Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Đức Mẹ Sẩu Bi, Sept 15

 Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Đức Mẹ Sẩu Bi, Sept 15

Trước khi Chúa Giêsu chết trên thập giá, Chúa đã trao phó Đức Maria, mẹ của mình cho Thánh Gioan, môn đệ Ngài yêu dấu để chăm sóc, "Đây là mẹ của con," và Ngài cũng nhắn nhủ với mẹ mình là hãy chấp nhận Thánh Gioan như con trai của mình, "Này bà, đây là con bà."

Những lời mà Đức Kitô giao phó Mẹ Ngài cho thánh Gioan và Thánh Gioan cho Mẹ Ngài, chính là những lời mà Giáo Hội đã coi như là những lời di chúc và bằng chứng mà Chúa Kitô đã trao phó Mẹ Ngài cho chúng ta, và Ngài cũng đã phó thác tất cã mỗi người chúng ta trong sự gìn giữ, lo lắng và chăm sóc của Đức Maria. Vì thế Đức Maria là Mẹ của mỗi người chúng ta, những người theo Chúa Kitô.

Tin Mừng Thánh Gioan cho chúng ta biết là:"Và từ giờ đó, môn đồ đã lĩnh lấy bà về nhà mình." (Gn 19:27). Từ giờ phút đó thánh Gioan đã rước Đức Maria về nhà mình và đã yêu thương, kính trọng và chăm sóc của Đức Maria như là mẹ của mình.

Giờ đây Đức Trinh Nữ Maria cả xác lẫn hổn đã được vinh quang với Con của Mẹ và tất cả những người được chọn và các thiên thần ở trên Thiên Quốc. Đức Maria không cần sự chăm sóc, thương yêu chúng ta như Mẹ đã cần sự chăm sóc của Thánh Gioan lúc xưa khi còn ở trần thế. Đức Maria ở trên trời là một người Mẹ có quyền thế và sức mạnh nhất, Mẹ luôn yêu thương giúp đỡ và hướng dẫn mỗi người chúng ta. Chúng ta nên học theo cách yêu mến của Con Mẹ là Chúa Giêsu và tập sống giống như Mẹ.

Cảm ơn Chúa đã ban cho chúng con Mẹ của Chúa để làm Mẹ của chúng con. Xin cho chúng con có thể học cách yêu Mẹ như Chúa. Xin cho chúng con có thể luôn luôn biết quay về với Mẹ để học cách yêu Chúa như chính mẹ và Kính Yêu Chúa. Cảm ơn Chúa đã ban cho những người mẹ của chúng con, những người sinh dưỡng chúng con cũng là người giúp chúng con biết phản ánh tình yêu của Đức Maria, Mẹ của Chúa.

Reflection Sep 15:

When we are asked to care of our friend's belongings, we do so with great care. What if we are asked to look after our friend's mother? Would we be able to undertake such a task?

Dying on the cross our Lord leaves his Mother Mary to the care of the beloved disciple John, "There is your mother," and also tasks his Mother to accept John as her son, "Woman, this is your son."

The Church has read Christ entrusting his Mother to John and the beloved Apostle John to his Mother as Christ's lasting will and testament to entrust his Mother to each of his followers and to entrust each of his followers to Mary's care.

Thus Mary is the Mother of each one of us, of each one of the followers of Christ and each one of us is her son or daughter.

John's Gospel said that "from that moment the disciple took her to his own home." From that moment John loved and took care of Mary as his mother. Tradition has it that John and Mary eventually moved to Ephesus where to this date there is a shrine of their home.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is now body and soul in glory with her Son and all the elect and angels in heaven. She does not need us to take care of her as she needed John's love and care during her lifetime.

Mary in heaven is a most powerful and loving Mother of each one of us. With her help and guidance, may we learn to love her Son as she does.

Thank you, Lord, for giving your Mother to be our mother. May we learn to love her as you do. May we always turn to her to learn to love you as she does.Thank you for our own mothers who reflect the love of your Mother Mary.

"Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To you I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but, in your mercy, hear and answer me.

Reflection Sep 15

Opening Prayer: Lord, as I come before you in this moment of prayer, my heart is full of gratitude for the gift of your mother. May my love for Mary deepen as I contemplate your word.

Encountering Christ:

· Abandoned: How devastating it must have been for Jesus to have been abandoned by most of his friends and followers during the hour of his greatest human suffering. Yet, Jesus focused not on his own physical and emotional pain, but on the practical needs of his mother and the spiritual needs of his followers. In the time of Jesus, his widowed mother would have needed a man to take care of her after the passing of her only son. Jesus entrusted John to handle this precious responsibility. Christ also knew that his followers needed a mother. Could he have offered to us any better than his own Blessed Mother, Mary? How blessed we are to be children of his holy mother!

· Behold Your Mother: Mary, this beautiful woman who suffered the loss of her husband Joseph and the brutal death of her beloved Son, was no stranger to the pain and agony of human existence. She went before us, and today she offers to accompany us in our suffering, our doubts, and our struggles. We can have no more powerful, more loving, more perfect human companion in hard times than the Blessed Virgin Mary.

· Standing at the Foot of the Cross: When a friend or family member is suffering, we often cannot solve their problem or make their pain go away. Instead, we emulate our Blessed Mother, along with Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and St. John, and stand with them at the foot of their cross and seek ways to assist them (a hot meal, an errand, a visit). Despite our feeling of helplessness, we refuse to abandon them to suffer alone, in imitation of Mary, our mother.

Conversing with Christ: Dear Lord, in the midst of your pain and suffering, you still had concern for others and gave me the most beautiful possible gift, your own mother. Please teach me to appreciate this unmerited blessing. Help me also to look beyond my own problems and suffering to see the needs of those around me.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will ask the Blessed Mother to open my eyes to a neighbor or family member who needs me to accompany them at the foot of their cross. I will ask for the wisdom to see how I can best serve this person and act to do so.

REFLECTION

In the first reading, Paul writes that he certainly did not deserve to be in the presence of the Lord nor be in His service because he was "a blasphemer, a persecutor and a rabid enemy"; but, Jesus had mercy on him and changed his heart on the road to Damascus. Jesus gifted him with faith and love, making him trustworthy to be in his service. The same theme can be seen in today's gospel. A disciple of Jesus is one "who is not above the master, but when fully trained, he will be like his master." As true disciples, we are to behave like our Master. We are to conform our hearts to the heart of Jesus who is not critical of us and accepts us as sinners. Jesus encourages us to look into ourselves instead of judging those around us. So that we may follow his teachings more closely, we need his grace and his strength, as Paul says. We cannot do this on our own but only through God's gracious permission. We pray that one day, our character may mirror that of Jesus.