Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Ba 34 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Ba 34 Thường Niên (Luca 21: 5-11)

Trong khi chúng ta suy nghĩ về đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta có thể nhận ra những gì đang xảy ra ở ngay đây trong thế giới hiện tại của chúng ta hôm nay. Chúng ta thực sự đang ở trong một thời điểm hết sức khó khăn của thế giới này: chiến tranh, đói kém, động đất, bão lụt và những cơn khủng hoảng bệnh dịch mới. Những sự kiện này đã gây cho chúng ta sự lo sợ, nhưng có lẽ Chúa muốn dùng những dữ kiện này với một mục đích đơn thuần là thức tỉnh con người chúng ta hơn là để dọa chúng ta. Trên thực tế, Chúa nói với chúng ta là không nên sợ hãi. Chúng ta cần phải giữ vững niềm tin của chúng ta để chúng ta không thể bị lừa dối bởi thế giới xác thịt này một cách dễ dàng

    Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã quá rõ ràng việc này vì thệ Ngài mời gọi chúng ta theo ngài và tránh xa đường lồi sai lầm của ma quỷ, có nghĩa là chống lại tình yêu và lòng bác ái, các tiên tri giả sẽ xuất hiện để đánh lừa chúng ta. để chúng ta chối từ thập giá của Chúa Kitô ở trong những sự cám dỗ của thế giớ hiện tại với những công trình đồ sộ, những món quà phong phú là sự giàu có mà thế giới có thể cho chúng ta. Vì vậy, Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã chỉ cho chúng ta thấy rõ thực tế về sự phá hủy đền thờ Jeruasalem.

    

My Reflection Tuesday 34th Ordinary Time ( Luke 21:5-11 )

As we reflect on today’s Gospel passages, We may recognize what is happening here today in our world. We are indeed in troubled times. Just listen to the new in TV, read the newspapers or read the internet; we would know what's going on in the world: wars, famines, earthquakes, typhoon and new kind of diseases. These events may frighten us, but they serve a purpose of merely trying to awaken us than to frighten us, in fact, the Lord tells us not to be afraid. We need to keep our faith firmly in place in order not to be easily deceived by the world.

Jesus Christ is quite clear in asking us not to follow those who will be "anti-Christ." Anti-Christ means to be anti-love and charity, the false prophets will deceive us to deny the cross of Christ, and dwell in the fine stonework and rich gifts that the world may offer. So Jesus Christ breaks to us the reality that the temple and the world will not last. All is vanity, vain glory for those who put their trust in man and all his worldly extensions. The symbol of the Christian is the palm tree which can last in any weather and remains green. It means faith can withstand the onslaught of secularization, keeping clear the commandments of the Lord and maintaining a sound judgment with prudence and a mature conscience to guide our paths. We need to run the good race with the strength of the Holy Spirit until the very end.

Tuesday 34th Ordinary time:

Opening Prayer: Lord God, be near to me with your Fatherly presence this day. Guide me through these difficult times and show me the way I should walk. I am yours, O Father; please accept my prayers this day.

Encountering Christ:

· Natural Endings: In this final week of the liturgical year, one’s thoughts naturally turn to endings. Winter marks the end of nature’s cycle, and the leaves are falling to the ground. We will soon be preparing to welcome the Christ child at Christmas and flipping our calendars to the next year. But for the moment, we linger on the year that is passing. We also think of death. Jesus says today, “All that you see here—the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” We know that our days here on this earth are finite. We are sometimes mesmerized by the glitter of our earthly existence, “costly stones” and the like; but these words of Jesus remind us that something better awaits us. Christ has promised to come again in order to take us to where he lives with the Father.

· Christ with Us: Amidst the tribulations of the times, Christ issues this advice: “Do not be deceived; do not be terrified.” If we could follow this counsel, living in the truth and without fear, how many of our crosses would vanish! It is when we let ourselves be led away by distractions, by illusory promises, by exaggerated fears, that we cower before life’s demands. It is true that the Lord paints a dour picture in this Gospel passage–wars, uprisings, strife, disasters–but we can trust that he will always be with us. He is the one who dispels all fears and banishes all lies. He is the Lord of life and history. And that makes all the difference.

· Do Not Be Anxious: We human beings tend to be very anxious for the future. “Teacher, when will this happen? What sign will there be?” Difficult things happen to all of us–sickness, setbacks, missed opportunities–but we do not despair! Christ says today, “Such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end.” God our Father has been preparing a future for us from the very beginning, “plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). May we not be anxious and instead trust in the Lord.

Conversing with Christ: Crown him the Lord of peace! Whose power a scepter sways/From pole to pole, that wars may cease/Absorbed in prayer and praise. His reign shall know no end/And round his pierced feet/Fair flowers of paradise extend/Their fragrance ever sweet (from the hymn “Crown Him with Many Crowns”).

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a sincere act of consecration and filial trust to you, the King of the Universe.

REFLECTION 2018

In the first reading we see the crowned Son of Man wielding his sickle for the final harvest of the earth; various angels help in reaping the harvest.

In the Gospel reading Jesus speaks, though in very vague and ambiguous ways, about the end of the world. Indeed many early Christians believed the end of the world was near.

The destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple may have seemed to be the end of the world: Jesus spoke of it and some thought he was speaking of the end of the world.

When and how will the world end? We really do not know.

Some say the end of our world may come from a giant asteroid colliding with earth; some say a close collision with such an asteroid would cause devastating tidal waves and earthquakes.

Indeed the end of our earth may be the end of humankind: it may not be the end of God's creation.

Rather than worrying about the end of the world, Jesus tells us, "Be on your guard; let not your hearts be weighed down with a life of pleasure, drunkenness and worldly cares, lest that day catch you suddenly as a trap. For it will come upon all the inhabitants of the whole earth. But watch at all times and pray, that you may be able to escape all that is bound to happen and to stand before the Son of Man." (Lk 21: 34- 36)

WAU- Meditation: Luke 21:5-11

Hearing about “wars and insurrections” can certainly be terrifying. On our shrinking globe, violence halfway around the world is streamed to us almost instantaneously. We may not understand all the factors involved, but most of us can find a personal link. Maybe we have a classmate or a coworker from that part of the world. Maybe a family member is serving in the government or the military, or someone on our street has been robbed or abused. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by such events and to wonder how much worse things will get before Jesus comes back and brings the world to an end.

But what do we really need to know about the end of the world?

Jesus refuses to answer the “when” question that agitates his followers. He tells them to expect natural as well as man-made disasters and not to be taken by surprise when they happen. He cautions them not to believe any prophet of doom. There are only a few things they need to know.

First, God is in charge. Nothing happens outside his providence. He is making use of everything to build his kingdom.

Second, God doesn’t act alone. He has chosen to act on earth through his body, the Church. That means Christ living in us. We are a part of his plan to redeem the world!

Third, God doesn’t intend for us to act alone. He calls us together and interweaves our individual strengths and weaknesses in an amazing pattern.

Sometimes, God’s work involves a degree of deconstruction as we find our limited structures crumbling. Through hardship or struggle or calamity, we realize that we don’t have everything we need to survive in this world. This is where things can get frightening for us and cause us to react rashly. Yes, it may seem that everything is falling apart, as in today’s Gospel reading. But God is always at our side. He is constantly assuring us that whatever he dismantles, he will rebuild—only stronger, purer, and holier.

So don’t be afraid if you find something falling apart. Instead, turn to the Lord, and ask him what he is building up in its place.

“Father, reveal your loving hand to guide me through everything that tempts me to tremble in fear.”