The
Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign
from heaven to test him. He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why
does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to
this generation.” Then he left them, got into the boat again, and went off to
the other shore.
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Reflection:
Do you
need to see a sign to believe?
A woman
wanted to see a sign from her beloved so that she could finally say yes to him.
So she said if this handsome man would bring me flowers and chocolates that
would be the sign that he loves me. Lo and behold the man came knocking at their
gate with flowers and chocolates. To make a long story short she finally said
yes to him but after a few months they broke up.
Unlike
the love of a suitor which is often times bounded by time, Jesus love for us is
always there it’s not bounded by time. What are the signs of God’s love? The food on the table, the new life in the
morning and countless more! These are obvious signs of Jesus infinite love for
us.
But often
times these are still not enough for us, we still seek more signs to strengthen
our faith in Him. When we seek additional signs from Jesus it also shows how
feeble our faith in Him. Otherwise if we have full faith and confidence we
would not anymore seek or ask for whatever sign/s. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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
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
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?
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
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.
+ + + +
+ + +
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
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
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
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
Jesus said to his
disciples: "You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste,
with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be
thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set
on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under
a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the
house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."
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Reflection:
A hardworking single
mother was able to bring up her children and sent them to college by herself. The same single mother was the bond behind a
closely knit siblings.
Every now and then she
would also provide help for her poor siblings and being the eldest she would
also patiently counsel them and whenever they need help she would always be
there to provide without string attached on it. This extra-ordinary woman is
the personification of what Jesus had said to His disciple: “You are the salt
of the earth and light of the world.
What does salt
gives? It gives flavor to food, it defines its taste, it also acts as
preservative to prevent meat from decaying. That’s what the lady in the story did,
she put flavor and defined the lives of her children and siblings. Through her heroic effort she preserved them
all from going astray.
What did Jesus mean
when He said to his disciples that they would be the light of the world? Jesus simply means that they must illuminate the
people that they would be serving. Their acts of goodwill must be done with
utmost humility and they must serve without expecting anything.
Therefore the
challenge for you is to become salt and light in the lives of the people around
you. To your family, friends and to those who know you although you may not
know them.
With the humility of
Jesus deeply rooted in your life you now become Salt and Light for them. –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
The
Apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and
taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest
a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no
opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a
deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They
hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When
Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for
them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them
many things.
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Reflection:
Are you
always busy with your worldly concerns?
Many are
always very busy with earthly concerns that they don’t have time for God
anymore. They don’t have time to be with Jesus at Holy Mass This is dangerous because
what would happen if many are always busy with earthly concern and don’t have
time for God anymore?
After
working so hard in doing their mission the apostles returned and told Jesus
about their accomplishments. Jesus recognized their effort and said to them:
“Go to a quite place and rest a while and they went away in the boat to a
secluded area by themselves (Mark 6:30-32).
What did
they do in that quite and secluded area? Perhaps they reflected about their
mission, perhaps they reflected about their relationship with their master and
teacher that is Jesus. Perhaps as close followers of Jesus they had an
alignment of their mission and vision.
In the
frenetic pace of modern life the need to meditate and reflect on God’s role in
our lives is not diminished. In fact, amidst the busyness of our lives we need
to be reminded that there’s a God who is in-charge who always desire to
introduce himself to us.
And one
of the most effective methods of connecting with God is to find that precious
time to rest our tired bodies in the bosom of our Lord. Even Jesus in His humanity
always finds time to go to a quite place to rest and there He connects with God
in prayer.
You
therefore have to find time for God no matter how busy you are. For what good will
it do you if you have all the riches in this world if you have no relationship
with God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
King
Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were
saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty
powers are at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah”; still others,
“He is a prophet like any of the prophets.” But when Herod learned of it, he
said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.” Herod was the one
who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of
his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not
lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against
him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so.
Herod
feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in
custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to
listen to him. Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday,
gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of
Galilee. His own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod
and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I
will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you
whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to
her mother, “What shall I ask for?” Her mother replied, “The head of John the
Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I
want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The
king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not
wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with
orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He
brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl.The girl in turn gave
it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his
body and laid it in a tomb.
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Reflection:
There’s
always a price attached for speaking out against wrongdoing. For example in a
family setting, if a wife notices that her husband is playing around with fire.
Of course the wife has to call the attention or even confront her philandering
husband.
But this
kind of boldness sometimes comes with a heavy price. Either there will be
conflict in their marriage or it may even lead to estrangement. But even if
there’s a heavy price to pay we still must speak-out otherwise we are
consenting to what is wrong and immoral.
John the
Baptist paid a very heavy price for speaking-out against adultery; he was
beheaded for speaking the truth. Such is the irony sometimes of life. We speak
the truth yet we still suffer for doing so. But how could we correct a
wrongdoing if we would not denounce it?
True
followers of Jesus are those who are not afraid to speakout regardless of what
the consequence. And John the Baptist is one of the best if not the best model
of how it is to become a true follower of Jesus.
How would
you react if there shall come a time that you pass through this kind of predicament?
Should you just keep quiet and consent with what is wrong or you correct it by
voicing your opinion?- Marino J. Dasmarinas
When the
days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary
and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is
written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be
consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or
two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.
Now there
was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and
devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death
before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the
temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom
of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
“Now,
Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my
eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the
peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people
Israel.” The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is
destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
contradicted Band you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many
hearts may be revealed.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of
Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven
years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was
eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with
fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to
God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of
Jerusalem.
When they
had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to
Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong,
filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
+ + + +
+ + +
Reflection:
What do
you get when you worship God as a family?
It strengthens your family; it eternally imprints in the minds of your
children the importance of God in their lives as they grow-up. Many families
nowadays have their own bonding moments; they go on family vacation short trips
mainly to bond, nothing is wrong with that for it will strengthen the unity of
the family.
But we
must not forget that the best bonding moment for the family is to worship God
there at church for Holy Mass as a unit, as a family. There shall be unbelievable blessing for your
family if you worship God as a family, when your children grow-up they will also
carry this holy tradition.
For they
will also bring their own families before God to worship Him in His temple. And
this beautiful tradition of family worshipping God will go on and on until your
children’s children and it will go on further to your descendants.
But of
course like Mary whose heart was pierced with anguish as she saw the heart
wrenching persecution and punishment of Jesus. There would also be moments of
trials for your family it will be like your heart will be pierced also with
pain.
However
for so long as you bring your family to the church to worship God. You have
nothing to worry about for when God is with your family nobody can break it not
even the severest trial. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus
departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples.
When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard
him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of
wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he
not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and
Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense
at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his
native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to
perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying
his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
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Reflection:
What is
the feeling of a person who will be going back to the place where he spent
almost thirty years of his life? Of course it’s a mix feeling of excitement and
anticipation. This must have been the feeling of Jesus while He was on His way
to Nazareth—His native place.
Unfortunately
He got a rude welcome from His town mates, He was mocked some even took offense
at Him. Perhaps they were envious of Jesus sudden fame with the masses; perhaps
they could not accept that Jesus had become an eloquent and charismatic speaker
and a healer. Perhaps they have a crab mentality mindset already.
As a
consequence of their unbelieving attitude Jesus did not make any spectacular
healings there for He was amazed at their lack of faith. Lack of faith in God
could cost us a lot; for example because our faith in God is lacking. We would now
trust more on ourselves more than we trust God.
And when
we encounter trials we would easily resort to doing other things such
as friendship that do no good to us. His townsfolk lack of faith invites us
also to examine our own faith in Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When
Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered
around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials,
named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded
earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come
lay your hands on her that she may get well and live. He went off with him, and
a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
There was
a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly
at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not
helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in
the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall
be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that
she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus,
aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and
asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see
how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ And he
looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to
her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him
the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in
peace and be cured of your affliction.”
While he was still speaking, people from the
synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why
trouble the teacher any longer? Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He
did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the
brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he
caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he
went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not
dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took
along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the
room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her,
“Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a
child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly
astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she
should be given something to eat.
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Reflection:
Sickness
and death are words that we are afraid to hear much less experience. Who wants
to get sick and who wants to die while in the pink of health? Nobody for we all
want to enjoy life. Yet, Physical
death brought about by our being human is a certainty in life nobody can get
away from it. It will visit us one day; because physical death is part of the
natural process of life.
There is
another form of death that is more dangerous; this is called spiritual death.
This is always being enticed to us by the devil. The evil one always invites us
to commit sin and if we are not careful we may fall into his trap. This would
result in our permanent separation from the love of God unless we are willing
to humbly submit ourselves into the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.
In the
gospel a sick woman of great faith wished to touch even the tassel of Jesus
clothes. For she believed that once she does it would cure her of her sickness. Therefore, while Jesus was passing her way she touched His clothes and immediately she was
healed.
Jesus felt
that power had gone out of Him so He asked the crowd: “Who touched my clothes?”
hearing this; the woman fell down and told Him the whole truth. He said to the woman,
"Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your
affliction."
In that
situation there were a lot who were in contact with Jesus clothes and He never
felt that power has gone out of Him. Why is it that when the sick woman touched
Him he felt the loss of His power? The woman was in need of Jesus healing, she
also had great faith and she knew that Jesus would heal her the moment she
touch His clothes.
There
will come a time that you too will be in need of Jesus healing. When that time
comes never doubt just have faith. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus and
his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the
Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an
unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one
could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been
bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and
the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day
among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising
himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and
prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do
with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment
me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He
asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many
of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that
territory.
Now a
large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with
him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the
unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand
rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds
ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside.
And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they
caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed
and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the
incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the
swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting
into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But
Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and
announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man
went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him;
and all were amazed.
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Reflection:
Do you
fear the devil? If you have faith in Jesus you need not fear the devil! But
human as we are many of us fear the devil, and what is the reason for this fear?
It’s our feeble faith in Jesus.
In the
gospel there is this man violently possessed by an evil spirit he is so
powerful that no one could subdue him. Perhaps the possessed man is briefly in
control of himself after which he is again taken control of the evil spirit.
In his
brief moment of self-control he saw Jesus from a distance and he run to Him. To
shortcut this long story the man was eventually freed by Jesus from evil
possession.
There are
many evils that possess us nowadays: the evil of greed, lust, pride, materialism
and many more evils that take control of us. Do you want to be healed from
these evils? Humbly go to Jesus and ask
Him to free you from these evils.
Oftentimes
we underestimate the power of Jesus to make a big positive impact in our lives;
this is normally caused by our lack of faith and our lack of fidelity to His
teachings. This is the main reason why many are still possessed by the many
evils of this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When Jesus saw the
crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came
to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the
land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will
be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed
are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for
the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you
when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you
falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in
heaven.”
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Reflection:
What is the secret
to have a full and meaningful life in this world? Is it to accumulate wealth
and power? Is it to have a beautiful face and body? None of these actually. The
secret is to be blessed by God or to have the blessing of God.
But how are we going
to attract the blessing of God? It’s by living a simple and humble life. A
person who is preoccupied with chasing the offerings of this world and a person
who is so full of himself will never be blessed and will never find true
happiness which only God can give.
By possessing wealth
and power the worldly person will be deluded to believe that he/she is already
blessed. But in the long run he/she will eventually realize how much emptiness
wealth and power has brought into his/her life.
Who is the ultimate
giver of real blessing and happiness? It’s Jesus, He who always leads us to
know God deeply. He who always lead us to have an awareness of the presence of
the Holy Spirit within us. And He who initially opens the doorway of faith for
us.
The eight beatitudes
that Jesus gave to His disciples and to us also is a contradiction to those who
are so enamored by this world. But truth
be told beneath the eight beatitudes lies true blessedness and happiness.
This we could easily
discover and feel if we are humble and simple for the reason that God always
shower His infinite blessings to those who are simple and humble. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
