Suy Niệm Tin Mừng lễ kính Thánh Giacôbê tông đồ Matthew 20:20-28

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng lễ kính Thánh Giacôbê tông đồ Matthew 20:20-28

Tin Mừng hôm nay thật sự là Lời ban sự sống cho tất cả chúng ta. Thật vậy, Lời Chúa là con đường hướng dẫn những Kitô hữu chúng ta đến sự sống đời đời . Như lời Chúa hôm này đã dạy cho chúng ta là: Trước tiên là phải Phục vụ những nhu cầu của người khác. Đó là một Lời trái ngược lại với tất cả những gì mà thế giới hôm nay đang dạy mà muốn chúng ta làm. Chúng ta thường nghe người ta nói:.? những gì thế lực hay sức mạnh mà chúng ta đang có trong tay?

Ngày nay đa số chúng ta ai cũng ta muốn có chức vụ cao, có quyền hành trong cơ quan của chính phủ, trong các trường học, hay cả trong giáo hội, và trên thực tế là trong tất cả các lĩnh vực hoạt động của con người để hưởng lợi , để được sống vinh hoa, phú quý. . Cái tâm lý chung của thế giới là để thống trị người khác. Đó là sức mạnh của thế lực mà chúng ta có thể được hưởng lợi, được người khác cầu cạnh đút lót. Và cuối cùng chúng ta sẽ được người khác phục vụ chúng ta theo như những gì chúng ta muốn và cần. Nhưng đối với những người Kitô giáo chân chính thực sự thì đấy là điều ngược lại! Để trở thành người Kitô giáo đích thực, người Kitô hữu phải có sự suy nghĩ như Chúa Kitô, phải cơ những hành động như Chúa Kitô. Có nghĩa là sống trong một cách triệt để theo như Chúa Kitô, đó là sống trái ngược lại với các giá trị của thế giới bên ngoài.

Tin Mừng hôm nay Chúa mời gọi chúng ta đến với hạnh phúc thật sự, đó là đến để phục vụ như Chúa đã phục vụ người khác chứ không phải là để được phục vụ. Và nếu chúng ta làm đuợc như lời Chúa thì phần thưởng của chúng ta sẽ nhận được là chúng ta sẽ được gọi là con cái của Thiên Chúa và sẽ được ngồi cùng một bàn bữa tiệc trên Thiên quốc với Chúa, có lẽ chúng ta sẽ không được ngồi ngay bên phải hoặc bên trái của Chúa, nhưng chắc chắn là chúng ta được một chỗ nào đó trên thiên đàng.

Hôm nay chúng ta mừng kính thánh Giacôbê Tông Đồ , chúng ta hãy nên bắt chước và học hỏi nơi thánh Giacôbê người đã biết lắng nghe và thực hành lời Chúa và phục vụ Chúa trong việc mang Chúa đến với người khác và phục vụ cho đến chết và Ông đã chết vì đem Tin Mừng cho tất cả.

REFLECTION

St James was the son of Zebedee and brother of John, Evangelist and Apostle. He was born at Bethsaida in Galilee. He was the first apostle to die, martyred by Herod Agrippa I.

Today's Gospel is truly a word of life for all of us. Indeed, it shows the path of life for Christians. It gives us as a guideline: "Serve first the needs of other people. It is a word that is contrary to what the world tells us today. We often hear people say: What are we in power for? Today this is said in government, in school, in the family, in the church and in practically all areas of human activity. The mentality of the world is to dominate people. It is to have power so that we may benefit from that power. And in the end we will be served.

But Christianity is the opposite! To be Christian means to think like Christ, to act like Christ. It means to live in a radical way, that is, to live contrary to the values of the pagan world.

This Gospel invites us to the true happiness, which is to serve. And the reward will be that we shall be called sons and daughters of God and will sit at the Heavenly banquet, maybe not right or left, but surely somewhere there in Heaven. Let us all learn from James who served up to the end when he was martyred bring the Good News to all.

July 25 Saint James, the Greater, apostle

Opening Prayer: Lord, thank you for your presence with me today. I come to you in faith. I come to you with hope, and I come out of love. Lord, help me find that servant’s heart that draws me closer to you.

Encountering Christ:

1. Mothers!: This passage strikes a funny tone on St. James’s feast day, as this might have been an embarrassing moment for the sons of thunder. As their mother asked Jesus for this favor, the other ten overheard this and must have been taken aback. But Jesus took this opportunity to teach, not their mother Salome, but James and John directly. “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” Both said yes! They couldn’t have known to what they were assenting. Their ambition overcame them. It’s a perfect description of pride in action. We fall into believing that we can accomplish anything God asks of us. We enthusiastically answer “yes” and set out to do things ourselves—and often fail miserably. When do we succeed? When we aim to become the servant of all, the slave of others, not the “first mate.”

2. The Others Became Indignant: There is a certain irony in this verse. If the ten apostles only wanted the best for James and John, indignation would probably not have been their response. We can assume that they aspired to the same honor. It is oddly comforting that even those closest to Christ occasionally squabbled amongst themselves over worldly status. But, like the Gospel story of the splinter and the plank (Matthew 7:4), we should take a good look at our own false ambitions, self-reliance, and little vanities before we criticize anyone for seeking power, and honor, or wealth.

3. We Can: When James and John confirmed that they would, indeed, be willing to drink the chalice, Christ responded, “My chalice you will indeed drink.” They had no idea that the chalice meant their suffering and death, but Christ knew well that they were to live out their mission to serve him by their martyrdom. May we today and always be willing to accept the chalices of suffering we encounter as part of God’s mission for us, knowing that he will use everything as an opportunity to draw us closer to the Father.

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I have some disordered passions and misdirected desires, but you still see in me the fulfillment of the mission to which you have called me. Do not let the evil one derail me by my pride, vanity, or sensuality but continue to draw me nearer to you so that I, like the apostles who went before me, can become the servant leader that you need to bring souls to you.

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will plan to make a good confession and put the date on the calendar. I will confess my sins out of contrition, not guilt, so I can receive an outpouring of your love and grace to be the servant leader you are calling me to be.

REFLECTION

St. James was one of the apostles who accompanied Jesus on Mount Tabor where the Transfiguration took place. After receiving the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, he went out and began to preach the gospel so persuasively that he infuriated the Jewish leadership to such an extent that they killed him.

Jesus knows us and will only call a few to the honor of imitating him so closely…"laying down your life for your friends" as St. James did. And while the vast majority of us will never come close to being a martyr in the physical sense, the Church gives us St. James' example of wholeheartedly following Jesus wherever he may take us. What Jesus asks of us is to try to discern what he wills for us and then try our very best to do that and to accept where it will lead us. This can sometimes be very difficult and the decision to accept it is sometimes as difficult a decision as the one that a martyr may have to make.

The idea that Jesus insists on: the desire to be great or `the first of all' must include being willing to be considered as a servant. In other words, in performing any act of service to others, it is best to remain anonymous; otherwise, as Jesus said, `they have already received their reward."

Reflection:

If we are serving the Lord, people may assume that we have already grown spiritually. But actually when we are faced with difficult problems, our faith is challenged and we fail to understand God's plan for us. During these times, we depend on our human strength and ability in coming up with solutions that more often lead us to failure after failure. We fail to put our trust wholly in God and forget that only He has the best solution to our problems. Thus we complain and worry. But despite our unfaithfulness, God has always been a faithful God and this can only be seen through the eyes of faith and with His grace. At times He does this by sending people to us at the right time and when we need them most. In our case, God sent us relief through the payment of a debt that was long overdue. It also came in the form of spiritual guidance from people who helped form us and bring us back to God. How blessed are we because God enabled us to experience His goodness.

Reflection:

In today's Gospel reading Jesus teaches us about his mission "to serve and to give his life to redeem many." James and his brother John supported by their mother asked for places of honor with Jesus. It was an opportune occasion for Jesus to teach them and his other disciples about the real meaning of service.

"To serve and give his life to redeem many:" Jesus served and gave his life to save humankind; he gave his life to show his love for us. He did everything out of love.

By experiencing Jesus' love and his goodness, hopefully we learn to love like Jesus. When we love like Jesus, the expression of love will come freely. When you truly love someone, it may cause you to suffer; authentic love remains even if we suffer, just as how Jesus loved as he suffered.

There is a saying that goes: "You have not loved enough if you have not suffered." Perhaps, this was the message of Jesus to his disciples when he taught them about service and giving up life for others.

He was already telling his disciples of the experience of the paschal mystery. Serve, suffer for the one you love. Die to yourself and you will experience the glory of the resurrection to meet our Father in heaven.

REFLECTION 2017

We think of the Apostles as "extensions" of Jesus, those who had been with Jesus, "witnesses to his resurrection." After the resurrection of Christ and the descent of the Holy Spirit, they went out with great faith and courage to preach the Good News of Jesus to the world. Except for John, the beloved apostle, all the Eleven gave their lives in witness of their love for Jesus.

In today's Gospel reading we see them as simple ambitious men. Jesus had to teach them what true leadership and service were.

Let us not be discouraged with our failures and ambitions. We pray that God may help and purify us, in the same way he taught and trained the Twelve. With God's grace we too can be effective witnesses to Christ and his death and resurrection.