Chia sẻ Lời Chúa: 2024

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Chúa Kitô Vua vũ trụ năm B

Suy Niệm Lễ Kính Chúa Kitô Vua vũ trụ năm B
            Chúa nhật hôm nay, là Chúa nhật cuối năm phụng vụ của Giáo hội. Để kết thúc Năm Phụng vụ, Giáo hội mừng lễ đặc biệt: đó là Lễ Chúa Giêsu Kitô, Vua vũ trụ.
            Trong ngày Chúa Nhật cuối Mùa Thường niên này, Giáo Hội muốn đăng quang toàn bộ sự sống của Nhiệm Thể Chúa Kitô đã tượng trưng cho những mùa trong năm phụng vụ từ năm này qua năm khác. Chúng ta thừa nhận Chúa Giêsu là Vua vũ trụ, Vua của trái đất và Vua của cuộc đời chúng ta. Việc chấp nhận Chúa Giêsu là vua có ý nghĩa rất lớn trong cuộc sống của mỗi người chúng ta.
            Vào thế kỷ 17 và 18, Giáo hội Công giáo ở Việt Nam đã bị đàn áp khốc liệt, nhiều người Công giáo bị quan quân bắt dữ và buộc phải chối bỏ đức tin Công giáo của mình bằng cách bước qua cây thánh giá. Nếu ai bước qua Thánh giá gỗ, thì người đó sẽ thả về tự do. Nhưng phần đông những người này thà chấp nhận mọi hình thức tra tấn và chịu chết chứ không chịu tuân theo mệnh lệnh của Vua chối bỏ đức tin của họ. Có những người còn dám nói với các quan chức của vua rằng: “Chúa Giêsu là Vua trên tất cả các vua khác trên trời và dưới đất. Chúng tôi thà chết cho Vua trên trời của chúng tôi để có được sống đời đời hơn là nghe lời vua dưới đất. Và vì thế, nhiều người trong số họ đã bị giết thảm thê vì Chúa Giêsu Vua của họ.
Ở Bắc Mỹ, vào đầu thế kỷ 20, trong cuộc chiến tranh Cristero, người dân Mexico đã nổi dậy chống lại Chính phủ chống Công giáo. Trong thời kỳ này, các cơ sở Công giáo bị đóng cửa, các linh mục không được phép cử hành bất cứ bí tích nào.         Nhiều linh mục đã bị giết vì thi hành các muc vụ của Giáo hội. Nhiều người Công giáo sùng đạo đã bị bắt và bị xử tử. Khi họ sắp chết, họ la lớn tiếng rằng, "Viva Cristo Rey." Chúa Kitô Vua muôn năm! Một trong những người tử vì đạo này là một cậu bé chỉ mới 14 tuổi tên Jose Luis Sanchez de Rio. Trước khi xử tử, người ta đặt cậu đứng trên mép mộ và nói với cậu: “Nếu mày la lên 'Chúa Kitô Vua thật đáng chết' thì chúng ta sẽ tha mạng cho mày về với bố mẹ" Nhưng cậu ấy nói đi nói lại, "Viva Cristo Rey." “Chúa Kitô Vua muôn năm!”. Những người lính này càng tức giận hơn, họ đâm chết cậu ta bằng nhiều nhát dao và sau cùng người chỉ huy quân đội đã kết liễu cậu ta bằng cách dùng súng bắn vào đầu cậu ta. Bất chấp tiếng nổ của tiếng súng, mọi người vẫn có thể nghe thấy tiếng kêu cuối cùng của cậu ấy: “Chúa Kitô Vua muôn năm! Thánh nữ Maria thành Guadalupe muôn năm! ”
            Ngày nay, chúng ta không phải đối mặt với kiểu bức hại đó. Không ai ở đây nghe nói về việc giết người vì đức tin của họ. Tuy nhiên, chúng ta đang phải đối mặt với áp lực ngày càng lớn trong việc hạn chế đức tin của chúng ta. Chúng ta có đời sống kinh tế, xã hội, giáo dục và chính trị; và đối với hầu hết chúng ta, ai cũng có một "cuộc sống tôn giáo." Tuy nhiên, ngày càng nhiều chúng ta nghe nói, "hãy giữ đạo của bạn cho riêng mình." Vấn đề là Chúa Giêsu hướng cuộc sống của chúng ta không phải chỉ trong những khi chúng ta cầu nguyện, mà còn trong những lúc chúng ta làm việc, khi chúng ta nói chuyện với người khác, bất cứ điều gì chúng ta làm. Chúa Giêsu đều muốn nhận một hành động hoán cải dù rất nhỏ của chúng ta , đó là việc chúng ta quay trở về với Chúa. Nếu chúng ta đi theo Chúa Giêsu, Ngài phải trở thành vua hoàn toàn trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Điều đó bao gồm tiền bạc, gia đình của chúng ta, tình bạn của chúng ta, việc học của chúng ta, việc làm chính trị của chúng ta. Chúa Giêsu là vua, có nghĩa là Ngài cai trị trong mọi chiều kích trong cuộc sống của chúng ta và mọi người. Điều này không có nghĩa là Chúa Giêsu áp đặt mình hay chúng ta áp đặt lên người khác. Sự áp đặt lấy đi những thứ thiết yếu đó là: tự do. Chỉ có các vị vua trên trên trái đất này mới áp đặt lên những người dân của họ. Đặc biệt là ngày nay ở đất nước chúng ta, chính phủ của chúng ta áp đặt Giáo hội phải đóng tiền góp quỹ cho việc phá thai và áp đạt nhiều thứi khác đang chống lại niềm tin của chúng ta. Chúng ta lưu ý rằng Chúa Giêsu chỉ tuyên bố mình là Vua trong lúc Ngài bất lực nhất.
            Trong Chúa Nhật tuần thứ 17 Mùa Thường niên, chúng ta đã nghe Chúa Giêsu làm phép lạ hoá bánh và cá ra nhiều, và dân chúng muốn phong Ngài làm vua, nhưng Ngài đã bỏ họ và trốn đi vào sa mạc một mình. Vương quyền của Chúa không liên quan đến bạo lực và những sự áp bức hay thống trị. Trong Tin Mừng Thánh Lu-ca, Chúa Giê-su nói: "Vương quốc của Chúa không đến với những thứ có thể quan sát được; họ cũng sẽ không nói: rằng 'Nhìn kìa, nó đấy! Hay nó đây!' Thật vậy, Nước của Thiên Chúa đang ở giữa các ngươi. " (Lk. 17: 20-1.) Tuy nhiên, trong bài đọc hôm nay, khi Chúa Giêsu đứng bất lực trước quan Philatô; người đại diện cho đế quốc hùng mạnh Roma; Chúa Giêsu nhìn thẳng vào mắt ông ta và nói: “Tôi là vua”. Chúa Giêsu là vua, một vị vua khiêm tốn, vâng, nhưng vẫn là vua trên các vua. Trong bài đọc thứ hai hôm nay, chúng ta nghe nói rằng Chúa Giêsu là Alpha và Ômêga, là khởi đầu mọi sự và sau cùng của tất cả những gì hiện hữu.
            Giờ đây, hơn bao giờ hết, Giáo hội hôm nay tôn vinh Chúa Giêsu Kitô là Vua của Vũ trụ. Đối với Giáo hội, nhân danh Chúa Giêsu, nói lên tất cả Sự thật cho toàn thế giới! Gíao hôi hiên ngang mang theo Công việc và Sứ mệnh của Chúa Kitô, Giáo hội loan báo cho mọi người trên thế giới biết về sứ điệp Cứu độ được tìm thấy trong Kinh Thánh và trong Tin Mừng. Vì vậy, Giáo hội quy tôn vinh Chúa Kitô Vua cái danh dự và vinh quang này, Vì danh dự và vinh quang luôn luôn thuộc về Người.
            Mỗi lần, chúng ta làm chứng về sự trung thành của mình với Luật pháp của Thiên Chúa, đó là Nước Thiên Chúa mà chúng ta công bố: sống một đời sống thánh khiết, thể hiện hành vi gương mẫu tại nơi làm việc hoặc ở nhà, tất cả những điều này đều nhằm vinh danh Thiên Chúa. Chúa là Vương quyền vinh hiển hơn bao giờ hết! Giờ đây, Chúng ta hãy cầu xin Chúa và Vua Kitô ban cho chúng ta sự khôn ngoan và lòng can đảm để dám đứng lên vì vương quốc nước Trời của Chúng. Và cho chúng con dám bắt chước các Thánh Tử Đạo Việt Nam và các vị tử đạo người Mexico trong thế kỷ 20, đặc biệt là với vị thánh mới Jose Luis Sanchez de Rio để dám đước lên mà hô lên lớn tiếng, Viva Cristo Rey! Chúa Kitô Vua muôn năm. Amen.

Sunday Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (B) Scripture: John 18:33-37
I remember a few years ago. In El Paso Texas, I went to the Sunday Vigil mass at a Church close to my hotel. The priest was giving a long homily, he went on and became more animated. As he moved on and made a sweeping gesture, he knocked his papers from the pulpit. He scrambled to pick them up, then asked, "Now, where was I?" A voice from the congregation responded, "Right near the end!"
            Well, yes! We are at near the end, not of the homily, but of the Church liturgical year. As the liturgical year comes to the end, the Church celebrates a special feast: Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.
As we prepare for Church liturgical new year, our parish will start singing Our Father in Latin in the Mass from this Sunday until the end of Christmas season. Please don’t forget to pick up the Pater Noster/pếtơ nốtờ/) song sheet at the door and sing with us
            On this last Sunday of Ordinary time, we acknowledge Jesus as King of the universe, King of the earth and King of our lives. To accept Jesus as king has huge implications.
            In the 17 and 18 Centuries, the Catholic Church in Vietnam was persecuted, many Catholics were forced to deny their Catholic faith by stepping over the crucifix.
            If anyone stepped over the wooden Cross, he would save his life. But many people would rather accept all kind of tortures than denying their faith and obey the King’s orders.
            They said to the king’s officials that: “Jesus is King above all other kings on earth. He is the king of heaven and earth. We would rather die for our heavenly King and have eternal life than listening to the earthly king. And because of that, many of them were killed for their King Jesus. Here in North America, in early 20th century, during Cristero war, people of Mexico rebelled against the Anti Catholic Government. During this period, Catholic institutions were shut down, the priests were not allowed to perform any sacramental service.
Many priests were killed for fulfilling the ministry of the church. Many devout Catholics were arrested, and put to death. When they went to their death they shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey." Long live Christ the King! One of these martyrs was a 14-year-old boy name Jose Luis Sanchez de Rio. Before they put him to death, they put him standing on the edge of a grave, and told him: “If you shout 'Death to Christ the King,' we will spare your life.”   But he said again and again, "Viva Cristo Rey." “Long live Christ the King!”. The soldiers got angrier, they stabbed his body to death until the leader of the troops finished him off by shooting him in the head with his rifle. Despite the noise of the shot, everyone could hear his last cry: “Long live Christ the King! Long live Holy Mary of Guadalupe!”
            Today, we are not facing that kind of persecution. No one here is talking about putting people to death for their faith. However, we are facing growing pressure to restrict our faith. We have economic, social, educational and political lives; and for most of us, also a "religious life." Yet more and more we hear, "keep your religion to yourself." The problem is that Jesus directs our lives not only when we pray, but also when we work, when we talk with others, whatever we do. Jesus will accept the smallest act of conversion, turning toward him. If we follow Jesus, He must become king of our entire lives. That includes our money, our family, our friendships, our studies, our politics.
Jesus is king, He means to rule in every dimension of our life and everyone lives. This does not mean Jesus imposes himself or that we impose on others. Imposition takes away something essential: freedom. Only earthly kings would impose on their citizents. Especially today in our country, our government imposes on the Church to pay for abortion and many others are against our belief. We notice that Jesus declares himself King only at the moment when He is most powerless.
On Sunday the 17^th week in Ordinary Time, we heard Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. The people wanted to make him king, but he fled from them. His kingship does not involve violence and imposition. In Luke’sGospel, Jesus said: "The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is! Or There it is!' For, in fact, the Kingdom of God is among you." (Lk. 17:20-1). However, in today’s reading, when Jesus stands powerless before Pilate; who represents the might of Rome; Jesus looks him in the eye and says, "I am king”. Jesus is king, a humble king, yes, but still king above every other. In the second reading, we heard that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of all that exists. Now, more than ever, the Church is here to render to Jesus Christ the honor which is due him as King of the Universe. For the Church, in the name of Jesus, speaks the Truth to the entire world! Carrying on the Work and the Mission of Christ, the Church proclaims to all people in the world the message of Salvation found in the Gospel. Thus, the Church renders to the King of the Universe the honor and the glory which belong to him. Each time, throughout the day, that we testify our fidelity to the Law of God, it is the Kingdom of God we proclaim: to live a holy life, to exhibit exemplary conduct at work or at home, all of this serves to obtain for the Lord a Kingship that is ever more glorious! As king of the universe, Jesus is naturally meant to be king of earthly rulers; and of our lives; not just when we pray, not just when we go to Mass but also every moment of every day of our lives. We all will have to make a choice. We are in a spiritual battle; and we have to decide, choose a banner. Are we going to place ourselves under the banner of Christ or the banner of Satan?
            This Sunday Jesus shows himself as a humble king; and he asks us to accept his rule in our families and in every aspect of our lives. We cannot withhold something and still come to him. It is all or nothing. We cannot say I am a devout Catholic but I support abortion, gay marrieds. Let’s ask our Lord and King give us the wisdom and courage to standup for your kingdom. Like the Vietnamese Martyrs and the 3614Mexican martyrs in the 20^thcentury especially with the new saint Jose Luis Sanchez de Rio we want to say, Viva Cristo Rey! Or long live Christ the King. Amen.

Sunday Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (B) 2024
Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” John 18:36
Today, on the final Sunday of our Church year, we celebrate the glorious Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Next Sunday begins Advent. On this day we profess the profound truth that our Lord is King! He is the King of all things. He is King of the Universe. And He is King of Heaven and all spiritual realities. However, in the Gospel passage quoted above, Jesus responds to Pilate who was questioning Him about whether or not He was the King of the Jews. Jesus is clear that He is a King, but that His Kingdom does not belong to this world. So where is His Kingdom?
We can look at Jesus’ statement from two points of view. First of all, if Jesus would have claimed that He were an earthly king, one with civil authority, then Pilate would have judged Him to be guilty of trying to overthrow the Roman authority. This would be unlawful and would be punishable by death. In that case, Jesus could have been found legally guilty of violating civil law.
But Jesus was purely innocent. He was morally perfect in every way, and that included His obedience to all legitimate civil law. But Jesus was a King. He was The King of all Kings! Therefore, so as to exercise His Kingship, He declared that His Kingdom was not of this world. In other words, it was not a Kingdom that was in competition with the Roman authorities or any other civil authority. To that, Pilate did not know how to respond.
Today and always, God desires that His glorious Kingdom reign in every way. God begins by reigning in our souls. He invites us to invite Him to enter in and take control of our lives. He desires to be the ruler of every passion, desire, thought and action that is ours. When this happens, His Kingdom is firmly established within us.
It also needs to be pointed out that Jesus wants His Kingdom to grow. First, it must grow in the minds and wills of all people. But from there, He wants every person to then work to conform every part of our society to the governance of Him as King. This means that as the hearts of civil leaders are converted, they will be called to enact laws that fully support and build up God’s Kingdom on earth. It means that business leaders, as they convert, are called to govern their businesses in accord with the will of God so that their businesses contribute to the establishment of God’s Kingdom here and now. It means that as the leaders of our schools, sports programs, social programs and the like all invite Jesus to reign in their hearts as King, The King of the Universe will then guide them to conform all of their endeavors to His will and to the continued upbuilding of His Kingdom.
The first duty of the Christian, in regard to the governance of every aspect of society, is not to impose God’s law from without, as a ruthless authoritarian would. Rather, it is to convert minds and hearts so that God’s governance comes forth from within. As God’s Kingdom is established in the lives of His people, all objectively grave evils embedded within our earthly laws must be overturned. For example, the legalization of abortion stands out as perhaps the greatest of moral evils, since it involves the taking of a completely innocent life. This and countless other immoral earthly laws must be replaced by the laws of God as hearts and minds are converted to His Truth.
Reflect, today, upon your duty to help bring forth the Kingdom of God here and now. Start by seeing your duty to allow God’s Kingdom to grow within you and your family. From there, be open to the many ways that God wants to use you to help others do the same. As you do, do not be afraid to work toward the external establishment of God’s Kingdom in all that you do and in all that falls within your responsibility. Jesus is King, and He desires to reign everywhere. Cooperate with Him, and His Kingdom will indeed come.
My glorious King, I choose You as King of my life, and I dedicate to You all my actions and endeavors. Please use me to further Your Kingdom. I pray for wisdom, prudence and courage as I am sent forth by You to help bring forth Your merciful and just reign in the lives of all people and within the entire Universe that You created. May Your Kingdom come and Your will be done! Jesus, I trust in You

Sunday Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (B) 2024
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, thy Kingdom come! Thy will be done! Give me the Bread of the Kingdom to sustain me as I journey to you. Pour out your mercy upon me and forgive my many sins. Bring me safely through the battle of life into your eternal dwelling.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Trial and Testimony of the King: The Gospel of John gives us an account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate. Pilate thought he had true power and authority over Jesus, but he was gravely mistaken. Pilate reasoned that if Jesus was claiming to be a king – in this case, the “King of the Judeans” – without being appointed so by the Roman emperor, then Jesus was a threat to Roman imperial rule. Little by little, Jesus reveals himself to Pilate as the true King, the one whose Kingdom is in this world, but it is not of this world. “Jesus does not deny his royal mission, but he disassociates it from the political form of government that concerns Pilate. He thus turns the focus toward heaven, where he will be crowned not with gold but with glory and honor (Hebrews 2:9) and where homage is paid to him not in taxes but in worship (John 9:38) and allegiance to the truth (John 8:31-32). The coronation of Jesus begins with his Passion and culminates with his Ascension (Ephesians 1:20-23), from which time his dominion extends over the earth through the preaching and sacramental ministry of the Church (Matthew 28:18-20)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 196).
2. The Son of Man Received Kingship: In the Book of Daniel, the prophet had a vision of four beasts, which represented four successive kingdoms (Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek, Roman). Daniel saw that during the time of the fourth Kingdom, one like a “Son of Man” would be granted royal authority from God, the “Ancient of Days,” and inaugurate this heavenly kingdom on earth. Jesus most often referred to himself as “the Son of Man.” In this way, he calls to mind the prophecy of Daniel 7. Daniel 7:26-27 foretells that the vast dominion of the fourth kingdom will one day be taken away, consumed, and destroyed. “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. In the Church that Jesus founded, we see the beginning and seed of the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ is the Son of Man, “who conquered evil and now sits enthroned in heaven, exercising his universal kingship over the world through the Church” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 141).
3. The King Makes Us into a Kingdom: In the Second Reading, from the Book of Revelation, we contemplate not only the mystery of Jesus Christ as the “ruler of the kings of the earth” but also the mystery of how Jesus transforms us into a kingdom of priests. To live as royal priests was the original vocation of humanity. But Adam and Eve failed. The invitation to be a kingdom of priests was renewed with Israel. But Israel failed. David and his royal sons were priest-kings. But many of David’s sons failed. In Christ, we have become priests, prophets, and kings. He is the faithful Son of God who sacrificed himself to take away our sins, who gives us his grace and Spirit to overcome evil in our lives and live our prophetic, priestly, and royal vocation to the full. We are called to give to God everything over which we have dominion – our lives, our possessions, all that we are – in sacrificial love (see Barber, Coming Soon, 39).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my king! Teach me your ways so that I may serve you faithfully. I am your soldier and will work to extend your reign in this world. Arm me with the sword of the Spirit for battle. Protect me with the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, and the breastplate of righteousness from all evil.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần 33 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần 33 Thường Niên

Tin Mừng hôm nay nói về sự sống lại của những người đã chết và cũng như những trạng thái của con người khi được sống lại ở trong thế giới bên kia. Qua bài Tin Mừng Chúa Giêsu đã nói cho chúng ta biết rằng trong sự sống lại của người ở trong Nước Thiên Chúa, không có sự kết hôn vì con người sẽ không bao giờ phải chết nữa. Lúc đo con người chúng ta cũng sẽ giống như các thiên thần và con cái Thiên Chúa Trên Thiên Đàng.

Tin Mừng hôm nay mời gọi tất cả chúng ta hãy nhìn vào cuộc sống của chúng ta một cách nghiêm túc. Chúa Giêsu đề cập đến sự tồn tại của con người trên trái đất của chúng ta, những người mà Ngài so sánh, đối chiếu với "con cái của sự sống lại” là những người đã sống lại trong cuộc sống mới. Rõ ràng là chúng ta đã được mời gọi để tham dự và thống phần vào trong của sự sống lại với Chúa Giêsu. Nhưng trước khi đạt đến những sự hứa hẹn trong sự sống lại, con người phải trải qua một cuộc phán xét để xác định rõ trình trạng của mỗi người, để xem ai là người xứng đáng được sống lại với Chúa Kitô trong nước Trời, hay là sẽ phải là môt trong những người bị loại.

Chúng ta cũng phải tập trung và chú ý vào sự sống lại của những người đã chết. Cuộc sống với Chúa Giêsu Kitô ở trên trời phải là mục tiêu hàng đầu của chúng ta. Điều đó cũng phải là trọng tâm trong các nỗ lực của chúng ta để được sống lại và được nâng lên làm con cái Thiên Chúa như Ngài đã hứa ban cho chúng ta. Mục tiêu này củng đã đem lại và giới thiệu cho chúng ta với một thách thức hết sức đầy gian nguy và to lớn, vì thế giới xung quanh đã đưa ra cho chúng ta một cách sống hoàn toàn khác biệt như việc hướng dẫn, nuôi dạy con cái: theo đuổi cái hạnh phúc trong thế giói hiện tại, sống một cuộc sống phải có đầy đủ những thừ vật chất và hưởng thụ mọi thứ đang hiện hữu trong thế giới hiện tại ở đây trên trái đất này.

Cuộc chiến hàng ngày của chúng ta trong thế giới này chỉ có thể chiến thắng và đạt được qua những lời thành tâm cầu nguyện và với sự giúp đỡ của Chúa Thánh Thần là Đấng ban cho chúng ta sức mạnh, sự kiên trì và can đảm để tồn tại trong cuộc chiến và sự đấu tranh của chúng ta. Đây là những là tin tức thực sự tốt cho chúng ta để chúng tabiết rằng Thiên Chúa của chúng ta là Thiên Chúa của kẻ sống và Con của Ngài là ĐứcGiêsu Kitô đã vượt qua mọi sự cám dỗ và đã mở ra một con đường cho chúng ta đi theo

REFLECTION

This Gospel speaks of the resurrection of the dead and it gives us some inclination as to what the status of spouses will be in the next world. The Gospel says that in the resurrection of the dead people do not marry because they no longer die and are the same as angels and sons of God.

Today's Gospel invites all of us to look at our lives seriously. Jesus mentions "the children of this world," referring, of course, to our existence on earth, whom he contrasts with the "children of the resurrection" - those who have risen to new life. Clearly, we are called to participate in the promise of the resurrection. But before reaching the promised resurrection there is judgment that will determine whether one is worthy or not of being a child of the resurrection. We must also focus their attention on the resurrection of the dead. Life with Jesus Christ in heaven should be our objective. It must also be the center point in our efforts to raise the children God has given us. This goal presents us with a tremendous challenge. For the world around us proposes to us an entirely different way of raising children: pursue happiness now, live life to the fullest here on earth.

This daily battle can be won through prayer and with the help of the Holy Spirit who gives us the strength, perseverance and courage to persist in our struggle. It is truly good news to know that our God is the God of the living and that his Son Jesus Christ has overcome all temptations and has trod a path for us to follow.

Saturday 33 ordinary Time 2023
Saturday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time

“That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Luke 20:37–38

Jesus gives this response to some of the Sadducees who question Him about the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body, whereas the Pharisees did. Thus, the Sadducees asked Jesus about the resurrection of the body using an almost unheard of example. They refer to the levirate law found in Deuteronomy 25:5ff which states that if a married man dies before having children, the brother of that man must marry his wife and provide descendants for his brother. Thus, the Sadducees present the scenario where seven brothers die, each one subsequently taking the same wife. The question they posed was, “Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” Jesus answers by explaining that marriage is for this life, not the life to come at the resurrection. Therefore, none of the brothers will be married to her when they rise.

Some spouses have a hard time with this teaching, in that they love their spouse and desire to remain married in Heaven and at the time of the final resurrection. For those who feel this way, rest assured that the bonds of love we form on earth will remain and even be strengthened in Heaven. And when the end of the world comes and all of our bodies rise and are reunited with our souls, those bonds of love will remain stronger than ever. However, marriage, in the earthly sense, will be no more. It will be replaced by the pure love of the new life to come.

This teaching gives us reason to ponder further the beautiful teaching of our Lord about His return in glory and, as we say in the Creed, “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” We profess this belief every Sunday at Mass. But for many, it can be hard to understand. So what do we actually believe?

Simply put, we believe that when we die, our body is “laid to rest,” but our soul enters a moment of particular judgment. Those who remain in mortal sin are eternally separated from God. But those who die in a state of grace will eternally live with God. Most people who die will most likely die with some lasting venial sins on their soul. Thus, Purgatory is the grace of final purification that the person’s soul encounters upon death. Purgatory is simply the purifying love of God which has the effect of eliminating every last sin and imperfection, and every attachment to sin, so that the purified soul can see God face-to-face in Heaven. But it doesn’t stop there. We also believe that at some definitive time in world history, Jesus will return to earth and transform it. This is His Final Judgment. At that time, every body will rise, and we will live eternally as we were intended to live: body and soul united as one. Those souls who are in mortal sin will also be reunited with their bodies, but their body and soul will live separated from God forever. Thankfully, those who are in a state of grace and have endured their final purification will be resurrected and share in the new Heavens and new Earth forever, body and soul as God intended.

Reflect, today, upon this glorious teaching of our Lord that you profess faith in every time you pray the Creed. Keeping your eyes on Heaven and, especially, on the final and glorious resurrected state in which you will live in the new Heaven and Earth must become your daily practice. The more we live with this holy expectation, the more we will live here and now as a time of preparation for this final existence. Build treasure now in anticipation of this glorious day and believe that it is the eternity to which you are called.

My resurrected Lord, You now reign in Heaven, body and soul, in anticipation of the final and glorious resurrection of all the dead. May I always keep my eyes on this final goal of human life and do all that I can to prepare for this eternity of glory and love. Jesus, I trust in You.

Saturday 33 ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am your child. I sit at your feet to learn from you. I play before you and look up to see your smiling face. Care for me and guide my steps. Correct me when I foolishly choose what is evil. Encourage me when I wisely do what is right and good.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Life in the Coming Age: When members of the Sadducees, who denied that there was a resurrection of the dead, approached Jesus with their theological question, they intended to undermine Jesus’ teaching authority. They were probably aware of Jesus’ position on the resurrection because of the parable Jesus told the Pharisees about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus wasn’t befuddled by their question and easily responded to the Sadducees. He first showed them that they misunderstood what life in the coming age would be like. Life after death – life in the coming age – is not a mere continuation of earthly life. One of the purposes of marriage in this life is to transmit life by having and raising children (CCC, 2363). But since those who attain eternal life can no longer die, they no longer need to marry and procreate to maintain the human race or perpetuate their name and lineage.

2. The Resurrection of the Dead: The second thing Jesus did was to show that the Five Books of Moses – the only books of the Bible that the Sadducees accepted as authoritative – does teach the resurrection of the dead. Jesus points out that when God revealed himself as the Lord to Moses in the burning bush, he revealed and identified himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (Exodus 3:15). The Lord identifies himself as being in a continued relationship with the three patriarchs long after their deaths. God is not the God of the dead but of the living! This means that the three patriarchs are still alive with God in some way and await their future resurrection. Jesus teaches that the children of God – and we have become children of God through our baptism – will be cared for and will be raised to new life by God the Father.

3. The Death and Resurrection of the Two Witnesses: In the Book of Revelation, John contemplates the death of God’s two witnesses. The actions of these two witnesses recall Moses, who turned water into blood and afflicted Egypt with plagues, and Elijah, who sealed the sky so that no rain fell (1 Kings 17:1). Moses especially represents the witness of the Law, while Elijah especially represents the witness of the Prophets. The death of the two witnesses in Jerusalem, the city where “their Lord was crucified,” symbolizes all of the prophets who warned Israel to repent and were killed (Barber, Coming Soon, 141). The time of “three and a half days” refers back to Daniel (Daniel 7:25; 12:7) and symbolizes a time of persecution and tribulation before the day of salvation. It recalls the three and a half years of persecution by Antiochus IV (167-164 B.C.) and prophesies the three and a half years of tribulation by the Romans (66-70 A.D.). The death of God’s two witnesses is not their end. John sees the breath of life from God reenter their corpses. They, like the saints who were persecuted and murdered, will be raised from the dead and brought to heaven in a cloud.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Resurrection and the Life. Raise me up! You are the Bread of Life and the Good Shepherd. Nourish me and bring me to good pasture! You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life. You are the Sheep G

Saturday 33 ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Good Jesus, you are faithful and you never tire of coming out to meet me. Once more, you open your heart to me in these moments of prayer. I wish to open my heart to you, too. I believe that you have something to say to me today and I tell you once more that I trust in you. And I love you, Jesus. Let me grow in love.

Encountering Christ:

From the Fullness of the Heart: En route to Jerusalem, Jesus was preparing his heart to offer himself to the Father for the redemption of all the world. Meanwhile, the leaders of the people were plotting the very death that awaited him. What a contrast between their hearts—Jesus’ heart filling and overflowing with love while the Pharisees’ hearts were closed in ever more with bitterness. The Pharisees framed a question they thought would trap Jesus and make the promise of eternal life look ridiculous. But Jesus reminded them of who the children of God are—those who hear his word and accept it.

God’s Desires for His Children: The union between man and wife in marriage, faithful and rooted in mutual self-giving, is a symbol of the very love God wishes to offer us. God desires that we be united to him. The Sadducees in this passage saw Jesus as one opposed to their well-being, disrupting their skewed but comfortable order of things. Jesus patiently answered their question, welcoming them even though they were not yet ready to welcome him, extending yet again his hand in friendship, seeking union with them the way he seeks union with us.

Jesus Knows Our Hearts: So great is his desire for friendship with them (us!), that he even answered the question they didn’t ask, the question they kept harbored in their hearts. Sadducees believed neither in the resurrection of the dead, nor spirits, nor the immortality of the soul, but on this score, Jesus set them right. “The dead will rise,” Jesus affirmed, for “he is not God of the dead but of the living.” This proclamation of Jesus should touch our souls, too. It can be easy to pretend he is a dead God, one who was important in past times but who doesn’t really touch our lives today. Not true! Jesus wants to connect with us intimately. He wants to be present, and a part of each day, each moment in our lives.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are God of the living and not of the dead. You are alive in my heart, in your Church, in our world today. Though others may be indifferent to you, though I myself often am, today I do not wish to be so. Today, I wish to open my heart to receive your word and welcome your invitation to be more closely united to you.

Resolution: Lord, by your grace I will pause for a moment of prayer during or at the end of my day to reflect on where you have made yourself present. I will thank you for being there and ask you to help me discover your presence anew tomorrow.

Saturday 33 ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Good Jesus, you are faithful and you never tire of coming out to meet me. Once more, you open your heart to me in these moments of prayer. I wish to open my heart to you, too. I believe that you have something to say to me today and I tell you once more that I trust in you. And I love you, Jesus. Let me grow in love.

Encountering Christ:

Comment:

Today, Jesus' gesture is prophetic. As the old prophets used to do, He makes a symbolic action, full of future implications. By throwing away from the temple the merchants selling the victims for their offerings and evoking that «my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples» (Is 56:7), Jesus was announcing the new status He was about to commence, where the sacrifice of animals was out of question. St. John will define this new cultural relationship as «God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth» (Jn 4:24). The figure must give way to reality. St. Thomas Aquinas poetically said: «Et antiquum documentum / novo cedat ritui» («Lo! over ancient forms departing / newer rites of grace prevail»).

The New Rites are Jesus' Word. This is why St. Luke has joined to the scene of the purification of the temple Jesus preaching there every day. The new cult is centered in the prayer and in the audition of God's Word. But, in fact, the center's center of the Christian institution is the living person of the very Jesus, with his own flesh offered and his own blood shed at the Cross and given to us in the Eucharist. St. Thomas also beautifully remarks it: «Recumbens cum fratribus (...) se dat suis manibus» («Seated with His chosen band (...) gives Himself with His own hand»).

In the New Testament Jesus inaugurates, there is no need for veal or lamb merchants. In the same way as «all the people were listening to him and hanging on his words» (Lk 19:48), we do not have to go to the temple to make any sacrifices, but to receive Jesus, the true lamb sacrificed once for all when he offered himself for us (cf. Heb 7:27), and to join our life to His.

Suy Niệm các bài đọc Thứ Sáu Tuần 33 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm các bài đọc Thứ Sáu Tuần 33 Thường Niên

Các bài đọc hôm nay nhắc nhở chúng ta về việc chuẩn bị và sẵn sàng tâm hồn chúng ta. Chúa Giêsu đã thanh tẩy Đền Thờ vì Đền thờ là ngôi nhà của Chúa Cha, cha Ngài, là một nơi dành cho việc cầu nguyện, tế lễ để vinh danh Thiên Chúa, chứ không phải là chỗ đễ cho các việc kinh doanh buôn bán, bóc lột. Chúa Giêsu thanh tẩy đền thờ và giờ đây Ngài cũng muốn chúng ta phải thanh tẩy đền thờ trong tâm hồn chúng ta, vì mỗi người chúng ta là đền thờ riêng cho Chúa ngự trị.

Trong một bồi cảnh gợi nhớ đến sự dâng hiến đền thờ Solomon ban đầu của 800 năm trước (1 Các Vua 8), Dân Chúng thời Tiên tri Maccabees tái cung hiến Đền Thờ và họ đã hân hoan, ăn mừng ngày lễ trong tám ngày. Cho đến này, Mặc dù đền Jerasalem không còn nữa, nhưng mỗi năm, người Do Thái vẫn còn nhớ đến kỉ niệm ngày cung hiến đền thờ này khi họ ăn mừng lễ Hanukkah trong tám ngày. Chúng ta cũng là đền thờ của Chúa Thánh Thần, Trong cuộc sống hàng ngày, chúng ta phải tự nhắc nhở và nhớ rằng Thiên Chúa đang ở trong chúng ta. Cách mà giúp chúng ta được thanh tẩy là hãy đến với Chúa trong bí tích Hoà giảì, để chúng ta làm hoà với Thiên Chúa để chúng ta được thánh tẩy và thánh hoá tâm hồn của chúng ta, nơi mà Thiên Chúa hằng ngự trị mỗi ngày trong cuộc sống của chúng ta.

Lạy Chúa, xin hướng dẫn lời nói và việc làm của chúng con ngày hôm nay và mỗi ngày trong đời của chúng con để chúng con có thể dâng lên Chúa những lời ngợi khen, tôn kính và phục vụ.

Reflection: Lk. 19:45-48)

For what do you prepare in life — an important exam, the start of a new year, the birth of a child? Today’s readings are about preparation. Jesus cleanses the Temple. The Temple is his Father’s house a place meant for prayer and not for business. Jesus cleanses the Temple at this time because he is about to teach there. His teachings are received most deeply when they become part of our prayer.

In the first reading, the Jewish Maccabees retake control of Judea from the Seleucid Empire. They arrive at the Temple and see that this sacred place has been neglected and desecrated. The people are disturbed by this sight but they purify the site, build a new altar and eventually make the Temple a place where God is worshipped again. In a scene that is reminiscent of the original dedication of the Temple by Solomon 800 years before (1 Kings 8), the Maccabees now rededicate the Temple. The people rejoice for eight days.

Each year, Jewish people still remember this rededication as they celebrate Hanukkah for eight days. We are also a Temple of the Holy Spirit. In daily life, what or who helps us to remember that God dwells within us? Is there anything from which we desire to be cleansed?

Lord, guide my words and deeds today so that I may give You praise, reverence and service.

Friday 33^rd Ordinary Time 2023

And every day he was teaching in the temple area. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words. Luke 19:47–48

Jesus had just entered Jerusalem for the upcoming Feast of Passover. He arrived in that holy city and then returned again the next day and entered the Temple area. As He witnessed the corruption of those selling animals for the Temple sacrifices, Jesus responded with fervent preaching in an attempt to cleanse the Temple from this corruption. He quoted the Prophet Isaiah and cried out, “It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” Luke’s Gospel points out the reaction of the chief priests, the scribes and the leaders of the people. They were “seeking to put him to death.” However, as the Gospel further relates, “they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.”

It’s important to consider this passage within its context. The words that Jesus spoke were words that sought to cleanse the Temple of corruption. With the approval of the temple priests, who benefitted from the temple tax, there were many people who were using the practice of divine worship to make a profit for selfish gain, turning the Temple into a marketplace. Jesus could see this clearly, and many of the people would have also sensed the corruption of these practices. Though they needed to purchase animals for the ritual sacrifices and Passover meal, many of them were most likely disturbed by this abuse. Therefore, as Jesus spoke with fervor and condemnation, it angered those who were responsible for the corruption but left the people with consolation. Hence, they were “hanging on his words.”

The Gospel is always consoling, and, for those who are open, it leads them to hang on every word that is spoken. It refreshes and invigorates, clarifies and motivates. Usually when we think of the Gospel, we think of words that are gentle and inviting—words of mercy to the sinner and compassion for those who are struggling. But sometimes the pure Gospel message from our Lord fiercely attacks sin and evil. And though this may be shocking to the evil doers, to those with pure faith, these words also refresh and strengthen.

Today, we need the full Gospel message. Many need to hear Jesus’ gentle invitation to conversion by which their heavy burdens are lifted. But many others need to hear His firm words of condemnation. And the Church as a whole needs both of these messages to be proclaimed if we are to fully participate in the apostolic ministry of our Lord. Only our Lord has the right to condemn, chastise, and call others to repentance. But we are all called to share in this mission of our Lord. And though we do not have the right to judge the hearts of others, when we see objective evil and disorder within our world and even within our Church, we must cry out with our Lord, “My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” And when we do hear the holy and inspired words of God’s messengers who boldly and courageously proclaim the truth and call others to repentance, it should inspire, invigorate and console us as we find ourselves hanging on their every word.

Reflect, today, upon the Gospel messages that need to be preached in our day and age that are both inspired by God and are also fervently directed at corruption within the world and even within our Church. Allow yourself to support such holy preaching and to be inspired by it. Hang on these holy words of God’s prophets today. As you do, God will protect them and inspire them to continue His holy mission of purification.

My purifying Lord, the corruption within our world, and at times even within our Church, requires Your holy preaching and purifying action. Please send Your messengers to those in need so that all may be cleansed as You cleansed the Temple. May I share in this mission in the ways in which You call me, and may I always hang on every word spoken from Your merciful and fervent heart of love. Jesus, I trust in You.

Friday 33^rd Ordinary Time 2024

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I have been washed clean through Baptism and crafted into your temple. May I always be a holy dwelling for you in this world. My heart is yours. Reign in my heart always, guide my steps, and empower my good works.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Cleansing of the Temple: Jesus’ dramatic expulsion of Temple merchants is both a prophecy and a pre-enactment of the Temple’s imminent downfall (Luke 21:5-36). When Jesus entered the Temple, he saw the corruption permitted by Caiaphas, the High Priest. Instead of continuing the practice of pilgrims purchasing animals at a market on the Mount of Olives, Caiaphas permitted vendors to sell animals in the outer court of the Temple itself, known as the Court of the Gentiles. By driving out the sellers, Jesus brings to fulfillment a prophecy of Zechariah: “No longer will there be merchants in the house of the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 14:21; see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 330). The old Temple is passing away and, as we read in the First Reading, will one day be destroyed. Jesus, by contrast, is the New Temple, a place where we can enter into communion with God and receive divine instruction.

2. The Prophecy of John: In our reading of the Book of Revelation, the liturgy skips from John’s vision of the heavenly liturgies of creation and redemption in chapters 4 and 5 to John’s vision of a mighty angel in chapter 10. In Revelation 8-11, John contemplates the destruction of an earthly city, Jerusalem, that causes God’s temple to be opened in Revelation 11:19. In the First Reading, from Revelation 10:8-11, John is commanded to eat a scroll, much like the prophet Ezekiel did centuries before (Ezekiel 3:1-3). The scroll is sweet as honey at first, but then sour: “That the scroll then becomes sour, may be an allusion to Ezekiel as well, since after eating the scroll Ezekiel is told to foretell the coming destruction of Jerusalem and goes out in ‘bitterness’ (Ezekiel 3:14). In the same way, John proceeds in the next chapter to announce the destruction of the city ‘where the Lord was crucified,’ i.e., Jerusalem” (Barber, Coming Soon, 136).

3. How Sweet to My Taste is Your Promise: The Responsorial Psalm today invites us to see God’s law, promises, word, and decrees as more delightful and valuable than earthly riches, more precious than gold and silver, and sweeter than honey. This is because the Law of the Lord makes a person wise (Psalm 119:98-100, 104). “Psalm 119 reminds us that the Law of God – whether summarized in the Ten Commandments, the Double Commandment of Love, or the Sermon on the Mount – is not burdensome drudgery but a path to liberty and to life” (Bergsma, Psalm Basics for Catholics, 133). Another lesson of Psalm 119 is that suffering is the means by which one truly comes to learn God’s statutes. During our suffering and affliction, we are asked to persevere and endure righteously and trust in the Lord to deliver us (see Barber, Singing in the Reign, 129).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you called your Father’s will your food. I, too, desire to be nourished by this food. Help me to know your Father’s will for me in every moment. Give me the strength to accomplish it.

Friday 33^rd Ordinary Time 2023

Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to value not only the sacredness of my own person, but also the sacred space of the parish where I worship you in the Eucharist. Grant me a deeper consciousness of your continual presence.

Encountering Christ:

1. A House of Prayer: Over and over again in the Gospel accounts we see Jesus going off to pray in silence, preach in the synagogue, and go to the temple for worship. His attitude was obvious: he honored his Father and had a deep awareness of the sacred space of his own person and in places of worship reserved for the Father’s honor and glory. Jesus was so very conscious of his Father’s continual presence that he could enter the chamber of his heart alone and be with his Father for long periods of time. How can we imitate Jesus in his constant communion with the Father? How can we protect the sacredness of our prayer time and our reverence for the church in which we worship?

2. A Den of Thieves: By virtue of original sin we are wounded and tend toward concupiscence. Our souls, and even our church, can sometimes seem like a den of thieves with attitudes, vices, and spirits that undermine our sacredness, our intimacy with God, and our reverence for the house of God. Jesus asks us to look intently at him and allow him to expose those interior spaces which require renovation. He will do the heavy lifting if we allow him to show us where we need to do the spiritual work.

3. Resistance or Openness?: The chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people didn’t accept the message and actions of Jesus and immediately dismissed him as a radical and fanatic, without just reason. His listeners, however, were amazed by Jesus and hung on his every word. Jesus fed their souls, their hopes, and their lives. Every day Jesus is teaching in the temples of our lives. He is accessible at daily Mass, in adoration chapels, and through the charity of others we meet. We are called to be good “students” of the Master: to be attentive to the message he wants us to learn each day, each moment. God plans to give us all the grace we need to join him one day in heaven. All we need do is pay attention.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to grow in the awe of the dignity and sacredness of my person and allow that to translate into how I worship and honor you in the life of the church. Help me to say no to all sin and vice—those thieves seeking to steal my heart from you!

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray in a place (whether at home or at church) where I put all distractions aside so as to be fully present to you.

Friday 33^rd Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, your Son Jesus pleased you by safeguarding the sacred place of the temple. I also am a living temple of the Holy Spirit. I believe that by the grace of your Baptism you dwell within me. Help me to enter into this moment of prayer and speak with you who live within me, heart to heart.

Encountering Christ:

Jesus Dwells in the Temple: Why would one go to the temple? It was a sacred palace, unique and set apart, the place where God dwelt in the Holy of Holies, and a place of worship and sacrifice to God. As a young boy, Jesus called it “my Father’s house” (Luke 2:49). With that same affirmation in his heart, Jesus came to the temple to drive out those who were desecrating its purpose, those who would use the things of God in their own name and for their own gain, those who would misrepresent the face of God upon the earth. Jesus came to drive them out, for his very mission was to reveal the face of the Father—the Father’s authentic face, not how others would imagine him to be.

Driving Out Our Inner Thieves: In our own day, Jesus wishes to purify our image of the Father, to “drive out” of the temple of our hearts images of God that are misconstrued. There are thieves in our interior which attempt to rob the faith, hope, and love that give it light, life, and a future. Invoking the light of the Holy Spirit, we can ask him: Are there fears or doubts which tug at my heart, keeping me from “letting go and letting God”? Are there insecurities which make me believe I must earn my worth before God and others, that my own perfection makes me worthy of him? Is there a second-guessing in my heart which makes me think I must make myself loveable, disbelieving that it is God himself who makes me loveable?

The Temple of Our Hearts: Just as every day Jesus was in the temple area, so every day he dwells anew in our hearts to cast out the thieves and the robbers and reveal the face of the Father. He awaits the acceptance of those who see him. The scribes and the Pharisees were looking for a way to put him to death. His overturning of tables was too threatening for them; it came too close to undoing their self-made world order. But perhaps we can find our place among the crowd, hanging on his every word. His words are spirit and life (Psalm 19); may we allow them to speak truth and grace into our sacred, inner temple—our heart, which is his preferred dwelling place.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, just as you came into the temple with passion and enthusiasm to defend and claim what was your Father’s, remember also that I am yours and come to my defense before the lies and doubts which can sometimes plague me and those I love. You reveal that the name of God is mercy, that his face is love and forgiveness and life. I wish to welcome this grace into my life. Come, Holy Spirit, and speak your truth in these places where I need it most.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will put my headphones aside and renew some of my interior headspace for God.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm tuần 33 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm tuần 33 Thường Niên

Trọng tâm của bài Tin Mừng hôm nay Chúa Giêsu đã cho chúng ta thấy rõ là Thiên Chúa đã ban cho mỗi người chúng ta những hồng ân của Thiên Chúa, đó là những món quá “tự do”. Sự tự do có nghĩa là chúng ta được phép tự do chọn lựa cuộc sống của chúng ta như thế nào theo như ý muốn riêng của chúng ta.

Chúng ta thấy Chúa Giêsu đã khóc, Ngài khóc vì Ngài biết được ngày mà Thành Jerusalem sẽ bị tàn phá vì dân Israel đã chọn lựa cuộc sống theo ý họ, một cuộc sống không có Thiên Chúa, và hướng theo tội lỗi họ sống với những sự ham muốn của cái vật chất, danh vọng, kêu ngạo và tự hào mà họ đã quên đi cái sứ điệp cứu độ mà Thiên Chúa đã đến để ban cho họ. Họ đã thiếu lòng tin tưởng nơi Thiên Chúa, Vì sự kêu ngạo mà nghĩ là không có gì sẽ có thể tàn phá được Thành Jerusalem, nhưng Chúa Giêsu không thể ngăn cản được những ước mơ riêng hay niềm tự hào của họ. Ngài đã để cho họ được tự do sống với cuộc sống mà họ đã lựa chọn cho chính họ, và vì thế mà họ cũng sẽ phải gánh chịu tất cả những hậu quả của cuộc sống sau này.

Đây là bài học tuy có sự khắc nghiệt. Tuy nhiên, bài học này liên quan đến những sự lựa chọn mà chúng ta đã quyết định trong cuộc sống thường ngày của chúng ta. Có thể chúng ta không hề bị đòi hỏi là phải tranh chấp với chính quyền, nhưng chúng ta có thể có những sự đòi hỏi và phải thử thách về văn hóa, về tiện nghi hiện đại, với bạn bè, của chúng ta để làm theo những gì mà Thiên Chúa đã ban truyền cho chúng ta.

Chắc chắn sẽ có một số người quay lưng ra đi và bỏ Thiên Chúa khi Chúa không can thiệp hay giải quyết vấn đề riêng của họ, hay khi Chúa không ban cho họ những gì mà họ mong muốn, hay khi họ gặp phải hậu quả nghiêm trọng mà họ không thích vì sự tự do lựa chọn theo ý thích riêng của họ. Thiên Chúa là một Thiên Chúa yêu thương, nhưng Ngài không phải là một Thiên Chúa dễ dãi, vô tư. Ngài luôn đòi hỏi nơi chúng ta có sự vâng lời và lòng trung tín, nhưng Ngài cũng cho chúng ta có ý chí và sự tự do (để tuân theo hoặc không tuân theo ý Ngài). Nhưng những việc chúng ta làm theo như ý muốn riêng của chúng ta thì chúng ta sẽ phải gánh chịu những hậu quả mà tự chúng ta đã gây ra sau này.

REFLECTION

The focus of today's Gospel reading is on the gift of free will, which God has given us. It allows us to choose how we spend our life on earth and in eternity. We see Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. He knows the destruction that will come to the city because its people will choose their own greed and pride over the message of salvation which he has come to deliver. Their lack of faith will mean devastation, but Jesus cannot stop it. He must allow them to make the choice and then, live with the consequences.

These are harsh lessons. Yet they relate to many of the choices we must make every day in our own lives. We may not be asked to defy the government, but we may be challenged to defy popular culture or our friends or our boss in order to follow what God has commanded. How closely do we count the loss when we need to make such a choice? How well do we identify the consequences, in terms of our eternal life, when deciding what is important to us? Some people turn against God when God does not intervene to solve their problems or grant their desires or when the correct choice carries with it a serious consequence which is not to their liking. We may read the story of the persecution and death of Jesus and say that we would have been loyal to him to the end. Look back at the choices you have made in the past and see if any of them compromised God's mission for the sake of social acceptance or to keep peace in your family or to satisfy a personal hunger of yours. God is a loving God, but he is not an easy God. He requires obedience and loyalty and gives us free will to obey or not to obey. The consequence then becomes our own doing.

Thanks be to God that our God is not a vengeful God. In Jesus Christ we have a Savior who weeps over our misfortunes and whose blood, given on the cross, purchases each and every one of us for God on the condition

that we acknowledge our sinfulness and return to his loving embrace.

Thursday 33^rd Ordinary Time 2023

“For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:43–44

Jesus spoke these words as He looked at Jerusalem from a distance, preparing to enter that holy city for the last time in preparation for His passion and death. As He spoke these words, the Gospel says that Jesus wept over the city. Of course, it wasn’t primarily tears over the future physical destruction of the Temple and invasion by Roman forces. It was first and foremost tears over the lack of faith of so many which was the true destruction He mourned.

As mentioned above, the city of Jerusalem was indeed sieged by the military commander Titus in the year 70 A.D. Titus was acting under the authority of his father, the emperor, and destroyed not only the Temple but also much of the city itself, as well as the Jewish inhabitants. As Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem, so as to enter the Temple one last time to offer His life as the definitive Sacrificial Lamb for the salvation of the world, Jesus knew that many within this holy city would not accept His saving sacrifice. He knew that many within that city would become the instruments of His pending death and would have no remorse for killing the Savior of the World. And though this one point can easily be missed, it should be emphasized that Jesus’ reaction was not fear, it was not anger, it was not disgust. Rather, His reaction was holy sorrow. He wept over the city and its inhabitants despite what many of them would soon do to Him.

When you suffer injustice, how do you react? Do you lash out? Condemn? Get defensive? Or do you imitate our Lord and allow your soul to be filled with holy sorrow? Holy sorrow is an act of love and is the appropriate Christian response to persecution and injustice. Too often, however, our response is not holy sorrow but anger. The problem with this is that reacting in unholy anger does not accomplish anything good. It does not help us to imitate Jesus, and it doesn’t help those with whom we are angry. Though the passion of anger can be used for good at times, it becomes a sin when it is selfish and a reaction to some injustice done to us. Instead of this unholy anger, seek to foster holy sorrow in imitation of Jesus. This virtue will not only help your soul grow in love of those who have hurt you, it will also help them to see more clearly what they have done so that they can repent.

Reflect, today, upon your own approach to the evil you face in your life. Consider carefully your interior and exterior reaction. Do you mourn with love over sins you witness and experience? Do you mourn, with a holy sorrow, over your own sins and the sins of others? Work to foster this form of love within you and you will find that it can become a motivation for you to help transform the sins you commit and the sins of others you endure.

My sorrowful Lord, You endured the sins of many. You were treated with cruelty and injustice. To all of these sins, including those that you foresaw, You reacted with the love of holy sorrow. And that sorrow led you to true compassion and concern for all. Please give me the grace to imitate this same love of Yours so that I, too, may share in the holiness of Your sorrowful heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

Thursday 33 ordinary Time 2024- The Presentation of Virgian Mary

Opening Prayer: Lord God, instill your peace in my heart. Visit me in my lowliness. Do not let me succumb during times of trial and tribulation. You are my rock and my salvation. Whom shall I fear with you at my side?

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus Wept over Jerusalem: Jesus is drawing near to the city of Jerusalem and is riding on a colt to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. He comes as a peaceful king on a donkey and not as a despotic tyrant on a warhorse. Before entering the city, Jesus is brought to tears as he contemplates its future destruction. Jesus predicts that the religious leaders of Jerusalem will be unwilling to welcome him as the true king of peace and that God’s plan is hidden from them. He foretells how, within a generation (in 40 years), the Roman general Titus will build ramparts, encircle Jerusalem, and lay siege to the city. All this will take place because the people did not recognize the time of their visitation: “God is visiting Jerusalem through Jesus’ arrival to the city. The visitation is intended to bring redemption (Luke 1:68, 78; 7:16) but will instead bring judgment to those who do not welcome it” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 328).

2. Worthy is the Lamb: In Revelation 4, John narrated his vision of the heavenly liturgy of creation. In Revelation 5, he narrates his vision of the liturgy of redemption. In this vision, John contemplates Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of Judah and as the Lamb worthy to break open the seals of the scroll. The scroll Jesus breaks open represents the establishment of the New Covenant. One of the effects of the New Covenant is the royal priesthood given to believers. Another effect is that we are brought into the family of God as God’s adopted children. “Jesus’ ability to ‘open the scroll,’ that is, to fulfill God’s covenant promises, depends on His Davidic lineage […]. The covenants in the Old Testament reach their climax in God’s covenant promise to David to establish an everlasting kingdom through his son (2 Samuel 7:8-16)” (Barber, Coming Soon, 90). When John turns to see the Lion of Judah, he instead sees a slain Lamb. This means that Jesus, the Son of David, is victorious not through weapons and armies but through the sacrificial offering of his own life. In every mass and liturgy, we unite our prayer and worship to the new song of the New Exodus, sung by saints in heaven. We praise Jesus, for he has redeemed us with his blood and has brought us out of exile and into the restored Kingdom of David.

3. The Presentation and Consecrated Virginity of Mary: On this day, we celebrate the memorial of the presentation of Mary in the Temple. We do not have an account of her presentation in the Bible, but we do have one in the Protoevangelium of James. According to this tradition, Mary was consecrated to God and brought to the Temple at the age of three, and she remained in the Temple until the age of twelve when Joseph became her guardian. According to tradition, Mary’s father, Joachim, died when she was six, and her mother, Anne, died when she was eight. From Mary’s words to the angel (Luke 1:34) and Joseph’s abstinence after taking Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24-25), we can deduce that Mary likely took a vow of virginity and abstinence (Numbers 30:13) and that Joseph accepted this vow at the time of their betrothal (see Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 103-115). Although the Bible does not speak about Mary’s presentation, it does speak about her virginity and consecration. She and her husband, Joseph, consecrated their bodies to God and began to live out the future life of the resurrection in the present world. Mary’s consecration and perpetual virginity point “us to the eternal life of the world to come, the resurrection, and the new creation, in which ordinary marital relations will pass away because death will be no more” (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 130).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Son of David and the Son of God. Have mercy on me. Bring me to enjoy life in your divine family as your sibling. Fill me with your Spirit so that I may offer the Father an acceptable sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

Thursday 33^rd Ordinary Time 2023

Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to love the salvation of souls as much as you do and give me the grace to do all I can to make your face known!

Encountering Christ:

1. “He Saw the City and Wept: In this Gospel, Jesus shows us a very intimate side of his human emotions and his divine heart. In one moment, we see him weep over the blindness of the people to his coming in the flesh. This has a visible effect on him in that he sheds tears for the people of God, but these are not tears of self-pity. His divine heart longs for the salvation of all men and women past, present, and future, and he is revealing through his tears his Father’s love for every one of his children. He longs for all to be saved and to come into his glory! What is my attitude toward the salvation of souls, especially my own?

2. They Will Hem You In: Isn’t this exactly what sin does in our lives? It encircles us and hems us in on all sides. Evil is relentless and a respecter of no one. It is aggressive and sneaky. When we are blind to the presence of Our Lord even in a few small areas of our life, we weaken and sometimes become dependent on or enslaved to that vice, which can completely blind us. Jesus is straightforward in the Gospel. He says that if we don’t open our eyes to him and embrace him in our life, we will eventually get overwhelmed and encircled by sin. In what area of my life do I need to vanquish sin so as to better see Jesus’s deep love for me?

3. The Time of My Visitation: Jesus came some 2,000 years ago and walked the roads of Galilee and Palestine. And Jesus continues to visit us in many ways today. Perhaps his favorite way to visit us is through a baptized son or daughter who reflects the face of God. He is also present to others through our eyes, our hands, our words, and our deeds. Our witness should never be underestimated, since this is how Jesus has chosen to spread Christianity throughout the world. Do I look for and see Christ in others? Do I seek to be Christ to others?

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I believe that you dwell in me by virtue of my baptism and that you reach out to others through my person. Help me to be a faithful instrument of your love and to show your face in its fullness through my life of communion with you.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will seek to intentionally be your hands, eyes, voice, and ambassador today to someone I meet.

Thursday 33^rd Ordinary Time

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, recollect my heart to spend these moments of prayer with you. Come, Holy Spirit, teach me to pray and open my heart to the word which you wish to speak to me today. I believe that you are here. I trust that you are faithful. I love you, teach me to love you more. Let me enter into your heart and know you more deeply.

Encountering Christ:

The Master Who Weeps: With today’s Gospel, Mother Church invites us to enter into Christ’s heart as he draws near to his Passion. Approaching Jerusalem, Jesus draws nearer to the “hour” when he will be handed over to his enemies. What he prophesizes for the city of Jerusalem, he will soon fulfill in his own person: encircled and hemmed in on all sides, smashed to the ground and raised up on a tree. Does he weep for fear of the suffering that awaits him? Or do his tears well up in desire for the salvation of every human being, even for my own salvation? Are they an expression, at once both human and divine, of God’s own “helplessness” before humanity’s freedom? This God, who loves more radically than anyone can fathom, he who is love itself, will not force upon his children the salvation they so need and he so longs to give. May these tears of Christ soften the soil of our soul.

Witnessing the Master Weep: Perhaps in these moments of prayer, the Holy Spirit invites us to pause and contemplate the Master weeping. His eyes which have seen the forming and founding of creation are glazed over with tears. Heavy, glistening drops fall gently on his beard. Perhaps we know of this event because the Apostles witnessed and later recounted it. What must it have been for them to see their Master weep? What insight into his heart did it give them? “If this day you only knew what makes for peace.” He desires peace for us. Did his Apostles learn that God comes to heal, not to break; that he wishes for our wholeness, even if it means passing first through suffering, as Christ himself would do?

His Visitation: Just as Christ prepared to visit the city of Jerusalem, he came to visit the world with his gift of redemption. So, too, he comes to visit my soul each day. Standing upon the hilltop of my life, what is in his heart as he looks upon me? Where are the places in my own life where Christ desires peace? Are there relationships he wishes to heal, wounds of mind and heart he wishes to cleanse and purify? What does this desire of Christ for peace and for recognition of his visitation mean in my own life today?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as you stand on the hilltop and look upon your beloved city of Jerusalem, I know you are gazing upon my soul, too, and upon the world in which I live. No suffering or trial is hidden from your eyes. Indeed, each one has already been borne in your cross and imprinted upon your Sacred Heart. You know them all. And you desire peace. You desire reconciliation. Speak this word over the sufferings in my own life, in my world today. Give us faith, hope, and love, and perseverance.