1Reflection for Sunday February 12, Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 5:17-37 (Matthew 5:20-22, 27-28, 33-34, 37)

Gospel:Matthew 5:17-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna. Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

“You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right  eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

“It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife -  unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

“Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’Anything more is from the evil one.”

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Reflection:

Imagine a world without laws, there would be no order; there would be chaos and anarchy. Imagine life without following the laws of your country. And let us imagine ourselves not being faithful to the teachings of God. There would also be disorder in our lives; we will have no peace of mind.

In our first reading according to Sirach, we are given choices,  life and death, good and evil. We are made to choose whichever we like. If we like death and evil, it’s really up to us; if we like good and life, it’s also upon our hands. God gave us the freedom but this freedom is not absolute because He wants us to carefully discern our choices. For example if we choose death disguised as fulfillment of the law over life or evil desires over good where would these faulty choices bring us?

But what if we choose life and we choose to do good. Of course we would have peace of mind we will not be bothered by our conscience for the reason that we followed what God wants us to do. And this is absolutely what God wants us to always do in our lives!

For example in our gospel, Jesus gives us teachings about Anger (Matthew 5:21-26), teachings about Adultery (Matthew 5:27-30) and teachings about Divorce (Matthew 5:31-32). Just imagine if we will follow all of these teachings. There would be peace and serenity in our lives most specifically in our married lives. But are we following these teachings or laws of Jesus?

These laws were given to us by Jesus to serve as our lighthouse as we continue to sail in this world. We follow these commands not because we fear it. We follow it because we love Jesus who is the spirit behind His laws. Therefore if we follow we’ll have peace in our lives and we’ll be much closer to Jesus in this world and beyond this world.

Imagine a peaceful life and imagine a life very close to Jesus, would you not want to have it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Saturday February 11, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 8:1-10

Gospel: Mark 8:1-10

In those days when there again was a great crowd without anything to eat, Jesus summoned the disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance. His disciples answered him, “Where can anyone get enough bread to satisfy them here in this deserted place?” Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have? They replied, “Seven.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then, taking the seven loaves he gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to distribute, and they distributed them to the crowd. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also. They ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets. There were about four thousand people.

He dismissed the crowd and got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

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Reflection:

Having nothing to eat is an indescribable feeling of being weak. You cannot do the things that you want to do. You will limit your movement because the more you move the more that you feel the pain of hunger.

In the gospel reading; Jesus speaks about the crowd without anything to eat: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance (Mark 8:2-3)."

Then, He asked them, "How many loaves do you have (Mark 8:5)?" They replied, "Seven." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Afterwards He gave thanks, broke them and gave them to the disciples to give to the crowd. The same happened to the few fish that they have; the four thousand people were able to eat and they still have seven basketfuls of excess bread and fish.

What lesson does Jesus wants us to learn from the miracle of the loaves? Perhaps Jesus wants us to learn how to give, why? For the simple reason that many are going hungry. When we decide to give let us not give what we have in surplus because we will not truly feel the true joy of giving.

Let us give out of the food that we are about to eat and let us give from the heart. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Friday February 10, Saint Scholastica, Virgin; Mark 7:31-37

Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” — And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly. He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

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Reflection:

Have you already personally witnessed a healing session?

Some of us may have already seen healing sessions on TV wherein an individual on wheelchair is suddenly able walk the blind able to see and those who cannot speak are able to speak again. I don’t know if these healings are true because according to an exposé some of these healings are fake. The individuals who are sick are not actually sick; they just pretend to be sick and they are actually members of the sect that conducts the healing sessions.

In the gospel we are presented with an authentic healing presided by Jesus. A deaf man who had a speech impediment is brought to Jesus for healing. To make a long story short Jesus healed the deaf man: he was able to hear and talk again.

I’d like to zero-in on the personal healing actions of Jesus. They walked away from the madding crowd and once they were both by themselves Jesus conducted the personal healing. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.

This healing action of Jesus is very much opposite to what we see nowadays. Healers now want it to be publicized they want to be noticed they want to maximize their media exposure so to speak! I can only speculate of their true motives.

Is it still possible for us to have this personal and one on one healing with Jesus now? Yes, a pious presence at Holy Mass or quite visit to our church’s Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel would do it for us. Jesus is there personally waiting for us to heal us of our sickness our personal hurts and pains.

If only we would discover the healing and calming presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, if only we will learn to allocate a portion of our time to give Him a visit there. We would also have an Ephphatha experience.

Our hearts and minds would also be opened to this personal and wondrous healing experience with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and with Jesus at Holy Mass. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Thursday February 9, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 7:24-30

Gospel: Mark 7:24-30

Jesus went to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice. Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.” Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

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Reflection:

Are you persistent when you pray before Jesus?

A Greek woman went to Jesus to ask Him to drive out a demon from her daughter. What is very significant here is the woman is an outsider, not a follower of Jesus not even a Jew. But with courage and faith she went to Jesus for help, her mind was focused on reaching out to Jesus.

When she finally was able to reach Jesus, she told Him about her sick daughter. Jesus was reluctant at first to help. But she persisted and she humbled herself before Jesus after which her daughter was healed.

We all have our own problems that we carry in our hearts and we surely have brought these problems to Jesus. Let us not lose heart if we have not yet received a response from Jesus. Let us continue to persist, continue to humble ourselves before Him and untiringly beseech His guidance and help.

The woman never gave-up until she got what she wanted from Jesus. So we too must never give-up we must continue to badger Jesus with our humble and persistent prayers. Often times we don’t get what we want from Jesus because we easily give-up. Same as with our ambitions in life; we don’t get what we want because we give-up.

What if you never give-up, what if you continue to persist and humbly ask the Good Lord to grant you your prayer/s? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday February 8, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 7:14-23

Gospel: Mark 7:14-23

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.”

When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the parable. He said to them, “Are even you likewise without understanding? Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out into the latrine?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.) “But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him. From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.”

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Reflection:

Do you attentively listen to Jesus?

When Jesus said, “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” The disciples were asking Him about the meaning of His statement. As if they were saying, Come again Lord, we did not understand what you’ve said. And perhaps in exasperation Jesus said, “Are even you likewise without understanding?

In our walk with the Lord there would be times that we will not understand also the things that are happening in our lives. For example, we might ask the Lord, Why is this happening to me Lord? I don’t get your message; I don’t understand the reason of this event/s in my life.

Why is it that we don’t understand? Because we don’t listen carefully to Him or we may listen but our attention is focused on someone else. If only we would learn to carefully listen to the Lord and if only we would try to live to the fullest His teaching.

But how are you going to listen to the Lord? You have to consistently go to Holy Mass. You also have to consistently read your bible which more often than not is not being read. You also have to be humble for the reason that humility is the key for you to discern the voice of the Lord.    

Then you will know and you will understand that everything that happens in your life is for a good reason. You will discern that Jesus has a purpose why are you going through this and that trial. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday February 7, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 7:1-13

Gospel: Mark 7:1-13

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds.) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, Honor your father and your mother, and Whoever curses father or mother shall die. Yet you say, ‘If someone says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”

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Reflection:

Are you fond of insisting on a rule which you do not follow?

Jesus called the Pharisees and scribes hypocrites because they were insisting on following the tradition of washing the hands before eating. But Jesus knew them very well, He knew that they were only good at pushing people to follow their tradition and manmade laws. But the irony of it all is they themselves are not following the laws that they’ve crafted.

What made Jesus an extra ordinary leader? He led by example there was no hypocrisy in His value system, He practiced what He preached. Are we not like the Pharisees and scribes sometimes or even oftentimes?

We are good at telling people to do this and that, but we ourselves are not doing what we want others to do. For example in a family setting, many parents create rules and regulations for their children to follow. But they themselves do not subscribe to the rules that they’ve created.

Many of us are not being respected because we don’t stand for what we say. We say something today and then we violate with impunity what we’ve said. We must always be like Jesus who always put to living actions His words and teachings.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday February 6, Saint Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs; Mark 6:53-56

Gospel: Mark 6:53-56

After making the crossing to the other side of the sea, Jesus and his disciples came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As they were leaving the boat, people immediately recognized him. They scurried about the surrounding country and began to bring in the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak; and as many as touched it were healed.

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Reflection:

Why do you pray to Jesus? Perhaps you pray to Him because you want to offer all your cares and worries to Him.

In our gospel, people went to Him upon learning that Jesus was within their environment. They brought along their sick and perhaps all of the problems that they’ve been keeping in their hearts. They wanted healing for their body and soul and Jesus did not disappoint them.

Whenever we go to Jesus and we ask Him for something let us always expect that He will grant us what we want from Him. Physical healing, emotional healing and any other healing that we want Him to grant us. if we believe that Jesus has already healed us then we are healed already! We have nothing to worry anymore; it’s all in our state of mind.

But how about those who pray to Jesus for physical healing but they are not healed. Yes there are countless instances that we pray yet we don’t receive physical healing. Physical healing  is only a minute part of the healing that we receive from Jesus.

What we have to always recognize and be thankful for is the emotional and spiritual healing that He generously gives us without fail whenever we go to Him.

If you’re not healed physically you need not worry! The faith that you have in your heart is more than enough for you to pull you through whatever worries and sickness that you may have.

Simply believe and have faith and let Jesus take control.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas