Suy Niệm Lễ Dức Mẹ Vô Nhiễm Nguyên Tội. (December 8):
Hôm nay toàn thể Giáo hội Công giáo chúng ta vui mừng với niềm hân hoan trong ngày lễ Đức Mẹ Vô Nhiễm nguyên tội. "Hát lên mừng CHÚA một bài ca mới, vì Người đã thực hiện bao kỳ công.." (Ps 98: 1) Vâng đúng thế, sự kỳ diệu thực sự là Thiên Chúa đã kêu mời Đức Maria, một người thiếu nữ Israel, được sinh ra trong sự tinh khiết và tinh tuyền. Và Chúa là Thiên Chúa đã chọn cô để làm Mẹ con của Ngài. Đây chính là dấu chỉ của tình yêu mà Thiên Chúa đã dành cho Mẹ Maria, một tình yêu thật là vô biên và vô lượng của Thiên Chúa dành cho Mẹ Maria và cho nhân loại.
Khi Mẹ Maria nghe lời chào của sứ thần Garbriel, Mẹ đã khà sửng sốt, lo sợ, nhưng sứ thần của Thiên Chúa đã bảo đảm với mẹ tất cả đều là những việc sẽ xảy đến đều là do những hoạt động của Chúa Thánh Thần. "Maria, xin đừng sợ, vì bà đẹp lòng Thiên Chúa. Và này đây bà sẽ thụ thai, sinh hạ một con trai, và đặt tên là Giêsu. (Lk 1:32-32)
Ai mà không lo sợ khi nghe đến những điều như thế? Nhưng Thiên Chúa chắc chắn là mọi sự được thực hiện bởi Chúa Thánh Thần. Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ ngự xuống trên mẹ, và sức mạnh của Đấng Tối Cao phủ rợp bóng trên Mẹ và Người con trẻ được sinh ra sẽ được gọi là đấng thánh, là Con Thiên Chúa ..." Làm thế nào Mẹ Maria có thể nói không? Tất cả cuộc sống của Mẹ, Mẹ sống rất giản dị, đơn sơ, Mẹ đã sẵn sàng vâng lời để chiều theo ý muốn của Chúa Cha. Trong cuộc sống của mẹ tất cả là vâng phục theo ý Chúa.... "Vâng, tôi đây là nữ tỳ của Chúa, xin Chúa cứ làm cho tôi như lời sứ thần nói". Với lòng tin yêu và niềm tin vững chắc nơi Thiên Chúa mà mẹ đã xin Vâng cho dù là Mẹ không biết là cuọc đời của Mẹ sẽ Thiên Chúa đưa về đâ? Mẹ đã phó thác hoàn toàn cả của đời của mẹ nơi Thiên Chúa với sự tin tưởng và yêu thương của Thiên Chúa.
Chúng ta được mời gọi hãy sống và làm theo gương của Mẹ để biết sẵn sàng mở lòng và tâm trí của chúng ta cho những hành động của Chúa Thánh Thần để chúng ta có thể trở thành công cụ của sự cứu rỗi.
Lạy Mẹ Maria, xin Me là Kim chỉ Nam của chúng con để hướng dẫn chúng con biết cách sống theo ý Chúa trong thế giới ngày nay và giúp chúng con biết sẵn sàng vâng theo Thánh Ý của Thiên Chúa và biết cảm tạ Chúa với những việc kỳ diệu mà Chúa đã thực hiện nơi chúng con bằng với tình yêu của Chúa....
Reflection:
Today the entire Catholic Church celebrates with joy and exultation the feast of the Immaculate Conception. "Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done a marvelous thing." (Ps 98:1) Yes, marvelous indeed is His call to Mary, a woman of Israel, born pure and immaculate. The Lord God chose her to the mother of His Son. This is a sign of God's gratuitous and immeasurable love for Mary and for mankind.
When Mary heard the angel's greeting, she was greatly troubled, but the angel assured her of the action of the Holy Spirit. "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ... you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call him Jesus..." Who would not be greatly troubled? The angel continued: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the most high will overshadow you. The child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God..." How could Mary say no? All her life, she was just a simple, available, listening woman attuned to the Father's will. Total availability seems to be part of her innermost being... "I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your words." Although Mary did not know how far God would take her, she surrendered herself completely, trusting and loving God.
We are invited to follow her example to open ourselves to the action of the Holy Spirit that we may become instruments of salvation. Mary, be our guide in today's world so that we may become more available to God and thankful for the wonders of His love.
The Immaculate Conception Dec 8
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, draw me into this time of prayer with you, on this feast day of your mother. Your whole Church rejoices today, in Heaven and on earth, for this singular privilege that you wished to give your mother: In anticipation of the saving merits of Jesus Christ, you wished to preserve her from the stain of original sin. Let me enter into this time of prayer and be moved in awe, as you wished to be, by the beauty of your mother’s fiat. May her words also take flesh in my own life, Jesus.
Encountering Christ:
1. Her Name Was Mary: The Evangelist St. Luke introduced this young woman to us simply: “and the virgin’s name was Mary.” The angel’s title reflected the truth that she is filled with grace, with God’s life in her soul. He made the invitation on God’s behalf, and she pondered it. Yet, was her soul so united to God that thinking about something to herself was also a sharing of it with the Lord? As she pondered what this might mean, was she not also asking God to help her know how to respond to him? So bound was her heart to his that she did nothing alone; everything was shared with him. How different would our lives be if we strove to live in the same way?
2. Heaven Meets Earth as Never Before: What other moment in the history of humanity has existed, quite like this—where God was ready to enter the world he created in a way never imagined before, taking upon himself our human nature and becoming like us, in all things but sin, so as to save us? St. Bernard and many others contemplated this scene in which the messenger of God approached a young girl while the rest of the created world, all the angels and patriarchs, waited in anticipation and suspense for her reply. In this moment of prayer, let us ask for the grace to enter into that moment, to experience that suspense and great admiration for Mary’s free and loving response to God.
3. Earth Responds to Heaven as Never Before: What other moment in history has a child offered so perfect and complete a response to her Father’s daring invitation? What other fiat offered such perfect beauty, purity, and homage to the living God? In the sincere offering and acceptance of this young girl before her Lord, all the fíats of the Old Covenant found fulfillment, and yours and mine also find a home. May our hearts be moved by this wonder: God wished to make himself vulnerable to Mary’s response, and he opens himself to receive our fiats as well.
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I wish to let this truth settle and make a home in my heart: You invite me, as you invited your Mother, to cooperate with God in the plan of salvation of the world. Let this scene and these truths resonate in my heart, Jesus, and bring your desires to take flesh in my life: fiat. Mother, may I be drawn into your fiat, in awe, with a desire to love and give myself to God too.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to imitate Mary by responding with docility and acceptance to your inspirations throughout the day: fiat.
Reflection:
Today we hold up the Virgin Mary as a source inspiration. For anyone of us, it would be extraordinary to make it through a single day without committing some sort of sin — a lie, an act of impatience or anger, the giving in to a base desire. By way of contrast Mary lived each day in God’s grace.
Mary could have sinned. She was capable of sinning but didn’t; unlike all of us who are capable of sinning. But through the grace of God and by her choices she remained sinless her whole life. Mary lived her whole life in the state in which Adam and Eve lived before their sin. Her life, like ours, was a series of choices between good and bad, self and other, God's will and her own.
Her glory, for which all generations will call her blessed, is that in every instance she said, “I am your servant. Let it be done to me in accordance with your word.” She, who was full of grace, said, “Your will be done, not mine.” She relied upon God her whole life and thus is a role model for all of us.
I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God.
Meditation: "For with God nothing will be impossible
Do you want to live a grace-filled life? The angel Gabriel salutes Mary as "full of grace". To become the mother of the Savior, Mary was enriched by God with gifts to enable her to assume this awesome role. There is a venerable tradition among many Christians, dating back to the early church, for honoring Mary as the spotless virgin who bore the Son of God in her womb. A number of early church fathers link Mary's obedience to this singular grace of God. "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race... The knot of Eve's disobedience was united by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith" (Irenaeus, 2nd century).
Faith is the key that unlocks the power of God's kingdom in our lives
What is the key that can unlock the power and grace of God’s kingdom in our personal lives? Faith and obedience for sure! When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately experienced the consequence of their action - separation from the God who loved them. God in his mercy promised them a Redeemer who would pay the price for their sin and the sin of the world. We see the marvelous unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation, the birth of the Messiah. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the divine message is a model of faith for all believers. Mary believed God's promises even when they seemed impossible. She was full of grace because she trusted that what God said was true and would be fulfilled. She was willing and eager to do God's will, even if it seemed difficult or costly.
God gives us the grace to say "yes" to his will and to his transforming work in our lives
God gives us grace and he expects us to respond with the same willingness, obedience, and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the grace, strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God's promises and do you yield to his grace?
"Heavenly Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy, and forgiveness through your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live a grace-filled life as Mary did by believing in your promises and by giving you my unqualified "yes" to your will and to your plan for my life."
WAU- Meditation: Luke 1:26-38 The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you! (Luke 1:28)
From a 2014 homily by Pope Francis on the feast of the Immaculate Conception:
Mary was preserved from original sin, from that fracture in communion with God, with others and with creation, which deeply wounds every human being. But this fracture was healed in advance in the Mother of the One who came to free us from the slavery of sin. The Immaculata was written in God’s design; she is the fruit of God’s love that saves the world …
The mystery of this girl from Nazareth, who is in the heart of God, is not estranged from us. She is not there and we over here. No, we are connected. Indeed, God rests his loving gaze on every man and every woman! By name and surname. His gaze of love is on every one of us. The Apostle Paul states that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him” (Ephesians 1:4). We too, from all time, were chosen by God to live a holy life, free of sin. It is a plan of love that God renews every time we come to him, especially through the sacraments.
Pope Francis went on to tell us that in Mary we can see our primary vocation: not to do all manner of things but simply to be loved by God and transformed by his love:
Look to [Mary], our mother, and allow her to look upon us, for she is our mother and she loves us so much; let us allow ourselves to be watched over by her so that we may learn how to be more humble, and also more courageous in following the Word of God; to welcome the tender embrace of her Son, Jesus, an embrace that gives us life, hope, and peace.
“You are all-beautiful, O Mary! Hear our prayer, graciously hear our plea: May the beauty of God’s merciful love in Jesus abide in our hearts,
and may this divine beauty save us and the entire world” (Prayer of Pope Francis).
The angel came to her and said, Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you
Today, the Gospel plays a tune made up of three notes. Three notes which, in our society, are not always that well-tuned: one note of doing, one of friendship and another one of coherence of life. Nowadays, we all have very busy lives, but, do we have a plan? Today, when we are navigating through a world of communications, are we capable of being alone in our own company for a while? Today, in the information era, are we letting it shape who we are?
A plan. Mary, a young woman «betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David» (Lk 1:28). Mary has a plan. Of human proportions, evidently. Nevertheless, God comes into her life to bestow on her another project... of divine proportions. Today, He wants to come into our lives too, to give our everyday human tasks divine proportions
A presence. «Do not fear, Mary» (Lk 1:30). We just do not go and build the first thing that comes into our head! Lest our addiction to “doing” were to become a way to hide a void. Marriage, a life of servitude, our profession, should not mean a leap in the dark. «(...) Full of grace, the Lord is with you» (Lk 1:28). Presence that accompanies and provides a new meaning. Trust in God, which —indirectly— brings us to trust others. Friendship with God that renews our friendship with others, too.
To shape ourselves. Today, when we are confronted with so many stimuli, so often conflicting, it is necessary to give unity and shape to our life. Mary, says saint Louis Mary Grignion, «is the living mound of God». «A sculptor, explains Grignion, can make a statue in two ways: By using his skill, strength, experience and good tools to produce a statue out of hard, shapeless matter; or by making a cast of it in a mold (...). The second is quick, easy, straightforward, almost effortless and inexpensive, but the mold must be perfect and true to life and the material must be easy to handle and offer no resistance». Mary is the great mold of God. Do we turn to Her by being ourselves material that easy to shape?
Suy Niệm Lễ Dức Mẹ Vô Nhiễm Nguyên Tội. (December 8):
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, draw me into this time of prayer with you, on this feast day of your mother. Your whole Church rejoices today, in Heaven and on earth, for this singular privilege that you wished to give your mother: In anticipation of the saving merits of Jesus Christ, you wished to preserve her from the stain of original sin. Let me enter into this time of prayer and be moved in awe, as you wished to be, by the beauty of your mother’s fiat. May her words also take flesh in my own life, Jesus.
Encountering Christ:
Her Name Was Mary: The Evangelist St. Luke introduced this young woman to us simply: “and the virgin’s name was Mary.” The angel’s title reflected the truth that she is filled with grace, with God’s life in her soul. He made the invitation on God’s behalf, and she pondered it. Yet, was her soul so united to God that thinking about something to herself was also a sharing of it with the Lord? As she pondered what this might mean, was she not also asking God to help her know how to respond to him? So bound was her heart to his that she did nothing alone; everything was shared with him. How different would our lives be if we strove to live in the same way?
Heaven Meets Earth as Never Before: What other moment in the history of humanity has existed, quite like this—where God was ready to enter the world he created in a way never imagined before, taking upon himself our human nature and becoming like us, in all things but sin, so as to save us? St. Bernard and many others contemplated this scene in which the messenger of God approached a young girl while the rest of the created world, all the angels and patriarchs, waited in anticipation and suspense for her reply. In this moment of prayer, let us ask for the grace to enter into that moment, to experience that suspense and great admiration for Mary’s free and loving response to God.
Earth Responds to Heaven as Never Before: What other moment in history has a child offered so perfect and complete a response to her Father’s daring invitation? What other fiat offered such perfect beauty, purity, and homage to the living God? In the sincere offering and acceptance of this young girl before her Lord, all the fíats of the Old Covenant found fulfillment, and yours and mine also find a home. May our hearts be moved by this wonder: God wished to make himself vulnerable to Mary’s response, and he opens himself to receive our fiats as well.
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I wish to let this truth settle and make a home in my heart: You invite me, as you invited your Mother, to cooperate with God in the plan of salvation of the world. Let this scene and these truths resonate in my heart, Jesus, and bring your desires to take flesh in my life: fiat. Mother, may I be drawn into your fiat, in awe, with a desire to love and give myself to God too.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to imitate Mary by responding with docility and acceptance to your inspirations throughout the day: fiat.
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