Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Tư Mùa Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Tư Mùa Thường Niên

Trong cuộc sống hiện tại của chúng ta hôm nay, đôi lúc chúng ta cảm thấy như có rất nhiều tiếng nói đang thì thầm trong tâm hồn, trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Những tiếng đó có thể là những lời khuyên bảo của những người trong gia đình, bạn bè, đồng nghiệp, hay là những tiếng ồn ào của các loa phóng thanh của ban văn hóa địa phương, Hay là những tiếng lải nhải trong TV…. Tuy nhiên, để biết hay nhận ra được tiếng của Chúa Kitô đang thì thầm, tâm sự với chúng ta thì thật là rất khó.

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta nhận thấy là mặc dù Vua Hêrôđê nhận biết là thánh Gioan tẩy giả là một người tốt lành và thánh thiện. Hơn nữa, Thánh Gioan tẩy giả cũng đã hấp dẫn thu hút vua Hêrôđê bằng những bài giảng của ông. Tuy nhiên, vì ông là vua, ông ta đã vì lo sợ phải xấu hổ trước mặt quan khách của mình, và cũng chỉ vì một đứa con gái, một chút yếu lòng mà ông đã phải giết đi một người công chính, đáng kính như thánh Gioan tẩy Giả. Vua Herôdê đã cúi đầu sợ hãi trước những áp lực của xã hội, và cũng muốn tỏ cái uy quyền, cái Tôi của chính mình. Vì thế ông đã nghe và làm theo cái tiếng nói của sự háu danh, ham thắng, của sự sợ hãi và ích kỷ mà đã không còn nghe thấy được những tiếng của lẽ phải, của Thiên Chúa..

Một cách để chúng ta có thể xác định được tiếng nói của Chúa Kitô trong tâm hồn và trong cuộc sống của chúng ta là khi chúng ta có được cảm giác an lành, bình tâm trong lòng hay trong tâm hồn của chúng ta, ngay cả những việc mà hầu như không phải là dễ dàng cho việc xử trí của chúng ta..

Lạy Chúa, xin ban cho chúng con những ân sủng của Chúa Thánh Thần để chúng con có nhận ra tiếng nói của Chúa đang nói với chúng ta trong cuộc sống của chúng con và giúp chúng con có được can đảm để làm theo như thánh ý của Chúa.

REFLECTION Friday 4th Ordinary Time

In today's Gospel, Mark brings out very strongly the compassion and the human understanding of Jesus for people. Jesus planned to give his apostles a well-earned rest.

The desire of the crowds, however, to see him add to hear him speak upset these plans. Jesus could have sent the crowds away, but his human compassion took over. Seeing these simple people of Galilee so anxious to hear about God and his mercy, he let them stay and began to preach the good news of forgiveness and hope to them. These simple people were, as our Lord described them, like sheep without a shepherd, wandering about half-lost. The people of Galilee were ordinary people. Perhaps they cheated one another, were often uncharitable to one another, not always chaste and pure, and perhaps prayed only when they wanted some material benefit.

Yet Jesus had compassion for them. This should give us great confidence, great encouragement. Jesus has the same compassion for us as he had for these Galileans. We, too, are often like sheep without a shepherd wandering half-lost through life. He is forever calling us to come to himself so that he will lead us to safe pastures. If only we would listen to his merciful call.

Today's Gospel is one such call: it goes out to every member of our community. Christ wants us back on the road to heaven. All we have to do is to break with the past, to break away from the things that keep us away from God. Let us not think that our sins are beyond forgiveness or that Jesus will not have compassion because of our past. We can remember those Galileans; many of them were sinners and he had compassion for them. Jesus came to call sinners. Let us answer his call today.

Friday 4th Week in Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, open my ears to hear your word. Open my mind to understand its meaning. Open my soul to receive your life-giving truth and plant it deep in the good soil of my heart.

Encountering Christ:

1. Last Prophet, First Martyr: St. John the Baptist was the last prophet who foretold Jesus; in fact, he was the new Elijah. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he...For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:11-14). John was also the first Christian martyr. He was martyred for following and proclaiming God’s moral law. His adherence to the truth landed him in prison and angered Herod’s new wife, costing him his life. Servant of God Dorothy Day said that Jesus came for two reasons: "He came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." When we profess and proclaim the truth, we can make other people uncomfortable. While we must proclaim the truth with prudence and, above all, charity, we are called to have fortitude in the face of immorality.

2. John’s Power: Even from prison, John stayed firm in his adherence to the truth and to preaching God’s word. Herod was afraid of John, perhaps because he spoke so boldly and was full of “the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17). Even though Herod feared John, he would go and listen to him while he was in prison. John confused him, “yet he liked to listen to him.” This line is so interesting and poses many questions. What did they talk about? What was it about John’s manner and words that attracted this immoral king to go into the dungeon and listen to someone who had called him out for his behavior? One might imagine that John was very virtuous. He most likely spoke powerfully with truth and conviction, but also with the gentleness and love of someone who follows the Lord. How do we reflect the merciful love of the Father when we speak and act?

3. Admonishing the Sinner: John was imprisoned and martyred for admonishing the king. Our consciences are meant to admonish us internally. The conscience is the voice of God’s law inside ourselves. It tells us what is right and wrong and how we should follow God’s will. St. John Henry Newman called it “the aboriginal Vicar of Christ” in the soul. A good morning practice is to ask Jesus to guide us by our consciences throughout the day. When people choose to suppress or ignore this voice inside them, we can be the gentle voice of the Good Shepherd for them—a voice of truth coming from outside instead of from the inside. Admonishing the sinner is a spiritual work of mercy. This must always be done with charity, keeping Christ’s truth and the salvation of the person we are speaking with at the forefront of our minds.

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, when I am faced with immorality, send your charity, prudence, knowledge, and fortitude to me. May I speak with love, kindness, and truth. Give me the courage to defend my faith and build up your Kingdom. May I always seek to lift up my brothers and sisters and help them hear your voice. Help me to be your firm but gentle voice of truth in this broken world.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will ask my conscience to guide me throughout the rest of the day. I will pay attention to and follow it, as it is your voice, my Good Shepherd.

REFLECTION Fri 7th Feb 2014 4th Week in Ordinary Time

The life of David is quite remarkable. Lots of things happened to him and because of his choices. How we remember David depends a lot upon the events upon which we focus our lens. Do we remember him as a shepherd boy? Do we note his friendship with Jonathon? His victory with a sling and a stone over the mighty warrior Goliath? His refusal to kill King Saul when he had Saul at his mercy? His singing and dancing before the Lord? His adultery? The arranged death of Uriah? His mourning of Bathsheba’s child? The rebellion of his son Absalom and David's grief at his death? How do we choose to remember this complex man, King David?

John the Baptist and King Herod are likewise complex characters. John seems to have been a person prone to the extreme and Herod a leader without a spine. But we really know so little about either of them. Really we've just snippets from which we have formed our opinions of them. Perhaps the lesson of the scriptures this day is to be careful about the judgments we make about Biblical characters or the people with whom we interact.

We choose to honor David, to rue the cowardice of Herod, to delight in the dancing skill of Salome and to mourn the untimely death of John the Baptist. The Gospels offer us a window into snippets of the life and ministry of Jesus. Our task as disciples is to delve deeper and really get to know Jesus and become known to him. Lord, be my wisdom.