Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Ba tuần thứ 16 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Ba tuần thứ 16 Thường Niên

Hôm nay, Tin Mừng có lẽ đã làm chúng ta ngạc nhiên vì Chúa Giêsu đã tự hỏi : “ai mẹ ta?” (Mt 12:48), ,. Có lẽ chúng ta hay những người Do thái có thể nghĩ là Chúa đã thái độ bất kính đối với Đức Maria, mẹ của Ngài. Nhưng không phải thếi! Điều mà Chúa Giêsu muốn làm chomọi người đươc hiểu rõ là, trong con mắt của Ngài, của Thiên Chúa. Các giá trị quan trọng của con người không dựa trên xác thịt của con người, nhưng đựợc dựa trên việc xử lý tinh thần để chấp nhận ý muốn của Thiên Chúa: “Rồi Ngài chỉ cho các môn đệ và nói: ": "Đây là mẹ tôi, đây là anh em tôi. Vì phàm ai thi hành ý muốn của Cha tôi, Đấng ngự trên trời, người ấy là anh chị em tôi, là mẹ tôi."Mt 12: 49-50). Vào thời điểm đó, ý của Thiên Chúa là Chúa Giêsu sai xuống với chúng ta để rao giảng Tin Mừng mọi người lắng nghe và cho những người thực sự nghe lời Chúa dạy. Đây là một sự ưu tiên hơn bất kỳ những giá trị ưu tiên nào khác, không có vấn đề kỳ thị. Và để tuân theo ý muốn của Cha Ngài, Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã để lại Đức Maria một mình và giờ đay Ngài đã ra dì và rao giảng nhưng nơi xa nhà.

Nhưng, những ai là người đã từng sẵn sàng tuân theo ý của Thiên Chúa hơn là Đức Maria? “Vâng, tôi đây là nữ tỳ của Chúa, xin Chúa cứ làm cho tôi như lời sứ thần nói."(Lc 1:38). Đây là lý do tại sao, Thánh Augustinô nói rằng Đức Maria, Trước tiên là đã chấp nhận Lời Chúa với một tinh thần vâng phục, và chỉ sau đó, Đức Maria mới được thụ thai với mầu nhiệm Ngôi Hai Nhập Thể trong cung lòng của bà.

Nói cách khác: Thiên Chúa yêu thương chúng ta theo sự thánh thiện của chúng ta. Đức Trinh Nữ Maria là người được may mắn nhất, và, do đó, là những người thân yêu nhất. Tuy nhiên, Thiên Chúa không yêu chúng ta bởi vì chúng ta có thể được nên thánh. Nhưng thật ra không phải thế mà ngược lại: chúng ta được nên thánh vì Ngài yêu thương chúng ta. Nhưng người đầu tiên mà tỏ lộ tình yêu thương chúng ta luôn luôn là Thiên Chúa (x 1Jn 4:10). Đức Maria đã chứng minh điều đó khi bà nói: “Vì Ngài đã đoái thương nhìn người tôi tớ thấp hèn” (Lc 1:48). Trong mắt của Thiên Chúa, sự khiêm nhường của chúng ta là điều hiển nhiên; nhưng Ngài muốn đưa chúng ta lên, để thánh hóa chúng ta.

Reflection

Today, to start with, the Gospel surprises us: «Who is my mother? (Mt 12:48), wonders Jesus. It would seem the Lord is showing a contemptuous attitude towards Mary, his mother. Nothing of the sort! What Jesus wants to make quite clear is that, in his own eyes —God's eyes— the crucial value of a person does not lie on flesh and blood facts, but on the spiritual disposition to accept God's will: «Then He pointed to his disciples and said, ‘Look! Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me brother, sister, or mother’» (Mt 12:49-50). At that time, God's will was for Jesus to evangelize those who were listening and for these ones to actually listen to him. This was a priority over any other value, no matter how dear. To abide by his Father's will, Jesus Christ had left Mary and now He was preaching far away from home.

But, who was ever more willing to abide by God's will than Mary? «‘I am the Lord's servant’, Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said’» (Lk 1:38). This is why, St. Augustine says that Mary, first accepted God's word with a spirit of obedience and, only afterwards, she conceived it in her womb for the Incarnation.

In other words: God loves us as per our saintliness. The Virgin Mary is the most blessed, and, therefore, the most loved. However, God does not love us because we may be saints. It is rather the other way round: we are saints because He loves us. The first one to love is always our Lord (cf. 1Jn 4:10). Mary proves it when she says: «For He has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness» (Lk 1:48). In God's eyes our own lowliness is evident; but He wants to magnify us, to sanctify us.

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, center my heart on you, so that I may be an integral participant of your family in the faith.

Encountering Christ:

1. Who Is Jesus for Me?: In prayer, you are invited to go before the Lord and ask him this question, “Who are you for me, Lord?” Is he a convenient figure who inspires you to perform an act of social justice or charity every once in a while? Is he a model for living the Christian life, but one in which you pick and choose which virtues are adaptable to your present lifestyle? Or is he truly your Savior whom you seek every day, whom you consult and desire to please? Is he the one who nudges you with his consolation, motivating you to give up a little of your personal self-determination in order to live a spirit of obedience to the Holy Spirit? Is he your light in the darkness, a steady rock amidst the storm, a place to rest in the midst of weariness? Where and how do you encounter him? Give thanks for the ways he has revealed himself to you and ask for greater faith to know, love, and follow him.

2. Who Am I for Jesus?: Perhaps we rarely think of Jesus looking upon us with the expectation of being someone special for him. But we are personally looked upon and loved. As we take a cursory glance upon the lives of the saints throughout history, we discover that each one is a treasure for the Lord. Each one is a brother, or sister, or mother. We have Margaret Mary Alocoque consoling his suffering heart, Catherine of Siena tirelessly persevering to change the hearts of leaders, Mary Magdalene witnessing the good news, St. Thomas Aquinas sharing his gift of wisdom and insight into the mysteries of the faith. Each one of us is unique and special to the Lord. And we are all called to participate in God’s family, preserving and sharing the treasures we have received, being a sister or a brother or even a spiritual spouse for Jesus.

3. The Family of God: Jesus made clear that those whom he calls brother, sister, or mother are doing the will of the heavenly Father. The requirement to belong in his family is obedience. And obedience necessitates listening. Listening to the true voice of God requires prayer. Prayer keeps us actively participating in God’s family. Prayer takes many forms, the highest of which is the Holy Mass. The Father offers us an entryway into his Son’s Paschal Mystery through the holy Mass. In the midst of this communal and liturgical prayer, can we hear him tell us how much he loves us? Do we listen to his heartbeats as we hear pieces of salvation history read from the ambo? Do we feel his heart beating in his humble “coming-into-our-presence” as the host is transubstantiated into his Real Presence? As the Mass comes to a close, we are reminded of who we are for the Lord Jesus. We are sent as disciples into the world to bring his presence to others. We are his family upon whom he relies to be channels of his redemptive grace among those desiring to discover a new family in which to belong.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I thank you for the gift of being part of your family. Help me to be a good brother, sister, and mother to all those around me. Send me your Holy Spirit to teach me to listen to your word and to guide and encourage me in the gathering together of more people for your family.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will be attentive to how I can be a brother or sister in the Lord to those I meet.

Reflection

Today, to start with, the Gospel surprises us: «Who is my mother? (Mt 12:48), wonders Jesus. It would seem the Lord is showing a contemptuous attitude towards Mary, his mother. Nothing of the sort! What Jesus wants to make quite clear is that, in his own eyes —God's eyes— the crucial value of a person does not lie on flesh and blood facts, but on the spiritual disposition to accept God's will: «Then He pointed to his disciples and said, ‘Look! Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me brother, sister, or mother’» (Mt 12:49-50). At that time, God's will was for Jesus to evangelize those who were listening and for these ones to actually listen to him. This was a priority over any other value, no matter how dear. To abide by his Father's will, Jesus Christ had left Mary and now He was preaching far away from home.

But, who was ever more willing to abide by God's will than Mary? «‘I am the Lord's servant’, Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said’» (Lk 1:38). This is why, St. Augustine says that Mary, first accepted God's word with a spirit of obedience and, only afterwards, she conceived it in her womb for the Incarnation.

In other words: God loves us as per our saintliness. The Virgin Mary is the most blessed, and, therefore, the most loved. However, God does not love us because we may be saints. It is rather the other way round: we are saints because He loves us. The first one to love is always our Lord (cf. 1Jn 4:10). Mary proves it when she says: «For He has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness» (Lk 1:48). In God's eyes our own lowliness is evident; but He wants to magnify us, to sanctify us.

Meditation: Who are my brothers and sisters?"

Who do you love and cherish the most? God did not intend for us to be alone, but to be with others. He gives us many opportunities for developing relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Why does Jesus seem to ignore his own relatives when they pressed to see him? His love and respect for his mother and his relatives is unquestionable. Jesus never lost an opportunity to teach his disciples a spiritual lesson and truth about the kingdom of God. On this occasion when many gathered to hear Jesus he pointed to another higher reality of relationships, namely our relationship with God and with those who belong to God.

God offers the greatest of relationships

What is the essence of being a Christian? It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship - a relationship of trust, affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection, and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity. God offers us the greatest of relationships - union of heart, mind, and spirit with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8,16).

God's love never fails, never forgets, never compromises, never lies, never lets us down nor disappoints us. His love is consistent, unwavering, unconditional, and unstopable. Nothing can deter him from ever leaving us, ignoring us, or treating us unkindly. He will love us no matter what. It is his nature to love. That is why he created us - to be united with him and to share in his love and unity of persons (1 John 3:1). God is a trinity of persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and a community of love. That is why Jesus challenged his followers and even his own earthly relatives to recognize that God is the true source of all relationships. God wants all of our relationships to be rooted in his love.

The heavenly Father's offer of friendship and adoption

Jesus Christ is God's love incarnate - God's love made visible in human flesh (1 John 4:9-10). That is why Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and the shepherd who seeks out the sheep who have strayed and lost their way. God is like the father who yearns for his prodigal son to return home and then throws a great party for his son when he has a change of heart and comes back (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus offered up his life on the cross for our sake, so that we could be forgiven and restored to unity and friendship with God. It is through Jesus that we become the adopted children of God - his own sons and daughters. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they would have many new friends and family relationships in his kingdom. Whoever does the will of God is a friend of God and a member of his family - his sons and daughters who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ.

Our brothers and sisters redeemed in the blood of Christ

An early Christian martyr once said that "a Christian's only relatives are the saints" - namely those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and adopted as sons and daughters of God. Those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ and who live as his disciples enter into a new family, a family of "saints" here on earth and in heaven. Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all of our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God first and to his kingdom of righteousness and peace. Do you want to grow in love and friendship? Allow God's Holy Spirit to transform your heart, mind, and will to enable you to love freely and generously as he loves.

"Heavenly Father, you bless us with many relationships and you invite us into the community of your sons and daughters who have been redeemed by your son, Jesus Christ. Help me to love my neighbor with charity, kindness, compassion, and mercy, just as you have loved me. In all of my relationships, and in all that I do and say, may I always seek to bring you honor and glory."