Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy tuần thứ 6th Mùa Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy tuần thứ 6th Mùa Thường Niên
Sự chữa lành cậu bé bị quỷ ám tương phản với sự thiếu sức mạnh và quyền năng của Chúa Giêsu. Rõ ràng, Chúa Giêsu đang đau khổ. Lời của Ngài nói ra hôm nay thể hiện sự chán nản; Ngài cảm thấy cô đơn một mình, bị hiểu lầm, không ai nhận ra được sự đau khổ của Ngài. Ngay cả những người môn đệ của Ngài cũng không có lòng tin. Trong thời điểm này, Chúa Giêsu rất lo lắng khi phải rời xa những người Chung quanh, Ngàiv không còn chịu nổi cái cảnh này. Điều này có thể giúp chúng ta hiểu rõ tâm hồn của Chúa Giêsu. Chúng ta thấy Ngài cũng chỉ là con người bình thường như chúng ta cũng cảm thấy nản lòng.
Điều Chúa Giêsu đòi hỏi ở nơi chúng ta hôm nay là đức tin. Niềm tin là những gì Ngài đòi hỏi nơi những người xung quanh. Nỗi đau khổ lớn lao của Chúa đang bị bao vây bởi những người thiếu lòng tin, khi Ngài biết rằng đã có bao nhiêu phép lạ Ngài đã làm thật kỳ diệu để giúp họ thêm lòng tin cho họ. Cha của cậu bé đã hiểu được điều này, và đã mau mắn chạy đến với Chúa Giêsu, và tỏ bày một đức tin đáng ngưỡng mộ. Đức tin của người cha chứa đầy sự khiêm tốn, kính phục. Ông nói: "Vâng, con tin. Nhưng lạy Chúa, xin Chúa giúp làm tăng niềm tin yếu đuối ở nơi con, vì con cảm thấy rằng con lòng tin của con quá yếu đuối."
Sức mạnh của đức tin ngang với sức mạnh của lời cầu nguyện. Đức tin khiêm tốn và lời cầu nguyện có thể giải thoát chúng ta khỏi những sự lo lắng này. Chúng ta sẽ không có đức tin và sức mạnh của Chúa Thánh Thần để vượt qua những tệ nạn, những thử thách  xung quanh chúng ta, trừ khi chúng ta biết cầu nguyện thường xuyên
 
 
REFLECTION
The cure of the boy possessed by an evil spirit contrasts the disciple's lack of power and the power of Jesus.   Obviously, Jesus is suffering. His words express discouragement; he is alone, misunderstood, unrecognized. Even his disciples have no faith. At this point, Jesus is anxious to be away from this unbearable company. This makes us enter into the soul of Jesus. We see him as man who feels discouraged.
What Jesus requires of us is faith. Faith is what he asks of the people around him. His great suffering is to be surrounded by people who do not believe, when he knows how many marvels faith could work out for them. The boy's father guesses this, and on the prompting of Jesus, makes an admirable profession of faith. The   father's faith is filled with humility. He says: "Yes, I believe. But Lord, do increase my weak faith, for I feel that I do not believe enough." The power of faith is equal to the power of prayer. Humble faith and prayer can free us from this anxiety. Unless we pray regularly, we shall not have the faith and the consequent power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the evils around us.
 
Listen to Him
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Mark 9:2–3
The message of the Transfiguration must become, for each of us, a message that inspires the deepest hope throughout life. Through this event, the glory of God was revealed, the teachings of Moses and the prophets were confirmed, and the Father sent forth the only message we need to understand: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” If we can understand this truth and follow this command, we will eternally share in the glories the Transfiguration revealed.
To begin, consider the fact that this revelation, by which the human veil of Jesus’ flesh was lifted, left Peter and the other disciples in a state of holy awe. Peter wanted to remain on the mountain with His transfigured Lord forever. Contrast this to his choice to run when Jesus was arrested and then to deny he even knew Jesus. When he saw Jesus’ sacrifice begin, he ran and hid. But here, when he sees Jesus’ glory, he wants to remain with Him forever. 
The first lesson we can take from this passage is that it is much easier to embrace glory than sacrifice. It is much easier to choose that which gives consolation than that which results in fear and confusion. And though this is understandable from the perspective of fallen humanity, it is certainly something we must work to correct in our spiritual lives, just as Peter ultimately corrected in his life.
The Transfiguration was given to these disciples, in part, to help them down the road as the Father invited them to embrace a life of sacrifice. Eventually they would come face-to-face with their own crosses, and they would have to make a decision as to whether they would embrace those crosses out of love. Sacrifice means just that: embracing suffering out of love. One thing that helps one choose sacrificial love is a knowledge of what that sacrifice produces. That is what the Transfiguration provided. By seeing the transfigured glory of Jesus, Peter, James, and John were eventually able to deduce in their minds and hearts that the sacrifice that Jesus foretold would ultimately end in eternal glory.
Though you most likely have never had the experience of seeing the transfigured glory of Jesus with your own eyes, many have received spiritual consolations at various times in life. When this happens, we want them to remain. But they rarely do. Instead, God gives us just a glimpse of His glory so that we can hold on to that memory and use it when we need it the most. And those times will come when we listen to and obey the voice of the Father. “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Reflect, today, upon the fact that the Jesus Who is now in glory is that same Jesus Who walked the earth. He is the same Jesus Whose teachings are recorded in Scripture. The same Jesus Who suffered injustice. And the same Jesus Who rose victoriously. Our lives are filled with many experiences, as was true of Jesus. Therefore, the only way to unite every experience we have in life is to follow the command of the Father. “Listen to him.” Listen to the voice of the Savior. Follow Him up the mountain of consolation. Remain with Him through every suffering and cross. And listen to everything He teaches. If you do, one day you will, indeed, be invited to remain with Him in glory forever.
Transfigured Lord, along with Peter, I also desire to remain with You forever. Give me the grace I need to always remain with You, no matter where You lead. May I remain with You during every sacrifice I am asked to offer, every suffering I endure, and every consolation that blesses my soul. May I always listen to You and obey Your holy Word. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I climb the mountain (meaning I am going to the place of encounter) to learn what real prayer is. Like the disciples who are humbled by how you pray, but are desirous to learn, I turn to you with trust. I want to set all things aside and seek only to please you during this time of prayer.
Petition: Lord, teach me to pray.
1. Learning How to Be with Christ: Imagine the time the three were to have alone with Christ, a time of sweeping consolation and light. First, it was a time to climb, to ascend with prayer, to make the arduous trip. Being changed by Christ does not come by just “hanging around” him, passively watching him work in the lives of others. We must fight to open doors for him to enter. Is our prayer a climb to reach God, or does it forever circle the base of the mountain, fearful of the effort and stuck in mediocre thoughts? Are we making deep acts of faith, hope, and love to reach for the heights of union with him? Are we moving away from self-centeredness and earthly attachments towards a pure heart ready to receive the glory of God?
2. Getting That “Vision Thing”: What does a heart given to God receive from God? It receives a mysterious revelation of God’s glory, of the temporal, caught up in the eternal, of God’s awesome view of things. At the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John are given the complete picture. Christ reveals for a moment the glory of the things to come in the key of the things that have gone before. The three disciples, too, are given the vision also of their mission as it is taken up into his. What a consolation this is: to see so clearly what God sees, to take away all doubt before so much human weakness! If we could experience what God holds in his heart, we would know the glory and honor for which we struggle and fight. We would read the next chapter of salvation history that we, in our faithful service, are writing together with Christ. Without prayer, without the effort to delve into God’s thoughts, we will never see this.
3. Christian Prayer Is about Fulfillment: Tabor teaches the disciple how to cultivate a living experience of Christ in prayer and to know what the fruits of proper prayer are. The first effect of fruitful prayer is the revelation of God’s glory, his true beauty. This speaks of the power from above that acts as a grace within. “Let us build three booths….” Those booths speak of the true longing for God which must be protected by habits of virtue and reflective prayer. The second effect is a revelation of God’s plan for us. God’s plan for humanity is so beautiful; our vocation in life is also eminently beautiful. God’s plan may have its unexpected twists as we live it, but in as much as it is his plan and not our own, it is always beautiful. Third, fruitful prayer delivers a revelation of our destiny. Christ’s mission is only completely fulfilled in heaven. Our true home is in heaven, and under heaven’s power our heart’s desire is changed. This change transforms the present into a different type of faith experience. To have the wherewithal to win in this life, our ultimate victory must be set for heaven alone.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, without your influence acting in the depths of my interior life, my life will be forever empty. I make these words of the Veni Sancte Spiritus my own:
            Light most blessed, shine with grace
            in our heart’s most secret place,
            fill your faithful through and through!
            Left without your presence here,
            life itself would disappear,
            nothing thrives apart from you!
Resolution: I will fight especially any resistance to prayer, and I will strive to put into practice the resolutions that come from prayer.