Noong panahong iyon, sinasabi ni Juan
Bautista sa kanyang pangangaral: “Darating na kasunod ko ang isang
makapangyarihan kaysa sa akin: ni hindi ako karapat-dapat magkalag ng tali ng
kanyang mga panyapak. Binibinyagan ko kayo sa tubig, ngunit bibinyagan niya
kayo sa Espiritu Santo.”
Hindi
nagluwat, dumating si Hesus mula sa Nazaret, Galilea, at siya’y bininyagan ni
Juan sa Ilog-Jordan. Pagkaahung-pagkaahon ni Hesus sa tubig ay nakita niyang
nabuksan ang kalangitan, at bumababa sa kanya ang Espiritu na gaya ng isang
kalapati. At isang tinig ang nagmula sa langit: “Ikaw ang minamahal kong Anak,
lubos kitang kinalulugdan.”
Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip.
And Jesus said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida,
the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told
him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and
also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good
come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus
saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true child of
Israel. There is no duplicity in him." Nathanael said to him, "How do
you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called
you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son
of God; you are the King of Israel." Jesus answered and said to him,
"Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You
will see greater things than this." And he said to him, "Amen, amen,
I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and
descending on the Son of Man."
+ + + + + +
Reflection:
Jesus said to Philip: Follow me, such powerful words
coming from Jesus. Thus, Philip could do nothing except to humbly follow the
Messiah. This is the reason why Philip became one of the twelve apostles, he
was called by Jesus.
What if Jesus would call you to follow Him, would you
respond to His call?
Follow where? Follow Him in His humility, follow Him
in His perseverance, follow Him in His being a man for others. Follow Him in His
gentleness and follow Him in His humble obedience to the will of God.
These powerful words of Jesus echoes until this very
moment and it is not anymore addressed to Philip but to us! He gently tells us
to follow Him; many have said yes and followed Jesus already.
Many have forsaken their material riches, high society
status and power for the sake of Jesus. Why? Because at last they found the one
that will finally cure their emptiness and brokenness. Emptiness and brokenness
which they thought could be filled up by their riches and power but it never
did.
Many of us are still chasing after riches, earthly
things and power at what cost and for what? When we are at our deathbeds riches
and power will not anymore matter what will matter is the relationship that we
have with Jesus.
Even now the riches and power that we are chasing will never complete us it
will even exacerbate our emptiness. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Kinabukasan, minabuti ni Jesus na
pumunta sa Galilea. Nakita niya si Felipe, at sinabi rito, "Sumunod ka sa
akin." (Si Felipe'y taga-Betsaida, tulad nina Andres at Pedro.) Hinanap ni
Felipe si Natanael, at sinabi rito, "Natagpuan namin si Jesus na
taga-Nazaret, ang anak ni Jose. Siya ang tinutukoy ni Moises sa kanyang sinulat
sa Kautusan, at gayon din ng mga propeta."
"May magmumula bang mabuti sa Nazaret?" tanong ni
Natanael. Sumagot si Felipe, "Halika't tingnan mo." Nang malapit na
si Natanael ay sinabi ni Jesus. "Masdan ninyo ang isang tunay na
Israelita; siya'y hindi magdaraya!" Tinanong siya ni Natanael, "Paano
ninyo ako nakilala?" Sumagot si Jesus, "Bago ka pa tawagin ni Felipe,
nakita na kita nang ikaw ay nasa ilalim ng puno ng igos," "Rabi, kayo
po ang Anak ng Diyos! Kayo ang Hari ng Israel!" wika ni
Natanael.
Sinabi
ni Jesus, "Nanampalataya ka ba dahil sa sinabi ko sa iyong nakita kita sa
ilalim ng puno ng igos? Makakikita ka ng bagay ng higit kaysa rito!" At
sinabi niya sa lahat, "Tandaan ninyo: makikita ninyong bukas ang langit,
at ang mga anghel ng Diyos ay manhik-manaog sa kinaroroonan ng anak ng Tao.!"
John was standing with two of his
disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of
God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus
turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking
for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means
Teacher), "where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will
see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him
that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon
Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and
told him, "We have found the Messiah," which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon
the son of John; you will be called Cephas," which is translated Peter.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A sinful man saw a poster that states: Do
you want to know Jesus? If your answer is yes, you have to read your bible
specifically the first four gospels of the New Testament. Out of curiosity the
sinful man followed the instruction and he read the first four gospels of the
New Testament. As he read it he felt an edifying feeling that he never felt
before in his life. He therefore left everything that made him sin and he
became a zealous follower of the Lord.
The call of Jesus comes to us in different
shapes and forms. It sometime comes to us through a life altering experience.
It comes to us through a friend who would invite us to church and there we become
enlightened about the life of Jesus.
What is important in these Jesus
experience is our willingness to walk the extra mile to be with Jesus and to
know Jesus. What does this mean? It simply means that we would be willing to
leave behind everything for Jesus. This also means that we would invest time to
read the life story of Jesus in the bible. Many do this and
they experience life changing conversion.
Many respond as well but they’re not
willing to leave behind sin. They continue to sin even if they know that sin is
not good and against the teaching of the faith and Jesus. They therefore
continue to mire themselves in sin that would eventually make life miserable
for them.
When the followers of John left him for
Jesus, it was not an easy decision for them. But they had a strong
resolve to follow Jesus. So they did and from being ordinary fishermen
they became Extra-Ordinary fishers of men.
You may as well encounter an offer to
follow Jesus. Follow Him with all your heart this simply means that you would
be willing to leave sin behind. And you leave everything including your very
life in the healing and loving hands of Jesus. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward
him and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the
world. He is the one of whom I said, 'A man is coming after me who ranks ahead
of me because he existed before me.' I did not know him, but the reason why I
came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel."
John testified further,
saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and
remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize
with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is
the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' Now I have seen and testified
that he is the Son of God."
+ + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you once in a while crave for attention
and recognition?
Whether we admit it or not, there are
times that we gloat about ourselves and we crave to be recognized. This is one
of our human frailties to raise ourselves in the altar of prominence most
especially when we gain something for ourselves. Or when there is an
opportunity for us to be recognized we immediately grab that fleeting moment of
opportunity.
There are even some who change with time;
for example in friendships, some are like weather conditions. They often change
as they gain riches and higher life status. But lest we forget that whatever we
have now is temporary. Someday or even sooner what we have now may be taken
from us and we end up with nothing.
So let us keep our feet on the ground, let
us at all times follow the humble path of John the Baptist so that we could
become effective heralds for Jesus. Let us share Jesus if not in our words we
do it through our actions. Many do not know Jesus because we don’t live the
teachings of Jesus.
John lived to the hilt the teachings of
Jesus, he did not compete with Jesus for attention. He instead let Jesus shine
not minding if some of his followers left him for Jesus. Why? For the simple
reason that John was so secure in His role as the precursor for the messiah.
Insecurity was never in the bones of John,
he let Jesus bloom as he silently did his role outside of the fleeting lights
of recognition.
This is the testimony of John. When the
Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, “I am not the Christ.” So they
asked him, “What are you then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are
you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you, so we
can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?” He
said: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way
of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” Some Pharisees were also sent. They
asked him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the
Prophet?”
John answered them, “I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming
after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” This happened in
Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Would you want to follow the way of John?
If only we are all like John, we could
have avoided so many troubles in this world. But we are not because we are not
as humble as John. And we are not like John because many of us are not also
ready to die for the sake of upholding what is moral and right.
John is a paradox for many of us because
he was at the threshold of attaining instant fame. But he refused it, he
instead choose to remain humble and not fool around with fleeting fame. Around
that time John had all the opportunities to put himself above everyone else but
he did not.
John chose the way of humility. Such is
John, humble to the core of his bones and loyal to Jesus and His teachings. The
way of John is the way of humility, the way of John is to shun fame and adulation
for the sake of Jesus and His teachings.
Many of us love to be in the limelight, we
hunger for attention and adulation. We love it when we are praised to high
heavens. Our ears even flap in acknowledgment of the honor that is not ours.
Let us be like John at all times always humble, always self-effacing and always
pointing to Jesus as the one sent by God. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Do you always respect, take care of and honor your mother?
On this first day of the year the church honor’s Mary as the Holy Mother of God. This is so because the church wants to remind us of the important role of Mary in salvation history. In the gospel, the Blessed Mother quietly kept everything that was told them by the shepherd. No complaint whatsoever, she humbly submitted herself to the will of God.
Mary quietly fulfilled her role as the Holy Mother of God. She did not complain, she simply submitted herself to God’s will. She taught Jesus everything that He needs to know about life. And she also stayed with Jesus until the very end of His life. In return, Jesus greatly recognized her humble submission to the will of God by asking John the apostle to take care of His mother ( John 19:27).
All of us have our own mothers and we are all aware of the great sacrifices that they did for us. Like the Blessed Mother, they never complained they instead quietly assumed their motherly roles. But how are we treating them right now that they are in twilight of their years? Are we giving them the best comfort and care that they could ever have?
Let us give our mothers the best that we could ever give them. Let us express to them our love and gratitude for all of the things that they’ve done for us. If they make mistakes or behave erratically due to their advancing age, let us remain patient and gentle with them.
How are you taking care of your mother? - Marino J. Dasmarinas
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 and 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.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
The story is told about a mother who 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 need not look far to discover the cause of their children’s negative behavior. They simply have to face the mirror, and they will surely discover the person behind their children’s negative behavior.
Parents are the basic formators of their children and the pillar of the family as such they are the foremost teachers of their children. If they raise their children with love for God they would mature as lovers of God. If they raise them with discipline and right manners they would grow up as such as well.
Besides fulfilling the Jewish law that mandates bringing the firstborn to the temple and requires the mother to offer a sacrifice for her purification after childbirth. Mary and Joseph ensured that the child Jesus will grow up to become someone who will love God dearly.
This is the reason why they took time to present Jesus to God in the temple. Joseph and Mary knew the crucial role of love for God in their family and in their child’s life. Both of them knew how to properly mold their only child Jesus, so that He would grow as a man who loves God.
Even if we are very busy, let us not forget to make time to bring our children to the Lord by attending Holy Mass as a family. We should introduce Jesus to them by discussing His life, which we can easily find in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, Mark, and John in the Bible. Additionally, let's not overlook the importance of teaching them about our faith, as it will undoubtedly bear fruit in their lives when they start their own families someday.
Do you always attend Holy Mass as a family and have you educated your children about the life of Jesus? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
There was 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.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Where is your life centered?
Is it centered upon our Lord and savior Jesus Christ? If it’s centered upon the
Lord you would be able to overcome whatever problem/s that you are going
through right now.
We all carry our own secret burdens/problems
that nobody knows except us or perhaps a few of our relatives and friends.
These burdens should always bring us closer to Jesus. In fact the more burdens
that we have the more that we should get closer to Jesus. And the more burdens
that we have the more that we should rest it upon Him.
Let us therefore be patient for Jesus will
take away and heal us of our burdens no matter how heavy it is. If He will not
heal it He will certainly help us carry it.
In the gospel, the prophet Anna patiently
waited with fasting and prayer for the coming of the savior. She was already
advance in years yet she waited and never wavered. Until her patient waiting
was rewarded by God through the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
You too have to patiently wait for the
Lord will soon save you and give you hope. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
When the days were completed for their
purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him 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:
“Lord, now let your servant go in peace; your word has
been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation which you prepared in the
sight of every people, a light to reveal you to the nations and the glory of
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 (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that
the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
+ + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you a parent?
Parents play a very vital role in the formation of
values of their children, where the parents go so their child.
For example, if the parents seldom brings to church
for Holy Mass their children there’s a big chance that when they grow up they
will also rarely go to church for Holy Mass. If parents do not lead worthy
lives there’s a big chance as well that children would be also. In other words
the fruit would almost be the same with the tree.
In the gospel, Mary and Joseph both devoted to their
Jewish faith brought the child Jesus to the temple in compliance with their
Jewish law. They were leading by example on how it is to be faithful to the
laws of God; they were forming the child Jesus to be like them.
It always pays to be good and godly parents because it
helps mold the mind of the child to be good and to be godly as he/she matures.
On the other hand we can just imagine a child being brought up by irresponsible
parents and parents who do not recognize the vital role of God in their
life.
Though it does not assure 100% that the fruit
will always be like the tree. Yet when we always model good and godly behavior
to our children we are already conditioning their minds to always do what is
good and godly.
Therefore this modelling of good behavior will surely
help them become good and law abiding individuals in the future. But the big
question mark is, are we good role models to our children? – Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Nang dumating ang araw ng paglilinis
sa kanila, ayon sa Kautusan ni Moises, sila'y pumunta sa Jerusalem. Dala nila
ang sanggol upang iharap sa Panginoon, sapagkat ayon sa Kautusan, "Ang
bawat Panganay na lalaki ay nakatalaga sa Panginoon." At naghandog sila,
ayon sa hinihingi ng Kautusan ng Panginoon: "Mag-asawang batu-bato o
dalawang inakay na kalapati."
May isang tao noon sa Jerusalem, ang pangala'y Simeon. Matapat at
malapit sa Diyos ang lalaking ito at naghihintay ng katubusan ng Israel.
Sumasakanya ang Espiritu Santo na nagpahayag sa kanya na hindi siya mamamatay
hangga't hindi niya nakikita ang Mesias na ipinangako ng Panginoon.
Sa patnubay ng Espiritu, pumasok siya sa templo. At nang dalhin
doon ng kanyang mga magulang ang sanggol na si Jesus upang gawin ang hinihingi
ng Kautusan, siya'y kinalong ni Simeon. Ito'y nagpuri sa Diyos, na ang wika,
"Kunin mo na, Panginoon, ang iyong abang alipin. Ayon sa iyong pangako,
yamang nakita na ng aking mga mata ang iyong pagliligtas, na inihanda mo para
sa lahat ng bansa: liwanag itong tatanglaw sa mga Hentil, at
magbibigay-karangalan sa iyong bayang Israel."
Namangha
ang ama't ina ng sanggol dahil sa sinabi ni Simeon, at sinabi kay Maria,
"Tandaan mo, ang batang ito ay nakatalaga sa ikapapahamak o ikaliligtas ng
marami sa Israel, isang tanda mula sa Diyos ngunit hahamakin ng marami kaya't mahahayag
ang kanilang iniisip. Dahil diyan, ang puso mo'y para na ring tinarakan ng
isang balaraw."
When the magi had departed, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child
and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going
to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his
mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of
Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out
of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the
magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem
and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had
ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through
Jeremiah the prophet:
A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud
lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What fuels extreme anger? It’s arrogance of power,
it’s the mindset of ego and superiority.
When King Herod ordered the massacre of all the boys
in Bethlehem and its vicinity within the age of two years and below (Matthew
2:16). His order was certainly fueled by his arrogance, ego, abuse of power and
the mindset of superiority.
Did Herod suffer for his despicable act? He did
certainly, he suffered in silence and he had no peace of mind for the rest of
his life. This could happen to us also when we are arrogant and when we allow
blind and extreme anger to rule over us.
So, instead of allowing ourselves to be controlled by
our anger and arrogance let us be calm. And think of the irreversible
consequences that may come if we allow anger and arrogance to take control of
us. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
On the first day of the week, Mary
Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus
loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not
know where they put him. So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to
the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran
faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the
burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he
went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had
covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb
first, and he saw and believed.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What does the empty tomb of Jesus signify?
It signifies that Jesus has risen after dying on the cross at Calvary. Simon
Peter perhaps did not immediately believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Unlike
the other disciples (John) who immediately believed after seeing the empty tomb
and the burial cloths.
In this gospel episode it may seem that Peter and John are followers with
contrasting intensity of faith. John with his rock-solid faith and Peter who
seem to be reluctant to immediately believe.
But was Peter’s faith in the resurrection of Jesus really inadequate during
that moment? Perhaps no, perhaps Peter chose to keep in his heart his faith in
Jesus. In the silence of his heart Peter perhaps was also an instantaneous
believer of the resurrection of Jesus.
Faith is a gift, like Peter many of us carry it in our hearts silently. We may
not immediately notice this in our fellow human beings but it’s within them
deeply rooted courtesy of Jesus.
Let us therefore pray to Jesus that He also give us this gift of faith. Let us
also not forget to pray for our loved ones and friends so that they too may
receive the same gift of faith. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Jesus said to his disciples: “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say.
You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
During Christmas season we savor the many good things about life. Such as food, gifts and other good things that would satisfy us. However, there will come a time that we will be called to live our faith to the fullest. This simply means that we’ll have to witness for our love and faith for Jesus. This witness for Jesus may require us to pass through hard times or it may even require us to even give our very own life.
Saint Stephen the first martyr of the church whose martyrdom we remember today. Is one of those who witnessed for Jesus until the very end of his life. He advanced the faith and did great things in the name of Jesus. But he was eventually savagely killed for witnessing for Jesus.
Until now, we are still called to witness for our faith in Jesus. We are also called to use social media so that Jesus will become more relevant today. Particularly in the hearts and minds of everyone, especially the young ones, as they are the future of the church.
Have you already witnessed for Jesus? Have you already been persecuted for your love for Jesus? Do not be disheartened if you have been through or currently going thru these tests of faith for these are part and parcel of your witness and discipleship for Jesus. Make Jesus more relevant today as what Saint Stephen did during his time. Do not be afraid of the severe consequences that may befall you, because you have nothing to fear if Jesus is with you. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
