Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần thứ Hai, Mùa Vọng

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần thứ Hai, Mùa Vọng

Thiên Chúa đã ban những điều lạ (dấu hiệu) mà Ngài sắp làm cho dân Do Thái. Thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả là một trong những dấu hiệu đó, Thánh Gioan là người đã chỉ cho mọi người biết Chúa Giêsu và dọn đường cho Ngài đến với họ những người dân riêng của Chúa. Thánh Gioan đến để hoàn tất nhiệm vụ quan trọng của tất cả các tiên tri (ngôn sứ) đã đi trước ông, Ông là ngón tay chỉ vào Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Ông là vị tiên tri cuối cùng và lớn nhất của vương quốc cũ, của giao ước cũ.

Người Do Thái mong đợi khi Đấng Cứu Thế sẽ đến, Tiên tri Ê-lia sẽ xuất hiện để thông báo sự hiện diện của Ngài. Ông Gioan nắm giữ tất cả các vai trò của tiên tri Ê-lia và chuẩn bị dọn đường cho sự xuấn hiện của Chúa Giêsu Kitô bằng cách rao giảng phép rửa, thống hối và canh tân cuộc sống.

Là người đầy tớ trung thành, thận trọng và trung tín, chúng ta cũng phải biết chuẩn bị cho sự trở lại của Chúa đến với loàn người chúng ta một lần nữa bằng cách sửa đổi cuộc sống, từ bỏ tội lỗi và từ bỏ tất cả mọi thứ mà đã ngăn cản chúng ta theo đuổi và làm ý muốn của Ngài.

Chúng ta có mong muốn làm theo ý của Thiên Chúa và chúng ta đã chuẩn bị sẵn sàng để gặp Chúa Jesus, khi Ngài trở lại trong vinh quang?

"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, xin Chúa khuấy động lòng nhiệt tình của chúng con cho sự công chính và cho Nước Trời của Chúa. Xin Chúa Giải thoát chúng con tthoát khỏi mọi sự tự mãn và thoát khỏi những ảnh hưởng xấu trong đường lối của tội lỗi và thế gian vật chất để chúng con có thể hướng trọn tâm hồn của chúng con cho bạn và cho Nước Ttrười của mình Chúa."

Meditation: "Elijah must first come"

God gives signs to show what he is about to do. John the Baptist is one such sign, who pointed to Jesus and prepared the way for his coming. John fulfilled the essential task of all the prophets: to be fingers pointing to Jesus Christ. John is the last and greatest prophet of the old kingdom, the old covenant. The Jews expected that when the Messiah would come, Elijah would appear to announce his presence. John fills the role of Elijah and prepares the way for the coming of Jesus Christ by preaching a baptism of repentance and renewal.

As watchful servants, we, too must prepare for the Lord's coming again by turning away from sin and from everything that would keep us from pursuing his will. Are you eager to do God's will and are you prepared to meet the Lord Jesus when he returns in glory?

"Lord Jesus, stir my zeal for your righteousness and for your kingdom. Free me from complacency and from compromising with the ways of sin and worldliness that I may be wholeheartedly devoted to you and to your kingdom."

Reflection: (SG)

`Will we recognize the Lord, when we see him? The Jewish people didn't. They missed all the signs that manifested his presence among them! The irony of it was they had longed and were still longing for the Messiah, for centuries. Why then did they miss seeing him? Perhaps they had their own criteria what the Messiah should be, should do. In fact they were so wrapped up in their perception that they dared to pick up stones to hurl at him, and finally did eventually crucify him; and before him his messenger, John the Baptist (the second Elijah) was killed; though his life was a witness to what he had been sent to do!

We too can become spiritually blind when we cling to our own opinions, beliefs, without leaving room for change or transformation of our mindset! God comes to us in different guises into our lifes, which makes us search for him everywhere — not necessarily in places of worship!

Jesus, often told his listeners: “the Kingdom of God is among you/within you.” We cannot capture God and keep him all to ourselves. R.S Thomas, a Welsh poet once said of God: “He is such a fast God...leaving even as we arrive.” Lord make us turn to You. Let us see your face, and we shall be saved.

Saturday 2nd of Advent

Opening Prayer: Dear Jesus, open my heart to your inspirations in this moment of prayer. I believe that you have something you wish to say to me, and I want to be ready to hear you. Good Jesus, increase my trust in you and teach me to love you more and more.

Encountering Christ:

Jesus Is Always Open: Jesus must have welcomed this question from his disciples. They seem to be sincerely trying to understand why or how things were unfolding so differently from what they had expected. How good Jesus is that he never despises or shames us, even in our slowness to understand his ways. Perhaps in this time of prayer, we can sit with our questions and let our hearts be open before him, knowing that he is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).

Jesus Reminds Us: The Apostles still didn’t understand entirely, but their slowness didn’t keep Jesus from trying to help them along. Even here, he reminded them–gently, but clearly–that the Son of Man would suffer. Jesus had not come to establish a worldly kingdom here but to lead us, through this world, to the Kingdom of Heaven that will have no end. We may fear to suffer, as the Apostles did, but let us keep our eyes on Jesus and not lose hope. He has taken all this suffering upon himself and redeemed it, so we can never suffer for naught. He doesn’t promise to take away all the difficulties, but he, God-with-us, Emmanuel, is with us through them all.

They Understood: It seems from today’s Scripture that the disciples understood the meaning of Jesus’ words all at once, in a moment. “Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” Those little (or big) “ah-ha” moments we sometimes experience, whether slow awakenings or coincidences–“God-winks”–are wonderful expressions of God’s loving care for us. We can sense the Holy Spirit at work, enlightening our minds to see God’s hand at work in a new way, and our hearts fill with gratitude. Notice, however, that new insights follow when we’ve had the courage and childlike simplicity to ask questions of Jesus. He invites us to “speak up” in prayer, wrestle with difficult truths, and persevere, bringing our difficulties to him with the same openness and sincerity as his Apostles did. As we reach the halfway point of Advent, perhaps we can pause, heart-to-heart with Jesus, and speak to him of these things.

Conversing with Christ: Good Jesus, thank you for this time of prayer. Thank you for reminding me that you are so gentle, good, and patient. You neither despise my slowness nor shame me for my faults. How much I need your mercy, Jesus! Come, make haste! Come to my heart and come into this waiting world, so in need of your grace and salvation.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to be sincere before you and let you into these places of my heart where I feel afraid, confused, or uncertain about what you are asking of me. I trust that if I open the door, you will enter with grace.

Reflection:

God gives signs to show what He is about to do. Unfortunately, most of the time people refuse to see and believe it. This passage explains how the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first before the Son of Man. That being said, John the Baptist was the spirit and power of Elijah, but they rejected the idea.

John, very much like the role of Elijah, prepares the way for the coming of Christ by preaching about repentance. Nothing stopped John from doing what God told him to do. As servants of God, we too must get rid of every doubt and must be willing to listen to Him and to obey Him. It's easy to doubt and be skeptical. We get so used to being in a desperate situation that we learn to accept that reality. But, we are constantly being challenged to change. We must be willing to adapt to something better and painfully leave behind what has become familiar.

We need to open our hearts more to the Lord's message for us. If not, we might just miss out on what God really wants for us. Let us continue to pray for guidance in all that we do in order to participate fully in God's wish to build his kingdom in our midst.

Wau- Meditation: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11 Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

You are destined … to put an end to wrath before the day of the Lord. (Sirach 48:10)

Fiery destruction and judgment are strong themes in the first part of today’s reading. Elijah is revered as the prophet who called down fire to consume his sacrifice and wipe out his enemies. This is the great prophet who was swept up to heaven in a flaming chariot and whose dramatic return the people awaited with a mixture of expectation and fear: expectation because of the hope that his return would rid the earth of all evil and injustice, and fear because everyone knew they harbored some degree of evil in their own hearts in the form of sin.

Through the gift of inspired hindsight, we know that Elijah did return—in the person of John the Baptist. But John didn’t come to unleash the judgment of a wrathful God. Rather, he came “to put an end to wrath” in preparation for the Lord’s coming (Sirach 48:10). He came to proclaim the way out of human anger, which divides us from one another and estranges us from God. He came to call us to repentance so that we could soften our hearts. So yes, he did come to burn away evil, but with the fire of love, not vengeance or anger.

We may sometimes think of God as a punitive judge, but that’s not who our heavenly Father really is. His one constant goal is to bring us life in all its fullness (John 10:10). If he comes to destroy anything at all, it’s those forces that block us from receiving this precious gift.

So don’t give in to fear. Don’t think that Jesus is coming with harsh judgment and quick condemnation. God is inviting you to steep yourself in his love today. Is there something that makes it hard for you to receive that love? The pain of a wounded relationship or the false belief that you have to go it alone? Don’t let it get the upper hand! In your prayer today, surrender it to the Lord. Imagine the flames of his love consuming your fears and wounds. Let him warm your heart as he sets you free!

“Father of mercy, come and burn away every obstacle in my heart!”

Comment: Fr. Xavier SOBREVÍA i Vidal (Castelldefels, Spain)

Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but treated him as they pleased

Today, we see Jesus talking with his disciples as they are coming down from the mountain, where they have just lived the Transfiguration. Our Lord hasn't taken up Peter's suggestion that they stay, and is answering the questions of the disciples as they descend. Those, who have just partaken momentarily in the glory of God, are surprised and don't understand how the Messiah could have come without the prophet Elijah coming first to prepare everything. It turns out that the preparation has already been done. «But I tell you, Elijah has already come» (Mt 17:12). John the Baptist has prepared the way. But the men of the world don't recognize the men of God, nor do the prophets of the world recognize the prophets of God, nor do the arrogant of the world recognize the divinity of Jesus Christ.

A new way of looking and new heart are necessary if the ways of God are to be recognized, and if we are to respond with cheerfulness and generosity to the demanding calls of those He has sent. Not everybody is willing to understand it, let alone live it. What's more the way we live our lives and our plans might be in opposition to God's will. An opposition that could turn into a struggle against, and a rejection of, Our Father in Heaven. We need to discover the intense love that informs God's plans for us and, if we are to be consistent with the faith and morality that Jesus reveals to us, we can't be surprised by the bad treatment, the slander and the persecutions. Being on the right track doesn't stop there being difficulties in life and He, despite the suffering, teaches us to keep on going.

We ask the Mother of Jesus, Queen of the Apostles, to intercede so that no one will be lacking a friend who, like the prophets, will bring them the Good News of salvation that is brought to us through the birth of Jesus Christ. We have the mission, you and me, to make sure that this Christmas be experienced in a more Christian way by those people who cross their path with ours.