Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ
Bẩy Tuần 33 Thường Niên
Tin
Mừng hôm nay nói về sự sống lại của những người
đã chết và cũng như những trạng thái của con người khi được sống
lại ở trong thế giới bên kia. Qua bài Tin Mừng Chúa
Giêsu đã nói cho chúng ta biết rằng trong sự sống lại của người ở
trong Nước Thiên Chúa, không có sự kết hôn vì con người sẽ không bao
giờ phải chết nữa. Lúc đo con người chúng ta cũng sẽ giống
như các thiên thần và con cái Thiên Chúa Trên Thiên
Đàng.
Tin
Mừng hôm nay mời gọi tất cả chúng ta hãy nhìn vào cuộc
sống của chúng ta một
cách nghiêm túc. Chúa Giêsu đề cập đến sự tồn tại của con
người trên trái đất của chúng ta, những người mà Ngài so
sánh, đối chiếu với "con cái của sự sống lại” là những
người đã sống lại trong cuộc sống mới. Rõ
ràng là chúng ta đã được mời gọi để tham dự và thống
phần vào trong của sự sống lại với Chúa
Giêsu. Nhưng trước
khi đạt đến những sự hứa hẹn trong
sự sống lại, con người phải trải qua một cuộc phán xét để xác
định rõ trình trạng của mỗi người, để xem ai là
người xứng đáng được sống lại với Chúa Kitô trong nước Trời, hay là sẽ
phải là môt trong những người bị loại.
Chúng ta cũng phải tập
trung và chú ý vào sự sống lại của những người
đã chết. Cuộc sống với Chúa Giêsu Kitô ở trên trời phải
là mục tiêu hàng đầu của chúng ta. Điều đó cũng phải là trọng tâm trong
các nỗ lực của chúng ta để được sống lại và được nâng lên
làm con cái Thiên Chúa như Ngài đã hứa ban cho chúng
ta. Mục tiêu này củng đã đem lại và giới thiệu cho chúng
ta với một thách thức hết sức đầy gian nguy và to lớn, vì thế
giới xung quanh đã đưa ra cho chúng ta một
cách sống hoàn toàn khác biệt như việc hướng dẫn, nuôi dạy con
cái: theo đuổi cái hạnh phúc trong thế giói hiện
tại, sống một cuộc sống phải có đầy đủ những thừ vật chất
và hưởng thụ mọi thứ đang hiện hữu trong thế giới hiện tại ở đây trên
trái đất này.
Cuộc chiến hàng
ngày của chúng ta trong thế giới này chỉ có thể chiến
thắng và đạt được qua những lời thành tâm cầu nguyện và với
sự giúp đỡ của Chúa Thánh Thần là Đấng ban cho chúng ta sức mạnh, sự
kiên trì và can đảm để tồn tại trong cuộc chiến và sự đấu
tranh của chúng ta. Đây là những là tin tức thực sự tốt cho
chúng ta để chúng tabiết rằng Thiên Chúa của
chúng ta là Thiên Chúa của kẻ sống và Con của
Ngài là ĐứcGiêsu Kitô đã vượt qua mọi sự cám dỗ
và đã mở ra một con đường cho chúng ta đi theo
REFLECTION
This Gospel speaks of the resurrection of the dead and it gives us some
inclination as to what the status of spouses will be in the next world. The
Gospel says that in the resurrection of the dead people do not marry because
they no longer die and are the same as angels and sons of God.
Today's Gospel invites all of us to
look at our lives seriously. Jesus mentions "the children of this
world," referring, of course, to our existence on earth, whom he contrasts
with the "children of the resurrection" - those who have risen to new
life. Clearly, we are called to participate in the promise of the resurrection.
But before reaching the promised resurrection there is judgment that will
determine whether one is worthy or not of being a child of the resurrection. We
must also focus their attention on the resurrection of the dead. Life with
Jesus Christ in heaven should be our objective. It must also be the center
point in our efforts to raise the children God has given us. This goal presents
us with a tremendous challenge. For the world around us proposes to us an
entirely different way of raising children: pursue happiness now, live life to
the fullest here on earth.
This daily battle can be won through
prayer and with the help of the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength,
perseverance and courage to persist in our struggle. It is truly good news to
know that our God is the God of the living and that his Son Jesus Christ has
overcome all temptations and has trod a path for us to follow.
Saturday
33 ordinary Time 2023
Saturday
of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
“That the dead will rise
even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called
‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is
not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:37–38
Jesus gives this response to
some of the Sadducees who question Him about the resurrection of the dead. The
Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body, whereas the
Pharisees did. Thus, the Sadducees asked Jesus about the resurrection of the
body using an almost unheard of example. They refer to the levirate law found
in Deuteronomy
25:5ff which states that if a married man dies before having
children, the brother of that man must marry his wife and provide descendants
for his brother. Thus, the Sadducees present the scenario where seven brothers
die, each one subsequently taking the same wife. The question they posed was,
“Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been
married to her.” Jesus answers by explaining that marriage is for this life,
not the life to come at the resurrection. Therefore, none of the brothers will
be married to her when they rise.
Some spouses have a hard time
with this teaching, in that they love their spouse and desire to remain married
in Heaven and at the time of the final resurrection. For those who feel this
way, rest assured that the bonds of love we form on earth will remain and even
be strengthened in Heaven. And when the end of the world comes and all of our
bodies rise and are reunited with our souls, those bonds of love will remain
stronger than ever. However, marriage, in the earthly sense, will be no more.
It will be replaced by the pure love of the new life to come.
This teaching gives us reason
to ponder further the beautiful teaching of our Lord about His return in glory
and, as we say in the Creed, “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the
world to come.” We profess this belief every Sunday at Mass. But for many, it
can be hard to understand. So what do we actually believe?
Simply put, we believe that
when we die, our body is “laid to rest,” but our soul enters a moment of
particular judgment. Those who remain in mortal sin are eternally separated
from God. But those who die in a state of grace will eternally live with God.
Most people who die will most likely die with some lasting venial sins on their
soul. Thus, Purgatory is the grace of final purification that the person’s soul
encounters upon death. Purgatory is simply the purifying love of God which has
the effect of eliminating every last sin and imperfection, and every attachment
to sin, so that the purified soul can see God face-to-face in Heaven. But it
doesn’t stop there. We also believe that at some definitive time in world
history, Jesus will return to earth and transform it. This is His Final
Judgment. At that time, every body will rise, and we will live eternally as we
were intended to live: body and soul united as one. Those souls who are in
mortal sin will also be reunited with their bodies, but their body and soul
will live separated from God forever. Thankfully, those who are in a state of
grace and have endured their final purification will be resurrected and share
in the new Heavens and new Earth forever, body and soul as God intended.
Reflect, today, upon this
glorious teaching of our Lord that you profess faith in every time you pray the
Creed. Keeping your eyes on Heaven and, especially, on the final and glorious
resurrected state in which you will live in the new Heaven and Earth must
become your daily practice. The more we live with this holy expectation, the
more we will live here and now as a time of preparation for this final
existence. Build treasure now in anticipation of this glorious day and believe
that it is the eternity to which you are called.
My resurrected Lord, You now
reign in Heaven, body and soul, in anticipation of the final and glorious
resurrection of all the dead. May I always keep my eyes on this final goal of
human life and do all that I can to prepare for this eternity of glory and
love. Jesus, I trust in You.
Saturday 33 ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Good Jesus, you are faithful and you never tire of coming
out to meet me. Once more, you open your heart to me in these moments of
prayer. I wish to open my heart to you, too. I believe that you have something
to say to me today and I tell you once more that I trust in you. And I love
you, Jesus. Let me grow in love.
Encountering Christ:
From the Fullness of the Heart: En route to Jerusalem, Jesus was
preparing his heart to offer himself to the Father for the redemption of all
the world. Meanwhile, the leaders of the people were plotting the very death
that awaited him. What a contrast between their hearts—Jesus’ heart filling and
overflowing with love while the Pharisees’ hearts were closed in ever more with
bitterness. The Pharisees framed a question they thought would trap Jesus and
make the promise of eternal life look ridiculous. But Jesus reminded them of
who the children of God are—those who hear his word and accept it.
God’s Desires for His Children: The union between man and wife in
marriage, faithful and rooted in mutual self-giving, is a symbol of the very
love God wishes to offer us. God desires that we be united to him. The
Sadducees in this passage saw Jesus as one opposed to their well-being,
disrupting their skewed but comfortable order of things. Jesus patiently
answered their question, welcoming them even though they were not yet ready to
welcome him, extending yet again his hand in friendship, seeking union with
them the way he seeks union with us.
Jesus Knows Our Hearts: So great is his desire for friendship with them (us!), that he
even answered the question they didn’t ask, the question they kept harbored in
their hearts. Sadducees believed neither in the resurrection of the dead, nor
spirits, nor the immortality of the soul, but on this score, Jesus set them
right. “The dead will rise,” Jesus affirmed, for “he is not God of the dead but
of the living.” This proclamation of Jesus should touch our souls, too. It can
be easy to pretend he is a dead God, one who was important in past times but
who doesn’t really touch our lives today. Not true! Jesus wants to connect with
us intimately. He wants to be present, and a part of each day, each moment in
our lives.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are God of the living and not of the dead.
You are alive in my heart, in your Church, in our world today. Though others
may be indifferent to you, though I myself often am, today I do not wish to be
so. Today, I wish to open my heart to receive your word and welcome your
invitation to be more closely united to you.
Resolution: Lord,
by your grace I will pause for a moment of prayer during or at the end of my
day to reflect on where you have made yourself present. I will thank you for
being there and ask you to help me discover your presence anew tomorrow.
Saturday 33 ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: Good Jesus, you are faithful and you never tire of coming
out to meet me. Once more, you open your heart to me in these moments of
prayer. I wish to open my heart to you, too. I believe that you have something
to say to me today and I tell you once more that I trust in you. And I love
you, Jesus. Let me grow in love.
Encountering Christ:
1. From the Fullness of the Heart: En route to Jerusalem, Jesus was
preparing his heart to offer himself to the Father for the redemption of all
the world. Meanwhile, the leaders of the people were plotting the very death
that awaited him. What a contrast between their hearts—Jesus’ heart filling and
overflowing with love while the Pharisees’ hearts were closed in ever more with
bitterness. The Pharisees framed a question they thought would trap Jesus and
make the promise of eternal life look ridiculous. But Jesus reminded them of who
the children of God are—those who hear his word and accept it.
2. God’s Desires for His Children: The union between man and wife in
marriage, faithful and rooted in mutual self-giving, is a symbol of the very
love God wishes to offer us. God desires that we be united to him. The
Sadducees in this passage saw Jesus as one opposed to their well-being,
disrupting their skewed but comfortable order of things. Jesus patiently
answered their question, welcoming them even though they were not yet ready to
welcome him, extending yet again his hand in friendship, seeking union with
them the way he seeks union with us.
3. Jesus Knows Our Hearts: So great is his desire for friendship with
them (us!), that he even answered the question they didn’t ask, the question
they kept harbored in their hearts. Sadducees believed neither in the
resurrection of the dead, nor spirits, nor the immortality of the soul, but on
this score, Jesus set them right. “The dead will rise,” Jesus affirmed, for “he
is not God of the dead but of the living.” This proclamation of Jesus should
touch our souls, too. It can be easy to pretend he is a dead God, one who was
important in past times but who doesn’t really touch our lives today. Not true!
Jesus wants to connect with us intimately. He wants to be present, and a part
of each day, each moment in our lives.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are God of the living and not of the dead.
You are alive in my heart, in your Church, in our world today. Though others
may be indifferent to you, though I myself often am, today I do not wish to be
so. Today, I wish to open my heart to receive your word and welcome your
invitation to be more closely united to you.
Resolution: Lord,
by your grace I will pause for a moment of prayer during or at the end of my
day to reflect on where you have made yourself present. I will thank you for
being there and ask you to help me discover your presence anew tomorrow.
Comment:
Today,
Jesus' gesture is prophetic. As the old prophets used to do, He makes a
symbolic action, full of future implications. By throwing away from the temple
the merchants selling the victims for their offerings and evoking that «my
house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples» (Is 56:7), Jesus was
announcing the new status He was about to commence, where the sacrifice of
animals was out of question. St. John will define this new cultural
relationship as «God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and
in truth» (Jn 4:24). The figure must give way to reality. St. Thomas Aquinas
poetically said: «Et antiquum documentum / novo cedat ritui» («Lo! over ancient
forms departing / newer rites of grace prevail»).
The New Rites are Jesus' Word. This is why
St. Luke has joined to the scene of the purification of the temple Jesus
preaching there every day. The new cult is centered in the prayer and in the
audition of God's Word. But, in fact, the center's center of the Christian
institution is the living person of the very Jesus, with his own flesh offered
and his own blood shed at the Cross and given to us in the Eucharist. St.
Thomas also beautifully remarks it: «Recumbens cum fratribus (...) se dat suis
manibus» («Seated with His chosen band (...) gives Himself with His own hand»).
In the New Testament Jesus inaugurates,
there is no need for veal or lamb merchants. In the same way as «all the people
were listening to him and hanging on his words» (Lk 19:48), we do not have to
go to the temple to make any sacrifices, but to receive Jesus, the true lamb
sacrificed once for all when he offered himself for us (cf. Heb 7:27), and to
join our life to His.
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