Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Ba tuần thứ 30
Thường Niên
Hạt cải và men làm bánh mì có thể dạy cho chúng ta những
gì về vương quốc của Thiên Chúa?
Như chúng ta biết hạt cải là hạt rất nhỏ, nhỏ nhất
trong các loại hột. Nhưng khi hột được gieo vào đất tốt đã được cuốc xới bón
phân tốt, nước tưới đầy đủ, hạt cải nhỏ bé sẽ nẩy mầm và phát triển lớn lên
thành bụi lớn và thu hút được nhiều loài chim, vì sự chăm sóc, tưới bón của người
trồng, nên dù hạt cải đen nhỏ, đã trở thành vườn cải tốt tươi với cành lá xum
xuê đến nỗi chim trời có thể làm tổ. Vương quốc của Thiên Chúa cũng tương tự.
Nó bắt đầu được chớm nở từ sự khởi ban đầu rất nhỏ nhen trong trái tim của người
chúng ta bằng sự tiếp nhận Lời của Thiên Chúa.
Hành trang để được vào nước
trời cũng giống như là bột men làm bánh, Đó là đức tin, đức tin được chớm nở
trong trái tim của mỗi người chúng ta bằng sự tiếp nhận Lời của Thiên Chúa. Đức
tin đó hoạt động vô hình và gây biến chuyển và đổi thay từ bên trong, Men là một
tác nhân mạnh mẽ của sự thay đổi. Một cục bột còn lại chính nó vẫn chỉ là một cục
bột. Nhưng khi men được thêm vào để bột bánh được phồng lên và khi đút vào lò
nướng đó sản xuất bánh mì thơm ngon và đó là chủ yếu cho cuộc sống đối với con
người.
Đức tin sẽ biến đổi những
ai đã được đón nhận cuộc sống mới mà Chúa ban cho vì khi chúng ta dâng lên Chúa
cuộc sống của chúng ta. Thì cuộc sống của chúng ta sẽ được biến đổi bởi sức mạnh
của Chúa Thánh Thần đấng đang ngự trong chúng ta. Thánh Phaolô có nói,
"kho tàng này, chúng tôi lại chứa đựng trong những bình sành, để chứng tỏ
quyền năng phi thường phát xuất từ Thiên Chúa, chứ không phải từ chúng tôi. (2
Cô-rinh-tô 4:7). Hãy đặt niềm tin của chúng ta vào sức mạnh và sự biến đổi của
Chúa Thánh Thần
Meditation Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in
Ordinary Time
What can mustard seeds and leaven teach us about the
kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree which
attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black mustard seed it
produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest
beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God's word. And
it works unseen and causes a transformation from within. Leaven is another
powerful agent of change. A lump of dough left to itself remains just what it
is, a lump of dough. But when the leaven is added to it a transformation takes
place which produces rich and wholesome bread when heated – the staple of life
for humans. The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive
the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to Jesus Christ, our
lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Paul
the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that
the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Do you believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and
transform me into the Christ-like holiness you desire. Increase my zeal for
your kingdom and instill in me a holy desire to live for your greater
glory."
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary
Time
Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God
like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and
planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Luke
13:18–19
This short parable should
speak to many people far more than they realize. It should be a source of great
encouragement to us all as we seek to build up the Kingdom of God through
apostolic works.
The mustard seed is very small. At first, when someone
holds it in their hand, they may not think much of it. But if they did plant it
under ideal conditions, that seed could grow into a tree upwards of 20 feet
tall.
Jesus uses this parable
to teach us many lessons. One such lesson is that of our apostolic works of
charity. When you think of the call of being an apostle for the Lord, spreading
the Gospel to the ends of the earth, what comes to mind? Perhaps the first
thought is of those who have been entrusted with a very large, public and
vibrant ministry. In this case, it is easier to see the good fruit born of
one’s apostolic works. But what about you? For most people, they may strive to
love and serve others in every small way they can, and they fail to see the
abundance of good fruit born from their efforts. When this happens, some may
become discouraged and lose zeal for the spreading of the Gospel.
If this is you, then
consider the mustard seed. Planting this small seed is representative of much
of our apostolic endeavors. God calls us to do small acts of kindness, share
our faith in subtle and even hidden ways, serve out of love even when it is unnoticed,
and to do so without ceasing. Do these small acts bear fruit for the Kingdom of
God? If you believe this parable of the mustard seed, then the answer must be a
resounding “Yes.”
Many times in life, we
will never see the full effects that our actions have on others. Our negative
influence will affect them far more than we realize. And our loving acts of
charity, by which we share our faith, will also affect people far more than we
realize. Believing in the message of this Parable of the Mustard Seed should
lead us to believe that planting those small seeds of faith, through our
charity, virtues, and words, will indeed bear an abundance of good fruit, far
more than we may ever know, until we enter the glories of Heaven.
Reflect, today, upon your
duty to daily plant the smallest seeds of faith and love. Do not get
discouraged if your efforts do not bear abundantly obvious fruit. Simply commit
yourself to the planting, over and over. Take delight in sowing the seed of faith
and see this as your mission. If you do this throughout your life, from Heaven
you will look back and be amazed at how God powerfully brought forth His
Kingdom through those seemingly insignificant acts of faith and love.
My glorious King, You
desire that Your Kingdom grow far and wide through our efforts of love. Please
do use me, dear Lord, to plant Your seeds of faith and charity every day. May I
never tire of these apostolic endeavors and may I always take great delight in
serving You and building Your Kingdom in every way I can. Jesus, I trust in
You.
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary
Time
2024
Opening Prayer: Lord
God, your Kingdom has grown throughout the world and welcomed all nations, and
yet it needs to continue to grow in the world. I beg you today: Reign in my
heart! Reign in my family! Reign in my community!
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Mustard Seed and the Kingdom: One
way to understand Jesus’ parables is as comparisons. Jesus teaches that just as
the mustard seed is small and grows into a large shrub, so the Kingdom of God
will begin with a small group in Galilee and Jerusalem but grow to
international dimensions throughout human history. As well, just as the mustard
seed was not normally something you would plant in your garden, as it is a very
invasive plant, so also the Kingdom of God is not a normal kingdom and will
spread throughout the garden of the world. And just as the fully grown mustard
plant can welcome the birds of the sky, the Kingdom of God, when fully grown,
will welcome people from every nation and will not be exclusive to Israel and
Judah. We can also discern a contrast in Jesus’ parable. Adam and Eve were cast
out of the first garden, Eden, because of their sin and were unable to eat from
the old Tree of Life. By contrast, in the Kingdom of God, sinners are welcomed
into the new garden planted by the New Adam, Jesus Christ. Sins are forgiven,
and those who dwell in the new garden of the Kingdom are given to eat from the
new Tree of Life, the Eucharist.
2. Yeast and the Kingdom: In
the second parable, Jesus compares the effect of the Kingdom of God in the
world to the effect of yeast in the dough. There is a difference between the
leaven or yeast of the Pharisees (Luke 12:1) and the leaven or yeast of the
Kingdom. The leaven of the Pharisees is their hidden hypocrisy that Jesus calls
out and brings into the light. By contrast, the leaven of the Kingdom of God is
the grace and charity of the Spirit that is hidden and invisible in the dough
of society. Although hidden, the effects of divine grace will soon be
manifested. Unlike the leaven of the Pharisees, which corrupts and produces bad
fruit, the leaven of the Kingdom will bring about a more just and charitable
society. The poor will be cared for, the hungry will be fed, sinners will
repent, and men and women will come to know and love the God who created and
redeemed them.
3. Be Subordinate to One Another: In
the First Reading, from the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul proclaims the great
mystery and sacrament of marriage. Paul emphasizes the need for mutual love,
mutual subordination, and respectful deference in a marriage but also exhorts
wives and husbands distinctly. He implicitly recognizes how men and women
normally manifest characteristic differences – psychologically, biologically,
physically, emotionally – and yet complement one another. Unlike other
first-century writers, who exhorted a wife to obey her husband as a slave to a
master, Paul approaches marriage differently. He looks to the relationship
between Christ and his bride, the Church, as his model. He speaks of mutual
deference instead of unilateral obedience. He invites the married couple to sacrificial
love instead of control and domination of one by the other.
Conversing with Christ: Lord
Jesus, your word is a seed planted in my heart. I want it to grow and flourish.
I want to be transformed by your word. I want to transform the world around me
through justice, charity, and mercy. Enlighten my mind to know your Gospel
principles and how to apply them in my life.
Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary
Time - Luke 13:18-21
Opening Prayer: In
today’s psalm you remind me of the experience of your Chosen People in exile.
How could they have continued to hope in your promise of redemption when they
found themselves oppressed and helpless in foreign lands for decade after
decade? And yet, you did fulfill your promise, and wonderfully brought them back,
and then their mouth was filled with laughter and their tongue with rejoicing.
I often feel that I am in exile, far from my true homeland. My heart aches for
lasting peace and joy. And I come to you this day to renew my hope in you and
to ask for the grace I need to continue my journey through this valley of
tears.
Encountering Christ:
Visualizing the Invisible: Christ’s
parables make visible in our minds realities that, in themselves, are
invisible. They are, in a certain sense, echoes of his own Incarnation, through
which the invisible God became visible in Jesus. We need these parables. The
invisible realities are the ones we most need to keep firm as the reference
points of our lives. If we can’t visualize them somehow, we tend to forget
them, and we lose those reference points. That’s when we get lost and go
astray. We should love these parables, then, as fuel for our hope, the hope
that propels us forward on the journey of life. As St. Paul mentions in today’s
first reading: For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not
hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see,
we wait with endurance (Romans 8:24-25). This virtue of hope is in short supply
in our postmodern, secularized world. That world is shortsighted; it expects
perfect happiness to result from the right combination of consumer products,
digital popularity, exercise routines, and entertainment subscriptions. It has
no place for, and no way to comprehend, the inevitable sufferings that come to
us in this fallen, sin-ridden world. But in Christ, we can both accept and
comprehend them. We know they come from the brokenness of human nature and
human society, and we know that in Christ even the most twisted brokenness can
be redeemed. Turning back to St. Paul in today’s first reading: I consider that
the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to
be revealed for us (Romans 8:18).
The Mustard Seed: The
parable of the mustard seed allows us to visualize the future fruitfulness of
our seemingly small actions on behalf of Christ. Most of what happens in the
Church is small by the world’s standards—a sprinkle of water at baptism, a word
of absolution in confession, a host of unleavened bread at Communion. And yet,
contained in these small realities is the actual grace of God. The same goes
for our small prayers, our small sacrifices, our small, hidden acts of virtue.
These are tiny, from the world’s perspective—not worthy of even a footnote in
the annals of the relentless 24/7 news cycle, let alone a headline. And yet,
hidden within these tiny acts of faith and responses to God’s grace is a great
future, just as the tiny mustard seed contains in potency the largest of
shrubs. Contemplating this comparison will enable us to continue committing
ourselves to the small things, the things that don’t appear in the headlines,
but the things that will be fruitful for an everlasting Kingdom.
The Leaven in the Dough: The
parable of the leaven in the dough allows us to visualize the hidden and
transforming power of faith, hope, and love, of the grace and truth brought
into the world by the Gospel. The leaven literally disappears within the mass
of dough. In comparison with the dough, its weight and volume are
insignificant. And yet, the entire loaf is affected by that leaven. It is
changed and transformed. Just so, Christians living their faith authentically
may be indistinguishable on the outside from their neighbors, their coworkers,
their comrades, while their witness, their mere presence, gradually works a
transformation not only of their inner circles, but even of entire communities,
societies, and cultures. How important it is for us to contemplate this image
and believe in the hidden power of God’s grace! When the enemy of our souls
can’t get us to rebel against God through mortal sin, he will try to distract
us from the fruitfulness of day-by-day fidelity to grace by stirring up obsessions
with “headline-worthy” events and decisions over which we have no influence at
all. If we spend all our energy and attention there, the dough within our grasp
will never receive the leaven God wants to give it through our humble and
courageous faith.
Conversing with Christ: I cannot see you, Lord,
but I believe in you. I cannot see all the results of my efforts to serve you
and build up your Kingdom, but I believe that none of those efforts will be in
vain. I cannot see all the graces I receive when I go to Mass and confession,
but I believe they are there, at work in my mind and heart like leaven in the
dough. Thank you, Lord, for teaching me with these simple, beautiful parables.
Help me to savor them, to allow their truth to feed my hope so that I never
stop working joyfully with you to advance your Kingdom.
