Reflection for Saturday May 5; Fifth Week of Easter: John 15:18-21

Gospel: John 15:18-21

Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you. Remember the word I spoke to you, ‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. And they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

There were two brothers who had two different motivations in life. One aspired to become rich and the other one had simple aspirations. His only aim was to serve God in whatever capacity and then live a simple and quite life.

After forty years both of them had retired already the one who became worldly was very envious of his brother. This is for the reason that the brother who served the church had a settled and peaceful life than him.

Jesus in our gospel gives us the two pathways of life that we could choose: The worldly life or a peaceful life with Him. By virtue of our baptism Jesus had already called us to tread the peaceful and simple life with Him.

This has always been His desire for all of us but many of us chose not to follow of this plan of God. Thus, we create our own selfish plan for ourselves and we embrace the chaotic and problematic life of this world. We all know what will happen to all of us once we chose to embrace the life of this world. - Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Friday May 4; Fifth Week of Easter: John 15:12-17

Gospel: John 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples: “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another.”

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Reflection:

What would happen if you follow this love commandment of Jesus?

There would be no more hatred and separation amongst married couples only love. But the sad reality is we choose to turn a deaf ear to this love commandment of Jesus. For the simple reason that we love ourselves more than we love Jesus and our fellowmen.

There’s a saying that before you give love you have to love yourself first. For how would you know how to give love if you have not experienced loving yourself first? However this statement does not jibe on how Jesus interprets love or on how Jesus gives the truest meaning of love.

For Jesus to love is not to love oneself first, to love is to lay down ones life for the beloved, for Jesus to love is to forgive the many hurts that has been hurled and inflicted at you by your beloved. For at the end of the day if we love the way Jesus loves us what would remain is love no hatred but only love.

But how do we love? We love selectively and we love with measure, we calibrate the love that we give by the love that we receive. And we oftentimes do not love our fellowmen when they do not fulfill our selfish expectation for them.

Let us love without condition and let us love without expecting love in return.  -  Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for Thursday May 3; Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles: John 14:6-14

Gospel: John 14:6-14

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

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Reflection:

Do you want to know God? You first have to know Jesus for it’s only through Jesus that you will know God. But how would you know Jesus? Prayer should be an integral part of your lifestyle. And you have to ask Jesus to give you the grace of knowing Him deeper and the grace of having a personal relationship with Him.

How else would you have a personal encounter with Jesus? You have to read His life in the bible you have to attend Holy Mass most especially during Sunday. And then whatever you learn about Jesus you have to live in your life.

It’s always through Jesus that you will have an awareness of the presence of God the Father in your life. For Jesus is the gateway to knowing more about God and through Jesus our eyes will be opened to the many truths about our faith.  

Do you want to know the way, do you want to know the many real truths about life and do you want to find the real meaning of your life? You have to ask Jesus and you have to ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you more about Jesus.

To have Jesus is to have life, to have Jesus is to find the real way that leads to peace and contentment. To have Jesus is to discover the real meaning of life a life that is very much different from the life that this world is forcing us to accept.  

In our gospel, Jesus tells Thomas and us too, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him (John 14:6-7).” – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Wednesday May 2; Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church: John 15:1-8

Gospel: John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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Reflection:

What is the meaning of life without Jesus? Nothing its pure emptiness it’s like you are chasing for something that doesn’t exist. What then is the meaning of life with Jesus? With Jesus in your life you exist with a purpose in this world. You may not have the worldly riches and power which by the way cannot give you real peace and contentment.  

However, to journey with Jesus in this world is not all walk in the park. There would be hardship and to some extent persecution every now and then. But we have nothing to worry, if God is with us who can be against us?

 In today’s gospel Jesus tells us that HE is the true vine, and His Father is the vinedresser (John 15:1). What does this statement of Jesus tells us? Being the true vine we must always choose to be attached to HIM. We should not attach ourselves with anything that is worldly and anything that would only make us sin.

We should always have a vision as we exist in this world and this vision is heavenward. Therefore, it’s very important for us to always be connected with the true vine and the vine dresser, nobody else but Jesus and God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas   

Reflection for Tuesday May 1; the Fifth Week of Easter: John 14:27-31a

Gospel: John 14:27-31a

Jesus said to his disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe. I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me, but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”

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Reflection:

There was an ambitious young man who thought that he would have a peaceful life the moment he becomes rich. But the more that he becomes richer by the day the more that his life was mired with pressure and problems.    

Peace of mind is something that we all desire for our lives. But somehow the more that we want peace the more that it becomes elusive for us. Why is this so?  This is for the reason that many of us have a wrong idea on how to have peace in our lives.   

Where can we find peace? We can find this elusive peace only in Jesus.  We will not be able to find this peaceful feeling in accumulating the riches and power of this world. No matter how rich we are and no matter how powerful we are we will have no peace. Why? For the simple reason that we seek peace in the wrong things.

We have to be aware that true peace is something that only Jesus can give us. Nobody can give it to us except Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Monday April 30; the Fifth Week of Easter: John 14:21-26

Gospel: John 14:21-26

Jesus said to his disciples: "Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. Whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master, then what happened that you will reveal yourself to us and not to the world?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.

"I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name— he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you."

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Reflection:

Do you deeply love Jesus?

Love begets love, for example if a husband will show his love for his wife he gets love in return from his wife. As the marriage move on the love between spouses flounders it passes through stormy waters. And it will take humility and forgiveness for both spouses to triumphantly pass through that turbulence. 

The love of Jesus for us is unconditional He loves us even if we have betrayed Him so many times. It is not even attached to any actions that we do for God has already forgiven us for the many betrayals that we’ve caused Him.

However, even if Jesus has forgiven us already it is still our obligation to always humble ourselves before Him. We show Jesus that we love Him deeply when we humbly say sorry to Him for the many hurts that we’ve caused Him. This we do when we humbly submit ourselves to the healing Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession.

When was your last Confession? Would you want to show your love for Jesus by humbly submitting yourself to this healing sacrament? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for April 29, Fifth Sunday of Easter; John 15:1-8

Gospel: John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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Reflection:

There is a story about a rich man who does not believe in Jesus, he is a self-made rich man so to speak. He attributes every success that he has to himself alone never on Jesus. His friends believed him for they saw how he worked very hard to achieve his vast fortune. Until he went through a severe financial misfortune wherein he lost everything that he owned.

In his lowliness and nothingness he suddenly thought of his relative who was a Eucharistic Minister. He went to him and asked for his wise counsel. He was advised to always connect with Jesus through his frequent presence in the Eucharistic celebration/Holy Mass and by regularly reading the bible.

This man who once was very averse to the Holy Mass and the Bible became a regular Mass attendee and has formed a habit of regularly reading the bible. True enough, he regained and eventually surpassed everything that he lost.

Jesus in this Sunday’s gospel exhorts us to remain in Him. Why?  Because apart from Him we are nothing, no matter how rich and learned we are. We are still nothing because we are not connected with Jesus.

The money that we have it can fly away from our possession anytime. The learning/knowledge that we have, it will escape our mind once we become senile. But if we remain with Jesus we are assured with something that is way beyond possession and learning. Time will come that we will leave this world, our possession neither our knowledge no matter how vast will not be able to give us eternal life.

There are those who live for today only or for this world only. They work hard to amass wealth; they seriously study to accumulate learning. Only to discover that something very important is still lacking in their lives. They search and endlessly search for it until they end up holding an empty bag because they’ve not found the true vine that is Jesus.  

Let us seriously think about what Jesus wants to convey to us through our gospel: “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5) – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Saturday April 28; the Fourth Week of Easter: John 14:7-14

Gospel: John 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples:“If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.”

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Reflection:

Do you believe this pronouncement of Jesus that He is one with God? Of course you do, then what’s next after believing? Next after believing is to put into concrete actions what you believe.

Belief only is not enough, you have to translate this into living faith. Faith that is seen though your deeds, because if you only say that you believe. Yet you don’t translate your belief into actual acts of mercy and compassion, then it’s empty.

Jesus in our gospel tells us, “Whoever believes in me will do the things that I do (John 14:12).” Let us pause and reflect if we are able to somehow measure up to this challenge by Jesus. Are you doing the works of Jesus? Do you help someone in need? Do you always say words that heal a broken person? Or you are quick to throw judgment and condemnation?

 It’s so easy to say, I believe in the oneness of Jesus  and God.  Yet we are always challenged by Jesus to always prove it by our words and actions. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Friday April 27; the Fourth Week of Easter: John 14:1-6

Gospel: John 14:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

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Reflection:
Do you want to find meaning in your life?

Perhaps many of us are already tired of the drudgery of life, It may seem that life is just a routine. We wake-up in the morning, go to work and go home, then the next morning we do the same once again. As if we live like robots in this world; there is no clear path that would point us to something meaningful and profound.

In our gospel for today Jesus gives us a revelation on how to have a meaningful and profound life in this world. Jesus tells us, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6).” What does this statement of Jesus represent to us? Does this impel us to hunger for Him daily? Or there is no effect at all and there’s no feeling of  urgency to know more about Jesus.

When Jesus said, I am the way and the truth and the life. He was ingeniously telling His disciples to follow Me and you’ll know the truth about life. That the true meaning of life has nothing to do with anything of this world. What you cling now in this world is nothing compared to what you’ll receive if only you would decide to follow me. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Thursday April 26; the Fourth Week of Easter: John 13:16-20

Gospel: John 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

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Reflection:

Are you afraid of suffering and betrayal? In His humanity Jesus was also afraid of sufferings and betrayal. But His fears did not prevent Him from achieving His salvific mission. It even further strengthened His resolve to continue amidst the difficulty of His mission. Jesus never gave up no matter how hard the odds against Him for He knew that He has a mission to achieve.

Marriage starts like a rose garden and it seems that everything is rosy, beautiful and sweet. But after a period of time problems would crop up, there shall be sufferings and betrayal of vows. So what must we do? Should we simply walk away with our heads bowed in defeat? Or we stay, bear the brunt of the sufferings/betrayal and fight for the sanctity of the marriage covenant.

We must stay and fight for the sanctity of the marriage covenant. Let us remember that Jesus remained with His mission notwithstanding the sufferings and betrayals. What if Jesus simply gave-up and walked-away from His mission of salvation? Anyway He’s God and powerful but He remained for His love for God and for all of us.

Many married couples nowadays choose the easy way out when testing comes to their marriage. They choose to betray and eventually walk away from their marriage covenant. They simply walk away notwithstanding their sacred vows and the welfare of their children.

Jesus never walked away from His responsibilities, sufferings and betrayals, He faced it all and triumphed over it! – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for Wednesday April 25; Feast of Saint Mark, evangelist: Mark 16:15-20

Gospel: Mark 16:15-20

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.” Then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God. But they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

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Reflection:

Do you take time to share in whatever way possible what you know about Jesus?

It’s so easy to remain in our comfort zones and just live the lifestyle that we want. We do everything for ourselves and we do nothing to propagate the teachings of Jesus.  Then when we are at the sunset of our lives we will find out that nothing really matters except God.  

As we look back we would find out that we’ve been so selfish with our time, energy and treasures. It’s always been me and for myself undertaking no undertaking for God and His people.  As followers of Jesus this is not what He wants us to do.

God wants us to spread the good news in our own little way. He wants us to proclaim our faith not necessarily by words alone but through our actions as well.  If we can proclaim our faith thru our actions that would be much better since actions speaks volumes than words.

We therefore have to discard the me and myself mentality and replace it with God, my fellowmen and me. What does this mean? God and His people must be first in our lives not us. Therefore if God and our fellowmen are first we would have time to share the teachings of Jesus through our words and actions. - Marino J. Dasmarinas     

Reflection for Tuesday April 24; Fourth Week of Easter: John 10:22-30

Gospel: John 10:22-30

The feast of the Dedication was taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter. And Jesus walked about in the temple area on the Portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me. But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”

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Reflection:

How can we make others believe in Jesus as our Messiah/Savior? We have to share our faith in Jesus and we have to live His teachings. For example, if we say that we follow Jesus what comes after that is an honest to goodness self-examination about ourselves. Are we humble? Are we forgiving? Are we simple?

In our gospel for this Tuesday, the Jews gathered around Jesus and they said to HIM, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly (John 10:24)." They’re obviously unbelievers/non-followers, yes they know Jesus but they don’t believe in Jesus.

From the time of Jesus let us fast forward today; our present technology driven times. Many are still unbelievers today, yes they know Jesus but it ends there. There’s no personal encounter and relationship with Jesus and there’s no living faith in Jesus. What are we going to do about this?

The challenge before us all is so plain and so simple, we have to learn to share and live our faith in Jesus. So that those who don’t believe may now believe and those who don’t have faith will now have faith.

Will you share your faith in Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Monday April 23; Fourth Week of Easter: John 10:1-10

Gospel: John 10:1-10

Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

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Reflection:

Are you a good shepherd to your children?

Parents are shepherds to their children as such they are expected not only to provide for the material and spiritual needs of their children. They are also expected to mold their children’s character and values. So that when the time comes for their children to become parents themselves. It’s also expected that they too will become good shepherds to their own children someday.

Jesus is the best example of a good shepherd for He gave His very own life for us. Being a shepherd, He led by example, He gave up His own comfort and He embraced His passion and death on the cross. He could have easily avoided dying on the cross but He chose to give His life because that is what is expected from a good shepherd.

Regardless of who we are, we too are shepherds in our own way. Thus, it’s expected from us that we must also model our lives after Jesus. We listen to His voice as He listened to the voice of God. We must be ready to sacrifice for our flock even if this sacrifice would require us to give up our own comforts even if it leads us to give up our very own life.

Come to think of it, it’s not actually easy to become a good shepherd. We just need to look at the path that Jesus went through. Nonetheless, to be a good shepherd is very much worth it. You may not see the reward now but someday you will that is if you are a good shepherd.

Are you a good shepherd? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for April 22, Fourth Sunday of Easter; John 10:11-18

Gospel: John 10:11-18

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.”

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Reflection:

There is a story of a husband who was left behind by his wife for another man. The uncouple had six young children that was left by the wife in the care of her husband. One morning the husband gathered his children looked each of them in the eye and told them: I will take care of you come regardless of whatever difficulties that we may face and I will see you through and I will be with you until the end.

Jesus in our gospel tells us that He is our good shepherd that will give His very life for us so that he could find and save us. What have we done to merit this infinite love from Jesus? Nothing, we have even offended Jesus for countless times that we think that we are not anymore deserving of His infinite love. But Jesus our good shepherd loves us so dearly that He would always be there for us regardless of our many sins.

We will sin for as long as we live in this world but the infinite love of Jesus our good shepherd will always be there for us. Let us therefore not be deaf to His search and longing for us. He wants us back to His fold and He wants us back to His loving and unconditional embrace.  Thus, Jesus is continuously searching for us.  

Many of us continuously loiter in the abyss if sinfulness, we purposely turn a blind eye for Jesus’ search for us. However, for what cost would it be? For the cost of our own life in this world? We would sin and continuously sin until it cost us our life?

Jesus your good shepherd is knocking at your heart, bare and open your heart to Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas