Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu tuần 27 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu tuần 27 Thường Niên

Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, "Ai không đi với tôi thì là kẻ ấy là người chống lại tôi, và ai không cùng tôi thu góp là phân tán." Chúa Giêsu có thể đã bổ sung vào lời giải thích: "Kẻ nào không giúp ta vác thập giá, thì kẻ ấy đã thực sự làm cho thập giá đó nặng nề hơn; còn kẻ nào không đi với ta, nói chuyện với ta, làm việc với ta, và sống với ta, thì kẻ ấy chắc chắn đang theo một ai đó khác không phải là ta. "

Có phải chúng ta đang theo Chúa Kitô hay chúng ta đang chống lại Chúa Kitô? Có lẽ chúng ta đã tìm ra một câu trả lời rất đơn giản, dễ dàng bằng cách chúng ta hãy hỏi chính bản thân: "Tôi có giúp phụ vác thánh giá với Chúa Kitô?" Tôi có dám từ bỏ chính bản thân mình để giúp đỡ người khác khi họ đang có nhu cầu, đang cần sự giúp đỡ? Hãy nhớ là Chúa Kitô đã hiến mạng sống Ngài cho tất cả chúng ta. Chúng ta có dám sẵn sàng vác thập giá vì tình yêu thương Chúa Kitô cho người nghèo khổ, đói khát, không nhà và cô đơn? Chúng ta có dám hy sinh một chút thời giờ quý hoá, năng lực và tiền bạc của chúng ta để giúp những người khác có thể sống một cách xứng đáng hơn, trọn vẹn hơn và được hạnh phúc hơn?

Có bao giờ chúng ta có cùng một ý nghĩ với Chúa Kitô trong tư tưởng, trong lời nói và hành động của chúng ta? Đời sống cầu nguyện của chúng ta có được Chúa Kitô thường xuyên hiện diện với chúng ta và chúng ta có thật sự đối diện trực tiếp với Ngài? Chúa Giêsu là đường, là cách duy nhất để giúp đem chúng ta đến với hạnh phúc vĩnh cửu. Những chỉ khi nào chúng ta sống với Ngài và chết với Ngài, thì chúng ta mới có thể được ở bên Ngài trong Nước Chúa ở trên trời.

REFLECTION

Jesus tells us in today's Gospel, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." Jesus might have added in explanation: "He who does not help me carry the cross, actually makes it heavier; he who does not walk with me and talk with me and work with me and live with me, he surely is following someone else not me."

Are we for Christ or against Christ? Perhaps we can easily find out by asking ourselves: "Am I helping Christ to carry his cross?" Am I denying myself to be of help to others when they are in need? Remember Christ gave his life for all of us. Are we willing to carry the cross out of love for the poor, the needy, the lonely? Can we sacrifice a little of our precious time, energy or money so that others may live more decently and more happily? Are we with Christ in our thoughts, words and actions? Is our prayer life such that Christ is often with us and we with him?" Jesus is the way, the only way to eternal happiness. Only if we live with him and die with him, can we be with him in his heavenly kingdom.

Friday 27th Ordinary Time 2022

Opening Prayer: Father, I believe that you are loving and generous. Please send your Holy Spirit to me. Give me a spirit of abandonment to you, and help me to rely on you through prayer.

Encountering Christ:

1. Letting Go of Self-Reliance: In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus used two analogies to help his disciples understand how prayer works. First, he spoke of knocking on a friend’s door to ask for a favor. The first step of the one who knocks is noticing that he has needs that he cannot fulfill. Sometimes it is difficult to admit when we cannot take care of our own needs. When we depend on God, he will act: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act” (Psalm 37:5). What would it look like if we focused on trusting the Lord no matter what the circumstances?

2. Persevere in Prayer: Notice the tenacity of the one who needed the bread. Jesus said if the man continued to “knock” or pray for what he needs, that he would receive it. God desires that we continue to come to him with our needs. We are called to persevere in prayer. When we persist in prayer, we strengthen our attachment to God and lessen the habit of self-reliance. Prayer is not a passive activity: it is active and effective. Prayer does not change God or persuade him to act in a way that is outside of his will. Instead, prayer changes us. St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things.”

3. Expect Good Things: The second analogy Jesus used was that of a father who gives good things. He used hyperbole to demonstrate this point. Of course, no good father would give his children snakes or scorpions! But sometimes, we do expect less than good things to come from God. If we ask, God will give us the greatest good we can receive; the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Sometimes, we can fail to lack the trust that God will truly provide for us. How is God calling us to trust more fully in his loving providence?

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I adore your generous heart. I believe that you want to give me everything I truly need. I am sorry for when I have been self-reliant and not depended on you to provide for me and instead tried to take care of myself. I am sorry for when I have doubted your goodness or power to meet my needs. Thank you for all the good gifts in my life—they are countless! Help me to let go of self-reliance and give me the grace I need to abandon myself to your loving mercy. Jesus, I trust in you.

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will reflect on the ways the Father has provided for me and give him thanks. I will examine my conscience for times when I have been self-reliant.

Friday 27th Ordinary Time 2021

Opening Prayer: I come to you today, Lord, to bless you for your infinite kindness. I thank you for your generous and constant outpouring of grace. I want to know you better and to know myself better because of this time of prayer. Teach me, Lord, to hear your voice, to heed your voice, and to echo your voice in all my thoughts, words, and actions throughout the day.

Encountering Christ:

Demons Are Real: In modern times, many so-called biblical scholars have often tried to reinterpret Gospel passages like the one the Church offers us today. It is so obvious from these passages that the devil and demons, the fallen angels who rebelled against God, are real and active in this world. And yet, that simple fact seems to make some modern and postmodern thinkers very uncomfortable. Therefore, they say that in ancient times people were just ignorant, so they superstitiously attributed merely psychological and physical ailments to demonic intervention. Of course, this line of reasoning wildly distorts the actual Gospel texts, which clearly distinguish between illness and demonic possession. Jesus is clear: Demons exist, and they are actively working against the truth, goodness, and beauty through which God draws us into intimate communion with himself. As the Catechism (414) puts it: “Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who have freely refused to serve God and his plan. Their choice against God is definitive. They try to associate man in their revolt against God.” As inconvenient or uncomfortable as this revealed doctrine may be, it is true nonetheless. And if we forget it, ignore it, or deny it, we will only increase the confusion and frustration that naturally accompany our journey through this fallen world.

Avoiding Exaggerations: Of course, it is possible to go to the other extreme as well, attributing every human foible, dysfunction, and challenge to direct demonic activity. This too is a dangerous deviation from the truth. Jesus clearly indicates in this passage that he is the Lord of life and history, and he has put limits on the devil’s attempted dominance over human affairs. To return to the Catechism (395): “The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God's reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his Kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries–of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature–to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history.” Jesus doesn’t want us to ignore demonic activity, but he doesn’t want us to be obsessed with it either. He wants us to recognize him as Lord, and courageously battle at his side for the advance of his Kingdom in our hearts and in the hearts around us. A healthy Christian is a balanced and dependable person, just like Christ himself.

Spiritual Blindness: Jesus was performing dramatic miracles and driving out demons, right before the very eyes of immense crowds, and yet so many of those eyes didn’t seem to see what was really happening. Some of the crowd accused him of being on Satan’s side, and others asked for more signs. What is it about our fallen human nature that resists the clear signs that God sends us? Why do we keep seeking more convincing indications of God’s love and presence than all the ones he continuously gives us—the marvelous beauties of nature, the amazingly coherent and complete teaching of the Church, the unbroken succession of saints and sacraments for two thousand years? This tendency to spiritual blindness never really leaves us. As Jesus points out in his parable, even when we welcome his grace into our lives, we remain vulnerable to backsliding, maybe even falling back to a worse state of ignorance and corruption than the one we started in. It is humbling to hear Jesus describe this. We can never rest on our laurels in the spiritual life. We must always continue to raise our hearts and minds to Christ and be ever watchful. One practice many spiritual masters through the centuries have recommended to help us stay on track is regular confession. Taking time every two weeks or every month to prayerfully examine the state of our soul and humbly approach the Lord for forgiveness and renewed strength is a wise discipline that can help keep our friendship with Christ fresh. May God grant us the humility to embrace it.

Conversing with Christ: I know that life on earth will always be a battle, Lord. My own fallen nature, the fallen world, the fallen angels—all these forces constantly pull me away from you. But you are stronger! You are the eternal King, my Lord, who promises to be with me until the end of time. I have nothing to fear if only I stay close to you. Thank you for coming to our rescue, for putting your omnipotence at our service, for never ceasing to send your grace among us so that we can fight faithfully and joyfully for your Kingdom as long as you ask us to.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make some kind of small physical sacrifice as an offering to God in union with Christ’s self-sacrifice on the cross, and as a reminder to myself that earth is not heaven and I will need to resist the bent inclinations of my fallen nature throughout my Christian journey.

Friday 27th Ordinary

In the Gospel reading Jesus contends with the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law who claim that he drives out evil spirits by the power of Beelzebub. Clearly he was not driving out evil spirits by the power of Beelzebub, the chief of the evil spirits: if so, the kingdom of Satan is divided and will fall. And Jesus challenges his detractors: "But suppose I drive out demons by the finger of God, would not this mean that the kingdom of God has come upon you?" Due to their hardened hearts the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law have refused to see him as coming from God, despite his teaching and his wonderful works.

Today Jesus tells us that "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." Jesus might have added in explanation: "He who does not help me carry the cross, actually makes it heavier; he who does not walk with me and talk with me and work with me and live with me, he surely is following someone else not me." Are we for Christ or against Him? Perhaps we can easily find out by asking ourselves: "Am I helping Christ to carry his cross?" Am I denying myself to be of help to others when they are in need?

Remember Christ gave his life for all of us. Are we willing to carry the cross out of love for the poor, the needy, and the lonely? Can we sacrifice a little of our precious time, energy or money so that others may live more decently and more happily? Are we with Christ in our thoughts, words and actions? Jesus is the way, the only way to eternal happiness. Only if we live with him and die with him, then we can be with him in his heavenly kingdom. We pray that our faith in Christ may be confirmed. We pray that we may see God and his grace in his many good works and in the wonderful world he has given to us. We pray that we may see God in all things.