Suy Niệm Tin Mừng lễ Thánh Giuse Thợ (May 1)

  Suy Niệm Tin Mừng lễ Thánh Giuse Thợ (May 1)

Hôm nay, chúng ta mừng lễ thánh Giuse Thợ, một người thợ mộc nghèo hèn ở làng Nazareth, một người lao động gương mẫu, biết giữ mái ấm gia đình và phát triển nghề nghiệp của mình. Đây là cách sống bình thường của mọi người trong thế giới hôm nay của chúng ta, Mỗi người phải biết làm lũng kiếm ăn bằng chính mồ hôi lao động.

Theo Công tế Nhân quyền cho chúng ta biết rằng mỗi người chúng ta đều có quyền làm một công việc và được trả công. Hôm nay, Hội Thánh cầu nguyện cho ngày quốc tế lao động, để mỗi người lao động có thể thực hiện đầy đủ nhiệm vụ của mình và được sống đúng với cái quyền làm người.

Qua bài một Tin Mừng hôm nay, Phúc âm giới thiệu Chúa Giêsu là “con bác thợ mộc” (Mt 13:56), tại quê hương của Ngài là làng Nazareth, nơi Chúa đã lớn lên và trưởng thành. Tuy nhiên, người Nazareth vẫn chưa thực sự biết rõ con người của Chúa Giêsu. Họ có thể nghĩ rằng họ biết Ngài rất rõ, rất nhiều, nhưng họ thực sự không biết gì cả. Đấy là lý do tại sao họ không thể giải thích được là từ đâu mà Chúa Giêsu nhận được sự khôn ngoan và có uy quyền đặc biệt.

EPriest Tuesday /5/01/2018

1. Activism: In today's culture, many people believe, almost religiously, that what they do will eventually make them someone. They believe that from doing flows being, since their activity defines them. This makes it easy for them to be exploited. In nineteenth-century America, a slave was often not told his birthday, so he could never really know who he was. He was just made to work. This same temptation exists today. Many people work such long hours — some as a means of escape from difficulties or responsibilities at home; others for the satisfaction they feel seeing a job completed; still others, just to earn more money and to be able to afford a more comfortable life. However, these are all manifestations of the same slavery.

2. My True Identity: With his example, however, Christ shows us a different way of life, a way that goes against the current. First I have to be. Then my doing will flow from my being. Christ says again and again: I am the Son of my Father. Now I will act accordingly. When Moses asked God of the burning bush who he was, he said, “I AM who AM.”

Who am I? What defines me is my relationship with God. Imagine this: I have the privilege of being a child of God! God has loved me so much that he has adopted me as his child! This is something worthwhile. This is who I am, and I should act accordingly, as Christ taught me.

3. True Peace: Christ's great peace comes as a consequence of meditating on and living out who I am. When I meditate, I discover that I am God’s creature. Suddenly, I find the strength to face reality. Others will be unable to exploit me, and I will stop exploiting others because I am – and they are – children of God. My dignity derives from this fundamental truth: I was created in God’s image and likeness. I came from God, and he is inviting me to return to him and be happy with him for all eternity.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I have the bad habit of focusing on my doing. That is why I am always anxious. I want to be like you, Lord, seeing first who I am and letting my activity flow from that. This will bring me peace. However, Lord, I need your grace. Help me to live as a true son or daughter.

Resolution: Today, I will do two kind acts to someone who is troubled to help them experience God’s love for them.

Reflection Saturday 4th Week of Easter

In the Gospel reading, Jesus says clearly that it is the Father who enables him to do good works. He also says that his mission is to do what the Father tells him to do.

This is also true for the saints. St. George was a tribune in the Roman army when he converted to Christianity. Immediately he gave up all his worldly possessions and gave them to the poor. He left the army and was subsequently martyred for standing up for the faith. His death inspired many others to die for the Lord. Who inspired St. George to do all this? Obviously, the Lord, his Master and Savior.

St. Adalbert was a pagan convert to Catholicism. He became the Bishop of Prague and he evangelized the Poles and Hungarians. Encountering much opposition, he was martyred trying to convert the Baltic Prussians. St. Adalbert also listened to the voice of God when doing his evangelical work.

Have you heard the voice of God in your life? After He helps sort out our aimless lives, sometimes He invites some of us to do more for Him. Have you heard this calling?

 Saint Joseph  /5/01/2018

Opening Prayer: Here we are, Lord, on the first day of May, the month of Mary, on the first Saturday of the month, Mary’s Saturday, in the year of St. Joseph, during the Easter season. Could this moment be more spiritually rich? Bless me as I listen for your voice while I pray over these words of Scripture.

Encountering Christ:

1. God Bless Philip: Even though he accompanied Jesus for quite some time, Philip still missed an important truth about his master—that the Father and Jesus are one. Yet, Philip spoke from his heart when he begged, “Show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Like Philip, many of us are “seasoned followers of Christ,” having been with him for years in our vocations as priests, consecrated persons, or lay men and women. Like Philip, we often misunderstand Jesus when he reveals something of himself to us, even if we should know better. Philip teaches us that when we ask Jesus sincerely for clarification or greater insight, Jesus answers us. We have this beautiful description of Jesus’s relationship with the Father because Philip asked to see and understand.

2. Doing His Works: Once more, Jesus tells us in these lines of Scripture that by faith we can work miracles. “Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.” If we’re not doing miracles or witnessing them, the fault lies with us. Perhaps our faith is too weak. Perhaps we haven’t discerned when miracles are called for. Perhaps we aren’t ready to give Jesus all the credit. Or maybe we fail to see miracles for what they are. Is there any greater miracle than to see the light of Christ sparkle in someone’s eyes for the first time as you witness about him? Lectors, eucharistic ministers, and church musicians can be miracle workers, bringing the word to life in people’s souls by their ministries. Healing miracles happen through healing services or by our own intercessory prayers. We are miracle workers every time we act according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, for we become Christ’s hands and feet for the good of our neighbor.

3. Asking: Jesus told us that if we ask anything of him in his name, he will do it. What a promise! How often do we trust the Lord with our heart’s greatest desires? We think, “I want to be a saint” or “I want the conversion of my fallen-away children.” These things are certainly at the top of our list, but are they truly our greatest desires? Maybe we want to be hugged? Loved? Understood? Do we long for companionship? Physical healing? When we ask the Lord to reveal to us what our greatest desires are, the answers may surprise us. Our Lord knows what we want, so let’s have the courage to tell him the truth from the depths of our hearts. We take these things to Jesus and trust that he hears us and is working on it. And we say with St. Therese of Lisieux, “I am certain... that you will grant my desires; I know it, O my God!”

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for this month of May to honor your mother and mine. Blessed Mother, watch over the souls entrusted to me. Ask your Son to please increase my faith so that I may be pleasing to him and humbly, obediently, do all that he asks of me. Like St. Therese, I am certain that Jesus knows my heart’s desires and hears and answers my prayers.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend ten minutes in intercessory prayer, confident that you hear and answer my prayers.