Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ sáu Tuần thứ 2 Phục Sinh

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ sáu Tuần thứ 2 Phục Sinh

Trong mùa Phục Sinh, những bài đọc cho chúng ta xem lại những việc mà của Chúa Giêsu đã làm và tình yêu của Thiên Chúa đối với nhân loại. Hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu muốn mời gọi chúng ta cùng chia sẻ sự thương tâm với Ngài "Ta mua ở đâu ra bánh để cho họ ăn đây?"
Có lẽ chúng ta cũng giống như thánh Philliphê đang ở trong cái sự suy nghĩ vật chất của thế gian “Có mua đến hai trăm quan tiền bánh cũng chẳng đủ cho mỗi người một chút”. Việc Chúa Giêsu đã làm phép lạ hoá bánh ra nhiều không phải là ý định của Chúa Giêsu, những là mối quan tâm của Ngài đối với những nhu cầu cần thiết tối thiếu của con người “Họ đã theo ta ba ngày rồi mà chẳng có gì để ăn”. Ngài không để ý hay quan tâm đến việc mọi người muốn tôn vinh Ngài, Ngài chỉ ra tay hành động để đáp ứng những nhu cầu cần thiết của con người bằng cả với tình thương yêu chân tình, chứ không phải là làm để lấy uy tín cá nhân.
Chúng ta hãy suy nghĩ về cậu bé với năm chiếc bánh và hai con cá, có bao giờ chúng ta dám từ bỏ tất cả những gì mà chúng ta đang có để chia sẽ với những người khác?. 5 chiếc bánh và hai con cá có thể giúp cậu ta và gia đình được no đủ trong mấy ngày trước khi về tới nhà, thế mà cậu không ích kỷ, cậu sẵn sàng chia sẽ những chiếc bánh này với mọi người cho dù chỉ chẳng là bao. Thế nhưng nhờ 5 chiếc bánh và hai con cá đó mà Chúa Giêsu đã nuôi sống cả ngàn người.
Có lẽ có những lúc, chúng ta cũng giống như đám người trong đám đông, chúng ta chạy theo Chúa Giêsu vì chúng ta được nuôi ăn, và hy vọng sẽ có được một cuộc sống thảnh thơi thoải mái, nhưng lại quên đi hay cố tình không để ý, hay quan tâm đến những nhu cầu tâm linh mà Ngài đang dạy cho chúng ta? Chúng ta hãy tự hỏi chính mình là: “Tôi đã yêu mến Thiên Chúa vì những gì Ngài có thể làm cho gia đình, cho chính bản thân của chúng tôi? hay là chỉ biết tôi yêu mến Thiên Chúa vì những sự tốt lành của Ngài đã đem đến cho người khác?

REFLECTION
In this Easter season, the readings revisit the total giving of our Lord Jesus for humankind. This time, the invitation is presented to us "Where shall we buy bread so that these people may eat?" Do we feel like Phillip, lost in worldly thinking? Or can we look in the direction of Jesus and see what is going to happen with a boy with five loaves and two fish, and five thousand men, not counting the women and children? Probably, the first time we heard the story we were impressed by the miracle. And probably if there is such a man today, we also would have done what the crowd had intended: take him and make him provide all that we want!
But that was not the intention of Jesus when he multiplied the bread and fish. His concern was the needs of the people. He was not concerned about how people made of him when he acted in response to the people's needs. Now look at the boy. Are we able to give up all that we have to Jesus so that he can meet the needs of others?

Opening Prayer:
Lord, thank you for this opportunity to sit quietly with your word. Please bless me and those I love as I pray and seek your holy will.
Encountering Christ:
· Nobody’s Perfect: Did Philip fail Jesus's test by his response, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little”? What about Andrew? Andrew pointed out the young boy with the loaves and fishes, but added hesitatingly, “...what good are these for so many?” Neither apostle answered with the faith of Mary who said “Fiat” (Luke 1:38) and “They have no more wine.” (John 2:3); or the nobleman who “took Jesus at his word and departed” and his son was cured (John 4:50); or the man with leprosy who said, “If you will it you can make me clean,” (Mark 1:40); or the two blind men who believed Jesus could cure them (Matthew 9:28). Was Jesus put off by Philip and Andrew’s timid responses? Apparently not, because he worked the multiplication of loaves and fishes anyway, involving them in the distribution and cleanup. We can draw consolation from this story when we fail to rise to a spiritual challenge. Our Lord doesn’t demand perfection from us. As long as we stay close to him, Jesus will continually draw us into the work of the kingdom, in spite of our weaknesses.
· Have Them Recline: Jesus ordered Philip, Andrew, and the rest of the disciples to “Have the people recline” as he prepared to work the miracle. What anticipation there must have been among the apostles and the crowd as Jesus had the loaves and fishes brought before him! And what joy Jesus must have felt to work a miracle that would prefigure the Holy Eucharist, feed thousands of people, and edify so many more souls who would meditate on this Scripture years later. Even more important to Jesus was the fulfillment of his Father’s will and the glory he brought to his Father by this miracle. When we are out and about doing the work of the kingdom, we can appreciate the miracles, large or small, and we relish the consolations, but we must attribute all the glory to God, in imitation of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.
· No Waste: Jesus ordered the disciples to “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” He could certainly have made exactly what was required, so why were there leftovers? When Jesus asked that the broken pieces be collected, was he thinking of the Eucharist? Was he reminding us that the bread, broken and distributed by priests at altars all over the world, should be consumed and never wasted? Was he urging us not to “waste” the superabundant graces we receive there? Let’s recommit ourselves to reverent reception of the Eucharist, prayerfully anticipating our reception of the host and celebrating afterward in silent prayer, so as not to “waste” a single grace from Jesus.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you fed five thousand men on that hillside. How many thousands have you fed since then with your Eucharist? Thank you for this Scriptural prefiguration of the Eucharist. Help me to receive you more reverently each time I attend Mass and worship you more ardently in Adoration.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a Eucharistic visit, receive the Eucharist at Mass, or make a spiritual communion with a heart full of gratitude.

REFLECTION 2017
Despite having seen so many wonderful things Jesus had done- healing the sick, expelling demons, bringing the dead back to life, Philip could not see how five thousand people could be fed in a deserted place.
Faced with problems, we often worry much and do not look at possible opportunities. Our idea of the possible is of course limited by our own experiences in our daily lives. Philip failed to imagine what the miracle-worker Jesus could do in such a difficult situation.
Jesus fed five thousand people with five barley loaves and two fish, with twelve baskets filled with left-overs. The miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes looked forward to the daily miracle of the Eucharist; it also showed God's abundant generosity.
What miracles do we dare ask God for ourselves?

Reflection 2014
The feeding of the multitude manifests how God lovingly provides. With him, we will never be hungry. He feeds our spiritual and physical needs. He loves us so much that He created the plants and the animals for our sustenance as well as the people around us to care for us. Unfortunately, we oftentimes take all these blessings for granted. Have we not abused our environment? There is too much wastage on the food, water, power, etc. around as if these resources will never run out. We throw away things without consideration. Have we ever thought that what we throw out could be of use to others who could not afford as well we could? Christ himself set the example of prudence and frugality when he told his disciples to "gather up the left-over fragments, that nothing may be lost" (Jn 6:12). This only shows how much he values every grain of blessing. What God provides us is a gift. As a simple gesture of our appreciation and gratefulness to His gift, we should not put any of it to waste.

Reflection SG 2016-04-06
For some 2000 years, followers of Jesus have continued to proclaim His resurrection and that He is Lord of all and Savior of the world. During that time, with various reasons and excuses, efforts have continually been made to suppress and silence the witness and religious practices of Jesus’ followers. It’s no different today, where we still see and experience discrimination and prejudiced attitudes, anti-Christian actions of individuals, social groups, governments and states. Disaffected ‘lapsed’ Christians sometimes add their voices too.
Among ourselves, sometimes we feel discouraged by all this opposition, perhaps even shaken in our faith by former Christians who seem to have lost the faith we shared. Have they, and maybe also ourselves sometimes, forgotten or discounted Jesus’ words that He would always be with us? Have we forgotten the wise words of a respected community leader and teacher of the law in Jerusalem?
The religious leaders were embarrassed, irritated and angered by what Peter and the other apostles were publicly saying and doing, the ‘disturbance’ they were causing. They wanted to silence or get rid of them. (So, what is new?) One of the leaders, Gamaliel, advised caution and at the same time quoted recent similar occurrences. If this new movement is just a human invention, he said, it will die out by itself. But if it’s really God’s work, it will survive no matter what action is taken against it.
Lord, we rejoice in being “Easter people”, having the risen Lord among us as the rock of our faith.