Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai Tuần 33 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai Tuần 33 Thường Niên 

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã tỏ ra cho chúng ta thấy tình yêu và lòng thương xót của Ngài đối với một người đàn ông mù nghèo khổ ăn xin trên đường phố. Ở đây Chúa Giêsu đã bộc lộ tình cảm sâu đậm của mình đối với những người đang chịu thiệt thòi nhất trong xã hội, những người đã hy vọng vào Thiên Chúa hãy nên trong sự kiên trì cầu nguyện, kêu xin Trong mộtý nghĩa nào đó, chúng ta chẳng khác gì như người mù trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, vì chúng ta không thấy được Chúa Giêsu bằng xương bằng thịt như con người Bởi vì Ngài không sống trong thời đại của chúng ta. Nhưng nếu chúng ta giống như người mù có đức tin vững thì chắc chắn lòng rộng lượng và thương xót của Chúa có quyền năng, sức mạnh để chữa lành chúng ta. Mặc dù không thấy Chúa bằng xương bằng thị, Chúng ta chắc tin rằng Chúa Giêsu đang hiện nơi chúng ta, ngay cả những lần chúng ta không thấy Ngài. Chúng ta tin rằng Ngài sẽ lắng nghe và nhận lời cầu xin của chúng ta đang xin để được sự giúp đỡ. Chúng ta hãy tin rằng Ngài có thể đáp ứng nhu cầu của chúng ta nếu như Chúng ta có đủ kiên trì, và sự khiêm tốn để cầu xin Thiên Chúa giúp đỡ chúng ta

REFLECTION Monday of 33rd Ordinary Time Scripture: Luke 18:35-43
In the Gospel, Jesus shows love and mercy to a poor blind man. Behind him, he hears the beggar's voice crying out for help calling Jesus, Son of David. Jesus sees the beggar's strong faith in his persistence to follow him and his continuous call to him for help despite the disciples' caution for him to stop. It is this faith that moves Jesus to turn to him and cure him. The blind beggar is able to see again because of his strong faith in Jesus. Here Jesus manifests his deep affection for the marginalized in society – those who hope in him, persist in praying to him, humbly asking him through prayer, and show gratefulness after receiving help from him. In a sense, we are like the blind man in that we do not see Jesus in person because he does not live during our time. But are we also like the blind man who had unwavering faith in the mercy and healing power of Jesus? Do we believe that Jesus is with us even if we don't see him? Do we believe that he hears and listens to our calls for help? Do we believe that he can respond to our needs? Do we have the persistence and the humility to ask for God's help through Jesus?

Opening Prayer:
Lord, I imagine myself reaching out to you as you’re walking by in a large crowd. Please, Lord, sit with me while I reflect on your words today. I want to draw peace and strength from the message you have for me during this time. I love you and I believe that you love me.

Encountering Christ:
1. Don’t Miss Your Chance: The Gospel tells us next to nothing about the blind man. We do not know his name, his age, or his religion; in fact, the only things we really know about him are that he wanted to be cured, and he believed that Jesus could do it. And when he heard that Jesus was passing by, he did everything he could to get his attention, disregarding what people thought about him. Are there unnoticed people in your life—individuals who have been spiritually or physically handicaped by life’s difficulties? Perhaps Jesus is calling you to notice them (despite what people might think), and to reach out on his behalf to offer a healing touch.
2. What Do You Want: Jesus asked the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” Every morning when we come to prayer, Jesus asks us the same question. How do we answer? Because of our sin, we can be as blind as the man in today’s Gospel. Therefore, with all humility, we ask Jesus, “Let me see,” until we begin to see the world from an eternal perspective.
3. Glory to God: One of the byproducts of an eternal perspective is the desire to give glory to God for everything. The blind man, once healed, and all of the bystanders gave glory to God for the miracle they just witnessed. As we grow in grace and our faith is strengthened, we see countless miracles every day that inspire us to give glory to God. We praise God not only for the beautiful sunset or the smiling infant, but for the sorrows or sufferings that come our way, because we know that God is always working for our good (Romans 8:28). As we say in the Act of Contrition, “You are all good and deserving of all of my love.”
Conversing with Christ: Lord, it’s hard for me to believe that you make yourself available to me in prayer, and that you offer me your power, your grace, and your forgiveness whenever I ask. Please deepen my understanding so that I may love you more and more each day.

Meditation:

Have you ever encountered a special moment of grace, a once in a life-time opportunity you knew you could not pass up? Such a moment came for a blind and destitute man who heard that Jesus was passing by. The Gospel of Mark identifies this man as Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). This blind man was determined to get near the one person who could meet his need. He knew who Jesus was and had heard of his fame for healing, but until now had no means of making contact with the Son of David, a clear reference and title for the Messiah. It took raw courage and persistence for Bartimaeus to get the attention of Jesus over the din of a noisy throng who crowded around Jesus as he made his way out of town. Why was the crowd annoyed with the blind man's persistent shouts? He was disturbing their peace and interrupting their conversation with Jesus. It was common for a rabbi to teach as he walked with others. Jesus was on his way to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem and a band of pilgrims followed him. When the crowd tried to silence the blind man he overpowered them with his loud emotional outburst and thus caught the attention of Jesus. This incident reveals something important about how God interacts with us. The blind man was determined to get Jesus' attention and he was persistent in the face of opposition. Jesus could have ignored or rebuffed him because he was interrupting his talk and disturbing his audience. Jesus showed that acting was more important than talking. This man was in desparate need and Jesus was ready not only to empathize with his suffering but to relieve it as well. A great speaker can command attention and respect, but a man or woman with a helping hand and a big heart is loved more. Jesus commends Bartimaeus for recognizing who he is with the eyes of faith and grants him physical sight as well. Do you recognize your need for God's healing grace and do you seek Jesus out, like Bartimaeus, with persistent faith and trust in his goodness and mercy? Bartimaeus was not only grateful for the gift of faith and the gift of physical sight, but for the opportunity to now follow Jesus as one of his disciples. Luke tells us us that he immediately followed Jesus and gave glory to God. The crowd also gave praise to God when they saw this double miracle of spiritual and physical vision. Clement of Alexandria, a 4th century church father, comments on this double vision: Now that he was delivered from his blindness, did he neglect the duty of loving Christ? He certainly did not. It says, “He followed him, offering him glory like to God.” He was set free from double blindness. Not only did he escape from the blindness of the body but also from that of the mind and heart. He would not have glorified him as God, had he not possessed spiritual vision. He became the means of others giving Christ glory, for it says that all the people gave glory to God.(Commentary on Luke, Homily 126)
Do you give glory to God for giving you the eyes of faith to recognize him as your Lord and Healer?
"Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart and mind that I may see and understand the truth and goodness of your word. May I never fail to recognize your presence with me and to call upon your saving grace in my time of need and healing."