Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai tuần thứ Hai Mùa Chay

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai tuần thứ Hai Mùa Chay
“Đong đấu nào, thì sẽ được trả bằng đấu ấy..”
Đấy chính là cách mà Chúa Giêsu sẽ dành cho chúng ta, với tình yêu vô điều kiện mà Ngài chấp nhận sự chối bỏ và sự phản bội của con người, và chấp nhận cả sự đau khổ và cái chết của Ngài để Ngài có thể sống lại, chiến thắng tất cả mọi tội lỗi và sự chết, và đem lại cho tất cả chúng ta sự cứu rỗi. Ngài đã từ chối chống lại bất cứ điều gì mà kẻ thù của Ngài đã đối xử với Ngài, nhưng Ngài luôn sẵn sàng tha thứ cho họ ngay lúc Ngài còn trên cây thập giá.
Chúa Giêsu muốn chúng ta phải biết ăn năn thống hối những lẫm lỗi mà chúng ta đã xúc phạm đến người khác. Chỉ có ân sủng của Thiên Chúa mới có thể giúp chúng ta hòa giải với kẻ thù hoặc những người đã làm tổn thương chúng ta hay những người đã không đối xử công bằng với chúng ta. Chúng ta có thể tha thứ hết, nhưng không phải lúc nào cũng có thể hoàn toàn quên hết được những sự tổn thương đã gây hại đến chúng ta, nhưng quá trình hoà giải, nếu chúng ta chỉ biết hàng động trong ơn sũng và sự phó thác hoàn toàn trong tình yêu của Chúa Kitô, chúng ta có thể tìm được an bình trong sự tha thứ hoàn toàn. Đó là những gì mà Chúa Kitô đã làm cho chúng ta, đó là tình yêu hy sinh trên thập tự giá của Ngài đã dành cho chúng ta. Ngài muốn thấy chúng ta an vui hoàn toàn trong tâm hồn, và có được sự tự do để cho mọi người thấy được lòng thương xót mà Chúa đã dành cho chúng ta. "Chúng ta đong đấu nào thì cũng sẽ được trả lại bằng đấu ấy…." (Luca 6:38)
Lạy Chúa Giêsu, tình yêu của Chúa đã mang lại sự tự do, tha thứ, và niềm vui cho chúng con. Xin Chúa biến đổi trái tim của chúng con với tình yêu của Chúa để không có gì có thể làm cho chúng con phải mất bình tĩnh, nóng giận, để làm mất đi hòa khí của chúng con, hay lấy đi mất niềm vui của chúng con và làm chúng con phải cay đắng, giận dữ với bất cứ người nào"

Reflection MONDAY, 2nd Week of Lent
Some of the hardest things to do are to be merciful and to forgive someone who has hurt us. Our natural reaction is to retaliate or to strike back, preferably with more force, just to see the satisfaction of hurting the other party even more than they hurt us.
And yet, Jesus tells us to be merciful just like the Father; not to judge or condemn; to forgive. By doing so, He promises that we will receive the same treatment that we give others, in full measure and running over. This is exactly how Jesus, innocent and sinless, out of unconditional love for us, embraced his rejection, his Passion and death so that He may rise again, conquering sin and death, and bringing all of us the salvation He wants for everyone. He did not hold anything against his enemies but forgave them from the cross.
To show mercy and to forgive are some of the most difficult things to do. We can't do it alone and it takes time. Jesus wants us to repent for any resentment or hatred we may have against others. He knows how it feels to suffer from life's hurts and He is always with us in our struggles. It is only with God's grace that we'll be able to reconcile with our enemies or people who have hurt us or treated us unfairly and to move on.
Forgiveness doesn't always totally erase the memory of the hurt that was done to us but the process of healing can only start with this conscious act of love and forgiveness. It is what Christ did for us with His loving sacrifice on the cross. He wants to see us whole and at peace, and free enough to show people the same mercy he has shown us. "For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back."

Opening Prayer:
Lord, help me to listen and understand your words so that I may be more and more the disciple that you intended me to be when you made me.
Encountering Christ:
1. The Father’s Mercy: The Father is infinitely merciful. He is ready to forgive anyone who asks for pardon, no matter how big the sin is. He forgave the disobedience of Adam and Eve—the greatest sin in history. He would have forgiven Judas if he had asked for forgiveness. Even if our desire for forgiveness is not perfect–even if our motivation is only to avoid going to hell rather than sorrow for having hurt others or offended God–the Father is willing to forgive. The Father’s mercy is to be the measure of his disciples’ mercy.
2. What Is Mercy?: Jesus explained in this Gospel what he expects when he asks for mercy: Stop judging. Stop condemning. Forgive. Too often we compare ourselves to others because we want to justify ourselves. That leads to judging and condemning others. Instead, we should strive to be merciful because everyone is living a difficult life! Mercy requires that we assume everyone is doing their best and, like ourselves, often falling short of their own ideals. By looking at others this way, forgiveness becomes much easier.
3. Generosity Is Essential: Jesus didn’t merely ask us to forgive—he asks for our generosity. We are not in this world merely to seek our own salvation. Jesus asks us to reach out and share our God-given gifts with others. An old saying warns, “No one gets into heaven by themselves—everyone must bring a friend.” Every day, we have opportunities to help others get one small step closer to heaven. And we grow closer to Jesus when we help others to grow closer to him.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you have asked me to be merciful and have taught me what mercy means. If I want to be merciful as the Father is merciful, I need to love others and help to draw them closer to you. You have given me many gifts and talents which I sometimes use to serve myself—for my own comfort, entertainment, and pleasure. Help me to learn what mercy really is and to use my gifts to help others, as you intended.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will look for opportunities to use my gifts for others– especially my spiritual gifts–so that I will be a sign of your mercy in the world around me.

REFLECTION 2018
In the first reading, praying for God's chosen people, Israel, Daniel prayed for God's mercy and forgiveness for all the failures and infidelities of the people of Israel in their dealings with their God.
In the Gospel reading from the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus tells us to be merciful just as our Father in heaven is merciful, not to judge and condemn others so that we would not be similarly judged and condemned, and to be generous in giving so that we would receive much in return.
Lent is a time to place ourselves before Jesus on the cross and review our lives, our personal histories of grace and sin, who or what we love, how sensitive we have been to God's grace and urgings. We are not to compare ourselves to others but with Jesus, who taught us how to live before and for God. We are called to be imitators of Christ. We are called to put on the mind and heart of Christ.
As we become more mindful of God's grace in our lives, let us pray to grow in compassion and love for others, in tolerance and acceptance of others and in readiness to forgive others.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.

REFLECTION
The prophet Daniel did a beautiful prayer of supplication. The first reading expressed the situation of sin – wickedness, betrayal, disobedience, shame.
In the gospel Christ spoke about forgiveness, to stop judging and condemning. It is in the land of sin that we meet the infinite mercy of God. The consequence of sin is serious. It brings unhappiness, division, misery, to enter into the life of the Prodigal son when he left his father's house. After living a life of debauchery he experienced he found himself empty and hungry. He was even willing to eat the food of the hogs. It was then that he remembered his father and started on a journey home. Christ did not judge and condemn us in our sins but forgave us and showed us the extent of His love. The Father showed us in Christ what kind of love He has for us, it is a love for the unlovable, a love for the sinner. What touches the heart of the Father? It is not the self- righteous but the repentant sinner. He is the one that seeks out the Lost Sheep, the Father who waits patiently for the return of the son. Upon the return of the son, the Father runs to meet him, dressed him in fine robes and put on him the ring of son ship. Have we ever experienced this? If we have then this will make us more compassionate, forgiving and judge less the other. This is how the world will know about the existence of such kind of love.