Monday, September 2, 2024

Suy Niệm thứ Tư tuần 22 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm thứ Tư tuần 22 Thường Niên
Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, dân Do thái cũng đang làm điều tương tự như thế, họ hành động theo bản tính xác thịt của họ. Chúa Giêsu đã chữa lành nhiều người và tất nhiên những người dân địa phương ở đấy không muốn Chúa Giêsu dời đi nơi khác. Họ muốn tôn vinh Chúa, Người đã chữa lành cho họ và họ muốn giữ Chúa Giêsu lại để Chúa có sẵn ở đấy để cứu chữa cho những người khác trong làng, trong xóm của họ.
            Nhưng Chúa Giêsu đã cho họ biết là Ngài được sai đến với tất cả mọi ngưòì và Ngài không đếriêng với một nhóm, hay một dân tộc nào và Ngài đã nói với họ là Ngài phài ra đi và đến với những người khác đang mong chờ Ngài.  
Ngài không phải chỉ đơn thuần xuất hiện, tham dự các buổi cầu nguyện trong một hội đường Do Thái nàoand nhưng Ngài được sai đến là để thăm viếng và rao truyền Tin Mừng cho tất cả. chứ không riêng cho dân do thái mà thôi,,
            Hôm nay, qua bài đọc trên, Giáo hội nhắc nhở chúng ta rằng Giáo hội của Chúa Kitô bao trùm tất cả các nền văn hóa trong thực tế có rất nhiều văn hóa rất là thánh thiện, rất tốt và biết tỏ lộ Thiên Chúa cho mọi người. Mặt khác chúng ta cũng được nhắc nhở rằng đức tin của chúng ta phải chịu trách nhiệm trước sự phán xét và những thử thách trên tất cả các nền văn hóa nữa; tỉ dụ như nền văn hóa mà chúng ta đang sống là một sản phẩm của con người, vì thế nó cũng có thể là nơi đem đến những sự cám dỗ và tội lỗi.
            Lạy Chúa xin Chúa hướng dẫn chúng con, xin chữa lành và xóa bỏ những chia rẽ nơi chúng con, để hoá giải những đổ vỡ trong chúng con và trong thế giới như Đức Giêsu đã làm hôm nay.
 
Scripture: Luke 4:38-44,
            In the Gospel today, the people again do the same thing — act on their cultural cues. Jesus is healing people and of course the people of the town do not want Jesus to leave. They want to honor the healer and keep him available for others in THEIR village.  But Jesus is called for the many and not exclusively for this one group and he tells them he must move on. He does not simply join one synagogue, the custom of the day, but is called to visit them all; to spread the Gospel to all.
            The Church reminds us that it embraces all cultures — indeed there is much in culture that is holy and good and expressive of God. On the other hand we are also reminded that our faith stands in judgment and challenge over all cultures also — that like ourselves, culture, which is a human product, can also be sinful.
Lord, lead us to heal divisions, to heal the brokenness in ourselves and in the world as Jesus do today.
 
Wednesday 22nd Ordinary Time 2023
After Jesus left the synagogue, he entered the house of Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was afflicted with a severe fever, and they interceded with him about her. He stood over her, rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them.  Luke 4:38–39
If you wanted to share some important message with a group of people, you would first need to get their attention. This could be done through a variety of means, such as through a charismatic personality, a powerfully moving story, a heroic act of virtue, or anything else that leaves people impressed or even amazed. Once you have their complete attention, you can share the message you want to share. This is what Jesus did in today’s Gospel.
Jesus began His public ministry in Nazareth, but the people of his hometown rejected Him from their Synagogue.
Therefore, He immediately traveled some 20 miles on foot to Capernaum, a town just north of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus would spend much of His time. In this first visit to Capernaum, at the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus taught in their Synagogue, cast out a demon, and then went to the home of Simon (who eventually was given the name Peter) to perform His first recorded physical healing in Luke’s Gospel. He cured Simon’s mother-in-law, who suffered from a severe fever. Then, later that evening, many people brought to Jesus the sick and possessed, and Jesus “Laid his hands on each of them and cured them.” He certainly got their attention. And the next morning, as Jesus was preparing to leave Capernaum after this first visit during His public ministry, the people tried to convince Jesus to stay. However, Jesus said to them, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
Has Jesus ever gotten your complete attention? Though you most likely have never witnessed a miraculous healing first hand or seen a demon being cast out of one who was possessed, Jesus still wants your full attention. He wants you to be so amazed at Him and so impressed by Him that you find yourself seeking Him out so as to be more fully fed by His divine teaching.
Some people give their full attention to our Lord after a powerful experience on a retreat. Others are struck by a powerful sermon. And there will be countless other ways by which Jesus has gotten your attention so as to fill you with a desire to listen to Him and be with Him. Such experiences lay a wonderful foundation by which we are continually invited to turn to our Lord. If this is not an experience to which you can relate, then ask yourself the question “Why?” Why haven’t you been amazed by our Lord to the point that you fervently seek Him out so as to listen to His nourishing Word?
Reflect, today, upon this initial way by which our Lord got the attention of the people of Capernaum. Though some would eventually turn from Him, many did become faithful followers on account of these personal experiences. Reflect upon any way that you have encountered our Lord powerfully in the past. Have you allowed that experience to become an ongoing motivation for you to seek Him out? And if you cannot point to any such experience, beg our Lord to give you an interior drive to desire more of Him and to be fed by His holy Word and divine presence.
My miraculous Lord, I know that You desire my complete attention in life. And I know that I am often distracted by many things that compete with You. Give me the grace I need to become so amazed by You and by Your action in my life that I fervently seek You out so as to be continually nourished by Your holy Word and divine presence in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday 22nd Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the source of life and have the power to heal me. When I am physically sick, help me to accept suffering and offer it up in union with your Son. When I am spiritually sick, bring me to repentance and reconciliation with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Ministry of Simon’s Mother-in-law: Simon Peter’s house in Capernaum became Jesus’ home base for his ministry in Galilee. After preaching and teaching in the synagogue, Jesus went to Simon’s house and cured Simon’s mother-in-law. Considering that Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee lasted about three years, we can assume that Simon’s mother-in-law prepared many meals and served Jesus, her son-in-law, and Jesus’ other disciples. We do not know her name, nor do the Gospels record any of her words. It appears, though, that she didn’t complain that she was left alone to do the serving like Martha of Bethany did. Unlike Martha, Peter’s mother-in-law wasn’t anxious about many things. She simply served and was happy to do this for her son and his son’s Teacher. She expressed her gratitude to God through loving service. How am I serving Jesus and his disciples? How do I express my gratitude to God?
2. The Simple Path: The story of Simon’s mother-in-law brings to mind the simple path of Saint Mother Theresa of Calcutta: the fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace. Jesus and his disciples encountered peace in the home of Simon’s mother-in-law, a peace that was the fruit of her quiet prayer, simple faith, and loving service. The Gospel tells us that Jesus’ mission extended beyond Capernaum and that he went to the other towns of Galilee to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. He came into the world for this: to preach the Good News of salvation to the people of Galilee and Judah, to gather the lost tribes of the house of Israel, and to gather all nations to himself through the Cross and Resurrection. How can I practice the simple path that leads from silence to peace?
3. Growing and Working: In the First Reading, Paul teaches us that we belong to Christ. We are to grow, through Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit, in our knowledge of God. Some of us need milk, others are ready for solid food. Our spiritual life moves from the milk of purification from sin to the solid food of union with God. Like Jesus, we are nourished by doing the will of our heavenly Father. During our journey to God, we are continually being purified and enlightened by God, but ultimately our goal is union with the Father and sharing in the Wisdom of the Word and the Love of the Holy Spirit. In God’s vineyard, some of us are called to plant, others to water the plants and care for them. We are not the cause of the growth of God’s vineyard or his Kingdom. We are only collaborators and co-workers of God. We are God’s field, where the seed of the Word of the Kingdom is planted. Both wheat and weeds will grow side-by-side in God’s field until the end of time, when the wheat is gathered into God’s house and the weeds are burned. Paul also says that we are part of God’s building or spiritual house. Jesus is the cornerstone of this building; the Apostles are the foundation; we are living stones. Through our Baptism, we belong to Christ and work in his vineyard; through this same Sacrament, we become Temples of the Holy Spirit. Am I a spiritual novice who needs milk or am I ready for the solid food of union with God?
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I accept my role as your co-worker. Teach me the simple path of silence, prayer, love, service, and peace. I want to serve my brothers and sisters and be the servant of all.
 
Wednesday 22nd Ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I come before you in prayer. I need your grace to draw closer to you, to hear your voice, and to do your will. Increase my humility so that my pride does not interfere with your will for me. I entrust myself to your loving and gentle guidance. 
Encountering Christ:
A Man of Action: After being led in the desert to be tempted by Satan and returning to Nazareth to proclaim his messianic mission, Jesus’s public ministry in Galilee began in earnest. He cast out demons, cured Simon’s mother-in-law of her fever, and healed the many ailing brought to him. After so many years of patient waiting during his hidden life, there seemed to be a clear urgency in his action. This intensity of mission was present throughout Our Lord’s public life. There were times when they had no time to eat or rest (Mark 6:31). At least once; he was so fatigued that he slept in the boat through the storm (Matthew: 8:24). At the sight of the crowd, he had pity and began to teach them (Matthew 9:36).
The Father’s Will: Our Lord’s energetic activity seems almost incongruous with so much waiting during his hidden life. Nevertheless, this passage enlightens the common thread of both his apparent inactivity and activity. It was the will of his Father: “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God because for this purpose I have been sent.” Jesus was aware of being sent on a mission by his Father. For years, that mission entailed a hidden life. Now it entailed active ministry. He embraced both fully, precisely because they were his Father’s will. Similarly, shortly before his Passion, Jesus said, “the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me” (John 14:31).
A Man of Prayer: Jesus’s escape from the crowd to pray at daybreak indicated he was not tempted to activism devoid of prayer. Our Lord modeled for us the nexus between prayer and action. After praying, he knew the Father wanted him to go to other towns to proclaim the good news. Jesus’s prayer, which sprang from his divinity, is a “filial prayer, which the Father awaits from his children, [and] is finally going to be lived out by the only Son in his humanity, with and for men” (CCC 2599). Therefore, guided by the Holy Spirit, Christians unite their prayer with Christ’s prayer to the Father. Prayer guides and strengthens all we do. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus Christ, by your actions, you revealed to us the importance of being both contemplative and active in our mission. When we are firmly united to you in prayer and through the sacraments, we fruitfully communicate you to those around us. Imbue in us your love and passion for the will of your Father and for the salvation of souls.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will take great care to take several moments throughout the day to offer brief prayers to you.

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