Reflection for Sunday February 26, Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 6:24-34

Gospel: Matthew 6:24-34

Jesus said to his disciples: "No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil."

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Reflection:

An intelligent lady was hell-bent in her goal of becoming a rich businesswoman. So she engaged in business and she was very successful with it. However, she also noticed that there was no happiness and fulfillment with what she was doing notwithstanding the amount of money that she was earning. She asked herself, why am I not happy even though I am already very successful materially and financially?    

Material and financial wealth will never make us happy no matter how enormous. In fact the more that we become wealthy the more that there would be disturbance and pressure or even emptiness in our lives.

Material wealth will always come to pass us by. It may stay with us for a certain period of time but eventually it will leave us or we will leave it. There’s no security in material wealth; sad to say a lot of us finds security with it.

So what is the best choice? The wisdom filled choice is always God; to be with God and to walk with God. Thus, we will finally find that elusive contentment and happiness that which material wealth can never give us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

1Reflection for Saturday February 25, Seventh Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 10:13-16

Gospel: Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

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Reflection:

Have you already taught your children about Jesus?

Jesus rebuked the disciples who prevented the children from going to Him. He said to them: “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Why? This is for the reason that children are still not tainted by  sin and they are innocent and harmless. 

The words of Jesus is timeless, it is always in season. So when He said, let the children come to me it is also for the modern parents today. He tells us today, bring your children to me; teach them about me and introduce them to me before they become creatures of this world.

Many modern parents today don’t care to introduce their children to Jesus. Yet they care to introduce even teach them how to play with modern gadgets. Such as cell phones and tablets which do  no good to their eyesight.

The mistake of many parents nowadays is this; they forget to introduce their children to Jesus. For the reason that they were not brought-up that way thus they perpetuate this mistake. Let us correct this error by teaching and bringing our children to Jesus.  

If you do this you’re assuring them of a safe and bright future ahead of them. Have you educated your children about Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Friday February 24, Seventh Week in Ordinary Time; Mark 10:1-12

Gospel: Mark 10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them. The Pharisees approached him and asked, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” They were testing him. He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?” They replied, “Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her.” But Jesus told them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

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Reflection:

How is your married life?

Many marriages are successful, it last a lifetime. IF we would ask the couples about the secret of their successful marriage they would normally tell us that God is at the center of their marriage lives. When God is present in the lives of couples the chance of betrayal is nil. There is also the equal presence of Humility, Forgiveness, Patience and Love between husband and wife.

From the very start the plan of God for married couples is to stay forever together. But the sad reality is many couples are separated and separating and many couples are betraying their vows of marriage.

 Why is this happening? This is brought about by our weak faith in God. We have no fear of God anymore that is why we easily betray our sacred vows of marriage. We are not even anymore afraid of the negative consequence of separation to our children.

We may not know this but we are actually hurting ourselves and those we love whenever we betray the sacred vows of marriage. We give ourselves and those we love undeserved stress and problems. We also disturb the innocent minds of our children, try asking a child if he wants his parents to separate he surely would say no!

Whenever we are tempted to betray our vows of marriage carefully think of the many aftershocks that it will create in our lives. And the in the lives of those that we love most especially the children. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas      

1Reflection for Thursday February 23, Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr; Mark 9:41-50

Gospel: Mark 9:41-50

Jesus said to his disciples: “Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another.”

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Reflection:

What makes us sin? It’s the absence of Jesus in our lives and not taking seriously His teachings. What will make us avoid sin? It’s the presence of Jesus in our lives and it’s in carefully observing His teachings.

In our gospel for today, Jesus gives us the grave punishment of sins. It involves maiming and cutting off of body parts. Of course these are just figures of speech but this conveys a message to all of us that there are many punishments for sin.  

If we will not repent for our sinfulness we have to pay for it, there’s no free rides as far as sin is concerned we have to pay for our sins somewhere along our journey. However, if we repent as soon as possible our punishment will forever be written off.

But come to think of it, why do we sin and why are we not averse to sin? The answer is very simple, we love this world more than we love God thus there’s a void of the presence of God in our hearts.

Yes, we know God and yes we go to church to worship Him. But it ends there, we leave Jesus in our church. We don’t bring Him home, we don’t   allow Jesus to have a permanent home in our hearts and we don’t live His teachings.

Would you allow Jesus to carve a home in your heart? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday February 22, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle; Matthew 16:13-19

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

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Reflection:

Do you have a best friend forever or bff?

When you are best friend with someone it signifies deeper friendship, it signifies that you spend sizeable time with this person whom you call your best friend. Your friendship with your best friend is much much deeper compared with your ordinary friends and you entrust important things and kept secrets with your best friend than your ordinary friends.

Saint Peter is the best friend of Jesus because he spent more time with Jesus more than any other apostle in the bible. Although he denied Jesus three times; Peter is still the most trusted apostle of Jesus for the simple reason that Jesus chose to entrust the future of the church to him.

Do you want Jesus to entrust to you the gift of faith that others do not have?  The first requirement is you must be best friend with Him.  Start by habitually reading the bible, as much as your time permits be always present in the celebration of the Holy Mass, spend precious time with Him through Eucharistic adoration and live His teachings.

Then see what gifts will He entrust you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas