Reflection for Tuesday August 23, Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 23:23-26

Gospel: Matthew 23:23-26

Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.”

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Reflection:

Are you easily taken by physical appearance?

A lady was smitten by the external appearance of her handsome neighbor. When he asked her to elope with him she agreed without any hesitation. As weeks and months passed by she discovered his true character; his domineering behavior, lack of responsibility and many more hidden negative behaviors.     

External impression is very important to many of us. We are easily attracted to those who look good or we adore to high heavens those who are good looking. Our attention is easily taken by people who wear nice and expensive clothes.

 But external appearance is not important for Jesus. HE is more concerned about the pureness of our hearts and motives. Those that are unseen and can only be perceived by our feelings are more important for Him. 

Remember, that not everyone who look good has a good heart and has humility within them.  Some of those who look good don’t have a good heart and they don’t have the virtue of humility. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday August 22, the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Matthew 23:13-22

Gospel: Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”

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Reflection:

What is the meaning of the word woe?

Woe is a word that has a negative meaning and Jesus has many woes addressed to the Pharisees and the Scribes. Why? This is for the reason that many of the Pharisees and scribes are hypocrites. They teach their subjects to do this and that yet they themselves are not practising what they are teaching and preaching.

These woes are not exclusively addressed to the Pharisees and Scribes, this is also for many of us who are hypocrites. We who are not true to our word and we who often are good only with worship for God yet very much wanting in living our faith.

But it’s not yet late for us to turn things around, to make amends with God. This is for the reason that all of us no matter how sinful have hope before God. For God condemnation is not forever, God can easily erase His condemnation and replace it with salvation.  

Remember the sinner who was crucified with Jesus? He was originally sinful but he repented, thus Jesus brought him along to paradise. (Luke 23:43). Let us therefore repent from our sinfulness while we still have the luxury of time. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Sunday August 21, Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time; Luke 13:22-30

Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” He answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then will you stand outside knocking and saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from. And you will say, ‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’ Then he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves cast out. And people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God. For behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”

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Reflection:

A lady who was very obedient in her catholic faith was asking herself this question: “what should I do to be in heaven someday”? She herself answered her question by saying, I need to be at the Eucharistic celebration every Sunday, I need to pray the rosary everyday and I need to humbly submit myself to the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year.

She did all of these acts of piety for she believed that this would be her passage to heaven. When she died she was confident of having a hassle free passage towards the door of heaven. However when she was about to enter an angel prevented her from passing through the door. Therefore her acts of piety were not enough to enter heaven. What is the secret ingredient that is lacking in her recipe to enter heaven?

In the gospel for this Sunday someone asked Jesus, "Lord will only a few people be saved?" Jesus said strive to enter the narrow gate, for many I tell you will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough (Luke 13:23-24).

Our acts of piety and worship for God are good for it will lead us to know more about God and it will surely deepen our relationship with Him. But we still need to take that extra step to complete the recipe to enter the narrow gate that leads to heaven.

  

We need to put flesh to our acts of piety. In other words we need to translate our worship for God to living acts of mercy, love, compassion, humility and so forth.

What is the use of going to Holy Mass every Sunday if we don’t allow it to transform us? What is the use of reading the bible if we don’t live the teachings of Jesus in the bible? What is the use of praying the Holy Rosary if we don’t live the humility of the Blessed Mother? – Marino J. Dasmarinas      

Reflection for Saturday August 20, Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the Church; Matthew 23:1-12

Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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Reflection:

Do you lead by example?

The principle of leadership by example is one wherein the leader set the standards to be followed and he himself leads the way in following the said standards. In the same manner parents should set the benchmark in their home and they live to the hilt these benchmark for their children to emulate.   

On the other hand bad or lousy leaders will tell their people to do this and that but they will not do what they command. They preach the standards but they do not practice what they preach. Same as with irresponsible parents; they will tell their children to observe this and that discipline but the irony is they themselves do not do what they tell their children.

The Pharisees and scribes during the time of Jesus were the religious leaders and they were supposed to lead by example. But they did not; they were only good on giving commands/orders but when it comes to living it they were badly deficient.

Perhaps, this was one of the reasons why the common people of that time started to gravitate towards Jesus. Because they saw in Jesus someone who leads by example; someone who empathised with them, someone who ate and mingled with them; in other words Jesus lived what He preached. 

What is the lesson of our gospel for us?  We must always be true with our words and actions. We must not be like the Pharisees and scribes in our gospel: For they were only good on preaching but very deficient in practicing and living what they preach.  

We must always be like Jesus; for He lived what He preached in other words Jesus is always true to His words and actions.

Do you always live what you preach and are you always true to your words? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday August 19, Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time; Matthew 22:34-40

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

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

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Reflection:

Can you measure the length and width of true love?

The length and width of true love is something that we cannot measure no matter how hard we try to measure it. We will be willing to give everything for the sake of this true love and this is what our love for God should be.

If we love God we would be willing to do everything for Him including to give our life for the advancement of His kingdom here in this world. If we love God we would be willing to forgive those who have hurt us no matter how deep the would it inflicted upon us.

The martyrs and saints of the church best exemplify this greatest commandment of love and forgiveness. They lived it to the hilt that they willingly gave their lives for the sake of their great love for God.

We often times say that we love God but when we are confronted with difficult situations such as giving something very important out of ourselves. We capitulate thus we betray our self- serving profession of love for God. Same with when we are challenged to forgive those who’ve hurt us.

True love for God is the willingness to give our time, our treasures and even our life for the advancement of God’s kingdom. True love for our neighbor/s is our readiness to forgive somebody even if she/he does not ask for our forgiveness. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas