Hôm nay chúng ta mừng lễ Đức Mẹ Mân Côi, trước đây người ta thường gọi là ngày tưởng niệm Đức Mẹ Chiến thắng, Vì Đức Giáo Hoàng Piô V đã đạt cho mẹ để tạ ơn cho cuộc chiến thắng của các lực lượng Kitô giáo đã kết hợp chống lại các lực lượng hải quân Ottoman trong trận Lepanto, ở vùng tây Hy Lạp năm 1571, Nhờ sự chuyển cầu của Đức Mẹ Mân Côi. Việc tưởng niệm Đức Mẹ Mân côi hôm nay là một minh chứng cho sức mạnh của việc Đức Mẹ cầu bầu cho chúng ta và sức mạnh của những chuổi Kinh Mân Côi. Vì Kinh mân Côi được coi như là những lời cầu nguyện hữu hiệu và cần thiết trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta.
Sức mạnh và những điều đã được tiết lộ mà Chúa ban cho họ không phải là phần thưởng cho sự thông minh của họ, hay thành tích là việc của họ. Nhưng họ đã được Chúa ban cho là vì sự cởi mở tâm hồn, lòng trí của họ và lòng ước muốn của họ để làm theo ý của Thiên Chúa. Có bao giờ chúng ta dừng lại ít phút mỗi ngày để suy ngẩm và cảm ơn Chúa vì tất cả những gì mà Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta trong này. Có bao giờ chúng ta biết cám ơn Ngài vì Ngài đã mời gọi chúng ta và giúp chúng ta được trở nên một phần trong Nước Trời của Ngài
The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly known as the Memorial of Our Lady of Victory, was instituted by Pope St. Pius V in thanksgiving for the victory of the combined Christian forces against the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto, off western Greece in 1571, attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary. The Memorial is a testimony to the intercessory powers of our Mother and the power of the holy Rosary as prayer.
As we hear the Gospel Message today, Jesus gave seventy-two of his dsciples a lot of spiritual power for their mission. Indeed, even Satan was thrown down, for the critical part of Jesus' mission had arrived. Some of them were overly impressed with themselves so Jesus warned them that these powers were nothing far more important was the fact that their names were written in heaven.
Do we ever stop to reflect and thank God for having invited us to be part of his kingdom? Can we see what a wonderful privilege is available to us, to receive the Spirit's revelation and to know God's touch on our hearts?
Sức mạnh và những điều đã được tiết lộ mà Chúa ban cho họ không phải là phần thưởng cho sự thông minh của họ, hay thành tích là việc của họ. Nhưng họ đã được Chúa ban cho là vì sự cởi mở tâm hồn, lòng trí của họ và lòng ước muốn của họ để làm theo ý của Thiên Chúa.
Có bao giờ chúng ta dừng lại ít phút mỗi ngày để suy ngẩm và cảm ơn Chúa vì tất cả những gì mà Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta, Ngài đã mời gọi chúng ta và giúp chúng ta được trở nên một phần trong Nước Trời của Ngài. Chúng ta có thể nhìn thấy một vinh dự tuyệt vời đó là việc có thể nhận ra được sự mặc khải của Chúa Thánh Thần để giúp chúng ta biết được cảm ứng của Thiên Chúa trong tâm hồn chúng ta.
Xin Thiên Chúa ban muôn vàn Ân sũng và Hồng ân của Ngài xuống nơi Chúng con, để chúng con được mạnh dạn trong sự thương yêu và phục vụ Chúa mà không có tính toán, so đo. Chúng con cảm ta Chúa là Cha của chúng con đã viết tên của chúng con hôm nay trong cuốn sách hàng sống ờ trên Trời.
Jesus gave the seventy-two a lot of spiritual power for their mission. Indeed, even Satan was thrown down, for the critical part of Jesus' mission had arrived. Some of them were overly impressed with themselves so Jesus warned them that these powers were nothing far more important was the fact that their names were written in heaven. The power that they were given and the things that were revealed to them were not rewards for cleverness, education, or achievement. They were given because of the openness of their hearts and minds and their desire to do the will of God. Jesus is our teacher and revealer and it is to him we turn for enlightenment and the gift of the spirit. We are too received the Baptism from Jesus, We are all capable of doing great things in the Lord.
Do we ever stop to reflect and thank God for having invited us to be part of his kingdom? Can we see what a wonderful privilege is available to us, to receive the Spirit's revelation and to know God's touch on our hearts? We are not invited just to be a servant of God, wielding His power for the sake of His kingdom. God wants to make us his children. He wants to shower us with His affection as any father would care for his children.
Having a personal relationship with God, and the promise of being with Him forever, this is our heritage as disciples of Jesus. May the realization of God's gifts make us bold in loving and serving Him without counting the cost. Let us thank our Father today for writing our name in the book of life.
Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” Luke 10:23–24
Imagine seeing Jesus in person. What would that have been like? What would it have been like to see Him, listen to Him preach, witness His miracles and spend time sitting with Him quietly? The experience of being with Him as He walked the earth would have been determined by the depth of interior sight you had. There were many who saw Jesus but rejected Him, and even killed Him. Clearly, they did not have the interior eyes of faith to see Him for Who He was. Others left everything behind to follow Him. Clearly, they perceived Who He was in His divine soul through the gift of faith.
As Jesus states above, the disciples were blessed to see Him. Many prophets and kings of old desired to see the Messiah. Century after century, the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah would have left many with much anticipation and hope that they would be among those blessed to see Him. Recall, for example, Simeon the prophet who waited his whole life to see the Christ Child. Then, when Mary and Joseph brought the Child Jesus into the Temple to present Him to the Lord, Simeon took the Child into his hands and proclaimed, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel” (Luke 2:29–32). Indeed, Simeon, the disciples, and all who encountered Jesus as He walked the earth were truly blessed. They were blessed to see the Son of God with their own eyes.
Jesus proclaimed the eyes of the disciples to be blessed for seeing Him. However, if He were to speak to us today, He would proclaim us doubly blessed. We do not see Him in physical form, walking the earth. But we are able to perceive Him in a way that even Simeon did not experience in His life. Simeon saw the Savior of the World with his eyes, present in human form. But today, we are able to see Him in an even more profound way. By the gift of grace and the indwelling of God, we are able to look within our own souls and discover the true presence of God living within us.
One might argue that seeing Jesus with your eyes is preferable to seeing His divine presence within your soul. But is it? Certainly not. Again, recall that there were many who saw Jesus with their eyes but did not recognize Him as God. Today, we are privileged to perceive the presence of Christ in our world in the deepest way possible. He came to live within us. He came to possess us. He came to unite Himself with us in a union so deep that it transforms us completely, making us into His very body.
If it took faith to see the divinity of Jesus when He walked the earth, it will also take faith to see His true presence within us. Our sins cloud His presence. Our lack of faith makes it hard to see Him there. But God is alive within every soul that is in a state of grace, and it must be our ongoing duty to discover His indwelling presence and to be with Him within. In her spiritual masterpiece, “Interior Castles,” Saint Teresa of Ávila explains that the infinite God does dwell within us. It is our duty to enter into the most secret core of our being, the most interior castle, navigating through our many sins, so that we will enter the deepest center where the fullness of the great King dwells.
Reflect, today, upon Jesus’ words spoken to the disciples: “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.” Know that this statement applies even more to you. Seek to have the eyes of faith so that you can perceive the true presence of the Savior of the World living within your own soul. Seek Him out, gaze at Him with love, bask in His divine presence and allow that presence to overshadow you, transforming you into the person God wants you to be.
My indwelling Lord, I am blessed beyond belief by Your divine presence dwelling within me. Please open my eyes to see You and my ears to hear You so that I will be able to dwell with You Who have come to dwell in me. Jesus, I trust in You.
Introductory Prayer: Jesus, I approach you in prayer, knowing that these are some of the most critical moments of the day. This time I spend with you helps put the rest of the day in perspective and gives me a sense of my total dependence on you. With childlike simplicity, I trust in your loving providence. Though I am unworthy to be in your presence, I at least want to offer you my best effort during this prayer, seeking only to please you.
He told them to cure the sick and to preach and they took him at his word. Jesus said it, they believed it. Because of this simple acceptance of Jesus' words, great miracles were worked through simple men of humble upbringing. But Jesus warns them not to rejoice that they worked miracles, but to rejoice because their names were written in heaven. It is not enough to work miracles in Jesus' name. We must know him so well that we develop a personal relationship with him. Do we really know Jesus? Is our knowledge of Jesus from various religious information, or is it personal and loving, bringing rest and respite to the dark corners of our lives? If we want to work for Jesus, we must first know Jesus. If we want to do miracles in his name, we must first receive him with the simplicity of a child.
No comments:
Post a Comment