Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần Bát Nhật Phục Sinh

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần Bát Nhật Phục Sinh

Trong đoạn Tin Mừng , cho chúng thấy được hai người trên đường đi Emmau cũng giống như hành trình cuộc sống mỗi ngày của chúng ta. Giống như họ, chúng ta cũng có thể đã không nhận ra Chúa Kitô đang hiện diện với chúng ta trong những biến cố quan trọng trong cuộc sống. Họ chỉ nhận ra được Chúa Giêsu sau khi họ lấy được sự can đảm đê mời người khách lạ dừng lại với họ “ Hãy ỡ lại đay với chúng tôi vì trời cũng đã xế chiều và ngày cũng sắp hết.” Chúa Giêsu ở lại và cùng ăn tối với họ.

            Chúng ta đã thất bại trong việc nhận ra sự hiện diện của Ngài có thể vì thực tế là chúng ta đã không có hiếu khách hay chưa đủ hiếu khách để cho phép những người lạ mặt chưa quen, những người nghèo khổ hay những người không có cũng một chí hướng với chúng ta để mời họ ngồi chung một bàn và chia sẻ món món quà sự sống với chúng ta. Đây chính là dấu chỉ Tình Yêu vô điều kiện và tuyệt vời của Thiên Chúa dành cho nhân loại con người và đó cũng vì đó mà chúng được chắc chắn rằng sẽ được tăng thêm niền vui vô tận của Nước Trời. Trong lúc chúng ta vui mừng chào đón Mùa Phục Sinh Có lẽ là thời gian để chúng suy ngẫm về hành động của chúng ta. Chúng ta đã quảng đại được bao nhiêu trong việc đáp lại lòng thương xót của Chúa ? Chúng ta đã bắt đầu nền tảng cho những công việc từ thiện để mang Tin Mừng và những thứ cần thiết đến cho các anh chị em của chúng ta. Chúng ta đã biết đọc và đều chỉnh dấu chĩ thời gian?  Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin hãy biến đổi chúng con thành những khí cụ cứu rỗi của Chúa cho dân Chúa.

 

Wednesday within Easter Octave,

Acts 3:1-10;   Ps. 105(104):1-2,3-4,6-7,8-9;   Lk. 24:13-35 

“Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”The Emmaus companions are like many of us on our daily life journey. Like them, we also may have failed to recognize Christ’s presence in various life events. They only recognized Jesus after they dared to invite this stranger to stay with them, saying: “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” Jesus stayed and shared bread and wine with them. 

Our failure to recognize his presence may be due to the fact that we are not hospitable enough to allow strangers, the poor, those who do not share our views, to sit at the same table and share the gift of life. This is the hallmark of God’s abiding love for humanity and it is also that which will surely gain for us abundant joy from heaven. As we come fresh from Easter, maybe it is time to reflect upon ourselves. 

How generous have we been in response to Jesus’ salvific act? Are we now doing concrete acts of charity to bring this Good News to our brothers and sisters in need? How are we adjusting ourselves to the signs of the times? Lord Jesus, make us instruments of Your salvation for Your people.

 

Wednesday within Easter Octave,

Opening Prayer: Jesus, I long to be caught up in the wonder of your Resurrection. I read these words and can feel the amazement of these two disciples, the excitement they felt, the fire burning in their hearts again as they recounted the story of how they met you. Every day this week, the Scriptures offered stories of encounters with you. Everyone who met you had to share what they had seen and heard. Today I want my meditation to be an encounter that changes me and sets me on fire. 

Encountering Christ:

The Story They Told to Jesus: Two sad disciples, full of confusion and doubt, walked slowly away from Jerusalem. When Jesus met them on the road, he saw their sadness and engaged them in conversation. As they related their story, it was evident that they were stuck in Good Friday emotions and unable to tap into the joy that comes from living as a resurrection people. “We had hoped…” they said. Did their hopelessness, grief, and sorrow blind them to the presence of Christ beside them on their journey? How do we let emotion influence our ability to recognize truth? With Christ’s help, may we come to realize which emotions cause us spiritual blindness.

The Story Jesus Told: If we had accompanied the two disciples walking to Emmaus, we would have overheard Jesus tell us his own story with unparalleled depth and divine insight. The whole Old Testament would have been interpreted through the lens of the Passion by Christ himself. These humble disciples received from the mouth of God the greatest story ever told, the best homily ever preached, the wisest exegesis ever given. And they became an integral part of the story. Jesus wants to do the same thing in our life. He wants to weave his life with ours until we are one with him in eternity. How does our limited way of seeing crosses and difficulties prevent us from allowing Christ to do what he wants in our life? 

The Eucharist: The trio stopped for dinner and the guest continued to astound the two disciples by his manner and words. Their hearts were on fire with love. Only in the breaking of the bread–the Eucharist–however, did they recognize the Lord. And then Jesus vanished—leaving them in silence with the Eucharist. Just as the stories of the Old Testament point to Christ, the story of Emmaus points to the primacy of the Eucharist. At every Mass, Jesus accompanies us in an unfamiliar form through the personhood of the priest. At Communion, we receive Jesus, Body, Blood, soul, and divinity, but to our visible eye, he is not present. Back in our pew, we are left alone in silence with the Eucharist to ponder the great gift we have just received. Are our hearts on fire?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to live by your version of my story because I know it’s perfectly laid out, and you’ve seen to everything so that I can one day be with you in eternity. May I delight at the wonders of your works in my life and grow in my love of you in the Eucharist so that my heart burns.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will receive the Eucharist with fervor and gratitude. 

 

 

Wednesday within Easter Octave,

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my mind to understand these holy words of Scripture. Let them penetrate deep into my heart. May your presence in the word remain with me today and always.

Encountering Christ:

Understanding Salvation History: Reading the Old Testament is very important to understanding Christ. Jesus helped his disciples on the road to Emmaus to understand the Old Testament Scriptures that pointed to his coming, mission, and final redemptive gift of himself on the Cross. He was surprised at their lack of belief and perhaps at their knowledge of the Scriptures: “How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!” Later, when he appeared in the Upper Room, he did the same thing for his Apostles. He helped open their minds to understand his words: “He said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44). Our first Mass reading tomorrow from the Acts of the Apostles (3:11-26) shows Peter imitating Christ in this way. He showed the people how the patriarchs–Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–were part of salvation history, and how Moses and Samuel prophesied about Christ and how he was to suffer. These Old Testament accounts are meant to be read through the lens of salvation history. Jesus is truly present in his word, both the Old and New Testaments. If we ignore the Old Testament, we are ignoring a huge part of the word of Christ. As St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.”

Called to Communion: These two disciples were journeying to Emmaus, away from the rest of the disciples. They were “downcast” and disappointed at the death of Jesus. But, as a Good Shepherd, Jesus called them back to the fold with his physical presence on that Easter Sunday. In the same way, when Catholics fall away from their communities in the Church, Jesus calls them back with his physical presence in the Eucharist. Many Catholics who return “home” to the faith say that they missed receiving Holy Communion. Do you notice how full the pews are on Easter Sunday compared to the other Sundays of the year? Perhaps this is because Jesus extends a special grace on the day of his Resurrection, calling lax Catholics and even interested and open-minded non-Catholics to come to him. This thought might help us feel more charitable about the crowd. Whether they were there before Easter or will come back next week, they were called to Mass on Easter Sunday and they answered that call. We can pray for all those who felt called to Communion on Easter, that they might come back this Sunday and the next.

Remain in Him: Jesus revealed himself to them in the Eucharist. The disciples’ eyes were opened in the breaking of the bread. We can ask ourselves if we truly recognize Jesus in his real presence in the Eucharist. Did you know that according to a recent Pew Research study, only about half of all Catholics in the United States believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? There is much confusion about this teaching, yet Jesus told us plainly, without a parable, “my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him” (John 6:55-56). Notice here that the two disciples wanted Jesus to remain with them, asking, “Stay with us.” He agreed and then gave them Holy Communion. This is how we are to “remain” in him: by receiving the Eucharist worthily and frequently and by adoring Him in the Blessed Sacrament. May Catholics everywhere appreciate the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist!

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. My physical eyes see bread, but the eyes of my soul see you. Lord Jesus, how you come to me in a humble piece of bread is still beyond the comprehension of my mind, but my soul knows and believes. Thank you for nourishing me with your very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Thank you for imbuing the Eucharist with your divine essence and for dwelling physically inside me, even for a few minutes. May I never neglect your Presence, but instead, receive you with thanksgiving and joy. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray for your holy presence to be recognized and adored in the Eucharist. I will make a visit to adore Jesus in the Eucharist or plan to make a special trip sometime this week.