Team Jesus

The Gospel today tells us that God’s love is eternal. Without His love, we are nothing, just ashes waiting to be blown away and get lost. His love is eternal, because He sent forth His one and only son to save us from our sins to give us new life. When we eat the bread during the Holy Communion, it represents that we allow Him to be in our life. The line “Whoever eats this bread will live forever”, tells us that when we allow God to enter our lives (when we eat the body of Christ), we will be complete, we will be able to experience life after death. Without Him, whatever we seek, we wouldn’t be able to find it, because there is nothing but emptiness. That emptiness is filled with God’s everlasting love. Nothing is ever complete without love and passion. You cannot achieve a happy life when there is no love. You might work for a company that has a high salary, but how can you enjoy your job when you don’t even like it, even though your pay is great. You may become luxurious, bu...

In today's Gospel, we are once again reminded of God's unconditional love for all of us, even if we are sinners. Although we keep sinning against Him from time to time, He still constantly loves and forgives us that He even sends His only Son, Jesus, for us to be saved. You see, God's love is absolute for God doesn't fall out of love. We may have hurt Him with our disobedience and with the things that we've done against His will but He's still there for us, waiting for us to open our hearts to Him. But here we are, falling out of love each time things don’t go our way. When life gets rough and everything's just messed up, we end up doubting His plans and questioning His love. God loves us even though we are sinners filled with brokenness, flaws and imperfections but this doesn’t mean that we should keep committing sin. Hence, we should be proud, thankful and blessed because God send us Jesus His only Son to die for us. He wants us to love ourselves...

When Jesus arrived Bethany, Martha met Him saying that if Jesus could have been there, Lazarus would still be alive. Then she continues saying “but I know that even now, whatever you ask of God, He will grant You.” In this Gospel, Martha represents us. There are times that we blame God for our problems. We get angry at Him for not being with us when we need Him most, thinking that He should have done something for us not to experience such pain and heartaches. But maybe just like Jesus, God takes His time to aid us in our problems. Maybe this is His way of letting us grow and learn from our problems. But God never leaves our side, He is always there to watch over us. Just like Martha, we also need to have faith. Despite having faced such problems, we still know that God is always there to rescue us. Even though Martha is grieving for the loss of her brother, she continued to have faith in Jesus. Losing someone is tough, but we should not let it take away our faith too. S...

In the gospel according to St. John , Jesus was teaching at the temple area when the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman   who had been caught in adultery   and made her stand in the middle. Then they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught   in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”  Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking Him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let the one among you who is without sin , be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he bent down and wrote on the ground and in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So Jesus was left alone with the woman and He said “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She replied, “No one, sir.” Then Jesus said , “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”     We already know that it is alr...

The scripture for today talks about the way Pilate summons Jesus and asks Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Later, Jesus asks Pilate if he came to this question by himself. Pilate then asks Jesus what crime He has committed to lead to His arrest. Jesus replies that His kingdom is not from this world. His followers could have used violence to prevent His arrest but this is not the way of His kingdom. God’s kingdom is about the power of love more than anything else. Human as we are, it’s normal for us to experience times of hardship and experience pain that is caused by all sorts of reasons. It is normal to say that life will never be easy. Often times, we find ourselves caught up in all (if not in others’) problems and end up feeling hopeless and empty and turn to worldly things to fill in the void of the hole that is in ourselves. We tend to turn to things that are bad for us, but make us feel some sort of temporary happiness. We tend to forget the real solution to our problems a...

Basically the Gospel is about the Holy Eucharist and this passage has many points for reflection. The following points can help you reflect on your relationship with Jesus and the people around you. Let me first talk about my relationship with Jesus. I’ve known Jesus since I was young but I really didn’t know how important he is in my life especially during the time I felt like giving up. We all have problems in life and some people just don’t know how to bear with the pain that life is giving us. Before joining BLD, I could describe my life as meaningless. It came to a point when I forgot to respect myself and worst, I forgot who Jesus was in my life. I smoke and drink and so people see me as a “party girl”. I don’t know why but I find peace in doing those kind of stuff. It made me happy. It felt like I could just go on like that every day. It became my habit to go out on Saturday and go home Sunday morning. I didn’t care if my mom would get mad at me as long as I’m happy of what...

In the Gospel Jesus told the Jews, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." The Jews did not believe Him for they know that Jesus is the son of Joseph and Mary and not God. Then Jesus told them, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and i will raise him on the last day.” Jesus is trying to tell them that they should have faith in Him for they are gathered there because God led them there. And whoever believes has eternal life. Jesus also told them, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven, whoever eats this bread will live forever and the bread that i will give is my flesh for the life of the world." Whoever believes in Jesus will be saved because Jesus will sacrifice His life to redeem the world from sin.  We can only experience eternal life if we believe in Jesus who was sent by our God the Father. If we only give our full love and faith in Jesus, nothing is impossible. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not ...

This gospel talks about how Jesus tested Philip and Andrew’s faith. When Philip and Andrew said that the food would not be enough to feed the entire crowd, Jesus wanted to tell them that “Nothing is impossible if you’re with Me.” At first, I think, it is impossible to feed 5,000 people with 5 barley loaves and 2 fishes but God made me believe that nothing is impossible! How can Jesus satisfy the people with just a few loaves of bread? Jesus, himself, is the only who can satisfy their hunger, our hunger because He is the true bread of heaven who can satisfy our deepest hunger in life. We are hungry; hungry not only for food but also hunger for values and morality. In the readings, Jesus said “They shall eat and there shall be some left over.”  And when they had eaten, there were indeed some left overs. God, abundantly, gives us blessings. He gives us more than what we need so that we may be able to share it with others especially to those who are in need.   Let us be gratefu...

Brothers and Sisters in Christ! Today is the day that Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad because today we receive the Holy Spirit. We, Christians called it Pentecost. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon his first followers, the disciples.  When Jesus showed His hands and his side to the disciples upon saying “Peace be with you”, they all rejoiced when they saw the Lord. We are just like the disciples, we all rejoice when we feel peace, love and hope in our hearts. We feel like everything is just so perfect. Remember when we were all little babies being baptized. That was the time when we’re called Children of God. We received for the very first time the gift of the Holy Spirit.  For me, the Holy Spirit is my hope. Whenever I got problems I always seek his help. But there also times when my hope is gone and my faith is broken. There are times when we felt unloved, rejected, abandoned and just felt sadness in our hearts.  We asked Him “Why Lord?” I am guilty of this...

In today’s Gospel,, we learn about the meaning of friendship, and most especially, discipleship. To most, it would seem that friendship and discipleship are two polar opposites. Friendship as something mutual and symbiotic and discipleship as something bearing resemblance to being someone's servant. But we are told otherwise. We fail to see that both friendship and discipleship have something in common; and that is love. We love the people we are friends with and we love the person we are so willing to follow. Jesus tells us that: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you." He even calls all of us His friends! Is there anything more beautiful? He is telling us that if we continue to love one another and to live out His commandments, we may remain in His grace and love. By doing this, we are spelling out a message that says: "Yes, Father, I will obey and love as you did." Though we may not live in His ways, He still loves us unconditionally. There is a particul...

UNLIMITED INTERNET Cel•lu•lar phone noun 1. a telephone with access to a cellular radio system so it can be used over a wide area, without a physical connection to a network. Well, gone are the days when our cell phones could be fully explained by this single line. Nowadays, a phone should be "smart", wherein it can do a multitude of things. Aside from calls and texts, it allows you to organize your schedule, use GPS, check emails, play games, download movies, use social media, and be updated with current events. These phones are built to do crazy, amazing things. But as always, there are certain limitations, and in this case, to be able to fully utilize your device, you need one very important thing: Internet connection. My family and I were blessed to have had gone on trips abroad, and everytime we do, my phone loses almost all it's features. It simply becomes a camera. Sure, it's a good camera, but it can be so much better! I think this analogy goes just as well ...

Today’s Gospel features one of the most inspiring and much loved images of Jesus, as the Good Shepherd who bravely takes care of all of us, his sheep. Sometimes, I can see myself as the hired man who does something good only because he is paid or told to do so. It’s hard to admit it but it is true. Doing something without expecting gratitude or anything in return is Real Kindness. An example of this is when we are in the BLD Youth Ministry. These times we’re preparing for the incoming Youth Encounter #16. Let us not think that we only do this because we are obliged to do it but because we’re doing it for God and for the candidates. We learn to sacrifice things just to serve the Lord. Let us set Jesus as our example, who gave His life for His sheep. We must become a person for others. Jesus asks us to be good shepherds ourselves. He does not call us to be a sheep, but rather shepherds like Jesus. As a member of this community, we should lead those who are lost in the right path...

In the gospel, the disciples locked themselves in a room for the fear of Jews. Jesus came to them and said, “ Peace be with you” and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced for they have seen the Lord. But Thomas, who was one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. He did not believe the testimony of the disciples. After a few days,  the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were, once again, closed but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘ Peace be with you’ he said. He spoke to Thomas and he replied, ‘ My Lord and my God!’ There are times that I become like Thomas. I’ve been exposed to the Christian life for how many years but still doubt God’s presence. I thought what’s taught is not enough for me to fully believe that God is with us. There were times when I felt I was facing life alone because no one backed me up when I felt so weak, when I was trying to understand my situation no one answered me, when I needed som...

In the first reading, we hear Peter witnessing to Christ's passion and resurrection, as well as describing his personal call “to preach to the people and testify”.  I believe that not only Peter or the other disciples are called by God “to preach to the people and testify”. We are all called to be a witness for Christ to others.  In particular, I believe my personal call by God is to gather more youth, hopefully,  by  providing them the opportunity to grow in faith and helping them realize that they need to “come home to the Lord” always. Fighting side by side  for  Jesus is never easy. We are always challenged with a lot of temptations.  We sometimes find it difficult to share our faith with others and also defend God. Why is it so difficult for us? Maybe because we  are  ashamed? Embarrassed because it is not cool  or  it  makes us look  “corny”? Or maybe we are so  full  of guilt?  In the Responsorial Psa...

Nowadays, we are all busy with earthly concerns and even sometimes take God for granted. We are too preoccupied with school, work and extra-curricular activities. The sad part about it, when bad things happen, we immediately fail to see the bright side on those circumstances, worst, blame God. But have we thought that maybe, often, those circumstances are not of God’s but of our own decisions? It was written from the Catechism of Catholic Church: “God is in no way, directly or indirectly, the cause of moral evil. He permits it, however, because he respects the freedom of his creatures and, mysteriously, knows how to derive good from it.” We are not perfect but this is not an excuse especially that we are in this community, we should know better. I am guilty of this, though. I have been serving the Lord for 13 years now, but I am still struggling to be like Jesus Christ. Which reminds me, that everyone here, even having part already in a community; more so, still experience trials ...

In the olden times, there were many gods where people believed to be their king. They serve them and believe in them, gave their full lives over them, even if the things they are doing are already evil. In order to stop these fallacies, God send down His only Son to save the world from evil. This evil means the state of doing bad and making wrong. True enough, when Jesus was in His public ministry, He was able to persuade many to do well and change their wrong ways. Many argued with Him but still He was always there to prove them that He was right. And it was when He died on the cross that He best exemplified the greatest love of all, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Jesus was successful in sending the message God wants everyone to know, to do good and avoid evil is to LOVE. And love means, doing what is right and doing what is good not just for the benefit of oneself but also the benefit of others. It means making sacrifices and promoting the welfare of everyone. In our ...

The Gospel is telling us that our relationship with God should be like a child to his parent, full of love, respect, and with no thought of any gain or loss personally. Attending our Sunday mass out of fear of mortal sin and consequent eternal punishment is a wrong attitude of a Christian.  In the same way, following the Ten Commandments for the purpose of having heavenly rewards is merely profit motive actions, where this should not be the main reason for doing acts of charity. I am guilty of this said attitude. Sometimes I attend mass because my parents wake me and my siblings up, and force us to attend the mass. When in mass, my mind is not focused with the homily of the priest but is divided with thoughts that are not related to the word of God.  Following the Ten Commandments is as not simple. But in our own simple way we can do as much as helping a person in need, feeding a hungry person, and donating what we have to others who are in need. After doing these goo...

Today's Gospel tells us about the meeting of Jesus, and three of His apostles, John, Andrew and Simon Peter. Jesus asked the apostles, "What are you looking for?" They answered, "Rabbi (teacher)". The apostles, in return, asked Jesus, "Where are you staying?” He said to them, "Come, and you will see." In our time today, we tend to be so equipped with a lot of worldly things that we forget what we really ought to do in this world. We tend to be self-centered that we ignore the needs of others and focus on our personal needs. With that, we must pause for a moment and ask ourselves this question: What am I looking for? Sometimes, we get so overwhelmed by the material things that call our attention that we forget to devote our time with the Lord. I, unfortunately, am guilty of that. Because of so many things to be done in school, plus the temptation that is social media, I sometimes forget to pause, say a prayer and have a deep and heart to hea...

"A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert; make straight the way of the Lord." Today’s Gospel is a very meaningful one. Let me share you an experience of mine. When I was still studying at Davao Doctors College, I was really uncomfortable wearing my uniform - typical all white med student uniform with black shoes, whenever I had to go to malls after my class. I remembered a time when I was strolling at Abreeza Mall. I was at the ladies section of the department store looking for a possible birthday gift for my friend when a middle-age woman approach me and said, "Day, paki-limpyo gud sa salog didto-a. Naay hugaw kay nabubo ang softdrinks sa bata." I turned my back and looked at her. With a tough voice, I said,  "Sorry po Maam. Pero studyante po ako ng Davao D...

“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”           In today's Gospel, we talk about Jesus' temple in Jerusalem. For the Jews, the temple is the place for sacrifices and offerings, a place where God's presence is found. Jesus referred to the temple as His Father's house which was being made into a “house of trade”. He requests that the temple be destroyed and be restored after three days, but the temple He had spoken was His body.             In reality, we are God's temple. The temple in the Gospel speaks about the body in which the presence of Christ dwells. We are referred to as the Holy Temple of God for the Holy Spirit is present among us. We do not only refer to ourselves as the Temple, but also the Church, the sacred place where God's presence is found. Therefore, whoever destroys the temple destroys God. We consider ourselves holy for we know God i...