Suy niệm Phúc âm John 1:35-42 Jan 4

Suy niệm Phúc âm John 1:35-42 Jan 4 
(lễ nhớ bà Thánh Ann Seton, Thánh đầu tiên sinh tại Hoa Kỳ)
Tất cả trong chúng ta mỗi người đều có một "ơn gọi" riêng,   một ơn gọi để trở nên những gì mà chúng ta đang là hiện tại. Một số người trong chúng ta có thể nghĩ rằng ơn gọi là sự kêu gọi chúng ta để trở thành linh mục, hay một nữ tu. Thay vào đó, ơn gọi là sự kêu gọi chúng ta để thực hành và phát huy những tài năng và năng khiếu mà Thiên Chúa đã ban riêng cho chúng ta, không phải chỉ để cho vinh quang của Ngài mà còn mang lại những hữu ích cho nhân loại, để họ đến gần Ngài hơn.
- Khi chúng ta không xử dụng ơn gọi của chúng ta một cách nghiêm túc, cũng giống như khi chúng ta nhận lấy một quà tặng người khác biếu một cách không nghiêm túc. Có lẽ một số người trong chúng ta có thể cảm thấy khó khăn để xác định cái ơn gọi của mình hoặc để phát triển các năng khiếu và tài năng của chúng ta trong việc theo đuổi ơn gọi của chúng ta. Thông thường, điều này xảy ra bởi vì có lẽ chúng ta đã quên rằng việc thực hiện "ơn gọi"  của chúng ta đòi hỏi chúng ta làm việc sát cánh với Chúa Giêsu.
Chúng ta hãy học nơi những người bạn Công Giáo của thánh nữ Ann Seton Những người đã giúp cho thánh nữ thấy được tình yêu thuơng, bác ái và sự quan tâm cho con người và đã giúp cho thanh nữ quyết tâm trở thành người công giáo tốt giống như họ. Khi chúng ta gặp phải những đau buồn thất vọng, chúng ta hãy cố gắng quên đi nỗi buồn của chúng ta, và thay vào đó, chúng ta nên làm việc và tìm cách giúp cho thế giới của chúng thành một môi trường tốt đẹp hơn để sống. Hãy giúp đỡ và an ủi những người đau khổ cần sự giúp đỡ,  Hãy ban phát tình yêu và săn sóc những ai đang cần tới sự giúp đỡ cũa chúng ta, Bạn hãy nhớ rằng Thiên Chúa sẽ ở trong chúng ta trong tất cả mọi hoàn cảnh.
 
REFLECTION
We all have a vocation, a call to become more than what we are. As Christians, God calls us to become his disciples and to spread the Good News. A calling may not be the same from one person to the next. St. John the Baptist, for example, was called to prepare the way for the Lord's coming. And we read in today's reading, that even as he accomplished his calling, he also points the way for others to follow Jesus. Andrew and Peter are among the first disciples of Jesus who answer God's calling with John's help. Jesus guides them as disciples, and later in their own lives, Sts. Andrew and Peter become great missionaries of Christ.
Some of us may think that a vocation is a calling for one to become priests or nuns. Rather, a vocation is a calling for us to fulfill the talents and skills God has given us not only for His glory but also to bring the rest of humanity closer to Him. When we do not take our vocation seriously, it is akin to not taking our own gifts seriously.  Perhaps some of us may find it difficult to define our vocation or to develop our skills and talents in pursuit of our vocation. Usually this happens because perhaps we have forgotten that the fulfillment of our calling requires us to working side by side with Jesus. Jesus is our superior, coach, mentor, and pillar of support.  Let us work with our Lord Jesus in making our vocations a reality and an achievement that will benefit not just ourselves but also those around us.
PRAYER
"Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit and let me grow in the knowledge of your love and truth. Let your Spirit be aflame in my heart that I may know and love you more fervently and strive to do your will in all things."
 
January 4
January 4, when before Epiphany
They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. John 1:38–39
What an interesting exchange. Andrew was one of two disciples of John the Baptist who heard John say that Jesus was the “Lamb of God.” As a result, Andrew and the other disciple left the Baptist and started to physically follow  Jesus. As they began to follow Jesus, He turned to them and asked them what they were looking for. And their response, followed by Jesus’ invitation, is recorded above.
Jesus’ invitation was unique: “Come, and you will see.” With that invitation, these two disciples went and remained with Jesus that day. But that’s not all that happened. It is clear from the subsequent passage that by spending the day with Jesus, these two disciples came to faith in Who Jesus was. Later in the passage, Andrew goes to his brother Peter to tell him, “We have found the Messiah.” What was it about their day with Jesus that convinced them of Who He was?
Though the details of their stay with Jesus are not included in the Gospel, it seems clear that simply being in Jesus’ presence is all that these disciples need. Consider, again, Jesus’ twofold invitation: “Come…” followed by “and you will see.”
When our Lord speaks to each of us, His invitation is quite similar. First, He will invite us to come with Him. We are to come to the place where Jesus is staying. Where is that? For us, it is not necessarily a physical place; rather, it is first and foremost a place of prayer. We must hear Jesus invite us to come to Him through the interior journey of personal prayer. It is there, within the depths of our soul, that we will rest with our Lord. He invites us to simply be there in His divine presence.
When we come to Him and rest with Him in His presence, another thing will happen: “and you will see.” We will see Him, come to know Him, be enlightened by Him and come to faith in Him. At first, this happens by His spoken Word. Ultimately, this takes place through an interior revelation that we can only receive in prayer.
Reflect, today, upon this gentle invitation that our Lord gave to these disciples. As you ponder these words, hear them spoken also to you. At first, spend time reflecting only upon the word “come.” Allow it to penetrate your soul. Allow it to become deeply personal. Know that it is a real and loving invitation from Jesus. After that, try to spend time pondering the words “and you will see.” What is it that God wants you to see? What personal revelation of faith does God want to bestow upon you? “Come, and you will see.” Allow these words to change your life, just as they changed the lives of these first disciples of our Lord.
Lord, You continuously invite me to come to You, to be with You and to sit with You in Your divine presence. Please help me to hear this gentle invitation of Your love. As I do, please open the eyes of my soul to see You, know You and love You more fully. And as I see You, give me grace and strength to follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
January 4, 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Lamb of God come into the world to save us. Thank you for revealing yourself to us. I humbly offer you now my mind and heart to focus on your Divine Word, so I may better know and understand your will for me.
Petition: Jesus, help me to put you first in my life and strive to help others to know you.
1. Knowing When to Let Go: Here, we see St. John the Baptist in action and the fruits of his fidelity to God’s plan. As he discreetly redirects two of his best disciples to follow Christ, his humility is in full play. Not only does he accept the fact that he must take the second stage to Jesus; he actively works for this to happen. It can be very difficult for us to seek only God’s glory and the good of those around us. Our hearts easily attach themselves to people, to areas of responsibility and to the attention we may get because of what we do — whether it be in our profession, private lives, parish or in a volunteer religious organization. However, if we want to do God’s will, we have to know when it’s time for us to let go. Like John the Baptist, the only thing we should have our hearts set on is establishing Christ’s kingdom.
2. Facing the Consequences: Thanks to St. John the Baptist’s faithfulness to his mission, two men — Andrew and John — meet Jesus and recognize that he is the Messiah. John the Baptist never knew the final results of his actions, but he trusted in the Holy Spirit and did what he felt God wanted. The one phrase he spoke at that moment — “Behold the Lamb of God” — had repercussions for the history of the Church and the world. Without those words spoken at that moment, we might never have had the Gospel of St. John, his letters and the book of Revelation, or the evangelizing work of St. Andrew. Jesus might have called Andrew and John some other way, but they would have lost precious time. We ourselves do not know how much is hanging on our fidelity to God’s plan in our life. Before saying “no” to God, we should ask ourselves if we’re willing to risk the consequences for ourselves and others.
3. Sharing the Treasure: Andrew, in turn, went to share the news of meeting Jesus and recognizing him as the Messiah with his brother Simon. Simon might well have laughed at him or ignored him. Jesus was not considered a likely figure for Messiahship — he was a carpenter’s son from a little town that another future apostle, Nathaniel, referred to with scorn. However, Andrew knew that he’d found a treasure and felt the need to share his discovery with his family and friends. Thanks to his enthusiasm, Simon, the future St. Peter, met Jesus. The rest is history. We should ask ourselves: Have I discovered Jesus in the light of faith? Have I discovered the hope and joy that come from knowing him as my savior? If so, have I overcome any fear, timidity or human respect that might keep me from sharing this treasure with others?
Conversation with Christ: Thank you, my Lord, for helping me to see the way to serve you better. Thank you for the saints, who show us how to be your apostles in the world. Give me the wisdom to know your will in my life and the strength and trust to follow through with it!
Resolution: From now on, I will try to be more courageous in sharing my faith with others and in getting them involved so that they can have a life-changing personal encounter with Christ. 
 
REFLECTION
In the first reading today, Saint John speaks often about God being love and loving us. Now he moves on that God is love and that he loves us. There is no doubt about this in John's mind. John does not doubt that God is love and his loving us indeed demands that we love one another - that we love our brothers and sisters. John directs our attention to Cain who killed his brother. He contrasts Cain with Christ who laid down his life for us. "The way we came to understand love" John writes, "was that Jesus laid down his life for us; we too must lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." Cain was a murderer. John insists that anyone who hates his sibling is a murderer. And, he says, eternal life does not abide in a murderer's heart. John takes a hard-nosed, realistic view of the spiritual life. "I ask you," he questions, "how can God's love survive in a man who has enough of this world's goods, yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?" He urges us, "Let us love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it."
We look around this country and see the vast majority of our people living in poverty. But let us look at ourselves rather than at our leaders. "I ask you, how can God's love survive in a man who has enough of this world's goods, yet closes his heart to his brother when he sees him in need?  Let us love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it." John says, "The man who does not love is among the living dead."
PRAYER
"Heavenly Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, you have opened the way to heaven for us. As you revealed yourself to your beloved Patriarchs and Apostles, so reveal yourself to me that I may glorify you in my daily life. May I always find joy in your presence and never lose sight of the kingdom of heaven."
 
REFLECTION
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a happily married woman with five children and a devoted husband. Tragically, during a trip to Italy, her husband died. During this time of bereavement, their Catholic friends showered her with such sympathy, help, and compassion that she decided to become a Catholic herself. A few years later, she started a grade school in Baltimore. From then on, her accomplishments included establishing an order that eventually laid the foundation for parochial schools in America.
Let us learn from St. Seton's Catholic friends who showed her so much caring humanity that she resolved to become one of them. When we are down and out, let us try to forget our sadness and, instead, work to make the world a better place to live in. When we see other people in need of succor and support, let us give them the care and love that they need, remembering that God will be with us – all the way.