Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần Phục Sinh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần Phục Sinh
Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, khi Chúa Giêsu hiện ra với các môn đệ, họ đang sống trong những cơn sợ hãi, vì họ vẫn đang còn nghi ngờ sự sống lại của Chúa. Chúa Giêsu đã phải cho họ thấy những chứng tích của cuộc khồ nạn qua những dấu đóng đinh ở tay và chân của Ngài để chứng minh cho họ thấy rằng Ngài đã thực sự đã sống lại từ cõi chết và đã hiện ra với họ bằng xương bằng thịt chứ không phải chỉ là một bóng ma như họ đang tưởng tượng.
Khi các môn đệ thấy Chúa Phục Sinh, họ nghi ngờ,  vì họ nghĩ theo bản tính loài người như chúng ta là “Làm thế nào mà cái chết có thể dẫn đến sự sống lại, và sự khổ hình trên thập giá đã đưa lại sự chiến thắng?  Nhưng Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta thấy con đường và Ngài đã cho chúng ta sức mạnh để vượt qua những tội lỗi và những tuyệt vọng, và mọi thứ khác mà có thể ngăn cách chúng ta đến với tình yêu, chân lý của Ngài. Cũng như các môn đệ đã được giao nhiệm vụ đem tin mừng về sự cứu rỗi cho tất cả mọi dân tộc và mọi quốc gia, do đó chúng ta cũng được mời gọi để làm chứng nhân cho sự sống lại của Chúa Giêsu Kitô cho tất cả những người sống trên mặt đất. Chúng ta có chứng kiến ​​niềm vui của Tin Mừng cho những người xung quanh chúng ta?
Trọng tâm của Tin Mừng là thánh giá, và qua thập giá này, Chúa Kitô đã đánh bại kẻ thù của chúng ta là sự chết và Satan và Ngài đã giành lại cho chúng ta được sự tha thứ cho tội lỗi của chúng ta. Thập giá Chúa Kitô là cánh cửa thiên đàng và chìa khóa vào thiên đường. Con đường đến sự vinh hiển là phải qua thập giá.
"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin Chúa Thánh Thần mở tâm trí của chúng con để chúng con hiểu được Kinh Thánh, hiểu được sự thật của lời của Chúa. Xin Chúa xức dầu cho chúng con có sức mạnh của Chúa và ban cho chúng ta niềm vui và sự táo bạo để loan báo Tin Mừng bằng lời nói và hành động của chúng con."
 
Thursday within Easter Octave,
Meditation: Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures
In the first reading, Peter proclaims the Good News of salvation – that Jesus died for our sins and rose for our justification. Now all men have access to heaven which before was closed to them. In Jesus our sins are forgiven and we now have a Savior who is God himself. In the Gospel reading, when Jesus appeared to his disciples, they were so frightened. Jesus had to show the wounds in his hands and feet to prove to them that it was really him risen from the dead.
 The centrality of the Gospel is the cross; but fortunately it does not stop there. Through the cross Jesus defeated our enemies - death and Satan and won pardon for our sins. His cross is the door to heaven and the key to paradise. The way to glory is through the cross. When the disciples saw the risen Lord they disbelieved for joy! How can death lead to life, the cross to victory? Jesus shows us the way and he gives us the power to overcome sin and despair, and everything else that would stand in the way of his love and truth. Just as the first disciples were commissioned to bring the good news of salvation to all the nations, so, we, too, are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ to all who live on the face of the earth. Do you witness the joy of the Gospel to those around you?
"Lord Jesus, open our minds to understand the Scriptures that we may fully comprehend the truth of your word. Anoint us with your power and give us joy and boldness to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed.
 
Thursday within Easter Octave, 2024
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” Luke 24:45–48
Jesus once again appears to a group of His disciples, and He once again gets straight to the point. He “opened their minds” so that they would understand all that the Scriptures revealed about Him. He helped them to see that His death and Resurrection were fulfillments of the teachings of Moses and the prophets. And then Jesus says something new: “You are witnesses of these things.”
As we saw in yesterday’s Gospel, it’s clear that the disciples did not yet understand why Jesus had to die and then rise again. They were still in shock and traumatized by these events. Therefore, Jesus had to carefully explain to His disciples the meaning of what had just taken place. They needed to understand this on a level that they couldn’t comprehend by themselves. They needed Jesus’ clear and detailed explanation as well as a special grace by which their minds would be opened to an understanding of these profound mysteries of faith.
We are no different than these disciples. It’s easy to believe in Jesus for insufficient reasons which only result in superficial faith. Some believe simply because that’s what they were taught when they were young. Some believe because it makes them feel better to believe. Some believe because they don’t know of anything better to believe. But then there are those who believe for the right reason. Like the disciples in this resurrection appearance, they have listened to Jesus speak clearly and in detail to them, such as through their study of Scripture, the Catechism, or other holy sources, and then they were given a special grace from God that “opened their minds” to an understanding that goes far beyond human rational abilities alone. Are you one of those people?
If you are, then you have another duty. Not only must you continue to internalize these truths, allowing them to deepen and change your own life completely and totally, but you must also become a “witness” to these things. When you grow in an authentic knowledge of the faith revealed by our Lord, you must also share it with others. Real faith must be shared!
Reflect, today, upon this powerful resurrection appearance. As you do, ponder whether or not you have allowed our Lord to speak to you in the same way that He did to these disciples, and whether or not you have truly internalized all that He has spoken to you and explained to you. If you are among this grouping of people, reflect also upon your duty to be a witness of these truths to others.  Jesus wants to appear in His resurrected form to many others, but He especially does this, today, through the mediation of His faithful followers who are now sent forth to be witnesses to Christ and His glorious Resurrection.
My risen Jesus, You gave Your disciples a glorious gift when You opened their minds to Your holy Truth and taught them many things. Please open my mind also, dear Lord, so that I will comprehend the deep and profound mysteries of faith. Help me to understand Who You are, why You had to die, and how to share in the new life of Your Resurrection. Please also use me as Your witness so that many will come to know You and share in the new life won by Your Resurrection. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Thursday within Easter Octave, 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, open my mind today to understand your life-giving Word. Conform my life to that of your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to follow the way of the Cross, suffer with Christ, and be raised to heavenly glory with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Risen Christ Opened Their Minds: In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem. He eats a piece of fish in their presence to prove that he is not a ghost. Just as he opened the minds of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, so now he opens the minds of the disciples to understand how he fulfills the Scriptures: the five books of the Law of Moses, the former and latter Prophets, and the Writings of the Old Testament. These Scriptures look forward to the day when the Servant of the Lord would suffer for their sins and be glorified by God, having learned obedience. Through his passion, Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, wipes away the sins of the people and, through his witnesses, spreads his message of forgiveness to the ends of the earth.
2. Witnesses to Jesus: The First Reading tells us that, after receiving the Holy Spirit, the apostles were empowered to be witnesses to Jesus. Yesterday, we heard about their prayer life and their ministry to the sick. Today, Peter explains the healing of the crippled man. Peter emphasizes that he is only an instrument of God, for God is the one who truly heals (Exodus 15:26). The same God, who revealed himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, continues to act in them through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. “The healing is a sign that God has glorified his servant Jesus” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 72). The man was healed by the power of the name of Jesus. Faith in this name restored the man to perfect health. “This statement underscores the importance of faith in Jesus for healing” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 73). The name of the Lord God is praised in today’s psalm. God is praised as he cares for man and crowns him with glory and honor.
3. Rejecting and Accepting Jesus: Peter recognizes that the people were ignorant when they crucified Jesus, but that they can no longer claim ignorance: “There is a greater culpability for those who continue to reject Jesus after hearing the apostolic testimony that he has been raised from the dead” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 73). Jesus’ death on the Cross was not proof that he was cursed by God (Deuteronomy 21:23), but rather that it was part of God’s plan that Jesus suffer and willingly take upon himself the curse that man inherited from Adam. “There can be no doubt that Jesus is the Messiah foretold by the prophets (cf. Acts 3:20), for the apostles have witnessed His Resurrection and the Ascension, just as the men of Israel have now witnessed the healing of the lame man” (Pimentel, Witnesses of the Messiah, p. 57). Peter concludes his speech with a call to conversion and the promise that their sins would be wiped away. Jesus is the prophet-like-Moses, the people cannot reject him (Deuteronomy 18:15-20) and must obey him. Those who accept Jesus become part of the new people of God (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 75) and become the beneficiaries of God’s covenant promises to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I welcome you as my savior. You continue to work through your Spirit and your disciples to draw all peoples into the family of God. Inspire me today to know how I can share in that work and help to bring those I meet today into communion with you.
Living the Word of God: How can I be a better witness to Jesus and the power of his resurrection? Do I need to spend more quality time with God’s word and in prayer? Do I need to eradicate any sinful habits so that I can be a better example to others?
 
 
Thursday within Easter Octave,
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my mind to understand your word. Teach me and help me to follow you in all things, even your suffering.
Encountering Christ:
Surprise!: Today’s Gospel passage continues right after our Gospel passage from yesterday. The disciples that met Christ on the road to Emmaus and recognized him in the breaking of the bread immediately went back to Jerusalem to share their story with the rest of the disciples. They had turned away from the flock, but Jesus, the Good Shepherd, went after them to bring them into the fold. After walking the seven miles back to Jerusalem, imagine their surprise when Christ reappeared to them and the other disciples! Jesus did many surprising things during his ministry and after his Resurrection. Terrified, the Apostles were wondering if he were a ghost, when Jesus asked for something to eat. That is probably not what they expected to happen. What a human thing to do: to ask for mere food. The disciples were also surprised when the Risen Christ cooked fish for them on the beach at daybreak, beckoning them to “come and have breakfast” (John 21:12). How has Jesus surprised you in the workings of your own life?
Our Human Senses: Jesus opened the minds of the Apostles to understand the Scriptures. We might wonder why he waited until after he had died and risen to help them fully understand. This is God’s pedagogy, the way he teaches us. We are human beings, and Jesus knows that sometimes we must experience things gradually through our human senses in order to understand them. He directs them to look at his hands and feet—the wounds of the crucifixion. The Apostles had to hear him speak “Peace,” touch him, see his wounds, and watch him eat before they could grasp the reality of his death and Resurrection. They had to personally encounter Christ’s suffering and humanity before they could fully grasp his divinity. The Catechism teaches: “...everything in Christ's human nature is to be attributed to his divine person as its proper subject, not only his miracles but also his sufferings and even his death: ‘He who was crucified in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ, is true God, Lord of glory, and one of the Holy Trinity’” (CCC 468). This encounter happened at the very end of Luke’s Gospel. In fact, immediately after this, Jesus led the disciples to Bethany where he ascended to the Father. Only then did the Apostles truly rejoice. They finally “got it.” After his Ascension, they “did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God” (Luke 24:52-53).
The Mystery of Suffering: The disciples did not understand that Christ had to suffer before he would rise. In truth, suffering is a mystery, both Christ’s and our own. Jesus knew that by taking on our humanity he would also take on the human condition of suffering. He entered into suffering and death to defeat it. He, the “light of life” (John 8:12), entered into the darkness of death and broke it apart from the inside out. Christ’s suffering was the remedy for our sin, bringing us salvation and victory. We who are his disciples follow Jesus all the way to the cross of his self-giving love. St. Peter speaks to our call to suffer with Christ: “For to this [patient suffering] you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps” (1 Peter 2:21). Suffering comes to each of us; how we bear it and for whom we bear it makes all the difference. When we suffer, we can offer our pain and tears up to Our Lord and unite them with his sacrifice on the cross. Being a Christian in today’s world means that we will likely suffer in his name. Evangelical author and professor Trevin Wax wrote this regarding Christians suffering: “When we say we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus, we must remember what happened to the hands and feet of Jesus.”
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am comforted by your humanity. You are true God and true man. You entered into my humanity to raise it up to share in your divinity. You suffered in my place. There is nothing I could do, no praise or sacrifice I could offer, that would ever express adequately my gratitude for this gift. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will offer any suffering I encounter in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the salvation of the world.