Suy niệm Thứ Ba Tuần 2 Mùa Vọng

Suy niệm Thứ Ba Tuần 2 Mùa Vọng               

Bài dụ ngôn trong Tin Mừng hôm nay đã cho chúng ta thấy được hai cái bài học.  Trước tiên, Thiên Chúa yêu thương mọi con người lầm lạc, tội lội, hay những người đã bị gạt bỏ ra ngoài lề của xã hội chúng ta. Họ là những người rất cần được sự chú ý như những người khác. Chính Chúa Giêsu đã hy sinh chẳng màng sự nguy cơ, sự an toàn của 99 con chiên còn lại để mang 1 con chiên lạc bị mất được trở về lại an toàn với đàn chiên. Không một ai có thể hư mất trước mặt Thiên Chúa.

Thứ hai, Thiên Chúa yêu cũng thương yêu mỗi con chiên trong số 99 còn lại như chính con chiên đi lạc. Bài học này có lẽ là làm chúng ta khó có thể hiểu và chấp nhận được bởi vì 99 con chiên còn lại sẽ phải bơ vơ không người coi giữ. những con chiên này bắt buộc phải tự lo lấy cho chính bản thân trong một môi trường nguy hiểm không mấy an toàn trong khi Ngài tìm kiếm con chiên lạc.

Một số người trong chúng ta có thể tự hỏi: Đâu là tình yêu bình đẳng trong trường hơp này, Hy sinh 99 con chiên để tìm một con? Nhưng, trọng tâm của bài học thứ hai, Chúa muốn dạy chúng ta là: Sự yêu thương không chỉ chú ý tới sự có mặt, nhưng cũng còn chú ý đến sự tin tưởng. Chúa Giêsu tin tưởng những con chiên còn lại sống gắn bó với nhau và giữ vững niềm tin. Theo kinh nghiệm sống, chúng ta biết có lẽ cách tốt nhất để cảm nhận được tình yêu thuơng không phải chỉ khi chúng ta được công nhận nơi công cộng , mà còn cả khi chúng ta đã được phó thác trong niềm cậy tin.

            Dụ ngôn hôm nay có thể được áp dụng với những người đã vô tình hay cố ý đi lầm đường, lạc lối, hoặc những người đã bị cám dỗ, sa ngã đã làm những điều qua khủng khiếp cho linh hồn họ  phải xa lầy và  lạc lối. Tất cả sẽ được đón tiếp trở lại với niềm vui như nhau, Chúng ta có thể tự hỏi chính mình: Chúng ta có đã sẵn sàng để tha thứ và tiếp nhận những người đã làm những điều sai trái chúng ta, không phải chỉ là sự miễn cưỡng nhưng luôn là sự sẵn sàng tha thứ  với tình yêu chân thật và niềm vui mừng hân hoan.

            Lạy Chúa, Chúa chính là vị Mục Tử Nhân Lành!, Xin dạy và thánh hóa chúng con biết trở nên giống Chúa… Biết Tha Thứ, biết Yêu thương

 

REFLECTION Matthew 18:12-14

In today’s Gospel, some of us may be wondering. What is the love of equality in this case; Sacrifice 99 sheep to find one that stray? The focus of

today’s Gospel passage is: God wants us to know: that love is not just about attention it is also about trust. Jesus trusted the remaining sheep to stay together and keep the faith. We know from experience, that perhaps the best way to feel love is not only to feel that we were recognized but also that we were trusted.

Advent is not about waiting for Jesus' coming to receive his love and attention. It is also realizing that Jesus has trusted us to keep the faith, spread the Word, and help our neighbor. When we have fully accepted his trust then perhaps we can say that we are truly prepared for Jesus' coming into our hearts.

 

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent 2022

Introductory Prayer:  Dear Jesus, my Lord, and God, I open my heart to your infinite love. I wish to listen and respond to the inspirations that you wish to give me this morning. I believe in you. I hope in you. I love you. Lord, you are my shepherd and the true meaning of my life.

Petition: Jesus, Good Shepherd, give me the grace to open my heart to your mercy.

1. Not All Shepherds Are the Same: In today’s society, the image of the shepherd doesn’t say as much as it did in Jesus’ time. Psalm 23 was probably one of Christ’s favorite psalms, for he uses the image of the shepherd frequently: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” Sheep have a trusting relationship with their shepherd. Instinctively they know that the shepherd will care for them. Christ is our shepherd who loves us. In our lives, other people or material possessions can seem to promise to bring us happiness, causing us to follow after them as if they were our shepherd. But when the real trial comes, they abandon us just as a hired hand leaves the sheep when the wolf appears. Let us renew our commitment to Christ, the Good Shepherd, since he is the true shepherd of our souls.

2. Searching Out the Lost Sheep: In every group of animals, there is at least one that seems to get distracted and eventually lost. In our lives, we, too, can get distracted and stray from the security of Christ and his way. Sin is what separates us from Christ. If we are not careful, we can be easily seduced by the world, by the fascination of material goods or pleasures, and then mistakenly place our security in them. Then, when we experience the emptiness and spiritual hunger that comes from wandering from the Good Shepherd, we need only to recall that he is waiting for us, his wayward sheep, to carry us back into the safety of his fold. It is comforting and heartening to know that he longs for us to be reconciled with him, just as a shepherd goes out in search of the lost sheep.

3. Let the Celebration Begin! Anyone who has children and has temporarily “lost” one of them can empathize with the joy God experiences when one of us is found once again and reunited with him. We may try to outdo him in love and generosity, but that cannot happen. His love surpasses all our imagining. Today, let us take a moment to talk to God about our state in life and resolve to let him be actively present in our everyday living. Could there be any better way to prepare for Christmas than to open the doors of our hearts? Christ is there, knocking, asking to be allowed inside so he can heal us and make us whole again. It’s almost shocking to discover that we can please him simply by turning to him and letting him pick us up from where we’ve fallen and restore us to full friendship with him. Shouldn’t we permit Our Lord that pleasure, especially when the only cost is admitting our tremendous need for him, confessing our sins and inviting him back into our hearts, where he belongs?

Conversation with Christ: Lord, I know my countless falls provide me with countless occasions to encounter you as the Good Shepherd, since without fail you come to pick me up again. Instead of wallowing in sterile self-pity at the misery of my sinfulness, I intend to delight more in your tender mercy. I know this trusting attitude will please you. 

Resolution: Each time I fall today, I will get back up again immediately, because I will have confidence in my Good Shepherd’s loving mercy.

 

Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent 2022

“Jesus said to his disciples: “What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?”  Matthew 18:12

This Gospel passage goes on to say that the man who finds that one stray sheep “rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.” At first, this might seem unfair. Why not primarily rejoice over the ninety-nine who did not stray? Saint Hillary, in commenting on this passage, interprets the man who sought out the one stray sheep as the Son of God. He left the “ninety-nine,” meaning the glory of the hosts of Heaven, to descend to earth to seek out straying humanity. Humanity as a whole is that one lost sheep. That includes us all.

The first thing this interpretation reveals to us is that the Son of God was clearly sent on a mission to seek out each and every one of us after we strayed far from the Father in Heaven. The Father did not sit back and wait for us to return. Rather, He sent the Son on a diligent mission of seeking us out to bring us back into His divine fold.

As we reflect upon this passage, it is important to see the zeal and determination of our Lord as He seeks us out. Do you see this in your own life? Sometimes we can fall into the trap of thinking that it is primarily our responsibility to seek out God. And though we certainly have this responsibility, our duty is made much easier when we understand how passionately our Lord seeks us out and desires to find us when we stray. Only in Heaven will we fully understand all that our Lord has done to seek us out, day in and day out. But for now, we must strive to understand this spiritual truth so that we will be more open to Jesus’ diligent search for us.

A second thing this passage reveals is the joy in the Heart of the Son of God every time He finds us and carries us away from our sin. Too often we can fall into the trap of seeing God as a judgmental God who is angry at us and condemning. But if we understand the extent to which the Son of God went, so as to find us when we stray, and if we can understand the joy in His heart upon finding us and carrying us away from sin, then we will more readily open ourselves to Him, to His gentle invitations, and to His merciful Heart every time He comes to us by grace.

Reflect, today, upon the great anticipation in the Heart of our Lord as He personally seeks you out. The anticipation is that of joy—the joy that He is filled with as He picks you up and gently carries you back to the Father. Allow this joy in the Heart of our Lord to come to fruition so that you will share in this abundance of joy.

My diligent Lord, You seek me out, day and night, never tiring of calling me to return more fully to Yourself. Please help me to fill Your Heart with joy by always responding to Your gentle invitations of love and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.