Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên

Qua bài Tin Mừng chúng ta Chúa Giêsu đã từ chối những đòi hỏi người Do Thái yêu cầu đó là làm các phép lạ hay đưa ra những dấu lạ đương thời cho thấy để họ tin. Nhưng Ngài đã chỉ cho họ biết về những dấu lạ riêng của Ngài qua hình ảnh ôngGiona và những lời cảnh báo của Giona!

Ma quỷ cũng có đòi hỏi những việc như thế, trong khi ngài ăn chay và bị cám dỗ, Chúng đã thử lòng Ngài và xúi ngài ném mình xuống từ đỉnh cao của đền thờ (Lc. 9-11). Chúa Giêsu đã khiêm tốn và hạ mình, Ngài đã không thực hiện những đìều lạ và kỳ diệu để phô trương quyền năng và sức mạnh của Ngài.

Hôm nay, chúng ta đã chứng kiến cảnh đám đông người đã vội vàng xô lấn nhau để tới phiên mình "chữa bệnh" và họ mong muốn rằng sẽ nhìn thấy phép lạ chữa lành của Chúa được xảy ra ngay trước mắt họ!

Phần chúng ta hôm nay, Chúng ta hãy tự hỏi chính mình coi, Sự cải hoá cá nhân của chúng ta có phải là một nhiệm vụ cấp bách đối với chúng ta? Dấu hiệu của Giô-na có ý nghĩa gì đối với chúng ta, và chúng ta phải làm thế nào để đáp ứng với những lời Chúa Giêsu cảnh cáo chúng ta hôm nay.

Lạy Chúa, Chúa đã Chết đi và đi vào trong lòng đất ba Ngày như ông Giôna đã sống trong bụng cá voi ba ngày, Và chính Chúa đã sống lại hiển vinh để cứu rỗi và cho chúng con có được cuộc sống mới trong Chúa. Xin Chúa Hướng Hẫn và Thánh Hoá chúng con, để chúng con được sống đời với Chúa trên nước Thiên Đàng.

Reflection Monday 28 Ordinary Time

When we are very busy, yes, even obsessed with ourselves, we are unable to see goodness in others, (outside ourselves). God is surely present and active in our life, our world. It takes courage to burst out of our own selves to behold his presence and plan in and through others. Yet there are many signs of his presence and love; but if we are not open for him in others, we will suffocate in our own selves. The presence and call of God are very real in our life, history and the world. The Ninevites were outside Israel, yet they listened to Jonah’s preaching, and responded to God’s call to repentance: from the king to the last animal!

Jesus refuses his contemporaries their request for a sign, other than his own person and message he proclaimed, and the person of Jonah and his preaching! The devil too had such a demand in asking Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple (Lk. 9-11). Jesus refuses to make any show of such feats of power. Today, we witness crowds who rush to “healing” sessions, eager to see miracles of healing happening before their very eyes! Is personal conversion an urgent task for us? What does the ‘sign of Jonah’ mean to me, and how do I respond to Jesus.

Monday 28th Ordinary Time 2022

Opening Prayer: I praise and I thank you Father for sending your Son, Jesus, to save me. Praying with Psalm 119, I beg you “Let your mercy come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise. Take not the word of truth from my mouth, for in your ordinances is my hope. And I will keep your law continually, forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty, because I seek your precepts. And I will delight in your commands, which I love. And I will lift up my hands to your commands and meditate on your statutes.”

Encountering Christ:

1. Inviting God In: “After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.” Since Abraham welcomed the three strangers, as described in Genesis (18:1-8), hospitality has been woven into the faith and culture of the Jewish people. Jewish tradition considers it “mitzvah,” meaning commandment. It is said when one knows of strangers who are hungry or need a place to relax, it becomes a legal obligation. For this Pharisee, inviting Jesus to dine in his home also meant inviting all those traveling with Jesus. It also included many dishes, many courses, and long conversations. It was not a small thing for this Pharisee to open his home to Jesus. Was his intention purely hospitality? Do we invite God into our life because we think we are supposed to? Because we will be punished if we do not? Or do we want to speak more personally with God? It is a question we need to ask ourselves honestly. May we seek the Lord with the purest of intentions.

2. Scrutinizing Jesus: “He [Jesus] entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.” It seems by this verse that the Pharisee had an intention other than being hospitable. He was using this occasion to scrutinize and judge Jesus. We do not read that the Pharisee spoke at all. It was to the Pharisee’s critical thoughts Jesus responded, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!” What does this tell us about Jesus? It tells us that he knows what we are thinking, and that he despises duplicity. We have encountered this elsewhere in Scripture. Before Nathaniel even spoke, Jesus complimented his future Apostle saying, “There is no duplicity in him” (John 1:47). He also spoke against the sin of duplicity saying, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). We can let this exchange between Jesus and the Pharisee be an opportunity for self-examination of our personal integrity. God welcomes our honest questions about what we do not understand in our faith. However, if we criticize Church teachings to prove ourselves right, we are behaving like this Pharisee.

3. Considering Our Maker: “Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” Even in admonishment, God is Love, always providing a way out of spiritual bondage to sin. He is always working to free us from what keeps us from him. Jesus counseled the Pharisee to make reparation for his duplicity by acts of charity. If done with purity of intention, acts of charity can cleanse us from all that keeps us from living as authentic followers of Jesus. St. Faustina wrote of purity of intention in her Diary of Divine Mercy (1566), “When I was apologizing to the Lord Jesus for a certain action of mine which, a little later, turned out to be imperfect, Jesus put me at ease with these words: ‘My daughter, I reward you for the purity of your intention which you had at the time when you acted. My Heart rejoiced that you had my love under consideration when you acted, and that in so distinct a way; and even now you still derive benefit from this; that is, from the humiliation. Yes, my child, I want you to always have such great purity of intention in the very least things you undertake.’”

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to be a genuine person, authentic in my thoughts and actions. I want there to be no reason for you to admonish me for my duplicity. But I know that I sometimes fool myself. Thank you for the gift of the sacrament of Reconciliation so I can repent of my sins and be made whole.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will perform an act of charity with purity of intention.

Reflection Monday 28th Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: I come before you today, Lord, distracted and discouraged, but eager to receive the grace I need to live this day in a way that will glorify you. You know my weakness. But I believe in your strength. I believe in your commitment to me, and through this time alone with you, I want to renew and strengthen my commitment to you. Teach me, Lord, and guide me along the right path.

Encountering Christ:

1. Jesus Was Not Seeking Popularity: St. Luke tells us that the crowd following and listening to Jesus was steadily growing: While still more people gathered in the crowd… For most of us, drawing bigger and bigger crowds would boost our self-esteem, but maybe also feed our vanity. We would want to keep those crowds following us, so we would try to please them, to say things that would make them want to come back. Jesus does just the contrary. He doesn’t stroke their self-complacency. He calls them out: This is an evil generation… Why would Jesus speak like that to them? Maybe because what he said was true. The generation he was preaching to, and in a sense every generation of fallen humanity, is evil. We have a strong tendency to be self-centered, self-absorbed, greedy, lustful, insensitive to God’s voice and to the needs of those around us. Only a few members of that growing crowd would faithfully follow Jesus until the end. They were seeking quick fixes for their worldly problems; they weren’t seeking the best way to glorify God and advance Christ’s Kingdom. What am I seeking?

2. Jesus Made Radical Claims: Solomon and Jonah were towering Old Testament figures. And Jesus, when comparing his listeners to those who listened to Solomon and Jonah, affirmed his superiority to both of them: …there is something greater than Solomon here… there is something greater than Jonah here. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. And yet, does Jesus Christ have the central place in our desires, thoughts, and plans that he ought to have? Jesus is God! Jesus is the Word incarnate! Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity! That same Jesus comes to us and stays with us every single day in the Gospels, in the Eucharist, in the gifts of his Holy Spirit. How do we respond when he comes? Do we build our lives around his grace and his will? Oh, how he wishes that we would! What wonders he could do in our lives if only we wouldn’t relegate him to the sidelines!

3. The Judgment Is Real: Jesus referred to “the judgment” twice in this passage. He was warning us that all our choices in this life will have everlasting consequences. If we choose to hear and heed his voice, it will bode well for us at the end of our lives. If we don’t, it won’t. How often do we think of the judgment that is to come? In ancient times, when life was short and uncertain, people lived with a keen awareness of the fragility of their lives and the closeness of death, the doorway to our definitive, face-to-face encounter with God. In our days, a secularized culture tends to minimize this long-term perspective. But if we can overcome the secular seductions, we will be much better for it. Living our daily lives against the true horizon of eternal life can only bring us greater wisdom, peace, and joy even now, let alone beyond the grave. In medieval times, Christians used to intentionally reflect on their life decisions relative to their eternal destiny, keeping in mind this classic phrase: Quid hoc ad aeternitatem? What does this mean in the light of eternity? If we were to do the same, we might end up avoiding a lot of misery, both in this life and in the hereafter.

Conversing with Christ: You are greater than Solomon and greater than Jonah. You are the Savior, the Lord, God from God, and Light from Light. And you have loved me so much that you have given me the gift of faith, the light to recognize the truth of your presence and your doctrine. Thank you, Lord, for that gift and for all your gifts. I want to follow you. I want you to be the center, the anchor, and the goal of my life. But I so easily get distracted! I so easily forget about you and fall into living my life as if you were not always reaching out to me and wanting to guide and enlighten me! Forgive me, Lord. Help me to live in harmony with what I truly believe. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will go to confession, making a clean break with all the selfishness of my past and resolving to live from now on more intentionally in the light of eternity.

Monday 28th Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Lord, again I come before you, coming into your presence with a humble heart in need of hearing your voice speak to me words of hope and encouragement. I know you never stop thinking of me and desiring for me to stay close to you. As I pray and reflect on your words today, I want to be open to the grace of a conversion of heart to live in the truth of who I am and how I can come closer to you. Enlighten and strengthen me, Lord, to have the courage to follow what you ask of me.

Encountering Christ:

1. What Are We Looking For?: Why is it that we need tangible signs and ratifications for what we believe? Why are we so stubborn and slow of heart to overlook what has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus? Jonah preached God’s salvation to the Gentiles of Nineveh, and the wisdom of Solomon attracted the Gentile Queen of Sheba. Such conversions of non-Jews were powerful signs to the Jews of that time. Jesus makes it clear that in him is something even more superior. Yet many rejected and refused to accept him as the Messiah. Jesus himself came to establish the kingdom of God, and so fulfill the promise of blessedness to the descendants of Abraham. What more do we seek? What other signs, proof, or confirmation are we looking for? We need to contemplate every day the reality of his claim, to see in him (not just in passing marvels or supernatural phenomena) how this truth gives perspective and meaning to our lives as his faithful friends. Am I content and open to accepting Jesus as my Lord and savior, or do I hesitate and wait for “signs” as proof?

2. Repentance: Through the preaching of Jonah, many hearts were converted. In contrast, the scribes and Pharisees remained obstinate, refusing to repent. They were discontent with the miracles and wonders of Jesus and demanded more signs. They wanted Jesus to submit himself to their criteria. They wanted him to fit into the framework of their idea of the Messiah. There was no openness for possible conversion in them. But Jesus did not submit himself to their request. The only sign he gave them was his resurrection. This is the sign given to all of us. Jesus, who was condemned to death and death on the cross, who rose from the dead through the power of God, will continue to resurrect in many ways the lives of those who believe in him. The sign which converts is not the miracles but the witness of life! Let us ask for the grace to be open to seeing and being converted by the many ways his grace brings life, hope, and joy to our lives.

3. Heart of the Matter: We can easily become critical and doubt the power of Christ in our lives when we are inundated with the chaos and evil unleashed in the world around us. Jesus is greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon. For us Christians, he is the principal key for interpreting the events of our daily life. Do I believe that there is no space, circumstance, or time that Jesus is not lord and cannot bring some good, no matter the challenge? Jesus criticizes the scribes and the Pharisees who managed to deny the evidence, rendering themselves incapable to recognize the call of God in the events. As a Christian in today’s world, do I deserve the same criticism from Jesus? Today, the calls of reality are an invite to a change and conversion of heart. Whatever the political unrest, injustice, violence, cause, etc. what is the call of God in my reality?

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you know how easily I get swept up in the pace of life, how I seek clarity, affirmation, consolations, and assurances through the seductions of worldly comforts, wealth, and popularity. I have so many concerns in temporal realities that I forget to open my eyes to the marvels of your grace that actively shape my life. Open the eyes of my heart to recognize that following only you and your will gives lasting fruitfulness. Help me desire to treasure every word you have revealed to me of yourself in Scripture to discern and follow your will.

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will seek you for a moment in adoration to contemplate who you are as my creator and the redeemer of all things, the all-powerful and all-loving God. With gratitude and awe, I will place before you every area of my life, trusting in the power of the Resurrection to order all things for your glory and my eternal place with you in heaven.

Suy Niệm thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên

Qua Tin mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu kêu gọi chúng ta hãy vững tin vào Chúa vì qua những hồng ân của Chúa Thánh Thần, Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta sự khôn ngoan trong cuộc sống của chúng ta để chúng ta tránh khỏi mọi tội lỗi và chước cám dỗ của ma quỷ. Tất cả chúng ta, ai cũng đều mong muốn và khát vọng sự khôn ngoan của Thiên Chúa trong kế hoạch Tinh khôn của Thiên Chúa. Chúng ta hãy xin Chúa Giê-su, Chúa chúng ta đổi mới tâm hồn của chúng ta và để chúng ta được tăng cơn khát vọng tìm kiếm sự khôn ngoan đích thực nơi Thiên Chúa

Reflection Monday 28th Ordinary Time Luke 11:29-32

Through the Gospel reading today, Jesus is asking us to believe in him because through the gift of his Holy Spirit, He offers us the wisdom for our lives and freedom from sins and evils. We all desire for the thirst of Godly wisdom in God's wise plan. Let us ask Jesus our Lord to renew our mind and to increase our thirst for true wisdom.