She was
deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could
mean, but the angel said to her, 'Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God's
favor. Look! You are to conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you must name
him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord
God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House
of Jacob forever and his reign will have no end.
Mary said
to the angel, 'But how can this come about, since I have no knowledge of man?'
The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and
will be called Son of God. And I tell you this too: your cousin Elizabeth also,
in her old age, has conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now
in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God.'
Mary said,
'You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said.'
And the angel left her.
+ +
+ + + +
The Our Lady
of Guadalupe appeared on the hill of Tepeyac in Mexico in December 1531, to an
indigenous peasant, named Juan Diego. After she had identified herself to him,
The Virgin Mary asked that Juan build her a shrine in that same spot, in order
for her to show and share her love and compassion with all believers.
So, Juan
Diego visited Juan de Zumárraga, who was Archbishop of what is now Mexico City.
Zumárraga dismissed him in disbelief and asked that Juan Diego provide proof of
his story and proof of the Lady’s identity. Juan Diego returned to the hill and
encountered the Virgin Mary again. The Virgin Mary told him to climb to the top
of the hill and pick some flowers to present to Archbishop Juan de Zumárraga.
Even though
it was winter and nothing should have been in bloom, Juan Diego found an
abundance of flowers of a type he had never seen before. The Virgin Mary
bundled the flowers into Juan's cloak, known as tilma. When Juan Diego
presented the tilma of exotic flowers to Archbishop Juan de Zumárraga, the
flowers fell out and he recognised them as Castilian roses, which are not found
in Mexico.
What was even
more astonishing was the tilma had been miraculously imprinted with a colorful
image of the Virgin Mary. This tilma, showing the familiar image of the Virgin
Mary with her head bowed and hands together in prayer, represents the Virgin of
Guadalupe.
In 1990, Pope
Saint John Paul II visited Mexico and beatified Juan Diego. 10 years later, in
the year 2000, he was declared a Saint.
Do you always submit
to the wisdom God?
Sometimes there are
situations in our lives that would disturb our peace, for example a sudden
diagnoses of sickness. This kind of life event will surely bother us. But in
the midst of this life disturbances let us not forget that the good Lord is
always there for us. To heal us, to give us hope and to assure us that He will
always be there for us.
When the angel Gabriel
appeared and greeted Mary she was naturally concerned about it. Perhaps the
Blessed Mother asked herself, why did this angel appear to me? What would this
angel bring me; a trial that is hard for me to bear?
But the angel told the
Blessed Mother that she would bear a son and His name is Jesus. The angel additionally
said that she has nothing to worry because the Lord will take care of her.
Thus, the Blessed Mother humbly accepted her destiny and entrusted herself to
God.
Whatever we are going
through right now or we might go through in the future. Be it sickness or severe
trial that may test our fidelity to Jesus, let us hold on to our deep faith in
Jesus. For as long as we have faith there would be hope and deliverance from
all of life’s challenges.
As the Blessed Mother
entrusted her fate to the good Lord we too must learn to submit to God’s will
for ourselves. Let us never worry for God is always there for us and never will
He abandon us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
"Matuwa ka! Ikaw ay kalugud-lugod sa Diyos," wika niya. "Sumasaiyo ang Panginoon!" Nagulumihanan si Maria sa gayong pangungusap, at inisip niyang mabuti kung ano ang kahulugan niyon. Kaya't sinabi sa kanya ng anghel, "Huwag kang matakot, Maria, sapagkat kinalulugdan ka ng Diyos. Makinig ka! Ikaw ay maglilihi at manganganak ng isang lalaki, at siya'y tatawagin mong Jesus.
Magiging dakila siya, at tatawaging Anak ng Kataas-taasan. Ibibigay sa kanya ng Panginoong Diyos ang trono ng kanyang amang si David. Maghahari siya sa angkan ni Jacob magpakailanman, at ang kanyang paghahari ay walang hanggan." "Paanong mangyayari ito, gayong ako'y dalaga?" tanong ni Maria. Sumagot ang anghel, "Bababa sa iyo ang Espiritu Santo, at lililiman ka ng kanyang kapangyarihan ng Kataas-taasan.
Kaya't banal ang ipanganganak mo at tatawaging Anak ng Diyos. Natatandaan mo ang iyong kamag-anak na si Elisabet? Alam ng lahat na siya'y baog, ngunit naglihi siya sa kabila ng kanyang katandaan. At ngayo'y ikaanim na buwan na ng kanyang pagdadalantao -- sapagkat walang hindi mapangyayari ang Diyos." Sumagot si Maria, "Ako'y alipin ng Panginoon. Mangyari sa akin ang iyong sinabi." At nilisan siya ng anghel.
But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “As for you, your sins are forgiven.”
Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask
themselves, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who but God alone can
forgive sins?” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply, “What are
you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins”–he said to the one who was paralyzed, “I
say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he
had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God. Then astonishment seized them
all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they said, “We have seen
incredible things today.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you always
ask Jesus to increase your faith?
We all have our own set of sickness: physical and
emotional sickness. Whatever sickness that we may have Jesus can cure it, all
He ask from us is to have faith. The same faith as the four men who
brought the paralyzed man to Jesus and the paralyzed man himself.
Nothing is impossible for Jesus. He can make all
things possible including the impossible! What He only asks from us is to have
faith, faith that endures and faith that is willing to wait.
The four men and the paralyzed man had that enduring
faith. They braved the crowd and the difficulties before them so that they
could go through Jesus. How many of us have that kind of faith and perseverance?
We therefore must not forget to always ask the Good
Lord to increase our faith for the simple reason that we are feeble and weak.
In this difficult and tortuous jungle called life there are times that we tend
to be overtaken by our own set of life challenges. Nevertheless, we have to
have faith, move on, think and hope that everything will be well
soon.
Prayer:
O God, we ask
you to increase our faith, we are weak and susceptible to the challenges of
life. We know that you are always there for us ever ready to help us conquer those
challenges. Give us the same faith of the four men who brought the paralytic to
you. Give us the same, faith, patience and endurance of the paralytic as
well.
We ask this in the mighty and powerful name of Jesus. Amen. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Nagpipilit silang makapasok sa bahay upang mailagay sa harapan ni
Hesus ang maysakit, subalit wala silang maraanan dahil sa dami ng tao. Kaya’t
umakyat sila sa bubungan at binutas iyon, saka inihugos sa harapan ni Hesus ang
paralitikong nasa higaan. Nang makita ni hesus kung gaano kalaki ang kanilang
pananalig, sinabi niya sa paralitiko, “Kaibigan, pinatatawad ka na sa iyong mga
kasalanan.”
Sa loob-loob ng mga eskriba’t Pariseo: “Sino itong nagsasalita ng
kalapastanganan sa Diyos? Hindi ba’t Diyos lamang ang makapagpapatawad ng mga
kasalanan?” Ngunit batid ni Hesus ang kanilang iniisip, kaya’t sinagot niya
sila, “Bakit kayo nag-iisip ng ganyan? Alin ba ang lalong madali: ang sabihin
sa paralitiko ‘Pinatatawad ka na sa iyong mga kasalanan’ o ang sabihing
‘Tumindig ka at lumakad’? Patutunayan ko sa inyo ang Anak ng Tao ay may
kapangyarihan dito sa lupa na magpatawad ng mga kasalanan.”
At sinabi niya sa paralitiko, “Iniuutos ko: tumindig ka, dalhin mo ang iyong higaan at umuwi ka!” Pagdaka’y tumindig ang tao sa harapan ng lahat, binuhat ang kanyang higaan at umuwing nagpupuri sa Diyos. Nanggilalas sila at tigib ng takot na nagpuri sa Diyos. “Nakakita kami ngayon ng mga kahanga-hangang bagay!” wika nila.
People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told about a humble man who went on a mission to a place where no Christian missionary had been before. There, he catechized or taught the people about the faith and he built a church also.
When the church was complete, this good man visited the community's parish church. And he inquired to the parish priest if he could visit and celebrate Mass there even for once a month only. The priest agreed and everyone was converted to the faith. Thus, in his own little way the humble man prepared the way for them so that they could be with the Lord thru the Holy Mass.
On this second Sunday of Advent, we reflect on how John the Baptist humbly fulfilled the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah. John preached repentance and forgiveness of sins, preparing the way for Jesus with humility when he declared, 'One mightier than I am is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit' (Mark 1:7-8). John perfectly understood that his role was to be a herald for the coming of our Savior, Jesus.
As Catholic Christians, this is also our role; to be heralds for Jesus with humility. To help spread the good news to preach also about repentance, forgiveness and love.
We should not keep to ourselves this timely call for repentance we must echo this call to our friends and most specially our family members. However, this is easier said than done, simply because encouraging others to humbly submit themselves to the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not easy. Yet, if we emulate John, who embraced his discipleship with humility, we can be effective heralds of Jesus as well.
On this second Sunday of Advent, the gospel challenges us to help prepare the way of the Lord and respond to John's call for repentance.
Have you taken steps to prepare the way of the Lord, and are you ready to respond to John's call for repentance? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them
authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and
every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them
thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this
proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without
cost you are to give.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What is your fulfilment
in life?
To amass wealth and to have power is already a
fulfillment for many of us. Some even make it their life’s mission but this is
not our fulfilment neither this is our life’s mission. True fulfillment and
true mission in life is when we make a positive difference in the lives of others.
We become this when we are able to share and introduce Jesus to
them.
When Jesus summoned His twelve disciples He did not
instruct them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and make money out
of them. He rather told them: “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As
you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the
sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons (Matthew 10:7-8).”
In other words make a positive difference in their lives without expecting
anything in return.
Material things come and go but the help that we do
creates a lasting impact that they will forever remember. However, some of us
will say: “Life is hard right now, how can I help when I have barely enough for
me and when I also need help?” We can still give help if we would
desire it and if would discard the me, myself and I first mentality.
We should also not restrict the word help with money
only or anything that is material. For the reason that we can give help even
without using money. For example, we can share Jesus, we can listen to
emotional burdens and we can always share the gentleness and love of
God.
When was the last time, you extended help?– Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Kaya’t sinabi niya sa kanyang mga alagad, “Sagana ang anihin, ngunit kakaunti ang mag-aani. Idalangin ninyo sa may-ari ng anihin na magpadala siya ng mga manggagawa sa kanyang anihin.” Tinipon ni Hesus ang labindalawang alagad at binigyan ng kapangyarihang magpalayas ng masasamang espiritu at magpagaling ng mga may karamdaman.
Sila’y pinagbilinan ni Hesus: “Hanapin ninyo ang mga nawawalang tupa ng sambahayan ng Israel. Humayo kayo at ipangaral ninyo na malapit nang maghari ang Diyos. Pagalingin ninyo ang mga maysakit at buhayin ang mga patay. Pagalingin ninyo ang mga ketongin at palayasin ang mga demonyo. Yamang tumanggap kayo nang walang bayad, magbigay naman kayo nang walang bayad.”
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
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Reflection:
We celebrate today the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast was approved in 1476 by Pope Sixtus IV and later extended to the universal Church by Pope Clement XI in 1708. Recognizing the belief held for centuries by the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854. This dogma affirms that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God was preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Ineffabilis Deus, 1854).
Why is the Blessed Mother favored by God? Why was she chosen among many women? She is favored because of her humility and docility. God saw her saintly character, which He did not find in any other women during that time. Therefore, the Blessed Mother was given the singular honor to carry in her womb our Savior.
So you might say I would also want to be humble because I also expect to receive some blessings from God. That’s ok nothing is wrong with this kind of mindset. However, we must remember that the Blessed Mother is humble and docile not because she was vying to be chosen as the dwelling place of God.
To be humble and docile was her natural character. There was no pretension or any sort of fake humility in her system. In other words as far as the Blessed Mother is concerned, what we see is what we get from her. If we see her as humble and docile to the will of God she really is humble and docile.
In so many ways, God also announces His will for us and what is His will for us? It’s for us to live simple and humble lives. Many of us live complicated lives and lifestyles and this results to problematic lives. Thus, we fail to hear the voice of God and we fail to hear the guidance of God us well.
The Blessed Mother lived a simple and humble life, thus she was chosen by God. How are you living your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
"Matuwa ka! Ikaw ay kalugud-lugod sa Diyos," wika niya.
"Sumasaiyo ang Panginoon!" Nagulumihanan si Maria sa gayong
pangungusap, at inisip niyang mabuti kung ano ang kahulugan niyon. Kaya't
sinabi sa kanya ng anghel, "Huwag kang matakot, Maria, sapagkat
kinalulugdan ka ng Diyos. Makinig ka! Ikaw ay maglilihi at manganganak ng isang
lalaki, at siya'y tatawagin mong Jesus.
Magiging dakila siya, at tatawaging Anak ng Kataas-taasan.
Ibibigay sa kanya ng Panginoong Diyos ang trono ng kanyang amang si David.
Maghahari siya sa angkan ni Jacob magpakailanman, at ang kanyang paghahari ay
walang hanggan." "Paanong mangyayari ito, gayong ako'y dalaga?"
tanong ni Maria. Sumagot ang anghel, "Bababa sa iyo ang Espiritu Santo, at
lililiman ka ng kanyang kapangyarihan ng Kataas-taasan.
Kaya't
banal ang ipanganganak mo at tatawaging Anak ng Diyos. Natatandaan mo ang iyong
kamag-anak na si Elisabet? Alam ng lahat na siya'y baog, ngunit naglihi siya sa
kabila ng kanyang katandaan. At ngayo'y ikaanim na buwan na ng kanyang
pagdadalantao -- sapagkat walang hindi mapangyayari ang Diyos." Sumagot si
Maria, "Ako'y alipin ng Panginoon. Mangyari sa akin ang iyong
sinabi." At nilisan siya ng anghel.
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about an old man who was always at church, he attends Mass, and he was always present during novena prayers. However, he also had a domineering attitude, he thinks highly of himself and he treats everyone in the church as someone who is not within his level.
After a few years he died, therefore, he was expecting a smooth passage to heaven but he was not allowed to enter the pearly gates. So he asked: “Why are you not allowing me to gain entry to heaven, I was always at church leading the novena prayers, I was always at Mass!” The one on the gate replied: “Yes you were always in the church but you did not change your ways, it was all for show.”
Like the old man, there are many who are active in the church, but they refuse to let go of their boorish behavior. They think highly of themselves simply because they are active in the church, rich, and educated. Oftentimes, they carry these domineering behaviors into their homes and workplaces.
Could they gain entry into heaven with this behavior? Can they be compared to the wise man in the gospel who built his house upon a sturdy rock? Not certainly, to be like the wise man who built his house on a solid rock they need to walk their talk, they need to be humble and they need to live what they preach.
In the gospel, Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only th does the will of my Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21).” – Marino J. Dasmarinas
“Kaya’t ang bawat nakikinig at nagsasagawa ng mga salita kong ito ay matutulad sa isang taong matalino na nagtayo ng kanyang bahay sa ibabaw ng bato. Umulan nang malakas, bumaha, at binayo ng malakas na hangin ang bahay na iyon, ngunit hindi nagiba sapagkat nakatayo sa ibabaw ng bato.
Ang bawat nakikinig ng aking mga salita at hindi nagsasagawa nito ay matutulad sa isang taong hangal na nagtayo ng kanyang bahay sa buhanginan. Umulan nang malakas, bumaha, at binayo ng malakas na hangin ang bahay. Bumagsak ang bahay na iyon at lubusang nawasak.”
Jesus summoned his disciples and said, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way." The disciples said to him, "Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?"
Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" "Seven," they replied, "and a few fish." He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
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Reflection:
The story is told of a man who served as a manager in a government office. In this role, he frequently encountered people seeking employment favors from him. Being a helpful individual, he consistently assisted them in securing positions within his office. Eventually, the manager resigned from his government job, but before doing so, he took steps to ensure that those he had helped would attain permanent positions in their jobs.
After ten years the former manager returned to his former office just to say hello to those whom he had helped. Upon arrival he got cold shoulder treatment from them. So, he left a bit sad because he wasn’t able to talk to them.
There are those who follow a person because of what he can do for them. Once that person has given what they wanted from him those who followed would be out of sight already. It is very seldom that they will stick it out with that person come hell or high water.
There are really such kind of people who has very inclement behavioral patterns; who are ungrateful to what you’ve done for them. However, we must always extend our help not withstanding their ungratefulness.
Jesus did not choose whom He would help; regardless of whether they were grateful or ungrateful, He cured them all. He did not discriminate against anyone. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
