Chúng ta sống trong một nền văn hóa bị loại bỏ hơn 3.000 năm về trước, từ thời Giacóp (Israel). Tuy nhiên, chúng ta có thể tự hỏi tại sao ông Giacóp đã thiên vị ông Giuse hơn anh em của ông một cách rất rõ ràng trong thanh thiên bạch nhật. Nhưng ông có biết đâu những gì là hậu quả mà có thể có xẩy cho người con “cưng” của ông như sự oán giận, ghen ghét, và thậm chí cả sự thù hận? Một số nhà bình luận Kinh Thánh nhắc nhở chúng ta rằng các tổ phụ của thời Cựu Ước, mặc dù họ là những công cụ trong việc thực hiện kế hoạch của Thiên Chúa cho dân riêng của Ngài, nhưng là con người, họ cũng vẫn có những sai sót của con người. Điều quan trọng hơn là các Giáo Phụ đã nhanh chóng nhận ra những biểu tượng và những mầu nhiệm được tiên báo về Chúa Kitô trong Thánh Kinh của người Do Thái.
Như tình yêu của ông Giacóp dành cho ông Giuse là biểu tượng tình yêu của Chúa Cha đối với người con yêu dấu của Ngài, vì vậy ông Giuse là hình ảnh của Chúa Kitô (được tiên đoán) . Ông Giuse đã bị chối bỏ và loại trừ bởi anh em của ông ta, nhưng cuối cùng ông ta đã trở thành nền tảng cho những người Do Thái ở Ai Cập, trong một nghĩa nào đó, vì vậy những người Pharesêu, Biệt phái và luật sĩ người Do Thái đã ghén ghét, hành hạ và chối bỏ Chúa Giêsu, nhưng rồi Ngài đã trở thành mãi mãi là nền tảng của Giáo Hội. (Mt 21:42) Ông Giuse đã không chỉ đơn thuần là được yêu thích, ưa chuộng bởi cha mình vì là "con của mình trong lúc tuổi đã già ." Nhưng ông Giuse cũng đã có một giá trị đức hạnh và có lẽ vì thế mà ông được Thiên Chúa ban cho mình những ân sủng đặc biệt của Ngài. Theo Thánh Ambrose trong bài Giảng về Sách Sáng Thế đoạn 61.3 đã nói là: đức hạnh và ân sủng này có thể được coi là lý do chính cho vấn đề đặc biệt của ông Giacóp đã dành cho người con trai của ông là ông Giuse. Một vị thánh khác gần gũi hơn với chúng ta trong thời dại này là Thánh Têrêxa Hài Đồng thành Lisieux, có nhắc nhở chúng ta rằng Thiên Chúa yêu thương mỗi người chúng ta vô cùng, mặc dù Ngài chỉ lựa chọn ra một số người cho một mục đích đặc biệt nào đó mà sẽ đem lại tình yêu của Ngài cho tất cả.
"Khi [tạo vật thiển cận ] thấy một linh hồn giác ngộ hơn những người khác, họ kết luận rằng Chúa Giêsu yêu thương họ ít hơn linh hồn này .... Kể từ khi có Chúa, mình không còn có quyền sử dụng một trong những tạo vật của Ngài để phân chia những dinh dưỡng cần thiết cho những linh hồn mà Ngài yêu thương? "(Truyện Một Tâm Hồn, St Theresa thành Lisieux, Ch. 11, 4)
As Jacob's love for Joseph represents the Father's love for His only begotten Son, so Joseph prefigures Christ. As Joseph was rejected by his brothers but ultimately became, in a sense, the cornerstone for the Israelite people in Egypt, so Jesus was rejected by the Jewish high priests and Pharisees and became, forever, the cornerstone of the Church. ( Matthew 21:42) Joseph was not simply favored by his father as "the child of his old age." Joseph was highly virtuous and perhaps exuded an aura of being touched by God's grace. According to St. Ambrose (Homilies on Genesis 61.3), this virtue and grace can be seen as the primary reason for Jacob's special regard for his son Joseph. Another saint closer to us in time, St. Therese of Lisieux, reminds us that God loves each of us infinitely, even though He singles out some for a special purpose that brings His love to all:
"When [narrow-minded creatures] see a soul more enlightened than others, they conclude that Jesus loves them less than this soul. . . . Since when has the Lord no longer the right to make use of one of His creatures to dispense necessary nourishment to souls whom He loves?" (St. Theresa of Lisieux, Story of a Soul, Ch. 11, 4)
- Lawrence Martone, OCDS
“Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” Matthew 21:42
Are you among those from whom the Kingdom of God will be taken away? Or among those to whom it will be given so as to produce good fruit? This is an important question to sincerely answer.
The first grouping of people, those who will have the Kingdom of God taken away from them, are represented in this parable by the tenants of the vineyard. It is clear that one of their greatest sins is greed. They are selfish. They see the vineyard as a place through which they can enrich themselves and care little about the good of others. Sadly, this mind frame is easy to adopt in our own lives. It’s easy to see life as a series of opportunities for us to “get ahead.” It’s easy to approach life in a way that we are constantly looking out for ourselves rather than sincerely seeking the good of others.
The second grouping of people, those to whom the Kingdom of God will be given so that it will produce good fruit, are those who understand that the central purpose of life is not to simply enrich themselves but to share the love of God with others. These are the people who are constantly looking for ways that they can be a true blessing to others. It’s the difference between selfishness and generosity.
But the generosity to which we are primarily called is to build up the Kingdom of God. This is done through works of charity, but it must be a charity that is motivated by the Gospel and has the Gospel as its ultimate end. Caring for the needy, teaching, serving and the like are all good only when Christ is the motivation and end goal. Our lives must make Jesus more known and loved, more understood and followed. In fact, even if we were to feed a multitude of people in poverty, care for those who were sick, or visit those who were lonely, but did it for reasons other than to ultimately share the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then our work would not produce the good fruit of building up the Kingdom of Heaven. In that case, we would only be philanthropists rather than missionaries of the love of God.
Reflect, today, upon the mission given to you by our Lord to produce an abundance of good fruit for the upbuilding of His Kingdom. Know that this can only be accomplished by prayerfully seeking out the way God is inspiring you to act. Seek to serve His will alone so that all you do will be for God’s glory and the salvation of souls.
My glorious King, I pray that Your Kingdom will grow and that many souls will come to know You as their Lord and God. Use me, dear Lord, for the upbuilding of that Kingdom and help all my actions in life to bear abundant and good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
“Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.” Luke 15:22–24
This was the reaction of the faithful son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Recall that after squandering his inheritance, the Prodigal Son returns home humiliated and poor, asking his father if he will take him back and treat him as if he were a hired hand. But the father surprises him and throws a huge party for the son to celebrate his return. But the father’s other son, the one who remained with him throughout the years, would not join in the celebration.
Was it fair that the father killed the fatted calf and threw this large party to celebrate his wayward son’s return? Was it fair that that same father apparently never even gave his faithful son a young goat to feast on with his friends? The right answer is that this is the wrong question.
It’s easy for us to live in such a way that we always want things to be “fair.” And when we perceive that another receives more than us, we can get angry and bitter. But asking whether or not this is fair is not the right question. When it comes to the mercy of God, God’s generosity and goodness far exceed what is perceived as fair. And if we are to share in the abundant mercy of God, we too must learn to rejoice in His superabundant mercy.
In this story, the act of mercy given to his wayward son was exactly what that son needed. He needed to know that no matter what he had done in the past, his father loved him and rejoiced in his return. Therefore, this son needed an abundance of mercy, partly to reassure him of his father’s love. He needed this extra consolation so as to become convinced that he made the right choice in returning.
The other son, the one who had remained faithful throughout the years, was not treated unfairly. Rather, his discontent came from the fact that he himself lacked the same abundant mercy present in the heart of his father. He failed to love his brother to the same extent and, therefore, failed to see the need to offer this consolation to his brother as a way of helping him understand he was forgiven and welcomed back. Mercy is very demanding and far exceeds what we may at first perceive as rational and just. But if we desire to receive mercy in abundance, we must be ready and willing to offer it to those who need it the most.
Reflect, today, upon how merciful and generous you are willing to be, especially toward those who do not appear to deserve it. Remind yourself that the life of grace is not about being fair; it’s about being generous to a shocking extent. Commit yourself to this depth of generosity toward all and look for ways that you can console another’s heart with the mercy of God. If you do, that generous love will also bless your heart in abundance.
My most generous Lord, You are compassionate beyond what I can fathom. Your mercy and goodness far exceed what any of us deserve. Help me to be eternally grateful for Your goodness and help me to offer that same depth of mercy to those in most need. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, give me eyes to see and ears to hear your words. Teach me to see as you see, to listen as you listen, to love as you love.
2. Eyes to See: In Matthew 11:15, Jesus says, “Anyone who has ears should listen!” And again in Matthew 13:16, he says, “Blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear!” His message is clear: eyes and ears open! In today’s passage, Jesus says directly, “Hear another parable.” And the parable concludes: “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables…” No doubt about it, they comprehended his meaning. Their understanding of Jesus’s message was, in fact, the basis for their hatred of him. And what did we find the tenants of the parable doing, just before they killed the son? They saw him. Seeing and hearing go both ways—one way to life and the other way to death. Choose life, choose the works of the Lord, for they are “wonderful in our eyes.”
3. Vision of Love: The English word “respect” comes from the Latin “respicio/ respicere,” meaning “to look back at,” or more generally, “to regard” or “to respect.” Both “regard” and “respect” appear in this passage; the landowner thinks, “They will respect my son,” and Jesus’s listeners “regarded him as a prophet.” How do we see Jesus? If we want to see as God sees, Jesus tells us where to look: “Did you never read in the Scriptures?” he asked. His listeners learned in the Scripture passage Jesus quoted that he is the cornerstone, rejected by the builders. We also learn what God wants us to know when we read, reflect, and pray with the Scriptures.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart! I want to see anew all that you have done and continue to do to help me, bless me, give me your grace, and save me. We are your vineyard, the apple of your eye.
Opening Prayer: Lord, you were speaking to the elders and Pharisees, but please open my heart to the message you also have for me in these moments of prayer. I want to be a good tenant.
1. Jesus Addressed the Elders: Throughout his ministry, Jesus never ceased to warn and admonish the Elders and Pharisees because their very lives were in danger, and no one knew it better than Jesus did. Here, Jesus was trying to reach them with yet “another parable.” It was as if he was pleading with them to take heed. In some ways, Jesus’ persistent efforts to reach them can console us as we fervently pray for fallen-away family members or friends. We may grow weary of praying and sacrificing for them but Jesus never ceases to offer the means for their salvation. As he reminds us in another Gospel passage, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is always looking for his lost sheep.
In the first reading, we read about Joseph and his brothers, how the latter hated him because of jealousy and how they threw him into a well before selling him to a group of Ishmaelites who brought him to Egypt. This reading shows how hatred can lead people to do horrible things to others, even to one's own kin. Cain killed Abel, Saul wanted to kill David, etc. There are so many similar stories of hatred and violence in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the Pharisees hated Jesus and wanted to kill him. Eventually they were successful.
In the gospel, Jesus speaks about a parable in which the tenants of a vineyard kill the servants of the owner whom he has sent to collect the farm produce. Jesus was alluding to the prophets and holy men of the Old Testament who were killed by the faithless Jews. Hatred is a very serious and real emotion. We all have experienced it in our lives. Oftentimes we hate people who have mistreated us, those people we don't like or simply those whom we envy. Whatever the reason, hatred is a mortal sin. Once we realize that our hatred is destroying the image of God in us, we are called to repent of it. Man is called to love and not to hate. The owner of the vineyard did just that. He kept on sending his servants to make sure that the tenants will give fruits of goodness and holiness. But they just killed them. Finally, the owner sent His Son to them. God invites us to always reach out to our enemies, to the people we dislike or even hate. He does not want us to remain in our sins. He wants us to be free of grudges, animosity, jealousy and rancor. The question is do we want to let go of our hate and anger or do we want to continue with our sins? We must contemplate His love for us when He sent His Son to save us from our sins. God loves us. Do we want to remain in His love?
Perhaps you have noticed that this week, we have seen a lot of death and almost-death. Abraham was going to kill Isaac. Yesterday, Lazarus and the rich man both died. Today, Joseph’s brothers were going to kill him, the favorite son of Jacob, and, in the Gospel parable, the landowner’s son is killed. This all culminates tomorrow in the parable of the Prodigal Son whom the father says was dead and is now alive again. This is all symbolic of Jesus, which his prophesy makes clear. Jesus is the beloved son who was sacrificed. Jesus was our brother who we killed because we were jealous of how much our Father loved him. We know that we will die. Some people live with that knowledge more present to them than others. When we are healthy, we rarely think of death. When we are young, death seems as impossible as growing old. Yet death will come. Death is the universal human experience. We speak different languages; we eat different foods; we live under different governments; but everyone has died or will die. Death is a brick wall that no one can go through. It ends every project, every hope, every plan. Is it impolite to speak about death? If we ignore it, will it go away?
No. We will acknowledge death. We will spend 40 days preparing to die, for we are in the season devoted to death. By fasting and almsgiving we are trying to let go of this world. By prayer we are grasping at the world to come. These days culminate in the Easter Triduum, which begins with the dying and death of Jesus Christ. Death is not the end. The Triduum ends in resurrection. \
The master sent servant after servant to collect the harvest, but some they mistreated and others they killed, but the master did not give up on the land. He sent his son and they killed him too. What will the master do? He will raise his son from the dead and continue trying to get the fruit he desires. Nothing will stop the master from getting what he wants. He is relentless. He is unbeatable. The love of God is unstoppable.
Today, Jesus, with the parable of the homicidal tenants, speaks about the betrayal of trust; He compares the vineyard to the people of Israel and the wine growers to the chiefs of the chosen people. Them, and in them, all of Abraham's descendants, have been entrusted with the kingdom of God, but they have embezzled the heritage: «Therefore I say to you: the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a people who will yield a harvest» (Mt 21:43).
At the beginning of Matthew's Gospel, the Good News seems to be addressed only to the people of Israel. Already in the Old Covenant, the chosen people, had the mission of announcing and bringing salvation to all other nations. But Israel has been unfaithful to its mission. Jesus, the intermediate of the New Covenant, will gather around him the twelve Apostles, a symbol of the “new” Israel, called to yield a harvest of fruits of eternal life and to announce their salvation to all the other peoples.
This new Israel is the Church, all the baptized. We have received in the person of Jesus and in his message, a most unique gift we must make bear fruit. We cannot resign ourselves to an individualist and shortsighted experience of our faith; we must transmit it and give it to anyone who may come close. Hence, we can derive that the first fruit is to live our faith in the warmth of our family, that of the Christian community. That will be easy, «for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them» (Mt 18:20).
But ours is an open Christian community, that is, basically missionary (second fruit). Because of the strength and beauty of the Resurrected “in the midst of us”, the community is appealing in all its gestures and acts, and each one of its members has the capacity to beget men and women to the new life of the Resurrected. And a third fruit, is for us to live with the conviction and certitude that we can find in the Gospel the solution to all our problems. Let's live in the saint Fear of God, lest the Kingdom of Heaven be taken from us and given to others.
Since its earliest days, the Christian church has recognized a harmony between the Old and New Testaments. The apostles sought to understand how the ancient Hebrew Scriptures pointed to Jesus as the Messiah. The early Church Fathers then recognized that the mystery of Christ that is hidden in the Old Testament comes fully alive in the New.
Many realities described in the Old Testament—people, events, places, or other details—anticipate realities fully revealed in the New. Scholars call them “types,” or prefigurements, of Christ.
The story of Joseph gives us one of the most stirring Old Testament “types” of Jesus. Joseph, a favorite son of Jacob, was despised by his brothers, who decided to sell him into slavery in Egypt. But Joseph eventually became the instrument God used to save his family from famine: “Even though you meant harm to me,” Joseph later told his brothers, “God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20).
It’s not hard to see how many Church Fathers read Joseph’s story as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ life and God’s plan of salvation. Just look at the many parallels between the two: both were favored sons of a loving father. Both experienced rejection from some of their own people. Both were sold for silver. Both were falsely accused and imprisoned. Both were unexpectedly exalted—Joseph to Pharaoh’s throne and Jesus to the throne of God. And both provided salvation for the chosen people as well as the Gentiles around them.
Learning how people, prophecies, and events in the Old Testament find fulfillment in Jesus can help us come to a deeper grasp of the salvation that he has won for us. It can help us grasp the marvelous plan of God. It can fill us with love for our Father, who has set his grand plan in motion. So as the season of Lent unfolds, look for Jesus’ “footprints” in the Old Testament readings at Mass. As you do, you’ll see how much God loves his people—including you. You’ll see that God has planned great and glorious things for you. Your life is secure in him!
“Jesus, you are the Lord of history. Thank you for opening my eyes to your wonderful plan for our salvation!”
Meditation: "They will respect my son"
What is the message of the parable of the vineyard? Jesus’ story about an absentee landlord and his not-so-good tenants would have made sense to his audience. The hills of Galilee were lined with numerous vineyards, and it was quite common for the owners to let out their estates to tenants. Many did it for the sole purpose of collecting rent.Why did Jesus' story about wicked tenants cause offense to the scribes and Pharisees? It contained both a prophetic message and a warning. Isaiah had spoken of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord" (Isaiah 5:7). Jesus' listeners would likely understand this parable as referring to God's dealing with a stubborn and rebellious people.
This parable speaks to us today as well. It richly conveys some important truths about God and the way he deals with his people. First, it tells us of God's generosity and trust. The vineyard is well equipped with everything the tenants need. The owner went away and left the vineyard in the hands of the tenants. God, likewise trusts us enough to give us freedom to run life as we choose. This parable also tells us of God's patience and justice. Not once, but many times he forgives the tenants their debts. But while the tenants take advantage of the owner's patience, his judgment and justice prevail in the end.
Jesus foretold both his death and his ultimate triumph. He knew he would be rejected and be killed, but he also knew that would not be the end. After rejection would come glory – the glory of resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father. The Lord blesses his people today with the gift of his kingdom. And he promises that we will bear much fruit if we abide in him (see John 15:1-11). He entrusts his gifts and grace to each of us and he gives us work to do in his vineyard – the body of Christ. He promises that our labor will not be in vain if we persevere with faith to the end (see 1 Corinthians 15:58). We can expect trials and even persecution. But in the end we will see triumph. Do you labor for the Lord with joyful hope and with confidence in his victory?
"Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have given us; for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us. O most merciful redeemer, friend, and brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, for your own sake." (prayer of St. Richard of Chichester, 13th century)
No comments:
Post a Comment