Monday, October 10, 2016

Reflection for Tuesday October 11, Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 11:37-41

Luke 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
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Reflection:
Maria is very particular with external appearance she would always dress well. The exterior of her house was always refreshing to the eyes. Her neighbor was wondering how come she’s able to afford such luxuries considering that she had no job to speak of?

 One morning a rich woman was shouting in front of her house telling her to leave her husband alone otherwise she would be forced to bring her to court for having a relationship with a married man.

Many of us are very particular with what others will see from us. As much as possible we would always try to paint an attractive picture of ourselves. This is who many of us are, very much driven with the exterior, fleeting and those that do not last for a lifetime.

Jesus is not taken with this show of misleading exterior appearance. What counts for Jesus is our attitude most especially when nobody sees us. For example, how do we react when we see a poor in front of our house. Do we do something to help the poor? Or we simply don’t care; anyway no one is looking at us, so might as well not mind the poor.

Jesus knows everything about us, we cannot keep anything from Him. He knows our hidden secrets, our double talk and the façade that we try so very hard to display so that we could create an impression of wealth and extravagance. - Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Monday October 10, Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 11:29-32

Luke 11:29-32
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
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Reflection:
Do you ask for signs from before we decide on something? For example, if you’re a female, would you ask for a sign if the man courting you is the right one for you? And based on that sign you now would decide to say yes or no to that man.

Jesus is much bigger than the signs that we ask for from God. If we have Him in our hearts we need not ask anymore for signs. But do we allow Jesus to have a special place in our hearts? Jesus has a simple request for all of us for Him to dwell in our hearts. The simple request is our repentance from all of our sins. This is His simple request for all of us, so that He could dwell in our hearts.

During the time of Jonah the people of Nineveh listened to Jonah’s call of repentance. Otherwise there would be destruction upon them. So they listened, they’ve put on sackcloth to show God that they are sorry for the many sins that they’ve committed and they are ready to walk away from it.

Why do we continue to embrace sin when it will not do us any good? Why do we continue to embrace sin when we know for a fact that sin is evil and it eventually will destroy us? It’s very hard to comprehend why many of us continue to sin. Perhaps we continue to sin because we don’t allow God to come into our life.

If you will love this world more than you love God you certainly will continue to sin. However, God is always there for you no matter how sinful you are, ever ready to embrace you with His infinite love and forgiveness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Prayer:
I am sinful creature of this world O Lord and I am tired of sinning for it has not brought anything good into my life. I seek for your forgiveness O Lord and I seek for your love, this I pray in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.    

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Reflection for Sunday October 9, Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Luke 17:11-19


Gospel: Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
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Reflection:
Do you believe in the healing power of Jesus?

There is a true story of an eighteen year old young man who was diagnosed with a severe sickness. His doctor told him that he needs to undergo a dangerous operation upon reaching the age of thirty five otherwise he will die. Having nothing except his faith this man relied on nobody except Jesus.

As years passed by this man eventually reached the age of thirty five yet nothing serious has happened to him neither did he go through a dangerous operation. He is still alive and in the pink of health. In gratitude for the healing that he received from Jesus he is right now silently doing his little share to advance the words of God.

Our faith in Jesus can easily heal us of any form of sickness no matter how severe. We simply have to ask Jesus with faith and He surely would give it to us. Yet in every healing that we receive from Jesus there is also that unwritten responsibility that we have to do which is to give thanks and to pay it forward in whatever means possible.  

The ten lepers who were healed by Jesus obviously had faith otherwise they would have not been healed.  But amongst the ten it was only the Samaritan who did not forget to go back to Jesus to humbly express His thanksgiving. How about the nine who were also healed, where did they go? Perhaps they went back to their old environments and resumed their life there.

Whom are we going to emulate here the nine Jews or the humble Samaritan?  The answer is no brainer we have to follow the example of the thankful and humble Samaritan.

Do you always express your humble thanksgiving to Jesus by helping those who are in need most especially the sick? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Reflection for Saturday October 8, Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 11:27-28

Luke 11:27-28
While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
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Reflection:
Do you observe and hear the word of God?

Why is there abortion, terrorism, crime, abuse of the environment, egocentric people and so forth? Because we don’t hear and observe the word of God. There are those who listen to God’s words but they don’t live it.

Jesus is not a self-centered God same as with the Blessed Mother they don’t want honor for themselves. Truth be told, honor is the least that they want; let us look at their lives, did they run after honor? They shunned it! They simply listened to the word of God and followed it.

This is actually the cure for the chaotic world that we are in right now: To hear/read the world of God and follow it. We mustn’t not seek personal honor that only deluge our bloated egos.

We have to remember that we only become effective followers of the Lord when we model our lives with the simple and humble lives of the Jesus and Mary. Our modern and technology driven times would always dictate us to chase upon honorific titles.

To love the limelight and be the center of attention but it‘s actually nothing before God. What counts in the heart of God is our readiness to humbly hear His word and live it. Thus, we become blessed in His eyes.

Do you listen to the word of God and do you live it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Reflection for Friday October 7, Our Lady of the Rosary; Luke 11:15-26

Luke 11:15-26 
When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven. But he knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house. And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons. If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man fully armed guards his palace, his possessions are safe. But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him, he takes away the armor on which he relied and distributes the spoils. Whoever is not with me is against me,  and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone, it roams through arid regions searching for rest but, finding none, it says, ‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there, and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”
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Reflection:
Does Jesus deserve the accusation that He is a demon? Has he done any demonic actions to earn the accusation? No Jesus doesn’t deserve the accusation  and He surely has not done any actions contrary to His mission. None at all!

The crowd’s accusation originates from the deceit and envy in their hearts. And who planted that deceit and envy? It’s Beelzebul the prince of demons himself! So it was actually the accusers who were in fact possessed by the demon.

We must be careful not to allow deceitful/envious and other negative emotions to takes root in our hearts for these are temptations that originate from the devil. We should instead fill our hearts and minds with thoughts that are Godly.  Of course we must choose to be with Jesus for this is always the correct choice.  If we are not for Jesus, then we are against Jesus there’s no middle ground.

Why should we choose to be in the company of the devil when it will not do any good to our lives? The devil will bring us nothing but problems and perdition.  Although he often times disguises his diabolical intentions and himself through the many attractive things of this world.  

We should therefore be discerning because the devil may already be enticing  us without us knowing it. How would we able to discern if the devil is already laying his enticement upon us? We have to be close to Jesus and should not walk away from Jesus, for this is the only way that we could discern the presence of the devil.  The same devil who always seeks to destroy us by trying his very best to snatch us away from the love of Jesus.

Let us therefore always align ourselves with Jesus and let us never compromise with anything that is wrong and evil. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday October 6, Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 11:5-13

Gospel: Luke 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
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Reflection:
Do you believe in the power of persistence? The power of persistence tells us that for as long as we don’t give-up. And for as long as we continue to trust in Jesus we would be able to have what we want. Therefore persistence always pays off, but should we continue to persist when the horizon is dark?

In the gospel, Jesus tells us that we have to persist even if it seems useless to persist for those who persist are always rewarded by God. Come to think of it, persistence gives us great rewards even in our worldly activities. Take for example an average student who persist in his studies he surely would be able to hurdle his studies because he is persistent.

However, not all of us have persistent mindset; many of us are easily discouraged when we see no positive result with what we are doing. So we fail and fail to achieve what we want because we gave-up without trying very hard first.

Lest we forget, many or almost all of our life’s battles are won because we are persistent but why do we persist? We persist because we believe that God always rewards those who are persistent and those who couple their persistence with humble and expectant trust in God. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Monday, October 3, 2016

Reflection for Wednesday October 5, Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time; Luke 11:1-4

Gospel: Luke 11:1-4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.”
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Reflection:
Do you often invoke the name of our Holy God? For example somebody is sick in the family, do you pray over that family member by invoking the very powerful name God or Jesus? The name of God is very powerful it can cure us of our many sickness if we would pray it with faith.

When one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach him how to pray Jesus told the man first that the name of God is holy. Being holy it’s therefore sacred and powerful and this we can always call upon whenever we want.

What should we do so that we can always call upon this holy and powerful God? We should strive to live holy lives as well and we should strive to know more about God. The moment we try to live holy lives and the moment we strive to know more about God through Jesus. We surely could invoke His mighty name anytime.

You therefore have to run away from anything that would make you sin for this is the beginning of holiness. You also have to strive to know more about God and Jesus by reading your bible and by making yourself available for Holy Mass.

Try doing these two and you will see that you would be able easily call upon the name of our Holy God anytime most especially during distressful times. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas