Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 5 Mùa Chay. (Jn 10:31-42)

  Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta cũng thấy Chúa Giêsu đã phải trải qua những hậu quả, những cuộc xung đột với người Do Thái vì họ đã phản ứng mạnh với lời giáo huấn của Ngài về sự hiệp nhất giữa Ngài với Chúa Cha là Thiên Chúa của họ. Đối với họ đó là lời xúc phạm. Họ đã chứng kiến ​​những việc lành Chúa Giêsu đả làm, nhưng tâm trí của họ đã bị che mờ với sự bướng bỉnh của họ trong sự ích kỷ, tự hào và thiếu hiểu biết và cũng như sự quan hệ của họ với Thiên Chúa.
            Chúng ta đang bị thử thách để suy gẫm về việc đem rao truyền lời Chúa của chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy tự đặt câu hỏi cho chính mình là: Tại sao trong số những người mà chúng ta đã phục vụ và tiếp xúc mỗi ngày vẫn cò có người chưa nhận ra tình yêu của Thiên Chúa? Những thách thức này có thể là một lời mời gọi chúng ta hãy tự kiểm tra mối quan hệ của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa. Thánh Gioan Tẩy Giả là một ví dụ tốt để cho chúng ta làm gương vì tháng Gioan đã chỉ đường những người khác đến với Chúa Giêsu và họ tin vào Chúa và chịu phép Rửa. Đây chính là những thử thách khó kăn cho tất cả chúng ta trong các công việc mục vụ của chúng ta. Trong Mùa Chay này, Xin Chúa hướng dẫn chúng ta có một mối quan hệ mật thiết hơn với Thiên Chúa nhiều hơn và để nhờ ân sũng này mà chúng ta có thể suy gẫm thêm về những mối quan hệ của chúng ta với những người khác. "Lạy Chúa, Xin dẫn đưa chúng con luôn đến với Chúa cho dù là trong lời kinh cầu nguyện hay trong những việc làm việc bác ái hằng ngày.”
 
Reflection SG 2-16
Jesus in the Gospel account also experienced the consequences of the conflict of the Jews who reacted strongly to Jesus’ claim of his unity with Father God. For them it was blasphemy. They witnessed the good works of Jesus, yet their minds were clouded with their own stubbornness in their understanding and relationship with God.    We are challenged to reflect on our own works of ‘evangelization’. If the people whom we serve and reach out to do not recognize God’s love, it may be an invitation to examine our relationship with God. We have a good example in John the Baptist who led the people to Jesus and they believed. This is a challenge to all of us in ministries.
            Let this Lenten season lead us into a more intimate relationship with God so that this may reflect in our relationships with others.  “Lord, lead us to You always whether in prayer or work especially works of charity.”
 
 
-Entering the Desert
“If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” John 10:37–39
These words spoken by Jesus took place during the feast of the Dedication in Jerusalem. Jesus had been preaching clearly about His relationship with the Father in Heaven, and this was causing some to become outraged to the point of them trying to arrest Him right then and there. But He escaped and went back into the wilderness where He had been baptized by John. As Jesus remained there in the desert, many people came to Him to be with Him and to listen to His words. As they listened, they began to believe.
It’s interesting to note the contrast of reactions. In Jerusalem within the Temple area, among large crowds gathered for the feast of Dedication, Jesus was increasingly rejected and persecuted. But when He returned to the desert and people had to come to see Him, they listened and believed. This contrast presents us with one way in which we will more easily grow in our faith and help others grow in their faith. Specifically, we are invited to go into the “desert” to encounter our Lord, away from the busyness of life, and we must also invite others to join us in such a journey.
It’s true that, while in Jerusalem, there were people who happened to stumble upon Jesus as He was teaching and were moved by His word and came to believe. But it’s also clear that, when people had to commit to the effort of seeking Him out in a deserted place, His words were even more transformative.
In our own lives, within the ordinary activities of life, such as regular attendance at Mass, we will be given the opportunity to hear the Gospel and deepen our life of faith. But all of us need to take time to seek Jesus out “in the wilderness,” so to speak, so as to be even more disposed to hear Him and believe. These “desert experiences” come in many forms. Perhaps it’s an experience as simple as going into your room alone to pray and ponder the Word of God. Or perhaps it’s a participation in a Bible study, an online devotional program, or parish catechesis event. Or perhaps it’s the choice to go away for a weekend or longer for a guided retreat where all you do for some time is pray and listen to our Lord.
Throughout history, saint after saint has shown us the value of going off to pray to be with our Lord, in a place where the many other distractions of life and the many voices of the world are silenced, so that God can speak to the heart and so that we can more fully respond.
Reflect, today, upon the invitation Jesus is giving you to go out to meet Him in the wilderness. Where is that place? How can you accomplish this short journey while keeping up with the important duties of life? Do not hesitate to seek out the desert to which our Lord is calling you, so that you will be able to meet Him there, listen to His voice, and respond with complete generosity.
My Lord Jesus, You are calling me to enter deeper into a relationship of love with You, my divine Lord. Give me the grace I need to say “Yes” to You and to enter into the desert of silence and prayer I need so as to hear Your voice. Draw me to You, my Lord, and help me to more fully believe all that You wish to say. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent  
Opening Prayer: Lord, as I begin these moments of prayer, reaffirm in my heart that I belong to you. I am a child of the Almighty!
Encountering Christ:
1.      In Control: Unlike the synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of John is highly theological and loaded with symbolism intent on convincing the reader that Jesus is God. In these verses, Jesus was accused of blasphemy because he told the Jews that he and the Father are one. Blasphemy was a sin punishable by death. When they tried to stone him and arrest him, Jesus, full of divine power, simply walked away from the angry mob and back to the river Jordan to continue his work. Jesus was in full control. He knew exactly when and where his ultimate sacrifice would be made, and it was not to be this day. He had more work to do.
2.      Never Wavered: Christ showed by his words and actions that he was aware of who he was—the one whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world. He had been given a mission from the Father and would carry it out until his last breath. This consciousness of his divine Sonship led him to confidently and courageously stand up to attacks against his person. We received a new identity at our baptism. We became, once and for all, children of God. Having confidence in our filial relationship to God, we too can courageously face life’s obstacles. “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name...” (John 1:12).
3.      Works versus Words: Christ invited the doubting Jews to look at his body of work and not what he had said. Words can often be argued with, but actions speak for themselves. It was almost as if Christ was pleading with them to acknowledge the truth of his message. Their response? They stepped forward to arrest him. Sometimes we’re called to speak out, and sometimes we’re called to act on behalf of the Gospel. Like Jesus, even when we have been completely docile to the Holy Spirit, the souls we’re trying to reach, of their own free will, may reject us and the mission we attempt to fulfill. 
Conversing with Christ: I will face many difficulties in the living of my faith. When I experience struggles, help me to look back on what you have done for me. You make me who I am. I am your beloved child. I am resistant to all obstacles when I remember this.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray the Lord’s Prayer five times throughout the day, focusing on the first words, “Our Father.”