Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai tuần 25 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai 25 TN
Qua bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã dùng hình ảnh của một chiếc đèn để mô tả cách mà Ngài muốn các môn đệ phải sống trong ánh sáng chân lý và tình yêu của Ngài. Cũng như ánh sáng tự nhiên soi sáng bóng tối và cho giúp chúng ta thấy được một cách rõ ràng những hiện vật trước mắt, vì vậy ánh sáng của Chúa Kitô tỏa sáng trong trái tim của chúng ta và cho phép chúng ta được xem thấy những thực tế trên trời, trong  vương quốc của Thiên Chúa.
            Trong thực tế, nhiệm vụ của chúng ta là  đem ánh sáng của Chúa Kitô để cho những người khác có thể nhìn thấy sự thật, chân lý của Tin Mừng phúc âm và để giải thoát sự mù quáng của tội lỗi và sự lừa dối. Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta biết rằng không có gì có thể dấu kín hay giữ được bí mật lâu dài. Chúng ta có thể cố để giấu diếm người khác, hay cả  chính chúng ta về những bí mật riêng của chúng ta. Nhưng làm thế nào chúng ta có thể giấu được Thiên Chúa và cố nhắm mắt được với những hậu quả của con đường tội lỗi và những thói quen xấu của chúng ta, ngay cả khi chúng ta biết những hậu quả sẽ xãy đến cho chúng ta.
            Thiên Chúa biết hết tất cả mọi sự, vì Ngài nhìn thấy tất cả và biết mọi sự trong tâm hồn thầm kín của chúng ta. Những người sống trong ánh sáng của Thiên Chúa và những người tìm kiếm Chân lý hay sự thật của Ngài, sẽ được hưởng sự tự do tuyệt vời và niềm vui vô tận. Những người lắng nghe Thiên Chúa và biết chú ý đến Lời của Ngài sẽ nhận được nơi Ngài rất nhiều sự phong phú của trí tuệ, sự hướng dẫn, sự hòa bình, và phúc lành của Ngài ban cho. Chúng ta có sẵn sáng và mong được có những niềm vui và được tự do sống trong ánh sáng của Thiên Chúa?
 
Reflection
The light, in today's gospel, is likened to Christ who came to earth to lead the way, to show the path. When Jesus was to talking to his disciples, he was talking about himself and he was saying that soon this prophecy of the Messiah would be realized and the truth will be out. Those who listened and followed will learn to understand yet those who thought they knew what they knew will soon realize the fallacy of what they believed in. Thus, they will be stripped of their spiritual authority and those who followed Christ will be given more responsibilities in spreading the Word.
            In our current situation, where the birth, the death and the resurrection is part of our spiritual history, as Christians we are the light that Christ mentioned in Luke 8:16. As we walk in faith, it is but inevitable that people will notice us especially when we do what is opposite of the norm. As followers of Christ, it is in our nature to act responsibly in any situation. This we do not do boastfully or with pride but with humility and faith that in all of this there is God whom we are serving faithfully. In turn, it is reminding us to pay heed and not act as if we are better than other people in our community lest we gull ourselves into believing that we are infallible. Instead, Jesus instructs us to listen and to act. Mere listening is a superficial act. When one does what one is told, people will see the depth of our faith. As Christians it is very easy to fall into complacency, where we think the mere routine of going to church, listening to homilies, getting involved in parish socials is enough. The act of true faith is manifested in how one openly shares with his brethren. In the Last Supper, Jesus enjoins us to do what he does. As Jesus willingly and gratefully served others, so must we be to our fellowmen. Have you prayed for the grace of true service lately? It is costly, but then again Jesus did this to show
 
Monday 25^th - Ordinary Time
“Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Luke 8:18
Do you have much? Or little? According to Jesus’ words, if you have much, then you will receive much more; but if you have little, then you will lose even what you have. Does this seem fair?
Of course, our Lord is not speaking in worldly terms. He’s not saying that if you have much money, then you will gain more, or if you are poor, then you will become poorer. Instead, Jesus is speaking about the grace that comes from understanding His holy Word. Notice that the passage above begins by saying, “Take care, then, how you hear.”
To “hear” the Word of God implies that you truly receive what Jesus teaches. Hearing is not just hearing the words spoken with your ears. One early Church Father, Saint Bede, explains that truly hearing the Word of God with our minds leads us to love that Word, and loving the Word leads to understanding. This is not accomplished by an intellectual exercise alone, as if our natural gifts are the primary means by which we comprehend all that Jesus teaches. Rather, it comes through spiritual insight gained by the supernatural gift of the Spirit Who teaches us all things.
If you want “more” understanding of the mysteries of God, then commit yourself to engaging the holy Scriptures with your mind. Read the Scriptures, ponder them and pray with them. It’s easy to forget that the Word of God is a Living Word. This means that when we prayerfully immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, we are prayerfully encountering God Himself. God is alive in His holy Word. We meet Him, personally, and this happens only by a special grace that we must be open to receive.
The beautiful aspect of this teaching of Jesus is that the more we understand His Word by this grace, the more we will immerse ourselves in it, and it will continue to grow within us. If, however, we devote little time to engaging the Word of God in prayer, we will begin to “forget,” so to speak, the spiritual depths of the wisdom of God. We will lose the little understanding we have and when this happens, we will be prone to engaging and accepting the many confusions and deceptions alive in our world.
Reflect, today, upon your practice of prayerfully meditating upon the Scriptures. If this is not your current practice, resolve to make it so. Perhaps start with one of the Gospels and commit yourself to prayerfully reading it little by little every day. The goal is not to get through the books of the Bible. The goal is to enter into each book. Every chapter and every line provides us with a depth of spiritual insight and understanding just waiting to be given and received. Commit yourself to this holy practice, and you will be amazed at the spiritual riches our Lord bestows upon you.
Living Word of God, my Lord and my King, I thank You for the way in which You come to me and all Your children through Your written Word. Fill me with a love for that Word so that I will daily engage my mind in the deep truths revealed within it. May I meet You, dear Lord, and grow in an understanding of Who You are and what You wish to reveal to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday 25^th - Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for the grace to come before you in prayer. Open my mind and my heart to receive your word fruitfully. Increase my faith, hope, and love so that I may live according to your will. I confidently place all my needs, and those of others, in your hands. I love you, Jesus.
Encountering Christ:
To Hide or Not to Hide?: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it… rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” Nevertheless, in another passage, Our Lord said, “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Matthew 6:6). Still another passage says, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father” (Matthew 6:1). So, do we or do we not hide our prayer and good actions from others? The decisive issue here is our intention. We should not perform good deeds “in order to be seen,” but rather for the love of God and neighbor. Otherwise, we run the risk of doing something that is inherently good for the sake of vanity, for the mere approval of others. 
Becoming Visible: Inversely, we must also not be so private as to never give public witness of our faith: “Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father” (Matthew 10:32-33). Again, one’s intention is crucial. Just as it is wrong to do something good merely to “show off,” it is equally wrong to be ashamed of publicly displaying our allegiance to Jesus. At an even deeper level, all actions done for the love of God and neighbor will eventually shine through. The modest saint gives God the glory in all his or her actions—hidden or public. 
Given More: “To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” This seems almost unfair. Shouldn’t we give to those who do not have enough? What Our Lord is stating here could be called the “Law of Generosity.” It simply means that when we give, we receive more in return, and when we are selfish, the little we have will diminish even more. This is reminiscent of the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi: “O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.” The more we live by this “Law of Generosity,” the more the Prayer of St. Francis logically makes sense. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, I need your grace to open my heart to you and to others. Help me to grow daily in generosity by repeated acts of self-giving. Let me listen to others when needed, offer advice when asked, and serve when possible. May I seek your glory and not my own. Help me to return your love to me by loving my neighbor.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will perform at least one act of kindness that requires some sacrifice on my part.