Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật thự 28 Thường Niên A

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật thự 28 Thường Niên A
Đối với người Do Thái đám cưới là khoảng thời gian trọng đại được diễn ra trong niềm vui cho gia đình và  lối xóm, vì thế đám cưới người Do thái ăn mừng, vui chơi trong ba ngày đến cả tuần lễ để mừng hạnh phúc cho vợ chồng mới. Chúa Giêsu thường dùng hình ảnh ưa thích này ví như cho thiên đàng, cho vương quốc của ngài. Điều này chỉ mô tả những gì Ngài mong muốn được chia sẻ với chúng ta và Ngài hứa sẽ ban cho chúng ta nước Trời  nếu như chúng ta biết sống và làm theo ý Chúa:
 Niềm vui đang mong chờ chúng ta sẽ vượt xa hơn bất cứ những nỗi đau khổ nào mà chúng ta có thể mang trong cuộc đời này. Niềm hy vọng vào sự Phục sinh và sự sống với Chúa đến muôn đời sẽ tràn ngập niềm vui và hạnh phúc tràn ngập trong chúng ta. Đức tin và hy vọng vào thiên đàng ảnh hưởng thế nào đến việc chúng ta làm chứng để sống như một Kitô Giáo trong niềm vui tràn đầy trước những thử thách trong thế giới sa đọa này?
Qua Tin Mừng, chúng ta thấy ba lần, nhà vua phái người nhà của mình đi mời tất cả những người muốn ến dự tiệc cưới. Chúng ta thấy rằng nhiều người đã ngu ngốc và tự co mình trong ích kỷ riêng, bận tâm đến những nhu cầu mưu sinh trần tục của họ. Cuội đời của họ bị gắn liền với những công việc, hạnh phúc và lợi nhuận riêng của họ mà đã từ chối một cơ hội cho một cuộc vui, hạnh phúc lâu dài và cuộc sống tốt đẹp hơn rất nhiều. Đây là một bí ẩn và kịch tính về quyền tự do của con người chúng ta.
Chúng ta bỏ qua việc thừa nhận rằng chúng ta mắc nợ lòng tốt của Thiên Chúa như là nguyên nhân và mục đích của chúng ta. Trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, tính tự lập, mất tập trung và bận rộn có thể khiến chúng ta coi những kế hoạch của Thiên Chúa là sự gián đoạn, hay phá rối cho cuộc sống của chính mình và chúng ta quên rằng tất cả những gì chúng ta có sẽ không có ý nghĩa gì chúng ta nếu không chú tâm và tập trung vào Thiên Chúa. Khả năng chúng ta có thể từ chối lời mời gọi của Thiên Chúa sẽ thúc đẩy, xúi dục chúng ta liên tục quan tâm đến đời sống ân sủng của mình trong tình bạn với Đức Kitô và chia sẻ lời mời tham dự vào tiệc cưới với những người khác.
Thiên Chúa không bao giờ thiếu kém lòngrộng lượng. Thật là một niềm an ủi biết bao cho chúng ta khi biết được lòng rộng lượng của Thiên Chúa không phụ thuộc vào những gì chúng ta xứng đáng được hưởng mà phụ thuộc vào lòng quảng đại, thương xót của Chúa và mong muốn chúng ta được hạnh phúc. Không một ai được mời đến dự tiệc cưới vì công trạng hay địa vị của họ, mà là sáng kiến và sự độ lượng của nhà vua.
Chính Chúa Kitô là bữa tiệc của sự sống thần linh và ân sủng dồi dào cho nhân loại. Chúng ta không xứng đáng được tiếp nhận Ngài “Lạy Chúa, con không xứng đáng”, Mat 8: 8). Chúa luôn khao khát được chia sẻ niềm vui trong sự hiện hữu của Ngài với chúng ta trong sự quảng đại vô bờ bến. Việc đầu tiên của chúng ta phải làm để đáp lại sự quảng đại và yêu thương của Thiên Chúa là chấp nhận những món quà và  ân sủng của Ngài. Chúng ta hãy mau mắn nắm lấy cơ hội để nhận được ân sủng Chúa ban qua việc thường xuyên lãnh nhận Bí tích Thánh Thể, thường xuyên xưng tội, và rộng mở lòng mình với ý muốn của Chúa.
Lạy Chúa, hôm nay, nhờ ơn Chúa, chúng con sẽ dành một chút thời gian để suy ngẫm và nuôi dưỡng lòng khao khát thiên đàng của chúng con. Với niềm hy vọng vào Sự Phục Sinh, chúng con sẽ tìm cách làm chứng cho Tin Mừng qua việc sống với niềm vui của Người Kitô Giáo khi phải đối phó với bất kỳ thử thách nào trong thế giới hôm nay.
 
Reflection Sunday 28th Ordinary Time A
Wedding feasts are a time for great joy, celebration, and happiness. Jesus often used this favored image for heaven; for his kingdom. It describes what he longs to share and promises to us if we follow the way of faithful obedience to his will. The joy that awaits us will far exceed and outlast any suffering we may carry in this life. Hope in the Resurrection and life with God for all eternity should fill us with overwhelming joy and happiness. How does my faith and hope for heaven influence my witness to living as a joy-filled Christian before the challenges in this fallen world? 
Three times, the king dispatched servants to extend his invitation far and wide to anyone interested. We see that many were foolish and self-absorbed, preoccupied with their worldly pursuits. Attached to good things (work, well-being, and profitability), they sadly rejected the opportunity for something far better. Here lies the mystery and drama of our human freedom. We overlook admitting how indebted we are to God’s goodness as the cause and purpose of our very being. In our own lives, self-reliance, distraction, and busyness can lead us to consider God’s plans an interruption to our own, and forget that ours have no meaning if not centered and focused in his. The possibility that we could reject God’s invitation should motivate us to continually care for our life of grace in friendship with Christ and share with others an invitation to the feast.
God is never outdone in generosity. How consoling to know his generosity is not dependent upon what we deserve but rather on his abundant goodness, love, and desire for our happiness. No one who had been invited to the feast was there because of merit or status, but purely by decree of the king’s initiative. Christ himself is the banquet of divine life and abundant grace. We don’t deserve to receive him (“Lord, I am not worthy,” Matthew 8:8). It is his longing to share the joy of his existence with us that overflows in bountiful generosity. Our first duty in response to God’s loving generosity is to accept his gift of grace. Let us run forward, embracing the opportunity to receive grace through the regular reception of the Eucharist, frequent confession, and openness to his will. 
Lord, today, by your grace, I will spend a moment contemplating and fostering my longing for heaven. With hope in the Resurrection, I will seek to give witness to living with Christian joy in responding to any challenge today. 
 
Sunday 28 Ordinary Time 2023
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.” Matthew 22:1–3
Do you refuse to come? Jesus spoke this parable to the chief priests and elders of the people because, even though they gave the impression to others that they were true followers of the will of God, they were, in fact, among those who refused to come to the wedding feast of the Lamb of God. The chief priests and elders of the people were masters at portraying themselves as something they were not. They knew how to look good in the eyes of the people, how to avoid public criticism, and how to appear as holy men. But they were none of the above. Inside they were hypocrites, liars and murderers.
In this parable, three invitations are sent forth. The first two are given to the invited guests. Though these “invited guests” refer especially to the people of Israel who were raised in the faith handed down from Moses and the prophets, we should also see in it those who have been raised within the Christian faith today. After the first invitation, those invited refused to come. After the second invitation, some who were invited reacted with indifference, while others reacted with hostility. These responses are common today.
When Jesus sends forth His invitation to share in His wedding banquet today, there are many different responses. Some are indifferent to our Lord. These are those who are so consumed with worldly endeavors that they give little time and attention to God. For them, the practice of the faith, such as daily prayer, attendance at Mass and ongoing works of charity, is not important. Making money, obtaining material possessions, indulging in entertainment and other secular pursuits are far more the focus of their time and energy. Others, like the chief priests and elders, are good at playing the part and acting as if they are faithful followers, but they are actually hostile to the will of God. They are concerned only about their appearance and not about the reality of their souls. If they are challenged in any way, they respond with anger and attack. They are not open to the truth of the Gospel and remain self-justified by attacking anything or anyone who dares to call into question the direction they have taken in life.
When the third invitation was sent forth to all people, some responded. How completely do you respond to Jesus’ invitation? To answer that question properly, we must “read” the invitation and know what we are invited to participate in. The invitation given to us is an invitation to share in the wedding feast of the Son of God. But to attend that banquet, we must be clothed in the garment of charity. Charity is the form of love that is sacrificial, selfless, and total. This form of love begins by making God the center of our lives and concludes by making His will the sole purpose of our lives. True charity will have the effect of purging all selfishness from our lives. This is why some were hostile to the invitation. When God invites us to a life of charity, we will be faced with a need to change. For some, this is very difficult. They react either with indifference or become defensive and lash out in hostility so as to protect the life of sin they have chosen.
The parable concludes with one of the invited guests being cast “into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth” because he doesn’t have on a proper wedding garment. But this wedding garment is a symbol of true charity that flows from an authentic worship of God.
Reflect, today, upon how charitable you are toward others, for that will determine whether you are fit to share in the banquet of the Lord. True charity always seeks to lavish the greatest good upon others. It seeks to do everything necessary to help others grow in love of God. True charity never leads a person to gaze upon themselves. It is always outwardly focused and selfless in its choices. As you reflect upon your charity, or lack thereof, be open to the purifying invitation from Jesus and do not react in hostility. Welcome His invitation to change and allow your wholehearted worship of Him to transform you into a gift of love for others.
Lord of perfect charity, You have invited all people to share in the glorious banquet of Heaven. The only requirement is that we allow all sin and selfishness to be purged from our lives so that we are covered with the garment of charity. I accept Your invitation this day, dear Lord, and commit myself to the purifying fires of Your perfect love. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Sunday 28 Ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: I come before you today, Lord, distracted and discouraged, but eager to receive the grace I need to live this day in a way that will glorify you. You know my weakness. But I believe in your strength. I believe in your commitment to me, and through this time alone with you, I want to renew and strengthen my commitment to you. Teach me, Lord, and guide me along the right path.
Encountering Christ:
1.     Jesus Was Not Seeking Popularity: St. Luke tells us that the crowd following and listening to Jesus was steadily growing: While still more people gathered in the crowd… For most of us, drawing bigger and bigger crowds would boost our self-esteem, but maybe also feed our vanity. We would want to keep those crowds following us, so we would try to please them, to say things that would make them want to come back. Jesus does just the contrary. He doesn’t stroke their self-complacency. He calls them out: This is an evil generation… Why would Jesus speak like that to them? Maybe because what he said was true. The generation he was preaching to, and in a sense every generation of fallen humanity, is evil. We have a strong tendency to be self-centered, self-absorbed, greedy, lustful, insensitive to God’s voice and to the needs of those around us. Only a few members of that growing crowd would faithfully follow Jesus until the end. They were seeking quick fixes for their worldly problems; they weren’t seeking the best way to glorify God and advance Christ’s Kingdom. What am I seeking?
2.     Jesus Made Radical Claims: Solomon and Jonah were towering Old Testament figures. And Jesus, when comparing his listeners to those who listened to Solomon and Jonah, affirmed his superiority to both of them: …there is something greater than Solomon here… there is something greater than Jonah here. We call ourselves Christians, followers of Jesus Christ. And yet, does Jesus Christ have the central place in our desires, thoughts, and plans that he ought to have? Jesus is God! Jesus is the Word incarnate! Jesus is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity! That same Jesus comes to us and stays with us every single day in the Gospels, in the Eucharist, in the gifts of his Holy Spirit. How do we respond when he comes? Do we build our lives around his grace and his will? Oh, how he wishes that we would! What wonders he could do in our lives if only we wouldn’t relegate him to the sidelines!
3.     The Judgment Is Real: Jesus referred to “the judgment” twice in this passage. He was warning us that all our choices in this life will have everlasting consequences. If we choose to hear and heed his voice, it will bode well for us at the end of our lives. If we don’t, it won’t. How often do we think of the judgment that is to come? In ancient times, when life was short and uncertain, people lived with a keen awareness of the fragility of their lives and the closeness of death, the doorway to our definitive, face-to-face encounter with God. In our days, a secularized culture tends to minimize this long-term perspective. But if we can overcome the secular seductions, we will be much better for it. Living our daily lives against the true horizon of eternal life can only bring us greater wisdom, peace, and joy even now, let alone beyond the grave. In medieval times, Christians used to intentionally reflect on their life decisions relative to their eternal destiny, keeping in mind this classic phrase: Quid hoc ad aeternitatem? What does this mean in the light of eternity? If we were to do the same, we might end up avoiding a lot of misery, both in this life and in the hereafter.
Conversing with Christ: You are greater than Solomon and greater than Jonah. You are the Savior, the Lord, God from God, and Light from Light. And you have loved me so much that you have given me the gift of faith, the light to recognize the truth of your presence and your doctrine. Thank you, Lord, for that gift and for all your gifts. I want to follow you. I want you to be the center, the anchor, and the goal of my life. But I so easily get distracted! I so easily forget about you and fall into living my life as if you were not always reaching out to me and wanting to guide and enlighten me! Forgive me, Lord. Help me to live in harmony with what I truly believe. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will go to confession, making a clean break with all the selfishness of my past and resolving to live from now on more intentionally in the light of eternity.
 
Sunday 28 Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: Lord, today I come to you with deep hope and desire to know you and recognize your grace at work in my life. I know that my life here on earth is a short journey moving closer to the eternal wedding feast in the Father’s house. Help me to persevere through any difficulty or challenge I encounter on my journey with you this day. How I need your help, your guidance, and your protection. Increase my faith in your presence and your goodness toward me, granting all I need as your chosen and beloved child. 
Encountering Christ:
1. Accepting the Gift: God is never outdone in generosity. How consoling to know his generosity is not dependent upon what we deserve but rather on his abundant goodness, love, and desire for our happiness. No one who had been invited to the feast was there because of merit or status, but purely by decree of the king’s initiative. Christ himself is the banquet of divine life and abundant grace. We don’t deserve to receive him (“Lord, I am not worthy,” Matthew 8:8). It is his longing to share the joy of his existence with us that overflows in bountiful generosity. Our first duty in response to God’s loving generosity is to accept his gift of grace. Let us run forward, embracing the opportunity to receive grace through the regular reception of the Eucharist, frequent confession, and openness to his will. 
2. Called and Chosen: Three times, the king dispatched servants to extend his invitation far and wide to anyone interested. We see that many were foolish and self-absorbed, preoccupied with their worldly pursuits. Attached to good things (work, well-being, and profitability), they sadly rejected the opportunity for something far better. Here lies the mystery and drama of our human freedom. We overlook admitting how indebted we are to God’s goodness as the cause and purpose of our very being. In our own lives, self-reliance, distraction, and busyness can lead us to consider God’s plans an interruption to our own, and forget that ours have no meaning if not centered and focused in his. The possibility that we could reject God’s invitation should motivate us to continually care for our life of grace in friendship with Christ and share with others an invitation to the feast. 
3. Christian Joy: Wedding feasts are a time for great joy, celebration, and happiness. Jesus often used this favored image for heaven—for his kingdom. It describes what he longs to share and promises to us if we follow the way of faithful obedience to his will. The joy that awaits us will far exceed and outlast any suffering we may carry in this life. Hope in the Resurrection and life with God for all eternity should fill us with overwhelming joy and happiness. How does my faith and hope for heaven influence my witness to living as a joy-filled Christian before the challenges in this fallen world? 
Conversing with Christ: My Lord, you want to offer me every good gift and grace I need to draw closer to you as the source of my happiness. You offer your intimate friendship to every single person. Your goodness, love, and mercy are for everyone, including me. Please forgive me for the moments I have rejected you out of foolishness over my own concerns. You know how hard it is for me to overcome attachments to seeking security in my achievements, in how others perceive me, and in worldly comforts. Help me to respond freely to seeking your grace and expressing my gratitude with a generous and joy-filled heart each day. 
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will spend a moment contemplating and fostering my longing for heaven. With hope in the Resurrection, I will seek to give witness to living with Christian joy in responding to any challenge today.