Noong panahong iyon, pumasok si Jesus
sa Jerico, at naglakad sa kabayanan. Doo'y may isang mayamang puno ng mga
publikano na nagngangalang Zaqueo, at pinagsikapan niyang makita si Jesus upang
makilala niya kung sino ito. Ngunit siya ay napakapandak, at dahil sa dami ng
tao, hindi niya makita si Jesus.
Kaya't
patakbo siyang nagpauna at umakyat sa isang puno ng sikomoro upang makita si
Jesus na magdaraan doon. Pagdating ni Jesus sa dakong iyon, siya'y tumingala at
sinabi sa kanya, "Zaqueo, bumaba ka agad, sapagkat kailangan kong tumuloy
sa bahay mo." Nagmamadali siyang bumaba, at tuwang-tuwang tinanggap si
Jesus.
Lahat
ng nakakita nito ay nagbulung-bulungan. "Nakikituloy siya sa isang
makasalanan," wika nila. Tumayo si Zaqueo at sinabi, "Panginoon, ibibigay
ko po sa mga dukha ang kalahati ng aking ari-arian. At kung ako'y may nadayang
sinuman, apat na ibayo ang isasauli ko sa kanya." At sinabi sa kanya ni
Jesus, "Ang kaligtasa'y dumating ngayon sa sambahayang ito; lipi rin ni
Abraham ang taong ito. Sapagkat naparito ang Anak ng Tao upang hanapin at
iligtas ang naligaw.
As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man
was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired
what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He
shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” The people walking in front
rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more,
“Son of David, have pity on me!”
Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to
him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for
you?” He replied, “Lord, please let me see.” Jesus told him, “Have sight; your
faith has saved you.” He immediately received his sight and followed him,
giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Who is Jesus
to you? Is Jesus the hope and salvation of your life? The blind man in our
gospel had his hope and salvation anchored on Jesus. When he heard that Jesus
is passing by he shouted with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on
me!” His shout comprised his prayer with faith in Jesus.
From a hopeless situation the blind man suddenly found
hope and salvation because Jesus passed by him. And Jesus did not disappoint
the blind man because He asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Then
the blind man said in reply, please let me see my Lord and immediately he
receive his sight and he became a follower of Jesus from thereupon.
What separates the blind man from many of us? It’s his
persistent and persevering faith, it’s faith that can move mountains. This is
what separates this blind man from many us, what if we are in the shoes of the
blind man? Would we simply give up and be silent because we were rebuked and
sternly told to be silent?
But this blind man, when he was rebuked and told to be
silent the more that he persisted and the more that he cried loudly to Jesus
for help. And because of his persevering and persistent faith he was
heard and given the gift of sight by the Lord.
What is it that you want from the Lord? Don’t give up,
be persistent and have faith for the Lord will soon hear you. - Marino J.
Dasmarinas
Malapit na si Hesus sa Jerico, at
doo’y may isang lalaking bulag na nakaupo sa tabi ng daan at nagpapalimos. Nang
marinig nitong nagdaraan ang maraming tao, itinanong niya kung ano ang
nangyayari. “Nagdaraan si Hesus na taga Nazaret,” sabi nila. At siya’y sumigaw,
“Hesus, Anak ni David! Mahabag po kayo sa akin!” Sinaway siya ng mga nasa
unahan, ngunit lalo pa niyang nilakasan ang sigaw: “Anak ni David, mahabag po
kayo sa akin!”
Kaya’t
tumigil si Hesus, at iniutos na dalhin sa kanya ang bulag. Inilapit nga ito at
tinanong ni Hesus, “Ano ang ibig mong gawin ko sa iyo?” “Panginoon, ibig ko po
sana’y manumbalik ang aking paningin,” sagot niya. At sinabi ni Hesus,
“Mangyari ang ibig mo! Pinagaling ka dahil sa iyong pananalig.” Noon din,
nakakita siya at sumunod kay Hesus, at nagpasalamat sa Diyos. Nang makita ito
ng mga tao, silang lahat ay nagpuri sa Diyos.
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away. Immediately the one who received five talents went and traded with them, and made another five. Likewise, the one who received two made another two. But the man who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and buried his master's money.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.
Then the one who had received two talents also came forward and said, 'Master, you gave me two talents. See, I have made two more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.
Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, 'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back. His master said to him in reply, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter?
Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has more will be given and he will grow rich but from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Are you prepared if the Lord were to call you to account for the talents He has given you? In the gospel, the master who returned from a journey had an accounting of the talents that He loaned to His servants.
What if the master did not return? There would have been no accounting for the servants, especially the third unproductive servant who was given one talent. But the master returned, thus creating a problem for the third servant.
Inaction or status quo is never an option in our faith life or even in life itself. We have to move; we have to take calculated risks and sweat it out; otherwise, we will not grow and bear fruit in our faith life. The same goes for our daily existence; if we just lay idle and do not move, we will not survive; we will die of hunger.
Because of his laziness and lack of initiative to move, the third servant was labeled as useless by his master. He was thrown into the darkness of hell, where there was grinding and wailing of teeth.
Through our baptism, the Good Lord has entrusted us with talents and responsibilities according to our abilities. Parents have this inherent responsibility, which they must use for them to become good and Godly parents.
In what manner could we become good and Godly parents? We teach our children about our faith for the simple reason that we are the first formators or teachers of our children. The home is also the domestic church or the little church where children are initially introduced to Jesus and formed with values. Parents must also teach children how to live simply because God created us to live simply, not to live complicated and worldly lives.
How else can we become productive talent bearers of the Lord in this world? We have to serve the church in whatever capacity. We have to integrate our faith life with our parish church even for a short period of time for us to grow more in our faith life. And, of course, we also have to teach and live our faith.
Someday there will also be an accounting of the talents or responsibilities that Jesus has entrusted to you. How will you account to the Good Lord? Will you be like the two productive servants, or will you be like the third unproductive servant who did nothing and risked nothing? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi ni Hesus sa kanyang mga alagad ang talinghagang ito: “Ang paghahari ng Diyos ay maitutulad dito: May isang taong maglalakbay, kaya tinawag niya ang kanyang mga alipin at ipinagkatiwala sa kanila ang kanyang ari-arian. Binigyan niya ng salapi ang bawat isa ayon sa kanya-kanyang kakayahan: binigyan niya ang isa ng limang libong piso, ang isa nama’y dalawang libong piso, at ang isa pa’y isang libong piso.
Pagkatapos, siya’y umalis. Humayo agad ang tumanggap ng limang libong piso at ipinangalakal iyon. At nagtubo siya ng limang libong piso. Gayun din naman, ang tumanggap ng dalawang libong piso ay nagtubo ng dalawang libong piso. Ngunit ang tumanggap ng isang libong piso ay humukay sa lupa at itinago ang salapi ng kanyang panginoon.
Pagkaraan ng mahabang panahon, bumalik ang panginoon ng mga aliping iyon at pinapagsulit sila. Lumapit ang tumanggap ng limang libo. Wika niya, ‘Panginoon, heto po ang limang libo na bigay ninyo sa akin. Heto pa po ang limang libo na tinubo ko.’ Sinabi sa kanya ng panginoon, ‘Magaling! Tapat at mabuting alipin! Yamang naging tapat ka sa kaunting halaga, pamamahalain kita sa malaking halaga. Makihati ka sa aking kagalakan!’
Lumapit din ang tumanggap ng dalawang libo, at ang sabi, ‘Panginoon, heto po ang ibinigay ninyong dalawang libo. Heto naman po ang dalawang libong piso na tinubo ko.’ Sinabi ng kanyang panginoon, ‘Magaling! Tapat at mabuting alipin! Naging tapat ka sa kaunting halaga, kaya pamamahalain kita sa malaking halaga. Makihati ka sa aking kagalakan.’
At lumapit naman ang tumanggap ng isang libong piso. ‘Alam ko pong kayo’y mahigpit,’ aniya. ‘Gumagapas kayo sa hindi ninyo tinamnan, at nag-aani sa hindi ninyo hinasikan. Natakot po ako, kaya’t ibinaon ko sa lupa ang inyong salapi. Heto na po ang isang libo ninyo.’ ‘Masama at tamad na alipin!’ tugon ng kanyang panginoon. ‘Alam mo palang gumagapas ako sa hindi ko tinamnan at nag-aani sa hindi ko hinasikan!
Bakit hindi mo iyan inilagak sa bangko, di sana’y may nakuha akong tubo ngayon? Kunin ninyo sa kanya ang isang libong piso at ibigay sa may sampung libo. Sapagkat ang mayroon ay bibigyan pa, at mananagana; ngunit ang wala, kahit ang kakaunting nasa kanya ay kukunin pa. Itapon ninyo sa kadiliman sa labas ang aliping walang kabuluhan. Doo’y tatangis siya at magngangalit ang kanyang ngipin.’
Jesus told his disciples a parable about
the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There
was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human
being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just
decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling,
but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor
respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver
a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the
dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you,
he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of
Man comes, will he find faith on earth?
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
Does God always answer our prayers? The
gospel would tell us that He always answers our prayers. But the reality of it
all is there are times that God doesn’t answer our prayers. There are times
that God fails us. We don’t know the reason behind these unanswered prayers
only God knows.
If God seems deaf to our prayers would it
be right for us to stop kneeling in prayer before God? We need not stop praying
even if we get no answer from God. For the simple reason that our prayers
before God gives us hope. Our prayers before God brightens our gloomy day. Our
prayers tell us that amidst our life struggles there is a powerful God who is
ever ready to listen notwithstanding the nature of His reply.
It's already immaterial if God answers or
not because our prayers are not only limited with God answering or not
answering it. Our prayers before God is much bigger that the reply that we
expect from Him. This is for the reason that the gift of prayer in itself is
already an enormous blessing from God.
What happens to us when we pray and after
we pray? When we pray we connect with our loving and powerful God and
after we pray we become hopeful and we feel relieved, right? Therefore, the
gift of prayer that Jesus had gratuitously given us is a balm that immediately
soothes our wounded and burdened lives.
We therefore have to pray as often as we
can since a life without prayer is a life without hope and a life bereft of the
presence of God.
Do you have a healthy prayer life? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong
panahong iyon, isinaysay ni Jesus ang isang talinghaga upang ituro sa kanila na
dapat silang manalanging lagi at huwag manghinawa.
"Sa
isang lunsod," wika niya, "may isang hukom na hindi natatakot sa
Diyos at walang taong iginagalang. Sa lunsod ding yaon ay may isang babaing
balo na punta nang punta sa hukom at humihingi ng katarungan. Tinanggihan siya
ng hukom sa loob ng ilang panahon.
Ngunit
ng malaunan ay nasabi nito sa sarili: 'Bagamat hindi ako natatakot sa Diyos ni
gumagalang kaninuman, igagawad ko na ang katarungang hinihingi ng babaing ito
sapagkat lagi niya akong ginagambala-- baka pa ako mainis sa kapaparito
niya.'"
At
sinabi ng Panginoon, "Narinig ninyo ang sinabi ng masamang hukom. Hindi
ipagkakait ng Diyos ang katarungan sa kanyang mga hinirang na dumaraing sa
kanya araw-gabi, bagama't tila nagtatagal iyon. Sinasabi ko sa inyo, agad
niyang igagawad sa kanila ang katarungan. Ngunit pagdating ng Anak ng Tao sa
daigdig na ito, may makikita kaya siyang mga taong nananalig sa kanya?"
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in
the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating
and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered
the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day
when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them
all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone
who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down
to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left
behind. Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will
lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there
will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there
will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.”
They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
When are we going to walk away from our
sins? Should we still delay and wait when the most opportune time comes? It
might not come and it might be too late already. We should change our ways
right at this very moment for we do not know until when our life will be.
The people during Noah’s time were
merrymaking and sinning until the floods came so they died without repentance.
Same as with the people of Sodom and Gomorra who were engaged in grievous
sexual sins they died without repentance as well.
What is sin that many of us are so smitten
by it? Sin is the bait or trap of Satan for us to be his slaves and eventually
to permanently be in his kingdom. Many of us fall into this bait for the simple
reason that we are enticed by the attractiveness of sin. This is basically the
reason why we sin. But sin will bring us nothing but troubles and problems and
it will surely not bring us any good in the end.
Let us take time to read and listen to the
words of Jesus in the Bible, and let us be faithful to His teachings. The Lord
will surely find a way for us so that we can permanently walk away from sin.
Sin doesn’t offer us any good at all, and it will bring us nothing but chaos
until it destroys us. Therefore, we must confront it and, soon after, leave it,
no matter how attractive it may be. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panahong iyon, sinabi nin Hesus
sa kanyang mga alagad, "Ang pagparito ng Anak ng Tao ay matutulad sa
kapanahunan ni Noe. Noon, ang mga tao'y nagsisikain at nagsisiinom, nag-aasawa,
hanggang sa araw na sumakay si Noe sa daong. Dumating ang baha at namatay
silang lahat. Gayon din noong panahon ni Lot -- ang mga tao'y nagsisikain at nagsisiinom,
namimili at nagbibili, nagtatanim, at nagtatayo ng bahay. Ngunit nang araw na
umalis si Lot sa Sodoma, umulan ng apoy at asupre at natupok silang lahat.
Gayon din sa pagdating ng Anak ng Tao.
"Sa araw na iyon, ang nasa bubungan ay huwag ng bumaba upang
kunin ang kanyang mga ari-arian sa loob ng bahay. Ang nasa bukid ay huwag nang
umuwi. Alalahanin ninyo ang nangyari sa asawa ni Lot. Ang sinumang magsikap na
iligtas ang kanyang buhay ay mawawalan nito; ngunit ang sinumang mawalan ng
kanyang buhay ay siyang makapagliligtas nito.
Sinasabi
ko sa inyo: may dalawang lalaking natutulog sa isang higaan sa gabing iyon;
kukunin ang isa at iiwan ang isa. May dalawang babaing magkasamang gumigiling;
kukunin ang isa at iiwan ang isa. May dalawang lalaking gumagawa sa bukid;
kukunin ang isa at iiwan ang isa." "Saan po, Panginoon,?" tanong
ng kanyang mga alagad. Sumagot siya, "Kung saan naroon ang mga bangkay,
doon naman nagkakatipon ang mga buwitre."
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of
God would come, Jesus said in reply, “The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot
be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Then he said to his disciples, “The days
will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you
will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, ‘Look, there he is,’
or ‘Look, here he is.’ Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as
lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the
Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by
this generation.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
When do you say that the kingdom of God is
within you already? It is when you are not afraid of anything that may happen
to you for you know that somebody very powerful is in charge. If you already
have Jesus in your life you would even embrace death because you know that
death is the last passage before you meet God.
How could you have His kingdom within you?
It’s when you faithfully follow Him in your words and deeds. It’s when you have
your regular moment of interactions with Jesus. This is when you would
feel the presence of God in your life.
For those who believe that Jesus Christ is
their Lord and savior the kingdom of God is within them already. For those who
choose to follow the path of sacrifice of Jesus the kingdom of God is within
them already. For those who are meek and humble the kingdom of God is within
them already.
For those who surrender their lives in the
hands of God amidst the chaos and worries of this world the kingdom of God is
within them already. The kingdom of God is also your rock solid faith in Jesus
for He is your safe refuge whenever you are being battered by the trials of
daily life.
Do you already have the kingdom of God? –
Marino J. Dasmarinas
Noong panhong iyon, si Jesus ay
tinanong ng mga Pariseo kung kailan itatatag ang kaharian ng Diyos. Sumagot
siya, "Ang pagsisimula ng paghahari ng Diyos ay walang makikitang
palatandaan. at wala ring magsasabing nagsisimula na roon o rini. Sapagkat ang
totoo'y nagsimula nang maghari ang Diyos sa puso ng mga nananalig sa kanya."
At
sinabi niya sa mga alagad, "Darating ang panahong hahangarin ninyong ang
isa sa mga araw ng Anak ng Tao, ngunit hindi ninyo makikita iyon. at may
magsasabi sa inyo, "Naroon siya! o, 'Narini siya!' Huwag kayong pumunta
upang siya'y hanapin. Sapagkat pagsapit ng takdang araw, ang Anak ng Tao'y
darating na parang kidlat. Ngunit kailangan muna siyang magbata ng maraming
hirap, at itakwil ng mga tao sa ngayon."
As Jesus continued his journey to
Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a
village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their
voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed. And
one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud
voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply, “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other
nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” Then he said
to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
A young man who was sent through college
by a rich old man went to the old man’s house after he got his degree. He did
it to express his gratitude towards his benefactor. When they met the old man
said, “I have helped a lot of people but you are the only one who came back to
express appreciation. Since, you have a grateful attitude I will give you one
of my business take care of it for it’s yours already.”
Are you grateful to those who have helped
you become who you are today? In the gospel we read about the gratefulness of
the Samaritan leper who is healed by the Lord. They were actually ten but the
nine did not show up to Jesus to express their gratefulness.
What happens to us when we are grateful?
The blessings of God keep coming to us. When we are grateful the more that the
giver is motivated to give more to us. Therefore, the stream of blessings
continues.
How can we prove this? For example if we
are the giver of the blessing. Would we not unceasingly give to those who
express their appreciation? As opposed to those who do not know how to
appreciate the things that we do for them?
Why was Jesus looking for the other nine
whom He healed? Perhaps it was not anymore for Him to hear their words of
gratitude. But in a deeper sense Jesus was looking for the nine so that He
could have an up close and personal encounter with them. And in the process of
their encounter He could subsequently bless them again and again and again
because an encounter with Jesus is always a blessing.
Jesus is also always looking for us not
anymore to hear words of gratitude from us. He looks for us so that He could
continuously bless us. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
Sa
paglalakbay ni Hesus patungong Jerusalem, nagdaan siya sa hangganan ng Samaria
at Galilea. Nang papasok na siya sa isang nayon, siya’y sinalubong ng sampung
ketongin. Tumigil sila malayu-layo at humiyaw ng: “Hesus! Panginoon! Mahabag po
kayo sa amin!” nang makita sila ay sinabi niya, “Humayo kayo at pakita sa mga
saserdote.”
At
samantalang sila’y naglalakad, gumaling sila. Nang mapuna ng isa na siya’y
magaling na, nagbalik siyang sumisigaw ng pagpupuri sa Diyos. Nagpatirapa siya
sa paanan ni Hesus at nagpasalamat. Ang taong ito’y Samaritano.
“Hindi
ba sampu ang gumaling?” tanong ni Hesus. “Nasan ang siyam? Wala bang nagbalik
at nagpuri sa Diyos kundi ang dayuhang ito?” Sinabi sa kanya ni Hesus,
“Tumindig ka’t humayo sa iyong lakad! Pinagaling ka dahil sa iyong pananalig.”
(Jesus said to His disciples) “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’? Would he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’
+ + + + + + +
Reflection:
What is the frequent failing of many who serve in the vineyard of the Lord Jesus Christ? It’s the feeling of being above everyone and the feeling that they are special because they are serving in the church.
Take for example a priest who has a high sense of himself and who gives orders to those who volunteer their time for the church as if they are his slaves. Sad to say but this is true: there are ill-mannered priest. It’s not only the priest who is guilty of this kind of failing we too are often guilty of this kind of ill-mannered behavior.
If we are like this then how could we bring others closer to Jesus and how could they see Jesus in us? Let us not forget that we who are followers of Jesus are His walking advertisement in this world. If we are arrogant and ill-mannered, how can we bring them closer to Jesus?
In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that we are all servants before Him and our fellowmen. It doesn’t matter how high our position is in the church or how educated or rich we are. If we are true followers of Jesus, we should become servants to everyone.
For it’s in serving others with humility that we become real and authentic followers and servants of Jesus. - Marino J. Dasmarinas
