Reflection for February 5, Friday; Saint Agatha, Virgin and Martyr; Mark 6:14-29

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29

King Herod heard about Jesus, for his fame had become widespread, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead; that is why mighty powers are at work in him.” Others were saying, “He is Elijah” still others, “He is a prophet like any of the prophets. But when Herod learned of it, he said, “It is John whom I beheaded. He has been raised up.”

Herod was the one who had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, whom he had married. John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him. Herodias had an opportunity one day when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers, his military officers, and the leading men of Galilee. His own daughter came in and performed a dance that delighted Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask of me whatever you wish and I will grant it to you.” He even swore many things to her, “I will grant you whatever you ask of me, even to half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” Her mother replied, “The head of John the Baptist.” The girl hurried back to the king’s presence and made her request, “I want you to give me at once on a platter the head of John the Baptist.” The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in the prison. He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl. The girl in turn gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

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Reflection:

Do you have the courage to denounce a wrongdoing or to be more specific  an act of immorality?

John courageously denounced the immorality of King Herod and Herodias that is why he was imprisoned by King Herod. Not only that John was imprisoned soon after he was beheaded upon the request of Herodias. John paid dearly for speaking against immorality and for speaking about the sanctity of marriage.

Many marriages right now are breaking apart, many immoral relationships are on-going for the simple reason that nobody dares to speak against it. We must speak against any form of immorality, against any attempt to violate the sacred vows of marriage. We need not worry about the after effect of our righteous action for Jesus will take care of us.

Some marriages fall apart because there are relatives who choose to be silent instead of speaking against it. For the simple reason that they are afraid to offend or hurt the feelings of their relative/s.

But there’s that bigger picture once we remain silent and condone immorality: Families will be destroyed, lives will be destroyed and the future of innocent children will also be destroyed.

Would you be courageous enough to denounce immorality? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for February 4, Thursday of the Fourth Week; 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:

There is a story about a newly ordained priest he was so idealistic that he wished to be assigned in the farthest and un-evangelized place. He got what he wished for, during the time that he was about to go there. He brought nothing with him except for the clothes and his priestly things.

He said to himself: “I will not bring anything with me because Jesus had said that in going to your mission do not bring anything with you (Mark 6:8). He believed that God would provide for his needs. He eventually reached his place of assignment and his parishioners were sensitive enough to notice his needs so they provided him with what he needed.

Jesus demanded trust from the apostles. He wanted them to trust him as they go about their mission for He would provide for their needs. Jesus said to them: “Bring nothing with you except your walking stick and sandal (Mark 6:8-9). Jesus wanted them to depend on Him and not on themselves.

Due to the modernity of our time trust or faith in God is a word that is somewhat not relevant anymore. Because we tend to trust more on ourselves rather than God. We long for our smart phones rather than long for God. There are even those who don’t believe in the existence of God anymore (atheist).

Their God is their knowledge, their power and their wealth. But truth be told, everything in this world will come to pass us by. But God? He will not cease to exist for us, he will be there for us even beyond this temporary life.

Do you still trust Jesus or you trust more yourself and the things that you have? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for February 2, Tuesday, 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 Band 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:

An absentee parent was wondering how come her children have no proper values and no love for God. Many parents are perhaps in the same boat, they are puzzled how their children grew up in such manner.

But parents should not look far to discover the cause of their children’s negative behavior. They simply have to go in-front of the mirror and they surely would discover the person behind  their children’s negative behavior.

 Parents are the basic formators of their children as such they are the foremost teachers of their children.  If they reared their children with love for God they would mature as lovers of God. If they reared them with discipline and right manners they would grow-up as such as well.

The Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph ensured that the young Jesus would grow-up to become someone who would love God dearly. This was the reason why they always took time to present Jesus to the Lord. Joseph and Mary knew the important role of love for God in a child’s life. Both of them knew how to properly mold their only child Jesus so that He would grow as a man who love God.

Even if you are very busy, never forget to find time to bring your children to the Lord. Never neglect to introduce Jesus to them and to teach them about your faith for it will surely bear fruit.

Do you always bring your children to Holy Mass? Have you introduced Jesus and the bible to them already? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) 2016 - Catechesis by Most Rev. Robert Barron, DD 1/26/2016

Hillsong - The Power Of Your Love [with lyrics]

51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) 2016 - Catechesis by HE Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, DD 1/28/2016

Reflection for February 1, Monday of the Fourth Week; 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:

Do you plead to Jesus to change you and make you a better person?

The man possessed by the legions of devil pleaded with Jesus not to drive them away from the territory instead they wanted Jesus to send them into the herd of pigs. So Jesus did what they wanted: He allowed them to enter the group of swine/pigs. However the herd rushed into the sea where they drowned.

Why did Jesus did not annihilate the legion (evils) instantly instead He allowed them to transfer to the herd of swine only to die by drowning? Perhaps, Jesus acceded to their request because Jesus wanted them to convert and get rid of their evil ways, but they did not.

In our own very life we would always encounter life changing occurrences. Such as survive a major health problems or major accidents. And it serves as our wake-up call from God to change our ways and leave behind sinfulness. There are some of us who get an awareness of this life changing episode so we change and leave behind our sinfulness. However there are also those who refuse to change and they move-on with their sinful ways.

What would happen to those who refuse to leave behind sinfulness? To those who continue to ignore God’s call to conversion? To those who were given by God a second chance but refused to grab it? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

1Reflection for Sunday January 31, 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 you have an attitude of exclusivity? For example you 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 your peace. You want to be in the company of those who are rich because it enhances your 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 you are. Even if you are poor and uneducated, Jesus desires everyone to come to Him and He reaches out to everyone regardless of faith. Regardless of physical appearance, status in life, learned or not. Jesus welcomes everyone for He is for everyone.

In the gospel, Jesus town mates were angry with Him because they wanted Him to be their exclusive property. His town mates wanted Jesus to exclusively heal and do miracles in their community. But Jesus wanted to reach-out even to those who were not members of their faith.

Our exclusive mentality if we allow it to envelope 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 with contempt and condescension. – Marino J. Dasmarinas      

Reflection for January 30, Saturday of the Third Week; 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:

Are you easily rattled when you pass through stormy episodes in your life? Or you remain calm amidst the storms because you know that Jesus is always there for you.

The disciples were in a boat together with Jesus when it suddenly encountered a violent storm. They were terrified for they thought that the boat might not be able to withstand the storm.  Why were they terrified when Jesus was with them? Perhaps they were overtaken with fear that’s why they suddenly forgot that Jesus was with them.

For as long as we exist in this world we would continue to encounter also worrisome moments in our life. But we have nothing to worry if we have faith, we have nothing to worry if we have a personal relationship with Jesus.

 We simply have to constantly be connected with Him for the reason that He will take care of everything. Jesus will calm us in the midst of our distress. Jesus will make a way when there seems to be no way.

 All He asks from us is to have faith and this we can have if we ask Him to give us the gift of faith. Because faith is a gift that Jesus gives to those who sincerely ask for it.

Prayer:

O Lord in the midst of the many storms in our life we beseech you to give us the gift of faith. So that we would be able to withstand whatever worrisome situation that we may encounter. Forgive our feeble faith, forgive us for not trusting you and for not always recognizing that you’re with us and you always walk with us. Amen. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) 2016, Testimony of Ms Marianne Servaas 1/26/2016

Reflection for January 28, Thursday; Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church; 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:

There was a man who had an enormous thirst for the knowledge about God. He reads his bible everyday in the process he could already remember majority of the bible verses. But he was selfish and not willing to share what he knew about the bible with his friends.

He defends his selfishness by saying: How could they be encouraged to read the bible if I would share my knowledge with them? He further said that it would be better for them to invest some of their time in reading the bible also.

But this is not what Jesus commands us Jesus doesn't want us to be stingy with whatever knowledge we know about Him. Jesus doesn’t want us to create self-serving reason to escape sharing what we know about God.

Jesus wants us to be generous with our knowledge about Him. He wants us to share Him with others. Most importantly, Jesus wants us to live His teachings. So that it could spread even to the farthest corner of the world.  

When we share and live the teachings of Jesus we become like lighted lamps in the midst of darkness. This is the purpose why we are in this world; to be Christ light which brightly illuminates those who are in darkness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for January 27, Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time; 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:

Do you want to grow in faith?

Sometimes we may wonder why others do not grow in faith yet others grow in faith? The secret for those who grow in faith is the time that they invest with God. For example if we would have a solemn daily prayer life we would be assured that God will look kindly upon us and He will give us the gift of faith.

We have in our gospel the parable of the sower who is no other than God. He sows the seeds of faith in our hearts but not everyone of us are able to grow and deeply nurture the seeds of faith that He sows. For the reason that we lack time for God but the paradox is we have time for this world and we even create time for this world. But do we have time for God? Do we create time for God?

Faith is a gift from God but at the same time we have to open and use this gift of faith we should not take it for granted. Otherwise this gift will not blossom, grow and have deep roots within us. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why our faith doesn’t blossom because we take it for granted.

When are we going to get serious with our faith in God? When are we going to live our faith? So that it could finally blossom and bear abundant fruit. When we are already sickly and near the cliff of death? – Marino J. Dasmarinas  

Reflection for January 25, Monday Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle; 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.”

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 Jesus?

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? So we read first and we give time to be present at Holy Mass and then we share the blessings and knowledge that we’ve imbibed.

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 what we don’t have or know? But 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 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 afterwards 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 will 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 Sunday January 24, 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:

A group of young people 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 and egocentric and he kept to himself what was supposed to be generously shared.

In the gospel we read about Saint Luke who was 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 movingly read the scroll about the prophet Isaiah: “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 about the Priest Erza 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 for the reason that the Priest Erza passionately shared the book about God.

My friend, you may not be that learned/knowledgeable about Jesus and our faith but you certainly know something that others don’t. Why not share what you know about Jesus and His message of salvation. If you’re not used to preaching before an audience use the many platforms available in the internet. Have no fear because the Holy Spirit will be there to empower you.

Why not take this extra step for Jesus? You will certainly touch hearts, empower minds and change lives too! – Marino J. Dasmarinas