Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy- tuần thứ 3 Mùa Chay

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy- tuần thứ 3 Mùa Chay -

Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm này cho chúng ta thấy người biệt phái này là đại diện tượng trưng cho những người tự cho mình đạo đức, Họ tự tôn mình lên trên những người khác về mặt đạo đức và tinh thần vì họ là những người học luật, họ là những người lãng đạo tôn giáo, họ hiểu rõ và giữ luật Môisen kỹ hơn ai hết . Phần chúng ta, đôi khi chúng ta có thể nhìn thấy chính mình trong những  hình ảnh của những người biệt phái, hay trong các biểu tượng của những người biệt phái Do thái này!  Những người đã tự cao, tự đại  coi rẻ hay khinh thường những người khác, nhất là những người thấp kém, nghèo hèn , bệnh tật…để rồi tự sống trong một cảm giác tự mãn tự hài lòng?  Theo các nhà Tâm lý và Kinh Thánh cho chúng ta biết rằng khi chúng ta thất bại trong việc phải đối phó với bóng tối tội lỗi và sự thiếu sót trong bản thân của chúng ta , Chúng ta thường hay đỗ lỗi của chúng ta  vào những người hoặc các nhóm người khác mà không bao giờ chịu nhìn thấy được cái lỗi lầm và thiếu xót nơi chính mình. Những điều mà chúng ta ghét cay ghét đắng những người khác thường ẩn nấp ở các cấp độ rất sâu hơn trong tấm hồn của chúng ta. Những điều mà chúng ta không thể chịu đựng được ở những người khác thường có thể được tìm thấy trong chính mình. Khi chúng ta biết điều này, thí đấy là điều hữu ích mà chúng ta có thể  phát triển về sự hiểu biết vế chính mình.           Câu chuyện nói về người thu Thuế,  như chúng ta biết họ là những đáng ghét nhất trong xứ Giu-đê vào thời điểm đó, nhưng họ lại  được Thiên Chúa thương xót và ngó mắt tới vì sự khiêm tốn, trung thực của họ , và những sự đau khổ  mà họ thực lòng  cầu xin tới sự cởi mở và lòng thương xót của Thiên Chúa.  

               Có lẽ chúng ta cũng có thể thực hành cầu nguyện cho những người mà chúng ta không thể chịu đựng nổi, không thích và hãy tự kiểm tra ngay tự bên trong tâm hồn của chúng ta, vì nơi đó là nơi mà tự do và giác ngộ bắt đầu. Đừng  làm giảm ngắn sự vinh quang của Thiên Chúa!  

               Lạy Chúa, Xin giúp chúng con biết cách để kiểm tra những lỗi lầm riêng của chúng con,  chứ không phải của những người khác

 

Sat 29th March 2014- 3rd week of Lent

For the people of Israel, there was only one legitimate response to what they believed to be God's punishment: repentance. No excuses, no arrogance, no bargaining; just humble submission to God’s actions and a plea for forgiveness. This is in sharp contrast to the modern tendency to throw up a smokescreen of excuses and explanations in an effort to evade responsibility.

            In this story the Pharisee stands for those of any religion, time, or place that feel morally and spiritually superior to others. We can even see ourselves sometimes in the symbol of the Pharisee! Who hasn’t looked down on someone whose life is less than exemplary with a smug sense of self-satisfaction? Psychologists — and the Bible — tell us that when we fail to deal with the darkness, sin, and imperfections in ourselves we project them onto other people or groups.

            The things that we detest in others often lurk in the deeper levels of our own hearts. The things that we can’t stand in others can often be found in ourselves. When we know this, it can be very helpful for growing in self-knowledge. The tax-collector in the story, loathed and hated in Judea at the time, was right in God’s eyes because of his humility, honesty, and broken-hearted openness to God’s mercy.

            Perhaps we can practice praying for those whom we cannot stand and examining our own inner self — that is where freedom and enlightenment begin. We have all fallen short of the glory of God!

Lord, help me to examine my own faults rather than those of others.

 

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.” Luke 18:9–10

This Scripture passage introduces the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. They both go to the Temple to pray, but their prayers are very different from each other. The prayer of the Pharisee is very dishonest, whereas the prayer of the tax collector is exceptionally sincere and honest. Jesus concludes by saying that the tax collector went home justified but not the Pharisee. He states, “…for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

True humility is simply being honest. Too often in life we are not honest with ourselves and, therefore, are not honest with God. Thus, for our prayer to be true prayer, it must be honest and humble. And the humble truth for all of our lives is best expressed by the prayer of the tax collector who prayed, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

How easy is it for you to admit your sin? When we understand the mercy of God, this humility is much easier. God is not a God of harshness but is a God of the utmost mercy. When we understand that God’s deepest desire is to forgive us and to reconcile us to Himself, then we will deeply desire honest humility before Him.

Lent is an important time for us to deeply examine our conscience and make new resolutions for the future. Doing so will bring new freedom and grace into our lives. So do not be afraid to honestly examine your conscience so as to see your sin clearly in the way God sees it. Doing so will put you in a position to pray this prayer of the tax collector: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.”

Reflect, today, upon your sin. What do you struggle with the most right now? Are there sins from your past that you have never confessed? Are there ongoing sins that you justify, ignore and are afraid to face? Take courage and know that honest humility is the road to freedom and the only way to experience justification before God.

My merciful Lord, I thank You for loving me with a perfect love. I thank You for Your incredible depth of mercy. Help me to see all of my sin and to turn to You with honesty and humility so that I can be freed of these burdens and become justified in Your sight. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Saturday 3^rd week of Lent 2025

Opening Prayer: Lord God, many times you point to the two divergent paths I can take. There is a path of selfishness and pride that leads to death. And there is a path of love and humility that leads to life. Teach me always to choose the path that leads to life with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Prayer of the Pharisee: In the Gospel, Jesus draws a contrast in the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector between two very different kinds of prayer. The prayer of the Pharisee did not rise to God. In fact, the Pharisee “spoke this prayer to himself.” He was self-absorbed and listed all the good things he was doing. He justified himself by comparing himself to the rest of sinful humanity: I’m not greedy, I’m not dishonest, I haven’t committed adultery. This prayer and list of the sins he was not committing did not bring about true justification. There was no true humility, no true thanksgiving, no true praise, no true contrition, and no true reconciliation. The Pharisee was blind to his own sins and imperfections. He had a massive wooden beam in his own eye. Jesus concludes the parable by foretelling a day when those who exalt themselves – like the Pharisee – will be humbled. This means that Jesus does not give up on the Pharisees, who are like the coin lost in the house of God. As the divine physician, Jesus knows the medicine – that of humiliation – that will cure the Pharisee of his pride, narcissism, self-righteousness, and self-absorption.

2. The Prayer of the Tax Collector: By contrast, the prayer of the tax collector is marked by humility. He did not raise his eyes to heaven but did raise his heart and prayer to God. His prayer was simple and did not multiply words unnecessarily. He recognized simply: “I am a sinner.” He didn’t try to justify his sins or make excuses for them. He didn’t blame his failings on others. He trusted in his heavenly Father and, as a son, requested good things from his Father: “Be merciful to me.” The tax collector didn’t make promises he could not keep. He didn’t compare himself to others. Jesus tells us that the man returned home justified. His family likely noticed the change. Maybe he was more patient and gentle in his speech. Maybe he was more affectionate and loving towards his wife. Maybe he strove to be more just and fair with his clients. In any case, by humbling himself before God in prayer, he was transformed and justified by God’s merciful grace.

3. Let Us Return to the Lord: In the First Reading, from the prophet Hosea, we are invited to return to the Lord. It is a call to repentance. “Israel has been mauled to death by the judgments of God (Hosea 5:13) and is slain by the words of the prophet (Hosea 6:5). Hosea revealed what was needed for national restoration: if Israel turns back to God in exile, the repentant tribes will be resurrected to new life in God’s covenant, becoming sons and daughters once again (Hosea 1:10). The language of the passage presupposes an ancient belief in bodily resurrection” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 1492). The hope of Israel’s resurrection to life on the third day anticipates Jesus’ Resurrection “on the third day” (Matthew 16:21). Hosea teaches that God wills us to imitate him and live love and mercy (Hebrew: hesed) more than offer him animal sacrifices. According to the Semitic expression contrasting love and hate, God is not rejecting sacrificial worship but is stressing what is more important. “Life and liturgy  are meant to form a unity, so that love for the Lord is expressed by obedience as well as ritual offerings (CCC, 2100)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 1493).

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I can only offer the sacrifice of my life as an acceptable sacrifice to the Father. I unite my sacrifice to yours, asking humbly that you transform my poor offering. Teach me to pray as I should and know that I am righteousness only by your grace and my collaboration with it.

 

Saturday of the Third Week of Lent

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you desire mercy and not sacrifice. Teach me to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. 

Encountering Christ:  

1. Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength: Christianity is not for the weak-willed. Loving the Lord with heart, soul, and mind takes strength, fortitude, and perseverance. To others, it may seem that spending time in daily prayer is simply frittering away time that could be used more productively, but Christians know from experience that giving the Lord the first fruits of the day is the very best use of time. It’s calisthenics for the soul and requires a strong-willed, loving heart.

2. Love Your Neighbor as Yourself: We tend to be very self-aware, knowing what delights us, how we like to spend our free time, and what consoles us. Do we know these things about our neighbor (understood as family members, friends, and those who live nearby)? Fewer than half of American adults know most or all of their neighbors (Pew Research Center). As Christians, we are called to love our neighbor, and the first step is to get to know their names. May we be builders of strong Christian communities for the glory of God.

3. You Are Not Far from the Kingdom of God: Imagine hearing these words from the mouth of Jesus. Could there be a greater consolation on this side of heaven? The scribe in this Gospel knew the commandments and came to Jesus with a sincere question. He also showed by his spontaneous proclamation that he had been imbued with wisdom from the Holy Spirit, as Jesus acknowledged when he “saw that he answered with understanding.” We follow the scribe’s example when we strive to know our faith and, in prayer, listen attentively to Jesus as he inspires us with word, sacrament, and life circumstances to understand heavenly truths. Then we, too, can be assured of wisdom and understanding as we are drawn more deeply into the kingdom of God.

Conversing with Christ: Dearest Jesus, grant me the virtues of fortitude and perseverance to strengthen my heart, mind, and soul. With this strength, I will be able to concern myself with the needs and interests of my neighbor so that I may sincerely love others. 

Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will reach out and greet one neighbor whom I don’t already know.

 

REFLECTION

In the first reading we are invited to return to Yahweh. We must return to Yahweh, though we have sinned against him. We return to Yahweh in humility, the creature to his Creator. We return to God by praising him for his compassion and forgiveness.. And we resolve that our only God is Yahweh, not any of the many false gods. And Yahweh promises to love us in return.

   In the Gospel reading Jesus re-affirms the commandments, "The first is: Hear; Israel! The Lord, our God, is One Lord; and you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. And after this comes another one: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these two." (Mk 12: 29- 31)

   God is a jealous God: he cannot allow other gods. Love of neighbor is a necessary extension of love of God: after all, love is simply putting others before ourselves and the readiness to give ourselves for the good of others

love.