Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Ba 12th Thường Niên
Hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã đưa ra cho chúng ta
ba lời khuyên: Lời khuyên đầu tiên, "Không đem vật thánh cho cho chó, hoặc
ném ngọc trai trước mõn lợn.
Chúa
Giêsu đã cho chúng ta thấy sự tương phản giữa vật hiếm quý như ngọc trai và của
thánh, và những con vật dơ bẩn như chó và lợn. Ngọc trai là vật có giá trị rất
lớn và thậm chí được coi là vô giá được đem ra so với sự thánh thiện bởi vì
Thiên Chúa là đấng thánh, là tất cả,
Ngài mời gọi chúng ta đến để chia sẻ sự thánh thiện vô cùng quý báu và
vô giá, ở đây Chúa Giêsu muốn nói đến sự quan tâm của Ngài là Đức tin trong sự
tinh khiết. Một đức tin mà đã được Thiên Chúa thánh hóa.
Theo
các giáo huấn của Giáo hội đã dạy: Không
ai được nhận lãnh Mình và Máu Thánh Chúa ngoại trừ những người đã được rửa tội
và đã xưng tội, dọn mình sạch sẽ, vì thế mà Chúa đã nói: "Không cho chó những
gì là vật thánh" Chúa Giêsu mời gọi chúng ta đến tham dự vào bàn tiệc
Thánh với Người, nhưng chúng ta phải đến một cách xứng đáng.
Chúa
Giêsu đã tóm lược giáo lý trong Cựu Ước "bất cứ điều gì bạn muốn người ta
làm cho bạn, bạn hãy làm như vậy với họ" (Mt 7:12). Luật yêu thương không
phải chỉ là đòi hỏi bạn tránh gây thương tích hoặc gây tổn hại cho người khác,
Nhưng tình yêu tuyệt vời là một tình yêu đòi hỏi vô điều kiện và Tình yêu này
phải được tỏ ra cho tất cả mọi người.
Nếu
chúng ta có thể làm cả những gì điều trên, chúng ta đã đi đúng đường mà Chúa muốn.
Con đường dẫn chúng ta đến cuộc sống đời đời. Chúa đã cho chúng ta sự tự do lựa
chọn con đường mà chúng ta sẽ đi, Con đường rộng thênh thang hay con đường nhỏ
hẹp gồ gề khó đi. Xin Chúa cho chúng ta
được khôn ngoan để chọn con đường sẽ dẫn đến cuộc sống đời đời hơn là con đường
dẫn đến cái chết và sự tiêu diệt..
Nếu
chúng ta để tình yêu và sự khôn ngoan của Thiên Chúa cai trị tâm hồn chúng ta,
chúng ta có thể tin tưởng vào sự hướng dẫn và ân sủng của Người để đi theo con
đường của tình yêu và sự thánh thiện
Reflection
Tuesday 12th Odinary Gospel Mt 7:6, 12-14
Today, the Lord makes three
recommendations. The first one, “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw
your pearls before swine”. Second one: “Do to others whatever you would have
them do to you”. And the third one is: “Enter through the narrow gate.” Jesus
makes a contrast in which “assets” are associated with “pearls” and to what “is
holy”; and “dogs and pigs” to what is impure. Pearls were of very great value and
even considered priceless. The same with holiness because God is all-holy and
he invites us to share in his holiness which is very precious and priceless as
well. Jesus’ concern here is purity, the purity of the faith which has been
entrusted to us by God the most holy.
The early church referenced this expression with the Eucharist.
According to the Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, a first century church manual
stated: Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist except those baptized into
the name of the Lord; for, as regards this, the Lord has said, 'Do not give
what is holy to dogs.' The Lord Jesus invites us to his table, but we must
approach worthily.
Jesus
summed up the teaching of the Old Testament law “So whatever you wish that men
would do to you, do so to them” (Matthew 7:12). The law of love requires more
than simply avoiding injury or harm to one's neighbor. Perfect love, a love
which is unconditional and which reaches out to all, always seeks the good of
others for their sake and gives the best we can offer for their welfare. When
we love our neighbors and treat them in the same way we wish to be treated.
Loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
How can we love our neighbor selflessly and show them kindness and concern for
their welfare? If we empty our hearts of
all unkind and unloving thoughts and sentiments, then there will only be room
for kindness, goodness, charity, and mercy. Saint Paul reminds us in the letter
to the Romans that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Romans 5:5). It is the love of God that fuels our
unconditional love for others, let the Holy Spirit transform our life with the
purifying fire of God's love. If we can
do both what recommends above, we are on the right track the way that leads to
fulfillment and life versus the way that leads to destruction and death. The
Lord gives us freedom to choose which way we will go. Ask him for the wisdom to
know which way will lead to life rather than to death and destruction. In the
book of Deuteronomy teach us: “See, I have set before you this day life and
good, death and evil. ...Therefore choose life that you and your descendants
may live (Deuteronomy 30:15-20). If we allow God's love and wisdom to rule our
hearts, then we can trust in his guidance and grace to follow the path of love
and holiness.
Opening
Prayer:
Lord,
these are sobering words. Enlighten me and help me to draw the lessons from
this reflection that you have for me on this day.
Encountering
Christ:
1.
Pearls to
Swine: What a vivid
description Our Lord used to show us how he wants us to evangelize! When we
speak of the beauty of knowing Christ to others, love demands that we first
prayerfully assess their receptivity. It takes mature discernment to know what
to say, how to say it, and when it will be well received. If we’re overly
enthusiastic, too forceful, or speak in a churchy tone (i.e., quoting
line-and-verse of the latest encyclical to someone who doesn’t even know
Jesus), our listener may “tear us to pieces.” Additionally, if we overshare or
proffer books, website links, etc., too much too soon, we may fail as the
Lord’s emissary. Jesus wants his disciples to communicate first and foremost
his love. For this purpose, he sent his Spirit to teach us what to say (Luke 12:12).
2.
The Golden
Rule: What a world we would
live in if people abided by the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have
them do to you. Our workplaces, our homes, and our communities would be a
little slice of heaven on earth. This rule of life applies equally to
Christians and non-Christians because the point of reference for behavior is
not Christ, per se, but ourselves. However, Christ told us later in the Gospel
of John to do what he has done (John 13:15). In this case, the model for our
behavior is Christ himself. Not only are we to do for others what we would have
them do to us, but we are called to imitate Christ’s love for others: “No one
has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John
15:13). We can fulfill this lofty command only by relying on the Lord’s grace.
3.
The Narrow
Gate: We can certainly
surmise, looking around at our current culture, that there are many broad roads
leading to destruction. But, as faithful followers of Christ, how are we
expected to respond to Our Lord’s description of the narrow and constricted
gate that leads to life? Only a few find it. How many is “a few”? Would this
“few” include me, my family members, those I pray for, my grandparents, my
future grandchildren? The best response to Jesus’s warning is to practice the
sometimes elusive virtue of hope. “Hope is the theological virtue by which we
desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our
trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help
of the grace of the Holy Spirit” (CCC 1817). Full of hope, we emanate peace in
our dealings with others, reflecting the love of Christ in our
countenance.
Conversing
with Christ: Lord, in these
short lines of Scripture your admonitions are very challenging. I need to be
discerning before I speak about you, to love others as you love them, and to
enter through the narrow gate. And of course, I want to bring my loved ones
with me. Without your grace, I can truly do none of these things. You make it very
clear that I am to love you, depend on you, and trust you with everything and
everyone I care about. Please send your Holy Spirit to bring me peace and
confidence so that I may radiate not anxiety of any kind, but only your joy.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray ardently for those
you place on my heart and have hope that you will bring them through the narrow
gate to heaven.
REFLECTION
In the first reading
Abram and Lot separate and settle in different lands. God promises Abram land
for himself and his descendants.
The Gospel
reading gives various sayings of Jesus.
He cautions them
about not giving thing of great worth to those unable to understand or
appreciate them. Our teaching must be appropriate for those receiving them.
Jesus taught in parables so that those who can see could know what he was
teaching and those who could not see would not know what he was teaching.
Secondly,
he summarizes the Law and the Prophets in a simple statement, "Do to
others whatever you would that others do to you."
Thirdly, he
reiterates that the road to life and happiness is narrow and rough. Many choose
the most pleasant pleasurable things as their values and forget God and his
values. The narrow gate mirrors the life of the Lord who chose to be poor so
that we could be rich from his poverty.
In
several Gospel passages, such as the one we read today from Matthew, Jesus
seems to speak in a threatening way, a way that seems more calculated to
destroy our hope and peace of mind rather than to reveal to us the God who is
love. Many people delight in climbing high mountains such as Everest. The more
prudent climbers, of course, follow an experienced guide and, by following his
instructions, can accomplish the climb safely. Since many people can be very
foolish in dangerous situations, no doubt the guides have to be severe with the
climbers at times.
If
we think of Jesus as a wise and experienced guide for our journey along the
frequently treacherous and dangerous pathways of life, we will not be upset at
his apparently threatening language. Rather than lose our peace of mind, our
confidence in Jesus as our guide will be reinforced as he guides us safely
along the rough road leading to the narrow gate and then through that gate to
life everlasting.
Jesus presents himself to us
as the way: by following closely all his instructions, we grow in confidence
and hope.
Lord,
even though we may often be reluctant to follow your teaching, nevertheless,
guide us firmly and patiently along this rough road and through the gateway to
life.
No comments:
Post a Comment