Suy Niệm Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Hai Mùa Vọng

Suy Niệm Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Hai Mùa Vọng
Trong cuộc sống con người của chúng ta, chắc chắc cũng sẽ có những điều không may hay bất hạnh xảy đến , Và mỗi khi như thế, chúng ta buồn, khồ và có thể đánh mất đi niềm hy vọng và thậm chí còn nghĩ rằng cuộc sống chẳng có tương lai. Tuy nhiên, chắc chắn là đối với người có hy vọng, họ sẽ có được một tương lai sáng láng đang đón chờ trong tương lai. Khi niềm hy vọng đó là một niềm hy vọng của con người có nền tảng căn bản trên khả năng của chính mình để vượt qua những trở ngại.
            Nói chung niềm hy vọng này sẽ đòi hỏi rất nhiều nỗ lực để nhận ra nó và chúng ta phải làm một cái gì đó giúp cho chính bản thân và tương lai của mình. Khi niềm hy vọng của chúng ta trong cuộc sống được đặt nền tảng trong đức tin Kitô giáo, thì đó là niềm hy vọng thiêng liêng, đem lại sinh động và mang đến sự hoàn hoản trên nền tảng của lời Thiên Chúa đã hứa . Trong bài đọc thứ Nhất
Hôm nay, Tiên tri Isaiah đã đưa ra cho chúng ta dưọc thấy vấn đề này rất là rõ ràng. Thiên Chúa  trước tiên đã xác định các nguyên tắc quan trọng về sự mặc khải của Ngài cho chúng ta: "Ta là Chúa, Thiên Chúa của ngươi, ta sẽ dạy cho ngươi biết những gì là tốt lành và dẫn đưa ngươi đi trong con đường lẽ phải”.
            Lời của Thiên Chúa dạy chúng ta, không bao giờ có những lời cay nghiến, nặng nề, hay chua chát, ngay cả khi những lời đó được lấy ra từ những lời dạy bảo trong các điều răn. Thay vào đó, khi chúng ta kết hợp với Chúa qua việc giữ các điều Răn và lời Chúa dạy, thì sự mặc khải của Thiên Chúa sẽ giúp chúng ta trong việc hoàn thành trong sự thịnh vượng Thiêng Liêng mà Ngài đã hứa với chúng ta trong việc chúc phúc cho cuộc sống của chúng ta trên thế gian này và lầy đó làm ngưỡng cửa để tiến đến của thiên đàng.
            Lạy Chúa, xin cho chúng con biết sinh động bởi niềm hy vọng vào những lời hứa của Chúa, để nhờ vào ơn Chúa giúp, chúng con có thể được tham dự cùng Chúa trong việc xây dựng một tương lai hòa bình,  công lý, trong hạnh phúc và Lẽ Phải.
 
Reflection SG
When things go badly wrong for us, we may lose hope and even come to feel that there is no future. Yet it is certain that for the person with hope a future lies in store. When that hope is a human hope and grounded in our own abilities to overcome obstacles, it will generally require much effort to realize it and make something worthwhile of ourselves and our future.  When our hope in life is grounded in Christian faith then it is a divine hope, animated and brought to fulfillment on the basis of God's promises. The passage we read from Isaiah today puts this very clearly before us. God first of all affirms the great principle of his revelation to us: “I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good and lead you in the way you should go”.
            God's words to us, even when they take the form of commandments, are never burdensome. Rather, as we stay united with God through keeping them, God’s revelation engages us in accomplishing that divine prosperity which he promises us in blessing our life on earth and making of it a threshold of heaven.
Animated by hope in Your promises, Lord, may we be engaged with You in building a future of peace and justice, joy and truth.
 
Friday of the Second Week of Advent  2022
Opening Prayer: Dear Jesus, open my heart to your inspirations in this moment of prayer. I believe that you have something you wish to say to me, and I want to be ready to hear you. Good Jesus, increase my trust in you and teach me to love you more and more. 
Encountering Christ: 
Jesus Is Always Open: Jesus must have welcomed this question from his disciples. They seem to be sincerely trying to understand why or how things were unfolding so differently from what they had expected. How good Jesus is that he never despises or shames us, even in our slowness to understand his ways. Perhaps in this time of prayer, we can sit with our questions and let our hearts be open before him, knowing that he is “the Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6).
Jesus Reminds Us: The Apostles still didn’t understand entirely, but their slowness didn’t keep Jesus from trying to help them along. Even here, he reminded them–gently, but clearly–that the Son of Man would suffer. Jesus had not come to establish a worldly kingdom here but to lead us, through this world, to the Kingdom of Heaven that will have no end. We may fear to suffer, as the Apostles did, but let us keep our eyes on Jesus and not lose hope. He has taken all this suffering upon himself and redeemed it, so we can never suffer for naught. He doesn’t promise to take away all the difficulties, but he, God-with-us, Emmanuel, is with us through them all. 
They Understood: It seems from today’s Scripture that the disciples understood the meaning of Jesus’ words all at once, in a moment. “Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.” Those little (or big) “ah-ha” moments we sometimes experience, whether slow awakenings or coincidences–“God-winks”–are wonderful expressions of God’s loving care for us. We can sense the Holy Spirit at work, enlightening our minds to see God’s hand at work in a new way, and our hearts fill with gratitude. Notice, however, that new insights follow when we’ve had the courage and childlike simplicity to ask questions of Jesus. He invites us to “speak up” in prayer, wrestle with difficult truths, and persevere, bringing our difficulties to him with the same openness and sincerity as his Apostles did. As we reach the halfway point of Advent, perhaps we can pause, heart-to-heart with Jesus, and speak to him of these things. 
Conversing with Christ: Good Jesus, thank you for this time of prayer. Thank you for reminding me that you are so gentle, good, and patient. You neither despise my slowness nor shame me for my faults. How much I need your mercy, Jesus! Come, make haste! Come to my heart and come into this waiting world, so in need of your grace and salvation. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to be sincere before you and let you into these places of my heart where I feel afraid, confused, or uncertain about what you are asking of me. I trust that if I open the door, you will enter with grace. 
 
Friday of the Second Week of Advent 
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for this new day and all the graces you will bless me with. I believe in you and your love for me. I wish to show my love for you by staying focused on what is most important during this prayer time: you and your most holy will.
 Petition: Lord Jesus, help me to see your actions and the actions of others with the eyes of faith.
 1. Eyes of Faith: God comes to us in various ways daily. Sometimes he reveals his goodness to us when he allows us to succeed in life. Other times he permits trials in our life so we can cling more surely to him. The proper response to God’s constant action in our lives will only be possible if we can discern that it is indeed God who is acting—that it is God who is “playing the flute for us” or “singing a dirge for us.” We need the eyes of faith. A habitual interior attitude of faith and trust in God allows us to live with great peace and purpose. 
 2. Worldly Standards of Judgment: Jesus complains when the crowds use worldly standards to size him up. They are caught up in their opinions and all too easily pass judgment on him. They accuse Jesus of being possessed by a demon, a drunkard, and so on. How easy is it for me to judge others by accepting or rejecting them for mere external things? What are my internal attitudes toward others? Lord, help me to be detached from all worldly standards of judging, embrace each soul, love them as you do, and leave the judging to you.
 3. But Wisdom Is Vindicated by Her Works: Despite the rejection and harsh judgments of many, Jesus went about doing good. This is what he meant by saying that “wisdom is vindicated by her works.” In the same vein, he also taught that you can recognize a tree by its fruits. Knowing how easy it is to misjudge others, I cannot permit myself to worry about what others may say or think of me. Instead, I need to be busy like Jesus, going about doing good. Good actions speak for themselves, even if it may take a while for others to perceive or appreciate them. When we trustfully follow along to the flute or the dirge, Our Lord is playing for us, and we do so for his sake and for the sake of spreading his message, we can rest in the certainty that God is blessing us and will bring his good works to fruition through us. 
 Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity to spend time with you in prayer. Let it be my motivation for the day and bring me to live a greater spirit of faith in you and the mission you have entrusted me. How much it would help me to consider my actions, the actions of others, and your actions under the light of your love and good will. I do believe that you permit everything that happens in my life to bring about a greater good, but Lord, increase my faith.
 Resolution: I will strive to interpret the actions of others positively, excusing any defects I may perceive.
 
Friday of the Second Week of Advent 
Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’”   Mt 11:16–17
What does Jesus mean when He says “We played the flute for you…” and “we sang a dirge…?” The Church Fathers clearly identify this “flute” and “dirge” as the word of God that has been preached by the prophets of old. So many came before Jesus to prepare the way, but so many failed to listen. John the Baptist was the final and greatest prophet, and he called people to repentance, but few listened. Thus, Jesus points out this sad truth.
In our day and age, we have so much more than the prophets of the Old Testament. We have the incredible witness of the saints, the infallible teaching of the Church, the gift of the Sacraments and the life and teaching of the Son of God Himself as recorded in the New Testament. Yet, sadly, so many refuse to listen. So many fail to “dance” and “mourn” in response to the Gospel.
We must “dance” in the sense that the gift of Christ Jesus, by His life, death and resurrection should be the cause of our wholehearted rejoicing and eternal adoration. Those who truly know and love the Son of God are filled with joy! Furthermore, we must “mourn” on account of the countless sins in our own lives and in the lives of those all around us. Sin is real and prevalent, and a holy sorrow is the only appropriate response. Salvation is real. Hell is real. And both of these truths demand a total response from us.
In your own life, how fully have you allowed the Gospel to affect you? How attentive are you to the voice of God as it has been spoken through the lives of the saints and through our Church? Are you tuned in to the voice of God as He speaks to you in the depths of your conscience in prayer? Are you listening? Responding? Following? And giving your whole life in the service of Christ and His mission?
Reflect, today, upon the clear, unmistakable, transforming and life-giving words and presence of the Savior of the world. Reflect upon how attentive you have been in life to all that He has clearly spoken and to His very presence. If you do not find yourself “dancing” for God’s glory and “mourning” over the evident sins of your life and within our world, then recommit yourself to a radical following of Christ. In the end, the Truth that God has spoken throughout the ages and His holy and divine presence are all that matter.
My glorious Lord Jesus, I acknowledge Your divine presence in my life and in the world all around me. Help me to be more attentive to the countless ways that You speak to me and come to me each and every day. As I discover You and Your holy word, fill me with joy. As I see my sin and the sins of the world, give me true sorrow so that I will work tirelessly to combat my own sin and bring Your love and mercy to those who are most in need. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday 2nd of Advent 2020
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, I believe that you have something to say to me today. You know how much I need you! Open my heart to your Spirit and fill my life with your grace. I believe that you are good and wish to draw me closer to you. I trust in you, even though I don’t always understand your plan. Help me to draw closer to that manger side on this Advent journey so that when you do come, I may receive you with a heart full of love. 
Encountering Christ: 
From the Heart: In Jesus’ question, it’s easy to hear the tone of a parent or teacher concerned and exasperated, at a loss, and trying to find yet another way to be understood. But Jesus’ words come not from a place of mere frustration, but from an intense and tireless love for each of us. “How else can I reveal myself to you? How else can I show you my love? How else can I convince you that I am the very answer for all that you seek?” In this time of prayer, may we let these questions speak to our hearts and dialogue freely with the Lord about them. 
Like Children: On other occasions, Jesus used the image of a child to illustrate how we must be to enter the Kingdom of God. He continually pleads with us to learn to see with his eyes and hear with his ears, even on this earth—to let him make himself present here, through our fiat. “It is like children,” he says, who know how to recognize a dirge or dance melody. A child’s simplicity is all sincerity and transparency. How much Christ desires that we approach him in this way! Perhaps the Holy Spirit invites us to pause in this moment of prayer so that he may reveal to us where we need to grow in childlike simplicity. 
Wisdom’s Vindication: “Wisdom is vindicated by her works,” says Jesus. The truth speaks for itself, and it is according to truth that Christ reveals—and it is the light of truth, in this Advent season, that calls us to greater conversion. May we not take on the posture of the Pharisees and choose blindness for ourselves, but may our words express faith as we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” 
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, you know my heart, and you know that I wish so sincerely to follow you, to be open to what you wish, and not to insist on my own way. Open my heart to reflect the simplicity of children. May I grow to be like your Mother, who as a young girl said “yes” to your invitation, or like the shepherd children who came to adore you, or even like you, the infant King soon to be born. Draw me closer to you, Jesus, and let me continue walking with you on this Advent journey. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will strive to let my faith, my words, and my actions be authentic and coherent.