Suy niệm Tin Mừng
Thứ Ba Tuần 11 TN
Thật là không phải dễ cho chúng ta để có thể yêu thương kẻ thù và cầu nguyện cho những kẻ bắt bớ và hãm hại chúng ta, Nhưng chúng ta cũng không thể phàn nàn hay thắc mắc những gì mà Thiên Chúa muốn dạy chúng ta làm. Chúng ta hãy để tâm, nghiệm xét những hành động mà chính Chúa đã làm cho chúng ta, hôm nay chúng ta nghe được những bài giảng của Chúa Giêsu trên núi, Chúng ta cũng thấy được những tấm gương hoàn hảo, sống động trước mắt chúng ta đó là những việc Chúa đã làm và chứng minh cho chúng thấy những hình sống động trong bài giảng của ngài. tất cả những thứ ấy chính là những động lực giúp chúng ta có nghị lực can đảm, anh dũng trong việc biết yêu thương những kẻ ghét chúng ta và biết tha thứ cho những kẻ thù của chúng ta.
Để yêu một kẻ thù là một quyết định nhất quyết không để cho sự thù nghịch của người khác có thể kiểm soát những phản ứng của chúng ta và làm chủ tâm hồn chúng ta, Đó chính là Tình yêu nhân độ, Yêu thương kẻ thù là chúng ta nhất quyết hỗ trợ những người thù nghịch với chúng ta trong nhiều cách khác nhau để chúng ta có thể đem họ đến gần với ánh sáng cứu độ của Chúa hơn.
Nếu chúng ta thật lòng yêu mến Chúa, chúng ta cũng phải có thái độ từ tâm với anh chị em chúng ta bằng những hành động rộng lượng, biết tha thứ và khiêm tốn vì Chúa Thánh Thần luôn luôn hiện diện trong tâm hồn của chúng ta sẽ giúp đỡ và hướng dẫn chúng ta trong từng giây, từng phút trong cuộc đời để chúng ta không bao giờ phải sa ngã, nóng giận và làm mất lòng Chúa..
Tình yêu đối với những người khác, đặc biệt là những người khó chịu, thù hằn, người ích kỷ và vô ơn đối với chúng ta, phải được chứng tỏ và đánh dấu bằng sự tha thứ, tử tế cùng với lòng độ lượng, Vì đấy là lòng thương xót của Chúa đã thể hiện ra cho chúng ta, Sau cùng, chúng ta đều là những người tội lỗi và có thể trong một lúc nào đó, chúng ta cũng đã có những thái độ cau có, khó chịu, dữ đằn, ích kỷ và vô ơn đối với người khác, Chúng ta hãy nhớ rằng Thiên Chúa yêu thương chúng ta, mặc dầu có những lúc chúng ta đã làm Ngài thất vọng.
Meditation:
What makes the disciples of Jesus different from others and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace - treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated - with loving-kindness, forebearance, and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return. Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil.
How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill-will? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices and griefs. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and grace has power to heal and to save from destruction. Do you know the power of Christ’s redeeming love and mercy?
Was Jesus exaggerating when he said we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? The original meaning of "perfect" in Aramaic is "completeness" or "wholeness - not lacking in what is essential." God gives us every good gift in Jesus Christ so that we may not lack anything we need to do his will and to live as his sons and daughters (2 Peter 1:3). He knows our weakness and sinfulness better than we do. And he assures us of his love, mercy, and grace to follow in his ways. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Ask the Holy Spirit to change and transform you in the image of the Father that you may walk in the joy and freedom of the gospel.
"Lord Jesus, your love brings freedom and pardon. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my heart ablaze with your love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, or make me bitter towards anyone."
Tuesday 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023
Jesus continues to deepen and clarify His call to His new command to love of others. The love to which He calls us is radical, total, and can be very challenging at first. He calls us to move far beyond the Old Testament understanding of justice by commanding that we love everyone, including those who persecute us. This call to love is not an option but a command. It’s a requirement for every Christian.
In implementing this command, Jesus gives us not only the command itself but also offers some very practical advice on how we can achieve this depth of love. He says that we should not only love our enemies but that we should pray for them when they persecute us. First of all, an “enemy” is one who tries to inflict some form of harm on us and, generally speaking, sins against us. The common response to these experiences is to defend ourselves and fight back. So the first step is to reject any such temptation. As Jesus said in the Gospel passage prior to this one, “offer no resistance to one who is evil.”
Today’s Gospel passage takes us even further. The practical advice our Lord gives is to “pray for those who persecute you.” This command not only requires that you reject the temptation to “get back” at a person or even to simply “resist” what they do to us. You must now pray for them. Praying for someone who sins against you is an act of the greatest charity and generosity. And it’s a very practical way to imitate the abundant mercy of God. For that reason, praying for your persecutors radically transforms you interiorly and makes you holy. In a sense, the evil another does to you has the potential to be transformed into a gift given to you, because it gives you an opportunity to return prayer for an injury inflicted. And that is a very real and practical gift we must embrace by this new command of our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon those for whom this new commandment calls you to pray. Whose sin has inflicted some hurt or injury upon you or your family? Who do you hold a grudge toward? Whoever comes to mind, commit yourself to deep and sustained prayer for that person. Pray often for them and continue that prayer for as long as the persecution continues. Doing so will transform any and every attempted malice issued toward you into grace for them and holiness for you.
My Lord of abundant mercy, Your command to pray for those who persecute me was first lived by You to perfection. You prayed for those who crucified You as You hung upon the Cross. Give me the grace I need to not only forgive but to also pray for those who have and continue to try to inflict harm upon me. Give me a heart so filled with mercy that every sin committed against me is transformed into love and my own holiness of life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday 11th
Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023
1. What God Sees: When God looks at sinners, even stubborn sinners, he doesn’t see unredeemable devils. Rather, he sees his beloved children who have gone astray. He never condones or ignores the sin, but sees the deeper identity of the sinner, who was created in his image and has the potential to become a saint by being open to and cooperating with God’s grace. God never gives up on any of us. God never stops loving us. He never turns his back on us. That is what Jesus is getting at by likening God’s love to the sun and the rain, gifts necessary for life, gifts that God never holds back from anyone, even from seemingly irreformable sinners. When Jesus exhorts us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect,” he isn’t requiring us to somehow become immaculate. Rather, he is encouraging us to believe in this love God has for everyone, and to echo it and imitate it in our own lives. Loving our enemies doesn’t mean approving of their sins, it just means believing that God created them with a good purpose in mind, and that God’s redeeming grace is meant for them as well as for us.
REFLECTION
One of the memorable homilies I remember was from our school head before we graduated from High School, "Go, make money and be rich!"
It was just before our graduation. He paused a few moments to let his words sink in. "Magpakayaman kayo," he reiterated. We were not quite sure what he was saying, what he meant. Why was our school head urging us to become rich, rather than to live simple lives?
Having caught our attention, he then explained that wealth was both boon and bane. With it we could live good lives; but it could also corrupt us. Too much attention and desire for wealth could lead us to sin.
The challenge, he continued, was to have financial capacity not only for ourselves but more for the marginalized. Every peso we earned could help those who needed it. Give abundantly when we could. With this generous mindset we avoid the temptation of wanting more just to have more.
It is not bad to aspire for a comfortable life. But as we work for it, especially as we achieve it, let us not ignore our brothers and sisters who do not have the capacity or opportunity or resources to have the same. It is our responsibility to share with others cheerfully and generously so that they do not get left behind.
Reflection SG 2017
Sometimes giving can seem like a burden, and we can get tired of constant appeals from charities and collections. But Paul challenges us — giving (wisely, not carelessly) is an honour, privilege, and a source of joy and blessing. We take part in the works for which the money is collected — we are a needed support. Give generously — and not only money, but time and energy — and you will receive much more in the sense of peace and joy.
Loving our enemies sounds weird and even impossible, but Jesus was insistent. Anyone can love their friends and those who love them — that’s easy! But when we love our enemies and persecutors — well, that shows that we are extraordinary, even godlike. For that is how God loves — without distinction or conditions. He loves the wicked and the good, the holy and the sinners. God has no enemies, and neither should we. If we are able to love in this fashion, people will know that we are the ‘real thing’ — children of the Most High God.
There will also be the satisfaction of knowing that we are taking part in the healing of the world. Pray for the most difficult and unlovable — it is a holy work and pleasing to God. After a while, it will even become pleasing to us, for we will be transformed in the process.
Lord, help me to love even the most difficult.
Thật là không phải dễ cho chúng ta để có thể yêu thương kẻ thù và cầu nguyện cho những kẻ bắt bớ và hãm hại chúng ta, Nhưng chúng ta cũng không thể phàn nàn hay thắc mắc những gì mà Thiên Chúa muốn dạy chúng ta làm. Chúng ta hãy để tâm, nghiệm xét những hành động mà chính Chúa đã làm cho chúng ta, hôm nay chúng ta nghe được những bài giảng của Chúa Giêsu trên núi, Chúng ta cũng thấy được những tấm gương hoàn hảo, sống động trước mắt chúng ta đó là những việc Chúa đã làm và chứng minh cho chúng thấy những hình sống động trong bài giảng của ngài. tất cả những thứ ấy chính là những động lực giúp chúng ta có nghị lực can đảm, anh dũng trong việc biết yêu thương những kẻ ghét chúng ta và biết tha thứ cho những kẻ thù của chúng ta.
Để yêu một kẻ thù là một quyết định nhất quyết không để cho sự thù nghịch của người khác có thể kiểm soát những phản ứng của chúng ta và làm chủ tâm hồn chúng ta, Đó chính là Tình yêu nhân độ, Yêu thương kẻ thù là chúng ta nhất quyết hỗ trợ những người thù nghịch với chúng ta trong nhiều cách khác nhau để chúng ta có thể đem họ đến gần với ánh sáng cứu độ của Chúa hơn.
Nếu chúng ta thật lòng yêu mến Chúa, chúng ta cũng phải có thái độ từ tâm với anh chị em chúng ta bằng những hành động rộng lượng, biết tha thứ và khiêm tốn vì Chúa Thánh Thần luôn luôn hiện diện trong tâm hồn của chúng ta sẽ giúp đỡ và hướng dẫn chúng ta trong từng giây, từng phút trong cuộc đời để chúng ta không bao giờ phải sa ngã, nóng giận và làm mất lòng Chúa..
Tình yêu đối với những người khác, đặc biệt là những người khó chịu, thù hằn, người ích kỷ và vô ơn đối với chúng ta, phải được chứng tỏ và đánh dấu bằng sự tha thứ, tử tế cùng với lòng độ lượng, Vì đấy là lòng thương xót của Chúa đã thể hiện ra cho chúng ta, Sau cùng, chúng ta đều là những người tội lỗi và có thể trong một lúc nào đó, chúng ta cũng đã có những thái độ cau có, khó chịu, dữ đằn, ích kỷ và vô ơn đối với người khác, Chúng ta hãy nhớ rằng Thiên Chúa yêu thương chúng ta, mặc dầu có những lúc chúng ta đã làm Ngài thất vọng.
Meditation:
What makes the disciples of Jesus different from others and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace - treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated - with loving-kindness, forebearance, and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return. Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil.
How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill-will? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices and griefs. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and grace has power to heal and to save from destruction. Do you know the power of Christ’s redeeming love and mercy?
Was Jesus exaggerating when he said we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? The original meaning of "perfect" in Aramaic is "completeness" or "wholeness - not lacking in what is essential." God gives us every good gift in Jesus Christ so that we may not lack anything we need to do his will and to live as his sons and daughters (2 Peter 1:3). He knows our weakness and sinfulness better than we do. And he assures us of his love, mercy, and grace to follow in his ways. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Ask the Holy Spirit to change and transform you in the image of the Father that you may walk in the joy and freedom of the gospel.
"Lord Jesus, your love brings freedom and pardon. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my heart ablaze with your love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, or make me bitter towards anyone."
Tuesday 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2023
Jesus continues to deepen and clarify His call to His new command to love of others. The love to which He calls us is radical, total, and can be very challenging at first. He calls us to move far beyond the Old Testament understanding of justice by commanding that we love everyone, including those who persecute us. This call to love is not an option but a command. It’s a requirement for every Christian.
In implementing this command, Jesus gives us not only the command itself but also offers some very practical advice on how we can achieve this depth of love. He says that we should not only love our enemies but that we should pray for them when they persecute us. First of all, an “enemy” is one who tries to inflict some form of harm on us and, generally speaking, sins against us. The common response to these experiences is to defend ourselves and fight back. So the first step is to reject any such temptation. As Jesus said in the Gospel passage prior to this one, “offer no resistance to one who is evil.”
Today’s Gospel passage takes us even further. The practical advice our Lord gives is to “pray for those who persecute you.” This command not only requires that you reject the temptation to “get back” at a person or even to simply “resist” what they do to us. You must now pray for them. Praying for someone who sins against you is an act of the greatest charity and generosity. And it’s a very practical way to imitate the abundant mercy of God. For that reason, praying for your persecutors radically transforms you interiorly and makes you holy. In a sense, the evil another does to you has the potential to be transformed into a gift given to you, because it gives you an opportunity to return prayer for an injury inflicted. And that is a very real and practical gift we must embrace by this new command of our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon those for whom this new commandment calls you to pray. Whose sin has inflicted some hurt or injury upon you or your family? Who do you hold a grudge toward? Whoever comes to mind, commit yourself to deep and sustained prayer for that person. Pray often for them and continue that prayer for as long as the persecution continues. Doing so will transform any and every attempted malice issued toward you into grace for them and holiness for you.
My Lord of abundant mercy, Your command to pray for those who persecute me was first lived by You to perfection. You prayed for those who crucified You as You hung upon the Cross. Give me the grace I need to not only forgive but to also pray for those who have and continue to try to inflict harm upon me. Give me a heart so filled with mercy that every sin committed against me is transformed into love and my own holiness of life. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. What God Sees: When God looks at sinners, even stubborn sinners, he doesn’t see unredeemable devils. Rather, he sees his beloved children who have gone astray. He never condones or ignores the sin, but sees the deeper identity of the sinner, who was created in his image and has the potential to become a saint by being open to and cooperating with God’s grace. God never gives up on any of us. God never stops loving us. He never turns his back on us. That is what Jesus is getting at by likening God’s love to the sun and the rain, gifts necessary for life, gifts that God never holds back from anyone, even from seemingly irreformable sinners. When Jesus exhorts us to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect,” he isn’t requiring us to somehow become immaculate. Rather, he is encouraging us to believe in this love God has for everyone, and to echo it and imitate it in our own lives. Loving our enemies doesn’t mean approving of their sins, it just means believing that God created them with a good purpose in mind, and that God’s redeeming grace is meant for them as well as for us.
One of the memorable homilies I remember was from our school head before we graduated from High School, "Go, make money and be rich!"
It was just before our graduation. He paused a few moments to let his words sink in. "Magpakayaman kayo," he reiterated. We were not quite sure what he was saying, what he meant. Why was our school head urging us to become rich, rather than to live simple lives?
Having caught our attention, he then explained that wealth was both boon and bane. With it we could live good lives; but it could also corrupt us. Too much attention and desire for wealth could lead us to sin.
The challenge, he continued, was to have financial capacity not only for ourselves but more for the marginalized. Every peso we earned could help those who needed it. Give abundantly when we could. With this generous mindset we avoid the temptation of wanting more just to have more.
It is not bad to aspire for a comfortable life. But as we work for it, especially as we achieve it, let us not ignore our brothers and sisters who do not have the capacity or opportunity or resources to have the same. It is our responsibility to share with others cheerfully and generously so that they do not get left behind.
Sometimes giving can seem like a burden, and we can get tired of constant appeals from charities and collections. But Paul challenges us — giving (wisely, not carelessly) is an honour, privilege, and a source of joy and blessing. We take part in the works for which the money is collected — we are a needed support. Give generously — and not only money, but time and energy — and you will receive much more in the sense of peace and joy.
Loving our enemies sounds weird and even impossible, but Jesus was insistent. Anyone can love their friends and those who love them — that’s easy! But when we love our enemies and persecutors — well, that shows that we are extraordinary, even godlike. For that is how God loves — without distinction or conditions. He loves the wicked and the good, the holy and the sinners. God has no enemies, and neither should we. If we are able to love in this fashion, people will know that we are the ‘real thing’ — children of the Most High God.
There will also be the satisfaction of knowing that we are taking part in the healing of the world. Pray for the most difficult and unlovable — it is a holy work and pleasing to God. After a while, it will even become pleasing to us, for we will be transformed in the process.
Lord, help me to love even the most difficult.
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