Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai tuần thứ 8 Mùa Thường Niên.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai tuần thứ 8 Mùa Thường Niên.

Chúa đã ban cho con người trái đất, cây ăn quả, động vật, trí thông minh và rất nhiều những điều tốt đẹp. Với những thứ ấy, con người có thể làm cho một cuộc sống tích lũy thêm sự giàu có.  Có điều là một số người đã quên biết ơn Thiên Chúa và thể hiện lòng biết ơn sự quảng đại mà  Thiên Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta tất cả những gì chúng ta có.

     Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay người thanh niên trẻ muốn được hưởng sự sống đời đời. Chúa Giêsu nói với anh ta là hãy tuân giữ những điều răn Chúa dậy thì sẽ để được sự sống đời đời; nhưng anh ta nói rằng anh ta đã sống và tuân giữ các điều răn Chúa dậy từ thời thơ ấu của mình.

     Chúa Giêsu đã mời gọi anh ta đến tới gần Chúa hơn là theo Chúa Giêsu, và muốn để đến được theo Ngài thì trước hết là phải bán hết tài sản của anh ta và bố thí hết cho người nghèo.

       Nhưng người ấy nghe những lời đó, thì sụ nét mặt và buồn rầu bỏ đi, vì anh ta có nhiều của cải.   Sau đó Chúa Giêsu nói về sự giàu có là một trở ngại lớn để được vào thiên đàng, "Những người giàu có vào nước Thiên Chúa khó biết bao"     Với các môn đệ và tất cả chúng ta có lẽ đã hoang mang bởi những lời dậy bảo của Chúa Giêsu, vì thế họ đã hỏi lại Ngài là: Nếu như thế, thì ai, có thể được cứu rỗi và vào Nước Trời?" Chúa Giêsu đã bảo đảm với chúng ta và hy vọng, là ""Ðối với loài người thì không thể được, nhưng không phải đối với Thiên Chúa, vì Thiên Chúa làm được mọi sự". Đừng sợ, ân sủng của Thiên Chúa luôn có để giúp chúng ta.

 

Reflection Monday 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

     God has given man the earth, fruit trees, animals, intelligence and so many good things. With them, man can make a living, even accumulate wealth. The problem is that some forget to be grateful to God. One way of showing gratitude is being generous with what one has,

     In the Gospel reading the man wanted to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to follow the commandments to inherit eternal life; the man said he had followed the commandments since his childhood.

     Jesus then invites him to a closer following of Jesus, to come and follow him. But before doing so, to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. But the man rejected the invitation, "On hearing these words, his face fell and he went away sorrowful for he was a man of great wealth."

     Jesus then speaks about riches as a great hindrance to entering heaven, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!"

     To his disciples and to us bewildered by this statement who logically ask, "Who, then, can be saved?" Jesus gives assurance and hope, "For humans it is impossible, but not for God; all things are possible with God."

     Fear not, God's grace is there to help us.

 

Monday 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Lord, I struggle in my faith to believe your ways will make me happy. It can be very hard to follow your commandments. Help me to know how to find the joy in being Christian. 

Encountering Christ:

1.      God Loved Us First: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” It seemed that this man was taking the initiative to approach Jesus, but actually, Jesus is always the one doing the inviting. The mortal man knows that God exists because God has chosen to reveal himself to us. “By his Revelation, the invisible God, from the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends, and moves among them, in order to invite and receive them into his own company. The adequate response to this invitation is faith” (CCC 142). Jesus invited the man to realize that he was addressing God but the man did not notice. He was focused on his own efforts. In the spiritual life, we risk missing out on God’s presence in our day when we wonder, instead, “how we’re doing.” 

2.      Jesus’ Look of Love: Jesus knew this man’s heart–his weakness for possessions–yet there was no long list of faults or failures; only a look of love. “Our Head intercedes for us; some members he is receiving, others he is chastising, others cleansing, others consoling, others creating, others calling, others recalling, others correcting, others renewing” (St. Augustine). It was with boundless love that Jesus revealed the man’s attachment, softening the chastisement with a reminder of eternal reward: “Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come, follow me.” In retrospect, we now see that the rich man missed out on living side by side with Jesus as an intimate participant in his ministry. When we are tempted to cling to material goods or our own way of doing things, let us remember this passage and choose to “let go” and follow Christ, knowing that he a lways gives the greatest gift.

3.      Faith: What would it have meant for the man if he had responded to the Lord’s invitation with faith? Think of the response of the Samaritan woman (John 4:4-29). She too was challenged by Jesus’ words but she stayed, talked with him, and questioned him, wrestling with the truths he was sharing. Her perseverance paid off. She received profound healing and restoration of her broken life. Not only was she converted, but her whole village turned to Jesus because of her witness of faith. When we feel resistance to what we hear God telling us in prayer or through the teachings of the Church, may we wrestle with the call rather than “walk away sad.”

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, you constantly invite me more deeply into your life. In order to follow you, I often have to give up what I want at the moment, and sometimes I fail. Please forgive me, and draw me close to you so that I can glorify you. I want to please you now and live with you forever in eternal life. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will try to not focus on my efforts to grow in faith but instead will look for opportunities to serve others whom you place in my path.