Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Mark 6:17-29 - Lễ thánh Gian Tẩy Giả chịu Tử Đạo 29/8

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Mark 6:17-29 - Lễ thánh Gian Tẩy Giả chịu Tử Đạo 29/8 

Hôm nay chúng ta mừng ngày lễ tử đạo của người anh họ của Chúa Giêsu. Đó là thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả. Gioan là người được Thiên Chúa trao cho nhiệm vụ là đi trước Chúa Giêsu để mở đường. chuẩn bị cho con đường cứu chuộc nhân loại của Chúa Kitô. Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta thấy ông là một người chính trực và thánh thiện. Bởi vì ông đã phát biểu lời chống lại những điều xấu xa, tội lỗi, khuyên bảo con người mau biết ăn năn thống hối vì Thiê n Chúa sẽ đến để cứu rỗi nhân loại. Chính ông đã đưa lời phản đối việc hôn nhân loạn luân của Vua Herođê và người chị dâu của ông, Vì thế ông bị bắt giam, chịu đau khổ, và cuối cùng bị chém đầu. Ông đã chết một cái chết dã man, khủng khiếp theo lệnh của nhà vua trong lức say sưai trác tác và lời hứa với một bé gái..
Như Thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả, chúng ta hãy chuẩn bị con đường cho Chúa. Chúng ta hãy làm sạch, hãy quét dọn, rửa sạch, từ bỏ con đường tội lỗi, những điều ác đang thấm nhập ngay bên trong tâm hồn của chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy đâng cho Chúa tất cả những gì chúng ta có để chúng ta chỉ biết làm công việc của Thiên Chúa muốn chúng ta làm mà không sợ hãi, lo âu vì Thiên Chúa hiện diện nơi chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy trông nhỉn vào Chúa trong bất cứ lúc nào hoàn cảnh nào với lòng trông cậy để chúng ta có can đảm và sức mạnh. Chúa rất gần cận với chúng ta. Ngài ở trong chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy hành động dũng cảm, không sơ suất, cũng không do dự, giống như một tôi tớ trung thành, như một người lính trong quân đội của Thiên Chúa chúng ta, mà không biết lừa đảo, tự nguyện, không lý luận, không biện minh, với sự vâng lời yêu thương, biết giúp đỡ tận tâm, bắng tâm hồn và trái tim của chúng ta cho Thiên Chúa của chúng ta . Chúng ta hãy làm những gì mà Thiên Chúa muốn nơi chúng ta và hãy để những phần còn lại trong bàn tay thương yêu của Ngài lo.
Lạy Chúa, thân xác của chúng con, tâm trí của chúng con, ý riêng của chúng con, tự do của chúng con, tất cả những gì chúng con đang có và tất cả sở hữu của chúng con là của Chúa. Tất cả thuộc về Chúa. Xin hãy để chúng con được biết sử dụng chúng để chuẩn bị và trang bị cho con đường đẫn chúng con tới với Chúa.

REFLECTION
Today let us celebrate with tender, loving devotion the feast of the martyrdom of the cousin of Our Lord – John the Baptist. John was the forerunner of Jesus. He was the one tasked by God to prepare the way of the Lord. The gospel says that he was a just and holy man. Because he had to speak against evil in high places, against the King, he was imprisoned, suffered, and finally beheaded. He died a horrible death on orders from the king
Like St. John the Baptist, let us prepare the way of the Lord. Let us clear, sweep, wash, denounce, evil starting from our hearts. Let us give all to do God's work without fear for God is with us. At all times, let us look at Our Lord for courage and strength. He is very near us. He is in us. Let us act courageously, without negligence, nor hesitation; like a faithful servant, like a soldier in the army of our God, without guile, willingly, not reasoning, not justifying; with loving obedience, giving hands, heart, head to our God. Let us do what God requires of us and leave the rest in His Hands.
ake and receive, O Lord, my body, my mind, my will, my liberty. All things I have and own are yours. They belong to you. Let me use them to prepare a way for you.

Agust 29- The passion of John the Baptist

Opening Prayer: My Lord, let your Spirit widen my heart through your words and with your wisdom. Help me to become more like you and teach me to love my neighbor as you love me. Amen.

Encountering Christ:

1. Silencing the Truth: John the Baptist gives us a clear example of leadership. Facing the moral and legal misconduct of King Herod, he could not remain silent. This, of course, triggered hostile reactions by those who stood accused. On the one hand, there was Herodias. Filled with hatred, she wanted to silence the bothering voice of the prophet. The starkness of that anger suggests that she sensed danger in the Baptist’s righteous words. Whether she worried that public opinion would turn against her, or that she might lose Herod’s favor, Herodias feared the truth and sought to silence it. She wanted to defeat the truth, kill it, thinking that it was a threat to her happiness.

2. Imprisoning the Truth: On the other hand, there was Herod. He feared the truth too. But instead of triggering violence in him, the Baptist’s words intrigued him. He could see the beauty of virtue, could admire the heroism of the prophet, could probably even have harbored the desire to be different himself. But, ultimately, he could not change. He heard the accusation; he sensed the compelling power of truth, and yet he could not invite that truth in. Herod tried to incarcerate the truth, store it away, possess it without having to obey it. If we feel attracted to the truth but don’t have the courage to succumb to it, we also sometimes try to tame it and bend it so that we can control it.

3. The Truth Is No Threat to Our Happiness: These two reactions are patterns for both the cultural battle in our world and the spiritual battle in our personal lives. When taking on the role of the prophet in our world, denouncing what is wrong and giving a voice to the truth, we may encounter both types of reactions. And when the truth knocks on the door of our own heart, suggesting that we change our conduct, we also may be tempted with both kinds of reactions. The truth can be neither defeated nor incarcerated. Most importantly, the truth is no threat to our happiness.

Conversing with Christ: My Lord Jesus Christ, I trust in you. Daily life tempts me to think that I am the only one responsible for my happiness. Instead, I know that you are continuously guiding me toward greater joy and fulfillment. Nobody–not even I myself–can make me as happy as you can. Increase, therefore, my readiness to embrace your truth always and everywhere. Take away my fear of change, let me overcome the constant temptation of thinking I know better than you do, and send prophets of truth into my life who can redirect me when I'm mistaken. Lastly, Lord, send me to be a voice of truth myself. Not a grating voice with a lack of charity that can extinguish a smoldering wick, but the voice of a collaborator of the truth who seeks the true happiness of his fellow men.

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will examine my attitude toward the truths the Church teaches. Am I trying to defeat or incarcerate a truth in my life?

Reflection
Jeremiah was a very reluctant prophet. From the beginning of his call he protested that God had the wrong man and that he was not up to the task. But God continually ordered him to obey, assuring him that since he was called by God he would have the strength and grace that he needed. Jeremiah complained bitterly throughout his long and unhappy prophetic ministry but God always had the upper hand. Here God gives him a ‘pep talk’, telling him that he was being given the strength of a fortress. He should not be afraid of opposition or run away for God was with him. It’s a message we all need to hear, especially when we experience opposition for doing what is right.
John the Baptist took that word to heart — he did not shrink back or hesitate to confront and speak to power for the sake of the nation and God’s word. He paid with his life, as did Jesus. The story of Salome’s dance and Herod’s foolish promise we all know well — it is the topic of opera and art. The saddest part is that Herod felt the pull of John’s words and did not want to kill him. The worst things are often done not by evil people, but by basically good people who lack the courage and strength to stand up for what is right. A life is not too much to give for the sake of justice and truth. Most of us will not be called to give up our physical life but we can experience rejection, pressure, and ridicule.
Lord, give me the courage to stand up for truth and justice.