Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thừ Tư Tuần 31 Thường Niên.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thừ Tư Tuần 31 Thường Niên. Luke 14:25-33

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay Chúa Giêsu nêu rõ cho chúng ta thấy ba điều kiện để trở thành môn đệ của Ngài. Trước hết: mối quan tâm chính cho cuộc sống cho những ai muốn làm môn đệ của Chúa:

- Mối quan hệ với gia đình, người thân và thậm chí mối quan tâm đến chính cuộc sống riêng của chính mình được coi là thứ yếu. Chữ ghét ' ở đây được sử dụng như một cách so sánh của tiếng Do Thái để thể hiện sở thích.(“Thích” là thích nhiều còn “ghét” là thích nhưng ít hơn). Có nghĩa là mối quan hệ giữ chúng ta và gia đình đứng thứ hai sau mối quan hệ với Chúa Giêsu. Điều này là một sự cam kết tuyệt đối đến Nước Trời, ngay cả khi chúng ta phải liều mạng chịu chết trong cuộc tử đạo bởi mà không cói suy tính được thua thiệt cho chính bản than mình.

- Thứ hai, (V 27) là vác thập giá của chúng ta mà theo Chúa Giêsu . Cây thập giá "là một biểu tượng của sự cùng cực, nhục nhã, tự hy sinh mà những người theo Chúa Giê-su đặt kỳ vọng và chấp nhận số phận giống như Chúa Giêsu Kitô.

- Thứ ba ( v33 ) là sự từ bỏ triệt để tất cả của cải vật chất của chúng ta. Một môn đệ của Đức Kitô cần đánh giá tất cả các nguồn lực tài nguyên của mình trước khi theo Chúa Giêsu . Tuy nhiên, các nguồn lực vật chất thế gian, thì không thể nào là các nguồn lực thực sự cho các môn đệ của Chúa Giêsu, do đó phải từ bỏ .

    Như vậy, để theo Chúa Giêsu chúng ta đòi hỏi phải làm một quyết định dứt khoát và đớn đau. Có nghĩa là chúng ta phải loại bỏ tất cả những chướng ngại vật chất, cũng như tinh thần để làm môn đệ đích thực của Chúa. Theo Chúa Giêsu là một sự lựa chọn và phải được thực hiện với những suy nghĩ chính chắn, trưởng thành vi quyết định này sẽ có ảnh hưởng đến cả cuộc sống của chúng ta. Trên hết tất cả, vai trò môn đệ liên quan đến hành động trong tình yêu chân thành, và tuyệt hảo của Chúa Kitô và những người khác. Điều này thực sự đã được xác định trong bài đọc thứ nhất hôm nay: Trong tất cả mọi thứ, tình yêu phải là điều kiện duy nhất . Lạy Chúa, xin giúp chúng con biết yêu thương giống như Chúa và làm tất cả mọi thứ chỉ vì tình yêu vẹn toàn của Chúa.

Wed 6th Nov 2013 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time Rom. 13:8-10; Lk. 14:25-33

Today’s Gospel reading spells out clearly the three conditions for discipleship.

    The first (v26) is to make discipleship the key concern in life. Relationship with family, relatives and even concern for one’s own life are to be considered as secondary. The word ‘hate’ here is used in a Semitic way for expressing preferences. It means to make family relationship secondary to following Jesus. This is an absolute commitment to the kingdom — even to risk one’s life in martyrdom for there is no compromise.

    The second (v27) is to bear one’s own cross and come after Jesus. The ‘cross’ is a symbol of the extreme humiliating self-sacrifice that is expected of Jesus’ followers and to accept the same fate as Jesus.

    The third (v33) is the radical renunciation of all one’s possessions. A disciple of Christ should assess all his resources before following Jesus. However, the material resources are in no way the real resources for discipleship, thus to be renounced. As such, to follow Jesus entails painful decisions. All obstacles to discipleship ought to be removed. To follow Jesus is a choice and it has to be made with mature deliberation and should affect our entire lives. Above all, discipleship involves a perfect act of love for Christ and others. This is so truly affirmed in the first reading that in all things, love must be the only condition. Lord, help us to love like You and to do all things out of pure love of You.

Wednesday 31st Ordinary

Opening Prayer: O God, you are God and Father of us all. You welcome my poor attempt to pray. Strengthen my weak heart and fill me with your grace.

Encountering Christ:

· Thin the Ranks: Jesus’ bold challenge to his disciples is shocking. It’s as if he wished to thin the ranks of his followers! In Judges 7, we read of Israel’s leader Gideon, who, with a host of some thirty-two thousand soldiers, opposed Midian and Amalek. Surprisingly, “The Lord said to Gideon: ‘You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, “My own power saved me.”’” God permitted nearly the entire army to disband, and with only three hundred men won a great victory. This is a mysterious lesson about the power of God. The only Son of God died for all men; the one Catholic Church is the sacrament of salvation among all mankind; and one disciple who carries his cross sanctifies the whole mystical body of Christ.

· Make a Choice: Jesus exhorts us to realism. Don’t start a tower you can’t finish. Don’t fight a battle you can’t win. Be strategic; make the tough choices. In other words, let’s make the love of Christ our number one priority. We look into the eyes of Jesus and know he means it: “If you want to follow me, then follow me with everything, wholeheartedly, or not at all.” In Joshua 24, we read how Joshua exhorted the Israelites: “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him completely and sincerely. Cast out the gods your ancestors served…if it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord, choose today whom you will serve… As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

· True Renunciation: What does renunciation really mean? It cannot mean to throw away all we own, or simply do without it. Renunciation means recognizing that everything we have—including relationships with loved ones—comes from the Lord and therefore should be entrusted to him. In 2 Samuel 7, the Lord recalled his countless gifts to the king. “I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel. I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. And I will make your name like that of the greatest on earth…” David possessed very much—health, riches, wisdom, strength. But what did David do? He “renounced” these possessions by accepting them humbly and praising God’s name. He did not try to stop God’s largesse. “Do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in your presence forever—since you, Lord God, have promised!” May we joyfully welcome and embrace the gifts of God in our lives, never forgetting from where they come.

    Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your words are difficult. Sometimes I must literally renounce possessions or relationships because I follow you, while at other times I must simply entrust them to you, again and again. Help me to discern the difference, and never allow anything to be an obstacle to my discipleship.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make an examination of conscience, asking for the light to discover anything which distracts me from following you.

Wednesday 31st Ordinary

Opening Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you for the opportunity to spend time in prayer with you. I need your grace to sustain and strengthen my love for you and for my neighbor. Help me to appreciate more deeply the gift of being your disciple.

Encountering Christ:

1. "Great Crowds Were Traveling with Jesus": It is easy to draw a crowd of curious onlookers. People like to be entertained, catch the latest news, and follow the latest trend. The crowd itself attracts more onlookers: "What’s going on that’s so exciting?" Jesus could clearly draw a crowd. He spoke as no one else had ever spoken. His miracles were fascinating with dramatic cures, exorcisms, and the multiplication of loaves, to name only a few. It was enough to be in his presence to feel close to God. While the people’s interest was for the most part sincere, the excitement of it all ran the risk of people superficially following Jesus as long as the fun remained. We can all be tempted to seek the consolation of God more than the God of consolation. Curiosity is a natural start, but it must develop and grow into a relationship, discipleship, and love.

2. "Whoever Does Not Carry His Own Cross": Jesus has a simple formula for maturing his followers; it is the cross. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." However, the question may legitimately arise, "Why is the cross a condition of following Jesus?" Jesus provides an answer in this passage. When he speaks of "hating father and mother" and even one’s "own life," Jesus is indicating that the price of discipleship is to love him above all other things— even good and holy things like mother and father. Only God may have the first place in our lives: "...seek his kingdom, and these other things will be given you besides" (Luke 12:31). Whenever we choose something, we necessarily leave other options behind, and that entails sacrifice. For example, when you pick a job, you leave the other jobs aside. Christ is saying that all of our decisions must be subordinate to love of him and his will. "Will this decision transgress one of the Ten Commandments?" "Is this decision in accord with my vocation or state in life?" "Is this decision God’s will for me at this moment?" That is where we must prayerfully discern what God wants for us. This is not meant to create a scrupulous fear of "making the wrong decision," but rather seeking to please God in all we do in the light of faith.

3. Able to Finish: Now it is easy to be enthusiastic and even sacrificial for a day. Love proves itself and matures over time. Perseverance is essential to love. Wedding vows beautifully reflect this determination to love for a lifetime: "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part." Following Jesus requires calculating the cost of enduring to the end. There is something deeply inspiring about the soul that perseveres in love. We admire the aged couple that still holds hands. We respect the elderly priest or nun who still prays with fervor. Their example gives us the hope of seeing our own journey to the end. God’s grace and the sacrifices that fidelity entail are the means by which we persevere in love.

    Conversing with Christ: Dear Lord Jesus, I cannot know what the future holds. To say "yes" to you for a lifetime can be frightening. Do I have what it takes? Help me to understand that your love and grace will sustain me when I am weak. Help me to renew frequently my love for you in the smallest of tasks. Let me keep my eyes focused on you and not on the sacrifices. You have been so good to me. I desire to follow you until you call me to be with you in heaven.

    Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will prayerfully reflect before making any significant decision today: "Lord, what would you have me do?"