Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Bẩy tuần 31 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Bẩy tuần 31 Thường Niên

Ca dao Việtnam chúng ta có câu :"Có tiền mua tiên cũng được... " Điều này là hoàn toàn đúng, nếu xét rằng hầu hết mọi người chúng ta cố gắng để tích lũy tiền bạc và sự giàu có trong cuộc đời của chúng ta, và nghĩ rằng của cải này sẽ giúp chúng ta an tâm hơn cho cuộc sống tương lai của con cháu... Tiền của thật sự nó không phải là sự ác. Khi tiền của được sử dụng đúng cách, đúng mục đích thì nó có thể làm được nhiều điều tốt đẹp. Cách mà chúng ta cư xử và sử dụng số tiền đó sẽ xác định được việc chúng ta đang kiểm soát sự giàu có của chúng ta hay là việc chúng ta đang bị sự giàu có, tiền của này đang kiểm soát chúng ta.

    Chúa Giêsu không lên án việc chúng ta sử dụng tiền của. Nhưng trong thực tế, Ngài vẫn luôn khuyến khích việc sử dụng tiền bạc miễn là nó được dungmột cách khôn ngoan và thực hiện cho những việc tốt lành. "Khi chút ít mà trung tín, thì nhiều cũng mới trung tín; khi chút ít mà đã bất lương, thì nhiều, cũng bất lương. Vậy nếu nơi tiền của bất lương, các ngươi không trung tín, thì của chân thật ai nào sẽ ký thác cho các ngươi? (Lc 16: 10-11). Rõ ràng, Chúa Giêsu coi tiền như là một phương tiện hơn là sự kết thúc. Chúng ta đều là những người quản lý của những ân sủng và sự giàu có mà Thiên Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta.Chúng ta phải biết sử dụng những món quà này để giúp chính mình và những người khác có thể có được những thứ "của cải chính đáng" mà Thiên Chúa đã chuẩn bị cho chúng ta ở trên thiên đường.

    Kho báu của chúng ta và quyền thừa kế là phải là sự hiệp nhất trong Đấng Tạo Hóa của chúng ta. Tâm hồn của chúng ta phải luôn luôn được đặt vàosự hiệp nhất với Thiên Chúa mà không phải đạt trên những thứ của cài vật chất của thế giới này, Có gì thường được xem là quan trọng trong thế giới này không phải là những thứ mà Thiên Chúa muốn. "chúng ta không thể vừa phục vụ choThiên Chúa, vừa làm nô lệ cho tiền bạc" (Lc 16: 13). Chúng ta nên chọn những gì?

REFLECTION Saturday 31st Ordinary

We're all familiar with the saying, "Money makes the world go `round." This is quite true, considering that most people try to accumulate money and riches in their lifetime, thinking that these will give them security and peace of mind. Money by itself is not evil. When used properly, it can do a lot of good. It is how we treat and use money that determines whether we control our wealth or we allow it to control us.

    Jesus himself doesn't condemn the use of money. In fact, he encourages its use as long as it is wisely done and for the good. "The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great" (Lk 16 : 10). Obviously, Jesus considers money ("little [basic] things") more as a means than as the end. We are all stewards of the gifts and riches that God has given us. We have to use these gifts to help ourselves and others to obtain the "genuine riches" that God has prepared for us in Heaven.

    Our true treasure and birthright is to be united with our Creator. Our hear t should always be set on being united with God and not on the material things of this world. What's usually considered important in this world is not what God wants. "You cannot be the slave both of God and of money" (Lk 16 : 13). What do we choose?

Saturday 31st Ordinary

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the only possession that I desire. All the things I have and use are just that—things I have and use. But you, Lord, are my life. You know me in a way that penetrates into my heart. Speak to my heart now as I pray.

Encountering Christ:

· What Is Ours: The Lord has marvelous things in store for his faithful ones. We know those Bible verses quite well: St. Paul’s “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has readied for those who love him,” and St. John’s “In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if not, would I have said that I am going there to prepare a place for you?” Heaven and eternal life belong to us by right as children of God–thanks to God’s prior gratuitous gift–but, in order to receive our birthright, we must nurture the gift of faith he has placed in our soul. Our Lord wants to be our highest priority, and he warns in today’s Gospel that money can sometimes dethrone him in our hearts. “...what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.”

· Undivided: Man is called to be undivided. We cannot serve two masters. Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” and the old Latin phrase “Do what you are doing” reminds us to focus our attention on the present moment. Sometimes we think of Jesus’ words as commands when they are statements of fact: for example, “No servant can serve two masters” and “You cannot serve God and mammon.” These are flat declarations from the God who knows what is in man. When our interior house is divided, we live turbulent, discordant lives, searching with all our energy for the “next best thing.” God’s will is very different for us.

· Being Trustworthy: Another word for an undivided heart is “integrity.” A person with integrity lives a principled life, unwavering in the face of adversity or temptation. Our Lord offers us a lesson in how to become a person of integrity: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones…” Our Lord wants to trust us with great things—with no less than the salvation of souls he places in our path and on our hearts. We become worthy of his trust when we’re faithful to the little things in life: to interior movements of the Holy Spirit, to inspirations from prayer, to requests from our superiors or our spouses—to whatever Our Lord is asking of us in every moment.

    Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, cleansing my heart of earthly attachments is hard, and it hurts! Give me the courage to make the sacrifices necessary and to live with an undivided heart. Help me to respond promptly to all of the “little things” you ask of me in this day and every day.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I entrust to you all the day’s happenings and pray this prayer of self-dedication, the St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Suscipe prayer.

Saturday 31st Ordinary

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of another day, thank you for the grace of coming before you in prayer. Please increase my faith, hope, and love so that I may love you above all else. Help me to be receptive to your word. I entrust my needs and the needs of my family to your care.

Encountering Christ:

1. Make Friends with Dishonest Wealth: In yesterday’s reading, Our Lord praised the dishonest steward for his ingenuity, and in today’s reading, he is encouraging people to “invest” their dishonest gain in heavenly goods. Even when honestly acquired, we do well to invest in eternal life by putting our wealth and gifts at the service of others. God gives us all we have precisely to fulfill our mission and to build up his kingdom. Eternal life is the only truly secure investment we can make. Eventually all material wealth will fail since we cannot bring it with us beyond the grave. However, the good we do for others can increase the love in their hearts and ours, and such a growth in grace and love is what prepares us for heaven.

2. In Small Matters: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.” Jesus knows the human heart well. Great vice or great virtue usually begins with very small actions. The corrupt politician or businessperson starts by just bending a few rules. The conscience grows dull and the transgressions become larger and larger. If these transgressions continue unchecked, the person can become quite corrupt. Thankfully, the inverse is also true. Small acts of honesty and kindness sufficiently repeated can gradually make a corrupt person a virtuous one. Naturally, we must rely upon grace for true conversion. However, grace elevates nature, not replaces it. Therefore, we must persistently work on doing the right thing in small matters. Then, when the larger challenges come, we will be ready.

3. You Cannot Serve Two Masters: “No servant can serve two masters.” Only one thing or person can have the first place in your heart. “He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.” Loving God above all things means a willingness to let go of things or relationships if they prove to be obstacles to my relationship with God. In another passage, Our Lord said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna” (Matthew 5:29). At times, we may have to break off certain relationships that lead us to sin. However, it is more likely that we simply have to change how we live a particular relationship by placing God at the center. For example, perhaps a husband and wife have been relying too much on each other for their ultimate happiness. Once they realize that only God can fulfill their deepest desires, then they can adjust their expectations of each other. They are free to be imperfect companions in life’s journey. God becomes the foundation upon which they can both stand, and yes, hold each other up too.

    Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, I want you to be the center and foundation of my life. Please help me to love you above all things, and to love all things in you. Let my money, talents, experiences, and relationships draw me always closer to you. Help me to love you in the smallest of tasks, and in so doing to prepare myself to love you in the greater ones too.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will offer up three small tasks that I must do with great love for you.

Saturday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time- False Images of Ourselves

The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all these things and sneered at him. And Jesus said to them, “You justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts; for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:14-15

“God knows the heart!” What a great truth to be deeply aware of. So often in life there are misconceptions we have of others and misconceptions that others have about us. This passage goes to the heart of this tendency of the Pharisees to create a false image of themselves for others to see and to care little about the inner truth that only God is aware of.

So what is more important to you? What do you prefer? Are you more concerned about the opinions of others or the truth of your life in the mind of God?

This struggle can go two ways. On one hand, like the Pharisees, we can strive to present a false persona of ourselves to others while, at the same time, God is fully aware of the truth and is aware of the false image we are trying to portray. On the other hand, we may find that others have a false image of who we are, which can cause us much hurt. When this happens, we can be led into anger towards others and tend to irrationally and excessively defend ourselves.

But what is important? What should concern us? The truth is what matters and we should care little about that which God is not concerned about. We should care only about that which is in the mind of God and what He thinks about us and our lives.

Reflect, today, upon your tendency to worry about what others think about you. Know that God wants you to live an honest life by which you present yourself in the truth. Do not be like the Pharisees who were obsessed with the flattering and false images others had of them. Worry only about living in the truth and what is in the heart of God and leave the rest to Him. In the end, that’s all that matters.

Lord, help me to see what is in Your heart and help me to have concern only about how You see me. I know You love me and I know that You want me to live fully in the truth. May Your love be the guide of my life in all things. Jesus, I trust in You.