Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần 4 Mùa Chay

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần 4 Mùa Chay. John 5:17-30

Qua bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, nếu chúng ta muốn biết Thiên Chúa đã đối xử với tội lỗi của nhân loại và trình trạng tội lỗi của chúng ta như thế nào, chúng ta hãy nhìn lên tượng Chúa Giêsu chịu nạn. Chúa Giêsu đã gánh chịu tội lỗi của chúng ta qua việc Ngài đã tự hiến Mình, chịu đóng đinhvà chịu chết trên thập giá. Chúa Giêsu là Thiên Chúa, Ngài có địa vị ngang hàng với Thiên Chúa nhưng vì tội lỗi của chúng ta và vì yêu thương chúng ta, Ngài đã xuống thế gian này để làm người phàm như chúng ta để cùng thông phần đau khổ với con người như chúng ta. Ngài thông cảm với những sự yếu kém tội lỗi của chúng ta để cứu chuộc chúng ta khỏi ách nô lệ tội lỗi. Ngài có quyền lực để tha thứ tội lỗi và để khôi phục mối quan hệ giữa chúng ta với Thiên Chúa, vì thế, Ngài đã phải trả một giá rất đắt cho tội lỗi của chúng ta, đó là cái chết nhục nhã trên thập giá.
            Chúa Giêsu đã nói: nếu chúng ta chấp nhận Ngài thì chúng ta phải chấp nhận sự sống trong Ngài; một cuộc sống hòa bình, dồi dào hạnh phúc với Thiên Chúa. Nhưng nếu chúng ta từ chối Ngài, thì chúng ta đã tự chọn cho mình cái chết; một cái chết vô tận cách biệt với một Thiên Chúa luôn có lòng thương xót và đầy nhân hậu. Chúng ta có muốn được sống một cuộc sống đầy đủ và phong phú mà Chúa hứa sẽ ban cho chúng ta? Hãy vững tin vào Thiên Chúa, hãy tin vàoLời hằng sống của Ngài, Vì Ngài là Lời và đã trở thành Con Người vì lợi ích và sự cứu rỗi của chúng ta, Chúng ta phải biết sẵn sàng chối bỏ bất cứ những gì đi ngược lại với Tin Mừng, Phúc Âm mà Chúa đã mang đến cho chúng ta.
            Lạy Chúa xin giúp cho chúng con hiểu được rằng sự phán xét của Ngài là mọi người có thể được sống trong tình yêu của Ngài.
 
Wednesday 4th week of Lent
The message of Our Lord Jesus today clearly reveals his true identity — he is the judge who will decide the fate of all human beings and also the source of life, through whom all the living come into being.  How could someone be judge and at the same time the source of living? Are these two compatibles? Yes they are.
            Jesus, the only just and highest judge, did not come to condemn anyone to death, but to save all human beings by dying on the cross. It is not the Lord who brings eternal death or penalty to anyone, but the person who has freely chosen to die, to deviate from the path of the Lord, to go against the commandment of the Lord. The Lord does not want anyone to perish: rather, he willingly and tirelessly gives life to all for He is the source of life. Therefore, do not lose hope and confidence in the Lord, no matter whatever state you are in, for all that the Lord wants of you is that you live forever.    Lord, make me understand that Your judgment is that all may live in Your love.
 
Wednesday 4th week of Lent 2023
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything that he himself does, and he will show him greater works than these, so that you may be amazed.” John 5:25–26
The most central and most glorious mystery of our faith is that of the Most Holy Trinity. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God yet three distinct Persons. As divine “Persons,” each one is distinct; but as one God, each Person acts in perfect union with the others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus clearly identifies the Father in Heaven as His Father and clearly states that He and His Father are one. For this reason, there were those who wanted to kill Jesus because He “called God his own father, making himself equal to God.”
The sad reality is that the greatest and most glorious truth of God’s inner life, the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, was one of the primary reasons that some chose to hate Jesus and sought His life. Clearly, it was their ignorance of this glorious truth that drove them to this hatred.
We call the Holy Trinity a “mystery,” not because they cannot be known but because our knowledge of Who They are can never be fully understood. For eternity, we will enter deeper and deeper into our knowledge of the Trinity and be “amazed” on a continually deepening level.
One additional aspect of the mystery of the Trinity is that each one of us is called to share in Their very life. We will forever remain distinct from God; but, as many of the early Church Fathers liked to say, we must become “divinized,” meaning, we must share in God’s divine life through our union of body and soul with Christ Jesus. That union also unites us with the Father and the Spirit. This truth should also leave us “amazed,” as we read in the passage above.
As we continue to read this week from the Gospel of John and continue to ponder the mysterious and profound teaching of Jesus on His relationship with the Father in Heaven, it is essential that we not simply gloss over the mysterious language Jesus uses. Rather, we must prayerfully enter the mystery and allow our penetration of this mystery to leave us truly amazed. Amazement and transforming edification is the only good response. We will never fully understand the Trinity, but we must allow the truth of our Triune God to take hold of us and enrichen us, at very least, in a way that knows how much we do not know—and that knowledge leaves us in awe.
Reflect, today, upon the sacred mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Pray that God reveals Himself more fully to your mind and more completely consume your will. Pray that you will be able to share deeply in the life of the Trinity so that you will be filled with a holy amazement and awe.
Most holy and triune God, the love You share within Your very being of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is beyond my comprehension. The mystery of Your triune life is a mystery of the greatest degree. Draw me in, dear Lord, to the life You share with Your Father and the Holy Spirit. Fill me with wonder and awe as You invite me to share in Your divine life. Most Holy Trinity, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday 4th week of Lent 2023
Petition: Lord, grant me the gift of piety.
1. Like Father, Like Son: “I say to you, a son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees his Father doing; for what he does, his son will do also. For the Father loves his Son and shows him everything that he does.” The relationship between Christ and his Father was one of total respect and love. It wasn’t marred by the breakdown so frequently and tragically experienced in our modern family. The intensity of filial love that Jesus lived toward his Father was so powerful that it provided a path for all of us to follow. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the gift of piety. Piety lavishes the soul with the capacity for considering God as our Father and all men as our brothers. A forgiving heart, which prevails over any rancor for injuries received, is one of the fruits of this gift.
2. The Requirements of Piety: Jesus said, “Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.” There is no need to squander time in hatred for our brothers and sisters. Only God can judge their hearts. Our duty is to treat everyone with respect and love; this is the best way to foster the gift of piety.
3. Humility is The Key: Jesus said, “I do not seek my will but the will of the one who sent me.” Believe it or not, the humble are the only ones who can lead a peaceful coexistence with all and, at the same time, stalwartly uphold truths and principles. Who can imagine a sunny day without the sun? Who can imagine the gift of piety without the practice of humility? I should examine those times when I blame everyone else for my impatience. Are they not a result of the difficulty I experience in shouldering someone else’s plans over my own or in accepting God’s will at the expense of my preferences?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, so many times have I come to you on my knees. I come now, confident that you will pour into my heart an abundance of the gift of piety through the infinite merits you won for me on the cross. Help me, Lord, to see you in everyone I meet.
Resolution: I will be a pious friend and a forgiving neighbor. I will humbly offer my services to the neighbor who interests me the least.
 
Wednesday 4th week of Lent 2021
Opening Prayer: Lord, open my mind and heart to hear your words of truth. Please give me the grace to hear and obey, to listen and act in everything according to your will.
Encountering Christ: 
·         Father and Son: Jesus tells us in this Gospel that he cannot do anything on his own. He always keeps his Father as the point of reference for all that he does. His deepest desire is to please God in everything. Christ’s life is not self-referential but reflects the desires of the Father. Just as a son looks to his dad to learn how to live life, asking the questions of “why” and “how,” so Christ looked to his Father before acting. We are called to imitate Christ’s docility and love of the Father by living for Christ above all things. “And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).
·         How to Get Ahead: We live in a world where, in order to get ahead, we are encouraged to put ourselves out there, to make a name for ourselves, to get noticed—even to the point of becoming someone we’re not on social media. Christ wants to be known, not for his own personal aggrandizement, but so to honor his Father. The ultimate sacrifice of the cross was for us, yes, but also to give glory to his Father. Do we try to “get ahead” in order to give glory to God?
·         All about Love: Christ’s relationship with his Father is not based on submission to the Father. It is a relationship of supernatural symbiotic love. Their hearts are united in one course of action. It is their love that engenders the Holy Spirit. It is this love that brought about our existence and won our salvation. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for allowing me to reflect on the love that you have with the Father. You have shared with me the confidence and filial trust you share with the Father. Guide me deeper into this relationship, as only you can do. Share with me the intimacy that you have with our Father.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take some time at midday to reconnect with the Father, asking for the grace to do my tasks for his glory.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 4 Mùa Chay (John 5:17-30 )
Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy Chúa Giêsu nhắc đến việc là Ngài đến với thê gian là để thực hiện  những công việc của Chúa Cha. Một trong những công việc của Chúa Cha là làm cho kẻ chết được sống lại và đem đến sự sống cho con người. Công việc làm của Chúa Giêsu cũng thế.. Chúa Kitô đã nói. "Con Người sẽ ban sự sống cho bất cứ những ai mà Ngài chọn.“  Ông sẽ cho chúng ta được sống lại  từ cõi chết vào ngày phán xét(Tận thế), nhưng Ngài cũng có thể khiến cho chúng ta được sống lại từ cái chết trong cuộc đời hiện tại này.  Những khi chúng ta phạm tội, là lúc chúng ta chết, chúng ta sẽ không có sự sống ngay bên trong chúng ta nữa. Tuy nhiên, Đức Kitô đã đến và mang lại sự sống cho chúng ta. Và làm thế nào mà Ngài đã làm điều này? Như trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã nói “người chết sẽ nghe tiếng của Con Thiên Chúa, và ai nghe lời Chúa thì sẽ được sống”. Chúng ta nghe Lời của Chúa trong mỗi Thánh Lễ, mỗi khi Lời Chúa được công bố. Chúa Kitô mời gọi chúng ta hãy lắng nghe Lời Chúa để nhờ đó mà chúng ta sẽ có sự sống. Chúng ta thực sự lắng nghe Tiếng Chúa bằng cách giữ Lời của Ngài, và đây là những gì đã đem lại sự sống đời cho chúng ta  từ cái chết trong tội lỗi.
Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin cho chúng con được biết yêu thương Chúa nhiều hơn và Xin kết hợp trái tim chúng con với Chúa, Để chúng con chỉ có thể biết tìm kiếm và mong muốn những gì làm đẹp lòng Chúa."
 
Reflection:
Jesus always speaks about doing the work of the Father. One of the work of the Father is to raise the dead to life, work that Jesus does as well. "The Son gives life to anyone he chooses," Christ says. He will raise us all from death on the last day; but he can also raise us from death during our lifetime. Whenever we sin, we are dead; we have no life inside us. Nonetheless, Christ came to give us life. And how does he do this? Jesus says in this Gospel that the dead who hear the voice of the Son of God will live. We hear his voice whenever the Word of God is proclaimed. Christ invites us to listen to it so we will have life. We truly listen by keeping his Word; and this is what raises us from death.