Suy Niệm Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Hai Mùa Vọng

Suy Niệm Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ Hai Mùa Vọng
Trong cuộc sống con người của chúng ta, chắc chắc cũng sẽ có những điều không may hay bất hạnh xảy đến , Và mỗi khi như thế, chúng ta buồn, khồ và có thể đánh mất đi niềm hy vọng và thậm chí còn nghĩ rằng cuộc sống chẳng có tương lai. Tuy nhiên, chắc chắn là đối với người có hy vọng, họ sẽ có được một tương lai sáng láng đang đón chờ trong tương lai. Khi niềm hy vọng đó là một niềm hy vọng của con người có nền tảng căn bản trên khả năng của chính mình để vượt qua những trở ngại.
            Nói chung niềm hy vọng này sẽ đòi hỏi rất nhiều nỗ lực để nhận ra nó và chúng ta phải làm một cái gì đó giúp cho chính bản thân và tương lai của mình. Khi niềm hy vọng của chúng ta trong cuộc sống được đặt nền tảng trong đức tin Kitô giáo, thì đó là niềm hy vọng thiêng liêng, đem lại sinh động và mang đến sự hoàn hoản trên nền tảng của lời Thiên Chúa đã hứa . Trong bài đọc thứ Nhất
Hôm nay, Tiên tri Isaiah đã đưa ra cho chúng ta dưọc thấy vấn đề này rất là rõ ràng. Thiên Chúa  trước tiên đã xác định các nguyên tắc quan trọng về sự mặc khải của Ngài cho chúng ta: "Ta là Chúa, Thiên Chúa của ngươi, ta sẽ dạy cho ngươi biết những gì là tốt lành và dẫn đưa ngươi đi trong con đường lẽ phải”.
            Lời của Thiên Chúa dạy chúng ta, không bao giờ có những lời cay nghiến, nặng nề, hay chua chát, ngay cả khi những lời đó được lấy ra từ những lời dạy bảo trong các điều răn. Thay vào đó, khi chúng ta kết hợp với Chúa qua việc giữ các điều Răn và lời Chúa dạy, thì sự mặc khải của Thiên Chúa sẽ giúp chúng ta trong việc hoàn thành trong sự thịnh vượng Thiêng Liêng mà Ngài đã hứa với chúng ta trong việc chúc phúc cho cuộc sống của chúng ta trên thế gian này và lầy đó làm ngưỡng cửa để tiến đến của thiên đàng.
            Lạy Chúa, xin cho chúng con biết sinh động bởi niềm hy vọng vào những lời hứa của Chúa, để nhờ vào ơn Chúa giúp, chúng con có thể được tham dự cùng Chúa trong việc xây dựng một tương lai hòa bình,  công lý, trong hạnh phúc và Lẽ Phải.
 
Reflection SG
When things go badly wrong for us, we may lose hope and even come to feel that there is no future. Yet it is certain that for the person with hope a future lies in store. When that hope is a human hope and grounded in our own abilities to overcome obstacles, it will generally require much effort to realize it and make something worthwhile of ourselves and our future.  When our hope in life is grounded in Christian faith then it is a divine hope, animated and brought to fulfillment on the basis of God's promises. The passage we read from Isaiah today puts this very clearly before us. God first of all affirms the great principle of his revelation to us: “I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good and lead you in the way you should go”.
            God's words to us, even when they take the form of commandments, are never burdensome. Rather, as we stay united with God through keeping them, God’s revelation engages us in accomplishing that divine prosperity which he promises us in blessing our life on earth and making of it a threshold of heaven.
Animated by hope in Your promises, Lord, may we be engaged with You in building a future of peace and justice, joy and truth.
 
Friday of the Second Week of Advent 
Jesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’”   Matthew 11:16–17
What does Jesus mean when He says “We played the flute for you…” and “we sang a dirge…?” The Church Fathers clearly identify this “flute” and “dirge” as the word of God that has been preached by the prophets of old. So many came before Jesus to prepare the way, but so many failed to listen. John the Baptist was the final and greatest prophet, and he called people to repentance, but few listened. Thus, Jesus points out this sad truth.
In our day and age, we have so much more than the prophets of the Old Testament. We have the incredible witness of the saints, the infallible teaching of the Church, the gift of the Sacraments and the life and teaching of the Son of God Himself as recorded in the New Testament. Yet, sadly, so many refuse to listen. So many fail to “dance” and “mourn” in response to the Gospel.
We must “dance” in the sense that the gift of Christ Jesus, by His life, death and resurrection should be the cause of our wholehearted rejoicing and eternal adoration. Those who truly know and love the Son of God are filled with joy! Furthermore, we must “mourn” on account of the countless sins in our own lives and in the lives of those all around us. Sin is real and prevalent, and a holy sorrow is the only appropriate response. Salvation is real. Hell is real. And both of these truths demand a total response from us.
In your own life, how fully have you allowed the Gospel to affect you? How attentive are you to the voice of God as it has been spoken through the lives of the saints and through our Church? Are you tuned in to the voice of God as He speaks to you in the depths of your conscience in prayer? Are you listening? Responding? Following? And giving your whole life in the service of Christ and His mission?
Reflect, today, upon the clear, unmistakable, transforming and life-giving words and presence of the Savior of the world. Reflect upon how attentive you have been in life to all that He has clearly spoken and to His very presence. If you do not find yourself “dancing” for God’s glory and “mourning” over the evident sins of your life and within our world, then recommit yourself to a radical following of Christ. In the end, the Truth that God has spoken throughout the ages and His holy and divine presence are all that matter.
My glorious Lord Jesus, I acknowledge Your divine presence in my life and in the world all around me. Help me to be more attentive to the countless ways that You speak to me and come to me each and every day. As I discover You and Your holy word, fill me with joy. As I see my sin and the sins of the world, give me true sorrow so that I will work tirelessly to combat my own sin and bring Your love and mercy to those who are most in need. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday 2nd of Advent 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, help me to listen to the songs of your prophet, John, and your Son, Jesus. I want to know when and how to mourn with sorrow. I want to know when and how to dance with joy. Your grace has truly turned my sorrow into joy.
Encountering the Word of God
1. What Has Isaiah Taught Us? During the first two weeks of Advent, we have read daily from the prophet Isaiah. Today is the last day of our sequential reading of the prophet. And so, it is good to ask ourselves, “What has Isaiah taught us during these first two weeks of Advent?” Isaiah spoke to the people of Jerusalem, condemned sinful ways, called the people to repentance, and comforted them by promising salvation. Have I been cut to the heart this Advent? Have I repented from my sins? Have I found comfort in the merciful arms of my Lord? How am I responding to Jesus?
2. John’s Funeral Song: In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus speaks about the failure of Israel to respond to both John and himself: “The call to repentance went out to many (Matthew 3:2; 4:17), but only a few took it to heart” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 156). For this reason, Jesus calls out their generation as unfaithful. They heard the funeral dirge of John and were not moved to mourn in the sense of beating one’s breast. John led by example, practiced asceticism, fasted in the desert, and encouraged his disciples to do the same (Matthew 9:14). Instead of listening to John and preparing themselves to meet the Lord’s Messiah, they criticized John, found fault with him, and accused him of demonic possession. They did the same to Jesus, criticizing him for associating with sinners and for violating the Sabbath rest and accusing him of working in league with the devil.
3. Jesus’ Wedding Song: Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man, who plays the flute. He calls the people to dance with a wedding song. He is the long-awaited Bridegroom promised by the prophets of Israel. His disciples cannot fast while the Bridegroom is present: “Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast” (Matthew 9:14). We learn, then, that, in our Christian life, there are times for wedding feasting and funeral fasting. We have the bridegroom mysteriously among us through grace and the sacraments, and yet he has also been taken away. Our mourning on account of our sin and our joy on account of God’s mercy both need the assistance of divine grace to bear lasting spiritual fruit. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I have heard your song in the marketplace. It is a beautiful song of joy, and I want to learn it and sing it every day of my life. You are my Beloved, and I will strive to follow you faithfully.
 
Friday 2nd of Advent
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, I believe that you have something to say to me today. You know how much I need you! Open my heart to your Spirit and fill my life with your grace. I believe that you are good and wish to draw me closer to you. I trust in you, even though I don’t always understand your plan. Help me to draw closer to that manger side on this Advent journey so that when you do come, I may receive you with a heart full of love. 
Encountering Christ: 
From the Heart: In Jesus’ question, it’s easy to hear the tone of a parent or teacher concerned and exasperated, at a loss, and trying to find yet another way to be understood. But Jesus’ words come not from a place of mere frustration, but from an intense and tireless love for each of us. “How else can I reveal myself to you? How else can I show you my love? How else can I convince you that I am the very answer for all that you seek?” In this time of prayer, may we let these questions speak to our hearts and dialogue freely with the Lord about them. 
Like Children: On other occasions, Jesus used the image of a child to illustrate how we must be to enter the Kingdom of God. He continually pleads with us to learn to see with his eyes and hear with his ears, even on this earth—to let him make himself present here, through our fiat. “It is like children,” he says, who know how to recognize a dirge or dance melody. A child’s simplicity is all sincerity and transparency. How much Christ desires that we approach him in this way! Perhaps the Holy Spirit invites us to pause in this moment of prayer so that he may reveal to us where we need to grow in childlike simplicity. 
Wisdom’s Vindication: “Wisdom is vindicated by her works,” says Jesus. The truth speaks for itself, and it is according to truth that Christ reveals—and it is the light of truth, in this Advent season, that calls us to greater conversion. May we not take on the posture of the Pharisees and choose blindness for ourselves, but may our words express faith as we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus!” 
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, you know my heart, and you know that I wish so sincerely to follow you, to be open to what you wish, and not to insist on my own way. Open my heart to reflect the simplicity of children. May I grow to be like your Mother, who as a young girl said “yes” to your invitation, or like the shepherd children who came to adore you, or even like you, the infant King soon to be born. Draw me closer to you, Jesus, and let me continue walking with you on this Advent journey.