayer life. The other one is an atheist or a non believer.

Jesus says in the gospel that he is the true vine and God is his vine grower, he tells us to remain in him so that he will remain in us and we will bear much fruit if we will always be with him (John:4).

If we will observe the lives of our fellowmen we will obviously notice that those who have incorporated a lifestyle that is always attuned and connected with God regardless of his religious affiliations and social standing are those that live serene lives. Those who refuse to get connected with God because of their hubris are those that lead complicated and problematic lives.

As we traverse this temporary life it is a must that that we are always with our true vine that is Jesus. Of course there will be problems, disappointments, even sufferings for all of these are part and parcel of our life. Amidst all of these Jesus is always there to help us, to strengthen us and to make our burdens light us.

Do you always see to it that you are always connected with Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for April 26 Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter John 14:27-31a

Gospel: John 14:27-31a

Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

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Reflection:

Do you allow the peace of Jesus to reign in your heart?

There are cynical people whose thoughts are always on the negative side of life. They always have their own negative interpretations for every incident that happens. For us believers regardless of what unfolds we will be calm and always at peace because we have Jesus. There may be incidents that will temporarily jolt us but after a while we will be back to our normal peaceful selves.

In the gospel Jesus told his disciples: “I leave with you; my peace I give to you not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid (John 14:27).

 In this gospel episode Jesus is telling his disciples that whatever things that may happen to him in the unfolding days. They need to be calm and peaceful because he is still with them. The invincible presence of Jesus within them gives them calmness and peace. Calmness and peace that this world could not give them.  

The peace that Jesus gives is something that you will also experience. If you’re always connected with Jesus by means of frequent attendance at Mass, frequent reception of the Body of Christ,  frequent and humble submission to the Sacrament of Confession and through your regular prayer life.

Do you have peace in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Sunday April 24, Fifth Sunday of Easter; John 13:31-33a, 34-35

Gospel: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

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Reflection:

A Wife was distraught upon discovering that her husband had fathered a child outside of their marriage. She confronted him, the husband admitted his sin and asked for forgiveness but she never forgave him for what he did.

There’s an absence of true love in this story otherwise the wife could have forgiven the  betrayal of her husband. And they could have started afresh as if nothing happened. But such is our attitude we oftentimes harbor in our hearts hatred instead of love and forgiveness.

When Jesus told the apostles to love one another He meant that their love for each other must be like His love for them. And what is the love of Jesus? It’s a love that forgives, a love that is not dependent on the love that it receives. A love that doesn’t count the cost of loving and a love that is very much willing sacrifice. 

Perhaps, what Jesus wants to convey to us is we should try our very best to love as He loves. To love without counting the cost of loving and to love by being ready to suffer for the person that we love.

But some of us may say that this kind of love doesn’t fit anymore our modern times where love and sex is not anymore regarded with sacredness. Where forgiveness and martyrdom for the person that we love is not anymore part of the vocabulary of the many young people of today.  

When you love as Jesus loves you would also be willing to forgive no matter how deep the wound that it caused you. You would be willing to bury the past and let bygones be bygones. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for April 23, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter; John 14:7-14

Gospel: John 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

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Reflection:

One of my fondest memories about my father (Victor O. Dasmarinas Sr.) was when I was around seven to ten years old. He would bring me to church especially during holy week and I would hear him acting as the narrator during Palm Sunday, Good Friday and sometimes during the station of the cross he would also act as one of the readers and sometimes apostle. He had a booming voice which I have inherited.

 Whenever I go for a vacation in our province whenever my friends and relatives would see me they would always say that they are reminded of my father because of how I look. I would always reply with a thank you and with a smile in return.

In the gospel Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).” The two personalities or the Trinity is revealed by Jesus him and God the Father and they are acting as one person. Jesus further told them whoever believes in me will do the works that I do (John 14:12).

There is a great responsibility on us when we say that we are followers of Christ because Jesus tells us that if we are a believer we must do the works that he did in other words we must emulate him if we profess to be His followers.

If we are true followers of Jesus we have no other choice but to do His works in the process we will be closer to Him. And whenever others would see us they will be reminded of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for April 22, Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter; John 14:1-6

Gospel: John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

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Reflection:

There were two old individuals who were near death one was a believer the other was not. The non believer was deeply troubled on what will happen to his soul when he dies. The believer was very calm and was even looking forward already to see God.

In the gospel Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places (John 14:1-2).”

There are those who dread the mere mention of death as if it’s a plague that needs to be avoided. But no matter how hard we avoid death we cannot escape it because it’s a certain fact of life. It’s a passage to the next life.

If our faith is in Jesus we need not be troubled by death anymore because we have our own dwelling place specially reserved for us in heaven. – Marino J. Dasmarinas