Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ SáuTuần 29 Thường Niên

Friday 29th Week in Ordinary Time

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 29 Thường Niên-2019

Trong bài đọc thứ nhất hôm nay, Thánh Phaolô đã nói đến việc giải quyết những cuộc xung đột mà tất cả chúng ta phải đối mặt trong cuộc sống hàng ngày. Ông ta nói rằng ông muốn làm điều tốt, thế nhưng thay vào đó, ông ta đã thấy mình làm toàn những điều ác. Thánh Phaolô nói rằng tội lỗi trong con người luôn súi giục con nguòi làm điều ác, và đó chính là cuộc chiến mà chúng ta phải chiến đấu với sự mong muốn làm hài lòng Chúa. Thánh Phaolô nói rằng giải pháp duy nhất đánh bại tội lỗi của chúng ta là phải để cho tình yêu của Chúa Kitô đánh bại bản thân yếu đuối nảy. Thánh Phaolô nói chỉ có Thiên Chúa qua Chúa Giê-su Kitô mới có thể giải cứu ông ta khỏi tội lỗi. Chúng ta thường thấy chính bản thân của chúng ta luôn bị chia rẽ sâu xé trong lòng. Trong những lúc như thế, chúng ta có thể cầu xin Chúa giúp chúng ta vượt qua cuộc chiến nội tâm của chính mình. Chúa Giêsu Kito luôn là người chiến thắng trong.

Trong Tin Mừng Chúa Giêsu khẩn thiết trách mắng mọi người rằng là họ có thể diễn giải các dấu hiệu của thời tiết, nhưng họ lại không có khả năng diễn giải các sự kiện sẽ xảy ra trong ngày. Thậm chí mọi người không thể giải quyết những xung đột với đối thủ của họ. Nếu họ không thể làm điều đó, cuộc sống của họ có thể sẽ phải bị huỷ hoại, sụp đổ.

Câu hỏi quan trọng mà Chúa Giêsu ̣đã hỏi đám đông trong tin mừng hôm nay: Tại sao anh em không tự xét cho chính mình là: những gì anh em đã cho là đúng?

Chúa Giêsu đã hỏi chúng ta một câu tương tự. Chúng ta đã có những lời dạy của Giêsu và Chúa Thánh Thần của Ngài, vì vậy chúng ta nên biết điều gì là đúng. Lạy Chúa, xin giúp con biết điều gì là đúng và đẹp lòng Chúa.

Friday 29th Week in Ordinary Time: Scripture: Luke 12:54-59 – 2019

Paul addressed the conflict that we all face in our daily lives. He said that he wanted to do good but, instead, he found himself doing evil things. Paul set the blame on the sin that resided in his flesh, which was at war with the desire to please God. He claimed that the only solution to sin was to allow oneself to be captured by the love of Christ. Paul declared that only God through Jesus Christ could rescue him from sin. We often find ourselves deeply divided in our hearts. That is when we can ask God to help us overcome our own inner war. Jesus is always the victor.

Jesus was speaking to the crowds in an urgent tone. He told the people that while they were able to interpret the signs of the weather, they were incapable of interpreting the events of the day. People were even unable to settle conflicts with their opponents. If they could not do that, their lives could fall apart.

The key question to the crowds was expressed by Jesus: Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Jesus asks us this same question. We have Jesus’ teachings and his spirit, so we should know ;what is right. Lord, help me to know what is right. 

Friday 29th Week in Ordinary Tim e2022 

Opening Prayer: My God, I come before you seeking to know and love you more deeply. I trust you; help me deepen my trust. I want to live my life attentive to your call and presence. Lord, I ask that you help me grow in my surrender and fidelity.

Encountering Christ:

1. Awareness: Jesus is with us in all the realities of our daily life, but we aren’t always aware of his presence. It’s a bit like the old joke in which someone prayed for a parking place and when one opened up, she said, “Never mind; I’ve found one.” Learning to see God’s presence in the people around us and the circumstances of our daily life is key to knowing God’s will for our lives. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis de Sales wrote:

I say that devotion must be practiced in different ways by the nobleman and by the working man, by the servant and by the prince, by the widow, by the unmarried girl, and by the married woman. But even this distinction is not sufficient; for the practice of devotion must be adapted to the strength, to the occupation, and to the duties of each one in particular. Tell me, please, my Philothea, whether it is proper for a bishop to want to lead a solitary life like a Carthusian; or for married people to be no more concerned than a Capuchin about increasing their income; or for a working man to spend his whole day in church like a religious; or on the other hand for a religious to be constantly exposed like a bishop to all the events and circumstances that bear on the needs of our neighbor. How can we better see Jesus in the realities of our daily life and embrace all that he allows as a foundational means of growth in holiness?

2. Signs of the Times: Our world is fraught with conflict and division—school shootings, political upheaval, etc. We can be tempted to consider the world’s problems overwhelming and do nothing. Yet, as Christians, we are called to interpret the times and prayerfully discern how we can help. We know that prayer is a powerful weapon against evil, as is our personal holiness. We can carry our own personal crosses and embrace them as Jesus embraced the Father’s will. God speaks to us through these circumstances. He asks us to trust that our crosses are a means for good in our lives and the lives of others even though they are painful and involve sacrifice. And sometimes, we are called to address societal issues head-on. “People say, ‘What is the sense of our small effort?’ They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time, take one step at a time. A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words, and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless. There's too much work to do” (Dorothy Day).

3. Working for Justice: Christ tells us to use our judgment to apply his teachings to our reality. Seeing Christ in our neighbor and serving him requires “respecting the transcendent dignity of man. The person represents the ultimate end of society, which is ordered to him” (CCC 1929). Social justice requires that society “provides the conditions that allow… individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation” (CCC 1928). The Catechism stresses that “everyone should look upon his neighbor (without exception) as ‘another self’ (CCC 1932), and “This same duty extends to those who think or act differently from us…” (CCC 1933). In justice we look upon others, even those very different from us, as other Christs and seek peace and reconciliation where possible.

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, you never tire of calling those who were separated from you by their lifestyle or their misunderstanding of the faith to friendship with you. You saw them and their differences in thoughts and behavior, and you loved them. Lord, sometimes I shy away from those who believe or act differently from what I think is right. It’s so much easier to be with those who are like me. Help me Lord to be another Christ to everyone I encounter in my life.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 29 Thường Niên-2015

Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay nhắc nhở chúng ta là những người Kitô hữu nên chúng ta phải biết sáng suốt với những lời mời gọi của Chúa trong mọi lúc. Bất kể tuổi tác, tình trạng trong cuộc sống, hoặc tập quán, của chúng ta, chúng ta luôn luôn được mời gọi để mang niềm hòa bình và sự hiệp nhất trong chúng ta ngay trong gia đình, trong trường học, trong nơi làm việc, hay trong cộng đồng và xã hội chúng ta đang sống. Một cách chính xác, là chúng ta phải làm như thế nào?, Chúng ta không cần phải nhìn xa để tìm cho câu trả lời. Phản ứng của chúng để đáp lại lời mời gọi này có thể khác với những người khác và tùy thuộc vào hoàn cảnh của chúng ta và người đó. Nhưng tiêu chuẩn của Chúa thì luôn đơn giản giống nhau đó là sự khiêm tốn, nhân từ và kiên nhẫn. Hầu như chúng ta có thể tìm thấy những đặc điểm này là nên tự giúp đỡ nhau, hướng dẫn cho nhau để hoàn tất được công việc mà Chúa Trao phó thành công một cách mỹ mãn. Sự khiêm tốn, kiên nhẫn và lòng nhân từ chính là những công cụ không mất tiền mua, khá mạnh mẽ và sắc bén có thể giúp bồi dưỡng chúng ta cho mùa gặt lớn trong vườn nho của Thiên Chúa. Chúng ta là những hạt giống. Và Thiên Chúa sẽ giúp làm cho chúng ta nẩy mầm và phát triển đức tin của chúng ta.

REFLECTION

What is asked of us by the Lord to do now? It is a simple question but we may not have the answer to it all the time. We pray hard but we may not have understood the Lord's message. Maybe we did not listen enough. Or perhaps we understood what the Lord asked of us to do but we complicate it or make different excuses not to act on it.

The gospel reminds us Christians to be discerning of the Lord's call at all times. Regardless of our age, status in life, or heritage, we are always called to bring peace and unity in our family, school, workplace, community, and society. How exactly can we make it happen? We need not look far for answer. Our response to this call may differ from one person to another and depending on the person's circumstances. But the Lord's standards are simple and always the same - be humble, gentle and patient. Hardly that we can find these traits recommended in self-help guide to get a fulfilling job or to establish a successful business. But it is a powerful inexpensive tool that we can nurture for a great harvest in the Lord's vineyard. We already have the seeds. And our dear Lord will help us make them grow and put to good use. We just need to act on our faith.

REFLECTION

We all rely on signs to confirm our beliefs. This can be as simple as believing in clouds as a sign of a coming rain. It can also be the blooming of a rose as a symbol of answered prayer. Jesus tells us today that there are signs we refuse to see. He calls us to be more aware of them. When we sense ourselves losing interest in God's word, is it due to physical fatigue or more the mental and spiritual kind? We should constantly make the effort to discern.

There will be movements leading us towards God and there will be forces against. If we remain in His grace, it'll be easier to determine what would draw us away from His path. At the same time, it will be God's grace that will keep us on course.

Reflection:

We have the opportunity every week to hear the word of God proclaimed to us in the Eucharist through the readings and the priest's homily. And sometimes we have the privilege of listening to inspirational speakers or to friends who give Christian advice. All of these are prophets giving us the Word. But most of the time, we do not heed their preaching and exhortation and do not find time to put into action the promptings of the Spirit. In the history of the people of God, many times, the Israelites also chose not to listen to God, or they postponed and set aside the words of the prophets. Like them, we can read many signs, but the real signs we need to see and recognize – the presence of the Lord in these prophets – we do not recognize. Thus, we don't understand the present times at all. It's a pity that we may risk losing everything, all the signs that the Lord sends to us through events and people – these will all go to naught. When we see that the Lord comes to suggest to us the path of reconciliation, let us not tarry, for events may overtake us, and we may not find the opportune chance again to convert or reconcile. It may be too late. Let us walk in the light while the light is with us. Let us not delay when the Holy Spirit blows our way.