Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần thứ bốn Phục Sinh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần thứ bốn Phục Sinh
Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu nói rõ cho chúng ta biết rằng Chính là Chúa Cha, Đấng đã sai và chúc lành cho Ngài để  làm những việc tốt lành. Ngài cũng nói rằng nhiệm vụ của Ngài là đến với thế gian này là để làm những gì mà Chúa Cha đã sai Ngài đến để làm.
 Và đối với các thánh cũng thế.  Thánh George là một quan lớn trong quân đội La Mã, nhưng sau khi ông được rửa tội và theo Thiên Chúa, ông đã lập tức từ bỏ tất cả của cải trần thế của mình và ông đã bố thí tất cả những gì ông có cho người nghèo. Ông rời bỏ quân đội và sau đó, ông đã đứng lên làm chứng nhân cho Chúa Kitô  và đã chết vì đức tin cho Chúa Kitô. Từ cái chết can đảm, dũng khí của ông đã khuyến khích rất nhiều người khác dám chết cho Chúa. Ai đã làm cho Thánh George có đủ can đảm để làm tất cả những điều này? Chính Chúa Giêsu, Người Thầy và là đấng Cứu rỗi của ông ta.
 Thánh Adalbert là một người ngoại giáo đã theo đạo Công giáo. Ông trở thành Giám Mục Prague (Thủ đô Tiệp) và ông đã truyền bá Tin Mừng cho người Ba Lan và Hungary. Ông gặp phải nhiều sự chống đối, và cuối cùng ông đã phải chịu tử đạo trong khi cố gắng để rao giảng Tin Mừng  cho quân Phổ ở vùng Baltic và kêu gọi họ trở lại. Thánh Adalbert cũng đã lắng nghe tiếng của Thiên Chúa khi ông làm những công việc truyền bá phúc âm của mình.
  Chúng ta có nghe tiếng nói của Thiên Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta? Sau khi Ngài đã  giúp chúng ta phân loại và nhận định đâu cuộc sống không có mục đích của chúng ta. Đôi khi Ngài cũng đã còn mời gọi một số người trong chúng ta làm việc cho Ngài còn nhiều hơn . Chúng ta đã có bao giờ nghe thấy tiếng gọi ấy?. Xin Chúa Thánh Thần mở long trí và giúp chúng biết nghe tiến Chúa.
 
Reflection Saturday 4th Week of Easter
In the Gospel reading, Jesus says clearly that it is the Father who enables him to do good works.  He also says that his mission is to do what the Father tells him to do.
This is also true for the saints.  St. George was a tribune in the Roman army when he converted to Christianity.  Immediately he gave up all his worldly possessions and gave them to the poor.  He left the army and was subsequently martyred for standing up for the faith.  His death inspired many others to die for the Lord.  Who inspired St. George to do all this?  Obviously, the Lord, his Master and Savior.
 St. Adalbert was a pagan convert to Catholicism.  He became the Bishop of Prague  and he evangelized the Poles and Hungarians.  Encountering much opposition, he was martyred trying to convert the Baltic Prussians.  St. Adalbert also listened to the voice of God when doing his evangelical work.  
 Have you heard the voice of God in your life?  After He helps sort out our aimless lives, sometimes He invites some of us to do more for Him.  Have you heard this calling?
 
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter
“Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” John 14:12–14
How is it that we are called to do greater works than the works that Jesus Himself did? Of course, it’s true. This is our calling. We know that, because this is what our Lord promised us. This truth should fill us with gratitude for being used so powerfully by God.
Among the “greater” works of which Jesus speaks is, first and foremost, the sharing of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. As Jesus walked the earth, His mission was primarily to the people of Israel. But when He ascended to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit upon the Church, He also empowered all who would receive the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Thus, the conversion of hearts is the greatest work that we can cooperate with.
Do you want to do great things? Most children dream of doing so because this desire is written upon our human nature. We want to make a difference. We want to be great. But too often we become confused about true greatness. We attempt to fulfill that innate desire through acts of worldly and passing greatness. We seek recognition, wealth, and other passing rewards that stem from selfish ambitions. None of these ultimately fulfill us, even if we were to achieve them to the greatest extent. For example, imagine if you won the Nobel Peace Prize, or became the leader of a nation, or became the wealthiest person alive. Would the attainment of one of these goals fulfill you? Only if it were the will of God. If not, it would be an empty and meaningless act.
Begin by looking within. Do you see the desire within you to do great things? Hopefully you do. From there, remind yourself that the greatest thing you can do, so as to fulfill the desire within you, is to do that which is the will of God for your life. Jesus says, “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” Asking in Jesus’ name means asking for the fulfillment of His will. It means asking that God use you to bring His saving grace to others any way He chooses. If you ask our Lord for this grace, He will grant it.
This form of prayer requires humility and a complete detachment from our own will. It requires that we ask the Father only for that which the Son asks the Father for us. But the reward of such a humble prayer is that God will bestow His grace and mercy on others through us. This is His perfect will.
Reflect, today, upon this high calling. Do so by looking at the desire within your own soul for greatness and then unite that desire with God’s will as the only thing that can fulfill you. Pray for this gift every day with humility and detachment and you will become an instrument of acts that give eternal glory to God. In Heaven, this will be your eternal joy.
Providential Lord, Your will is perfect and glorious. Please help me to humble myself before You, every day, so that I will understand Your will for my life and choose it always. May I be an instrument of Your saving grace to all whom You wish to touch through me. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 4th Week of Easter 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, my deepest desire is eternal communion with you. I long to see your face and enjoy your blessedness. Guide me on my journey to you and empower me to accomplish the greater works your Son has revealed. Glorify your name!
Encountering the Word of God.
Communion with the Father and the Son: Today’s Gospel brings out the fact that the truth of our salvation in Christ is inseparable from the truth of his divine sonship. Jesus, the Son of God, was sent by the Father to save us and to bring us into communion with the Father. We are called to believe that the Son is in the Father and that the Father is in the Son. This communion between the Father and the Son is manifested in the divine works that the Son accomplishes. The divine works of the Son are the works of his Father. When we enter into that communion between Father, Son, and Spirit through faith and Baptism, we too will accomplish the works of God.
Preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles: During their ministry in Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas were invited to preach again in the local synagogue on the Sabbath (Acts 13:42). Paul concluded his first sermon, given the week before on the Sabbath, by affirming that through Jesus’ death and resurrection the forgiveness of sins is now possible (Acts 13:38). What the observance of the law of Moses could not accomplish for us – justification and forgiveness – Jesus Christ has accomplished. As believers, we are justified in Christ (Acts 13:39). Paul reminds his listeners that they have received the offer of salvation in Christ and that they are to remain faithful to this grace of God (Acts 13:43). The success of Paul’s first sermon is evident. Almost the entire city goes out to hear the word of the Lord preached by Paul. The Jews became envious of this success and began to argue with Paul and tried to contradict his message. This rejection of the Gospel by some of the Jewish people led Paul and Barnabas to turn to the Gentiles. In this way, they bring to fulfillment the prophecy of Isaiah: “I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6). The prophesy originally referred to Israel and her mission to spread knowledge and worship of the one true God among the nations. The prophecy was applied by Simeon to Jesus at the presentation in the temple (Luke 2:30-32). Now, Paul and Barnabas discern that God is commanding them to continue Jesus’ mission. “The Gospel itself did not show how Simeon’s prophecy was fulfilled or how Jesus’ mission actually affected Gentiles beyond Israel. It is in Acts that Jesus’ mission to the Gentiles is accomplished in what he does and teaches through his Spirit-filled disciples” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 219).
Destined for Eternal Life: The Gentiles enthusiastically welcomed the Word of God. They believed and received the gift of eternal life. Luke says that those who believed “were destined for eternal life.” This does not mean that God arbitrarily chose to predestine some people to salvation and others to condemnation. All men and women are ordered and directed to eternal life. We are destined to be God’s children through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:3-6). Predestination, then, is the eternal knowledge that God has of the ordering and directing of human beings and angels to salvation and eternal life. Predestination is part of God’s providential knowledge of the order of all creation to himself as the end of all things. When God governs his creation, he executes his eternal and providential plan in them; when he calls and justifies the human being, he brings to fulfillment his eternal plan of predestination (Thomas Aquinas, Summa theologiae, I, q. 23, a. 2). Paul teaches in the Letter to the Romans that God foreknew us and predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son. Those he predestined in Christ he called, and those he called he justified, and those he justified he glorified (Romans 8:28-30). God’s eternal predestination does not take away our freedom: “When God establishes his eternal plan of predestination, he includes in it each person’s free response to his grace” (CCC, 600). 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have forgiven my sins and established me in a right relationship with God the Father. I have been healed and justified by your grace and granted divine sonship. Help me to live as a true child of God and heed the words of my Father in heaven.
Living the Word of God: A person can choose to reject God’s call and grace. They can reject God’s love and mercy. When we reject God’s merciful love, we abuse the gift of our freedom and bring condemnation upon ourselves. When we accept and collaborate with the grace of God’s merciful love, we use the gift of our freedom properly and are brought to share in eternal life. Will I accept or reject God’s grace and mercy today?
 
Saturday 4th Week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Here we are, Lord, on the first day of May, the month of Mary, on the first Saturday of the month, Mary’s Saturday, in the year of St. Joseph, during the Easter season. Could this moment be more spiritually rich? Bless me as I listen for your voice while I pray over these words of Scripture.
Encountering Christ:
God Bless Philip: Even though he accompanied Jesus for quite some time, Philip still missed an important truth about his master—that the Father and Jesus are one. Yet, Philip spoke from his heart when he begged, “Show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Like Philip, many of us are “seasoned followers of Christ,” having been with him for years in our vocations as priests, consecrated persons, or lay men and women. Like Philip, we often misunderstand Jesus when he reveals something of himself to us, even if we should know better. Philip teaches us that when we ask Jesus sincerely for clarification or greater insight, Jesus answers us. We have this beautiful description of Jesus’s relationship with the Father because Philip asked to see and understand.
Doing His Works: Once more, Jesus tells us in these lines of Scripture that by faith we can work miracles. “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” If we’re not doing miracles or witnessing them, the fault lies with us. Perhaps our faith is too weak. Perhaps we haven’t discerned when miracles are called for. Perhaps we aren’t ready to give Jesus all the credit. Or maybe we fail to see miracles for what they are. Is there any greater miracle than to see the light of Christ sparkle in someone’s eyes for the first time as you witness about him? Lectors, eucharistic ministers, and church musicians can be miracle workers, bringing the word to life in people’s souls by their ministries. Healing miracles happen through healing services or by our own intercessory prayers. We are miracle workers every time we act according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, for we become Christ’s hands and feet for the good of our neighbor.
Asking: Jesus told us that if we ask anything of him in his name, he will do it. What a promise! How often do we trust the Lord with our heart’s greatest desires? We think, “I want to be a saint” or “I want the conversion of my fallen-away children.” These things are certainly at the top of our list, but are they truly our greatest desires? Maybe we want to be hugged? Loved? Understood? Do we long for companionship? Physical healing? When we ask the Lord to reveal to us what our greatest desires are, the answers may surprise us. Our Lord knows what we want, so let’s have the courage to tell him the truth from the depths of our hearts. We take these things to Jesus and trust that he hears us and is working on it. And we say with St. Therese of Lisieux, “I am certain... that you will grant my desires; I know it, O my God!”
Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for this month of May to honor your mother and mine. Blessed Mother, watch over the souls entrusted to me. Ask your Son to please increase my faith so that I may be pleasing to him and humbly, obediently, do all that he asks of me. Like St. Therese, I am certain that Jesus knows my heart’s desires and hears and answers my prayers.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend ten minutes in intercessory prayer, confident that you hear and answer my prayers.
 
Saturday 23rd April 2016 4th Week of Easter
Prepare the way of the Lord. Make the pathway level and smooth. Fill in the valleys and lower the mountains so that the way may be easily accessible for everyone. The construction is not finished yet! Clearly there have always been difficulties in preparing the way of the Lord. Whether it is a lack of understanding like on the part of Phillip or the petty jealousy which causes the message of Paul and Barnabas to be rejected without a real hearing, the path to the kingdom is fraught with obstacles and pitfalls and trials.
Where do we begin? We begin at the beginning: with ourselves. Is the person we see in the mirror someone in whom and through whom the Light of the world shines? Are we a means of salvation for one another? Or do we somehow or sometimes obscure the light with our pettiness or some other sin? Do we find our way to the Father through Jesus? Can we see Jesus in the faces of our sisters and brothers?
Perhaps the first thing we need to ask the Father in Jesus’ name is to remove any blindness in us, any unbelief and any pettiness so we can fully receive and embody the good news and glorify the Father   through our lives. Being a disciple and preparing the way has never been easy but with God’s grace we may be filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit even in the face of obstacles and rejection and ignorance.  Lord, to have seen You is to have seen the Father. Amen.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Tư Phục Sinh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Tư Phục Sinh
Con người làm nhiều việc khủng khiếp vì sợ hãi, sự thiếu hiểu biết, và vì tội lỗi. Cho đến ngày nay, con người chúng ta vẫn tiếp tục làm nhiều điều tiêu cực. Trong những lời rao truyền về sự đau khổ, và cái chết nhục nhã của Chúa Giêsu trên Thập Giá, Thánh Phêrô không bao giờ khiển trách người Do Thái về những sự bạo hành đó, ông chỉ nói đến sự vui mừng vì Thiên Chúa đã làm cho Đức Giêsu được sống lại từ cõi chết và tôn vinh Ngài. Thiên Chúa luôn luôn là sức mạnh và còn mạnh hơn cả tội lỗi và sự sợ hãi của chúng ta, và Thiên Chúa sẽ luôn luôn tìm cách để giáo huấn chúng ta biết sửa đổi và đem chúng ta đến sự ngay thẳng. Chúng ta đừng quá chán nản và bất mãn về tình trạng tội lỗi của thế giới, nhưng chúng ta cần phải cố gắng mang lại sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa vào những những nơi tồi tàn và tối tăm nhất.
Trong lúc các môn đệ của Chúa qua lo âu và buồn rầu, Chúa Giêsu đã an ủi họ nói với họ là không nên để cho lòng trí và tâm hồn của họ phải gặp những khó khăn, âu sầu, lo sợ; vì sau khi tất cả, Ngài đã đi trước khi họ chuẩn bị một nơi cho họ trong tương lai. Khi được hỏi làm thế nào đê một người như chúng ta có thể tìm đến một Thiên Chúa, Chúa Giêsu đã cho chỉ cho chúng ta biết là Ngài chính là đường, là sự thật và là sự sống. Cách sống của Ngài chính là cách hay là con đường tâm linh; đưa tới sự khiêm tốn, tình yêu thương, và sự phục vụ. Chúng ta phải bước theo con đường sống theo như cách của Ngài giống như cách sống mà Ngài đã làm. Ngài là chân lý, trong đó, Ngài đã tỏ lộ bản chất thật sự của Thiên Chúa trong hình dạng con người, đó là ánh sáng và tình yêu. Đó là cách chúng ta phải nghĩ về Thiên Chúa, cũng như một mô hình cho cuộc sống của chúng ta. Ngài là sự sống, trong đó Ngài trao sự sống đời đời cho những người biết mở rộng tâm hồn và và con tim của họ. Đặt niềm tin vào Chúa Giêsu không phải là đồng ý với một mớ các học thuyết, nhưng là trung thành bước theo con đường tâm linh của Ngài. Chúa Giêsu vừa là con đường dẫn chúng ta đến Thiên Chúa và cổng Thiên Đàng, và tất cả những ai bước đi trong tình yêu sẽ tìm thấy Ngài. Chúa Giêsu, là con đường của chúng ta và là chân lý, là sự thật của chúng ta.
 
Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” John 14:1
In John’s Gospel, Chapters 14–17 present us with what is referred to as Jesus’ “Last Supper Discourses,” or His “Final Discourses.” These are a series of sermons given by our Lord to the disciples the night He was arrested. These discourses are deep and filled with symbolic imagery. He speaks of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the vine and the branches, the world’s hatred, and these discourses conclude with Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. These discourses begin with today’s Gospel in which Jesus addresses the coming fear, or troubled hearts, that He knows His disciples will experience.
Let’s begin by considering this first line spoken by Jesus above: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” This is a command. It’s a gentle command but a command nonetheless. Jesus knew that His disciples would soon see Him arrested, falsely accused, mocked, beaten and killed. He knew they would be overwhelmed by what they would soon experience, so He took this opportunity to gently and lovingly rebuke the fear that they would soon face.
Fear can come from many different sources. Some fear is helpful to us, such as the fear present in a dangerous situation. In this case, that fear can heighten our awareness of the danger so that we proceed with caution. But the fear that Jesus was speaking of here was of a different kind. It was a fear that could lead to irrational decisions, confusion, and even despair. This was the kind of fear that our Lord wanted to gently rebuke.
What is it that causes you to fear at times? Many people struggle with anxiety, worry, and fear for many different reasons. If this is something you struggle with, it’s important to allow Jesus’ words to resonate within your mind and heart. The best way to overcome fear is to rebuke it at its source. Hear Jesus say to you, “Do not let your heart be troubled.” Then listen to His second command: “You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” Faith in God is the cure for fear. When we have faith, we are under the control of the voice of God. It is God’s truth that directs us rather than the difficulty we are facing. Fear can lead to irrational thinking, and irrational thinking can lead us deeper and deeper into confusion. Faith pierces through the irrationality we are tempted with, and the truths that faith presents to us bring clarity and strength.
Reflect, today, upon whatever it is that causes you the most anxiety, worry and fear in your life. Allow Jesus to speak to you, to call you to faith and to rebuke those troubles gently but firmly. When you have faith in God, you can endure all things. Jesus endured the Cross. The disciples eventually endured their crosses. God wants to strengthen you, too. Let Him speak to you so that you will overcome whatever is most troublesome to your heart.
My loving Shepherd, You know all things. You know my heart and the difficulties I face in life. Give me the courage I need, dear Lord, to face every temptation to fear with confidence and trust in You. Bring clarity to my mind and peace to my troubled heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday 4th Week of Easter 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I want to dwell in your house all the days of my life. Your house is one of eternal peace and joy, where sin and death are no more, and where every tear is wiped away. Help to experience that peace and joy even now as I journey home.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Obligations of the New Covenant: The theme of divine sonship is very present in today’s Gospel passage. During the Last Supper, Jesus calls his disciples “children” because, through the New Covenant, they are granted the inheritance of the Father (John 13:8). Some of the disciples, like John and Peter, are Jesus’ own. Others, like Judas, have rejected Jesus and do not truly belong to him. Just as Israel’s acceptance of covenant sonship was sealed by a covenant meal (Exodus 24:9-11), so this meal expresses the New Covenant relationship. The meal generates fellowship and communion and is a manifestation of the divine kinship bonds that have been established through the New Covenant. On this night, Jesus teaches his disciples about the obligations of the New Covenant: he gives them the New Commandment to love one another; he teaches not just by word, but also by example in washing his disciples’ feet (DeMeo, Covenantal Kinship in John 13-17, pp. 118-120).
2. Dwelling in the Father’s House: In the Gospel, Jesus invites both his disciples and us, who have become children of God through Baptism, to trust and believe in him. As God's children, we will dwell with the Father as a son dwells in their father’s house. Likewise, the Father and the Son will dwell in us who believe in Jesus and love him (John 14:23). The theme of dwelling in the Father’s house recalls the Temple in Jerusalem, which embodied God’s covenant with David. In his Gospel, John refers first to the Jerusalem temple as the house of the Father (John 2:16) but will transition to refer to the temple of Jesus’ body. Jesus’ risen and glorified body is the Father’s house, which is the temple where God definitively dwells in the midst of his New Covenant people (Revelation 21:22) (DeMeo, Covenantal Kinship in John 13-17, pp. 294-295). Through our Baptism and our faith in Jesus, we have become children of the Father and members of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. As Christians, our way to the Father is Jesus Christ. It is a way that passes through the humility of the cross but ends in the glory of eternal life.
3. Paul’s Sermon in Antioch in Pisidia: The First Reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, records one of Paul’s most important sermons. It is an example of how Paul demonstrated that Jesus is the Messiah. The true sons of Abraham are those who accept Jesus, the son of David, as the Savior who will lead Israel to her salvation (cf. Acts 13:26). Paul then accuses the inhabitants and leaders of Jerusalem of failing to recognize Jesus as the promised Savior and as the promised Son of David. By condemning Jesus to death and hanging him on the Tree of the Cross, the people unknowingly fulfilled the oracles of the prophets. As prophesied by Isaiah, God uses the sufferings and crucifixion of his Servant, Jesus, to bring about his plan of salvation. Paul recalls that his listeners are children of the family of Abraham. After narrating the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Paul proclaims that what God promised to their fathers – to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – has been granted to them, the children of Abraham, through Jesus Christ. God fulfills his promises to Abraham and his promise to David by raising up Jesus. “Because the risen Jesus is an eternally living son of David whose reign will never end, he unconditionally fulfills the promise that David's throne will stand forever (2 Sam 7:13)” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 215). Paul quotes from Psalm 2, which we sing today, and applies it to Jesus. Originally, the psalm referred to the new king in the line of David who, at his coronation, was declared God’s adopted son and given authority and dominion. “Now this royal psalm is fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah, risen and enthroned in heaven so as to share God's dominion over the whole world” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 215).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to dwell with you in the Father’s house all the days of my life. You have prepared a place for me and I look forward to the eternal gathering of God’s family in heaven. May my thoughts turn often to this heavenly dwelling as I journey through this world!
Living the Word of God: Gathering together as a family is often, but not always, a time of joy, love, and feasting. However, much joy and happiness we experience is a drop of water compared to the ocean of happiness that is heaven. How can I cultivate this longing for heaven among my family members and in my daily life?
 
Friday 4th Week of Easter 22nd April 2019
People do many terrible things through fear, ignorance, and sin. Even today, humans continue to do many negative things. In his proclamation about the crucifixion of Jesus, Peter does not lay blame; he merely rejoices that God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted him. God is always stronger than our sin and our fear, and God will always find some way to set us straight. Let us not be overly depressed about the state of the world, but try to bring God’s presence into the darkest corners.
Jesus told his anxious disciples not to let their hearts be troubled; after all, he was going before them to prepare a place. When asked how one reaches God, Jesus pointed to himself as the way, the truth, and the life. His life is the way or spiritual path; humility, love, and service. We must follow that path just as he did. He is truth, in that he reveals the true nature of God in human form, which is light and love. That is how we must think of God, as well as model our lives. He is life, in that he grants eternal life to those who open their minds and hearts. Faith in Jesus is not agreeing to a list of doctrines but faithfully following his spiritual path. Jesus himself is both the path to God and the gate, and all who walk in love will find him.  Jesus, be my path and my truth.
 
Friday 4th Week of Easter
Opening Prayer: I want to believe and follow you, Lord Jesus, but it is difficult for me at times to understand how I am to act and speak as your disciple in the circumstances of my day. I believe in you, Jesus; help my unbelief. 
Encountering Christ:
Slave and Messenger: Several verses before this Gospel passage and the few after it revealed that Jesus had an enemy among his Apostles. When Jesus said, “No slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him,” he was warning his Apostles of this sinister threat. Judas had already accepted the blood money in exchange for turning Jesus over to the authorities, but it was not too late for him to repent here. He did not. Perhaps Judas believed he was in control, able to twist events to his advantage without losing his place among his brother Apostles. Judas would soon realize he was never in control but instead had become a slave to Satan and his messenger of evil. We too often fall for the lie that we are in control of our lives. God has given every person free will, but “The exercise of freedom does not imply a right to say or do everything. It is false to maintain that man, ‘the subject of this freedom,’ is ‘an individual who is fully self-sufficient and whose finality is the satisfaction of his own interests in the enjoyment of earthly goods’” (CCC 1740). “Freedom makes a man a moral subject. When he acts deliberately, man is, so to speak, the father of his acts. Human acts, that is, acts that are freely chosen in consequence of a judgment of conscience can be morally evaluated. They are either good or evil” (CCC 1749). Jesus taught his Apostles, and teaches us, that our acts of free will are subject to two choices: good or evil. 
In Control: John writes Jesus was “…fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God […] (John 13:3), and then described the Son of God, fully empowered, stooping to wash the feet of his Apostles. This is the amazing witness of Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the meek, they shall possess the land” (Matthew 5:4). Meekness, Archbishop Fulton Sheen says, is “self-possession. That is why the reward for meekness is possession.” The Greek origin of the word meek is “strength under control.” In ancient Greece, war horses were meeked: trained to be strong and powerful yet under control and willing to submit. Jesus was fully in control of his humanity through his divinity, manifested in his obedience to the Father. This is meekness, the strength under control that Jesus witnessed to us, and we are called to imitate him.
I AM: “From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM.” Jesus was taking the precious little time he had left to prepare his Apostles for what was to come. He had spent the past three years walking with them, teaching them, and witnessing what they were to do, and now it all came down to their belief in his words that he, Jesus, their friend, and Master, is God: I AM. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” When the situation soon became out of the Apostles’ control and their Lord was taken from them, their belief was shaken but not destroyed. This outcome was helped by the witness of those who stood at his cross: the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, John, and a few others. It would be Mary Magdalene whom the resurrected Jesus sent and was received by the Apostles. When we experience our “out of control” situations, we can remember that Jesus prepares us and teaches us what to do through the graces we receive in the sacramental life of his Catholic Church. “If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.” 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, so often I try to control situations, and this leads to division and unrest instead of the unity and peace I want. You teach us that the way to unity and peace can only be achieved by surrendering our will to you. You are the way, Jesus. I will follow you. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make an intentional effort to grow in the virtue of meekness through prayer and acts of submission in your name to the proper authorities in my circumstances. 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần thứ 4 Phục Sinh

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần thứ 4 Phục Sinh

            Mùa Phục Sinh là mùa mang lại cho chúng ta một thông điệp của hy vọng trong sự sống lại với Chúa Kitô trong cuộc sống mới. Trong bài Tin Mừng, Chúa Kitô cho chúng ta biết rằng bất cứ ai tiếp đón một trong những người Ngài gởi đến là tiếp nhận Ngài.  Và bất cứ ai tiếp nhận Chúa Kitô là tiếp nhận Chúa Cha, Ngưòi  đã sai Chúa Giêsu Kitô đến.

            Qua phép rửa tất cả chúng ta được Chúa Kitô giao nhiệm vụ và sai đi để tham gia với Ngài trong nhiệm vụ rao truyền Tin Mừng của Ngài đến với mọi người. Mỗi người chúng ta được kêu gọi nên thánh; chúng ta có nhiệm vụ phải thay đổi lối sống của chúng ta cho tốt hơn, để được sống lại với Chúa Kitô trong cuộc sống mới, để trở nên những chứng nhân tình yêu của Ngài và là niềm hy vọng trong sự sống lại và sự chiến thắng của Ngài.

            Chúa Giêsu đã bảo đảm với chúng ta rằng Ngài sẽ ở lại với chúng ta cũng như Ngài đã sai chúng ta đến để làm chứng cho Ngài, Ngài hứa với chúng ta là Ngài sẽ ban ân sủng của Ngài cho chúng ta và sẽ hỗ trợ chúng ta  trong việc chia sẻ Tin Mừng tuyệt vời của Ngài cho tất cả mọi người được  biết  là Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã sống lại, và Thiên Chúa đã yêu thương chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy tin tưởng vào Ngài trong những lời kêu gọi và và hợp tác với Ngài sứ mạng tuyệt vời này.

 

Reflection Thursday 4th of Easter 2016

            The season of Easter gives us the message of hope in rising to new life with Christ.  In the Gospel reading, Christ tells us that whoever receives the one he has sent receives him. And whoever received Christ receives the Father who has sent him.

            In baptism all of us are commissioned and sent by Christ to join him in his mission.  We are called to holiness; we are tasked to change for the better, to rise to new life with Christ, to become witnesses of his love and of hope in his resurrection and triumph. 

            Jesus' words assures that he will be with us as he send us to be his witnesses, He assures us of his grace and assistance to share the wonderful news that Christ has risen, that God loves us.  Let us trust him in this wonderful call and mission.

 

Thursday 4th of Easter 2024

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.” John 13:16–17

During this, the Fourth Week of Easter, we return to the Last Supper and will spend a few weeks considering the discourse Jesus gave that Holy Thursday evening to His disciples. The question to ask yourself today is this: “Are you blessed?” Jesus says that you are blessed if you “understand” and “do” what He teaches His disciples. So what did He teach them?

Jesus offers this prophetic action by which He took on the role of a slave by washing the disciples’ feet. His action was much louder than words, as the saying goes. The disciples were humbled by this act, and Peter, at first, refused it. There is little doubt that this humble act of service, by which Jesus lowered Himself before His disciples, made a strong impression upon them.

The worldly view of greatness is much different than the one Jesus taught. Worldly greatness is a process of elevating yourself in the eyes of others, striving to let them know just how good you are. Worldly greatness is often driven by a fear of what others may think of you, and a desire to be honored by all. But Jesus wants to be clear that we will only be great if we serve. We must humble ourselves before others, holding them and their goodness up, honoring them and showing them the deepest love and respect. By washing their feet, Jesus completely abandoned the worldly view of greatness and called His disciples to do the same.

Humility is difficult to understand at times. This is why Jesus said, “If you understand this…” He realized that the disciples, as well as all of us, will struggle with understanding the importance of humbling ourselves before others and serving them. But if you do understand humility, you will be “blessed” when you live it. You will not be blessed in the eyes of the world, but you will be truly blessed in the eyes of God.

Humility is especially accomplished when we purify our desire for honor and prestige, when we overcome all fear of being mistreated, and when, in place of this desire and fear, we desire abundant blessings upon others, even before ourselves. This love and humility is the only way to this mysterious and profound depth of love.

Reflect, today, upon this humble act of the Son of God, the Savior of the World, lowering Himself before His disciples, serving them as if He were a slave. Try to imagine yourself doing this for others. Think about various ways that you can more readily go out of your way to put others and their needs before your own. Seek to eliminate every selfish desire you struggle with and identify any fear that keeps you from humility. Understand this gift of humility and live it. Only then will you be truly blessed.

My humble Lord, You set for us the perfect example of love when You chose to serve Your disciples with great humility. Help me to understand this beautiful virtue and to live it. Free me from all selfishness and fear so that I may love others as You have loved us all. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Thursday 4^th week of Easter

Opening Prayer: Lord, you taught the Apostles to pray, and they were unstoppable in their mission as your messengers. Help me to pray well now, so I can hear your words of encouragement and be sent out to help my wounded brothers and sisters. 

Encountering Christ:

Christ’s Messengers: Jesus sent out the Apostles; in fact, that is what the word “Apostle” means—someone who is sent out, a messenger. They had been given a message uniquely their own; no one else could duplicate it. They had been with Jesus during his life.  Although most of them ran away, they were nearby when he died. They were witnesses of the empty tomb and then saw him risen from the dead. They were witnesses to the Resurrection. As his first-hand witnesses, the Apostles were sent out by Jesus to spread the Good News—that Jesus had risen from the dead and that through his death and Resurrection we are all saved from sin. Later, St. Paul was also called an Apostle because he saw the Risen Lord while on his way to Damascus.  

Respect: Since the Apostles were sent by Christ, they received the same respect from the early Christians as would have been given Jesus if he had come to them. The Apostles were their (and our!) link to Jesus. In fact, the early Church used this criterion to decide what books would be in the New Testament: If there was reasonable evidence that a book had been written by one of the Apostles, or at least a disciple who had contact with Jesus, the early Church considered it a part of the New Testament. The authorship of some books was in doubt, and those did not make it into the New Testament. The early Church respected the words of these messengers chosen by Jesus as if Jesus had written them himself.

We Are Also His Messengers: Jesus also sends us. We aren’t apostles in the same way the Twelve and St. Paul were Apostles, but we are still called to bear witness to Jesus.  We are called to witness to his love in our life: all the things he has done for us, all of his favors and gifts, and the graces he has given us to help us grow into better, more virtuous people. The longer we have followed him, listened to him speak in our hearts, and felt his power in our everyday life, the more we can bear witness to him. Jesus gives us all of these things for our benefit, but also so that we can also spread the good news. By our lives, we can bring hope to others in this world who need it so much!

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for all the things you have done for me. Thank you for allowing me to see that you are real, that you are still working today, and that you love me. Help me be your messenger to everyone who enters my life so that they can have the same hope and joy that I have!

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will look for an opportunity to encourage someone who seems down, reminding them that close to you, they will always find a reason to hope.

 

Thursday 4th of Easter SG 2016

When the Israelites talked about their faith, they always told a story; the story of God’s continual kindness and mercy. Even when Paul talked about Jesus, he placed Jesus in the story that stretched so far back in history. Jesus was the latest and best of God’s gracious gifts. Perhaps when we speak of our faith, we too can relate the many kindnesses and mercies we have been shown. We are part of God’s story, and that story continues until the end of time. This will also help us to grow in gratitude, as our eyes and hearts are opened to a world filled with God’s grace and love.

Jesus made it very clear that if we want to be his disciples, we have to follow his path. In the washing of the feet, he showed that the path was one of humble and loving service. There are no shortcuts. When he sends us on mission, he wants those who encounter us to encounter him through our loving service. We are to be stand-ins or representatives of Jesus — genuine ones, not just fancy words. There is nothing more distressing than one who claims to be a Christian but drives others away through selfishness, unkindness, and cruelty. May Christ always shine through us.  Lord, make me a channel of Your mercy and love.

 

25/4- Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Thánh Marcô Thánh sử

 25/4- Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Thánh Marcô Thánh sử

"Được sai đi là được xức dầu với Chúa Thánh Thần." Chúa Thánh Thần đồng hành với chúng ta trong sứ mệnh truyền giáo và rao giảng tin mừng của Nước Trời.

      Là người Công Giáo xác thực là người Kitô Hữu thực sự và là người chứng nhân cho những phép lạ. Phép lạ vĩ đại nhất là sự khắc phục của chúng ta với Chúa Thánh Thần để chống lại những sự ham muốn quá mức, kiêu ngạo, tự cao, tự tôn với những khuynh hướng sai lầm của chúng tôi và tội lỗi của chúng ta trong bản tính hay sa ngã. Cũng vì thế mà Thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả đã từng nói rằng: "Ngài (Chúa Giêsu) phải tăng và tôi phải giảm xuống". Thánh Phaolô nói: "Tôi đang sống, ngưng không phải là tôi sống mà chính Đức Kitô dang sống trong tôi."

      Với sự trợ giúp của Chúa Thánh Thần, chúng ta có thể phát triển trong sự hoàn hảo của tình yêu và chính đó là sự cần thiết để vượt qua tất cả những khuynh hướng tội lỗi của chúng ta và ngược lại với những tác động hủy diệt của nó bằng cách truyền năng lượng tái sức sáng tạo của Thiên Chúa vào quá trình này. Chúa Thánh Thần hoạt động trong tâm hồn (lương tâm) của chúng ta để giúp chúng ta biết sám hối và hòa mình với Thiên Chúa. Chúa Thánh Thần giúp chúng ta với những ân sũng trong cuộc sống, trong Phép Rửa của chúng ta và "món quà tinh thần" ban cho chúng ta trong sự Chứng nhận của chúng ta để giúp chúng ta sau đây của chúng tôi Kitô trong sứ vụ loan báo trong ngôn ngữ mới của tình yêu.

 

Reflection Gospel Reading: Mk 16:15 - 20

"To be sent is to be anointed with the Holy Spirit."  The Holy Spirit goes with us in our mission to evangelize and proclaim the good news of God's Kingdom. 

      A true and authentic believer is a witness to miracles.  The greatest miracle is our overcoming with the Holy Spirit against our inordinate desires, pride, wrong egotistic tendencies & sinfulness-our fallen nature.  No wonder St. John the Baptizer once said that "He must increase and I must decrease".  St. Paul said:  "It is no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me."

      With the help of the Holy Spirit we can develop in perfection the love that is necessary to overcome all our sinful tendencies and reverse its destructive effects by infusing the re-creative power of God into the process.  The Holy Spirit acts on our conscience to help us repent and reconcile ourselves to God.  The Holy Spirit enables us with the gift of life during our Baptism and the "spiritual gifts" bestowed on us in our Confirmation to help us with our following Christ in mission in proclaiming the new language of love.

 

April 25: Saint Mark

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15–16

Saint Mark, whom we honor today, certainly fulfilled this mission that was given to the Apostles. Though Mark was not one of the Twelve and might not have even known Jesus while He walked the earth, he certainly fulfilled the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world by writing his Gospel account.

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels, but it is packed with detail. It recounts the life of Jesus vividly and in an almost breathless way. His Gospel presents the central messages of fulfillment found in Christ, the nearness of His Kingdom and the need to repent and believe.

Though not much is known about Mark, our first reading from the Letter of Saint Peter written to the Christian communities in Asia Minor reveals that Mark was a follower of Peter who refers to Mark with affection as his “son.” It is also likely that Mark was a co-worker of Saint Paul (Philemon 1:24).

As we honor this great evangelist, the most notable testament to His work of evangelizing is the Gospel attributed to him. Though he most certainly made a difference in the lives of those with whom he worked, preached to in person and witnessed to by his charity, it’s amazing to ponder the ongoing effect that his Gospel has had upon the world. As you think about his life, try to imagine him sitting and writing out the Gospel account we now have. As he did so, he could never have imagined that the words he wrote would be read by countless millions until the end of the age. For him, he was fulfilling but one small service to the people of his time. He was motivated by a desire to make Jesus known to them, and the best way he knew how to do this was to write down Jesus’ story.

As Mark wrote his Gospel, we can be certain that he did so not only out of his own desire to share the life of Christ with others, but primarily because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. Mark’s gift of the writing of the Gospel was a response to grace. God gave him this mission, and he listened and obeyed. As a result, his short telling of the life of Christ has become part of the most widely read story in all of human history. And not only that, it is also among the most transformative stories ever written.

Though God will not call you to write a Gospel account, He is calling you to a particular mission. What is that mission? Sometimes we can easily think that what we do is insignificant. But if what we do in life is done through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, then we can be certain that God will use our small effort in great ways. Like Saint Mark, we might never see how God uses us until we enter the glories of Heaven. But make no mistake, if you, like Saint Mark, listen to the will of God and act in obedience to Him, then the little you offer will have eternal and transformative consequences for the good of others.

Reflect, today, upon this simple and humble servant of God. Consider Mark’s limited knowledge about the extent that his contribution would end up making for the entire world. As you reflect upon him writing his Gospel account, ponder your own calling from God to do your small part. Know that you, too, can become an instrument of the gift of salvation for many. The key is to seek out the will of God for your life and commit yourself to the fulfillment of that will with passion and drive. Do not be deterred by any apparent lack of immediate results. Stay faithful to your mission and, from Heaven, you will eternally rejoice as you see the unexpected ways that God used you.

Glorious Lord Jesus, You gave Your followers the great mission to preach Your Gospel to the ends of the world. I thank You for the ways that Saint Mark responded to Your inspiration and was used in such a powerful way. Please use me, dear Lord, as an instrument of Your grace so that I can share in the mission You have given to the Church. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Feast of Saint Mark, April 25

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and know all things. You know how my life will unfold and how I will be judged. I renew my trust in you that you will guide me and bring me to safe harbor. Strength me in times of temptation and trial so that I may share in the victory of your Son.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Who was Mark the Evangelist? John Mark was the son of Mary of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), and the author of the second Gospel. He was an early convert and accompanied Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary Journey. For some reason, Mark abandoned them on the mission and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13) (see Catholic Bible Dictionary, p. 573). After the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29), Paul and Barnabas disagreed about taking Mark with them on their second missionary journey: “Barnabas wanted to take with them also John, who was called Mark, but Paul insisted that they should not take with them someone who had deserted them at Pamphylia and who had not continued with them in their work. So sharp was their disagreement that they separated” (Acts 15:37-39). Paul would take Silas on his mission to Syria and Cilicia and Mark continued with Barnabas on a mission to Cyprus (Acts 15:39-41). Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this episode and the dispute and disagreement among the saints: “And I find this very comforting, because we see that the saints have not ‘fallen from Heaven.’ They are people like us, who also have complicated problems. Holiness does not consist in never having erred or sinned. Holiness increases the capacity for conversion, for repentance, for willingness to start again, and, especially, for reconciliation and forgiveness” (Benedict XVI, Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church, p. 141). Mark later reconciled with Paul and was with him while Paul was imprisoned in Rome. Mark was also with Peter in Rome (1 Peter 5:13), and according to Papias, was the interpreter for Peter and wrote down Peter’s teaching in the Gospel according to Mark. After the death of Peter, Mark went to Alexandria in Egypt and was the first bishop there (see Catholic Bible Dictionary, p. 573).

2. Jesus as the Suffering Messiah and Son of God: The Gospel of Mark focuses on Jesus as the Messiah and demonstrates that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 1:1). The first half culminates in the confession of Peter, who proclaims that Jesus is the Christ (Mark 8:29). The second half culminates in the confession of the Centurion, who proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God. In the first part of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus often conceals his identity as the Messiah. This was important so that the people could understand him not as a political or military Messiah, but as a servant Messiah who suffers and dies to liberate the people from the devil, sin, sickness, and death. The mystery of Jesus’ divine sonship is also hidden from the Gospel’s characters. Jesus reveals his divine sonship through displays of divine power, parables of wisdom, and riddles. “Only at the Crucifixion is the Sonship of Jesus fully recognized as he surrenders his life with love to the Father” (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, p. 62).

3. Discipleship according to Mark: When we hear the Gospel of Mark, we are challenged to become one of Jesus’ disciples and conform our lives to that of the suffering Messiah and Son of God. “Just as the truth of Jesus is found only in the cross, so is the secret to discipleship. To be a follower of Jesus is to share intimately in his life and destiny” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, p. 24). The trials, successes, and failures of Jesus’ disciples are on full display in the Gospel of Mark. The fact that the disciples abandon Jesus in his hour of need is not the final word. Though the disciples stumble, “Jesus remains true, and through his total fidelity to the Father gains forgiveness and restoration for them. Just as in the Old Testament story of Israel, God’s love is often met with infidelity and betrayal, yet is constantly renewed, so the Gospel ends with the joyous promise of an encounter with the risen Lord” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, p. 24).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I believe that you are the Christ and the Son of God. You have called me to be your disciple and follow you on the way that leads to the Cross. Keep me close to you so that I may learn your ways and truly be your disciple in this world.

Living the Word of God: Like the disciples in the Gospel, we will sometimes fail and abandon Jesus. But we are comforted to know that God knows this and can restore us when we turn from sin and ask for forgiveness. Are there any attachments to sin or to this world that are keeping me from being a true disciple of Jesus, the suffering Messiah?