Suy Niệm Tin MừngThứ Năm Tuần 2 Mùa Chay:

Suy Niệm Tin MừngThứ Năm Tuần 2 Mùa Chay: Luke 16:19-31 

Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta một bài học hôm nay đó là ‘Hãy đặt Thiên Chúa làm trọng tâm” trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Như trong bài dụ ngôn, người giàu có đã tự đặt mình trên hết trước cả Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa chỉ là khoảng cách xa vời, không quan trọng đối với ông ta. Có lẽ chúng ta cũng có thể thấy được một chút “cái TÔI” của mình trong người đàn ông giàu có trong bài dụ ngôn hôm nay. Có lẽ chúng ta cũng đã đặt những thứ vật chất, danh vọng, ham muốn của chúng ta trước nghĩa vụ của chúng ta đối với Thiên Chúa và tha nhân, do đó mà bỏ quên đức bác ái.;

            Đối với ông Lazarus, người đàn ông nghèo khốn, thiếu thốn đủ mọi điều vì ông đã đau khổ quá nhiều về thân xác. Đôi lúc chúng ta tự nghĩ:  có lẽ Thiên Chúa đã quên và bỏ rơi ông Lazarus, trong khi đó Thiên Chúa lại thiên vị với người giàu có kia, vì Chúa đã ban nhiều ơn phúc cho người giàu có kia, người ta đã giàu mà Chúa còn cho được giàu có them.

Tuy nhiên, Lazarus, người đàn ông nghèo khó đó có một điều: đó là ơn cứu độ của Thiên Chúa. Ông chỉ biết tin tưởng và hy vọng vào một mình Thiên Chúa và chẳng có một thứ gì khác để ông ta phải phụ thuộc.  Đây không phải là lời đề nghị để chúng ta chối bỏ tất cả các thứ cần thiết, các nhu cầu thiết yếu của cuộc sống trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, nhưng một bài học giúp cho chúng ta biết rằng, sau hết chỉ có một điều là đáng quan trọng trong đời sống của chúng ta: đó là đặt tình yêu Thiên Chúa làm trọng tâm cho cuộc sống của chúng ta.

            Tin Mừng hôm nay nhắc nhở cho chúng ta biết rằng để đạt được Nước Trời, chúng ta cần quay về với Thiên Chúa và phải đặt chúng ta vào sự tùy thuộc hoàn toàn ở nơi Ngài.  Và ước muốn của chúng ta là được ở gần với Chúa và mang Chúa đến tới cho càng nhiều linh hồn càng tốt. 

Xin Chúa ban cho chúng ta có sự cố gắng trong các nỗ lực đem tình yêu Thiên Chúa đến với mọi người và chia sẻ tình yêu của Thiên Chúa với tất cả những người mà chúng ta gặp gỡ trong cuộc sống của chúng ta.

 

REFLECTION: Luke 16:19-31

Jesus is advising us, in today Gospel, put him at the center of our lives. The rich man in the parable put himself first. God was distant, unimportant to him. Perhaps we can see a little of ourselves in the rich man. Perhaps we put material things ahead of our duties towards God and our neighbor, thus neglecting the virtue of charity.

            The poor man, Lazarus, was in need of a great deal. He suffered much. It would seem that God had forgotten him; whereas with the rich man, it would seem that God heaped blessing upon blessing on him. However,  the poor man had one thing: his salvation. He hoped in God alone. What else could he depend on? This is not to suggest that we give up the necessities of life, but it goes to show us that in the end, only one thing matters: put ting God at the center of our lives.

            Today's Gospel reminds us that in order to gain the Kingdom of God, we need to turn to Jesus in complete dependence. It should be our one desire to be with Jesus and also want to bring to him as many other souls as possible. Let us make the effort to work hard to do all the good possible and to share Jesus' love with all those whom we meet on the road of life. Let us be Jesus' untiring apostle.

 

Opening Prayer: 

Lord, help me in this prayer to open my heart more and more to you so that I may begin to open it to others. They are your children. Help me to love them as you do. 

Encountering Christ:

1. Life Is Good!: The rich man enjoyed life. He had the finest clothes and the best foods. He had lots of money and he used it for his own benefit. Remember, the Jews believed that if a man was righteous, God would bless him with riches, health, and many other benefits. Perhaps this man was at peace, thinking that God had been pleased by the way he lived. Yet at his gate, there was someone who should have stolen his peace away. 

2. All for Me and None for You: Jewish people were taught that it was a good thing to give alms to the poor, and that they could be forgiven for sins by doing so. The rich man passed Lazarus every day and, as a Jew, his conscience should have prompted him to help, but he did nothing at all. Because he neglected Lazarus, the rich man was separated for all eternity by a great chasm from the bosom of Abraham. He had the wherewithal to beg for his brothers, but even those pleas were fruitless. By his covetousness while he was alive, he secured abject poverty for all eternity. It’s a good reminder for us that our actions each day have eternal consequences.

3. Am I the Rich Man?: Many of us lead comfortable lives. Does God see in us any semblance of what he saw in the rich man? How aware are we of the poor or needy who live nearby? We may not walk over them every time we enter our house, but perhaps we see them on our way to work or school or the supermarket. None of us can take care of all the needy people in the world, but we can certainly help them one at a time.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, open my eyes to see life as you see it. Show me how you want me to use my gifts for others, and where I may be holding back. You taught us the spiritual and corporal works of mercy and I know that these please you. May I seize the opportunity to serve everyone in my path, according to your holy will. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will review the spiritual and corporal acts of mercy (see CCC 2447) and find one that needs to be extended toward my neighbors.

 

Reflection Thursday second week of Lent.

We hear people say that life is a journey. People who say this have a point. Our life on earth ends when we die: an eternity follows. In the context of an eternity, our life on earth seems microscopic in the grand scheme of things.  And yet our eternity depends upon our life on earth.

  We can compare it to going to another country to work. What you do there and how well you do will determine the type of welcome and reception when you return home.  Did you do well in your work? Did your work in the other country help to secure your future and that of your family?  Were you rewarded for work well done or were your employers not satisfied with your work?  

   It is the same with our life.  We can consider our life as work outside of our heavenly and permanent home. In truth we are just transients, sort of passing through.  When our life ends, like a contract in a foreign country, we will be judged on how we have been and on what we have accomplished.  How we have been and what we have done in our lifetime will determine our eternity: reward or punishment.

   The parable of the rich man and the poor man Lazarus is a lesson and a warning for us.  As Abraham told the rich man, they have Moses and the prophets and indeed Christ himself. Do not say that we have not been taught and warned.    

 

REFLECTION
The rich man and the beggar died and were carried before Abraham, and there judgment was rendered on their conduct. Lazarus found consolation, but the rich man found torment. Was the rich man condemned because he had riches, because he “dressed in purple and linen and feasted sumptuously every day”? No. The rich man was condemned because he did not pay attention to the other man: he failed to take notice of Lazarus, who sat at his door and who longed to eat the scraps from his table.

            Despite a life of misfortune and suffering, Lazarus did not lose hope in God. His eyes were set on a treasure stored up for him in heaven. The rich man, however, could not see beyond his material treasure. He not only had everything he needed; he indulged in his wealth to excess. He was too absorbed in what he had to notice the needs of those around him. Preoccupied with seeking happiness in material things, he served wealth rather than God. He lost sight of God and the treasure of heaven

Lord, increase my hunger for You and for Your way of happiness. Make me rich in the things of heaven and give me a generous heart that I may freely share with others the treasure You have given to me