Suy NiệmTin Mừng Thứ Hai, tuần 27 Thường Niên.

Suy NiệmTin Mừng Thứ Hai, tuần 27 Thường Niên.
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay nhắc nhở chúng ta về ba vấn đề: lề luật, tình yêu và cuộc sống vĩnh cửu. Vấn đề chính yếu nhất đó là tình yêu. Tình yêu có thể đưa con người đạt tới hạnh phúc vĩnh cửu, và tình yêu sẽ giúp con người chu toàn mọi lề luật. Không có tình yêu con người không thể tìm thấy sự sống đời đời. Không có tình yêu thì mọi luật lệ chỉ là một cái ách đè nặng con người.
Nếu Thiên Chúa là tất cả tình yêu thương và từ bi, vậy thì tại sao con người chúng ta còn quá nhiều đau khổ và nhiều việc xấu xa vẫn còn xảy ra trên thế giới này?         
Những người vô đạo từ chối và không tin vào Chúa vì vấn đề này dường như không thể giải quyết được  Nếu Thiên Chúa là tình yêu thì sự dữ và đau khổ phải bị loại bỏ ra khỏi thế giới của chúng ta dưới mọi hình thức.
Bằng nhiều cách khác nhau, Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta về cách sống siêu nhiên đầy thú vị, và Ngài còn cho chúng ta những suy tư để giúp chúng ta hiểu rõ hơn về việc Thiên Chúa đã đối xử với con người chúng ta trong những tình huống khác nhau, và cho phép chúng ta phát triển thêm trong việc nhận thức về sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, và như vậy Ngài mở lòng chúng ta giúp chúng ta đón nhận chân lý và tình yêu sáng tạo của Thiên Chúa.
Như trong đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay, Người Thông luật Do thái trong câu chuyện thật sự đã làm chúng ta ngạc nhiên về câu hỏi của Chúa Giêsu, nhưng sau khi khen ngợi ý tưởng Chúa, và rồi sau đó anh ta đã hơi bất ngờ với lời tóm tắt của Chúa Giêsu là "Anh trả lời đúng lắm. và cứ làm như vậy thì anh sẽ được sống".(Lk 10:28).             Vì vậy, anh ta muốn chứng tỏ bản thân đạo đức và sự hiểu biết của mình và nên anh ta đã cố gắng để tiếp tục thảo luận. Nhưng tại thời điểm này, Chúa Giêsu đã dạy cho anh ta và tất cả chúng ta ai là láng giếng của chúng ta?  Qua câu chuyện ngụ ngôn của Chúa Giêsu đã kể hôm nay, cho thấy tình yêu thương và lòng thương xót của Thiên Chúa rộng lớn như thế nào đối với mọi người, không phân biệt màu da, tôn giáo...Chúa Giê-su cho chúng ta biết gì về tình yêu thương thật sự đối với người lân cận? Trước tiên, chúng ta phải sẵn sàng giúp đỡ ngay cả khi người khác tự mang rắc rối cho mình do lỗi hoặc sơ suất của họ.
       Thứ hai, tình yêu thương và sự quan tâm và việc giúp đỡ những người đang gặp khó khăn của chúng ta phải thiết thực. Có ý định tốt và thể hiện sự thương xót, cảm thông với người khác, là chưa đủ. Và cuối cùng, tình yêu của chúng ta dành cho người khác cũng phải rộng rãi và bao trùm như tình yêu của Thiên Chúa.
Thiên Chúa không loại trừ ai ra khỏi sự chăm sóc và quan tâm của Ngài. Tình yêu của Thiên Chúa là thật sự vô điều kiện. Vì vậy, chúng ta phải sẵn sàng làm điều tốt cho người khác vì lợi ích của họ, cũng như Thiên Chúa đã đối xử tốt với chúng ta. Chúa Giê-su không những chỉ dạy chúng ta cách yêu thương của Thiên Chúa, Ngài còn cho chúng ta thấy Thiên Chúa luôn sẵn sàng chia sẻ nỗi đau khổ của chúng ta và khôi phục cho chúng ta trở lại trong sự sống hạnh phúc trọn vẹn với Ngài.  Chúa Giê-su đã chiến thắng tội lỗi, đau khổ và sự chết nhờ chiến thắng trên thập tự giá. Cái chết của Ngài đã mang lại cho chúng ta sự tự do không còn nô lệ cho tội lỗi và đem chúng ta đến với lời hứa ban sự sống đời đời với Thiên Chúa. Chúa Giêsu sẵn lòng chia sẻ nỗi đau khổ của chúng ta để đưa chúng ta đến nguồn ơn chữa lành đích thực và sự tự do và thoát khỏi tội lỗi và sự áp bức của ma quỷ.
Lòng trắc ẩn chân chính không chỉ xác định và cảm thông với người đang đau khổ, mà còn gánh lấy nỗi đau khổ đó cho chính mình để mang lại sư tự do và phục hồi cho người khác..
Lạy Chúa, Chúng con cần đôi mắt với lòng từ bi của Chúa hôm nay, Xin giúp chúng con biết nhìn xa hơn sự thiển cận riêng của mình. Xin Chúa đưa chúng con ra khỏi cái cái rốn vũ trũ của chính bản thân của chúng con. Và giúp chúng con nhìn thấy nhu cầu cần thiết của những người chung quanh. Xin Chúa thay đổi trái tim của chúng con, được giống như trái tim của Chúa để chúng con được thấy như Chúa đã thấy, và biết xúc động như trái tim của Chúa, để mọi hành động của chúng con được giống như Chúa. Chúng con chỉ mong có thể được như thế thôi, Lạy Chúa.
 
Reflection
The many different ways in which Jesus responds to people make a very interesting study and spiritually repays much reflection as it helps us to understand better how God deals with us in different situations and enables us to grow in awareness of God’s presence in our lives and so open our hearts to God's liberating truth and creative love. As in today’s Gospel passage, Jesus not infrequently answers a question by asking another question. This is not any kind of condescending pettiness but a rather effective pedagogical method: rather than receive a ready-made answer from a master, it is more profitable in general that we be formed to reflect on our own experience. The man in today’s story was obviously taken aback at Jesus’ question followed by praise and finally his somewhat abrupt summing up “Do this and you shall live”. So he wished to justify himself and tried to continue the discussion. At this point, Jesus assumed his role as a teacher and answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The phrase “Good Samaritan” has entered into all our language and societies in some way — an indication that Jesus spoke deeply to human experience.
Lord, grant us the grace to reflect on Your words and our life experiences and so learn how to inherit everlasting life.
 
Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
“When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.” Luke 14:12–14
Is Jesus telling us that it is sinful to invite friends and family to a dinner party? Certainly not. He is teaching us about something much deeper. Throwing a dinner party for others is good when our motive is love. But if the goal of the dinner, or any other act of charity, is vainglory, then the vanity we achieve from such an act is the payment we will receive. Sadly, the “payment” of vainglory is sought and obtained by many in various ways. Jesus’ lesson teaches us that our only motive for the good we do should be the humble and hidden motive of loving service.
As a result of the temptation to pride, we can easily find ourselves being inordinately concerned about what others think about us. Holding a lunch or dinner for friends, family, and your wealthy neighbors is simply an illustration of the sin of pride at work. Within this context, Jesus is speaking about a person who performs some act for the sole purpose of building up their self-image and obtaining praise and flattery from others. This form of “glory” is truly vain in that it is not only worthless to the good of the soul, it is also damaging.
Why do you do what you do? Are your good actions done so that others will see and praise them? Do you go out of your way to show people how good you are? Are you overly concerned about the opinions of others? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then you might be struggling with pride more than you realize.
On the contrary, are you content with doing some good deed that is hidden from the eyes of others? Can you take delight solely in helping others, even if no one knows about it? Are you motivated to serve and give of yourself for the exclusive reason that you want to make a difference in the lives of others? This is what Jesus means when He says you should hold a banquet for the poor, crippled, lame, blind, and everyone who is unable to repay you. In other words, when you are not able to receive the “reward” of vainglory, that is good. That must be your goal.
Reflect, today, upon how strong your desire is for notoriety. Consider some scenario where you worked hard day and night for some time to do some good work. Imagine that the good work accomplished great benefits for others. Then imagine that no one knew you were behind that good work and, therefore, you received no gratitude or acknowledgment. How would you feel? Ideally, you would rejoice for two reasons. First, you would rejoice that you were able to serve and make a difference. Second, you would rejoice that God and God alone was aware of your act of charity. When God sees our goodness and selfless service, He puts Himself in debt to us in a certain sense. The “debt” that God takes on is His gratitude and love which are expressed to us through eternal rewards of His making. Seek to obtain these eternal rewards by striving to serve in the most hidden and humble ways possible. Those rewards infinitely surpass the fleeting rewards of vainglory.
Most glorious God, You came to earth to suffer and die. In that act of perfect love You brought about the greatest good ever known. You offered this holy service of love in the most hidden and humble of ways. As a result, You are now glorified forever. Help me to share in Your acts of humble and hidden service so that I, too, may one day share in the glory of Heaven. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday 27th Ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time to pray. Thank you for the gifts you have given me. Make my heart more like yours—help me see the people lying on the side of the road of my life, and give me the courage to pick them up and help them on their way.
Encountering Christ:
1. The Simple Life: Life, when it comes down to it, is very simple. At least, what Christ asks of us is very simple: Love God and love others. The scholar in this episode knew what to do, but as it is with us, he found it difficult to put into practice. So he started rationalizing, just like we do: “Who is my neighbor? Surely I don’t have to love everyone as myself—that is impossible! Everyone? As myself?” Christ sees that this scholar does not need rational arguments, but an image, and so he gives us the beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan, showing us that charity is not something we think out and prepare, but something that either we have in our hearts, or we don’t. If we have it, it will overflow to the people around us. If not, we will pass by on the other side of the road.
2. The Dictatorship of Human Respect: What made the priest and the Levite pass by this poor man lying on the side of the road? Surely they knew that they should help him...didn’t they? It’s easy for us to judge them, but we do the same thing all the time. How often do we “pass by” because we’re embarrassed, because it would just be too awkward. The Good Samaritan, meanwhile, sees someone lying almost dead on the side of the road, hears his conscience nudge him to go to the man’s aid, and does it. The need for the other was more important than his own “awkwardness.” May we realize that awkwardness or human respect is never an excuse to leave others suffering.
3. Go and Do Likewise: Christ does not say to go and be nice. He does not say go and empathize. He does not say go and help others if you find yourselves with some free time. Those things are all fine, but the example of charity Christ gives us is different. A man gets off his horse (or out of his car), takes a dying man up, puts him on his own horse, and walks him to the nearest inn (which cannot have been very close—they were in the middle of the wilderness). He sets him up with the innkeeper, to whom he gives around three-hundred dollars, and promises to come back. That is what Christ means by charity. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for this moment of prayer. Help me to see the people in my life lying on the road with no one to help them. Give me eyes like yours to see beyond myself, beyond my needs and wants. Lord, I know you are calling me to serve—open my eyes.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will seek out and help the person I normally pass on the other side of the road.
Monday 27th Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: You have given me the gift of this new day. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for creating me, for redeeming me, for giving me the gift of faith, for wanting to spend this time with me. I need your grace, and you deserve my praise. Help me to approach this time with you with a truly docile heart and a mind undimmed by self-centeredness and unhealthy self-absorption. 
Encountering Christ:
1.      Jesus Wants Us to Live: Jesus’s response to the curious scholar who correctly answered his own question should fill us with hope: Do this and you will live. A full life, a meaningful life, a fulfilling life—isn’t that the deepest desire of every human heart? Isn’t that the desire we find at the core of every other desire? All the choices we make, all the decisions and the sacrifices we make, are made because we think they will help us live life more fully, more satisfactorily, more happily. This core desire of ours is also Christ’s core desire for us: “I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). He created us. He wrote this core desire into the depths of our souls. He wants to satisfy it. In fact, that’s why he came to earth: to give us the light and grace to know and to follow the path to a more and more fulfilling life both here on earth and forever in heaven. All we need to do is follow that path—Christ’s path. Nothing else really matters. How firmly do I believe that? How courageously am I willing to give that direction to my daily life?
2.      Who Is My Neighbor?: The scholar who questioned Jesus “wished to justify himself.” He wanted to show how much he knew. He wanted to show off. He wasn’t really interested in the truth; he was interested in making a good impression. And yet, Jesus took advantage of the conversation to give the world one of his most unforgettable parables. He linked the two great loves–love for God and love for neighbor–in one great commandment, and then he clarified what he meant by “neighbor.” If we want to experience the fullness of life, all we need to do is follow this teaching of the double love. The problem comes when we run across someone who is difficult to love. Usually, that person is very close to us, as close as he was to the priest and the Levite—roads were not wide in those days, and the half-dead victim was so close that a passerby like them could easily see the color of his eyes. Only the Samaritan, the foreigner, actu ally had mercy on this man. The others ignored him, avoiding him. Of all the people close to me, the people I see and interact with every day, which ones do I truly see? All people are in need of love, of acceptance, of being treated like the children of God they truly are. And yet, how easy it is for our own fears, concerns, or preoccupations to make us blind and insensitive! Our neighbors, the people right next to us, our family members and colleagues, and yes, even perhaps our actual next-door neighbors—these are the ones who have the nearest claim on our love.
3.      Our Mission Starts Here: St. Francis of Assisi didn’t start out as a saint. He started out just like we did—as a sinner with his own unique personality, inclinations, and family and social background. In fact, he was a vain and spoiled troublemaker before he welcomed God’s grace into his life. He longed to achieve fame and glory by fighting in foreign wars and becoming a great Christian knight. He set off to do just that, not once, but twice. The first time he ended up being captured by his foes and imprisoned for a year. The second time he came back quickly of his own accord, having discerned a different path. God did indeed have a great mission for this dandy of a merchant’s son, but it was a mission that began close to home—in his own hometown, in fact. He began his simple, radical living of the Gospel right there, in spite of his father’s opposition and the initial mockery of his friends and neighbors. The Franciscan revolu tion, which is still pumping out grace all over the world eight hundred years later, began in Francis’s backyard, with a leprous neighbor he met and embraced on a road close to home. Maybe God is offering something similar for us. Maybe the revolution each one of us is called to spark is right on our doorstep, just waiting for us to embrace it.
Conversing with Christ: Life seems so complicated, Lord. Can it really be as simple as you are telling me it is? To love you, to love my neighbor—is that really the path to the fullness of life that I yearn for so drastically? I know it is. You have made it so clear by your own example, the example of so many saints—and yet, here I am, still looking for another way. Free me from my fears, from my arrogance, from my ignorance! Enlighten my mind, O Lord, and strengthen my heart, so that I can give you the joy of doing your will and receiving your gift of a more abundant life.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take the time necessary to truly encounter the people you put in my path, to see them as you see them, to hear them and listen for their real needs, and offer them the balm of sincere appreciation and acceptance.