Reflection for Sunday January 24, Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mark 1:14-20

Gospel Mark 1:14-20

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”  

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

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Reflection:

A father would always call his children to go home for lunch as they play in front of their house. The moment his children hears his voice they would immediately pack things up to respond to his call. Why? For the simple reason that he is their father the one who takes care of them, who feeds them and who gives his time for them. 

The four disciples knew something that we don’t know that’s why they responded to Jesus’ call. Jesus did not promise them anything verbally but perhaps Jesus was silently talking to them in their hearts. That if they would respond they would have a new perspective about life and the afterlife.  And if they would respond He would take care of them for the rest of their lives. 

What is it that keeps us from responding to the call of Jesus? Are we afraid to lose our financial security? Are we afraid to leave behind our family and friends? Are we afraid to leave behind the usual sinful lifestyle that has become part already of our daily lives? We have to remember that we are only on a temporary journey in this world. Whatever worldly things that we presently have are temporary and passing, we will leave it all someday. 

Jesus is calling us to follow Him and leave whatever worldliness and sinfulness that we have. For example, the call would go this way: Follow me and leave behind your sinful life, follow me and begin to live a fulfilled, peaceful and meaningful life. 

Perhaps, Jesus is not asking us to leave our present environment and be with Him in another place. Perhaps Jesus is telling us this: Follow me where you are today by leaving behind whatever sinfulness that you are in right now. Never worry when you do so for I will take care of you and will never leave you alone. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Enero 24, Ikatlong Linggo sa Karaniwang Panahon: Marcos 1:14-20

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 1:14-20

14 Pagkadakip kay Juan, pumunta si Jesus sa Galilea. Doon niya ipina­hayag ang magandang balita ng Diyos sa pagsa­sabing 15 “Sumapit na ang panahon; mag­bagong-buhay at mani­wala sa magandang balita; lumapit na nga ang Kaharian ng Langit.”  

16 Sa pagdaan ni Jesus sa pampang ng lawa ng Galilea, nakita niya si Simon ka­sama si Andres na kapatid niya na naghahagis ng mga lambat sa lawa; mga mangingisda sila. 17 Sinabi sa kanila ni Jesus: “Halikayo, sumunod kayo sa akin at gagawin ko kayong mangingisda ng tao.” 18 Agad nilang iniwan ang kanilang mga lambat at sumunod sa kanya. 

19 Nagpatuloy pa siya nang kaunti, nakita naman niya ang magkapatid na Jaime at Juan na mga anak ni Zebedeo; nasa bangka sila at nagsusursi ng kani­lang lambat. 20 Tinawag sila ni ­Jesus. Agad nilang iniwan sa bangka ang kanilang amang si Zebedeo kasama ang mga tauhan nito, at umalis silang kasunod niya.

1Reflection for January 23, 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:

There is a story about an intelligent young man who decided to enter the seminary against the will of his parents. Being poor and the only child his parents wanted him to be a doctor so that he’ll become rich and eventually properly take care of them when they become old. But he was adamant in his desire thus he was labelled as someone who is out of His mind by his relatives and friends. 

Jesus too was called as someone that is out of his mind by his relatives because He chose to live the life of an itinerant preacher. He chose to fight for the poor and oppressed, he chose to go against some of the Jewish laws specifically the law of the Sabbath. Thus earning the ire of the powerful Jewish elite. 

Be not afraid to tread the less travelled road of Jesus. Follow it for so long as you are not steeping on the toes of anyone and you’re not doing any wrong. They may oppose it now but in God’s time they surely would be enlightened and they will understand you. 

The voice of God is much superior than any worldly voice. You therefore have to hear it and follow it notwithstanding the contradiction and opposition. -  Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 23, Sabado sa Ikalawang Linggo ng Taon: 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 January 22, Friday of the Second Week: 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:

What is the relevance of the selection of the twelve apostles to us? It reminds us that we also have a mission for the propagation of the faith. Many of us  may say: I know nothing about the faith therefore I can do nothing for I know nothing. 

The twelve that were chosen by Jesus knew nothing also about the faith; many of them were in fact ordinary men and they were sinners too like us. Yet they were called by Jesus to follow Him. Therefore to say that we know nothing is not an excuse because we will know if we would only try to know something about the faith. 

Jesus will not fail us He will even equip us so that from knowing nothing we will now know something. And this something that Jesus will give us will soon grow if we would continue to respond to His call. 

Be not afraid to respond, be not afraid to dive into the deep waters of our faith for Jesus will always be with you. Begin your mission in your family first which is your domestic church. Gently evangelize them about Jesus and about our Roman Catholic faith through your healing words and actions. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 22, Biyernes sa Ikalawang Linggo ng Taon: Marcos 3:13-19

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 3:13-19

13 Umakyat si Jesus sa burol at tinawag ang mga gusto niya. At lumapit sila sa kanya. 14 Sa gayon niya hinirang ang La­bin­­­­-da­lawa (na tinawag din niyang Mga Apos­tol) upang makasama niya at ma­ipadala sila para mangaral 15 at mag­ka­roon ng kapang­yarihan para pa­la­yasin ang mga demonyo. 

16 Kaya itinalaga niya ang Labinda­lawa at tinawag na Pedro si Simon, 17 at  si Jaime na anak ni Zebedeo, at ang kapatid nitong si Juan, at tinawag niya silang Boanerges, na ang ibig sabihi’y “Sina-Parang-Kulog”; 18 at saka si An­dres, at si Felipe, si Bartolome, si Mateo, si Tomas, si Jaimeng anak ni Alfeo, at si Tadeo,  19 si Simong Kananeo, at si Judas Iskariote na magka­kanulo sa kanya.

Reflection for January 21, Thursday Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (M): 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:

Do you believe in the saying: "To see is to believe." 

Large number of people from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idulmea, Jordan, Tyre and Sidon were following Jesus because of the physical and spiritual healing that He did for them. And after experiencing healing from Jesus they surely would spread it through word of mouth and by other means. 

This kind of situation is no different in our time right now. Whenever we hear that someone heals in the name of Jesus it immediately goes viral, it spread and soon after populate the internet. And naturally we would all go there (if we could) and see and experience it for ourselves as they say: “To see is to believe.” We therefore go to see and once we see it as if on cue we would now immediately believe. 

On the other hand there’s the silent majority who follow Jesus not because of His miracles and healings. They follow Him for the simple reason that they feel it in their hearts their need for Jesus, immaterial of His miracles and healings. It doesn’t even matter if he would be able to heal or not. They follow already for their love and thirst for the Lord. 

The ideal and true followers are those who follow even without experiencing miracles. Are you one of those? Or you still need to see and feel a miracle before you follow the Lord. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 21, Huwebes Santa Agnes, birhen at martir (Paggunita) Marcos 3:7-12

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 3:7-12

Kaya lumayo si Jesus na kasama ang kanyang mga alagad papunta sa dagat. Maraming taga-Galilea ang su­mu­­­nod sa kanya. Mayroon din namang mga taong ga­ling sa Judea 8 at Jerusalem, at sa Idumea at sa kabilang ibayo ng Jordan, at sa Tiro at Sidon. Maraming-marami ang nagpunta sa kanya nang mabalitaan nila ang lahat niyang ginagawa.  

9 Kaya tinagubilinan niya ang kanyang mga alagad na ihanda ang isang bangka para sa kanya dahil maraming tao, at baka nila siya maipit. 10 Marami na siyang pinaga­ling kaya pilit siyang inaabot ng lahat ng may karamdaman para mahipo siya. 11 Sinu­sugod siya ng mga inaalihan ng maruruming espiritu pagkakita sa kanya at pasi­gaw nilang si­na­sabi: “Ikaw ang Anak ng Diyos.” 12 Ngunit tinagubilinan niya silang huwag siyang ibunyag.

Reflection for January 20, 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:

Do you always help? 

To help those who are in need is for all season; it is not strictly confined nor enclosed to certain days or hours. As long as there are those who are in need of our help, then we must help by all means for this is what God wants us to do.  

We see it in the gospel today; there is this man with a withered hand but it so happen that it was a Sabbath day. Did Jesus thought of not healing this man because it was Sabbath day and His usual critics were closely monitoring Him? 

No He did not! He instead called the man and said: Come up here before us and He said again: Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. 

We must not be afraid to help regardless of who the person is and no matter the circumstances that we are in. If we have the capacity to help by all means we must help. But the reality of it all is this: Some of us help selectively, we choose the person that we would help. Many of us specially help those who can reciprocate the help that we’ve done; perhaps this is human nature.  

But Jesus is challenging us through our gospel that we must transcend it and not be selective on extending help. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 20, Miyerkules sa Ikalawang Linggo ng Taon: Marcos 3:1-6

 

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 3:1-6

1 Muling pumasok si Jesus sa sinagoga, at naroon ang isang lalaki na hindi maigalaw ang kamay, at mayroon ding gustong magsumbong tungkol kay Je­sus. 2 Kaya nagmasid sila at baka pa­galingin siya ni Jesus sa Araw ng Pa­hinga.  

3 At sinabi naman niya sa taong hindi ma­igalaw ang kamay: “Tumindig ka sa gitna.” 4 At saka niya sila tina­nong: “Ano ang ipina­hihintulot sa Araw ng Pa­hinga, gumawa ng mabuti o gumawa ng masa­ma, magligtas ng buhay o pumatay?” At di sila umimik.  

5 Nalungkot si Jesus dahil sa kati­gasan ng kanilang puso kaya galit niyang tiningnan silang lahat, at sinabi sa lalaki: “Iunat mo ang iyong kamay.” Iniunat nga ng tao ang kamay at guma­ling ito. 6 Pagkalabas ng mga Pariseo, naki­pag­tipon sila sa mga kakampi ni Hero­des para masiraan nila siya.

1Reflection for January 19, Tuesday of the Second Week: Mark 2:23-28

Gospel: Mark 2:23-28

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath? He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?  

How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest  and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions? Then he said to them “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

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Reflection:

Why was Jesus so popular with the common people? This is for the reason that He violates some religious norms of the Pharisees for the greater good of the people that He loves so dearly.  For example, the picking of grain during Sabbath day, doing this was prohibited based on the Jewish religion. But Jesus dared to violate this law for the good of His disciples. 

Laws or religious norms are good for the reason that it teaches us obedience and discipline. But there are times that we have to violate it so that it could serve a higher and nobler purpose. In the gospel the nobler or higher purpose why Jesus violated the Sabbath law was to feed the hungry stomachs of His disciples.  

Jesus violated the Sabbath law for the reason that humans are more important that laws. We  can amend a law or extinguish the life of a law but would we be willing to extinguish the life of a human being to serve the law?  

In a deeper sense Jesus is teaching us that the important need of a person (In this case the need for food) is far more important than any law. For Jesus it’s always the good of the people than the observance of any kind of religious law/s.  

This norm of Jesus stands until today we are His priority more than any other rule/law in this world. How about you? Is Jesus your priority more than any other undertaking in this world? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 19, Martes sa Ikalawang Linggo ng Taon: Marcos 2:23-28

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 2:23-28

23 Naglakad si Jesus sa mga taniman ng trigo minsang Araw ng Pa­hinga. At ha­bang naglalakad ang kanyang mga alagad, sinimulan nilang alisin sa uhay ang mga butil, at kinain iyon. 24 At sinabi kay Jesus ng mga Pariseo: “Tingnan mo ang ginagawa nila sa Araw ng Pahinga. Hindi ito ipinahi­hintulot.”  

25 Ngunit sumagot si Jesus: “Hindi ba ninyo nabasa kailanman ang ginawa ni David nang nangangailangan siya at nagu­gutom – siya at ang kanyang mga kasama? 26 Pumasok siya sa bahay ng Diyos nang si Abiatar ang Punong-pari, at kinain ang tinapay na inihain para sa Diyos gayong bawal ito kaninuman liban sa mga pari, at binigyan pa niya pati na ang kanyang mga kasama.”  

27 At sinabi pa sa kanila ni Jesus: “Dahil sa tao kaya ginawa ang Araw ng Pa­hinga ngu­nit hindi ang tao dahil sa Araw ng Pahinga. 28 Kung gayon, ang Anak ng Tao ang Panginoon kahit na ng Araw ng Pahi­nga.”

1Reflection for January 18, Monday of the Second Week: Mark 2:18-22

Gospel: Mark 2:18-22

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast? Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast on that day.   

No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

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Reflection:

What is Jesus desire for you? It’s to transform you so that you could become fresh wineskin that He could pour Himself into you. Jesus is the new wine and you are the old wineskin but Jesus doesn’t want you to become an old wineskin any longer which cannot accept His renewing presence. He wants you to be renewed or to be the fresh wineskin so that He could come into your life.  

What makes us old wineskins or what makes us unworthy for the presence of Jesus? It’s our many sins, these many sins make us unworthy to Jesus. Nevertheless, Jesus is also offering Himself to us so that he could cleanse us and make us new once again. 

Will you let Jesus into your life so that He could make things new for you? Or you will continue to shut your heart to Jesus? The choice is yours, if you want to remain contained in the old wineskin of sin or you allow Jesus to renew you and liberate you from sin.  

The correct choice is always to allow Jesus entry into your life and to allow Jesus to make things new in your life once again. – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Enero 18, Lunes sa Ikalawang Linggo ng Taon: Marcos 2:18-22

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 2:18-22

18 Nag-aayuno ang mga alagad ni Juan at ang mga Pariseo. Kaya may lumapit sa kanya at nagta­nong: “May araw ng ayuno ang mga alagad ni Juan at ang mga alagad ng mga Pariseo, at wala ba namang pag-aayuno ang iyong mga alagad?” 

19 Sinagot sila ni Jesus: “Puwede bang mag-ayuno ang mga abay sa kasalan kapag kasama pa nila ang nobyo? 20 Darating ang panahon na kukunin sa kanila ang nobyo; sa araw na iyon sila mag-aayuno. 

21 Walang nagtatagpi ng piraso ng ba­gong tela sa lumang damit. Kung gagawin mo ito, hihilahin ng tagpi ang damit, ng bago ang luma at lalo pang lalaki ang punit. 22 At hindi ka rin naman maglalagay ng bagong alak sa mga lumang sisidlan. Kung gagawin mo ito, papuputukin ng alak ang mga sisidlan at masisira ang alak pati na ang mga sisidlan. Sa bagong sisidlan ang bagong alak!”