Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần 25 TN

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần 25 TN. (Lk. 9:1-6).

“Anh em đừng mang gì đi đường, đừng mang gậy, bao bị, lương thực, tiền bạc, cũng đừng có hai áo” (Lk. 9:3). Đấy là những điều kiện mà Chúa Giêsu muốn đòi hỏi các môn đệ của Ngài phải thực hiện khi ra đi làm nhiệm vụ rao giẳng Tin Mừng. Nếu chúng ta chịu khó để ý thì thấy những quãng đường họ phải đi qua nào là đồi núi, quanh co và sỏi đá thế mà họ phải đi bộ để chu toàn sứ mạng của các ngài, vậy mà Chúa Giêsu bảo không mang gì hết để đáp ứng những nhu cầu tối thiểu của chúng ta, chắc chắn chúng ta sẽ thấy rằng đó chính là một nhu cầu đầy thách thức. Tuy nhiên, các môn đệ đã làm theo như lời Chúa Giêsu dạy, và tất cả mọi sự và mọi việc đã được diễn ra rất suông sẻ và thành công.

Trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta, chúng ta đánh giá rất nhiều về những nhu cầu và các nguồn lực cần thiết để thực hiện những gì chúng ta cho là quan trọng. Đôi khi, cuộc sống của chúng ta đã trở nên tê bại, liệt cứng khi chúng ta không thành công trong việc thúc đẩy những kế hoạch của chúng ta bởi vì chúng ta thiếu lòng tin và lo sợ rằng chúng ta sẽ không có được những nguồn lực, ý chí cần thiết để tiến hành những dự án đó của chúng ta.

Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu như muốn nhắc nhở với chúng ta là hãy hết lòng tin tưởng vào Ngài. Lẽ tất nhiên, điều này chỉ có thể thành công khi chúng ta thật lòng để tâm, để trí và thực sự thực hiện ý muốn của Thiên Chúa và chứ không phải chỉ đơn thuần nhằm mục đích riêng của chúng ta để tự tôn vinh và mang lai sự quang vinh cho chính mình.

Lạy Chúa Giêsu Kitô, xin ban cấp cho chúng con được những hồng ân của Chúa nhất là lòng tin tuởng và phó thác hoàn toàn trong tình yêu vô điều kiện của Chúa.Alpha

Wednesday 25th Week in Ordinary Time

“Take nothing for the journey — no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.” This is what Jesus required of the disciples as they set out on mission. If we take account of the distances to be covered by walking and the material needs to be met, we see that bringing nothing was a challenging demand. However, the disciples did as Jesus said and everything went smoothly.

In our daily life, we value very much the supply of resources necessary to carry out what we deem important. Sometimes, our lives become paralyzed as we fail to push forward plans because we are afraid that we will not obtain the resources needed. Jesus tells us just to go on trusting him wholeheartedly. Obviously, this is only possible when we are truly carrying out his will and not simply aiming at our self-glorification or fame.

Accepting the mission and acknowledging our weaknesses and unworthiness — just as Ezra recognizes in front of God the sins of his people — will make us more humble so as to be able to see God's hand in our lives. Only in this way, we are also led to meet the demands of our daily life and achieve our goals.

Lord Jesus Christ, grant us, we pray, the grace of full trust in Your unconditional love.

Wednesday 25th Ordinary

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for the gift of my faith. Please increase my faith to see your presence and action in my life. Strengthen my hope to stand firm in you when things seem hopeless. Increase my love so that through me your loving grace may touch many around me. Finally, I ask you to bless all those you have entrusted to my prayer.

Encountering Christ:

· He Gave Power and Authority: “He summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal.” When God gives us a mission, he gives us the graces to complete that mission. We refer to this principle as the grace of state. In giving the apostles the mission of building his Church, he also gave them the corresponding power and authority to do so. Traditionally, the Church has understood that the Magisterium has threefold power: to govern, to teach, and to sanctify (CCC 888-895). This passage refers to teaching and sanctifying, implied by the healing. Jesus established a visible Church upon the foundation of the apostles, and that foundation still stands today in the person of the pope and the bishops in union with him. Our Lord’s Church continues to wield his power in order to continue his mission to “proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal.”

· He Sent Them: Jesus sent the apostles to “proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal.” The Church was never meant to be self-referential. Its sole purpose is to be a sign of God’s presence in the world. It comes from God and goes out to man. The Church in its very essence is missionary. St. John Paul II wrote that “All renewal in the Church must have a mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 27). While it is true that we must at times look inward in our prayer and formation, even that must be oriented towards mission. The Church participates in Christ’s zeal to go from town to town to proclaim the Gospel (Mark 1:38).

· They Set Out: “Then they set out and went from village to village proclaiming the good news and curing diseases everywhere.” It must have been with great joy and excitement that the apostles set out for their first mission. They had often witnessed Our Lord preach, refute the Pharisees, and heal the sick. They had been eagerly awaiting their turn. They wanted to do great things for the Lord and prove that he had done well in choosing them. They were also somewhat nervous. Would they be able to cast out demons as he did? He commanded them to do so; therefore, in their childlike confidence, they tried and it worked! They still had much growing and learning to do as his messengers, but they were willing students and collaborators.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, increase in my heart the zeal for souls. Help me to go beyond my comfort zone to proclaim your Gospel to those around me. Give me the light and grace necessary for the fulfillment of my duties in my state of life. Help me to understand that fulfilling your will with as much love as I can is the best thing I can do for the Church and society.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray for a renewal of the Church’s missionary zeal.

Meditation:

What kind of power and authority does God want you to exercise in your personal life and in your service of others? God's word has power to change and transform our lives. Jesus gave his apostles both power and authority to speak and to act in his name – to cast out evil spirits, to heal, and to speak the word of God. When Jesus spoke of power and authority he did something unheard of. He wedded power and authority with love and humility. The world and the sinful flesh seek power for selfish gain. Jesus teaches us to use it for the good of our neighbor.

Why does Jesus tell the apostles to travel light with little or no provision? Poverty of spirit frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God's provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves. He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. Are you ready to handle the power and authority which God wishes you to exercise on his behalf? The Lord entrusts us with his gifts and talents. Are you eager to place yourself at his service, to do whatever he bids you, and to witness his truth and saving power to whomever he sends you?

"Lord Jesus, make me a channel of your grace and healing love that others may find life and freedom in you. Free me from all other attachments that I may joyfully pursue the things of heaven. May I witness to others the joy of the gospel both in word and deed."