Reflection for Monday February 20, Seventh Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 9:14-29

Gospel: Mark 9:14-29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.” He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!” Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, “He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”

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Reflection:

What is the root cause of unhealthy prayer life? It’s lack of faith!  

The disciples asked Jesus: “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” Jesus told them: “This kind can only come out through prayer.” Just like some of us the disciples obviously do not have a very healthy prayer life that’s why they were not able to drive out the unclean spirit that possessed the boy.

When there’s an unhealthy prayer life there is also a fading faith. Perhaps the disciples were already getting used of seeing Jesus doing miracles here and there every day.  

On the other hand the father has a very strong faith. Even if the disciples failed to help him he persisted and asked Jesus to heal his son and he was not disappointed. Is it then safe to say that the father of the boy has a healthy prayer life? Surely the father has a healthy prayer life!

The gospel invites us to examine the health of our prayer life maybe it’s unwell or fading like the disciples. How about our faith? If our faith is fading we have to nurture it by our pious presence at Holy Mass and by reading about the life of Jesus in the scriptures. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Sunday February 19, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 5:38-48

Gospel: Matthew 5:38-48

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

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Reflection:

Are you capable of not keeping hatred in your heart? For example, when somebody hurts you, are you capable of not taking revenge? When someone strikes you on the right cheek could you turn the other side as well? Are you capable of not refusing somebody who wants to borrow from you? Can you love your enemies and can you still pray for those who’ve been persecuting and hurting you?

Jesus in the gospel gives us teachings that are very difficult for many of us to follow. We may wonder, why these teachings are very hard for us to follow? This is so for the reason that we are humans. We have our limitations we respond based on our limited human instinct.

We normally compartmentalize our fellowmen. For example we label them as those we hate and those we do not hate. Those we love and those we do not love, those who are good to us and those who are not good to us. Therefore, we respond to them according to what they give us.

However, the Lord invites us today to discard our mindset of compartmentalization and retaliation. He invites us to treat everyone equally regardless if this and that person is good or not good to us. He invites us to throw away our mindset of revenge. And finally He invites us all to be humble, to be loving and forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Saturday February 18, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 9:2-13

Gospel: Mark 9:2-13

Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him." Suddenly, looking around, the disciples no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. Then they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He told them, "Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."

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Reflection:

Do you believe in the afterlife?

One of the reasons why Jesus was transfigured is for us to see that heaven and the afterlife is existing and real. This is what the apostles: Peter, James and John witnessed when they were brought along to the mountain of tabor by Jesus.  

There’s life after our journey in this world is over, that’s why we must not leave Jesus for anything of this world. We must continue on doing what is good and righteous. We must not stray off the track of righteousness for this is the way for us to be with Jesus in heaven.

There is heaven, there is everlasting life and this is proven by the transfiguration of Jesus. So what should we do for us to go there? We must faithfully follow Jesus in His words and deeds no matter how difficult.

The reward for our faithfulness to Jesus is eternal life, don’t we all want this eternal life? Of course we do, thus we have to become faithful followers. Thus, we have to leave permanently behind our sinfulness.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Friday February 17, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 8:34—9:1

Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1

Jesus summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it.

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life? Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the Kingdom of God has come in power.”

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Reflection:

There’s a story of a middle aged man who was newly retired from politics. When he was still active he amassed a lot of dubious wealth. Having a feeling of financial security already, he said to himself now I can enjoy all of my money.

 However, in spite of his wealth he didn’t have peace of mind he was always being hounded by the questionable deals that he made while he was still in power. Then he had a heart attack and he died immediately without enjoying his stolen wealth.

When he was about to enter the pearly gates, Saint Peter refused him entry and told him that he’s not welcome because of the things that he did when he was still alive.

What will it profit us if we gain the riches of this world if we will not be able to gain entry in heaven? What will it profit us if we will continue to steal dubious money if we will not have peace of mind?

Unfortunately this is the mentality of a lot of us; we are so shortsighted that we focus on the here and now even if it’s sinful. We continuously neglect to do good, we purposely shut God out of our system to enjoy worldly life.

All of us are temporary travellers passing through this world. In God’s time we will leave this world. Where would we be by then?  Would we be in heaven with Jesus or in the other side? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Thursday February 16, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 8:27-33

Gospel: Mark 8:27-33

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

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Reflection:

What does Christ mean?  

Christ means the chosen one or the savior and Peter got it right when he replied to Jesus: “You are the Christ (Mark 8:29).” Unlike the other disciples Peter knew the real identity of Jesus. But up to that point in the gospel his knowledge of the true identity if Jesus was still limited because when Jesus said that He will suffer greatly he didn’t believe.

Peter only knew of the powerful Christ not the Christ who would suffer and eventually die on the cross. Isn’t this our mindset as well? We know Jesus Christ as the powerful one who would save us from our troubles. Yet there is an important side of Jesus that we also have to know and that is the Christ who suffered and died on the cross at calvary.

It is said that: “To follow Christ is always right; but it is never easy.” Jesus was actually foreshadowing the path that Peter has to go thru when He said that He must suffer greatly and be rejected.

This is also Jesus’ own foreshadowing for us: We have to go through suffering as well for the sake of the teachings of Jesus. This may be hard to swallow for many but that this is really how it is: Suffering is part and parcel of our faithful discipleship!

If we really are true and faithful followers of Jesus Christ we must expect sufferings and rejections. We will suffer when we stand for what is right, we will be rejected when we push what is moral. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday February 15, Sixth Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 8:22-26

Gospel: Mark 8:22-26

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?”Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”

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Reflection:

Jesus asked the blind man: “Do you see anything?” Let us try to modify this question of Jesus in such a way that it is addressed to us who are often times blinded by the things of this world. It will be like this: Amidst the trappings of this world do you see anything worthy about me?

I certainly don’t know what would be our individual answers to this question but one thing is sure Jesus wants to penetrate our hearts. He wants to reside there so that we will not be blinded by the temporary things of this world.

If you will not have that instant feeling of Jesus in your heart just be patient, engage in prayer as often as you can. Pray for enlightenment and for discernment so that the hazy image of Jesus could become clearer in your mind.  Until it becomes crystal clear then allow Jesus to fully engulf your whole being.

The moment you surrender your life to Jesus you will lose your appetite for the things of this world. You'll simply be satisfied with simple things for your eyes are not anymore blinded by the temporal things of this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday February 14, Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop; Mark 8:14-21

Gospel: Mark 8:14-21

The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up? They answered him, “Twelve.” “When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do you still not understand?”

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Reflection:

Do you allow the enticement of this world to take off your focus on Jesus? For example the Sunday obligation to celebrate Holy Mass. Many of us today sometimes do not pay much attention to the highest form of worship inside the church. We sacrifice it for our man worldly undertaking that only pull us away from Jesus. Do you allow this to happen to you?

In the gospel Jesus admonished his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. He used the leaven as a metaphor that they should not be convinced by the inducement of the Pharisees and Herod to leave him for them.

Both the Pharisees and Herod represents power, the power of religion and government which for all intents and purposes are worldly and temporary. Jesus was actually telling His disciples not to leave Him for what they represent. In effect Jesus was telling them not to favor the world over their love for God.

The secular world has many inducements such as: power, money, greed, popularity, lust, ego, self-centeredness etc… We should be careful of these worldly appendages, we should not let ourselves be deceived by these temporal inducements.

Let us rather continue be steadfast with our love, fellowship and fidelity with Jesus through our words and actions. For what would we gain if we have all the things that this world can if we don’t have God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas