Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai tuần 18 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai tuần 18 Thường Niên

Con người sống trong quá khứ và tương lai, và cả hai có vẻ may mắn hơn nhiều so với hiện tại. Nhiều lần trong cuộc hành trình của họ trong sa mạc, Thiên Chúa đã đến cứu độ và giải cứu dân Israel, Khi họ đói, Ngài đã cho họ manna từ trời để ăn, Nhưng họ quá cứng lòng và không tin vào Thiên Chúa và họ chống lại Thiên Chúa và Môisên. Và nhiều lần ông Môisen đã cầu xin Chúa để ông được chết sớm hơn vì ông không thể chịu nổi sự cứng lòng của đám người Israel này!  Giờ đây, những người Israel này nhớ đến xứ Ai Cập yêu mến, tiện nghi mà quên rằng họ là những người nô lệ, bị lưu đầy và họ đã kêu la  xin Thiên Chúa giải thoát họ.

Nếu chúng ta chỉ có thể cần tin tưởng vào Thiên Chúa hơn và nhận ra Thiên Chúa trong tình hình hiện nay của chúng ta, thì chúng ta sẽ được hạnh phúc. Quá khứ đã biến mất; tương lai chưa đến và không phải là hiện tại, Tất cả chúng ta sống trong hiện tại, vì vậy chúng ta hãy giữ nắm lấy hiện tại và những gì Thiên Chúa ban cho chúng ta.

Sự chăm sóc và yêu thương của Thiên Chúa là điều hiển nhiên trong việc nuôi ăn 5.000 người như bài Tin Mừng nhắc đến, Chúa Giêsu đã thương xót đám đông và dành nhiều thời giờ để giảng dạy và an ủi họ. Khi Ngài hỏi các môn đệ về việc nuôi ăn đám dân này, thì họ đã không thể ngờ được vì họ nghĩ với một tiền quá lớn vẫn không mua đủ thức ăn cho mỗi người, Họ có rất ít bánh nhưng quá nhiều người đến với Chúa. Giống như các môn đệ, chúng ta thường tập trung vào những điều tiêu cực và những gì còn thiếu, Chúa Giêsu đã thách thức các môn đệ phải nhìn sâu vào chính bản thân mình, hãy đặt niềm tin vào Thiên Chúa và lòng từ bi của Ngài là nguồn sức mạnh, và chắc chắn với lòng tin đó cũng đã quá đủ để nuôi 5000 người được ăn nuống no đủ.

Chúng ta hãy luôn tin rằng Thiên Chúa luôn để ý và chăm sóc chúng ta và Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta tất cả những gì theo như sự yêu cầu của chúng ta, và hãy hành động như thể chúng ta là con cái của Thiên Chúa Tin vào sự quan phòng của Thiên Chúa phép lạ sẽ không ngừng xảy ra khi chúng ta biết sẵn lòng mở rộng tâm hồn và tâm trí của chúng ta. Lạy Chúa, Xin giúp cho chúng con biết đặt niềm tin vào Chúa.

 

Reflection:

People live in the past and the future, and both seem far better than the present. Many times in their journey through the wilderness God came to the rescue of the Israelites. When they were hungry, he gave them manna from heaven. But they grew tired of it and began to weep and complain, driving poor Moses out of his mind. He even asked God to kill him so he wouldn’t have to put up with it anymore! Now the people remembered Egypt fondly, conveniently forgetting that they were slaves and that they had cried bitterly to God for liberation. If only we could trust God more and find God in our present situation and be reasonably happy. The past is gone; the future isn’t here yet. All we have is the present, so let us embrace it.

God’s loving care was evident in the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus had compassion on the crowd and spent much time teaching and consoling them. When he asked his disciples to feed the people, they were at a loss for words. They had so little food and there were so many people. Like the disciples, we often focus on the negative and what is lacking. Jesus challenged them to look deep into themselves. Trust in God and compassion are powerful forces, and sure enough, there was more than enough to feed everyone. Let us always believe that God cares for us and has already granted our request — then act as if it were so. Miracles have not ceased — we need only open our hearts and minds.

Lord, deepen my trust in You.

 

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Years B&C)

Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Matthew 14:19–20

An important aspect of this miracle that is easy to miss is that Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes through His disciples’ instrumentality. He did this by inviting them to assist in the distribution of the loaves and in the gathering of the fragments left over. This reveals that God often uses us as mediators of His superabundant graces given to others. Though God could pour forth His mercy directly, most often He does so through others.

As you ponder this miracle, try to see yourself as one of the disciples who was invited to distribute the bread to the people. If you were there and were hungry and then were given bread, you would be tempted to eat the bread yourself before giving any away. But Jesus gave the bread to His hungry disciples with the instruction to first give it to others.

Sometimes, when God calls us to give His mercy to others, we become selfish. It’s easy to think that we must first take care of ourselves and our own needs. We erroneously believe that we can only offer mercy to others after our needs are met. Imagine, for example, if upon receiving the bread from Jesus the disciples would have decided that they should eat of it first. Then, if there was anything extra, they could give it to others. Had they done this, the superabundance of the multiplication of the loaves would not have happened. In the end, the disciples themselves received a superabundance of food—precisely because they first gave away what they had received.

Spiritually speaking, the same is true with us. When we receive spiritual nourishment from our Lord, our first thought must be to give it away. We must first see all that we receive from God as an opportunity to bestow those blessings upon others. This is the nature of grace. For example, if we are given a sense of peace or joy within our hearts, we must realize that this peace or joy we receive is a gift that must be immediately offered to others. If we are given a spiritual insight into the Scriptures, this is given to us first and foremost to share with others. Every gift we receive from God must be understood as a gift given to us so that we can immediately share it with others. The good news is that when we seek to give away that which we have received, more is given to us and, in the end, we will be far richer.

Reflect, today, upon the action of the disciples receiving this food from our Lord and immediately giving it away. See yourself in this miracle, and see the bread as a symbol of every grace you receive from God. What have you received that God wants you to distribute to others? Are there graces you have received that you selfishly try to hold onto? The nature of grace is that it is given to give it to others. Seek to do this with every spiritual gift you receive, and you will find that the graces multiply to the point that you receive more than you could ever imagine.

Most generous Lord, You pour forth Your grace and mercy in superabundance. As I receive all that You bestow, please fill my heart with generosity so that I will never hesitate to offer Your mercy to others. Please use me as Your instrument, dear Lord, so that, through me, You may abundantly feed others. Jesus, I trust in You.

Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time 2023

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe you want me to have faith in you, faith that listens to your words without any second-guessing. I hope in your words, not relying solely on my strength or reasoning. I love you. You continue to astonish me by showing me that your ways are not my ways.

Petition: Lord Jesus, increase my faith.

1. When Our Efforts Bear Little Fruit: Our mission is to extend Christ’s Kingdom in society. Each one of us must do so according to his or her state in life. At times, however, it may seem that our efforts are not bringing about the desired results. We love Christ so much, and yet so many of our family, friends, and acquaintances do not know or love him at all. We love our country and wish that all our fellow countrymen would discover for themselves the beauty of our Catholic faith. We know that in this faith lie all the answers to the fundamental questions and aspirations of the human heart. We work hard; we brainstorm initiatives, we join with others, we strive to do our best, and yet, it sometimes seems that others are not hearing Christ’s message. What is wrong? What more can we do?

2. Feed Them Yourselves: Our Lord tells the apostles to feed the multitude. How could they possibly feed 5,000 men, not to mention women and children? They had only five loaves and two fish. Surely this was a parable, they thought. They were too focused on how little they could do; they did not see beyond their weakness. What went through their heads when he told them to sit the people down in groups? What did they say at that moment? We don’t know. We do know, however, that they listened to Christ. They did what they were told. They did not go about complaining that it was pointless. And so, in their act of obedience, they began to feed the people themselves.

3. What Is Impossible for Man Is Possible for God: Our Lord multiplied the loaves of bread and the fish by his divine power. Interestingly, he fed the people through the Twelve. The apostles, despite their weakness, were the vessels who distributed the multiplied bread and fish to the people. Christ can do great things in us as well if we let him. In the face of the challenges of the New Evangelization, if we bring our weakness and limitations to Christ and are ready to do as he asks, then we, too, shall bear great fruit.

Conversation with Christ: Once again, Lord, you show us your goodness and kindness. The apostles turned to you and poured out their hearts. And you answered their prayers, giving them fruits beyond all measure. Lord, I want to pray as they prayed. I want to do what you ask as they did, in faith and love.

Resolution: I will ask for the grace to serve as Christ’s vessel of evangelization, striving not to allow difficulties to cause me to lose heart