Reflection for Sunday, September 3; Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time; Matthew 16:21-27

Gospel: Matthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “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 will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.”

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Reflection:

A man who was a catholic in name only was being convinced by his friend to transfer to their religious congregation. The man asked: Why should I transfer to your congregation? His friend told him: The moment you transfer to us you will begin to live a life free from worries and problems. So, he transferred to the new congregation and after almost a year he even went through more worries and problems.   

When Jesus told His disciples that He will suffer greatly and be killed, Peter rebuked Him and said: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” What was in Peter’s mind when he said it? Perhaps, Peter thought that Jesus was already immune from sufferings because He was God and He can do anything to avoid such sufferings.

Like Peter, sometimes this is also our mindset; we think that we are already immune from sufferings. For the reason that we think that we already know Jesus as our savior. Because we already attend Holy Mass read the bible and do good things to our fellowmen. Consequently, we are already immune form sufferings and from carrying our own cross?

However, the testing of our faith is in suffering and in carrying our own cross. We will not fully comprehend the very important role of Jesus in our lives if we will not pass through suffering and the humps and bumps of life.

 Let us remember that before Gold becomes a precious piece of jewelry it is purified by intense fire. And before a diamond becomes an expensive piece of gem it first goes through a lot of cutting and refining. Our faith too is tested by constant refining and is purified by the fire of sufferings.

Therefore, let us not wonder if we suffer, let us not question God if we have failures in life. Instead, let us remain steadfast in our faith, the more that we suffer the stronger that we should cling to Him. The more failures and problems we have the more hopeful we should become that God would soon rescue us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Saturday September 2, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 25:14-30

Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one– to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in reply, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’”

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Reflection:

Do you know that the Good Lord has given you talent/s that you can use to help Him advance His kingdom in this world?

There were three servants who were entrusted with talents by the Master who went on a journey. The first servant was given five talents, the second two and third one. The talents were given to them according to their abilities.

After a period of time the Master came back and settled accounts with them. There was no problem with the first two for both of them were productive, they were able to exactly follow what the Master wanted them. However, the third servant was not productive with the talent that was given to him.

The Master was so angry with him that He lectured him that it was much better if he had put the money in the bank so that it could have earned interest. Then, he was punished. The talent was taken from him and he was banished into the darkness outside, where there was wailing and grinding of teeth.

What a frightening punishment for the unproductive servant, if only he risked in doing business with the one talent that was given him. He could have avoided the embarrassment and the chilling punishment.

What does this gospel say about us? About our talents that we choose to keep to ourselves rather than share it with the church and our fellowmen. Some of us are just content to just come and go to the church every Sunday for Mass and give money during collection. We think that this is already enough. But if we are sensitive to the needs of the church we would notice that from time to time it announces its need for parishioners to share whatever talents that they can share.

You may have the talent for singing, why not join the choir? You may have the charism for service; why not join the Mother Butler or any other community oriented organization in the church. You may have the talent for teaching, why not join the catechist? And so on and so forth.

Let us learn to share the talent that we have to our church and to our fellowmen so that it will grow and bear much fruit in the hearts and minds of our fellowmen. Let us share it not because we are afraid of the punishment that may befall us if we would not. Let us share our talents out of our love for Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Friday September 1, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 25:1-13

Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.

Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

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Reflection:

Are you always prepared for the coming of the Lord?

In the gospel there are two sets of virgins composed of five women who waited for the bridegroom. The one set belongs to the five who were foolish and the other set belongs to the wise ones.

 We would always want to be identified with the five wise virgins who brought more than enough oil. The oil that they brought keep their lamps burning until the arrival of the bridegroom. By doing so they gained entry to the wedding reception which is the kingdom of heaven.

The other five were not as fortunate for they were refused entry. They have nothing to blame but themselves, if only they were like the five wise virgins they could have also been present in the wedding feast.

One of the realities of life is its fragility it could end anytime. We don’t hold our life its God who knows when would our call time to the great beyond will be. This is the mystery of our lives, it’s temporary and uncertain. So while we are still alive let us always be prepared for God’s call time by doing good always. And by following the road of uprightness that HE prepared for us to walk on.

To say that we want to be identified with the wise virgins is easier said than done. Because how can we gain entry if we are not presently living our lives according to what God wants us to live it?

To be prepared and wise requires us to do good always, to always be humble, to always be loving even to those who are not lovable to our sight. Being prepared requires us also not to be judgmental and to always be forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Thursday August 31, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 24:42-51

Gospel: Matthew 24:42-51

(Jesus said to his disciples) “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come. “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”

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Reflection:

What are you going to do if you’re assigned a responsibility? You surely will do whatever it takes to properly accomplish the responsibility immediately.  There will be no dilly dally you will immediately do with competence what you have to do because this is the responsibility given to you.

In our gospel for today Jesus tells the disciples: Be prepared for the son of man will come at an hour you do not expect. What kind of preparation does Jesus wants from His disciples? Of course it is to live their lives the way Jesus lived His life, this they could achieve through their humility, their concern for the poor and by living their lives in the service of others.

How should we prepare for Jesus? Should we prepare by making ourselves busy on how to increase our material wealth? Of course not! The preparation that Jesus speaks about is the same preparation that He required from His disciples. So that when He knocks we would be able to let Him enter our lives.

Therefore, we must not always busy ourselves on how to increase our wealth and how to satisfy our earthly desires. For earthiness and material wealth are not the be all and end all of life.  The best preparation for the coming of Jesus into our lives is to create time for Him no matter how busy we are for this is the only way we could prepare for His coming.   

How are you preparing for Jesus? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Wednesday August 30, Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time: Matthew 23:27-32

Gospel: Matthew 23:27-32

Jesus said, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men's bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets' blood.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; now fill up what your ancestors measured out!"

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Reflection:

A woman was swept off her feet by her handsome and rich suitor. To make a long story short she married this handsome and rich man. After a few months the many irresponsible behaviors of this man started to unravel before her. Then she said to herself, if only I did not allow myself to be smitten by his external appearance I would have been able to avoid this man.

Jesus is criticizing the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees because they are only good at what others see on them. They neglect the most important requirement: none other than interior purity and transformation.

Jesus would not have minded if the scribes and Pharisees were not able to measure up to their self-created external standards. For as long as they go through interior cleansing and do away with whatever that would make them sin. But they refused to acknowledge the constructive criticism of Jesus, they even have the temerity to take it against Jesus that’s why they plotted to kill Him.

Somehow many of us are not alien to this self-righteous behavior of the scribes and Pharisees. Be presentable outside but neglect the more important aspect of life which is interior cleansing, renewal and transformation. Nevertheless, we still have time to hear and act on this call of Jesus.- Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Tuesday August 29, Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist, Mark 6:17-29

Gospel: Mark 6:17-29

Herod was the one who had John the Baptist 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. She 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. Herodias’ 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?” She 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:

Would you have the courage to denounce an adulterous relationship? You surely will think and ponder very hard about the consequence of your action. Or perhaps you will not have the courage to speak against it for fear of being rebuked or even killed.

John the Baptist was a man of courage for he did not fear speaking against the adulterous relationship of King Herod and Herodias. John told them that it was wrong for them to be in that relationship because Herodias was married to his brother Philip. Yet, by speaking about what was moral and true John was imprisoned and eventually beheaded.

There comes a time in our lives that we need to make a stand or speak against what is wrong and immoral. This is for the reason that it is only through this that we would let others know what is wrong with what they are doing. 

To remain silent against wrongdoing is never an option because how could we correct a wrong if we will just be silent? How would others know that what they are doing is wrong if we will remain silent? It’s like we are consenting to what is wrong if we will pretend to hear no evil and see no evil.

We therefore have to speak out this does not necessarily mean that we will be angry and there would be shouting and cursing. We can speak out in a civil manner to those whom we perceive to be at fault. What is important is we speak out and we let others know that we are not consenting to their actions.

Like John the Baptist, let us also have the courage to denounce anything that is wrong. We can do this by speaking to the concerned individual/s with civility and without implying that we are more holy, powerful and superior than them. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Monday August 28, Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Matthew 23:13-22

Gospel: Matthew 23:13-22

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the Kingdom of heaven before men. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.

“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.”

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Reflection:

Do you allow your faith in Jesus to transform you to become a practicing follower?

 For example, His teaching on how many times you should forgive (Matthew 18:21). Do you follow this teaching that says that you should always be forgiving or you put limitations and conditions before you forgive? Or you appear to forgive but deep in your heart you still keep a deep seated hatred toward others?

Jesus in our gospel condemns in strongest terms the scribes and Pharisees because they teach but they themselves don’t follow what they teach. They do mission to convert people to their faith but when they are already converted. 

They condition and indoctrinate their minds for them to follow whatever they say even if it is already against the morals of God and society. By doing so the followers don’t anymore follow the teachings of God but the self-serving teachings of their leaders.

What Jesus wants from you is to lead by example; you should mean what you say and do what you say. You must not only put lip service to what you say and profess. For example, if you say you follow Jesus it is incumbent upon you to be humble, to be forgiving and not to be judgmental. - Marino J. Dasmarinas