Reflection for Friday September 23, Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest; Luke 9:18-22

Gospel: Luke 9:18-22

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.

He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

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Reflection:

Do you live the teachings of Jesus?

When Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” they were unsure, some said that He was John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen. Then He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of God.”

If Jesus will ask us, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” I don’t know if we will be able to answer at all. Because unlike the disciples who walked and lived with Jesus and who shared and preached the word of God. We may not have preached and shared Him it yet.

What if He will also say to us, “But who do you say that I am?” Would we be able to reply like Peter who said with conviction, “The Christ of God.”

These are two simple questions from Jesus that invites us to examine if we have a personal relationship with Him. If we don’t have it yet let us implore the guidance of the Holy Spirit who is ever ready to bring us closer to Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Thursday September 22, Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 9:7-9

Gospel: Luke 9:7-9

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed because some were saying, “John has been raised from the dead”; others were saying, “Elijah has appeared”; still others, “One of the ancient prophets has arisen.” But Herod said, “John I beheaded. Who then is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.

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Reflection:

Are you sometimes being haunted by a wrong which you’ve done in the past?

The wrongs that we’ve done will continue to haunt us for so long as there is no closure to it. It happened to Herod the tetrarch when he ordered his soldiers to kill John at the behest of the woman who lustfully danced in front of them.

We need to be careful of the actions/decisions that we make in our lives. Impulsive or spur of the moment decisions are usually wrong. Like when Herod to impress his friends impulsively decided to kill John.

These thoughtless decisions that we’ve made or we’ll make in the future will bother us, in will constantly pop in our minds until we do something to close it. So what is the cure to this dilemma?

We have to seek closure, if we have to walk an extra mile for us to obtain closure so be it. We obtain closure by making amends with the person concerned. Or a much better avenue to erase our guilt of conscience is to humbly submit ourselves to the Sacrament of Confession.

By the way, when was your last Confession? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Wednesday September 21, Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist; Matthew 9:9-13

Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

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Reflection:

Does Jesus have a soft spot for sinners? Yes Jesus has a soft spot for all of us: sinners. For example in our gospel HE called a tax collector and a sinful man named Matthew. After calling Matthew Jesus went to his house to dine with tax collectors and sinners.

All of us are sinners and Jesus is continuously calling upon us to leave behind for good our sinfulness and follow HIM. The gravity of our sins are not anymore important for Jesus what is important for HIM is we respond to HIS call same as how Matthew in our gospel responded.

Perhaps we may ask, why is Jesus calling us to follow HIM? Among many other reasons Jesus wants us to be freed from the bondage of sin; HE wants us to be enlightened by HIS grace. And Jesus wants to save us from going to the kingdom of the devil. These are reasons why HE calls us to follow HIM.

Your life will never be the same again once you accept this offer of Jesus. There will be healing in your family; you will now become averse to commit any form of sin and you will be freed from its bondage.  Are you not tired of sinning? Are you not tired of a life without peace and contentment?

Why not try to respond and see for yourself the miracle and healing that Jesus will bring into your life. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday September 20, Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, Priest, and Paul Chŏng Ha-sang, and Companions, Martyrs; Luke 8:19-21

Gospel: Luke 8:19-21

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”

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Reflection:

Do you consider yourself as a relative of Jesus?

Very clearly Jesus tells us that we could only be called His relatives if we hear His word and act on it. What if we don’t hear His word and don’t act on it? Does this mean that we are not anymore related to Jesus?

 For example, if you have a wayward relative who doesn’t listen to your advices. Would you treat him as not your relative anymore? Will you condemn him to eternal damnation? Of course not!

Jesus said this statement, (My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it). To convey a message to the crowd and to us too that we must at all times abide by His teachings.

But human as we are, we sometimes wander away and we sin thus we distance ourselves from Jesus. However the tie that binds is still there, Jesus still pines for us. He patiently looks for us and eager to bring us closer to Him so that He could embrace us once again. 

If you are a sinner (as we all are) remember that you are still very much loved by Jesus notwithstanding your many sins. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday September 19, Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 8:16-18

Gospel: Luke 8:16-18

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.”

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Reflection:

Do you sometimes put a facade of who you truly are or do you sometimes live a double life?

We cannot hide our real identity no matter how hard we try to hide it for there will eventually come a time that we shall be unmasked. For example, we pretend that we are good but deep inside we are not.

Our pretension will work to a certain extent we may even fool our fellowmen with our pretensions. However, there shall come a time that we will be unmasked no matter how hard we try to conceal our true identity. 

In the gospel Jesus tells us: There is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light. Indeed no secret is kept secret forever and every facade that we put forward will eventually be exposed.

No secret last forever most especially dark and hideous secrets, therefore it’s better to be transparent and to show who we really are. If we have dark secrets let us be honest and after that let us move forward to live a new life worthy in the eyes of the Good Lord. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Sunday September 18, Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Luke 16:1-13

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13

Jesus said to his disciples, “A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property.  He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one.  To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?  If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours? No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

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Reflection:

Do you recognize that what you have right now like money, power, earthly wealth and the like is not actually yours? Many of us are acting like everything that we have we earned by the sweat of our brow. So, we get to selfish with what we have we cling to it as if our life hinges upon it.

We fail to realize that we are simply stewards of what we own in this world. We fail to realize that at God’s appointed time we will be accounting for everything that we’ve owned in this world.

And during that time the dear Lord will ask us:  “What have you done to the things that I’ve entrusted you? Such as your talent, your wealth, your time and even your life.” Did you only use it to advance your own selfish agenda in this world?

The steward in our gospel failed miserably in his assigned task to properly take care of the wealth that was entrusted to him by his master.  Therefore everything that was entrusted to him was taken back by his master, the rich man.

We to are merely stewards of what we have right now, we did not earn it by ourselves. God’s invisible hand helped us to earn what we have right now.  

Yet, many of us are acting as if we earned it all, so many of us become worshipper of the God called greed and we purposely don’t share and we don’t help even if we have the means to do so. – Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for Saturday September 17, Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 8:4-15

Gospel: Luke 8:4-15

When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable. “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”

Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.

“This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the Devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of temptation. As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”

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Reflection:

What is the essence of life if it’s not lived within the love of God? A meaningful life is always a life lived within the ambit of the love of God. If we live life outside of the ambit of God’s love life automatically becomes meaningless. Even if we have all the material wealth if we have no God life is still without meaning.

Jesus gives us a parable about the seeds that fell on four different surfaces. The first three surfaces were empty of the presence of God therefore the seeds that fell on these surfaces eventually died.

The fourth surface or soil is the perfect one because it is the good and productive soil. Don’t we also want to be connected with this productive soil? When we are connected with this good soil everyone who will know and come across our life will be enlightened as well and will be a channel of enlightenment for others.

We can only become good and productive citizens of this world if we will always be in touch with Jesus. Which is actually no other than the good soil which everyone of us should strive to be connected.   

For without connection to the giver of the real meaning of life we wouldn’t be able to grow in wisdom. And we certainly will not become productive citizens of this temporal world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Friday September 16, Saints Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs; Luke 8:1-3

Gospel: Luke 8:1-3

Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying him were the twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.

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Reflection:

Do you want to follow Jesus?

As an itinerant preacher and healer Jesus was always with a group of people: they were His followers and perhaps as His logistical support system as well. They were always there for Jesus ever ready to help and support Him in whatever way possible.

Who does Jesus represents today? It’s anybody who proclaims and lives the teachings of Jesus. He could be your friend, he could be your father, mother, brother, priest, pastor and anyone who faithfully follows Jesus.  

Anyone of us can follow Jesus nobody in fact is being prevented to follow Him. Why? Because when you decide to follow Jesus your life will begin to have a direction. Your perspective about life will change as well! This is the miracle that occurs when someone decides to follow Him.

You will also be cured of anything that ails your most especially ailments about our mind and emotion. This is the miracle that occurs when a person decides to faithfully follow Jesus.

Are you not yet tired of living your life for this world alone? Why not reinvigorate your life with the presence of Jesus by deciding to follow Him? – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Thursday September 15, Our Lady of Sorrows; John 19:25-27

Gospel: John 19:25-27 

But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

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Reflection:

How can we put flesh to the command of Jesus to John: “Behold your mother.” It’s to respect and take care of our universal mother and our biological mother. The blessed Mother must be respected and venerated by all of us in what way? By giving her honor the way the church honors her.

We must follow what the church teaches us about the veneration that we must give the Blessed Mother. For example in the praying of the Holy Rosary, the church encourages us to make the rosary as our family prayer because this will keep the family together. And this is true!

How about the love, respect and care that is due to our own biological mother? Do we give them love, respect and care? Many mothers are silently suffering because they are not properly taken care of, they are not respected and loved anymore.

We must always give our mothers what is due them, we must always express our love for them while they’re still here in this world. We all know that they are in the twilight of their years already so we must give to them what they truly deserve.

Let your mother feel that you love her, you respect her and you care for her. Be patient also with her for she is in the twilight of her years. Be forgiving also to her because she commits mistakes every now and then for she is getting old.

When will you give your love, respect and care for your mother? When she’s not anymore able to hear it, feel it and respond to it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday September 14, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross; John 3:13-17

Gospel: John 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

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Reflection:

After the death of Jesus there was an intense persecution of Christians. But during the year 312 AD the church entered a new era and that was when Constantine I, adopted the christian faith and became the first Christian Emperor of Rome. One of his first edict was to stop the persecution of Christians.

It was said that Constantine I, deputized his mother Helena to gather Christian relics. So she travelled to the Holy Land, while there she discovered three different crosses used during the crucifixion of Jesus and the two thieves (Dismas and Gestas).

Since there were three crosses her dilemma was to find the real cross of Jesus. So she called on the sick people of the community and let them touch each of the three crosses. Among the three there was one that stood out, since it instantly healed those who touched it. Helena declared it to be the true cross of Jesus.

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, unlike other Christians whose cross is without Jesus. Our cross is never complete without Jesus on it.

Often times, our cross symbolizes the burdens that we carry. A young mother who was asked, who is your cross and she instantaneously replied it’s my irresponsible husband because he is always with his friends indulging in drinking sprees and whenever he arrives he subjects me to physical and emotional abuse.

Each and everyone of us has our own cross that makes life difficult for us. Sometimes we may even say: why is it that the more that I go near Jesus the heavier the cross that I carry? The cross that we carry is a test of our faith, we would not be able to fully comprehend the presence of Jesus in our life without silently carrying and enduring our own cross.

What is important is whenever we carry our cross we invite Jesus to help us carry it and implore Him to journey with us with our cross. Let us not question why we have our cross because the cross that burdens us right now is nothing compared to the cross of Jesus.

The paradox of it all is this: the cross that has given Jesus tons of sufferings became the catalyst in the completion of His mission. This cross is also the symbol of our salvation so long as we believe and look up to Jesus who died for us on the cross. There is no exaltation of the cross without the salvific sacrifice of Jesus,

Are you carrying your own cross or do you have a cross right now, a cross that makes life so difficult for you? Look up to Jesus then close your eyes and humbly ask Him to help you carry it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday September 13, Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church; Luke 7:11-17

Gospel: Luke 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

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Reflection:

 What does Jesus do to our life?

He makes miracles for us everyday some of us notice these miracles that’s why we always thank HIM everyday through prayers. Many of us also do not notice this, so we live our lives without being aware of the goodness of Jesus.

While on their way to Nain Jesus saw a funeral march with a grieving widow. Jesus saw her approached her and told her, “Do not weep.” And thereafter HE approached the coffin of her son and HE said, Young man I tell you arise! The grieving widow suddenly became joyous and thankful for the reason that Jesus brought to life again her only son.

This is Jesus for you and me, a God who heals, a God who create miracles. And a God that is always by our side ever ready to help us in whatever way. Therefore, in everyday of our life we must strive to walk with Jesus. We must discard any actions and thoughts which would only make us sin.

Do you make a conscious effort to avoid sin or distance yourself away from people who influence you to sin? Have you recently thought of submitting yourself to the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession? – Marino J. Dasmarinas