Reflection for December 2, Wednesday of the First Week of Advent: Matthew 15:29-37

Gospel: Matthew 15:29-37

At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the deformed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind able to see, and they glorified the God of Israel. 

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, for fear they may collapse on the way.” The disciples said to him, “Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place to satisfy such a crowd?” Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.” He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied. They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.

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Reflection:

What do you do when you see the poor? Do you go out of your way to give them something to alleviate their hunger? 

Jesus summoned his disciples and said, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, for they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.” 

Try closing your eyes and imagine that you’re with the disciples and meditate on these profound words of Jesus, imagine that the Lord is saying these words to you. Did you discern that Jesus is telling you to be His instrument in feeding and helping those who have nothing in life? 

In these hard times where hunger is commonplace because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jesus is also telling us that: “Your heart should also be moved with pity for those who are poor and hungry. For those who have nothing in life, for those who are being oppressed and for those who are weak and abandoned. 

It’s easy to say I will help or do something to help the poor and hungry. But the real test of discipleship is not with words. The real test is when we act and do something which are concrete and tangible. Let us not be afraid to help because this is what the Lord wants us to do. Let us also not worry because whatever help we give for as long as we give it from the heart will come back to us in manifold ways. 

Have you already extended help to the poor and hungry during this time of Covid-19 pandemic? – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for December 1, Tuesday of the First Week of Advent: Luke 10:21-24

Gospel: Luke 10:21-24

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” 

Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

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Reflection:

Do you have your regular communication time with God? 

Communication is an essential part with our relationship with God. The more communication time we have with god the more the we would get closer to Him. Thus, communication facilitates deeper friendship and relationship with God. 

Jesus in our gospel for today communicates through His prayer to God our Father the creator. He gives praise to the Father, Jesus did not only communicate to the Father to give praise. He communicated because he longs for His Father and it’s through this longing that He builds deeper oneness with Him. 

We too must always have this longing or thirst for God in every moment of our lives. We must always communicate with Him for He is our lifeline in this world. What would happen to us if we would not have our regular prayer moments with God? We become empty shells that look sturdy outside but deep inside are spiritually shallow.  

Let us always have our regular prayer moment with God in everyday of our lives. Let us give praise to Him let us thank Him for all of the blessings that He has been giving us. Let us not wait for the time to come wherein we will look for God because we are already in dire need of Him. 

Do you have your regular moment of communication with God? – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for November 30, Monday; Saint Andrew, Apostle (Feast): Matthew 4:18-22

Gospel: Matthew 4:18-22

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. 

He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

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Reflection:

Why did Jesus call Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John? Jesus wanted these four fishermen to share in His mission. There was no promise of riches, prosperity and power yet they responded. Their motivation to respond to Jesus call is very simple they just want to serve as Jesus served. No frills no publicity, as much as possible Jesus wanted it under the radar so that no one would know. 

So, these four selfless men followed Jesus they left everything even their  livelihood and trusted themselves under the care of Jesus. In these four men we get a valuable lesson on how to become true servants and followers of the Lord: Follow with full trust and confidence in the Lord! 

When you decide to follow Jesus you must be ready to leave everything for the sake of the Lord.  No looking back simply trust Him for He will take care of you. Take care of you not in the sense that you will financially and materially prosper as what many prosperity gospel preachers promote. Take care of you for He will make you rich spiritually so that you would be able to withstand the trials and rigors of your life and His mission.

You too is being called by the Lord to follow and trust Him. Follow where? Follow in His mission of evangelization; don’t worry about anything for He will take care of everything. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for Sunday November 29, First Sunday of Advent: Mark 13:33-37

Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. 

Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

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Reflection:

When the first case of Covid-19 was discovered in Wuhan China last year (December 2019) many countries were warned to be prepared, watchful and alert. Why? Because this disease could become a pandemic and could cause havoc, deaths and disruption to the world economy. A number of countries prepared immediately putting in place health and security protocols. But many countries did not prepare they even dismissed it as nothing. Thus, they dearly paid for their dismissive reaction.      

What does it mean to be watchful and alert? It means to always be prepared for anything that may happen or arrive. But why do we need to be watchful and alert? Why not simply become passive and complacent? We need to be watchful and alert because this is what Jesus wants us to do for He will manifest His presence to us at any moment of our lives. 

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means coming or arrival of something very important. What is the significance of this command of Jesus for us? We too are being encouraged by Jesus to be watchful and prepared for His coming.  But how should we prepare? 

First is by submitting ourselves to the Healing Sacrament of Reconciliation. All of us are sinful; we sin through our Thoughts, Words and Actions. These many sins that we commit make us ill prepared for the coming of the Lord.    

Second is we have to forgive those who caused us pain no matter how severe the pain that they’ve caused us. This is very difficult to do but if we say that we know Jesus then we must be prepared to embody the infinite forgiveness of Jesus. By doing so we bring Jesus to them and who knows it may be through us that they will have an awareness of the living presence of Jesus. 

Third, we must renew our lives, we therefore have to walk away from anything that makes us sin. Sin by its mere appearance is actually attractive and enticing. But beneath its attractive and enticing appearance is a destructive force that can cost us enormously if we will not completely walk away from it.    

Are you already watchful and alert for the coming of the Lord?  - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Linggo Nobyembre 29, Unang Linggo ng Adbiyento: Marcos 13:33-37

Mabuting Balita: Marcos 13:33-37

Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 33 Mag-ingat kayo at magpuyat: hindi nga ninyo alam kung kailan ang oras. 34 Ipagpalagay natin na nangingibang bayan ang isang tao. Iniiwan niya ang kanyang bahay at ipinagkakatiwala ang lahat sa kanyang mga utusan. 

May kanya-kanya silang tungkulin at inutusan niyang magbantay ang bantay pinto. 35 Kaya magbantay kayo sapagkat hindi ninyo alam ang oras ng pagdating ng may-ari, kung hapon o hating-gabi o madaling araw. 36 At baka bigla siyang du-mating, at madatnan kayong natutulog. 37 Kaya sinasabi ko rin sa lahat ang sinasabi kong ito sa inyo: Magbantay.”

Reflection for November 28, Saturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 21:34-36

Gospel: Luke 21:34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. 

For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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Reflection:

What is the best protection against the uncertainties and anxieties of this world?  Our best protection is our connection with Jesus. Connection that will cost us nothing except a little of our time. We connect with Jesus when we pray, we talk and establish contact with Him through our fervent prayer life.   

What does prayer do to us? It gives us inner peace. We are always calm amidst the struggles and complexities of daily life. Active prayer life prepares us for whatever eventualities that life may bring us. 

Calamities, unforeseen disasters and the threat of wars happen every now and then and often times it catch us unexpectedly and it disturbs us. But if we are always prepared spiritually we would somehow learn to cope with it emotionally and we would still be calm. 

The world that we are in right now is so uncertain we don’t know what may happen next. For example, the covid-19 pandemic nobody expected it to happen but it happened. The threat of war and terrorism in many parts of the world is real and it’s happening. We therefore have to pray for peace and ask Jesus to make our world more peaceful.    

In the gospel for today Jesus told the disciples: “Pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).” – Marino J. Dasmarinas

Ang Mabuting Balita para sa Nobyembre 28 Sabado sa Ika-34 na Linggo ng Taon Lucas 21:34-36

Mabuting Balita: Lucas 21:34-36

sinabi ni Jesus sa kanyang mga alagad: 34 Mag-ingat kayo’t baka bumigat ang in¬yong mga isip sa mga bisyo, pag¬lalasing at mga intindihin sa buhay. 

At baka bigla kayong datnan ng araw na iyon. 35 Babagsak itong parang bitag sa lahat ng nasa lupa. 36 Kaya lagi kayong magbantay at manalangin para maging marapat na makatakas sa lahat ng mangyayaring ito at makaharap sa Anak ng Tao.”

1Reflection for November 27, Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 21:29-33

Gospel: Luke 21:29-33

Jesus told his disciples a parable. “Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near. 

Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

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Reflection:

Is the kingdom of God already dwelling in your heart? If you’ve already learned to let go of your hurts, resentments your high sense of yourself the kingdom of God is already dwelling in your heart. If you’ve already surrendered your life under God’s care and disposition; God’s kingdom is already dwelling in your heart. 

Growing old is the dread of some, more so when they notice the graying of their hair and the sagging of their skin. This is the reason why they try to dye their hair and they go to facial clinic to conceal the advancement of their age.  

As we face this slow but sure change of our body’s appearance we are reminded that we are slowly but surely nearing our departure date from this world. We fear this occurrence especially for those who are not prepared. But why fear? This is the simple flow of life; and we all will pass through this experience. 

If we have not done anything wrong we have nothing to fear. If we are close to Jesus we have nothing to fear, if we are always present during Holy Mass we have nothing to fear. If we read the bible we have nothing to fear. Even death itself we will not fear for this is the last hurdle going to the eternal Kingdom of God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for November 26, Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 21:20-28

Gospel: Luke 21:20-28

Jesus said to his disciples: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city, for these days are the time of punishment when all the Scriptures are fulfilled. 

Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.

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Reflection:

What makes you afraid? Are you afraid of the end of this world? 

Jesus talks about a very frightening scenario in the gospel. But at the same time at the end He also tells us that there shall be redemption. We also have our own share of frightening scenarios in our lives. Problems, trials, persecution and we may feel that this is already the end for us and this kind of scenario would test us. 

Let us continue to steadfastly hold on to God, let us not let go no matter how difficult our trials. For at the end there shall be redemption for us also. If we have God nobody could bring us down not even the occurrence of the end times. 

However, there are times that many of us give up but why give up when God has not given up upon us? God is always there for us to assure us that everything will be alright no matter how difficult and frightening the situation before us.  

Let us not allow the signs of the end times to weaken us. For the simple reason that there is always hope for as long as we continue to have faith in Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for November 25, Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 21:12-19

 

Gospel: Luke 21:12-19

(Jesus said to His disciples) Before the end happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. 

Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

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Reflection:

Have you already suffered for faithfully following Jesus and are all of these sufferings all worth it? Every suffering that we go through for Jesus is all worth it. The people of this world will surely not agree and understand but it’s all worth it! 

If we suffer poverty for Jesus’ sake, if we are persecuted for following Jesus. And if the events in our lives are not turning out well based on worldly standards because we choose to follow Jesus. Let us not worry for someday in the great beyond we will surely receive our reward. 

Are all the worldly appendages that we blindly chase and have worth it? No it’s not because it can slip out of our hands anytime. So, why are so many of us are so blinded by these worldly things? We covet it as if our life hinges on it. 

At the end of our lives only one will matter and that’s none other than our faithfulness to Jesus. Let us therefore strive to get closer to Jesus than obsessively striving to possess the fragile and passing offerings of this world. – Marino J. Dasmarinas 

Reflection for November 24 Tuesday, Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs (M): Luke 21:5-11

Gospel: Luke 21:5-11

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, “All that you see here–the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” 

Then they asked him, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” He answered, “See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come. Do not follow them! 

When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.

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Reflection:

Do you have fear of the end times? Many of us are fearful of the end times. But why fear?  Jesus is telling us in our gospel today not to fear! 

But in hindsight we are human beings and as such it’s natural for us to have fears in our hearts.  most especially when we see calamitous storms, outbreak of viruses such as Covid-19 and wars. But Jesus words are more powerful than any wars, viruses and storms combined! 

In our gospel for this Tuesday Jesus mentions about destructions and wars. Jesus mentioned these words in the gospel hundreds of years ago. And what He mentioned then is actually happening right now. There are many ongoing wars and destructions in many parts of the world. Are we going to tremble in fear? Of course not!   For the reason that we know deep in our hearts that there’s hope! And this hope is given to us by Jesus. 

Jesus tells us not to be terrified for He is far more powerful than any wars and destructions. Therefore, what we must do is to have hope and faith in Jesus for when we have Jesus in our hearts we have nothing to fear. Even the most destructive wars and calamities we will not fear! 

Do you have fear/s in your heart right now? Surrender and give it all to Jesus for He will take care of it for you. - Marino J. Dasmarinas

Reflection for November 23, Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 21:1-4

Gospel: Luke 21:1-4

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins. He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."

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Reflection:

Do you know that the more you give that more that you would receive? Many generous people including the poor widow in the gospel who gave her whole livelihood knows all about this. Perhaps this is not the first time that the widow offered her whole livelihood to the church’s treasury. 

Maybe she has been doing this act of extreme generosity for so many times already and time and again this poor yet generous woman has proven that whatever she gave out of her poverty comes back to her a hundredfold times. 

You may ask, if what the poor woman gave comes back to her many times over. Then why is she still poor? Yes she is still poor based on our own materialistic eyes, but she is actually very rich in terms of her faith and spirituality this is the reason why she could give everything including her earnings from her livelihood.  

To be materially poor is OK for as long as you are rich in faith and spirituality. For what is the essence of material wealth when it can easily fly away from our hands anytime?  

Are you generous like the poor woman in our gospel? - Marino J. Dasmarinas

1Reflection for Sunday November 22, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe: Matthew 25:31-46

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

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."

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Reflection:

In 1925 by virtue of his encyclical letter Quas Primas Pope Pius XI mandated that every last Sunday of October is the Feast of Christ the King. This was done to impress upon us Christ's eternal authority over us it was also in response to the growing secularism at that time. In 1969 Pope Paul VI gave the celebration a new date. Henceforth it is now celebrated every last Sunday of the liturgical year. 

What is the significance of the Solemnity of Christ the King in our lives? It encourages us to make Jesus the center and King of our lives; it persuades us to make Jesus the priority of our lives. In other words before anything else it must be Jesus first in our lives. 

But look at what is happening now; Jesus is the least to some of us. We need no factual statistics to validate this; we simply need to look at the attendance at Holy Mass. We look at the spiraling crime rate, the corporate greed, the massive destruction of the environment that results to calamitous flooding as evidenced by the flooding caused by typhoons Rolly and Ulysses. The arrogance of many politicians and so forth. 

Obviously the Kingship of Christ is nowhere in their hearts. The kingship of Jesus is eroded by the kingship of materialism, greed and arrogance. 

Would we allow this erosion of the Kingship of Jesus in favor of the kingship of the secular world which the devil represents? We must not allow this to happen! We who are followers of Christ must see to it that He is always part and parcel of our daily lives. We may not verbally preach Him but we must learn to preach Him through our daily lives. 

Saint Francis of Asisi has said: “Preach the gospel at all times; use words if necessary.”  This means that we must live the gospel in every moment of our lives. By  doing so we would be perpetuating the kingship of Christ in this world. But this is seldom done now what is often preached now is greed, materialism, arrogance and other forms of destructive secular teachings. 

We are therefore being challenged by Jesus to help Him become more relevant in this present world. Now more than ever the world needs the Kingship of Jesus, His values and His teachings. Let us not run away from this responsibility that Jesus gave us, let us live His kingship, let us embrace it and let us share it. 

Can you measure up to this challenge? – Marino J. Dasmarinas    

Reflection for November 21, Saturday the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (M): Luke 20:27-40

Gospel: Luke 20:27-40

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. 

Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” 

Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. they can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. 

That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Some of the scribes said in reply, “Teacher, you have answered well.” And they no longer dared to ask him anything.

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Reflection:

Do you believe that there is life after death? The Sadducees an organization within the Jewish faith did not believe in the resurrection. The Sadducees gave Jesus a story about a woman who married seven brothers. By asking whose wife will she be in the resurrection they were actually mocking Jesus teachings on the resurrection. 

Some people have a limited understanding of the vastness of life that they thought that it is only up to the point of death, after that no more. But if there’s no life after death what then is the use of living a worthy life in this world?   

There is a resurrection! And we begin to sow the seeds of resurrection the moment we decide to walk away from all of our sins. And when we die we will have an up close and personal encounter with this resurrection. Therefore, eternal life or resurrection will come to those who lived their lives pleasing to the eyes of God. 

In the gospel Jesus tells us all the reality of afterlife, of heaven, of everlasting life and of angels. However, not all will have the privilege of being there. For it is only reserve for those who are considered worthy. Worthy based on the merciful eyes of God not based on our own subjective and judgmental eyes. – Marino J. Dasmarinas