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Niệm Tin Mừng Matthew 12:14-21 Thứ Bẩy Tuần 15 TN.
Trong đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy cách những người Biệt Phái vì tấm lòng đầy “nhiệt thành”của họ, mà họ đã trói buộc những người Do Thái trong sự "áp bức" gánh nặng bởi những luật lệ của họ đã làm ra, Nhưng giờ đây, với sự hiện của Chúa Giêsu, họ cảm thấy Chúa Giêsu như là cơn đe dọa cho những sự nghiệp và quyền thế của họ, cho những giáo điều mà họ đã làm ra để chèn ép những người nghèo cùng khổ.. Vì thế, họ quyết định tìm cách để tiêu diệt Chúa Giêsu, một cái gai trong mắt của họ. Khi phải đối mặt với những mối đe dọa cho sự sống, Chúa Giêsu vẫn lặng lẽ tiếp tục sứ vụ rao giảng Tin Mừng và chữa lành cho những người tin và tìm đến Ngài. Thay vì phải dùng đến bạo lực hay phe nhóm để đối đầu với những người Biệt Phái, hay là phải gào thét lên với cơn thịnh nộ để tìm cách trả thù họ, thì Chúa Giêsu đã lặng lẽ ra đi để tránh những đám biệt phái gây chuyện này, nhưng Ngài vẫn âm thầm làm những "công việc" Mà Chúa Cha đã sai Ngài đến. Chúa Giêsu đã cho chúng ta thấy rằng nhiệm vụ của Ngài không dựa trên sức mạnh hay bạo lực, nhưng trên sự yêu thương, hiền dịu và khiêm tốn. Sự khiêm tốn và hiền lành của Chúa ở đây không phải là do sự sợ hãi,và hèn nhát, nhưng đó là những đức tính đã được thực hành trong sứ vụ thiêng liêng của Ngài để những gì đã viết truớc trong Kinh Thánh được thể hiện. Thông thường, trong cuộc sống hiện tại của chúng ta, chúng ta cũng đang phải phấn đấu với những thử thách, tình huống mà chúng ta cảm thấy như đang bị đe dọa, và bị áp bức bởi các quan chức công quyền hay những người khác có chức, có quyền hơn. Vậy, chúng ta phải làm thế nào để có thể đáp ứng được với những sự áp bức bất công này?. Xin Chúa giúp cho chúng ta có đức khiêm tốn, lòng can đảm, và sự kiên nhẫn, để trở lên giống như Chúa và biết cách đối xử với những bất công trong sự ôn hoà..
In the Gospel passage, we learn how
the Pharisees, through their over zealous ness, had kept the ordinary people in
'oppression' by burdening them with hundreds of commandments. Now they feel
threatened by Jesus whom they feel is acting as a law unto himself. So, they
decide to kill him.
In
the face of the threat upon his life, Jesus quietly continues his work of
healing people and avoids publicity. Instead of resorting to violence against
the Pharisees or by “crying out” with vengeful wrath or harsh judgments, Jesus
goes about doing his ‘work’. Jesus shows us that his mission is not based on
might or violence but on meekness and humility. HIs modesty and gentleness
comes not from fear or weakness but from his divine mandate to fulfill the
Scriptures. Often, in our lives we too face situations where we feel threatened
or oppressed by others. How do we respond to them
How do we achieve
success and victory in our lives? In everyone's life there are key moments or
turning points on which the whole of one's life hinges. The mounting
confrontation between the Pharisees and Jesus was such a decisive event and
crisis. The religious leaders became intolerant of Jesus because of their
prejudice. Nothing that Jesus would do or say from this point on would be right
in their eyes. They conspired, not simply to oppose Jesus but to eliminate him.
Courage
and determination to do God's will
Jesus met this defiance
with courage and determination to do his Father's will. He used the crisis to
teach his disciples an important lesson for God's way to success and victory.
The only way to glory in God's kingdom is through the cross - the cross of
suffering and humiliation - which Jesus endured for our sake and for our
salvation. We, too, are called to take up our cross every day - to die to sin,
selfishness, envy, pride, strife, and hatred - and to lay down our lives in
humble service and love for one another, just as Jesus did for our sake.
Matthew quotes from the
"Suffering Servant" prophecies of Isaiah to explain how Jesus the
Messiah would accomplish his mission - not through crushing power - but through
love and sacrificial service (Isaiah 42:1-4). In place of a throne Jesus chose
to mount the cross and wear a crown of thorns. He was crucified as our Lord and
King (John 19:19; Philippians 2:11) There is no greater proof of God's love for
us than the sacrificial death of his only begotten Son for our sake and our
salvation (John 3:16).
Jesus died not only for the Jews but for all the Gentile nations as well. Isaiah had prophesied centuries before, that the Messiah would bring justice to the Gentiles. To the Greek mind, justice involved giving to God and to one's fellow citizen that which is their due (whatever is owed to them). Jesus taught his disciples to give God not only his due, but to love him without measure just as he loves us unconditionally - without limits or reservation. Justice tempered with love and mercy
Jesus brings the justice
of God's kingdom tempered with divine love and mercy. He does not bruise the
weak or treat them with contempt, but rather shows understanding and
compassion. He does not discourage the fainthearted but gives hope, courage,
and the strength to persevere through trying circumstances. No trials,
failings, and weaknesses can keep us from the mercy and help which Jesus offers
to everyone who asks. His grace is sufficient for every moment, every
situation, and every challenge we face. When you meet trials and difficulties,
do you rely on God's help and grace?
"Lord Jesus, your
love and mercy knows no bounds. Give me strength when I am weak, hope when I am
discouraged, peace when I am troubled, consolation when I am sad, and
understanding when I am perplexed. Make me an instrument of your love and peace
to those who are troubled and without hope."
Jesus came to save the world and spread the Good News. Why then is he trying to
hide? Once again, he is just following his Father's plan. It was not yet time
for the full manifestation of his divinity, nor for a full confrontation with
his enemies. While he was burning with love for humanity and wanted all to be
saved and to know and love the Father, he also exercised discretion in carrying
out that mission. Tempering zeal with prudence is not easy. We can spoil God's
plan both by being too timid, not doing enough and also by being naive or
daring and precipitating a confrontation. We need to ask the Holy Spirit for the
gift of counsel and the virtue of prudence in order to be effective messengers
for Jesus.
The
most effective evangelizers are those who follow Jesus' example. Meekness and
humility, modesty and prudence, truth and justice, generous self-giving and
sacrifice, obedience to the Father — these are virtues that go against the
grain of our fallen human nature. And yet, there are plenty of examples of
people who dedicate their lives to doing good in the face of opposition,
criticism, and even false accusations. They let nothing stop them, because they
are not worried about themselves. They are dedicated to fulfilling God's plan,
in His time, on His terms.
Let us make every effort to follow Jesus'
example of dedication and generosity, of patience and persistence in the face
of difficulty, of turning the other cheek and forgetting about ourselves in
order to do the Father's will. The standard that Jesus sets for us is high, but
with the Holy Spirit's power, we can do marvels and become effective instruments
in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We commonly speak of the Jews
wandering for forty years in the desert before reaching the Promised Land.
There is some truth in this description since the people did not generally know
from one day to another where they were headed for. Yet there is a deeper
reality and meaning to their journey. Towards the end of our first reading
today we hear the great central truth of the Book of Exodus: the Lord led them
out of the land of Egypt.
Psalm 136 expresses the same
truth: God brought the Israelites out of the midst of the Egyptians. The
Israelites followed God’s guidance given to them through Moses. They followed
with a blind faith though they were not always compliant: they frequently
complained against God and against Moses.
We are very like the
Israelites in the desert, while we often do have long term plans, we live out
our lives from day to day. We do not always understand the details of our
life's journey and frequently have to walk in blind faith. We are not always
compliant and we may complain against God, against the Church, and against many
other circumstances of life.
Father in
Heaven, guide our footsteps on the pathways of life that we may reach our
heavenly home in safety and holiness.
Saturday of the
Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time- Selfless Servant
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask you to show me how to embrace your Word with a
humble heart. Help me to grow in my awareness of being here for a greater
purpose than just my own gain. Mold and secure my heart in a true humility that
listens to your voice, follows your command, and is open to your healing
grace.
Encountering Christ:
1. Closed Minds: When he was a baby during the reign of Herod, powerful people
had been out to destroy Jesus. In this Gospel, it was the Pharisees, in their
persistent arrogance and self-sufficiency, that perceived him as a threat. They
had become more firmly fixed on judging as they pleased, despising and
dominating others, as they began to plot our Lord’s death. Their pride
inhibited any humble curiosity or ability to recognize their Savior. We are
either with him or against him. Let us ask for the grace to adopt an attitude
of humble awe that seeks to obey Our Lord and King.
2. Open Healing: Jesus communicates and reveals the heart of God the
Father. As soon as his enemies began plotting his death, Jesus quietly removed
himself from the public eye, not out of fear or anger but to focus on the
purpose for which he had come. Full of gentleness and compassion, he went about
healing and quietly instructing his disciples about his Kingdom. Rather than
engaging in futile clashes with his enemies, he prepared the foundation of the
Church by guiding the faithful in hope, forgiveness, and truth. Let’s consider
the opportunities where we can imitate Our Lord as instruments of healing
rather than division.
3. Suffering Servant: Each day Jesus urges us to take up our cross and follow him on
the path of total love of God the Father and of humanity: "...he who does
not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. He who finds his life
will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it" (Mt
10:38-39). We all suffer and have the opportunity to patiently tolerate some
kind of hurt, injustice, or misunderstanding. Our strength to face suffering
comes from a deep and intimate union with Christ. It is a gift of grace that
enables us, out of love, to give our life for Christ and for the Church, hence
for the world. To each one of us has been entrusted a mission that we can
accept freely, to be a servant of God with the task of serving.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you call me to serve. I am a sinner who falls many times.
Thank you for putting up with me, forgiving my selfishness and arrogance. Show
me where you are leading me along the path of spiritual maturity, the path of
selfless service. Jesus, you were a faithful servant, whose vocation was to
serve even to the point of death on the Cross. Lord, I pray for the grace to
persevere as your humble servant.
Resolution: Lord,
today by your grace, I will take an extra moment at the end of the day to make
a thorough examination of conscience to acknowledge where I need to be more
attentive to serving those around me with a humble heart.
For Further
Reflection: Delve deeper by
reflecting upon the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis.
Lord, make me an
instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master, grant
that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it's in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it's in dying that we are born to Eternal Life
Amen
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