Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai tuần 30 Thường Niên

Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai tuần 30 Thường Niên

Bài Phúc âm hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu chữa người đàn bà bị quỷ ám gập lưng trong đền Thánh vào ngày Sabat không ngoài mục đích để dậy cho người phái siêu và người do thái bài học là họ phải giữ ngày Sabat, nhưng không phải chỉ giữ khơi khơi bằng môi bằng miệng, nhưng họ phải biết dùng ngày nghĩ để thờ phượng Chúa và làm việc ngay lành phúc đức. Nếu họ biết dùng ngày nghĩ để thả trâu, thả bò, thả gia súc đi ăn, đi uống nước tại sao họ lại cấm Chúa chữa bệnh ngày sabat... Đúng là bọn giả hình.

    Còn Chúng ta thì sao, chúng ta có giữ ngày chúa nhật như điều răn thứ ba trong mười điều răn của Chúa. Có người trong chúng ta chẳng những không giữ xác ngày Chúa nhật mà còn không đi lễ ngày Chúa nhật, một số chúng ta vì công ăn việc làm, điều đó có thể chập nhận được nhưng cần phải kiếm thời gian đi dự thánh lễ Chúa Nhật, nhưng còn một số không nhỏ trong chúng ta, có tiền có bạc rủng rỉng, chẳng phải đi làm ngày Chúa Nhật, nhưng thích du hí, trên các tàu con du lịch vào ngày cuối tuần.. tha hồ vui chơi chẳng còn nhớ ngày chúa Nhật chẳng còn nhớ thánh lễ buộc trong ngày Chúa Nhật.

    Ngày Chúa Nhật là ngày của Chúa, Chúa muốn chúng ta nghỉ ngơi có thời gian để đến với chúa, có thời giờ để nghĩ tới Chúa, tới người anh chị em chung quanh chúng ta. Bài Phúc âm Chúa Giêsu dậy cho chúng ta thấy ma quỷ có quyền năng, chúng có quyền phép để hành hạ thân xác và tinh thần con người chúng ta nếu chúng ta yếu đuối hoặc để chúng tự do hành động. Nhưng quyền năng của ma quỹ chí có thể hủy hoại con người chứ không thể gải thoát con người khỏi cảnh tù đày trong hố sâu của tội lỗi. Thiên Chúa là người mới có quyền phép để giải thòat chúng ta khỏi sự dữ, sự đau khổ nơi thân xác và tinh thần. Vì thế chúng ta cần siêng đến Chúa, nhất là các ngày lễ Chúa nhật để chúng ta được thêm sức mạnh phần hồn và phần xác qua của ăn chúa ban cho chúng ta bằng chính máu và thịt của Chúa Giêsu. Chúng hãy để thân xác nghĩ ngơi để lời chúa đến và được lắng đọng trong tâm hồn, để lời Chúa đem lại cho chúng bình an và tự do và không bị ràng buộc những thèm khát cám dỗ của Satan

Meditation:

Is there anything that keeps you bound up or oppressed? Infirmity, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, can befall us for a variety of reasons and God can use it for some purpose that we do not understand. When Jesus encountered an elderly woman who was spent of her strength and unable to stand upright, he gave her words of faith and freedom and he restored her to health. She must have suffered much, both physically and spiritually for eighteen years, since Jesus remarked that Satan had bound her. How can Satan do this? The scriptures indicate that Satan can act in the world with malice and can cause injuries of a spiritual nature, and indirectly even of a physical nature. Satan's power, however, is not infinite. He cannot prevent the building up of God's kingdom or reign in our lives. Jesus demonstrates the power and authority of God's kingdom in releasing people who are oppressed by physical and emotional sickness, by personal weakness and sin, and by the harassment of the evil one in their lives. It took only one word from Jesus to release this woman instantly of her infirmity. Do you believe in the power of Jesus to release you from affliction and oppression?

    The Jewish leaders were indignant that Jesus would perform such a miraculous work on the Sabbath, the holy day of rest. They were so caught up in their ritual observance of the Sabbath that they lost sight of God's mercy and goodness. Jesus healed on the Sabbath because God does not rest from showing his mercy and love, ever. God's word has power to change us, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. Is there anything that keeps you bound up or that weighs you down? Let the Lord speak his word to you and give you freedom.

    "Lord Jesus, you grant freedom to those who seek you. Give me freedom to walk in your way of love and to praise and worship you always. Show me how I can bring your mercy and healing love to those in need around me."

       

Monday 30th Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Jesus, be with me in this time of prayer. Help me to receive from these words the message you have for me today. I believe that you love me and want the best for me in every moment.

Encountering Christ:

1. Bent Over for Eighteen Years: A crippled woman, unable to lift her head, aching in her bent frame, was at the synagogue on the Sabbath. There she met Jesus. This long-suffering woman could have made any number of excuses to stay home. She might have given in to self-pity or bitterness and decided it was better to be alone. She might have chosen to avoid crowds because she could always feel them staring. There is no mention of a husband or family so she was probably poor. Why pray to a God who had seemingly left her crippled and in poverty? Instead of indulging those thoughts, she went to the synagogue on the day Jesus was preaching. Because she was bent over, she couldn’t see Jesus. She didn’t address Jesus. She didn’t draw near. But Jesus saw her. He had always seen her. He knew her suffering and he chose to end it: “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.”

2. She Glorified God: Jesus laid hands on the crippled woman and “at once she glorified God.” Note that she didn’t ask any questions. She didn’t turn to the crowd for affirmation. She didn’t even seem to have anticipated receiving the cure Jesus gave her. Her beautiful, spontaneous, heartfelt response to this miraculous moment was to glorify God. What a lesson she teaches us. “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

3. Adversaries Were Humiliated: The leader of the synagogue chose to criticize Jesus in front of the congregation for his healing on the Sabbath. This was a man charged with pastoring his flock—tending to the spiritual needs of his congregation. Yet, he failed to recognize the long-awaited Messiah in their midst—even after Jesus performed a spectacular miracle. It is no wonder Jesus called Pharisees blind guides (Matthew 15:14). In this passage, Jesus publicly denounced the synagogue leader for his hypocrisy. The resulting humiliation was not caused by Jesus, but was the consequence of the leader’s bold, misguided, hatred-filled criticism of Jesus. Every time we turn away from Jesus, even if no one sees, there are consequences, called by the church temporal punishment due to sin (CCC 1472, 1473).

Conversing with Christ: Lord, I want to see you and appreciate your actions in my life day-to-day, and moment-to-moment. Please cure me of any blindness so that I can love you more and glorify you by my words and actions.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make an effort to live every moment in your presence.

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus Heals

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. Luke 13:10-13

Every miracle of Jesus is certainly an act of love given toward the person healed. In this story, this woman was suffering for eighteen years and Jesus shows her compassion by healing her. And though it is a clear act of love for her directly, there is much more to the story as a lesson for us.

One message we can take from this story comes from the fact that Jesus heals on His own initiative. Though some miracles are performed at the request and prayer of the one healed, this miracle comes simply through the goodness of Jesus and His compassion. This woman apparently was not seeking a healing, but when Jesus saw her His heart went out to her and He healed her.

So it is with us, Jesus knows what we need before we ask Him. Our duty is to always remain faithful to Him and know that in our fidelity He will give us what we need even before we ask.

A second message comes from the fact that this woman “stood up straight” once she was healed. This is a symbolic image of what grace does to us. When God enters our life, we are able to stand up straight, so to speak. We are able to walk with a new confidence and dignity. We discover who we are and live freely in His grace.

Reflect, today, upon these two facts. God knows every need you have and will answer those needs when it is best for you. Also, when He bestows His grace on you, it will enable you to live in full confidence as His son or daughter.

Lord of all grace, I surrender myself to You and trust in Your abundant mercy. I trust that You will enable me to walk in Your ways every day of my life with full confidence. Jesus, I trust in You.

Romans 8:12-17

Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (Romans 8:14)

So often, we read passages like this one and focus on what we have to do: “I really need to work harder at being led by the Spirit.” While it’s always a good idea to make sure you’re being responsible to your calling, how often do you simply rejoice in the fact that you are a child of God? It’s true: You have a Father in heaven who loves you immensely. And just to make sure that you know this, he put his Spirit in your heart—the Spirit who confirms this truth by crying out: “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15).

As if that isn’t amazing enough, the news gets even better. Not only are you God’s child, you are also his heir (Romans 8:17). Think about Britain’s Prince William. Someday he will inherit the kingdom from his father, Prince Charles, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. All the riches and rights of the crown will be his. Now if William is looking forward to that day, how much more should you look forward to the day when you will inherit the kingdom of God? Keep in mind that your inheritance is infinitely greater! You will receive a “crown of righteousness” (2 Timothy 4:8). You will live forever in a place of pure beauty where every tear will be wiped away and where there will be no sorrow or crying or pain or death any more (Revelation 21:4). It boggles the mind—and it’s all yours!

Did you know that you can start to draw on your inheritance right now? In fact, God has given you his Spirit as kind of a “first installment” of all the treasures that await you (2 Corinthians 1:22). So ask the Spirit to show you how to take hold of your heavenly inheritance. Ask him to give you a taste of your Father’s goodness now. Prayers can be answered, hurts healed, and relationships restored. All it takes is a little faith and the courage to step forward and claim your inheritance.

“Lord, I stand in awe of the inheritance you have given me! Help me to avail myself of all the grace, mercy, and love that you have set aside for me today.”