Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it
will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to
the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a
stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.
“Do to others whatever you would have them
do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”
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Reflection:
Do you sometimes feel helpless and
burdened by so many problems? All of us go through these life episodes, some of
us are able to survive and some are not.
In our gospel for today, Jesus gives us a
recipe so that we would be able to survive whatever trials and problems that we
will be going through in our lives. Jesus tells us: “Ask and it
will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened
to you. These are comforting and healing words for all of us if only we believe
and take these words of Jesus into our hearts.
Let us therefore have a permanent daily
time with Jesus. Since it’s only through this daily time with Him that we could
automatically go to Him to ask for His healing and comfort. The moment we start
to incorporate Jesus in our daily lives we then could be assured that we will
now be able to survive our problems and worries.
Let us endeavor to get closer to Jesus in
everyday of our lives. Let us ask Him for help and for guidance. Let us detach
ourselves from our many worldly attachments for the reason that this is what
hinders us to get closer to Jesus. And last but certainly not the least, let us
all exert an effort to leave behind our relationship with sin. – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
While still more people gathered in the
crowd, Jesus said to them, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a
sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah
became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this
generation.
At the judgment the queen of the south
will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because
she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is
something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will
arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah
they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.”
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Reflection:
Why do we meet or are acquainted with good
and Godly people? It’s for a good reason they don’t just come into our lives,
it’s always for a good reason.
For example, if you become friends with a
good and Godly person. God led you to this person for you to become good and
godly also. You did not become friends with him/her for you to be bad. Jesus
sent this person to you so that you’ll be converted this is always the
reason.
Some of us may listen or let this Godly
friend influence us thus we become good and godly as well. But unfortunately
this is not always the scenario because there are many who don’t care to listen.
No matter how many times God calls them to renewal they will really not
listen.
Jonah, in our gospel was sent by God to
the people of Nineveh to call for their repentance. And they listened to
him that’s why God spared them from punishment. After Jonah there were many
more prophets who were sent by God they called also for conversion.
Until Jesus came, many listened to Jesus
call for repentance and conversion. But sad to say many did not listen also.
There was hardness in their hearts, they ignored Jesus they instead continued
to embrace sin.
Jesus call of repentance did not stop with
the people of His time. The Lord’s call for repentance flows like an endless
stream up to this very moment and it is now addressed to us – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying,
do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of
their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ “If you forgive others their
transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not
forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What is the prayer that reaches God? Its
prayer that comes from the heart and a prayer made in the silence of our heart.
It could be a long or short prayer that comes straight from our heart.
Jesus gives us the perfect prayer called
the Our Father. This is called the perfect prayer because it comes from Him and
Jesus gave it to us. Jesus Himself taught us to pray it. Do we pray this
with our hearts or we simply pray it with our minds wandering elsewhere?
Let us recall when we are at Holy Mass,
how do we pray the Our Father or the Lord’s Prayer? Do we pray it with
closed eyes or with open eyes? The best way to pray this perfect prayer is with
closed eyes. Because when we close our eyes we shut ourselves from any
form of distraction thus we are able to focus.
Deep in our hearts we seek to connect with
God thru this prayer and thru our personal prayers as well. Because we hunger
and thirst for God most especially when we pass through moments of loneliness,
trial and disillusionment. Why? Because God alone gives meaning to our
life. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: "When
the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit
upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And
he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from
the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his
right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me
food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited
me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and
say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you
drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to
them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least
brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and
his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave
me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no
clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when
did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what
you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these
will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What do you feel when you sincerely help
the needy, poor and in need? You will feel indescribable joy in your heart. Who
give you this feeling of indescribable joyfulness? It’s Jesus none other than
Jesus for the simple reason that what you do to them you do to Him as
well.
We have in our gospel two groups of
people: The group on the right side and the one on the left side. The
group of people on the right side are those who helped the poor, in prison,
needy and the like. Those on the left side are those who were insensitive to
their needs. Of course the Good Lord favored those at His right side, so
the Lord gave them eternal life. And those who were on His left side, the Lord
gave eternal punishment.
This gospel invites us to reflect on how
we relate with the poor and less fortunate. Let us be sensitive and look
around. We may have relatives or neighbors who are not as affluent as we are. Many
of us are carried away by the riches that we have that we tend to forget the
less fortunate and the poor.
This lent is a wake-up call for all of us.
We must be concerned with their welfare, a concern that is real and not just
for show. A concern that is given flesh by actually helping the less fortunate
without any fanfare and publicity. Because the Lord knows everything anyway. –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread." He said in reply, "It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone." Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test."
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve."
Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Have you been through the process of temptation?
Many of us if not all of us have gone through the process of temptation. And many of us were able to reject these temptations but sad to say that many also succumb to these temptations.
Satan always disguises temptation as attractive satan does this to entice his prospects to fall into these temptations. However, after falling into these temptations, here comes sin, here comes problem that will surely disturb our peaceful life.
After fasting for forty days and nights Jesus was naturally hungry and the devil thought that Jesus was now vulnerable. Therefore the devil dangled before Jesus three temptations: Make the stone bread, throw himself off from the parapet of the temple for angels would catch him and last was the temptation of material possession. Jesus refused all these three temptations and thereafter He rebuked the devil away from His sight.
The clear message for all of us is to avoid temptation or to stand up against temptation for it will not bear any good fruit. It will only destroy us little by little as we immerse ourselves into it. For example, if you’re already married don’t allow yourself to succumb to the temptation of having an extra-marital affair because it will surely destroy you and those around you sooner or later.
There is no reward for temptation except misery, problems and disturbance of our peaceful life. But the paradox is many still succumb to it. Why because we simply open ourselves to that temptation, we allow satan to take control of us. Hence, we become the disciple of satan the same satan who will eventually bring us hell even while we are still in this world.
However, everything is not lost yet, the season of lent offers us a road of renewal which will lead us once again to the loving embrace of God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners."
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What made Jesus call Levi to follow Him and what made Levi leave everything behind to follow Jesus? Of course, the main reason was Levi was a sinner and he got tired of living a life of sin. Therefore, when Levi was called by Jesus he threw caution to the wind to follow Jesus. For he knew that at long last there is someone who’s not judging him and someone who’s willing to give him a second chance to live life away from sin.
In this gospel episode Jesus gives us valuable lesson on how we can call others to conversion. First is let us not be judgmental with those whom we perceive as sinners. Who are we to judge when we are sinners also? Second is let us always give others a second chance no matter how sinful they are.
There are many who are itching to live their lives away from sin but no one is willing to give them a second chance. It seems to them that almost everyone is condemning them. If only we know that they are already sick and tired of living in sin. If only we know that they are just waiting for us to call them to a life of renewal.
Let us make it our vow not to be judgmental. Let us make it our vow to give those whom we perceive as sinners a second chance. There are sinners because there are people who are judgmental and people who are not willing to give them a second chance. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The disciples of John approached Jesus and
said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is
with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and
then they will fast.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What does fasting do to us? It cleanses
our bodies, when we fast we dictate on our bodies rather than our bodies
dictating on us. For example, when we see delicious food, our bodies
would normally dictate upon us to eat that delicious food. This is always the
scenario: Our bodies dictate upon us and we succumb to it.
However, when we fast, it’s the other way
around we don’t succumb to this dictate we contradict it, for what reason? For
the observance of certain customs and tradition in this case we can cite our
fasting during Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
In our gospel, Jesus was questioned by the
Pharisees why His disciples were not fasting. Jesus answered them this: They
are not fasting for the reason that the bridegroom (Referring to Himself) is still
with them. Therefore their tricky question was properly answered by Jesus.
Literal fasting when done for a good
reason is valid but when it’s done for people to see or to get praise. It
becomes invalid or useless it’s much better not to fast when we do it for show.
But there’s a much meaningful and
permanent fasting that God wants us to do. We permanently fast from oppressing
others, we permanent fast from our arrogance, unforgiveness and we permanently
fast from our greed and indifference.
Are you capable of doing these forms of
fasting? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of
Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and
the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to
come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world
yet lose or forfeit himself?”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Would you be willing to faithfully follow
Jesus?
There is always a price to pay if we
decide to faithfully follow Jesus. For example, Jesus himself tells us in the
gospel that we must deny ourself of something and we must decide also to carry our
own cross. These are the preconditions, there’s no free ride in following Jesus.
We have to sacrifice our wealth, power, and the like for the cause of Jesus.
But we have nothing to worry about these
sacrifices because these are all temporal things that may fly away from our hands anytime. What would
Jesus give us in exchange for our earthly detachment? The Lord will give us
something that is out of this world.
What would it profit us if we have all the
wealth and influence in this world yet we don’t have Jesus in our life?
Material possession come and go same as with our very lives. We come into this
world wearing nothing and with nothing and we leave this world with nothing as
well.
Let us not be afraid of the things that we
will sacrifice in favor of our faithful discipleship for Jesus. For the reason
that our earthly sacrifice is not in anyway comparable with the guidance and
protection that we will have once we decide to faithfully follow Jesus. –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care
not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise,
you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. When you give alms, do
not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in
the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received
their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your
right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees
in secret will repay you.
“When you pray, do not be like the
hypocrites, who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them. Amen, I say to you, they have received their
reward. But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to
your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like
the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to
others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But
when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear
to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees
what is hidden will repay you.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told about a man who had the
habit of showing off through social media the good and pious acts that he does.
For example, when he attends Mass he would take pictures of it and post it in
his facebook. He does the same thing when he does acts of compassion, he does
this so that his friends would take notice of it.
The three core teachings of the gospel
this Ash Wednesday is about Almsgiving, Prayer and Fasting. Unlike our many
facebook posts (pictures, comments, likes, etc…) wherein we show off so that
our friends and many others will know who we are and what we are doing. We are
being invited by Jesus to permanently veer away from this selfish and ego
tripping mentality.
On the aspect of Almsgiving, Prayer and
Fasting, Jesus is inviting us to do these noble acts without letting everyone
know about it. Let us do these acts piety privately and ensure that nobody will
know about it.
For if we do these hidden from the prying
eyes of our friends and the public at large. We would then earn approval from
Jesus. Because this is what Jesus would always want us to do for as long as we
live: Do our noble acts hidden from anyone’s eye.
In the same breath, lent is also an
invitation for us to reflect about our life, concerning our relationship with
Jesus and the many sins that we have committed. For example concerning our
sins; would we just let this sins remain or we will do something about it by
humbly submitting ourselves to the Sacrament of Reconcilliation?
Our many sins pull us further away from
God and if we are not careful we may live our life permanently away from the
love of God. Would we want a life permanently cut-off from the love of
God? Of course not! Nobody wants to live his/her own life away from the
love of God.
Therefore, let us take a deeper spiritual
reflection about our life this Ash Wednesday in particular and during lent in
general. Let us take a closer look at our sinfulness, the fragility of life and
our personal relationship with Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus and his disciples left from there
and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about
it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to
be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death
the Son of Man will rise." But they did not understand the saying, and
they were afraid to question him.
They came to Capernaum and, once inside
the house, he began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the
way?" But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves
on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said
to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and
the servant of all." Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and
putting his arms around it, he said to them, "Whoever receives one child
such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me
but the One who sent me.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Why do you follow Jesus?
As Jesus and the disciples were walking He
told them: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him,
and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not pay
much attention to what Jesus told them because they were also busy conversing
as to who amongst them is the greatest.
We assume that Jesus and the disciples
were just through doing their mission of preaching the kingdom of God. They
performed miracles such as: Healing the sick, expelling demons and a lot more.
Because of these miraculous acts that they have done the disciple’s high regard
for themselves got the better of them. They were already angling to covet the
title as the greatest among the disciples.
Are not many of us like the disciples? Do
we not have hidden motives when we do acts of kindness? Do we not desire to be
praised for what we do? Do we not feel proud when we do good things? Was
it possible that the disciples were feeding their own ego that is why they were
already discussing who was the greatest amongst them?
In the midst of their bloated egos, Jesus
gave them a valuable lesson about humility and on how it is to become humble
servants of the Lord and the people. Thus, He told them: “If anyone wishes to be
first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
In other words if you want to be the
leader then be a humble servant leader who is always ready to serve not minding
the accolades and honors. Inside the heart of a true leader is the desire to
humbly serve, he is always there silently walking his talk, practicing what he
preaches. This is what Jesus wanted the disciples to imbibe: For them to become
humble servants.
This is also what Jesus wants for us but
some of us are the opposite of the servant leader that Jesus wants the
disciples to become. Instead of putting the title leader into our hearts we put
it instead into our heads. That is why we become fake and arrogant leaders who
only want to give orders. Who only want to abuse and take advantage of our
innocent followers.
We therefore only want to serve our own
personal interest. The servant leadership that Jesus wants us to have is
permanently eased out from our system because what takes over is our greed for
power, our ego and our arrogance.
What must we do so that we can rightfully
claim that we truly follow the greatest servant leader who ever walked this
earth? We must be humble at all times; we must continuously decrease
while Jesus continuously increase through our acts of humility.
The mistake of many of us who follow Jesus
is we often times act without humility. We feel that we are above all because
we have this distorted sense that we are close to Jesus when in fact we are
not. Our closeness or intimacy with the Lord is not defined by our religious
titles, ranks and position neither it is defined by the frequency of our worship
for Him.
Our closeness to Jesus is determined by
how we live HIS virtue of humility. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
As Jesus came down from the mountain with
Peter, James, John and approached the other disciples, they saw a large crowd
around them and scribes arguing with them. Immediately on seeing him, the whole
crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. He asked them,
“What are you arguing about with them?”
Someone from the crowd answered him,
“Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it
seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes
rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.”
He said to them in reply, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.”
They brought the boy to him. And when he saw
him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the
ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his
father, “How long has this been happening to him?” He replied, “Since
childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into
water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help
us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has
faith.” Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” Jesus,
on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him
again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into
convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say,
“He is dead!” But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When
he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, “Why could we not
drive the spirit out?” He said to them, “This kind can only come out through
prayer.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you have a rock-solid faith in the
Lord?
By their lack of faith the disciples were
not able to cast out the mute spirit that possessed the boy. Add to that was
their lack of prayer also; thus Jesus admonished them for this deficiency. A
life of faith and prayer is a must for all of us who are followers of Jesus.
But how do we define faith? Faith is when
we believe in something even if others do not, faith is something that we hold
on until the very end even if we don’t see what we hold on. And what is the
fuel of our faith? It’s our active prayer life. We pray from the depths of our
hearts for this is the prayer that connects with God.
Let us not try not to pray because not only
that we will lose our faith, we would also lose our moral balance to discern
what is wrong from right. Let us therefore at all times give priority to our consistent
prayer life for this is the fire of our faith and this is also our hotline to
Jesus.
When Jesus cured the possessed boy, the
disciples asked Him why were they not able to do what He had just done. All
though Jesus did not told them that they lacked faith it was very obvious that
it was the cause of their failure to cure the possessed boy. What was the cause
of their lack of faith? It was the disciples’ inadequate prayer life as told to
them by Jesus (Mark 9:29).
Do you have an active and strong prayer
life? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are we capable of not keeping hatred in our heart? For example, when somebody hurts us, are we capable of not taking revenge? When someone strikes us on the right cheek could we turn the other side as well? Are we capable of not refusing somebody who wants to borrow from us? Can we love our enemy and can we still pray for those who’ve been persecuting and hurting us?
Jesus in the gospel gives us teachings that are very difficult for many of us to follow. We may wonder, why these teachings are very hard for us to follow? This is so for the reason that we are humans and as such we respond because this is the normal human instinct to respond accordingly to what is done to us.
But if we respond to an evil act done to us we only permit the cycle of evil to continue until the same cycle of evil destroys us. However, if we don’t respond to an evil act we immediately kill the evil act and we eventually convert the person who did us evil.
We also normally compartmentalize our fellowmen. For example we label them as those we hate and those we do not hate. Those we love and those we do not love, those who are good to us and those who are not good to us. Therefore, we respond to them according to what they give us.
Jesus invites us today to discard our mindset of compartmentalization and retaliation. He invites us to treat everyone equally regardless if this and that person is good or not good to us. He invites us to throw away our mindset of revenge. And finally the Lord invites us all to be humble, to be loving and forgiving. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad: “Narinig ninyo na sinabi, ‘Mata sa mata at ngipin sa ngipin.’ Ngunit ngayo’y sinasabi ko sa inyo: huwag ninyong labanan ang masamang tao. Kung may sumampal sa iyo sa kanang pisngi, iharap mo pa sa kanya ang kabila.
Kung ipagsakdal ka ninuman upang makuha ang iyong baro, ibigay mo sa kanya pati ang iyong balabal. Kung sapilitang ipapasan sa iyo ng manlulupig ang kanyang dala nang isang kilometro, pasanin mo ito nang dalawang kilometro. Magbigay ka sa naghihingi sa iyo, at huwag mong pahindian ang nanghihiram sa iyo.
“Narinig na ninyong sinabi, ‘Ibigin mo ang iyong kaibigan at kapootan mo ang iyong kaaway.’ Ngunit ito naman sabi ko: ibigin ninyo ang mga umuusig sa inyo, upang kayo’y maging tunay na anak ng inyong Amang nasa langit. Sapagkat pinasisikat niya ang araw sa masasama at sa mabubuti, at pinapapatak niya ang ulan sa mga banal at sa mga makasalanan.
Kung ang mga umiibig sa inyo ang siya lamang ninyo iibigin, ano pang gantimpala ang inyong hihintayin? Hindi ba’t ginagawa rin ito ng mga publikano? At kung ang binabati lamang ninyo’y ang inyong mga kapatid, ano ang nagawa ninyong higit kaysa iba? Ginagawa rin iyon ng mga Hentil! Kaya, dapat kayong maging ganap, gaya ng inyong Amang nasa Langit.”
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led
them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before
them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could
bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were
conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,
"Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you,
one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He hardly knew what to say, they were
so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; then from the
cloud came a voice, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him."
Suddenly, looking around, the disciples no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone
with them.
As they were coming down from the
mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except
when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to
themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant. Then they asked him,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" He told them,
"Elijah will indeed come first and restore all things, yet how is it
written regarding the Son of Man that he must suffer greatly and be treated
with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come and they did to him whatever
they pleased, as it is written of him."
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Reflection:
Do you want to be in heaven with the Lord
when your journey in this world is already over?
Jesus showed to the three apostles what
heaven was like; He gave them a fleeting taste of heaven. But then, He said not
yet; let us go down first and continue my mission of salvation. By doing so He
would go through severe hardship, pain and betrayal. But at the end of these
all Jesus rose up triumphantly to defeat the wickedness of evil.
Before we achieve success, we must toil in
the sun and sacrifice. Before we go to heaven, we have to do something for the
Lord and His church. And this will surely entail sacrifice even hardship.
Why? Because that’s how it is, there are
no shortcuts to triumph. We must go through the eye of the needle so to speak
to fully enjoy the sweetness of our victory and success. Free riders and
freeloaders have no place in the mission for Christ.
We have to sacrifice if we want to be with
the Lord in heaven someday. We have to sweat it out if we want to taste success
in this world. There are no shortcuts. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, umakyat si Hesus sa isang mataas na bundok. Wala siyang isinama
kundi sina Pedro, Santiago at Juan. Samantalang sila’y naroon, nakita nilang
nagbagong-anyo si Hesus, nagningning ang kanyang kasuutan na naging
puting-puti, anupat walang sinumang makapagpapaputi nang gayun.
At nakita ng
tatlong alagad si Moises at si Elias, na nakikipag-usap kay Hesus. Sinabi ni
Pedro kay Hesus, “Guro, mabuti pa’y dumito na tayo. Gagawa po kami ng tatlong
kubol: isa sa inyo, isa kay Moises at isa kay Elias.” Hindi nalalaman ni Pedro
ang kanyang sinasabi sapagkat masyado ang takot niya at ng kanyang mga kasama.
At nililiman
sila ng isang alapaap at mula rito’y may tinig na nagsabi, “Ito ang minamahal
kong Anak. Pakinggan ninyo siya!” Pagdaka, tumingin ang mga alagad sa paligid
nila at nakitang wala na silang kasama roon kundi si Hesus. Habang bumababa
sila sa bundok ay mahigpit na itinagubilin sa kanila ni Hesus: “Huwag ninyong
sasabihin kaninuman ang inyong nakita hangga’t hindi muling nabubuhay ang Anak
ng Tao.”
Sinunod nila
ang tagubiling ito, ngunit sila-sila’y nagtanungan kung ano ang kahulugan ng
sinabi niyang muling pagkabuhay. At tinanong nila si Hesus, “Bakit po sinasabi
ng mga eskriba na dapat munang pumarito si Elias?” Tumugon siya, “Paririto nga
si Elias upang ihanda ang lahat ng bagay.
Kung gayo’y
bakit sinasabi ng Kasulatan na ang Anak ng Tao’y hahamakin at magtitiis ng
maraming hirap? Sinasabi ko sa inyo na pumarito na si Elias, at ginawa sa kanya
ng mga tao ang gusto nila, ayon sa sinasabi ng Kasulatan tungkol sa kanya.”
Jesus summoned the crowd with his
disciples and said to them, “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 and that of the Gospel will save it.
What profit is there for one to gain the
whole world and forfeit his life? What could one give in exchange for his life?
Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful
generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s
glory with the holy angels.”
He also said to them, “Amen, I say to you,
there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the
Kingdom of God has come in power.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a middle aged man
who was newly retired from politics. When he was still active he amassed a lot
of dubious wealth. Having a feeling of financial security already, he said to
himself now I can enjoy all of my money.
However, in spite of his wealth he
didn’t have peace of mind he was always being hounded by the questionable deals
that he made while he was still in power. Then he had a heart attack and he
died immediately without enjoying his stolen wealth.
When he was about to enter the pearly
gates, Saint Peter refused him entry and told him that he’s not welcome because
of the things that he did when he was still alive.
What will it profit us if we gain the
riches of this world if we will not be able to gain entry in heaven? What will
it profit us if we will continue to steal dubious money if we will not have
peace of mind?
Unfortunately, this is the mentality of a
lot of us; we are so short-sighted that we focus on the here and now even if
it’s sinful. We continuously neglect to do good, we purposely shut God out of
our system to enjoy worldly life.
All of us are temporary travellers passing
through this world. In God’s time we will leave this world. Where would we be
by then? Would we be in heaven with Jesus or in the other side? – Marino
J. Dasmarinas
Jesus and his disciples set out for the
villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do
people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that
I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them
not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them that the Son of Man
must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the
scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and,
looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You
are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
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Reflection:
Have you suffered for someone you love?
Suffering is part and parcel of loving,
there’s no real love without suffering for that love. For so long as you love
you should expect some big and little sufferings along the way. Why? Because
suffering perfects and purifies love, love without suffering is not love it’s
simply lust or a shallow object of attraction.
For example, a man and a woman decided to
marry. So, after their marriage they move to a place to be
together. After a few months the man found out that his partner is
sick of cancer so he decided to leave her. It was not real love that
attracted the man to the woman. It was simply lust for he was not willing to
suffer for his beloved.
Jesus in the gospel gives us the best
example of perfect love when He said that the Son of man must suffer greatly.
To whom did Jesus suffer? For us, He suffered out of His great love for us; He
could have avoided going thru intense suffering for He was God too. But He
chose to tread the road of suffering so that we can be redeemed from our
sinfulness.
Would you be willing to suffer for someone
you love? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When Jesus and his disciples arrived at
Bethsaida, people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He
took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle
on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked, “Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people
looking like trees and walking.” Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second
time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything
distinctly. Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village.”
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Reflection:
The story is told about a woman who was a
come and go Catholic who suddenly decided to leave the church in favor for
another Christian denomination. When she was asked why she decided to leave,
she said: “The protestant faith opened my eyes to the real Christian church.”
Perhaps we know of Catholics who are not
well versed about the basic teachings of the church. They are also vulnerable
to abandon the faith. What should we do? We must be the vehicle for their
enlightenment about the truths of the catholic faith.
Let us open their eyes and let them know
that we don’t worship the saints. Let us open their eyes and let them know that
the Catholic church was founded by Jesus through Peter. Let us open their eyes
and let them know that the Holy Bible is the book of the church that we must
always read.
There are many more truths about the
church that our fellow Catholics do not know yet. Let us allow ourselves to be
Jesus’ vehicle so that their eyes of faith will be opened. So that they will
not anymore be blinded to decide to leave the church which Jesus founded
through Peter. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The disciples had forgotten to bring
bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. Jesus enjoined them,
“Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
They concluded among themselves that it was because they had no bread. When he
became aware of this he said to them, “Why do you conclude that it is because
you have no bread?
Do you not yet understand or comprehend?
Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? And do
you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many
wicker baskets full of fragments you picked up? They answered him, “Twelve.”
“When I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many full baskets of
fragments did you pick up?” They answered him, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do
you still not understand?”
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Reflection:
How do you handle power?
Power corrupts people who don’t know how
to handle it. The Pharisees and King Herod were very powerful but they did not
use their power responsibly they in fact abused it. They used it to oppress and
manipulate people. Eventually they allowed the same power that they had to
corrupt them.
Opposed to the manipulative and arrogant
power of the Pharisees and Herod is the power of Jesus that emanates from God.
Power that is used to sincerely help and power that is used with humility and
purity. This power was shown to them by Jesus when He feed twice the thousands
of people.
Many of us handle power like how the
Pharisees and Herod handled it. We use it to manipulate, we use it to advance
our selfish agendas. Many politicians use their power to steal money from the
government in the guise of helping the poor. The power of the Pharisees and
King Herod is temporary it doesn’t last and this kind of power has a
retribution factor in the end.
Of course, we know the power of Jesus; it
forever leaves an imprint in our hearts. It’s power firmly rooted in humility
and power that will bring us safely to God’s kingdom someday.
Whose power do you embrace? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The Pharisees came forward and began to
argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. He sighed
from the depth of his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Then he left
them, got into the boat again, and went off to the other shore.
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Reflection:
The story is told about a woman wanted to
see a sign from her beloved so that she could finally say yes to him. So she
said: “If this man would bring me flowers and chocolates that would be the sign
that he loves me.” Lo and behold the man came knocking at their gate with
flowers and chocolates. To make a long story short she finally said yes to him
but after a few months they broke up.
Unlike the love of a suitor which is often
times fickle and bounded by time, Jesus love for us is always there it’s not
fickle or bounded by time. What are the signs of God’s love? The food on
the table, the new life in the morning and countless more! These are obvious
signs of Jesus infinite love for us.
But often times these are still not enough
for us, we still seek more signs to strengthen our faith in Him. When we seek
additional signs from Jesus it also shows how feeble our faith in Him.
Otherwise if we have full faith and confidence we would not anymore seek or ask
for whatever sign/s. Let us not anymore seek signs from the Lord let us instead
ask the Lord to deepen our faith in Him.
Do
you sometimes seek signs from the Lord? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not
think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to
abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the
law, until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the
least of these commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in
the kingdom of heaven. But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be
called greatest in the kingdom of heaven. I tell you, unless your righteousness
surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of
heaven.
“You have heard that it was said to your
ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment.
But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment;
and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin;
and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the
altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your
gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then
come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to
court. Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge, and the judge
will hand you over to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Amen, I
say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.
“You have heard that it was said, You
shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with
lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye
causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away It is better for you to lose
one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if
your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better
for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into
Gehenna.
“It was also said, whoever divorces his
wife must give her a bill of divorce. But I say to you, whoever divorces his
wife - unless the marriage is unlawful - causes her to commit adultery, and
whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
“Again you have heard that it was said
to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that
you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a
single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,' and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the evil one.”
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Reflection:
Imagine a world without laws.
There would be no order—only chaos and anarchy. Now imagine living without following the laws of your country. Life would be filled with disorder. And what if we were not faithful to the teachings of God? Our lives would lack direction and peace. We would be restless and troubled, for without God’s guidance, our hearts cannot be at peace.
In our first reading from Sirach 15:15–20, we are reminded that God has given us the gift of free will. He places before us life and death, good and evil, and lovingly allows us to choose. If we choose death and evil, the consequences are ours to bear. But if we choose good and life, it is by God’s grace that we receive peace and fulfillment. God does not force us—He invites us. He calls us to discern carefully, to choose the path that leads to Him.
Sometimes, death and evil are disguised as attractive options. They may appear to offer quick satisfaction or worldly success. But in the end, they distance us from God. So we ask ourselves: Where will these choices take us? Will they bring us closer to God or further away from Him?
But what if we choose life? What if we decide to do what is good and pleasing to God? Surely, we will experience peace in our hearts. Our conscience will not trouble us because we are living according to God’s will. And this is what He desires for us—to live a life rooted in goodness, love, and obedience to Him.
In our Gospel reading (Matthew 5:21–32), Jesus teaches us about anger, adultery, and divorce. These are not just laws to follow out of obligation—they are teachings meant to lead us to a deeper, more loving way of life. Just imagine the peace and harmony in our relationships and families if we followed these teachings wholeheartedly. But we must ask: Are we truly living by the teachings of Jesus?
These commandments from the Lord are not burdens; they are light and truth. They are like a lighthouse guiding us through the storms of life. We follow His laws not because we fear punishment, but because we love Him. Jesus is not only the giver of the law—He is its very spirit and purpose.
When we follow His will, we find peace in our hearts and grow ever closer to Him—not just in this life, but in the life to come.
So today, imagine a life filled with peace. Imagine a life lived in deep friendship with Jesus. Would you not want to have that kind of life?—Marino J. Dasmarinas
