Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần 22 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần 22 Thường Niên (Luke 5:33-39 -)

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã khuyến cáo các môn đệ của Ngài về việc "khép kín tâm hồn" không chấp nhận về những điều khám phá mới về Thiên Chúa và cách sống Đạo của chúng ta. Chúa Giêsu đã dùng một hình ảnh rất quen thuộc với các môn đề và những người theo Chúa thời bấy giờ; đó là: bầu da đựng rượu, Da mới mới và da cũ. Trong thời Chúa Giêsu, rượu thường được lưu trữ trong các bầu làm bằng da, Khi rượu mới đổ vào bầu da thì rượu mới vẫn còn lên men. Các chất khí khi lên men sẽ gây áp lực cho cho bầu da đựng rượu. Da mới đựng rượu mới thì mới có thể có đủ độ đàn hồi và chịu đựng được những áp lực do sự phản ứng hoá học khi rượu lên men trong bầu da. Nhưng nếu chúng ta đựng rượu mới trong bầu da rượu cũ, thì bầu da cũ sẽ dễ dàng căng ra và làm vỡ bầu da bởi vì bầu da cũ đã bị khô cứng nên rất không còn sự đàn hồi như bầu da mới nên khó chịu đựng được những áp suất của rượu mới khi chúng đang lên men

            Chúa Giêsu có nói:” Nước Trời, thì cũng giống như gia chủ biết rút tự trong kho của ông ra điều mới và điều cũ" (Mt 13:52). Cuộc sống tâm linh của chúng ta sẽ bị bần cùng hoá, nếu như, chúng ta sẽ chỉ có được một Cựu Ước hay chỉ có một Tân Ước mà thôi, chứ không có được cả hai. Thiên Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta sự khôn ngoan vì vậy chúng ta phải biết dùng sự khôn ngoan này để sử dụng cho những việc tốt lành trong cả hai trường hợp cũ và mới. Chúa Giêsu không muốn chúng ta giữ khư khư cứng ngắc về những cái quá khứ và chống đối lại những công việc mới hay những đổi mới của Thánh Thần trong mỗi Người và trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Chúa muốn tâm trí và trái tim của chúng ta được nên giống như bầu da rượu mới, biết mở ra và sẵn sàng tiếp nhận rượu mới của Chúa Thánh Thần., nếu chúng ta mong muốn phát triển kiến thức và sự hiểu biết về những kế hoạch của Thiên Chúa đã và đang ban cho cuộc sống của chúng ta.

"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, xin tuân đổ nơi chúng con ơn Chúa Thánh Thần, để chúng con có thể phát triển sự hiểu biết thêm về tình yêu và chân lý tuyệt vời của Chúa. Xin giúp chúng con biết tìm kiếm Chúa để chúng con có thể từ bỏ tất cả những những ý nghĩ vẩn vơ, Xin giúp chúng con có thể luôn luôn tìm thấy niềm vui hạnh phúc trong sự hiểu biết, yêu thương và phục vụ Chúa."

 

Meditation:

In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes on to warn his disciples about the problem of the "closed mind" that refuses to learn new things. Jesus used an image familiar to his audience; new and old wineskins. In Jesus' times, wine was stored in wineskins, not bottles. New wine poured into skins was still fermenting. The gases exerted gave pressure. New wine skins were elastic enough to take the pressure, but old wine skins easily burst because they became hard as they aged. What did Jesus mean by this comparison? Are we to reject the old in place of the new? Just as there is a right place and a right time for fasting and for feasting, so there is a right place for the old as well as the new. 

            Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old (Matthew 13:52). How impoverished we would be if we only had the Old Testament or the New Testament, rather than both. The Lord Jesus gives us wisdom so we can make the best use of both the old and the new. He doesn't want us to hold rigidly to the past and to be resistant to the new work of his Holy Spirit in our lives. He wants our minds and hearts to be like the new wine skins – open and ready to receive the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Are you eager to grow in the knowledge and understanding of God's word and plan for your life

 

Friday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

“Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’” Luke 5:37–39

This short parable comes at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. He just called Levi, the tax collector, to become one of His disciples, and then Levi invited Jesus to dine at his home with other tax collectors and sinners. When the scribes and Pharisees saw this, they objected and challenged our Lord. In response, Jesus tells this parable as a way of explaining that He came to call everyone to change and to experience a new transformation of their life.

The “new wine” spoken of in this parable is the grace poured forth from the Cross. Remember that blood and water sprung forth from His side as He hung upon the Cross. This has been symbolically understood as the grace and mercy given to us from the Cross, which is transmitted today through the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. Baptism transforms us into a new creation, and, as a new creation in Christ, we must desire the new wine of the Most Holy Eucharist so as to be daily transformed by our Lord.

Many of the Church Fathers point out that the “old wine” that many prefer is a reference to those who wanted to continue living according to the old law. This is especially true of the scribes and Pharisees to whom Jesus was speaking this parable. Jesus was bringing them a new teaching and preparing them for a new grace. But they rejected it, preferring the old life they were living.

One thing this tells us is that if we are to receive this new wine of the grace of God, we must be ready and willing to abandon our old selves and become new. Change can be hard. Even as evangelized Christians who are already living in the grace of Christ, we will be continually called to a deeper and deeper change in our lives. Too often we can easily become complacent and content with the life we are living. When that happens, it will hinder our Lord from pouring the new wine of His grace into our souls in ongoing superabundance.

How do you deal with change in life? If you want to grow in holiness, you can be certain that change is the only constant in life. We must become new creations each and every day, growing, being more fully transformed, changing our ways, giving up the old and embracing that which is ever new. This requires a certain amount of courage as we come face-to-face with the daily need to be changed by grace. It means daily death to our old self and daily becoming a new creation in God.

Reflect, today, upon the courage it takes to change. What is it in your life that you may be afraid to change? What “old wine” do you prefer over the “new wine” of God’s grace? What old habits or attachments do you have that our Lord wants you to let go of? Face the changes God wants for you with courage and trust, and You will indeed become more fully the new creation in Christ you are meant to be.

My most merciful Lord, I know You call me to continual change in my life. Please give me the courage I need to face all that I need to detach from in life and all that hinders me from becoming the glorious new creation You have called me to become. Pour forth Your abundant grace into my life, dear Lord, making me into Your new and glorious creation in grace. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Friday 22nd Ordinary Time 2024

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I want to taste and enjoy the new wine of salvation that your Son has brought. It is a wine that surpasses any earthly wine. It brings a joy that surpasses all earthly joy.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Friends of the Bridegroom: When the Pharisees asked Jesus about his disciples not fasting on certain days of the week, Jesus used the opportunity to reveal to them that he is the Bridegroom, the one for whom Israel awaits. Jesus pointed out that during a wedding feast, the wedding guests do not fast. This means that, in the days leading up to the Cross, Jesus’ disciples – the friends of the bridegroom – do not and will not fast. They accompany the bridegroom throughout his three years of public ministry and rejoice with him. The days will come, however, when the marriage between God and his people is accomplished on the Cross. The bridegroom will be taken away. He goes to prepare a place for his bride, the Church. On that day, Jesus’ disciples will fast and patiently and faithfully wait for the return of the bridegroom.

2. Old and New Wine: The meaning of the parable about the wine and wineskins tells us that Jesus the Bridegroom is doing something new. He is the New Moses, who gives a new law. He is the New David, who inaugurates the Kingdom of Heaven. He is the Messiah who brings the new wine, the wine of everlasting joy. The old wineskins cannot contain the new wine of Jesus’ blood. The blood and sacrifices of the Old Covenant (the old wine) were ineffective and were only a sign that looked forward to the efficacious sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The old wine, just like the first wine at Cana, is good; but the new wine, just like the second wine at Cana, is better. Jesus is inviting the Pharisees, who have been drinking the old wine, to open themselves up to the fulfillment of the Old Covenant in his person and partake of the new wine in new wineskins that he brings.

3. Stewards of the Mysteries of God: The Apostles, the servants of Christ, have been entrusted with the new wine of the Messiah. They are stewards and ministers of the mysteries of God and the Sacraments of Christ. They are called to serve and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Paul says today that, as a servant of Christ, he does not fear the judgment of any human tribunal. He knows that he is working for Jesus Christ his savior. He knows that he is both a chosen vessel and a fragile vessel who bears the mysteries of God. Paul knows that he will be judged by Jesus his Lord at the appointed time. This judgment reveals and manifests what we have in our heart. We strive each day to fill our hearts with the holy things of God and to remove whatever keeps us from God’s love. We ask that God help us to turn from evil, trust in the Lord, and do good. God, we pray in the Psalm, is our refuge from evil and the true delight of our heart. The wine that Christ brings, the blood of the new and eternal Covenant, gives joy to the heart and is our foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, in the gift of the Eucharist, I partake of the new wine of salvation and joy. Help me to appreciate this great gift and bring others to share in it.

 

Meditation Friday 22nd Ordinary Time 2020:

Introductory Prayer: Lord God, I come from dust, and to dust, I shall return. You, on the other hand, existed before all time, and every creature takes its being from you. You formed me in my mother’s womb with infinite care, and you watch over me tenderly. I hope at my dearth you will embrace my soul to carry me home to heaven to be with you forever. Thank you for looking upon me and blessing me with your love. Take mine in return. I humbly offer you all that I am.

Petition: Rejuvenate my spiritual life, Lord.

1. Judging by the Wrong Standards: Once again, we have Jesus at a meal, this time with Levi (Matthew) and his friends. The scribes and Pharisees have come along to scrutinize Jesus and his followers, as they were wary of his teachings which were not in accord with the legalism and formalism to which they were accustomed. Their statement here about fasting contains an implicit judgment: You and your followers are not following our traditions of fasting; therefore, you cannot be truly holy. They present it not as a question, but as a statement, an accusation. They are not open to looking at things in a new way. We, too, can be guilty of rash judgment, even with other people in the Church who do not do things the way we do. Our reference point has to be not what we are used to, but what the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, teaches and approves, be it ancient traditions or new manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church.

2. For Everything There Is a Season: Jesus’ answer is simple: there is a time and place for both fasting and feasting. Some people have a particular vocation to a life of unusual abnegation, but for most of us, the liturgical year provides us with a natural cycle of rejoicing and penance. At times we rejoice with the “bridegroom” – like Christmas and Easter when we celebrate the coming of Christ and his resurrection. At other times we practice more penance – as in Lent when we focus more on making reparation for the separation from the Lord caused by sin in our lives, or Advent when we purify our hearts to receive the Lord at Christmas. Ordinary Time has its own feasts and occasions of particular significance one way or the other. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: Are we living these liturgical realities, or are we neglecting them? Do the feasts and fasts of the Church affect my life, or are the liturgical seasons at best curiosities that I hardly notice?

3. The New You: Then, Jesus offers all those present a challenge in the form of the parable. Both images – the cloth and the wineskins – emphasize the idea that to embrace his message, we need to think “outside the box.” We quickly get settled into a routine, becoming complacent and lukewarm in our faith. It’s even worse if we have habits of sin. To follow Christ and his “Good News” honestly, we need to leave behind what St. Paul called the “old self” to be new creatures in Christ (Colossians 3:9-10). For the Pharisees, that would have meant leaving behind their strict formalism and judgmental attitude. For Levi and his friends, it meant abandoning their worldliness and sinful lifestyle. Making a break with our old self is difficult – the “old wine” is what we’re used to – but we have to take the step of recognizing in what our old self-consists and deciding to leave that behind to embrace Christ’s message, which is always challenging, ever new.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to focus more on following you than on judging others. Show me who I am, and whom you want me to be. Grant me the grace to live the life of the Church – feasts and fasts – with enthusiasm so that you can transform me into a new creature.

Resolution: I will make it a point to live today, Friday, as a memorial of the death of Our Lord by offering a small sacrifice as a penance for my sins, and I will live this coming Sunday with real joy as the celebration of his resurrection