Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần thứ Nhất Mùa Vọng
Hôm nay chúng ta bắt đầu vào Mùa Vọng, Trong Bài đọc thứ Nhất, Tiên tri Isaia tiên báo là thời gian sẽ đến để phục hồi thành thánh Jerusalem và những tàn dư của nó (Ê-sai 4: 2-6) và cũng là thời gian hòa bình đến với tất cả mọi dân tộc. Và tất cả các quốc gia sẽ đến thành thánh Jerusalem, đến "núi Thánh của Thiên Chúa và nhà Đức Chúa Trời của Gia-cóp. . Và họ sẽ biến những gươm kiếm thành những lưỡi cày "(Ê-sai 2: 2-4). Chúa Giêsu đến và thực hiện đúng như lời tiên tri Isaiah đã tiên đoán là khôi phục hoà bình giữa dân Do Thái và dân ngoại để tất cả cùng thông công với Thiên Chúa qua những chiến thắng, mà ngài đã giành được cho chúng ta trên thập tự giá.
Mùa Vọng đến để nhắc nhở cho chúng ta biết rằng Chúa Giêsu muốn chúng ta phải tích cực tìm kiếm Ngài và sự thành hình vương quốc của Ngài trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Thiên Chúa chắc chắn sẽ thưởng cho những ai biết tìm kiếm ý muốn của Ngài cho cuộc sống của họ. Chúng ta có thể tiếp cận với Chúa Giêsu với niềm tin mong đợi, như viên đội trường trong đọc phúc âm hôm nay, biết rằng Ngài sẽ cho chúng ta thấy lòng thương xót của Ngài và sẽ ban cho chúng ta sự giúp đỡ của Ngài.
"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Chúa đã nuôi sống chúng con mỗi ngày với Lời ban sự sống của Chúa và xin Chúa hướng dẫn và duy trì chúng con trong cuộc hành trình về quê hương thật của chúng con với Chúa và Chúa Cha ở trên trời. Xin Chúa đừng bao giở để chún con đánh mất nièn hy vọng vào những lời hứa của Chúa và cũng không tụt hậu trong lòng nhiệt thành vì vương quốc của sự công bình và hòa bình. "
Reflection Monday after 1st Sunday Of Advent
In today’s opening
prayer we ask that Christ may find us waiting eager in joyful prayer at his
coming. Eagerness is not normally treated as a Christian virtue, yet under
different name, such as desire, longing, expectancy, it is certainly a strong
element of a fervent Christian hope.
Advent is above all a time of expectancy, a time of hope. At any given moment in our modern world there are dozens of wars and conflicts going on and in some ways it is all not much different from Old Testament times, when the Psalmist was inspired to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and as an impetus for his prayer he mentions two motives for his prayer for peace: because of my relatives and friends, because of the house of the Lord our God. If, one day, a true and lasting peace should be established in Jerusalem and in the surrounding lands of Israel and Palestine and the whole Middle East, that would be a great blessing for the whole of humanity. As Pope Francis prayed at the Wailing Wall of the ruined Temple, so during Advent let us be eager for the promotion of God’s peace in the world. Father, for the sake of suffering humanity, fill all our hearts with an eager longing for Your peace and joy.
Monday 1st week of Advent 2023
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:8–9
These are words spoken by a man who is very familiar with the exercise of authority. He is a Roman centurion, and he states that he himself is “a man subject to authority” and that he also has soldiers who are subject to him. Thus, his daily life consists of following orders and giving orders that are to be obeyed.
When authority is exercised properly, it is a gift that helps to order society, family life, the life of the Church and even our personal lives. Of course, when authority is exercised improperly, in an oppressive and abusive way, it causes much damage. But the exercise of authority is, in and of itself, an act that has the potential to do much good.
Jesus Himself is quite impressed with the Roman centurion in the Gospel passage quoted above. Of him, Jesus states, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Imagine having the Son of God say that about you! Jesus is impressed, in part, because the centurion acknowledges that he is not worthy to have Jesus come to his house. This is humility, in that the centurion clearly perceives his unworthiness. But Jesus is also impressed because the man manifests a clear and certain faith in Jesus’ authority to heal his servant from a distance. He does not hesitate to profess his belief in this authority of our Lord.
In our own lives, we are often lacking in this area. We face a difficulty (such as the illness this centurion’s servant was enduring), and instead of turning to God with full and unwavering confidence, we turn in on ourselves. We become anxious, fearful, doubtful, confused and sometimes even angry. When any of these qualities are present, it is not because of the difficult situation we face; rather, it is because of our lack of faith and our lack of confidence in the all-powerful authority of our Lord.
In the case of the Roman centurion’s servant, it was the will of God that Jesus physically heal, and so He did. But in the countless daily challenges we face in life, God’s answers might be varied. One unwavering quality we must always have is a certain conviction that God desires to exercise His loving authority in our lives, in the way He chooses, if we trust Him and invite Him to take control.
Reflect, today, upon the perfection of the authority of Christ. Do you believe that He can exercise His perfection of power in your life? Do you believe that His authority is what is needed to order your life, your family, our Church and even our world? Prayerfully submit yourself to the authority of Christ this day and allow yourself to become amazed as you witness all that He is able to do.
All-powerful Father, I entrust to You my life and every situation in my life that needs Your power and control. Please bring order and harmony to my life and to the lives of those around me. May all Your children learn to more fully entrust themselves to You as their loving God. Jesus, I trust in You.
Monday 1st week of Advent 2023
Opening Prayer: Lord God, increase my faith, hope, and love. I believe in you because you are Truth itself. I hope in you because I trust you and have confidence in the promises you have made. I love you because you have loved me first, and because you are so good and worthy of my love.
Virtues: This Roman centurion begged a Jewish rabbi to heal his servant. He showed uncommon concern for his servant. He also demonstrated great faith, treating Jesus like a real person, not a talisman. He understood that Jesus’ power and authority came from God, and not through mere physical touch or magic words. He was able to stand before Jesus, assess the situation, and humbly make a suggestion. “You are the Lord; why not heal my servant immediately, right here?” We know how Jesus reacted; he was “amazed” at such faith. Thus the centurion is a model for us of humility, faith, and love of neighbor.
Hôm nay chúng ta bắt đầu vào Mùa Vọng, Trong Bài đọc thứ Nhất, Tiên tri Isaia tiên báo là thời gian sẽ đến để phục hồi thành thánh Jerusalem và những tàn dư của nó (Ê-sai 4: 2-6) và cũng là thời gian hòa bình đến với tất cả mọi dân tộc. Và tất cả các quốc gia sẽ đến thành thánh Jerusalem, đến "núi Thánh của Thiên Chúa và nhà Đức Chúa Trời của Gia-cóp. . Và họ sẽ biến những gươm kiếm thành những lưỡi cày "(Ê-sai 2: 2-4). Chúa Giêsu đến và thực hiện đúng như lời tiên tri Isaiah đã tiên đoán là khôi phục hoà bình giữa dân Do Thái và dân ngoại để tất cả cùng thông công với Thiên Chúa qua những chiến thắng, mà ngài đã giành được cho chúng ta trên thập tự giá.
Mùa Vọng đến để nhắc nhở cho chúng ta biết rằng Chúa Giêsu muốn chúng ta phải tích cực tìm kiếm Ngài và sự thành hình vương quốc của Ngài trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Thiên Chúa chắc chắn sẽ thưởng cho những ai biết tìm kiếm ý muốn của Ngài cho cuộc sống của họ. Chúng ta có thể tiếp cận với Chúa Giêsu với niềm tin mong đợi, như viên đội trường trong đọc phúc âm hôm nay, biết rằng Ngài sẽ cho chúng ta thấy lòng thương xót của Ngài và sẽ ban cho chúng ta sự giúp đỡ của Ngài.
"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Chúa đã nuôi sống chúng con mỗi ngày với Lời ban sự sống của Chúa và xin Chúa hướng dẫn và duy trì chúng con trong cuộc hành trình về quê hương thật của chúng con với Chúa và Chúa Cha ở trên trời. Xin Chúa đừng bao giở để chún con đánh mất nièn hy vọng vào những lời hứa của Chúa và cũng không tụt hậu trong lòng nhiệt thành vì vương quốc của sự công bình và hòa bình. "
Advent is above all a time of expectancy, a time of hope. At any given moment in our modern world there are dozens of wars and conflicts going on and in some ways it is all not much different from Old Testament times, when the Psalmist was inspired to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and as an impetus for his prayer he mentions two motives for his prayer for peace: because of my relatives and friends, because of the house of the Lord our God. If, one day, a true and lasting peace should be established in Jerusalem and in the surrounding lands of Israel and Palestine and the whole Middle East, that would be a great blessing for the whole of humanity. As Pope Francis prayed at the Wailing Wall of the ruined Temple, so during Advent let us be eager for the promotion of God’s peace in the world. Father, for the sake of suffering humanity, fill all our hearts with an eager longing for Your peace and joy.
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Matthew 8:8–9
These are words spoken by a man who is very familiar with the exercise of authority. He is a Roman centurion, and he states that he himself is “a man subject to authority” and that he also has soldiers who are subject to him. Thus, his daily life consists of following orders and giving orders that are to be obeyed.
When authority is exercised properly, it is a gift that helps to order society, family life, the life of the Church and even our personal lives. Of course, when authority is exercised improperly, in an oppressive and abusive way, it causes much damage. But the exercise of authority is, in and of itself, an act that has the potential to do much good.
Jesus Himself is quite impressed with the Roman centurion in the Gospel passage quoted above. Of him, Jesus states, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Imagine having the Son of God say that about you! Jesus is impressed, in part, because the centurion acknowledges that he is not worthy to have Jesus come to his house. This is humility, in that the centurion clearly perceives his unworthiness. But Jesus is also impressed because the man manifests a clear and certain faith in Jesus’ authority to heal his servant from a distance. He does not hesitate to profess his belief in this authority of our Lord.
In our own lives, we are often lacking in this area. We face a difficulty (such as the illness this centurion’s servant was enduring), and instead of turning to God with full and unwavering confidence, we turn in on ourselves. We become anxious, fearful, doubtful, confused and sometimes even angry. When any of these qualities are present, it is not because of the difficult situation we face; rather, it is because of our lack of faith and our lack of confidence in the all-powerful authority of our Lord.
In the case of the Roman centurion’s servant, it was the will of God that Jesus physically heal, and so He did. But in the countless daily challenges we face in life, God’s answers might be varied. One unwavering quality we must always have is a certain conviction that God desires to exercise His loving authority in our lives, in the way He chooses, if we trust Him and invite Him to take control.
Reflect, today, upon the perfection of the authority of Christ. Do you believe that He can exercise His perfection of power in your life? Do you believe that His authority is what is needed to order your life, your family, our Church and even our world? Prayerfully submit yourself to the authority of Christ this day and allow yourself to become amazed as you witness all that He is able to do.
All-powerful Father, I entrust to You my life and every situation in my life that needs Your power and control. Please bring order and harmony to my life and to the lives of those around me. May all Your children learn to more fully entrust themselves to You as their loving God. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, increase my faith, hope, and love. I believe in you because you are Truth itself. I hope in you because I trust you and have confidence in the promises you have made. I love you because you have loved me first, and because you are so good and worthy of my love.
Virtues: This Roman centurion begged a Jewish rabbi to heal his servant. He showed uncommon concern for his servant. He also demonstrated great faith, treating Jesus like a real person, not a talisman. He understood that Jesus’ power and authority came from God, and not through mere physical touch or magic words. He was able to stand before Jesus, assess the situation, and humbly make a suggestion. “You are the Lord; why not heal my servant immediately, right here?” We know how Jesus reacted; he was “amazed” at such faith. Thus the centurion is a model for us of humility, faith, and love of neighbor.
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