Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần 10 Thường
Niên,
Ngay trong Bữa Tiệc Ly, Thánh Phêrô đã
dám tuyên bố rằng
ông sẽ sẵn sàng theo Chúa Giêsu cho đến
chết, nhưng sự can đảm và nhiệt tình đó không còn nữa ngay
ông ta khi nhìn thấy Chúa Giêsu đã
tự nộp mình cho quân dữ trong vừa cây dầu. Thánh Phêrô khám phá ra sự thật đáng buồn là ông không thể theo Chúa Giêsu đến nơi thập giá với sức mạnh của sự quyết tâm nơi mình. Mãi đến sau
khi Chúa Thánh Thần Hiên Xuống thì ông ta mới nhận được sức mạnh của Chúa Thánh Thần và có can đảm và vững tâm rao giảng Tin Mừng mà không còn sợ hãi những khi phải đối mặt với sự bắt bớ, trừng phạt và cái chết.
Mỗi người chúng ta cũng cần phải phấn đấu để trở thành những người chân tình và trung thành như Thánh Phêrô.
Cũng như Chúa Giêsu có thể nhìn thấy
chân lý phản ánh qua các môn đệ, những người xung quanh chúng ta sẽ thấy chân
lý và sự chân thành được phản ánh
trong những hành
vi và việc làm của chúng ta. Trong thực tại, thật là
dễ dàng để chúng ta thổi phồng và tô
điểm sự thật.
Khi chúng ta tự đầu hàng con tim và tâm thức chúng ta với Chúa, chúng ta có thể làm chủ cuộc sống tâm linh, tình cảm của chúng ta qua kinh nghiệm sống trong sự liêm chính, và thánh thiện trọn vẹn. Thực
tại của thiên đường, những lời
hứa của một Thiên Chúa trung thành, và một nỗi
sợ hãi tội lỗi lành mạnh sẽ làm việc với nhau để hình thành trong chúng ta một sự cam kết chân thành với chân
lý, sự thật mà Chúa Giêsu đã cho thấy. Chúng ta hãy tôi tiếp tục cầu xin Thánh Thần nắn đúc chúng ta theo hình ảnh của Chúa Kitô. Thế giới đang chờ đợi những việc làm chúng của chúng ta..
REFLECTION
Why is it so hard for us to be truthful? Is it because we are afraid or
insecure? Is it because we are too proud to admit that we might be wrong? Or
maybe it is hard to face the consequences of the truth. In contrast to Peter's
denial was Jesus' response when he was asked if he was the Messiah. Jesus
simply replied, "I am." By giving such an answer, Jesus signed his
own death warrant. Fear did not overcome him because he had placed himself in
his Father's hands and knew that God's word could never be overcome.
At the Last Supper, Peter said that
he would willingly die for Jesus, but his bravado and enthusiasm soon left him
when he saw how meekly Jesus surrendered to his captors. Peter discovered the
sad truth that he could not follow Jesus to the cross solely by the power of
his own resolve. It was only after Pentecost that he received the power of the Spirit
and began to preach the Gospel with boldness — even in the face of punishment
and death.
Each one of us should strive to be
sincere and truthful people. Just as Jesus could see truth reflected in his
disciples, those around us should see truth and sincerity reflected in our
conduct. It is too easy to exaggerate and embellish the truth. For example,
frequently during election time, we hear people saying they do not know whom to
vote for, because they cannot trust politicians. Has anybody lost trust in us?
As we surrender
our hearts and minds to the Spirit, we too can master our emotional life and
experience a godly wholeness and integrity. The reality of heaven, the promises
of a faithful God, and a healthy fear of sin will work together to form in us
the simple commitment to the truth that Jesus showed. Let us continue to ask
the spirit to mold us into the image of Christ. The world is waiting for our
witness.
Today our Lord
reminds us to speak truthfully and so live with integrity.
Our words
are powerful. Our words can mislead people, set wrong directions, hurt
feelings, divide a community and maybe even kill. We must take care that what
we say is what we honestly and truly mean. And what we honestly mean is what is
truthful and real.
Simply put,
our words must be words lived out always in a life of truthful love. We need
not take an oath to profess our compassion for others, especially the weak: we
need only to express it daily in heartfelt and generous charity. We need not
pronounce vows to assure others of our sincerity: we need only to be consistent
in our humble service. We need not swear unremitting loyalty to prove that we
are trustworthy: we only need faithfulness in our day-to-day responsibilities
and respect for our dreams for the least in our society.
It is only
when our words reflect and signify the Truth that the Word-made Flesh has
revealed to us that our words could be truly powerful, life-giving and
life-sustaining. Let us then pray to the God of Truth that we may speak
truthfully and so live with integrity.
Saturday Week
of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Saturday Mass Of Our Lady
Are you aware of the way
you speak? Do you always say what you intend to say? These two questions should
be asked during this prayer, because whatever comes from your mouth can be very
dangerous.
In today’s gospel Jesus
teaches us how we should speak. The instruction is very simple. All you need
say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no. Jesus wants us to have a
clear mind about things and speak very concretely. There are only two possible standpoints.
I agree with something or I do not agree. I say yes to abortion or I say no. I
say yes to God’s commandments or I say no. No middle way is possible.
The Evil One wants us to be weak, not warm and not cold,
to live our lives indecisively. He wishes us to follow whatever is popular and
not to be strong witnesses of the truth. He desires us never to say what we
really believe, but rather to say what other people want to hear. Christians
have to be brave and not to walk in the way of the Evil One. Lord Jesus, grant us the grace to be
courageous witnesses to Your Gospel.
Saturday
Week of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
Matthew 5:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said
to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that
you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all; not by heaven, for it is God’s
throne; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. Do not swear by your head, for you cannot make a
single hair white or black. Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the Evil One.”
Opening Prayer: I come before you
today, Lord, filled with a desire to get to know you more deeply, and to
experience the interior peace you promised to leave us. I believe in you, and
you know that my hopes for happiness are in you. But I get distracted so
easily! Please remind me today of your love for me, of your plan for my life.
Please grant me the graces I need to hear your word and heed it as I continue
my pilgrimage of faith today.
Encountering Christ:
1. The Gift of Language: Today Jesus instructs us
about one of the greatest gifts in our possession: the gift of language. Of all
the creatures in this visible universe, only human beings have true language.
Only human beings can sit around a table and sip coffee and talk for hours on
end. Language is the mysterious manifestation of our being both material and
spiritual: we infuse spiritual meaning into material sounds, and this allows us
to connect with other spiritual beings, other persons. We can know and be known
through this wonderful gift of language. We can learn and grow because of this
gift. We can be enriched and enlightened because language can impart to us the
treasures of wisdom accumulated by other individuals, and even by entire
cultures or civilizations. When was the last time I reflected on the amazing
reality of words and how they affect my life and the world around me? Have I
taken this for granted? Jesus himself is the Word of God, and so our ability to
communicate to each other through words–not just through grunts and gestures,
like other animals in this visible world–reflects our dignity as being created
in God’s own image and likeness.
2. The Abuse of the Gift: In the Old Testament,
the eighth commandment was directed toward the proper use of the gift of
language: “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” This is the arena of behavior
Jesus is addressing in the verses from the Sermon on the Mount used in today’s
Gospel reading. By these exhortations today Jesus is reminding us that our
words need to respectfully and humbly embody truth. So often we exaggerate with
our words. We are afraid of what other people may think of us, or we try to
ingratiate ourselves or deceive our way into certain honors or
opportunities—and we do so by abusing the gift of language. We lie, we deceive,
we flatter, we manipulate. Since language is part of our spiritual heritage, it
has the potential for great good when we use it well, but it has the potential
for great destruction when we abuse it. Jesus cautions us in this passage to
use language well. He encourages us to be humble, truthful, simple, and honest
in our speech; to say what we mean, to use the gift of language to create an
authentic connection with other people and thus build meaningful relationships
and create a healthy social environment. That’s what we do when we let our
“yes” be “yes” and our “no” be “no.” What a great gift we can give to those around
us (and to ourselves) if we respect the gift of language enough to use it as
God meant it to be used!
3. St. Anthony of Padua’s Gift of Preaching:
Today’s liturgy remembers the Franciscan Doctor of the Church, St. Anthony of
Padua. Padua is the city in Italy where St. Anthony exercised his ministry for
many years. But he was originally from Portugal. He joined the Franciscan order
and headed to North Africa hoping to become a martyr by trying to convert the
Muslims there. A storm drove his boat off course and he ended up landing in
Italy. He met St. Francis and was sent into a hermitage in northern Italy. He
was such a quiet and self-effacing person that they thought he would be a good
candidate for a hermit’s life of prayer and penance. But one day he was invited
to give an emergency discourse at an event for which the organizers had
overlooked preparing the proper speech. His deep learning, vibrant
spirituality, and humble fervor shone forth during that impromptu talk, and
immediately afterward he was sent out to preach to the towns and cities of the
area. His holiness and supernatural eloquence ignited a widespread spiritual
reform and renewal throughout the area. By the time he died at the young age of
34, he had served as God’s instrument to revitalize the Church in a time and
place known for rampant corruption and spiritual decadence. And it was his
preaching that did it—his words. His words flowed from a heart purified of
selfishness and fear and filled to overflowing with faith, hope, and love for
God. His years of study, and then his years of humble service (when he never
put himself forth to preach or teach in spite of his impressive qualifications
and talents), had cleansed his soul so that when God called upon him to speak
forth for the Gospel, his words carried the healing and enlightening power of
God’s grace. We can all yearn for that same grace. If we let God’s grace heal
and strengthen our hearts, then our words will become beacons of hope and
healing for others.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I am surrounded
by so many words, so much noise! And so often my own words are thoughtless and
superficial, even deceptive and unwholesome. Please teach me to use the gift of
language in a way that will spread your light and goodness. Teach me to let my
yes be yes and my no be no. I don’t need to use words as shields or swords. I
am your friend and your ambassador. You are my inspiration and my companion.
You are my safety and my refuge; I have no need to fear. Purify my heart, Lord,
so that my words will speak out your praise.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will
pay special attention to my spontaneous comments, reflecting on what they
reveal about the state of my heart and the habits of my tongue. At the end of
the day, I will speak with Our Lord about what he is inviting me to change in
this area of my life.
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