Reflection for February 3, Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 6:7-13

Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick –no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.  

He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them. So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

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Reflection:

Do you share in the mission of Jesus and the apostles?  

According to a written commentary in Judaism there is a need for two witnesses to attest to the reality of a completed accomplishment. That’s why Jesus sent the apostles two by two to serve as witness to each other’s good deeds. 

But more than that I think the twelve were sent two by two to be of help to each other, to strengthen each other whenever they feel like giving up in their mission of evangelization.  

Jesus emphasized to the apostles that they should have complete trust and confidence on Him because He will provide for them. That’s why He said: “Take nothing with you except for your walking stick: “No food, no sack, no money in your belts.”  

By our Baptism we also share in the mission of Jesus and the twelve apostles. We are also being commissioned by Jesus to heal those who are emotionally and spiritually wounded. And this is brought about by the harsh realities of life most especially now primarily brought about by covid-19.  

There are many who still needs to be helped and to be evangelized let us therefore take part in the mission of the apostles. Let’s not worry about ourselves Jesus will take care of us in return as what He did for the apostles. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday February 2, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord: Luke 2:22-40

Gospel: Luke 2:22-40

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses. Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. Just as it is written in the law of the Lord, every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord. And to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.  

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.   

He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go  in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.”  

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted —and you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. 

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

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Reflection:

The story  is  told about a dying man who had one fervent wish before he dies. His fervent wish was to see Jesus in the flesh and to talk to Him even for a short while. Unfortunately, his wish did not become a reality for he died without seeing Jesus. Is there a magic word for us to see Jesus? Or is there a secret for us to see Jesus?  

When the child Jesus was brought into the temple to present Him before the Lord. It was in fulfillment of the Jewish law which states that a child should be brought into the temple to present him before God forty days after its birth.”  

We have in our gospel a Holy man named Simeon who has one wish before he dies which is to see Jesus. And Simeon was very blessed to see and hold in his arms the child Jesus. Was it pure luck that he was able to be with Jesus and His parents up close and personal? No, luck had nothing to do with Simeon’s meeting with the Holy family. Simeon as stated in our gospel was a righteous and devout man.  

He was a good man; he was a man who wholeheartedly strived to follow the teachings of his faith. That’s why God through the Holy Spirit gifted Simeon the very rare opportunity to be with the child Jesus in the temple before he dies. What a way to die! Isn’t this our wish also before we die? We would want to see Jesus and we would want to hold the hand of Jesus as we take our last gasp of breath?  

When a person is near death, he/she would normally say that he is already seeing his departed relatives around him. Rarely would we hear a dying person say that he now see Jesus by his side.  

By the life of Simeon, we now know the secret as to how we would be able to see Jesus as we fade out of this world. We have to be righteous and we have to be devout followers of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for February 1, Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 5:21-43

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, “My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live. He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.  

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.  

Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?” But his disciples said to Jesus, “You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’ And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”  

 While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer? Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 

So he went in and said to them, “Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.” And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!” The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

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Reflection:

Sickness and death are words that we are afraid to hear much less experience. Who wants to get sick and who wants to die? Nobody for we all want to enjoy life. Yet, Physical death brought about by our being human is a certainty of life nobody can get away from it. It will visit us one day; because physical death is part of the natural process of life.  

There is another form of death that is more dangerous; this is called spiritual death and this is always being enticed to us by the devil. The evil one always invites us to commit sin and if we are not careful we may fall into this trap. This would result in our permanent separation from the love of God unless we are willing to humbly submit ourselves into the Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.  

In the gospel a sick woman of great faith wished to touch even the tassel of Jesus clothes. For she believed that the moment she does, it would cure her of her sickness. Therefore, while Jesus was passing her way she touched His clothes and immediately she was healed.  

Jesus felt that power had gone out of Him so He asked the crowd: “Who touched my clothes?” hearing this; the woman fell down and told Him the whole truth. He said to the woman, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."  

In that situation there were a lot who were in contact with Jesus clothes and He never felt that power has gone out of Him. Why is it that when the sick woman touched Him he felt the loss of His power? The woman was in need of Jesus healing, she also had great faith and she knew that Jesus would heal her the moment she touch His clothes.  

There will come a time that we too will be in need of Jesus healing. When that time comes let us not doubt the power of the Lord to heal us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday January 31 Saint John Bosco, Priest (M): Mark 5:1-20

Gospel: Mark 5:1-20

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. 

In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. 

Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. 

Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. 

The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine.  

Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

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Reflection:

Is there anyone in this world that is more powerful than Jesus? No one for the simple reason that  even demons and unclean spirits are afraid of Him. If this is so; how come not everyone of us gravitate towards Jesus? Because the power of Jesus is not of this world and besides we normally equate power with position of influence and money.  

Does Jesus occupy a position of influence? Does Jesus have money? Jesus has none of these worldly trappings! If we would follow Jesus He would dislodge us from our corrupt and worldly comfort zones and many who are already enslaved by this world will not like this.  

Jesus power is something that we feel in our hearts; it is something that He gives us freely and  something that is not felt and seen by worldly people. And people who love this present life more than the real life after this present life is over and done with already.  

How about us? We who profess to know Jesus and we who says that Jesus is in our hearts already. What are we going to do? We have to find time to share Jesus no matter how busy we are. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Sunday January 30, Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 4:21-30

Gospel: Luke 4:21-30

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’ And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. 

Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon.  

Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.

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Reflection:

Do we have an attitude of exclusivity? For example we want to reside in an exclusive community so that those who are not members and those who are not rich will not be able to disturb our peace. We want to be in the company of those who are rich because it enhances our status of being member of an exclusive group of people.  

Jesus is not in favor of this exclusive mentality, Jesus mindset is inclusive regardless of who we are. Even if we  are poor, sinner and uneducated.  Jesus desires everyone to come to Him and He reaches out to everyone regardless of faith Jesus welcomes everyone for He is for everyone.

In the gospel, Jesus town mates got angry with Him because they wanted Him to be their exclusive property. His town mates wanted Jesus to exclusively heal and do miracles for them only: The Jewish people.  But Jesus would have none of their exclusive mentality.

Our exclusive mentality if we allow it to capture us would detach us from reality. It will dictate upon us to have a superiority mindset. It will force us to look down on others especially the poor and unlearned and regard them as good for nothing which the Lord is not in favor.

Do you sometimes have an exclusive mentality?  – Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Enero 30, Ikaapat na Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Lucas 4:21-30

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 4:21-30

21 Sinimulan ni Jesus magsalita sa ka­nila: “Isinaka­tuparan ang Kasula­tang ito ngayon ha­bang naki­kinig kayo.”  

22 At sumang-ayon silang lahat sa kanya habang nagtataka sa gayong pagpapahayag ng kabutihang-loob ng Diyos na nangga­ling sa kanyang bibig. At sinabi nila: “Hindi ba’t ito ang anak ni Jose?” 23 Nagsalita si Jesus sa kanila: “Tiyak na babanggitin ninyo sa akin ang kasabihang: ‘Manggagamot, paga­lingin mo ang iyong sarili! Gawin mo rin dito sa iyong bayan ang mga bagay na narinig naming ginawa mo sa Capernaum’.”

24 At idinagdag niya: “Talagang sinasabi ko: walang propetang katanggap-tanggap sa sarili niyang bayan. 25 Tinitiyak ko sa inyo na maraming babaeng balo noon sa kapana­hunan ni Elias nang sarhan ang langit sa loob ng tatlo’t kala­hating taon at nagkaroon ng matin­ding taggutom sa buong lupain. 26 Gayon pa ma’y hindi ipinadala si Elias sa isa man sa kanila kundi sa baba­eng balo ng    Sarepta sa may Sidon. 27 Marami ring may­ketong sa Israel sa kapana­hunan ni Propeta Eliseo pero wala sa kanilang pinaga­ling kundi ang Siriong si Naaman.”

28 Napuno ng galit ang lahat sa sinagoga pagkarinig dito, 29 tumindig sila at ipinagtulakan siya sa labas ng bayan. Dinala nila siya sa gilid ng burol na ki­na­­­ta­tayuan ng kanilang bayan para ihu­log. 30 Ngunit du­maan siya sa gitna nila at umalis. 

Reflection for January 29 Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 4:35-41

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. 

Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?

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Reflection:   

The story is told about a man who was so afraid of darkness. He feared darkness because he imagines evil things coming out from it. For the same reason, when sleeping time comes in the evening he tells his wife not to turn off the lights.  

For many of us evening or darkness depicts uncertainty, it registers fears in our hearts. Notice when there’s brownout/blackout in the community. Everyone would look for their flashlights, candles or anything that could defeat darkness.  

It was evening when Jesus and His disciples were crossing to the other side of the lake. They were in a boat and darkness pervades their environment, when out of the blue they suddenly encountered a violent storm. All of them were scared (who wouldn’t be?) the fear of the violent storm coupled with darkness made them momentarily forgot that Jesus was with them.  

And then they remembered that Jesus (the light of their lives and our lives too!) was with them. He was soundly asleep (notwithstanding the violent storm) in the stern on a cushion. So they woke Him up and they asked Jesus for help. And right in front of them Jesus rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm (Mark 4:39).  

All of us pass thru certain stretches of darkness and storms in our life and we naturally fear it. Many of us would want to avoid these stretches of darkness and storms. Yet we cannot avoid it for these are part and parcel of our life.  

So what are we going to do when we pass thru these episodes of storms and darkness? We always have to remember that Jesus the light of our lives is always with us. We always have to remember that no storms or darkness can break us down. For we have Jesus walking with us and lighting our paths.  

Do you always call on Jesus when you pass thru storms and darkness in your life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Friday January 28, St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (M): Mark 4:26-34

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” 

He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”  

With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

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Reflection:   

The story is told about a man who wants to write for God but he was hesitant for he knows his limitations. He doesn’t write well and could hardly compose a decent sentence.  

Yet deep in his heart there was a persistent voice that tells him to write. He therefore submitted himself to the urgings of the inner voice. And to make a long story short, this man who can hardly create a sentence became well known for his meditations about God.  

Jesus speaks about a small seed that has been scattered into the land. The seed had grown so big and was soon harvested. Jesus also speaks about a tiny mustard seed that was sown. After a while it soon became so big where birds rested in its shade.  

Does God sow seed within us also with the intention of making it grow so that others could also benefit from it? Yes! God sows a seed in each and every one of us. But more often than not this small seed doesn’t grow until it eventually dies. Why? Because many of us are afraid to trust God, so we do not take action.  

Surely, we will not be able to do it by ourselves. Yet if we would only learn to call on God, if we would only learn to have faith in Him. The seed that God sows in our hearts will surely blossom so that it could be useful to our fellowmen. What is this seed that God sows within us? It could be  talent, wealth or anything that would benefit or help our fellowmen. 

Try to discover the seed that God has sown into your heart. Upon discovering it, don’t just keep it within yourself. Share it so that it could grow bigger, share it so that others could also benefit from it. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for January 27, Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time: Mark 4:21-25

Gospel Mark 4:21-25

Jesus said to his disciples, "Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear." 

He also told them, "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

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Reflection:

What do we do after our presence at Holy Mass? What do we do after we’ve read and reflected on the words of God? 

God who continues to make a difference in our life must shine brightly within us. Not necessarily through our words but most importantly through our actions. If we read in the bible that we should be humble and forgiving by all means we have to be forgiving and humble.  

If there’s a need for us to reach out let us reach out and let Jesus who always reach out shine within us. When we do things for Jesus we have to always do it with humility so that Jesus should always be seen in us. 

We allow ourselves to become the lampstand of Jesus when we do things with humility. As such we would shine brightly and it will be Jesus who would be highlighted and not ourselves.

Many of us commit this frequent mistake of raising ourselves in the pedestal of prominence. We purposely upstage Jesus and it is our ego and our very high regard of ourselves that are seen. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Wednesday January 26, Saints Timothy and Titus, Bishops (M): Mark 4:1-20

Gospel: Mark 4:1-20

On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them,  “Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 

Other seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was scorched and it withered for lack of roots.  Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” 

And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.” 

Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. 

But they have no roots; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

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Reflection:

Are you open to hear or read the words of Jesus? The word of Jesus are the seed that He sows in your hearts. You can read this when you open your bible, when you go to Holy Mass and when you hear or read commentaries about the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

Some of us hear or read this good news of Jesus when we are burdened by our problems. Then after our problems have been solved, we once again distance ourselves from the words of God until the next problem engulfs us. We only treat God like a commodity that we only use when we are in need. Thus, the word of God does not bear fruit in our hearts and we also do not become fruitful followers of Jesus. 

How can we become fruitful followers of the Lord? It’s when we read, hear and share His words. It’s when we allow the words of God to bear much fruit in our hearts that it transforms us to become a person with a new mindset soundly grounded upon Jesus’ teachings. Thus, we become the rich soil that Jesus mentions in the gospel (Mark 4:20)  

There are people who allow themselves to be transformed by the seeds or the words of God. For example, from being bad they become good, from being irresponsible they now become responsible, and from being corrupt they become incorruptible. Why? This is for the reason that they allowed God’s words to work miracles in their life!  

Will you allow the seeds of the words of Jesus to grow in your heart so that the Lord could bless others through you?  – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Tuesday January 25, The Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle (Feast): Mark 16:15-18

Gospel: Mark 16:15-18

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.  

These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents with their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

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Reflection:

Have you already shared Jesus and the gospel to anyone? Jesus tells the apostles and us too: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).”  

Perhaps more than half of us would be saying that we’ve not yet shared the word of God and what is the reason? Perhaps lack of time is not the reason because if we can give time to our other worldly activities why can’t we have time to share the words of the Lord?  

To share our faith and Jesus is the duty of every baptized Christian no one is exempt from this responsibility. But how can we share if we don’t regularly read the bible? If we seldom go to Holy Mass? It’s by reading the words of the God and by making ourselves available at Holy Mass that we can become effective sharers of our faith.  

Saint Jerome has said: “Ignorance of the bible is ignorance of Christ.” This is very true, for us to effectively share Jesus we must know Him first. How can we share the faith if we seldom read the words of God in the bible and if we seldom go to Holy Mass? There’s no way for us to share our faith if we don’t know something about it and if we don’t make ourselves present at Holy Mass for the simple reason that we cannot give what we don’t have.   

Let us not be stagnant followers of Jesus, let us not be satisfied with this status quo. Let us read God’s words in the bible, let us live it and then let us have the courage to share it in whatever means possible.  

Share your faith within your family first, to your spouse, children and to the other members of your household. And see for yourself the miracle that Jesus would create in your life and in your family the moment you share Him.   

When you share Jesus, you assure yourself of a sacred space in heaven when your life in this temporal world is over and done with already. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

1Reflection for Monday January 24, Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: Mark 3:22-30

Gospel: Mark 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 

And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

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Reflection:

A  family would always go to church as a family and whenever there is a problem in their family. The father or mother would always see to it that they reconcile before the day is over. For to them God always wants a unified family. Indeed, God is an advocate of unity. 

Yet the devil wants to destroy the unity of the family for the simple reason that the devil is for disunity, problem and conflict. Because when there’s problem, disunity and conflict the evil one has the opportunity to come in and sow more havoc and disunity.     

In the gospel, Jesus talks about the importance of unity. He tells us; If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.  

Unity indeed is very important and essential, for example in a family. What would happen If there’s no unity between the father and mother? Same as with friendship, how can friendship last if friends are not operating on the same wavelength?  

The same is true if we are not united with Jesus in everyday of our lives. What would happen to us If we live our lives apart from Jesus? And if we stand by ourselves in this world? We end up with nothing but division, loneliness and evil. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday January 23, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Gospel: Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.  

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. 

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

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Reflection:

The story is told about a group of young people that asked a learned man of faith about Jesus and the Catholic faith. He answered them and was able to satisfactorily address their questions. But when pressed to share some more of his wisdom he politely refused to do so. He told them that they should also read and study so that they would learn too.  

But what this learned man of faith doesn’t know was  the group who’ve asked him to share more of his wisdom were uneducated (they don’t know how to read and write). If only this learned man of faith were generous enough to share his time and wisdom. He could have blessed and watered barren minds thirsting to know more about Jesus and the universal faith. He could have been an instrument of evangelization and propagation of the faith. But he chose to be selfish so he kept to himself what was supposed to be generously shared. 

In the gospel we read about Saint Luke who is very generous about his knowledge of the faith. He wrote everything about the teachings accurately and then he shared it with Theophilus.  

In the second part of the gospel we also read about Jesus who was just through with His mission. Instead of resting for a while He went directly into the synagogue for the Sabbath day. There He passionately read the scroll about the prophet Isaiah that says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord (Luke 4:18-19).”  

in the first reading we also read about the Priest Ezra who generously read about the laws of God to all people from daybreak till midday. While reading it he touched hearts and minds thus it moved his audience to tears. The crowd was touched by the Holy Spirit because the priest Ezra passionately shared the book about God.  

We may not be that learned or knowledgeable about Jesus and our catholic faith but in our own little way we certainly know something that others don’t. Why don’t we also share what we know about Jesus and His message of salvation? There are many ways and means now of sharing our faith. For example, If we are not used to preaching before an audience let us use the many platforms available in the internet. Let us do it and let us not allow discouragement and fear to paralyze us because the Holy Spirit will be there to guide and help us.  

Let us take this extra step for Jesus because we will certainly touch hearts, empower minds and change lives too! – Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for January 22, Saturday of the Second Week: Mark 3:20-21

Gospel: Mark 3:20-21

Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat. When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.

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Reflection:

What happens when we get to serious with our vocation for the Lord? They normally would label us as someone who is out of his/her mind. For example, when we prioritize God over money, when we avoid friends even relatives from our environment friends/relatives who do not bring us any good. And instead we focus our time and energy working for the greater glory of God. They would really label us as somebody who is out of his/her mind.  

But come to think of it, who is out of his/her mind? Those who focus their time and energy for the greater glory of God or those who focus their time and energy to this world only? If you focus your attention to this world what would happen to you when you die? Where would you end up if you allow yourself to be possessed by this world?   

Jesus is labeled as out of His mind for the reason that He is very zealous in His mission for God. He allowed Himself to be possessed by His mission rather than embrace worldliness.  

There really are people who will not understand us for the things that we do for the greater glory of God. We must move on and continue doing our mission for Jesus. Let us just pray for the enlightenment of those who do not understand or refuse to understand what we do for the Lord.  – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 22 Sabado ng Ikalawang Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Marcos 3:20-21

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 3:20-21

20 Pagkauwi ni Jesus, nagsidating ang mga tao kayat hindi na sila nakakain. 21 Nang mabalitaan ito ng kanyang mga kamag-anak, lumabas sila para hulihin siya. Sinasabi nga nilang “Nababaliw   siya.”

Reflection for Friday January 21, Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (M): Mark 3:13-19

Gospel: Mark 3:13-19

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons: He appointed the Twelve: Simon, whom he named Peter; James, son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

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Reflection:

How do you deal with betrayal? 

Jesus appointed the twelve to be His apostles; it means that they would be His supporter, helper, co-missioners and co-propagators of the gospel. It means also that they would stick it out with Jesus until the very end even at the cost of their lives.

Unfortunately there was one who betrayed Him in exchange for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16). Betrayal is an unfortunate incident that happens to all of us, sometimes those whom we trust or even love are the very people who would betray us.  

But we must learn from Jesus on how He handled Judas’ betrayal. He did not seek revenge for He knew that nothing good would come out of it. He just let it be and He continued to do His mission and let Judas deal with himself.  

Eventually Judas was bothered by his conscience and had a realization he returned the money to the chief priest. Then, he went away and hanged himself (Matthew 27:3-5).  

There would be those who will betray our trust even love. How should we react if say for example we pass through this betrayal? Should we get back at him/her and get even? Of course not! If we get even we are no different from the person who betrayed us. 

 Let us follow Jesus’ example when he dealt with Judas betrayal. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for January 20, Thursday of the Second Week: Mark 3:7-12

Gospel Mark 3:7-12

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea. Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.  

He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, “You are the Son of God.” He warned them sternly not to make him known.

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Reflection:

Would you always be with Jesus in good times and in bad? 

We normally converge with those who have power: Politicians, powerful government officials and healers. Nothings wrong with it for that’s our nature as humans we gravitate towards the powerful. What if they’re not in power anymore would we still gravitate towards them? 

In our gospel Jesus is treated like a rock star people from all over the place were flocking to Him. For what reason? It was for his healing power. What if He had no power to heal? Of course there would be no pursuers or fans. 

In the infancy of Jesus’ ministry hundreds up to thousands would follow because He had that power to heal, to speak wondrously and the like. But towards the end when He was about to be crucified the thousands evaporated like a dew in the morning.  

It should not be like that with our walk with Jesus, in good times and in bad we should always remain with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for January 19, Wednesday of the Second Week: Mark 3:1-6

Gospel: Mark 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand. They watched Jesus closely to see if he would cure him on the Sabbath so that they might accuse him. He said to the man with the withered hand, “Come up here before us.” Then he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?”  

But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

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Reflection:

What would you do if you see a man with a withered hand? 

Jesus had two choices when He saw a man with a withered hand in the synagogue. The first choice was to simply ignore the sick man because it was the Sabbath day. The other choice was to cure the man and in the process ignore the Sabbath day. 

Jesus chose to heal the man and disregarded the Sabbath day. For Jesus it’s the welfare of the sick man first before the observance of the Sabbath law. In that instance Jesus chose to give priority to His ministry of healing rather than observe the Sabbath law.  

Jesus is a healer and His healing power is not bounded by anything be it criticism by His perceived enemies. His healing power is not solely restricted with physical healing; He heals us more spiritually and emotionally.  

But Jesus requires something from us also for us to get cured and that is our faith in Him. The same faith also of this man with a withered hand that was cured by Jesus on the Sabbath.  

Let us therefore hold on to Jesus with faith and never give up on the Lord no matter how hazy the horizon that is in front of us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas