Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thừ Năm Tuần 31 Thường Niên

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thừ Năm Tuần 31 Thường Niên. Luke 15:1-10.

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Thánh Luca mô tả Thiên Chúa không phải là người ưa thích báo thù hay muốn trừng phạt con người, nhưng là một Thiên Chúa đầu yêu thương, Ngài hằng mong tìm kiếm những con người tội lỗi để đem họ về trong ơn cứu rỗi. Thiên Chúa đang tìm kiếm chúng ta, những con người tội lỗi, và yếu kém đức tin! Trong bài dụ ngôn hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đuợc mô tả như một người mục tử nhân từ đang tìm kiếm con chiên đi lạc trong sa mạc. Và khi tìm thấy được nó, anh ta không tức giận, la mắng hay trừng phạt nó vì cái tội đi lang thang để bị lạc bày, nhưng anh ta đã đặt nó trên vai và mang nó về nhà với niềm vui hớn hở. Tương tự như vậy, Thánh Luca tiếp tục miêu tả Thiên Chúa như người phụ nữ tìm đồng tiền bị mất của mình. Cô quét nhà, thắp đèn cho sáng, cô đã bỏ ra hằng giờ và cố công để tìm cho ra đồng bạc bị mất của mình. Mặc dù đồng bạc ấy có giá trị không bằng cái công đã bỏ ra đi tìm, và có thể cô còn tốn tiền nhiều hơn cái giá trị của đồng tiền trong việc ăn mừng với bạn bè làng xóm sau khi cô đã tìm thấy được đồng bạc ấy.

    Kitô giáo của chúng ta chú trọng về việc Thiên Chúa tìm kiếm chúng ta, con người tội lỗi hơn là việc chúng ta đi tìm kiếm Thiên Chúa: việc Thiên Chúa tha thứ, đón nhận, và mời gọi chúng ta đến với Bí Tích Thánh Thể. Kinh Thánh mời gọi chúng ta suy ngẫm về những gì chúng ta có thể đã vô tình đánh mất. Có lẽ chúng ta đã đánh mất một cái gì đó đọc đường trong cuộc sống vất vả, cam go, hay chúng ta bị thất lạc những gí đó trong một cuốc sống đầy bon chen vật chất, hoặc chúng ta đã vô tình hay cố ý bỏ lại sau lưng những gì đó vì cuộc sống đầy vội vã, và đua chạy với đồng tiền, danh vọng.. Chúng ta đã mất những gì? Chúng ta cỏn thiếu những gì cho cuộc sống của chúng ta? Thiên Chúa đang tìm kiếm chúng ta, đang chờ đợi chúng ta và sẵn sàng chào đón và đưa chúng ta về nhà Chúa. Hãy đến với với tâm hồn thống hối và ăn năn. Lạy Chúa, linh hồn chúng con đang mong chờ và đợi Chúa, xin cho chúng con biết vtin tưởng vào lời Chúa đã hứa.

Thursday 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 

The gospel today portrays God, not as vengeful and punishing, but as a God who searches for sinners so he can save them. God is searching for us! In the first parable Jesus describes a shepherd searching for a lost sheep in the desert. When he finds it, he does not scold or punish it for wandering off and becoming lost, but puts it on his shoulders and brings it home with great joy.

    Likewise Luke portrays God as a woman searching for her lost coin. She sweeps the house, lights a lamp. She spends more time and energy searching for her coin than it is probably worth and probably spends more than its value in celebrating its finding with her friends.

    Christianity is more about God seeking us than it is about us seeking God: about God forgiving, welcoming, and inviting us to the Eucharist, sinners though we all are. The scriptures invite us to reflect upon what we may have unknowingly lost. What is missing? Perhaps something we dropped or have misplaced or accidentally left behind or maybe just gradually fell away unnoticed. Perhaps something was taken from us. What have we lost? What’s missing? God is looking for us, waiting to welcome us home. My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word.

Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time - Welcoming Sinners

    The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15:1-2

    How do you treat the sinners you encounter? Do you shun them, talk about them, ridicule them, pity them, or ignore them? Hopefully not! How should you treat the sinner? Jesus allowed them to draw near to Him and He was attentive to them. In fact, He was so merciful and kind to the sinner that He was harshly criticized by the Pharisees and scribes. How about you? Are you willing to associate with the sinner to the point that you open yourself up to criticism?

    It’s quite easy to be harsh and critical toward those who “deserve it.” When we see someone clearly going astray, we can almost feel justified in pointing the finger and putting them down as if we were better than them or as if they were dirt. What an easy thing to do and what a mistake!

    If we want to be like Jesus we must have a very different attitude toward them. We must act differently toward them than how we may feel like acting. Sin is ugly and dirty. It’s easy to be critical toward one who is caught in a cycle of sin. Yet if we do so, we are no different than the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus’ time. And we will most likely receive the same harsh treatment right back from Jesus for our lack of mercy.

    It’s interesting that one of the only sins that Jesus consistently rebukes is that of judgmental-ness and criticalness. It’s almost as if this sin shuts the door on God’s mercy in our lives.

    Reflect, today, upon how you look at and treat those whose sins are somewhat manifest. Do you treat them with mercy? Or do you react with disdain and act with a judgmental heart? Recommit yourself to mercy and a complete lack of judgment. Judgment is Christ’s to give, not yours. You are called to mercy and compassion. If you can offer just that, you will be much more like our merciful Lord.

    Lord of mercy, help me when I feel like being harsh and judgmental. Help me to turn an eye of compassion toward the sinner, seeing the goodness You put in their souls before seeing their sinful actions. Help me to leave judgment to You and embrace mercy instead. Jesus, I trust in You.

Thursday 31st Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I love you very much. I want to spend this time with you, to hear what you have to tell me. I need your Gospel, and I need your message of mercy. Grant me your grace and hear my prayer.

Encountering Christ:

· Starting to Complain: The Pharisees and scribes began to complain about Jesus’ behavior: “He focuses way too much on sinners!” They felt that his emphasis on mercy was exaggerated. They thought that religion was about being good and pure; so why all the focus on the moral outcasts? God will always have a special love for sinners and those who suffer. And he’s always going to ask us to be his instruments of mercy for those people. That can be a difficult reality. Sometimes we can sometimes feel like being faithful to God’s will is too costly. When we recognize this sentiment in our hearts, face it honestly, and bring it to God he will bless and enlighten, restore and redeem us.

· Left in the Desert: Jesus left ninety-nine good sheep to go searching for one miserable wanderer. In my contemplation, Jesus seems to ask me, “Wouldn’t you go after the one sheep?” Well, I wouldn’t. I don’t think I would leave my friends alone and vulnerable to try to rescue an enemy. Rereading this passage, we learn that God searched for the lost sheep to show us how much he loves every single one of us individually. He also shows us how much we are supposed to love each other: “As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” God is challenging us to stay close to the Shepherd so that we grow in mercy.

1. Called to Rejoice: God called upon the ninety-nine to rejoice. We are to rejoice and make merry over every repentant brother, every time someone accepts God’s mercy. How hard this can be for us if we have been wounded by that person in some way! Only by God’s grace can we extend mercy the way that Jesus does. When we pray for that gift, our stone hearts melt and we are led from unforgiveness and judgment to peace and authentic joy.

    Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I have experienced your mercy in my own life and, with a heart full of gratitude, I want to be able to extend your mercy to others. Reaching out this way can be difficult for me! Unite me to your merciful heart, so that I may become more merciful.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reflect on these two parables and ask myself, “What parable would you tell about me?” I’ll pray about it, and write it down.