Suy Niệm tin mừng Lễ Thánh Phaolô trở lại. 25/1

  Suy Niệm tin mừng Lễ Thánh Phaolô trở lại. 25/1

Sự biến cải của Thánh Phaolô và những hậu quả của sự cải biến này là một trong số những sự kiện quan trọng nhất ảnh hưởng đến lịch sử của Giáo Hội thời sơ khai. Trong sách Công vụ Tông Đồ, Thánh Luca đã cẩn thận không để những câu chuyện của Thánh Phao-lô lấn át những câu chuyện nói đến uy quyền của thánh Phêrô và những công việc của cạ́c thánh tông đồ.
Chúng tôi cũng phải nên bắt chước như vậy. Bất kể những tranh chấp nảy sinh trong Giáo hội thời sơ khai giữa Thánh Phaolô và các Tông Đồ mà Chúa Giêsu đã chọn trong cuộc sống trần thế của Ngài (Mk 3,14), chúng ta không có một lý do gì để làm một sự lựa chọn giữa Thánh Phêrô và Phaolô. Chính thánh Phao-lô đã lên án những thái độ như vậy trong thư gởi tín hứu Corintô (1Cor 10-16). Cả hai đều là nhân vật chủ chốt trong công trình cứu độ của Thiên Chúa.
Sự trung thành của chúng ta đối với Chúa Jêsus trong Giáo hội mà Ngài đã thành lập trên nền đá tảng đó là Pherô, một Giáo hội, mặc dù có nhiều khuyết điểm nhưng luôn luôn có sự chăm sóc của Thiên Chúa Cha trên Trời, được các thánh và những người thầy thật vĩ đại phục vụ và chăm nom. Thái độ chia rẽ mà Thánh Phaolô lên án thường có thể nảy sinh giữa chúng ta. Chúng ta đừng bao giờ làm bất cứ điều gì gây ra sự chia rẽ trong cộng đoàn Giáo Hội.
Lạy Chúa, khi chúng ta cử hành sự mừng lễ Phao-lô trở lại, xin ban cho chúng ta được có những ân sủng để luôn luôn nhớ rằng chúng ta được kêu gọi đổi mới liên tục, trung tín, kiên trì và khoan dung trong Giáo Hội của chúng ta.

January 25, 2020: Conversion of St Paul the Apostle
The conversion of Saint Paul and its consequences were in many ways the most significant cluster of events affecting the early history of the Church. In his Acts of the Apostles, St Luke is careful not to let Paul’s story completely override his account of Peter's authority and apostolic work.
So too for us. Whatever disputes arose in the early Church between Paul and the Apostles whom Jesus chose during his earthly life “to be with him” (Mk 3:14), we have no reason whatsoever to choose between Peter and Paul. Paul himself condemns such attitudes (1Cor 10-16). Both are key figures in God’s work of salvation.
Our loyalty is to Jesus in the Church which he founded on Peter, a Church which, in spite of many weaknesses, has always, in God’s providential care, been served by great saints and teachers. The divisive attitude which St Paul condemns can often arise amongst us. Let us never on any account be guilty of causing divisions in the church community.
Lord, as we celebrate the conversion of Paul, grant us the grace always to remember that we are called to constant conversion, fidelity and perseverance and tolerance in Your Church.

Conversion of St Paul the Apostle

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to be your disciple, and to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit with sincere gratitude. Enable your words to spur me to be courageous in sharing the Good News to those you place in my path.

Encountering Christ:

Saul, My Brother: In the first reading on this Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, a seemingly minor figure appeared. We hear in the Acts of the Apostles that Ananias was a devout disciple, and respected by many, but he merited only a brief mention in two separate chapters—both related to an encounter with the Lord, and then with Saul. What are we to take from these encounters? By virtue of his reputation for persecuting those of “The Way,” Saul had rightly aroused great suspicion and fear in Ananias. However, Ananias greeted him as “Saul, my brother.” God’s love, accepted freely and channeled to others, can make even our enemies our brothers.

Effective Apostleship: The path taken by Ananias (interestingly leading to a street called Straight) was straightforward. He was attentive to the Lord, praying and obeying. He put aside his fear and spent “quality time” with Saul, obediently recounting to him what he heard the Lord say. It was the Lord’s will that Saul would be a witness of all that Jesus had said and done to the whole world. Saul was then “sent,” sent to be baptized and then to proclaim the Good News. Praying and obeying made Ananias an effective apostle to Saul, building perfectly upon the seeds planted by St. Stephen during his martyrdom. St. Augustine has declared that had Saul not heard the prayer of St. Stephen as he was being stoned to death, we would have never had the apostle Paul. Those seeds planted by the first martyr were supernaturally activated through the blinding light and voice of Our Lord and ultimately sprouted through the effective witness of Ananias. The combination of prayer and obedience remains essential to our effectiveness as apostles.

Heaven Sent: As Catholic Christians, we are “sent” out at the end of each and every Mass (the Latin word for Mass, after all, means “to send”). To whom are we sent? In today’s Gospel, the Risen Christ clearly desired that every creature in the whole world hear the Good News. How do we begin such a daunting task? Why not with ourselves? Sponsors of adult converts to the faith (those who have accompanied a spouse, friend, or even a stranger, through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA) often comment that their own faith and understanding has been greatly renewed through the process. Beyond programs in our churches, each of us has a myriad of resources available that allow us to go deeper in our own understanding of sacred Scripture and sacred Tradition, and each of us can call on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit available through our Baptism and Confirmation; gifts like wisdom, understanding, and counsel. Nourished in this way, and aided by the Holy Spirit, we may find ourselves sharing portions of the Good News with others long before we consider ourselves experts.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, let me rightly praise and adore you for your power and your glory and your merciful hand, which calls us sinners back to you. Guide me along your paths and allow me, like St. Paul at the end of his earthly journey, to proclaim, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will investigate what my parish provides for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) and prayerfully discern whether I am being called to contribute in some way.