Lời cảnh báo quá rõ ràng: trước khi lần
cuối cùng, Thiên Chúa sẽ sai thiên sứ của Ngài đến để cảnh báo dân người dân tẩy rửa quốc gia. Mặc dù mục đích là để làm sạch, không ai có thể trông đợi
vào nó, vì đó cũng sẽ là một thời
gian phán xét. Ngày trở lại của Chúa luôn luôn dự đoán
với những sự sợ hãi hay lo sợ. Nhưng như thường lệ là mọi thứ sẽ thường bị đổi ngược..khhác nhau.
Chúng ta không cần phải lo sợ về những yếu đuối và sự sa ngã của mình. Chúng ta không phải sống trong nỗi sợ hãi của bản án đã định sẵn. Chúng ta có một người bạn và người anh luôn luôn đem ánh sáng làm rực một con đường cho chúng ta đi. Ngài luôn mong chờ để chào đón chúng ta và Ngài sẽ giúp chúng ta trong cuộc hành trình của chúng ta về nhà Chúa .
Trước hết, khi Thiên Chúa bước vào ngôi đền thờ, như một em bé yếu đuối, bất lực. Ngài đã tiếp xúc với tất cả những mối nguy hiểm đang đe dọa trẻ em trong độ tuổi rằng: chiến tranh, nạn đói, bệnh tật, và bạo lực. Nhưng ông Simeon đã công nhận rằng Ngài sẽ là ơn cứu rỗi, là niềm vui cho nhiều người, nhưng Ngài cũng làm cho nhiều người phải khó chịu vì Ngài là mối đe dọa cho người khác.
Tóm lại, Thiên Chúa đối với chúng ta, Ngài không chống lại chúng ta, Nhưng trong thực tế, Thiên Chúa là một người trong nhóm chúng ta. Chúng ta không bao giờ phải sợ hãi hay cảm thấy bị cô đơn.
Lạy Chúa,
Lạy Chúa, Xin cho chúng con cùng bước đi với Ngài trong mọi cuộc hành trình của đời con.
Suy
Niệm SG 2016
The warning was clear: before the final times, God would send his messenger to warn people and to purify the nation. Although the intent was to purify, no one would look forward to it, as it would also be a time of reckoning. The Day of the Lord was always anticipated with a certain amount of dread or fear. As is often the case, things turned out differently.
First of all, when God came, it was in human form. Jesus became one of us, sharing in our human limitations and weaknesses in all things but sin. He was tested; he struggled; he suffered. All of this was for one purpose: so that he could be compassionate with us in our own failures and weaknesses. He understood what it was like to be human. He could relate to our experience through his own. We need not fear our failures and weaknesses. We do not have to live in dread of judgment. We have a friend and brother who has already blazed a path for us. He waits to welcome us and he helps us on the journey.
When God entered the temple, it was as a frail human child. He was exposed to all the dangers that threatened children in that age: war, famine, disease, and violence. But Simeon recognized that his coming would be joyful salvation for many, but very upsetting and threatening for others. The bottom line: God is for us, not against us — in fact, God is one of us. We need not ever fear or feel alone. Lord, walk with me on my journey.
02 February -Presentation of the
Lord
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Luke 2:29–32
At the time of Jesus’ birth, there was a man named Simeon who had spent his whole life preparing for one significant moment. Like all faithful Jews at the time, Simeon was waiting for the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would indeed see the Messiah before his death—and so this happened when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the Temple to offer Him to the Lord as an infant.
Try to imagine the scene. Simeon had lived a holy and devout life. And deep within his conscience, he knew that his life on earth would not come to an end until he was privileged to see the Savior of the World with his own eyes. He knew this by a special gift of faith, an interior revelation of the Holy Spirit, and he believed.
It’s helpful to think about this unique gift of knowledge that Simeon had throughout his life. Normally we gain knowledge through our five senses. We see something, hear something, taste, smell, or feel something, and as a result come to know it to be true. Physical knowledge is very reliable and is the normal way we come to know things. But this gift of knowledge Simeon had was different. It was deeper and was spiritual in nature. He knew he would see the Messiah before he died, not because of some external sensory perception he had received but because of an interior revelation from the Holy Spirit.
This truth begs the question, which type of knowledge is more certain? Something you see with your eyes, touch, smell, hear or taste? Or something that God speaks to you in the depths of your soul by a revelation of grace? Though these types of knowledge are different, it’s important to understand that the spiritual knowledge that is given by the Holy Spirit is far more certain than anything perceived through the five senses alone. This spiritual knowledge has the power to change your life and direct all your actions toward that revelation.
For Simeon, this interior knowledge of a spiritual nature suddenly united with his five senses when Jesus was brought into the Temple. Simeon suddenly saw, heard and felt this Child Whom he knew he would one day see with his own eyes and touch with his own hands. For Simeon, that moment was the culminating moment of his life.
Reflect, today, upon anything that our Lord has spoken to you in the depths of your soul. Too often we ignore His gentle voice as it speaks, preferring instead to live only in the sensory world. But the spiritual reality within us must become the center and foundation of our lives. It is there where God speaks, and it is there where we, too, will discover the central purpose and meaning of our lives.
My spiritual Lord, I thank You for the countless ways in which You speak to me day and night in the depths of my own soul. Help me to be always attentive to You and to Your gentle voice as You speak to me. May Your voice and Your voice alone become the guiding direction of my life. May I trust in Your Word and never waver from the mission You have given to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
02 February -Presentation of the
Lord
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I open my heart to receive the power of your Spirit flowing from your heart into mine. I wish to carry it zealously as a light from my heart to my family, to my friends, to the weak and empty of heart. With the fire of your love in me, I want to acknowledge you as true light and as the glory and splendor of every human person. I long to be filled with a consuming love for you.
Suy
Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Đức Mẹ Dâng Chúa Giêsu và Đền Thánh (Feb 2)
Trong thế giới nhộn nhịp và hối hả của chúng ta hôm nay, chúng ta ít người có đủ thời giờ để cầu nguyện trong yên tịnh. Trong lời cầu nguyện của họ, Thiên Chúa đã hứa với ông Simeon và bà Anna rằng họ sẽ nhìn thấy Đấng Cứu Thế trước khi họ nhắm mắt. Và hôm nay Họ đã nhận được phần thưởng đó là đã nhìn thấy được Thiên Chúa của họ, " "Giờ đây, lạy Chúa, xin thả tôi tớ Người về, chiếu theo lời Người trong bình an, Bởi chưng mắt tôi đã thấy ơn Người cứu độ." (Lc 2: 29)
REFLECTION PRESENTATION
OF THE LORD –2nd Feb
2018
For centuries, the people of God waited for God’s messenger, the one who would usher in the final days. Malachi described him as one that would purify the temple and priesthood. He would come in the spirit of Elijah, and prepare the people to meet God. In the New Testament, he was associated with John the Baptist.
We all wait expectantly, but patience is difficult for most people. Jesus asks us to be prepared always, so that we might be ready to meet him whenever he comes. Jesus is a compassionate and faithful high priest because he suffered and struggled, and his testing was real. He is like us in all things but sin. Our own suffering and struggle should make us compassionate and merciful towards others, just like Jesus. The Lord entered the temple, as the prophecy in Malachi promised. Jesus was presented to the Lord and the proper offering made, in accordance with Jewish law.
Two individuals — Anna and Simeon — recognized Jesus and proclaimed him. They had been waiting patiently and attentively — and that is a mark of holiness. They listened and watched with great sensitivity and attention, without distraction. Their vigilance was rewarded, just as ours will be, when we learn to wait on the Lord. Lord, teach me to wait patiently.
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Đức Mẹ Dâng Chúa Giêsu và
Đền Thánh (Feb 2)
Mỗi người trong chúng ta được Thiên Chúa đưa vào một cuộc sống riêng của mỗi người với một mục đích riêng và rõ ràng. Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta được chứng kiến cảnh Đức mẹ và Thánh Giuse dâng Chúa Giêsu trong đền thờ, và Thiên Chúa đã ban cho mỗi người một vai trò cụ thể như những người được nhắc tới trong Tin Mừng.
Qua người đạo đức như ông Simeon và và bà tiên tri Anna Thiên Chúa cho chúng ta thấy rõ ràng rằng Chúa Giêsu thật sự là Đấng Cứu Thế như lời Ngài đã hứa qua các Tiên Tri. Ông Simeon và bà Anna cũng nhắc nhở chúng ta về giá trị của sự im lặng và cầu nguyện: họ cống hiến cuộc đời mình để cầu nguyện trước mặt Thiên Chúa. Trong thế giới nhộn nhịp và hối hả của chúng ta hôm nay, ít người trong chúng ta có đủ thời giờ để cầu nguyện trong yên tịnh. Trong lời cầu nguyện của Ông Simeon và bà Anna, Thiên Chúa đã hứa với họ rằng họ sẽ nhìn thấy Đấng Cứu Thế trước khi họ nhắm mắt. Và hôm nay Ông Simeon và bà Anna đã nhận được phần thưởng đó là đã được nhìn thấy Thiên Chúa của họ, "Giờ đây, lạy Chúa, xin cho tôi tớ Chúa được ra đi trong bình an chiếu theo như lời Chúa phán, Bởi vì mắt con đã được nhìn thấy ơn Người cứu độ." (Lc 2: 29)
Every individual God puts in our lives has a definite purpose. In the Gospel about the Presentation of Jesus God gives such specific roles to key people.
Through the pious man Simeon and the prophetess Anna God makes clear that Jesus indeed is the promised Messiah. Simeon and Anna also remind us of the value of silence and prayer: they devote their lives to prayer before God.
In our fast-paced world, we have little time for quiet and prayer. In their prayer God promised Simeon and Anna that they would see the Messiah. They were richly rewarded, "Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation." (Lk 2: 29)
The Gospel tells us that in silence and prayer we find God.
Feb 2, 2019 Presentation of the Lord
Forty days after Christmas, we celebrate Jesus being brought to the house of God, the Temple, for the first time.
We have a record of Christians celebrating this event as early as the Fourth Century. In the Eighth Century Pope Sergius included a candlelight procession as part of the celebrations and so this feast has also come to be known as Candlemas.
Israel has been waiting for centuries, longing for a savior to come. Simeon does not give up yeaning. He is able to hold great hope that God’s promise of salvation will someday be fulfilled. It is the Holy Spirit that allows Simeon to recognize that God’s promise is coming to fulfillment in the person of this little infant.
Anna is a model of faithfulness to God. It must not have been easy for her to live as a widow, likely for more than fifty years. Yet God gives her the grace to persist as a woman of prayer and she praises God. Her daily relationship with God year after year shapes her whole person. She is both strong and sensitive. Today, in this fragile baby, Anna is able to recognize God's powerful presence in the world.
Is there anything in life for which I long, for which I deeply hope?
Lord, open my eyes to recognize Your presence in my life. May my relationship with You shape who I am.
Chúng ta không cần phải lo sợ về những yếu đuối và sự sa ngã của mình. Chúng ta không phải sống trong nỗi sợ hãi của bản án đã định sẵn. Chúng ta có một người bạn và người anh luôn luôn đem ánh sáng làm rực một con đường cho chúng ta đi. Ngài luôn mong chờ để chào đón chúng ta và Ngài sẽ giúp chúng ta trong cuộc hành trình của chúng ta về nhà Chúa .
Trước hết, khi Thiên Chúa bước vào ngôi đền thờ, như một em bé yếu đuối, bất lực. Ngài đã tiếp xúc với tất cả những mối nguy hiểm đang đe dọa trẻ em trong độ tuổi rằng: chiến tranh, nạn đói, bệnh tật, và bạo lực. Nhưng ông Simeon đã công nhận rằng Ngài sẽ là ơn cứu rỗi, là niềm vui cho nhiều người, nhưng Ngài cũng làm cho nhiều người phải khó chịu vì Ngài là mối đe dọa cho người khác.
Tóm lại, Thiên Chúa đối với chúng ta, Ngài không chống lại chúng ta, Nhưng trong thực tế, Thiên Chúa là một người trong nhóm chúng ta. Chúng ta không bao giờ phải sợ hãi hay cảm thấy bị cô đơn.
Lạy Chúa,
Lạy Chúa, Xin cho chúng con cùng bước đi với Ngài trong mọi cuộc hành trình của đời con.
The warning was clear: before the final times, God would send his messenger to warn people and to purify the nation. Although the intent was to purify, no one would look forward to it, as it would also be a time of reckoning. The Day of the Lord was always anticipated with a certain amount of dread or fear. As is often the case, things turned out differently.
First of all, when God came, it was in human form. Jesus became one of us, sharing in our human limitations and weaknesses in all things but sin. He was tested; he struggled; he suffered. All of this was for one purpose: so that he could be compassionate with us in our own failures and weaknesses. He understood what it was like to be human. He could relate to our experience through his own. We need not fear our failures and weaknesses. We do not have to live in dread of judgment. We have a friend and brother who has already blazed a path for us. He waits to welcome us and he helps us on the journey.
When God entered the temple, it was as a frail human child. He was exposed to all the dangers that threatened children in that age: war, famine, disease, and violence. But Simeon recognized that his coming would be joyful salvation for many, but very upsetting and threatening for others. The bottom line: God is for us, not against us — in fact, God is one of us. We need not ever fear or feel alone. Lord, walk with me on my journey.
“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” Luke 2:29–32
At the time of Jesus’ birth, there was a man named Simeon who had spent his whole life preparing for one significant moment. Like all faithful Jews at the time, Simeon was waiting for the coming Messiah. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would indeed see the Messiah before his death—and so this happened when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the Temple to offer Him to the Lord as an infant.
Try to imagine the scene. Simeon had lived a holy and devout life. And deep within his conscience, he knew that his life on earth would not come to an end until he was privileged to see the Savior of the World with his own eyes. He knew this by a special gift of faith, an interior revelation of the Holy Spirit, and he believed.
It’s helpful to think about this unique gift of knowledge that Simeon had throughout his life. Normally we gain knowledge through our five senses. We see something, hear something, taste, smell, or feel something, and as a result come to know it to be true. Physical knowledge is very reliable and is the normal way we come to know things. But this gift of knowledge Simeon had was different. It was deeper and was spiritual in nature. He knew he would see the Messiah before he died, not because of some external sensory perception he had received but because of an interior revelation from the Holy Spirit.
This truth begs the question, which type of knowledge is more certain? Something you see with your eyes, touch, smell, hear or taste? Or something that God speaks to you in the depths of your soul by a revelation of grace? Though these types of knowledge are different, it’s important to understand that the spiritual knowledge that is given by the Holy Spirit is far more certain than anything perceived through the five senses alone. This spiritual knowledge has the power to change your life and direct all your actions toward that revelation.
For Simeon, this interior knowledge of a spiritual nature suddenly united with his five senses when Jesus was brought into the Temple. Simeon suddenly saw, heard and felt this Child Whom he knew he would one day see with his own eyes and touch with his own hands. For Simeon, that moment was the culminating moment of his life.
Reflect, today, upon anything that our Lord has spoken to you in the depths of your soul. Too often we ignore His gentle voice as it speaks, preferring instead to live only in the sensory world. But the spiritual reality within us must become the center and foundation of our lives. It is there where God speaks, and it is there where we, too, will discover the central purpose and meaning of our lives.
My spiritual Lord, I thank You for the countless ways in which You speak to me day and night in the depths of my own soul. Help me to be always attentive to You and to Your gentle voice as You speak to me. May Your voice and Your voice alone become the guiding direction of my life. May I trust in Your Word and never waver from the mission You have given to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I open my heart to receive the power of your Spirit flowing from your heart into mine. I wish to carry it zealously as a light from my heart to my family, to my friends, to the weak and empty of heart. With the fire of your love in me, I want to acknowledge you as true light and as the glory and splendor of every human person. I long to be filled with a consuming love for you.
Trong thế giới nhộn nhịp và hối hả của chúng ta hôm nay, chúng ta ít người có đủ thời giờ để cầu nguyện trong yên tịnh. Trong lời cầu nguyện của họ, Thiên Chúa đã hứa với ông Simeon và bà Anna rằng họ sẽ nhìn thấy Đấng Cứu Thế trước khi họ nhắm mắt. Và hôm nay Họ đã nhận được phần thưởng đó là đã nhìn thấy được Thiên Chúa của họ, " "Giờ đây, lạy Chúa, xin thả tôi tớ Người về, chiếu theo lời Người trong bình an, Bởi chưng mắt tôi đã thấy ơn Người cứu độ." (Lc 2: 29)
For centuries, the people of God waited for God’s messenger, the one who would usher in the final days. Malachi described him as one that would purify the temple and priesthood. He would come in the spirit of Elijah, and prepare the people to meet God. In the New Testament, he was associated with John the Baptist.
We all wait expectantly, but patience is difficult for most people. Jesus asks us to be prepared always, so that we might be ready to meet him whenever he comes. Jesus is a compassionate and faithful high priest because he suffered and struggled, and his testing was real. He is like us in all things but sin. Our own suffering and struggle should make us compassionate and merciful towards others, just like Jesus. The Lord entered the temple, as the prophecy in Malachi promised. Jesus was presented to the Lord and the proper offering made, in accordance with Jewish law.
Two individuals — Anna and Simeon — recognized Jesus and proclaimed him. They had been waiting patiently and attentively — and that is a mark of holiness. They listened and watched with great sensitivity and attention, without distraction. Their vigilance was rewarded, just as ours will be, when we learn to wait on the Lord. Lord, teach me to wait patiently.
Mỗi người trong chúng ta được Thiên Chúa đưa vào một cuộc sống riêng của mỗi người với một mục đích riêng và rõ ràng. Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta được chứng kiến cảnh Đức mẹ và Thánh Giuse dâng Chúa Giêsu trong đền thờ, và Thiên Chúa đã ban cho mỗi người một vai trò cụ thể như những người được nhắc tới trong Tin Mừng.
Qua người đạo đức như ông Simeon và và bà tiên tri Anna Thiên Chúa cho chúng ta thấy rõ ràng rằng Chúa Giêsu thật sự là Đấng Cứu Thế như lời Ngài đã hứa qua các Tiên Tri. Ông Simeon và bà Anna cũng nhắc nhở chúng ta về giá trị của sự im lặng và cầu nguyện: họ cống hiến cuộc đời mình để cầu nguyện trước mặt Thiên Chúa. Trong thế giới nhộn nhịp và hối hả của chúng ta hôm nay, ít người trong chúng ta có đủ thời giờ để cầu nguyện trong yên tịnh. Trong lời cầu nguyện của Ông Simeon và bà Anna, Thiên Chúa đã hứa với họ rằng họ sẽ nhìn thấy Đấng Cứu Thế trước khi họ nhắm mắt. Và hôm nay Ông Simeon và bà Anna đã nhận được phần thưởng đó là đã được nhìn thấy Thiên Chúa của họ, "Giờ đây, lạy Chúa, xin cho tôi tớ Chúa được ra đi trong bình an chiếu theo như lời Chúa phán, Bởi vì mắt con đã được nhìn thấy ơn Người cứu độ." (Lc 2: 29)
Every individual God puts in our lives has a definite purpose. In the Gospel about the Presentation of Jesus God gives such specific roles to key people.
Through the pious man Simeon and the prophetess Anna God makes clear that Jesus indeed is the promised Messiah. Simeon and Anna also remind us of the value of silence and prayer: they devote their lives to prayer before God.
In our fast-paced world, we have little time for quiet and prayer. In their prayer God promised Simeon and Anna that they would see the Messiah. They were richly rewarded, "Now, O Lord, you can dismiss your servant in peace, for you have fulfilled your word and my eyes have seen your salvation." (Lk 2: 29)
The Gospel tells us that in silence and prayer we find God.
Feb 2, 2019 Presentation of the Lord
Forty days after Christmas, we celebrate Jesus being brought to the house of God, the Temple, for the first time.
We have a record of Christians celebrating this event as early as the Fourth Century. In the Eighth Century Pope Sergius included a candlelight procession as part of the celebrations and so this feast has also come to be known as Candlemas.
Israel has been waiting for centuries, longing for a savior to come. Simeon does not give up yeaning. He is able to hold great hope that God’s promise of salvation will someday be fulfilled. It is the Holy Spirit that allows Simeon to recognize that God’s promise is coming to fulfillment in the person of this little infant.
Anna is a model of faithfulness to God. It must not have been easy for her to live as a widow, likely for more than fifty years. Yet God gives her the grace to persist as a woman of prayer and she praises God. Her daily relationship with God year after year shapes her whole person. She is both strong and sensitive. Today, in this fragile baby, Anna is able to recognize God's powerful presence in the world.
Is there anything in life for which I long, for which I deeply hope?
Lord, open my eyes to recognize Your presence in my life. May my relationship with You shape who I am.
Feb 2, 2020 Presentation of the Lord
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