Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai Tuần 14 Thường Niên

 Monday 14th week of Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, there is never a time I do not require your healing touch. My body and soul long for the perfect health to which only you can restore me. Help me to have the faith to reach for even the tassel of your cloak, to know that even a moment in your presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament can be a healing encounter, every single day.

Encountering Christ:

    1. Faith Revealed in Humility: The Roman official understood the custom when approaching someone in authority. He knelt down before Jesus and asked boldly for a miracle, for his daughter’s very life to be restored. Likewise, the suffering woman was willing to endure the shame of appearing in public in her condition on the small chance that she might get close enough to Jesus for a healing encounter. Like these two believers, we need to approach Jesus with our pride pushed aside. If we truly want him to heal us, we must get beyond the embarrassment of our past sins and abandon the false facade we put on in front of the world. Jesus knows how sick we are! He will heal us if we only ask.

    2. Jesus Knows Our Continuing Needs: Jesus did not simply heal the sick and leave them be. Notice what he said to the cured woman: “Courage!” He knew that her belief in him, and the witness of her renewed health would require her to be bold in her faith and in her testimony. He would accompany her for the rest of her life, making his dwelling with her (John 14:23) if she would allow it. Jesus led the revived little girl “by the hand,” offering her guidance even after the crisis had passed. Jesus is “Emmanuel,” God with us.

    3. Has Everyone Heard, But For Us?: The Bible tells of many encounters between Jesus and those who were physically ill or spiritually tormented; again and again, the sick were healed by his touch, his presence, and his voice. What, then, explains our own reluctance to seek his aid when we are sick in body, mind, or soul? He is there waiting for us. We may not need a dramatic encounter, a lightning strike, or a violent wind—just the quiet presence of the Lord with us in prayer, in the Blessed Sacrament, in thoughtful reflection on his word. Why do we hold back? Do we prefer to remain “sick” because we don’t have the courage to witness to the healing? Or, like the crowds outside the Roman official’s home, are we already mourning for what we think is lost?

    Conversing with Christ: Lord, you alone are the healer our world seeks. Help me to grow in faith that I may reach out, even for just your cloak, when I am in need of healing. Give me the courage to witness to others about the healings I have already experienced so that my faith may lead them to seek you when all appears lost.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace, let me actively seek you out, through prayer and meditation, and bring before you the needs of our country on this celebration of Independence Day.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai Tuần 14 Thường Niên

Tin Mừng kể lại hai phép lạ của Chúa Jêsus là chữa bệnh của người phụ nữ bị chảy máu nặng chỉ bằng cách chạm vào chiếc áo choàng của Chúa Giêsu và mang lại cho cô con gái trẻ của viên chức giáo đường Do thái. Đức tin của chúng ta có bao giờ mạnh mẽ như người phụ nữ của những người tin rằng chỉ bằng cách chạm vào áo choàng của Chúa Giêsu cô ấy sẽ được chữa khỏi? Và cô đã được chữa khỏi.

Trong lần đọc đầu tiên chúng ta nghe Giacốp cất lời thề với Thiên Chúa, Đức Chúa Trời của Ápraham, và Thiên Chúa của Isaac.

Niềm tin của chúng ta đối với Đức Chúa Trời được thử thách trong những thời điểm khó khăn, trong những bi kịch bất ngờ, khi chúng ta có những thảm họa lớn trong tự nhiên, khi chúng ta thấy bệnh tật và những cái chết bất ngờ. Chúng tôi không hiểu tại sao. Và chúng ta biết rằng Đức Chúa Trời không gây ra điều xấu xa xảy ra; Ông ta cho phép mọi thứ ác xảy ra.

Chúng ta có thể không có đức tin mạnh mẽ của người phụ nữ bị chảy máu trầm trọng hoặc của viên chức giáo đường Do thái giáo tin rằng Chúa Giêsu có thể đưa con gái mình trở lại cuộc sống. Chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện để Đức Chúa Trời ban cho chúng ta đức tin mạnh mẽ như vậy.

Có một bài hát nói rằng: "Có thể có những phép lạ khi bạn tin tưởng, mặc dù hy vọng là yếu đuối, thật khó để giết.Ai biết những gì phép lạ bạn có thể đạt được khi bạn tin rằng bằng cách nào đó bạn sẽ làm?

REFLECTION

The Gospel reading narrates two miracles of Jesus: the cure of the woman with the severe bleeding merely by her touching the cloak of Jesus and the bringing back to life of the young daughter of the synagogue official. Is our faith ever as strong as the woman's who believed that by merely touching the cloak of Jesus she would be cured? And she was cured.

    In the first reading we hear Jacob making a vow to God, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Our faith in God is tested in difficult times, in unexpected tragedies, when we have great disasters in nature, when we see disease and unexpected deaths. We do not understand why. And yet we know God does not cause evil things to happen; he allows evil things to happen.

    We may not have the strong faith of the woman with the severe bleeding or of the synagogue official who believed that Jesus could bring her daughter back to life. Let us pray that God would give us such strong faith.

    There is a song which goes, "There can be miracles when you believe; though hope is frail, it's hard to kill. Who knows what miracles you can achieve when you believe that somehow you will? You will when you believe."