Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 4 Mùa Chay

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 4 Mùa Chay (John 5:17-30 )

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy Chúa Giêsu thường luôn nhắc đến việc: Ngài đến với thế gian là để thực hiện những công việc của Chúa Cha. Một trong những công việc của Chúa Cha là làm cho kẻ chết được sống lại và đem đến sự sống cho loài người. Công việc làm của Chúa Giêsu cũng thế, Chúa Kitô đã nói. "Con Người sẽ ban sự sống cho bất cứ những ai mà Ngài chọn.“ Ngài sẽ cho chúng ta được sống lại từ cõi chết vào ngày phán xét(Tận thế), nhưng Ngài cũng có thể khiến cho chúng ta được sống lại từ cái chết trong cuộc đời hiện tại này. Những khi chúng ta phạm tội, là lúc chúng ta chết, chúng ta sẽ không có sự sống trong chúng ta nữa, Tuy nhiên, Đức Kitô đã đến và mang lại sự sống cho chúng ta. Làm thế nào mà Ngài đã làm điều này?

    Như trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã nói “người chết sẽ nghe tiếng của Con Thiên Chúa, và ai nghe lời Chúa thì sẽ được sống” Chúng ta nghe Lời của Chúa trong mỗi Thánh Lễ, mỗi khi Lời Chúa được công bố. Chúa Kitô mời gọi chúng ta hãy lắng nghe Lời Chúa để nhờ đó mà chúng ta sẽ có sự sống. Chúng ta thực sự lắng nghe Tiếng Chúa bằng cách giữ Lời của Ngài, và đây là những gì đã đem lại sự sống đời cho chúng ta từ cái chết trong tội lỗi. Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin cho chúng con được biết yêu thương Chúa nhiều hơn và Xin kết hợp trái tim chúng con với Chúa, Để chúng con chỉ có thể biết tìm kiếm và mong muốn những gì làm đẹp lòng Chúa."

Reflection:

Jesus always speaks about doing the work of the Father. One of the work of the Father is to raise the dead to life, work that Jesus does as well. "The Son gives life to anyone he chooses," Christ says. He will raise us all from death on the last day; but he can also raise us from death during our lifetime. Whenever we sin, we are dead; we have no life inside us. Nonetheless, Christ came to give us life. And how does he do this? Jesus says in this Gospel that the dead who hear the voice of the Son of God will live. We hear his voice whenever the Word of God is proclaimed. Christ invites us to listen to it so we will have life. We truly listen by keeping his Word; and this is what raises us from death.

Wednesday 4th week of Lent

Opening Prayer: Jesus, help me understand your holy word and contemplate its meaning in my life. Plant your word deeply in my heart and help me to be obedient to it.

Encountering Christ:

God’s Work, God’s Sabbath: Just what is the Father’s work? Jesus implies that God the Father is at work continually: he is “at work until now.” God is constantly sustaining all life, and this work never ceases: “...the Lord is the one who sustains me” (Psalm 54:4). Jesus is the Second Person of the Trinity and therefore has a role in sustaining all of creation as it was spoken by God the Father through him, the Word made flesh: “[...God the Father] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:2-3). Jesus healed on the Sabbath because healing is one aspect of God’s work of caring for his creation. God the Father created the Sabbath on the seventh day (cf. Genesis 2:3). He blessed it and made it holy through his word, as he did the rest of creation. The Sabbath is his and he has authority over it, which he has given to the Son. In fact, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath”(Luke 6:5).

    Perfect Obedience: A Christian paradox is that even though Jesus is God and holds the same authority as God the Father, he does not seek to do his own will, but only the Father’s will. He acts with perfect obedience, even unto death: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Being obedient to the Father’s will is necessary for all Christians: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). We can imitate Jesus’ obedience by spending time in silent prayer to hear and discern the Father’s will for us. Then we can sing with David, “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8). When we are obedient, we demonstrate our love for God: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). Obedience to God’s will also brings us peace. French bishop and theologian Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet wrote, “The divine will gives us repose through our own actions and when we do what is required of us.” In other words, when we do what God wills in our lives, we can be at peace, resting in the knowledge that we are being obedient to his plan—he who always wills what is good for us and others.

    Christ’s Authority: Jesus Christ has authority over all of God’s creation as the second person of the Holy Trinity. He has been given authority to heal and cast out demons. God the Father has given him authority as the just judge of all creation. The Catechism teaches, “Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as Redeemer of the world. He ‘acquired’ this right by his cross” (CCC 679). It was precisely by his obedience to the cross that he received the right to be our judge. Jesus also has been given authority over life itself. God is the author of all human life. “Author” is the root word of “authority.” The one who creates a story is the one who owns it; he or she is the author. God is our author; ergo, he holds ultimate authority over us. In fact, God the Father shares all his authority over creation with the Son. Jesus told his Apostles after his Resurrection, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). The Father “raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:20-23).

    Conversing with Christ: Jesus, my Lord, and King, I submit myself to your holy will. I am sorry for the times when I have been disobedient to you or rebelled against your authority. I sanctify you as Lord of my heart (cf. 1 Peter 3:15). Help me to listen to and become more obedient to what you are calling me to do for you each day.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will determine a specific way that I can grow in obedience to your holy will.

REFLECTION 2017

All of us relate to a mother's love for her child. The popular liturgical song, Hindi kita malilimutan, is inspired by the first reading from the prophet Isaiah. God's love is indeed limitless and will never waver; it is even stronger than a mother's love for her child: "Can a woman forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child of her womb? Yet though she forget, I will not forget you."

    We know that this great love of God for all of us was shown in the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ for us. We are truly blessed to have a God, a Father, who loves us beyond compare. May we love him in return and urge the world to love him in return.

    We pray, "Day by day, day by day, 0 dear Lord, three things I pray, to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day."

REFLECTION

Children usually carry some of the features, characteristics, mentality and values of their parents. Christ, being a son, speaks incessantly of his Father. Christ is in total communion with the Father. He does not do or say anything apart from his Father. He came to do the Father's will. Through Christ we can see who the Father is. He is a God of mercy and pardon. We see a new love in Christ which is the love of the enemy. Christians too become the children of God by virtue of baptism. We can pray the Our Father with the same confidence as Christ has, being fully aware that we are being loved by the very same love God has for His Son Jesus. But our paternal heritage should also be expressed by fraternal charity. "Whoever loves the One who begot him, loves also the one who is born of Him." (1Jn 5:1)

 

Wednesday 4th week of Lent

The message of Our Lord Jesus today clearly reveals his true identity — he is the judge who will decide the fate of all human beings and also the source of life, through whom all the living come into being. How could someone be judge and at the same time the source of living? Are these two compatible? Yes they are.

    Jesus, the only just and highest judge, did not come to condemn anyone to death, but to save all human beings by dying on the cross. It is not the Lord who brings eternal death or penalty to anyone, but the person who has freely chosen to die, to deviate from the path of the Lord, to go against the commandment of the Lord. The Lord does not want anyone to perish: rather, he willingly and tirelessly gives life to all for He is the source of life. Therefore, do not lose hope and confidence in the Lord, no matter whatever state you are in, for all that the Lord wants of you is that you live for ever. Lord, make me understand that Your judgment is that all may live in Your love.