Suy Niệm Thứ Hai Tuần 32 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Thứ Hai Tuần 32 Thường Niên

Chúng ta hãy thử tưởng tượng nếu chúng ta là người đã phạm những lỗi lầm với một người nào đó trong gia đình hay với Giáo Hội bảy lần một ngày. Chúng ta có lời xin lỗi mỗi khi chúng ta nhận ra rằng chúng ta đã làm sai. Mỗi khi chúng ta xin lỗi, chúng ta lại được sự tha thứ một cách vô điều kiện. Chúng ta sẽ có cảm giác như thế nào? khi chúng ta là người đã nhiều lần phạm lỗi và xúc phạm đến anh chị em của chúng ta. Chúng ta đã liên tục được sự tha thứ của Thiên Chúa. Bây giờ Thiên Chúa, qua Chúa Giêsu, đã mời gọi chúng ta hãy rộng lượng để tha thứ cho những người khác, như Ngài đã tha thứ cho chúng ta. Để tha thứ là để thiết lập một gương sáng về tình yêu thương trong cộng đồng. Một gương sáng tốt dễ ảnh hưởng đến người khác một cách tích cực và gắn bó cộng đồng, cũng giống như những gương mù gương xấu ảnh hưởng đến những người khác một cách tiêu cực và phân chia cộng đồng. Chúa Giêsu thú nhận rằng điều đó chắc chắn sẽ gây ra tội lỗi. Tội lỗi ảnh hưởng đến người khác cũng như chính mình. Không những chúng ta phải biết chăm lo chính chúng ta đẻ đừnf phạm tội, nhưng điều quan trọng hơn, là chúng ta đừng bao giờ làm gương mù gương xấu đễ đưa anh chị em của chúng ta bắt chước và lâm vào con đường tội lỗi. Hơn nữa, Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta phải chủ động và phải biết nêu gương tốt về tình yêu thương, và sự tha thư. Chúng ta có dám tỏ vẻ như một “kẻ Ngốc” mỗi khi chúng ta tha thứ cho những người phạm lỗi hay xúc phạm đến chúng ta rất nhiều lần và chúng ta cứ tiếp tha thứ cho họ mãi mãi? Tuyệt đối là không! Nhưng đây là cách của loài người chúng ta. Lạy Chúa, xin cho chúng con biết rộng lượng và sẵn sàng tha thứ. Xin giúp chúng con Chúa ơi, để chúng con biết tha thứ theo như cách của Chúa, và xin Chúa hãy gia tăng tình yêu thương trong chúng con..

Reflection (SG)

Imagine you are that brother or sister who has sinned against someone in the family or the Church seven times a day. You apologies every time that you realize that you have been wrong. Every time you apologies, unconditional pardon is given you. How do you feel? We are that person who has repeatedly sinned against our brothers and sisters. We are repeatedly pardoned by God. Now God, through Jesus, is asking us to forgive others, as He has forgiven us.

To forgive is to set an example of love in the community. Good examples affect others positively and bond the community, just as bad examples affect others negatively and divide the community. Jesus admits that things which cause sin will inevitably occur. Sin affects others as well as oneself. Not only should we take care not to sin, but more importantly, we should never lead our brothers and sisters into sinning. Furthermore, Jesus teaches us to be pro-active and set examples of love, by forgiving. Would I appear to be a fool in forgiving serial sinners? Absolutely! But this is the Pascal way.

Lord, give me the desire to forgive. Help me to forgive in Your way, and increase the scope of my love.

Monday 32nd in Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for the opportunity to come before you in prayer. I particularly ask you to increase my faith. I understand that challenges and temptations will come my way. Without a strongly rooted faith, I will stumble. However, Lord, teach me that even in my stumbles and struggles, I may learn to rely ever more on you.

Encountering Christ:

· The Inevitability of Temptation: “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur.” God in his Providence has not removed evil from the world. Rather, he has given us the strength to overcome it. During the Last Supper Jesus prayed to the Father regarding his Apostles, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15). Now we must “discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads to sin and death” (CCC 2847). However, even temptations can reveal to us our own weaknesses and thereby be useful (CCC 2847). Nevertheless, we want to avoid temptation when possible, and most certainly avoid becoming the cause of temptation for others.

· Forgive Again: Another consequence of living in a fallen world is the need to ask for forgiveness and to give it—repeatedly. The “once saved always saved” doctrine of Protestants forgets that while in this life we must live in time and, therefore, we have the opportunity to do good or evil repeatedly. As such, any relationship that traverses time requires constant renewal. Yesterday I was good; today I have sinned. This is why the disciple frequently prays the “Our Father” and asks both for forgiveness and to not be led into temptation, with each recitation of the prayer. This is also why we have to go to confession after the initial conversion of our baptism. This journey through time and the opportunity for renewal is our challenge and our hope.

· Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed: It was after Our Lord’s insistence on the need for frequent forgiveness that the apostles asked him to “Increase our faith.” This was not changing the subject. Rather, it was a profound intuition that the only way to be capable of repeatedly forgiving others is to be rooted in a deep faith. At times they would be able to forgive some transgressions only with the aid of grace and for the love of God. This faith helps the disciple of the Lord to forgive, and also to overcome all obstacles–or mountains–along the way.

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I have often asked you for forgiveness. Therefore, I must also be willing to forgive. Help me to do so as often as needed. Increase my faith so that in all my challenges and struggles I may never lose sight of you as my destination and of your grace as my assistance. Let even my struggles and falls lead to a greater humility and reliance upon you.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will ask for or offer forgiveness—even in the small things.

Comment

Today, the Gospel speaks of three important topics. In the first place, our behavior with children. If in other occasions childhood has been praised, on this one we are warned of the evil we can cause them.

To scandalize is not to make lots of noise or going mad, as sometimes, we understand it; the Greek word “skandalon”, meaning something which makes you stumble upon or slip, like a stone or a banana peel, to say it clearer. We must highly respect infants, and woe to the one who brings them to sin, in any way! (cf. Lk 17:1).

Jesus anticipates the great punishment that waits for him and He does it with very vivid images. In the Holy Land we can still find some very old millstones; they are great round stones with a hole in the midst (they may also remind us, in a larger scale, of the cervical collars we should wear when suffering a traumatism). Putting the stone around the scandalous' neck and throwing him into the sea expresses a most terrible punishment. Jesus uses here an almost black joke sort of language. Woe to us if we cause one of these little ones to fall! And there are many ways to cause them to sin: to lie, to ambition, an unjust triumph. To devote oneself to tasks that will satisfy their vanity...

In the second place, forgiveness. Jesus asks us to forgive, as many times as needed, even in the same day, if the other is sorry, even if our soul resents it: “Be careful. If your brother offends you, rebuke him and if he is sorry, forgive him.” (Lk 17:3). Our capacity to forgive is the meter to measure our charity.

In the third place, the faith: more than mind wealth (in a strict human meaning), is a “mood”, the outcome of God's experience, is to be able to act by leaning on his confidence. St. Ignatius of Antioch says “Faith is the beginning of true life”, Who acts with faith may attain true wonders; this is how the Lord expresses it when He says: “If you have faith even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree: ‘Be uprooted and plant yourself in the sea’, and it will obey you” (Lk 17:6).

Let’s ask the Lord to give us the faith and the desire to forgive, Help us to forgive in His way, and increase the scope of our love.

Reflection:

We cannot entirely avoid scandals. The Lord said. "They will necessarily come and cause people to fall." Oftentimes our actions, our words and attitudes scandalize others. Sometimes we are not conscious of our actions, our words. We do not mean to scandalize but people who see our actions or hear our words are affected. The Lord gives us a very strong admonition. "It would be better for that one to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck."

In the first reading, Paul was writing to Titus, one of his faithful assistants in the service of the gospel, giving instructions to a select group of collaborators whom he sees worthy and are good Christian witnesses. He must be one who is hospitable, upright, devout and self-controlled. With these qualifications, can we say that we who are church or pastoral workers are up to the standards set by St. Paul?

Seminaries which are schools for preparing men for the service of the church did not exist during the time of St Paul. But some of the teachings that come to us today are from these chosen collaborators. There is a need for us today to pray for missionaries who will dedicate themselves for the propagation of the faith. Most importantly, let us pray that young men and women of our parish respond to the invitation of God.

Our saint of the day -- St. Leo, the Great, Pope and Doctor -- was a pastor and father of souls. He safeguarded the integrity of the faith and defended the unity of the church.