Suy Niệm Thứ Hai tuần thứ Ba Mùa Vọng

Suy Niệm Thứ Hai tuần thứ Ba Mùa Vọng
Suy ngẩm về bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta có thể chắc chắn một điều: Những người có chức vụ và trách nhiệm trong Đạo Do Thái như những thầy tư tế và các thầy Levy  là những người chịu trách nhiệm đền thờ Jerasalem là những người không có thẩm quyền thực sự của Thiên Chúa; cũng như họ không sẽ tìm được cái thẩm quyền đó, bởi vì họ đã không thành thật tìm kiếm sự thật. Nếu những người Pharisêu đã sẵn sàng lắng nghe và chấp nhận lời Chúa, họ sẽ công nhận cái uy quyền của Chúa Giêsu như là người lãnh đạo tôn giáo của họ: ". Giáo lý của Ngài đã gây ấn tượng sâu sắc trong lòng họ, vì những gì Ngài dạy cho họ còn hơn cà các kinh sư, Ngài đã giảng dạy cho họ với quyền uy của Thiên Chúa" (Mk.1: 22) . Ngược lại, Nhà tiên tri Balaam đã tiên đoán là “sẽ có một người xuất hiện được coi như là đại diện các 'vì sao của Jacob' ai đã giải thoát cho con người ra  khỏi bóng tối để trở về ánh sáng; Chúa Giêsu Kitô, Đấng Cứu Thế.
      Đôi lúc đức tin chúng ta có thể cũng yếu đuối kém cỏi  như những người Biệt Phái, Chúng ta nhận ra và chấp nhận uy quyền của Chúa Giêsu như là của Thiên Chúa. Thông thường chúng ta cho phép những mối quan tâm thế tục chiếm cứ, ảnh hưởng làm lu mờ tâm trí của chúng ta để chúng ta không còn nhận ra được sự hiện diện của Thiên Chúa trong thực tại nơi chúng ta. Chúng ta chấp nhận những thách thức như những người của Thiên Chúa khi chúng ta đang chờ đợi việc cử hành sắp tới của Đấng Messiah (Đứng Cứu rỗi) trongo dịp Giáng sinh.’  "Lạy Chúa, xin dạy chúng con và  biến chúng con trở thành những người có đức tin và hy vọng là chúng con mong được chào đón Chúa vào lòng chúng con khi chúng con mừng sinh của bạn trên trái đất."
 
Reflection
            Reflecting on today’s Gospel reading, we can be sure of one thing:  the religious ‘authorities’ e.g. those responsible for the Temple did not have genuine authority from God; nor will they find it because they were not sincerely seeking the truth. If the Pharisees had been willing to listen, they would have recognized Jesus’ authority as the religious people did: “His teaching made a deep impression on them because like the Scribes, he taught them with authority.” (Mk.1:22). On the contrary, it took Balaam to prophesy the coming of the One as represented by the ‘Star of Jacob’ who would lead the people out of darkness into light — Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
      How little faith we can have like the Pharisees to recognize and accept the authority of Jesus as from God. Often we allow other worldly concerns cloud our minds that we fail to see the presence of God in our own realities. Let this challenge us as people of God as we await the celebration of the coming of the Messiah at Christmas.  “Lord, teach us to be people of faith and hope as we look forward to welcome You into our hearts as we celebrate Your Birth on earth.”
 
Monday of the Third Week of Advent
“Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” Matthew 21:25–27
This is a perfect example of how not to live your life. But, sadly, this is too often an illustration of the way many in authority do live their lives. In this Gospel passage, we see the Pharisees acting as what we may term “religious politicians.” A religious politician is one whose religious convictions are decided in a backwards sort of way. Ideally, we will turn our eyes to Christ and all that He has revealed to us. This will produce the glorious gift of authentic faith, and from that rock foundation of faith, we act. But the Pharisees allowed their “convictions” to be based on what they perceived would produce the best outcome at the moment. They chose to say “We do not know” where John’s baptism was from because they thought it was the answer that most safeguarded them from any criticism.
As followers of Christ, we need to be ready and willing to suffer any and all ridicule that comes from living our convictions of faith in an open way. Faith will lead to charity, and charity will always be grounded in the truths of faith. But when we live and proclaim the truth, we will be criticized by some and will suffer as a result.
This Gospel offers us all an invitation to reflect upon the difficult truths of our day and age and to decide whether or not we are willing to publicly profess the truth. Think, especially, about the many moral truths of our faith that seem to be continually under attack. Are you willing to speak your faith clearly, with charity and with conviction, even if it means criticism from the world?
Reflect, today, upon the backwards approach taken by the Pharisees when they were confronted with a difficult question. Make the choice not to follow their example, choosing instead the unwavering convictions that you are called to embrace by your faith. What questions are being asked of you today? In which ways are you being tested by others? What is your approach to those tests? Do you speak more like a “religious politician?” Or do you speak with a clarity flowing from the rock foundation of your faith?
My Lord of all truth, give me the grace I need to stand firm on all that You have revealed to me. Give me courage to remain firm in the convictions of faith that have been given to me by You. May I proclaim this faith to all whom I encounter so that I can be an instrument of Your love and mercy to the world. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday 3rd week of Advent 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to hear more clearly the voice of John the Baptist this Advent. I want to repent from my sinful ways and embrace the way that leads to eternal life with you. I trust in the divine and royal authority of your Son. Without him, I can do nothing. With him, all things are possible.
Encountering the Word of God
1. By What Authority? Today’s Gospel was chosen to continue our daily meditation on the figure of John the Baptist. Just as John prepared the people to welcome the Lord’s Messiah two thousand years ago, John’s message and example prepare us to welcome Jesus into our lives this Advent. Today’s Gospel passage takes place the day after Jesus entered into the Temple and cleansed the Court of the Gentiles of the money-changers and sellers of animals for sacrifice. We see Jesus teaching, and the chief priests and elders of the people approach in an attempt to put an end to Jesus’ actions and teaching. When they ask by what authority Jesus is doing what he has done (cleansed the Temple) and what he is doing (teaching), they think they are setting a trap for Jesus. If Jesus answers that he hasn’t received authority from God, they will cast him out of the Temple. If Jesus answers that he has authority from God, they will accuse him of Blasphemy and cast him out of the Temple. Instead of answering their question, Jesus asks them a question about John the Baptist’s authority. “This counterquestion is not a change in topic. In this question Jesus implies continuity between John’s ministry and his own: just as John’s authority came from God, so does his” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 274).
2. Jesus’ Divine Authority: The chief priests and the elders know they cannot answer Jesus’ question. If they say that John’s baptism was not from God, they will face the anger of the people who regarded John as a prophet. If they say that John’s baptism was from God, Jesus will ask them why they did not follow John’s exhortation to repent and be ready for the coming of the Lord’s Messiah. If they accepted John’s baptism, this would mean accepting that the time of the Messiah has come and that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. In the parables that follow today’s Gospel passage, Jesus compares the chief priests to a son who says one thing but does another. The priests and elders say they will work in the vineyard but don’t. By contrast, the people recognize that they have sinned and need to repent and set out to work in the Lord’s vineyard. Am I imitating the hypocrisy of the chief priests or the repentance of the crowds this Advent?
3. Balaam’s Prophecy about the Future King of Israel: The First Reading, from the Book of Numbers, was chosen because it contains a prophecy about the future king of Israel. It tells the story of Balaam, a Mesopotamian seer who was hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse the people of Israel as they wandered in the desert. Each time Balaam tried to curse Israel, the Lord God inspired him to pronounce a prophetic blessing upon Israel. In total, he pronounced four such blessings. We read the third and fourth blessings today. The third blessing promises that the future Kingdom of Israel will be exalted. King David brings about the initial fulfillment of this prophecy by completing the conquest of Canaan and making Jerusalem his capital. Jesus, however, brings about its ultimate fulfillment by establishing the New Jerusalem and leading us to the heavenly Promised Land. In the fourth prophetic blessing, Balaam sees a star and a scepter rise from Israel. Once again, the initial fulfillment of this prophecy is David, and the ultimate fulfillment is Jesus. In fact, the star will guide the Magi to Bethlehem to worship the newborn king of Israel.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Star of David, guide my steps as I walk toward you this Advent. Help me to overcome any pharisaical hypocrisy and embrace the path of metanoia. Purify my mind, especially in my workplace, to think as you do.
 
Monday 3rd week of Advent
Opening Prayer: Lord, how I struggle some days to turn to you as my ultimate authority. Please humble me so that I can truly give you authority over my life. Help me to remember that you are the author of my life. Teach me to trust in you and your wisdom in all things.
Encountering Christ:
Questioning Christ: From our vantage point, it can seem incredible that the chief priests and the elders were unable to recognize the Messiah. These men had spent a lifetime immersed in the Old Testament. Jesus’ life from beginning to end was a perfect unfolding of the prophecies regarding the Messiah. Yet instead of joyfully welcoming him, they were threatened by him. His miracles and his popularity threatened their control over the religious life of the Jews. They were blinded by their strict misinterpretation of the signs of the times. As praying people we also know Christ well, but we can avoid the downfall of the elders by practicing discernment, which is the prayerful listening for the will of God in our lives.
These Things You Do: This portion of the Gospel unfolded during Tuesday of Holy Week. What, exactly, had Jesus done to so anger the chief priests and the elders? He had entered the town in a procession, honored as a king. He had healed and performed miracles. He had cleansed the temple and exposed the abuses and wrongdoing there. Now he was teaching in the Temple, and they quickly laid a trap for him with their question. If he said his authority was human, they would quickly conclude that he was, in fact, not authorized to teach—he was not a priest or scribe or Levite. If he answered that he had divine authority, they would accuse him of blasphemy. It was a well-crafted trap, but they had completely underestimated the wisdom of Jesus. We can fall prey to this kind of scheming, even unwittingly, when we make “deals” with God or cling to our own understanding of things instead of acknowledging that Jesus is Wisdom Incarnate. 
Questioning the Accusers: Jesus promised to answer their question if they would answer his question: “Who gave John the Baptist authority?” The chief priests and elders did not want to anger the crowd who regarded John as a great prophet by saying he did not have divine authority. If they said John’s authority was divine, then they gave credence to John’s claim that Jesus was the Messiah. Since they answered that they did not know, Jesus didn’t answer their question. His time was near, but it had not come; thus, he evaded their trap. May we, in times of trial or sorrow, lean on Jesus instead of questioning him. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I can see myself in the chief priests and elders. I do not like it when you bring me face-to-face with my failings and my sins. I want to argue back, to make excuses. Help me to see myself as you do. Give me the grace to be the best version of myself.