Suy Niệm thứ Năm Tuần Thứ Ba Mùa Chay.

 Suy Niệm thứ Năm Tuần Thứ Ba Mùa Chay. (Luke 11:14-23 )

Ngay từ thửa khai thiên lập địa,  tội nguyên tổ mà ông Adong và bà Evà tổ tông của loài người của chúng ta đã phạm và chúng ta bị đuổira vườn Địa đàng và bị sa thải ra khỏi sự trong sáng, và ân sủng của Thiên Chúa.

            Kể từ đó, là con cháu các ngài, và tất cả chúng ta đã trở nên nạn nhân của sự cám dỗ, và trở thành sở hữu của ma quỷ  hay chúng ta có thể gọi đó những mối tội đầu. Những tội này kà những tội như  ích kỷ chỉ biết đến có một mình mà không nghĩ tới ai khác, ham mê của cải vật chất, tiền bạc, ham mê  tình dục và thoả mãn thân xác, thù hận, ghen tuông, và lười biếng.

            Cuộc sống của chúng ta hôm nay là như thế đấy, là một cuộc đấu tranh liên tục giữa sự lựa chọn một là chúng ta thuộc về Thiên Chúa hay là chúng ta sẽ thuộc về ma quỷ.? Như chúng ta đều biết, Thiên Chúa luôn luôn sẵn sàng cho chúng ta được tự do lựa chọn giữa một trong hai.

            Chúa Giêsu đã nói: "Ai không đi với Ta là chống lại Ta, và kẻ không cùng Ta thu họp là làm tan tác."(Lk:11:23)  Đó là sự thật ... nếu chúng ta không biết sống trong ân sủng của Thiên Chúa, Ân Sũng của Thiên Chúa là pháo đài để bảo vệ linh hồn của chúng ta tránh được những sự cám dỗ của ma quỷ trong những khi chúng ta yếu đuối. Ma Quỷ biết những khi tâm hồn chúng ta yếu đuối và bị tổn thương, và chúng nó sẽ dốn tất cả những nỗ lức và lực lượng của chúng để tấn công chúng ta tới tấp.. Nhưng khi như thế thì chúng ta cần phải làm gì?  Rất đơn giản, chỉ cần nói VÂNG  với Thiên Chúa và sẵn lòng  từ bỏ tất cả để lòng trí, tâm hồn và toàn thể thân xác của chúng ta hiệp nhất với Đấng đã Tạo Dựng nên chúng ta là đấng rất tốt lành, là Thiên Chúa của chúng ta!  Điều này có nghĩa là chúng ta phải biết sống theo phong cách thích nghi với cuộc sống của Chúa Giêsu, Ngài là mô hình cho cuộc sống của chúng ta: một cuộc sống biết cầu nguyện tức là biết tôn thờ, ăn năn, tạ ơn và cầu xin và cũng là sự phát triển trong  mối liên hệ mất thiết với Ngài như là một người bạn thân thiết chí tình, hợp tâm đầu và cùng dẫn chúng ta bước chân theo Ngài đi trên con đường trong cuộc sống đầy thử thách hôm nay của chúng ta.

 

Reflection:
From the beginning, the original sin of Adam and Eve, our first parents, have cast us out from the purity of God's grace. We, the descendants have since been haunted and possessed by demons, or what we now call capital sins such as self-love, inordinate love of money, illicit sex, hate, jealousy, over-indulgence and laziness. Life is such - a continual struggle between being possessed either by God of by demons! As we all know, God willingly gave us free will to choose between both of them. Jesus said "If you are not with me, you are against me." So true... if we are not in God's graces, our fortress to protect our soul from the devil's temptations is weak! The demons KNOW when we are vulnerable, and they attack full force with most if not all the demons together! What to do? A simple-YES everyday to surrendering our mind, soul and body to our good Creator, our God! This means adapting a life style of Jesus our model: a life of prayer (i.e. adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and petition) and a growing relationship with Him as our constant confidante and journey friend!

 

Opening Prayer: Jesus, you are meek and humble of heart, but you are also powerful and mighty (Matthew 11:29, Ephesians 1:21). Come to my heart and reign there always as my King.

Encountering Christ:

·         The Kingdom Is Christ: The kingdom of God has come upon the earth in the person of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict wrote, “The kingdom is not a thing, it is not a geographical dominion like worldly kingdoms. It is a person; it is he. In this interpretation, the term ‘kingdom of God’ is itself a veiled Christology. By the way in which he speaks of the kingdom of God, Jesus leads men to realize the overwhelming fact that in him God himself is present among them, that he is God’s presence” (Jesus of Nazareth, Part 1). The people in the crowd could not fathom that God was truly among them, so they thought that Jesus was using Satan’s spiritual power to trick them. 

·         The Kingdom Brings Salvation: The kingdom of God is Christ, and his mission is salvation. St. John Paul II wrote about the saving action that Christ enacts by healing those who have been possessed: “The acts of liberation from demonic possession–the supreme evil and symbol of sin and rebellion against God–are signs that indeed ‘the kingdom of God has come upon you’” (Matthew 12:28). He continues, summing up the mission of the kingdom: “In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God’s plan of salvation in all its fullness” (Redemptoris Missio, 14-15).

·         The Kingdom Is Powerful: In the kingdom of God, there is no tolerance for evil. Jesus came to destroy sin, evil, and the death that it wrought: “The Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Satan does have power because he is a pure spirit. But Jesus is much, much stronger. The Catechism states, “The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God's reign” (CCC 395). The Church, through Peter and his successors, holds the keys to Christ's kingdom. The Church, with the authority of Christ’s kingdom, is stronger than Satan. Jesus tells Peter of this power when he gives him the keys to the kingdom: “And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). 

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I believe that you have the power to save us from sin, evil, and death. Your power is stronger than all things. Sometimes I can be dismayed by the evil in this world and forget that you are the God of all things in heaven and earth. You even hold the keys to death and to hell (Revelation 1:18). All things are in your hands. Help me rest in that knowledge, and help me be emboldened to build up your kingdom here on earth.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray a rosary as “a glorious weapon against Satan” (Padre Pio).

 

Thursday, March 11, 2021, The Kingdom of God is Upon Us

Thursday of the Third Week of Lent

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you. Luke 11:20

The Kingdom of God can come upon us in a variety of ways. The line from today’s Gospel above comes in the middle of a story of Jesus casting out a demon from a man who was mute. Once the demon was cast out, the mute man began to speak, and all were amazed. And though some were amazed and grew in faith as a result, others turned their amazement into irrationality. 

The irrationality of some was that they saw what Jesus did, but they didn’t want to accept that His power was divine. Therefore, some of them said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” They couldn’t deny that Jesus drove out a demon, since they saw it happen with their own eyes. But they were unwilling to accept Jesus’ divinity, so they jumped to the irrational conclusion that Jesus’ act was done by the power of “the prince of demons.”

This irrational stance of some people is one of the most dangerous stances one can take. It’s the stance of an obstinate heart. They were given the incredible witness of the power of God at work but refused to respond in faith to what they witnessed. For those who are obstinate, when the Kingdom of God comes upon them, as Jesus stated above, the effect is that they react in a violent, angry and irrational way. This form of reaction is exceptionally prevalent today in the secular world. Many in the news media, for example, constantly react violently and irrationally to all that is part of the Kingdom of God. As a result, the evil one easily misleads many, causing confusion and chaos.

For those who have eyes to see clearly, this violent and irrational rejection of the Kingdom of God is very clear. And for those with faith and an open heart, the pure message of the Gospel is like water to a dry and parched soul. They soak it up and find great refreshment. For them, when the Kingdom of God comes upon them, they are energized, inspired and driven with a holy passion to further God’s Kingdom. Irrationality disappears, and God’s pure Truth prevails.

Reflect, today, upon your heart. Are you obstinate in any way? Are there teachings from Christ and His Church that you are tempted to reject? Is there some truth that you need to hear in your personal life to which you find it difficult to be open? Pray that the Kingdom of God come upon you today and every day and, as it does, that you will be a powerful instrument of its establishment in this world.

My glorious King of all, You are all-powerful and have full authority over all things. Please come and exercise Your authority upon my life. Come and establish Your Kingdom. I pray that my heart be always open to You and to the direction you give. Jesus, I trust in You

 

Meditation: "God's kingdom has come upon you"

What is the best protection which brings lasting security to our lives? Scripture tells us that true peace and security come to those who trust in God and obey his word. "Obey my voice and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you" (Jeremiah 7:23). The struggle between choosing to do good or evil, yielding to my will or God's will, God's way or my way, cannot be won by human strength or will-power alone. Our enemy, the devil, conspires with the world and our flesh, to lead us into hurful and sinful desires. Peter the Apostles tells us, Our adversary, the devil prowls the earth seeking the ruin of souls (1 Peter 5:8-9). God offers us grace and protection if we are willing to obey his word and resist the devil. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your ways (Psalm 91:9-11)

Jesus' numerous exorcisms brought freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by the work of evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and battled with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness just before his public ministry. He overcame the evil one through his obedience to the will of his Father. Some of the Jewish leaders reacted vehemently to Jesus' healings and exorcisms and they opposed him with malicious slander. How could he get the power and authority to release individuals from Satan's power? They assumed that he had to be in league with Satan. They attributed his power to Satan rather than to God.

Jesus answers their charge with two arguments. There were many exorcists in Palestine in Jesus' time. So Jesus retorted by saying that they also incriminate their own kin who cast out demons. If they condemn Jesus they also condemn themselves. In his second argument he asserts that no kingdom divided against itself can survive for long? We have witnessed enough civil wars in our own time to prove the destructive force at work here for the annihilation of whole peoples and their land. If Satan lends his power against his own forces then he is finished. How can a strong person be defeated except by someone who is stronger? Jesus asserted his power and authority to cast out demons as a clear demonstration of the reign of God. Jesus' reference to the finger of God points back to Moses' confrontation with Pharoah and his magicians who represented Satan and the kingdom of darkness (see Exodus 8:19). Jesus claims to be carrying on the tradition of Moses whose miracles freed the Israelites from bondage by the finger of God. God's power is clearly at work in the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence that God's kingdom has come.

Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. There are two kingdoms in opposition to one another – the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness under the rule of Satan. If we disobey God’s word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan in our lives. If you want to live in freedom from sin and Satan, then your house – your life and all you possess – must be occupied by Jesus where he is enthroned as Lord and Savior. Is the Lord Jesus the Master of your home, heart, mind, and will?

"O Lord, our God, grant us, we beseech you, patience in troubles, humility in comforts, constancy in temptations, and victory over all our spiritual foes. Grant us sorrow for our sins, thankfulness for your benefits, fear of your judgment, love of your mercies, and mindfulness of your presence; now and for ever." (Prayer by John Cosin)

 

Reflection

"He drives out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the chief of demons,"

(Lk 11: 15) this was how the scribes and Pharisees described the healing miracle of Jesus freeing a dumb man from an evil spirit and enabling him to regain his speech.  Instead of seeing the intervention of God's saving power, they maliciously doubted the authority of Jesus.

Logically speaking, would the devil undo itself and what he has done?  Why would the evil one drive away its own kind? In doing so, evil divides its own kingdom, defeating himself and his kind.  It is a contradiction: it would not happen.

The enemies and detractors of Jesus were so blind, with hardened hearts and minds, that instead of seeing and believing, they questioned and refused to see.  Why?  Because they refused to believe Jesus and his works; they did not have faith.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus invites us to see and read God's intervention and salvation in his actions and not to be so biased to refuse to see because we were already prejudiced and had already made pre-judgments, despite the facts and evidence.