Reflection for Friday June 2, Seventh Week of Easter: John 21:15-19

Gospel: John 21:15-19

After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me."

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Reflection:

Do you know that true love always requires humility and sacrifice?

There’s always humility attached to the word love. We can’t love without sacrifice; we can’t love without emptying ourselves for the sake of the person that we love. The word love is not a lip service word it is always coupled with humble positive action for those whom we love.

In the gospel Jesus asked Simon Peter three times: “Do you love me?” and whenever Simon Peter replies in the affirmative Jesus always gives him a responsibility (Feed my lambs, Tend my sheep and Feed my sheep) which he must do to substantiate his love.

This is also what Jesus wants us to do if we profess to love Him: We have to be His humble followers. We have to be ready to sacrifice a part of ourselves for the sake of our love for Jesus.

For the reason that humility and sacrifice is the essence of true love. Love without sacrifice and humility is not true love, it’s rather a selfish kind of love based on love for oneself. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for Thursday June 1, Saint Justin, Martyr: John 17:20-26

Gospel: John 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one that the world may know that you sent me and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you but I know you, and they know that you sent me I made known to them your name and I will make it known that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.

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Reflection:

A woman engaged herself to caring for the poor of her community. She did this out of her concern for them, funds were hard to come by at times. Yet she was able to feed and nourish them because she believed that Jesus would always be there for them.

We can always lean on Jesus all the time. He is always there ever ready to help us. Jesus loves us so much that He gave His very life for us on the cross. By doing so Jesus completed the mission that was given to Him by God. For our sake God gave the life of His only begotten son.

God is never absent in our lives no matter who we are and no matter what we have done. He is always there ever ready to listen to us. God manifested Himself to us through Jesus so that we could reach out to Him anytime easily. This is the reason why we should not think twice of calling for His help anytime.

Yet there is also a responsibility that rest on our shoulders. And this responsibility is to pay forward this infinite love of God. For the reason that our faith in God is never complete and it will never grow and mature unless we learn to share it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday May 31, The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Luke 1:39-56

Gospel: Luke 1:39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

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Reflection:

Do you have a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by regularly praying the Holy Rosary and do you always ask her to pray for you?

Even if she was also pregnant at that time the Blessed Mother visited her cousin Elizabeth without considering her own wellbeing. She went to Elizabeth in view of the fact that she wanted to comfort and strengthen her. That’s how selfless and loving is the Blessed Mother.

Of course we also want to be visited, comforted and strengthened by the Blessed Mother. But do we find time to pray to her and ask her to pray for us? Do we regularly pray the Holy Rosary? Being the mother of Jesus she is the closest to the heart of Jesus. Whatever she tells Jesus, He will obey for she is his mother.

On this feast of Visitation we are reminded by the Blessed Mother that it’s not only her cousin Elizabeth that she wants to comfort. She also wants to comfort, strengthen and help us heal with whatever worries and problems that we have. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Tuesday May 30, Seventh Week of Easter: John 17:1-11a

Gospel: John 17:1-11a

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.

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Reflection:

What is the usual method of our prayers? Is it spontaneous prayer or we follow a certain pattern when we pray? Whichever it is, what is important is we put our hearts in our prayers before God. For a prayer that connects with God is a prayer that originates from our hearts.

We read in our gospel for this Tuesday that Jesus is praying before God. It is a personal prayer for Himself and at the same time a prayer also for His disciples and the people that He dearly loved.

If Jesus prayed to God, we too ought to pray also to God. We pray for our personal petitions before Him. For example prayers for strength to face our daily challenges. Prayers for enlightenment, prayers for us not to store any form of hatred in our hearts and so forth.

When we pray we also allow God to heal us with our sickness most especially emotional and spiritual sickness. This is for the reason that through our prayers we allow God to dwell and move within us. Notice that after you pray you feel light and you feel better.

Let us beseech God to heal us of anything that ails us. And let us beseech God to give us the grace of connection with Him whenever we pray. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday May 29, Seventh Week of Easter: John 16:29-33

Gospel: John 16:29-33

The Jesus said to His disciples, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech. Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God. Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

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Reflection:

A young man aimed for worldly riches and greatness in his chosen field of endeavour. By his hard work he was able to achieve his aim. He thought that it would be his crowning glory but he aimed for more riches. In doing so he had no peace and contentment, he became worldly and an animal of this world.

Jesus tells us in the gospel for this Monday, You will have peace in me, in this world you will have trouble (John 16:33). Many of us allow ourselves to be enslaved by this world up to this very moment. Until we get sick, until we are near death and the reason behind is we keep on chasing the temporal riches and power of this world. Which in reality will not give us good health, peace and contentment.

Jesus offers us His peace. Peace that no one can give us, peace that money can't buy and peace that we can have even beyond this world.

Let us wholeheartedly accept this and the moment we do we would begin to free ourselves from the possession of this world. In doing so, we will not live for this world anymore and we will not be concerned anymore about others opinion toward us. For the simple reason that we already have the peace of Jesus in our hearts.

Would you accept the peace that Jesus is offering you? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for May 28, Solemnity of The Ascension of the Lord; Matthew 28:16-20

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

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Reflection:

Have you been given a responsibility by your Parents, Boss, parish Priest or by somebody whom you highly respect? Did you faithfully follow the given responsibility without questions?

In today’s gospel before Jesus ascends into heaven He commissioned first his disciples by telling them: “Go and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20).

The apostolic succession of the church tells us that this commissioning is still being said by Jesus to the Ordained Ministers of the church. To paraphrase this command Jesus is also telling us this: Spread the Good News about me as well and you need not worry for I am with you.

These are powerful and profound words from Jesus addressed to all of us: Spread the good news about me. Have we already responded to this command of the Lord? Have we already shared the words of Jesus in bible to somebody?

Today we celebrate the feast of Jesus’ ascension to heaven. What does this mean to us? Does this mean that Jesus has completely left us without giving us something to hold-on? Did Jesus leave us holding an empty bag and wandering what’s in store for us? No, Jesus did not leave us alone.

It is very easy to say that I will share Jesus to my loved ones or to a complete stranger. But the question is are we able to give flesh to this command of Jesus or are we able to walk our talk? It takes a lot of courage a lot of bravery to live and share Jesus.

Yet we have nothing to fear because as we abide to Jesus’ command; the Holy Mass is always there to strengthen us, the Sacraments of the church are always there to guide us.

Jesus himself assures us: “behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)." – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Saturday May 27, Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:23b-28

Gospel: John 16:23b-28

Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

"I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."

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Reflection:

An old man on his death bed was calling on Jesus to bring him into His kingdom. His relatives were whispering among themselves that he was already hallucinating. Then, suddenly the dying man breathed deeply and said to them: Jesus is here now and He’s holding my hand after which the dying man breathed his last with a peaceful smile on his face.

The name of Jesus is very powerful it can give us peace and serenity it can ward-off evil thoughts and spirits. But do we invoke Jesus name often? Maybe yes or no or perhaps we only remember to call on Jesus when we are in dire need of Him. But after we’re through and over with our difficulties we once again forget Him.

The name of Jesus is very powerful let us never forget to always invoke it. Let us call upon the  powerful name of Jesus when we are tired of the daily grind of life. Let us call upon the powerful name of Jesus when we are losing hope. Let us call upon the powerful name of Jesus when we are sick and so forth.   

In good times and in bad times let us always remember to call on Jesus. Let us ask Him to bring our prayers to the Father. – Marino J. Dasmarinas