Suy niệm Tin mừng Ngày 5 Tháng 1

Suy niệm Tin mừng Ngày 5 Tháng 1, 
 Lễ nhớ Thánh Goan Newman Giám Mục Hoa Kỳ.
2000 năm trước, Na-xa-rét có thể là một ngôi làng nhỏ và có thể không tên trên bản đồ. Đó là lý do tại sao Na-tha-na-ên đã có ấn tượng đầu tiên coi thường Chúa Giêsu, ông coi Chúa Giêsu không có gì là người quan trọng vì Chúa đến từ ngôi làng nhỏ bé Na-xa-rét.  Nhưng khi đã gặp Chúa Giêsu, Nathanael mới thay đổi thái độ và kính phục Chúa.
Thói đời thường xảy ra như thế, Cho dù chúng ta có nhận thức được nó hay không, chúng ta hay có cái xu hướng hẹp hòi, hay đối xử phân biệt giai cấp, đánh giá con người bằng cái nhìn hình dáng bên ngoài hay nơi quán họ xuất thân. Nhiều cuộc chiến tranh đã xảy ra chỉ vì một nhóm người không thích màu da, tôn giáo của người khác. Trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta,  đôi khi chúng ta cũng có thái độ khinh thường những người khác, những không biết ăn nói, hay không thể diển tả, ăn nó lưu loát, hay chúng ta có thái độ kinh rẻ những người kém may may, đói rách nghèo khổ.
Bài đọc thứ nhất hôm nay, Thánh Gioan nhắc nhở chúng ta hay nên yêu thương mọi người, đừng nên như Cain chỉ vì ghen tương mà đã giết chết em mình, Cain là kẻ giết người, nhưng thánh Gioan lại nói: "Kẻ nào có lòng dạ ghen ghét, thì kẻ đó là kẻ giết người" không khác gì Cain, lòng thù hận rất dễ đưa chúng ta đến tội ác. 
Hãy Thương yêu anh em như Thiên Chúa đã thương yêu chúng ta, Ngài đã đem Chúa Giêsu con một của Ngài xuống thế gian này để chết vì tội lỗi của chúng ta, Chúng ta hãy học gương tha thứ như Chúa Giêsu đã tha thứ và nhờ Ngài, Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ giúp chúng ta biết quên hết hận thù và chỉ còn có sự tha thứ.
Xin Chúa Thánh Thần giúp chúng ta biết theo gương Thánh Gioan Neuman người đã hy sinh xã thân để đem tình thương của Chúa đến những người  tha hương nghèo khổ. Xin cho chúng sống đúng với lời giáo huấn của thanh Gioan tông đồ là biêt thương yêu giúp đỡ đồng loại như chính Chúa đã yêu thương chúng ta.
 
REFLECTION - Reading 1 1 Jn 3:11-2
2000 years ago, Nazareth might be a small village and It was often not even labeled on maps. That is why Nathanael had the first impression Jesus could not be an important person because he came from small village of Nazareth. It was only when Jesus spoke to Nathanael that he got impressed.
- Whether we are aware of it or not, we tend to discriminate or judge people on how they look or where they come from. Many wars have been fought because one group didn't like the color of the skin of another. In our daily lives we sometimes look down on those who may not be as articulate in their speech or who cannot afford to look as clean as we are.
In his First Letter John tells us to love one another not only in words but in deeds. We should love each other like we would like to be loved.  John directs our attention to Cain who killed his brother. He contrasts Cain with Jesus 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 brothers and sisters 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 as he says: "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."
Let us look at our economy and look around this country and may be in our neighborhood. We may see many people are living in poverty, or homeless.  Let us look at ourselves, rather than at our leaders. And repeat the same question that John had in the first reading:  "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 also reminds us "The man who does not love is among the living dead." So love one and another as God loves us. Let us try to see and recognize Christ is in one of our unfortunate brother or sister.
 
January 5 2023
January 5, when before Epiphany
Jesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” John 1:43–45
Recall that in the previous passage of John’s Gospel, Andrew had gone to his brother Peter to tell him that he had found the Messiah. As a result, Peter went to see Jesus and also became His disciple. We have a similar story in today’s Gospel passage that happens shortly after the story in John’s Gospel. After Jesus called Philip to be a disciple, Philip immediately went to find his brother, Nathanael, to tell him the good news. As a result, once Nathanael has a brief encounter with Jesus, Nathanael converts, saying, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
In a sense, we can say that conversion is contagious. Once God calls a good and humble soul to follow Him and that soul responds, that person is almost always compelled to share their conversion with others whom they love. And when they share the conversion of their heart with another, their loved one will often become intrigued themselves, possibly even converting.
Conversion is indeed contagious! This is because when we come to know God, fall in love with Him and choose to follow Him, the joy and conviction of our conversion of heart are things we naturally want to share with others. We want others to experience the spiritual peace and joy we have found by discovering Christ with us.
So this begs the question: Has your love of God affected others in your life? If the answer is “Yes,” then this is something to be grateful for. But if the answer is “No,” then perhaps it’s worth pondering why not. Though it may not at all be your fault, it’s good to examine whether you have first allowed yourself to truly experience a deep conversion to Christ and then to ponder whether you have been open to sharing your heart with others.
So begin with the first question. Have you allowed yourself to truly go through a conversion to Christ? A conversion will take on varying degrees. At first, a conversion changes the direction of our lives by opening our eyes to see what truly matters in life. We discover the glory of God and the fulfillment that comes from embracing His will. When this happens, the initially converted soul will often begin to turn from all serious sin, to pray, to read the Scriptures, and to manifest these changes to others.
But conversions are not only a one-time event. Saint John of the Cross, for example, goes to much length to explain that as a person advances in the life of holiness, there will be a time when they must go through a whole new conversion. Their following of Christ will draw them to another and more profound change in life. Don’t be content with only an initial conversion. Seek also the ongoing process of change that is required by a commitment to follow Christ.
As for the second question, whether or not your own conversion has inspired those you love to follow Christ, simply pray that God uses you as He wills. Be open to Him, do not be afraid to share your heart, and work to allow the joy of following Christ to radiate from your own life. If others are open, then God will touch them through you.
Reflect, today, upon these two fundamental questions of the spiritual life and recommit yourself to a lifelong process of change, as well as an openness to allowing God to touch others through you. In the end, these two things are all that really matters in life and for eternity.
Lord of all holiness, please continuously draw me closer to You. Help me to convert in my life, to turn from all sin and to choose to follow You with all my heart. Help me, also, to be open in my faith journey so that others will see all that You are doing in me and receive Your invitation, through me, to follow You. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
January 5 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to hear your voice in this Scripture passage and to receive with an open heart whatever you want to tell me. I believe in you, hope in you, and love you.
Petition: God the Father, help me to be steadfast in your love.
1. Serving God Requires Perseverance: John the Baptist has done his job of redirecting others to Christ: He is not mentioned in the Gospel reading today. The focus has shifted to Jesus calling his future apostles, prepared beforehand by the Baptist. As with Andrew, those who are prepared to meet Christ discover in him a great treasure that they cannot keep to themselves. This time, Philip encounters Christ and shares this discovery with Nathaniel. When Nathaniel reacts skeptically, Philip doesn’t give up. He knows that personal experience is more powerful than words, so he brings Nathaniel to meet Jesus. If we try to bring others to Christ, we could run into similar obstacles: hesitation, skepticism, lack of interest…. Do we give in too easily, or do we try to engage others more actively?
2. Jesus Wants Us: When Nathaniel does meet Jesus, he is surprised to discover that Jesus knows him and appreciates him for who he is. There is probably more background to Jesus’ simple words than the Gospel tells us because they win Nathaniel over instantly. Perhaps we sometimes forget that Jesus, as God, is our creator, and when he calls a person (and in one way or another he calls every person), he does it knowing exactly whom he is calling. It is not a general altar call: It is a personal, direct call to our hearts, rooted in a real understanding of us as we are. He knows and loves us better than any mere human being ever could. When we experience that and help others to do so too, then his call becomes irresistible.
3. Learning to See the Greater Works of God: Jesus promises Nathaniel that he will see “greater things” in the future; in fact, he will witness most of the miracles of Jesus first-hand and will see many manifestations of the Father’s love for the Son. Indeed, this is often the way Jesus works with all of us. We may be won over by an impressive experience of God, but as our relationship with God deepens, we see “greater things” — not necessarily more spectacular things. As our appreciation for spiritual things grows, we become more attuned to God’s work, and we can pick up on the work of grace in our lives and the lives of others. That profound transformation is much greater than any miraculous physical healing or any merely sentimental experience. We need faith and trust and attentiveness to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit — plus a healthy dose of patience — if we want to see how God works, but the wait will be worth it.
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, it is very comforting and encouraging to realize that you know me through and through, that you love me and want me to follow you. Thank you for your love! Help me to bring others to you as well. Give me wisdom and perseverance to be able to make a difference in people’s lives. Help me to discern the wonders of your grace in my life and the lives of those around me.
Resolution: I will take the time to reflect on the ways God has worked in my life and, through me, in others. I will analyze how I can better collaborate with his grace.