Suy Niệm Thứ Ba Tuần 8 TN -Mark 10:28-31

Suy Niệm Thứ Ba Tuần 8 TN -Mark 10:28-31

Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay tiếp theo bài đọc hôm qua. Sau khi Chúa bảo người thanh niên giàu có về bán tài sản của mình đem bố thí và theo ngài.... nhưng người thanh niên này đã buồn bã ra đi... Chính vì thế mà Phêrô đã hỏi Chúa Giêsu "Tôi bỏ tất cả theo thầy, Phần tôi, tôi sẽ được gì đây?" với bản tính con người, Các môn đệ đã cũng mong đợi một vài lợi ích tài chính hoặc vật chất cho lòng trung thành của họ? Vì vậy, Chúa Giêsu đã bảo đảm với họ rằng họ sẽ được hoàn trả hơn một trăm lần, nhưng không phải bây giờ.

Từ khi nghe tiếng mời gọi theo Chúa, các môn đệ đã để lại sau lưng tất cả mọi thứ vì lợi ích của Ngài và vì công việc của Ngài và điều này bao gồm những sự bách hại; đây là mối đầu tư của họ. Nhưng phần thưởng là rất lớn, đó là sự sống đời đời. Nhưng không phải trong cuộc sống này vì rất khó có thể sống theo như ý Thiên Chúa muốn mà không vác lấy thánh giá Chúa trao ban.

Đấy chính là thực tại trong cuộc sống tình yêu hy sinh của một người theo ý Chúa. Như khi người đời thường nói, "Không đau khổ, thi không đạt được kết quả tốt. Không chéo, không vương miện". Tất cả Mười hai môn đệ đầu tiên của Chúa Giêsu đã chịu tử đạo, ngoại trừ Gioan. Không biết bao nhiêu người trong số các tiền nhân Việt Nam của chúng ta cũng bị đàn áp và tử đạo vì Chúa và vì lợi ích của Tin Mừng phúc âm.

Tuy nhiên, có hai loại tử đạo:- những người chết vì đức tin trong tay của kẻ thù, và những người cống hiến cuộc đời của mình để phục vụ Giáo Hội trong sự cứu rỗi các linh hồn mà đã chết đi một cách lặng lẽ, không được chú ý, không ai biết đến.

"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, chúng con muốn đi theo Chúa để được làm môn đệ của Chúa và yêu thương Chúa hết lòng với tất cả những gì chúng con có. Xin Chúa hãy điền vào tâm hồn chúng con với đức tin mạnh mẽ, với hy vọng, và tình yêu vô vị lợi, để chúng con luôn luôn có thể tìm thấy được sự bình an và niềm vui trong sự hiện diện của Chúa."

REFLECTION

Today we continue Gospel from yesterday.When Jesus tell the young man whatv to do to have enternal life, But because he was so rick, and he did not want to give up his well to follow Jesus. For that reason Peter actually asking Jesus "What's in it for me?" When Jesus called his first disciples to follow him, they laid down their boats, their fishnets, left their families, and immdiately went with him and today in the Gospel:

- Did the disciples expect some sort of financial or material gain for their service and follow Jesus?

So Jesus reassures them that they would be repaid a hundred times over; but not now, not just yet. At the present time, they leave behind everything for his sake and the sake of his work and this includes persecutions; this was their investment. But the rewards are great, very great, in the eternal life. It is not possible to live as God wills us to do without a cross. This is the reality of sacrificial love in the life of a person following God's will.

As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown." All of Jesus' first Twelve suffered martyrdom except John. Many of our saints also suffered persecution and martyrdom for Christ's sake and for the sake of the gospel.

However, there are two kinds of martyrdom; those who die for the faith in the hands of the enemy, and those who dedicate their lives to serving the Church for the salvation of souls and who die quietly, unnoticed. "Lord Jesus, we want to follow you as your disciple and to love you wholeheartedly with all that we have. Fill our heart with faith, hope, and love that we may always find peace and joy in your presence."

Opening Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, though I am not deserving, I am grateful for your love. Sometimes following you is not easy. I lose my way and fall into sin, but you always find me. You gently lead me to the road back to your heart. Help me to persevere in following you.

Encountering Christ:

What about Us?: Peter had just heard Jesus tell everyone how hard it can be to enter the kingdom of heaven. “It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:25). They were all amazed. In this context, Peter voiced the thought that was probably on everyone’s mind: “We have given up everything and followed you.” In other words, “What about us?” God bless Peter for his frankness. Without his outburst, we would have missed the consolation Jesus offered next. We should never hesitate to tell the Lord what’s really on our minds. He knows already and loves us anyway. The very act of praying from our heart unleashes graces from Jesus’s Sacred Heart.

The First Will Be Last: The “firsts” in this world believe in themselves. They believe they are deserving of their elevated status. They believe they are stronger, smarter, more beautiful, etc., than others. They can be demanding, ungrateful, self-important, and sometimes downright angry. These are not the qualities of the “firsts” who belong to Our Lord’s kingdom. These “firsts” believe not in themselves but in God who sustains them. They believe that if they are stronger, smarter, or more beautiful than others, the attribute is to be used to glorify God and to be of service to others. They are grateful, peaceful, joy-filled, and authentic. They may or may not be the “last” in a worldly sense, but, by their faith, they have secured a prime place with God for all eternity.

The Reward: The cost-benefit analysis is a method used to analyze business decisions before actually committing to one, but let’s relate this concept to the decision of following Jesus. “Take up your cross and follow me,” Jesus said. Walking with Jesus can mean we suffer hardships, but the benefits outweigh the burden of carrying our crosses because we don’t carry them alone. Jesus accompanies us through our pains and gives meaning to our sorrows. And there is also a promise, a reward: When we offer our lives to Jesus, we gain the joy of his friendship, which is a priceless treasure, and we receive an inheritance in heaven which lasts forever.

Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, thank you for calling me to the Catholic faith. I am reminded that no worldly good can truly fill my heart. The joy of knowing you is the greatest treasure of all. Fill my heart with faith and hope, and with the vision of heaven especially when circumstances around me get tough. May I always find peace and joy in your presence.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a plan to go to confession.

Comment: Fr. Jordi SOTORRA i Garriga (Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain)

Truly, there is no one who has left house for my sake and for the Gospel who will not receive his reward in the present time and in the world to come eternal life

Today, just like that landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard, the Lord is seeking disciples, followers and friends. His, is a universal call. A captivating offer, the Lord entrust us with! On one condition, though. One condition that may dishearten us: «For my sake and for the Gospel» you are to leave «house, brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands» (cf. Mk 10:29).

But, is there any compensation? Shall there be any reward? Shall we make any gain out of it? Peter, in the name of the Apostles, reminds the Master: «We have given up everything to follow you» (Mk 10:28), as if asking: what benefit shall we get?

The Lord's promise is very generous: «but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time (…) and in the age to come eternal life» (Mk 10:30). He cannot be surpassed as far as generosity. But He adds: «even in the midst of persecution». Jesus is very realistic and He does not want to deceive anybody. To be a disciple of his, if we are truly so, will bring us troubles and problems. However, Jesus considers persecutions and troubles a reward, for they help us to grow, if we accept and live through them as an opportunity to gain in maturity and responsibility. Whatever act of sacrifice makes us more like Jesus Christ who, by dying in the Cross, saves us.

We have always time to revise our life and get closer to Jesus Christ, especially during the times of Advent and Lent. Through prayer and the sacraments, these times and all times, we can find out whether we are amongst the disciples He is seeking, and decide which our answer must be to that call. Next to radical responses (such as those from the Apostles) there are others. For many, “to leave house, brothers or sisters, or father or mother…” will just mean whatever unable us to live deeply in Jesus' close friendship and, as a consequence, become his testimony before the world. And this is urgent, don't you think so?

Meditation:

What's the best investment you can make with your life? The gospel presents us with a paradox: we lose what we keep, and we gain what we give away. When we lose our lives for Jesus Christ, we gain a priceless treasure and an inheritance which lasts forever. Whatever we give to God comes back a hundredfold. Generosity flows from a heart full of gratitude for the abundant mercy and grace which God grants. Do you give freely and generously? And why do you give, for reward or for love?

Right after a wealthy young man refused to follow Jesus, Peter, somewhat crudely wanted to know what he and the other disciples would get out of it since they had freely accepted Jesus’offer to follow him unconditionally. Jesus spoke with utter honesty: Those who left all for him would receive a hundred times more now, even in this life, as well as unending life in the age to come. Jesus’disciples can expect opposition and persecution from those who are opposed to Christ and his gospel.

Should we be surprised if we lose favor and experience ridicule, intimidation, and injury when we take a stand for truth and righteousness? In place of material wealth, Jesus promised his disciples the blessing and joy of rich fellowship with the community of believers. No earthly good or possession can rival the joy and bliss of knowing God and the peace and unity he grants to his disciples. The Lord wants to fill our hearts with the vision of heaven and with his joy and peace. Do you know the joy of following the Lord as his disciple? Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the joy of the gospel and the knowledge of God’s personal love.

"Lord Jesus, I want to follow you as your disciple and to love you wholeheartedly with all that I have. Fill my heart with faith, hope, and love that I may always find peace and joy in your presence."