Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Ba Tuần 24 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Ba Tuần 24 Thường Niên Luke 7:11-17 ,

Nhiều người trong chúng ta đã chết rồi mà không biết. Chúng ta đã chết khi chúng ta đã không còn nắm bắt được những ý nghĩa đích thực của cuộc sống, chúng ta thực sự đã chết, mặc dù rằng khi thân thể chúng ta di động, còn hít thở không khí của trần gian. Chúng ta sống chẳng khác gì cái thây ma, bởi vì chúng ta như cái máy vô cảm chỉ biết làm việc chăm chỉ, ăn uống và sống chỉ để thỏa mãn những dục vọng xác thịt của chúng ta, chúng ta chạy đua với vận tốc cao mà không cần định hướng. Bởi vì nơi chúng ta qua là những bận rộn, chúng ta không bao giờ thật sự có thời giờ để suy nghĩ tất cả những gì cho cuộc sống. Chúng ta có rất ít thời gian hoặc không có thời gian nào cho Thiên Chúa. Lý do thâm niên của chúng ta là "Chúng ta quá bận rộn." Khi bệnh tật nằm liệt giường, thật tình mà nói đó là một ân phúc và cũng là môt phúc lành được ngụy trang để cho chúng ta được dừng lại và tạm nghỉ để tính đến cuộc sống của chúng ta và đó cũng là một cơ hội để chúng ta có thể bắt đầu kiểm tra cuộc sống, để chúng ta tự hiểu được rằng những gì mới thực sự là đièu quan trọng cho cuộc sống của chúng ta.

Hôm nay Chúa Giêsu làm cho chàng thanh niên trẻ được sống lại, Ngài cũng đang cố gắng làm cho chúng ta được sống lại từ giấc ngủ vùi sâu trong cuộc sống hôm nay, Ngài mời gọi chúng ta thức dậy để nhìn được bức tranh to hơn của cuộc sống. Con người chúng ta đã được tạo ra, là để SỐNG và để YÊU, được yêu. Tình yêu là những gì làm cho cuộc sống của chúng ta có ý nghĩa. Tình Yêu là để cho chính mình và cho người khác, như Chúa Kitô đã làm. Chúng ta hãy nên có "nỗi sợ Thánh Thiện" để được sống nhưng không sống trong sự áp đảo quá nhiều của thế giới vật chất mà chúng ta đã quên rằng thế giới này đang qua đi quá nhanh mà chúng ta chỉ kẻ đi qua đường. Chúng ta có thể còn sống trong cái thể xác hay hư mất của chúng ta. Ngày hôm nay Chúa Kitô đến để "lấp đầy cuộc sống của chúng ta" với niềm tin và tình yêu. Vì khi chúng ta mất đi cuộc sống của chúng ta, là khi chúng ta sẽ tìm thấy nó và chúng ta đã thật sự là còn sống.

Reflection Tuesday 25th Ordinary Time

Many of us are already dead without knowing it. When we have lost grasp of the true meaning of life, we are actually dead, even if our bodies move around physically. We are like zombies, working hard, eating and living just to satisfy our concupiscence of the flesh, running the rat race without any spiritual direction.

We never really have time to think about what life is all about. We have very little time or no time for God. Our perennial excuse is "We are too busy." When sickness makes us bedridden, sometimes it is a blessing in disguise for us to stop and pause, take account of our lives and start examining what is really important in life.

Today Jesus is also attempting to resurrect us from our deep sleep, inviting us to wake up to see the bigger picture of life. We were created, we LIVE in order to LOVE. Love is what makes life meaningful. It is to give ourselves for others, as Christ has done.

Let us have this "holy fear" to be alive and not be overwhelmed to dwell too much in the world that we forget that this world is passing and we are just passing through. We may be physically alive but in a state of eschatological death. Christ comes today to "fill our lives" with faith and love. When we lose our life, we will find it and really be alive

Reflection Tuesday 25th Ordinary Time 2022

Opening Prayer: Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful song. Know that the Lord is God; he made us, his we are; his people, the flock he tends. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise; Give thanks to him; bless his name. For he is good, the Lord, whose kindness and faithfulness endures forever, to all generations. We are his people: the sheep of his flock (Psalm 100:1-5).

Encountering Christ:

1. Moved with Pity: This Gospel passage is a beautiful reminder of how personally we are loved by God. Luke wrote that Jesus was on the move, surrounded by his disciples and a large crowd. This large crowd was met by another large crowd accompanying a woman who, because of her husband’s and son’s death, was now completely alone. Mixed with her grief was deep anxiety about what would become of her. Even though she was one among many people surrounding Jesus, he came to her in her fear and was, “… moved with pity for her.” In our own sorrow or grief, we are reminded, "The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).

2. God Moves: Every word of Scripture tells us about God. In this passage, we read that Jesus journeyed, he drew near, he was moved, and he stepped forward. We see the same in the image of Divine Mercy revealed by Our Lord to St. Faustina. Jesus is walking toward us, scarred by wounds he suffered for us. He opens his heart pierced to us, ever-flowing with mercy. In our pain, we often fall into a false belief that God does not see nor care that we are suffering. Let this story remind us the opposite is true. God comes, pities, touches, restores and brings new life.

3. Arise: It can be tempting to read this passage and exclaim, “Jesus did not bring my loved one back to life.” But that is not true. When Jesus willingly laid down his life and took it up again through his Passion and Crucifixion, he defeated death for all time. Jesus opened Heaven, which had been closed due to the original sin of Adam and Eve. Jesus died so we could live. Our loved ones are very much alive. The Catholic Church's Catechism is very clear: “Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ” (1023). “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of Heaven” (1030). Because we cannot know if our loved ones have achieved Heaven or are being purified in Purgatory, we can pray for them and ask them to pray for us. In this exchange, we stay spiritually united until we can one day be completely reunited where there will be no more weeping—all because Jesus died for our sins and rose again.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, the meaning of the word Nain, where you came to bring new life, means “Green Pastures.” You are the Good Shepherd. You know your sheep and make it, so we know you. Praise you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Jesus, I trust in you!

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will pray for my deceased loved ones, “Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithfully departed through the mercy of God rest in peace with the saints and angels.”

Reflection

Today’s Gospel reading has its own value as a factual record of a miracle which Jesus performed. However, intriguingly, Luke may be using it as a parable pointing to another real fact which is not recorded in the Gospels.

That Jesus appeared to his Mother Mary after the resurrection and before all his other appearances has been part of Christian tradition from the earliest Church times. It is not recorded in the Gospels, but Christian piety has taken it for granted that Mary, who had given him birth and had stood beside his Cross, would be the first to encounter the risen Christ and receive the good news of the Resurrection.

Let us isolate the elements of this story of the widow’s son: A widow, an only son, dead and being carried to burial outside the city; Jesus raised him from the dead and, significantly, gave him back to his mother.

As far as we know, Mary was a widow; Jesus was her only Son. He was crucified, died and was buried outside the city of Jerusalem.

When he rose from the dead, Jesus gave himself back to his Mother. Lord Jesus, give us into Your Mother’s care and protection, so that we may enjoy the fullness of resurrection joy.

Tuesday 24th Ordinary Time

In today Gospel, We can see tenderness in the heart of Jesus! He moved with compassion at the sight of the weeping widow whose only son had died, he restored the dead man to life.

Seeing her grief, Jesus first comforted her. Then, touched by her sorrow and need, he manifested both his mercy and his power by raising the young man with a touch of the coffin and a word of command: “Arise!” (Luke 7:14). Jesus showed kindness and compassion to this bereaved woman, even though no one asked him for help. No one even showed any real faith in him. In fact, they may not have even known who he was. Jesus took the initiative all by himself.

The Gospel story may tells us another real fact which is not recorded in the Gospels. That Jesus appeared to his Mother Mary after the resurrection and before all other appearances has been part of Christian tradition from the earliest Church times. It is not recorded in the Gospels, but Christian piety has taken it for granted that Mary, who had given him birth and had stood beside his Cross, would be the first to encounter the risen Christ and receive the good news of the Resurrection.

Let us isolate the elements of this story of the widow’s son: A widow, an only son, dead and being carried to burial outside the city; Jesus raised him from the dead and, significantly, gave him back to his mother.

As far as we know, Mary was a widow; Jesus was her only Son. He was crucified, died and was buried outside the city of Jerusalem. When he rose from the dead, Jesus gave himself back to his Mother.

We can see there is tenderness in the heart of Jesus for each of us. In compassion, he reaches out even before we ask for help, even if we have just a little faith.

If we’re grieving the loss of a loved one, if we’re feeling wounded or despondent, if we’re suffering from a serious illness; whatever trial we are facing, turn to Jesus. He has words of comfort and consolation just for us.

But don’t stop there. Let the compassion that we have received flow out of us. Just as Jesus touched the coffin of that dead young man, you can take just one step toward touching someone else’s life. It doesn’t have to be much. Just a simple gesture, a kind word, or an offer to help. We can help raise people from their own tombs of sadness and fear.

Let’s give thank to Jesus, for His compassion! Thank to Jesus for giving us the hope and helping us to rise again.”

Tue 17th Sept 2013 - 24th in Ordinary Time (C)

It is surely a cause for great wonderment that Jesus entrusted the continuation of his salvific work in the Church to us, very weak and often wayward human beings. Reading between the lines of the Letter to Timothy, we may guess that there were problems in the early Church about finding suitable leaders of the community. We sometimes have the impression that the early communities were all very dedicated and holy, very united and loving towards each other. No doubt a great many of them were indeed holy people, but Paul’s letters let us see the dark side.

By proposing the qualities that ought to be expected in a candidate to be bishop or deacon, the Letter to Timothy suggests that there were in the community men who “indulged in drink” or were avaricious.

Against this background, we can all profitably pray today's Responsorial Psalm. The Psalmist does not affirm that he already walks perfectly in the way of integrity or that he never sets before his eyes “any base” thing. He rather says this will be his conduct, expressing a desire for greater goodness. With God’s grace we can all lead a proper spiritual life, constant in our praise and of the Lord.

Lord, with the help of Your grace, may I always persevere in the way of integrity.