“Hễ ai xin, thì sẽ
được, ai tìm
thì sẽ thấy”
Hôm
nay, Chúa Giêsu nhắc nhở chúng ta về sự cần thiết và sức mạnh của lời cầu nguyện. Chúng ta không thể hiểu
được cuộc sống Kitô hữu, nếu như chúng ta không có sự liên hệ với Thiên Chúa, và trong những mối quan hệ này, lời cầu nguyện phải được đặt ngay trong trọng tâm cuộc sống. Đây là lý do tại sao, đời
sống Kitô hữu của chúng ta là những
nhu cầu thường
xuyên đòi hỏi và tìm kiếm: như Chúa Giêsu đã nói
với các môn đệ.là:“Hãy xin thì sẽ nhận được, hãy tìm thì sẽ thấy, cứ gõ thì
cửa sẽ mở” (Mt 07:07),
Đồng thời, lời cầu nguyện
cũng giúp biến trái tim chai đá của chúng ta dần dần trở thành một trái tim biết yêu thương: “Vậy nếu các
ngươi tuy là ác, mà còn biết lấy của lành mà làm quà cho con, thì huống hồ là
Cha các ngươi, Ðấng ngự trên trời, sẽ ban của lành cho những ai xin Người!”(Mt 7:11).
Kinh Lạy Cha mà Chúa Giêsu đã dậy chính là lời cầu nguyện tóm tắt hữu hiệu và tốt nhất giúp
chúng
ta để cầu xin Thiên Chúa: “Nước Cha trị
đến, Ý Cha thành sự, dưới đất cũng như trên trời.” (x. Mt 6:10). Do đó, Chúng ta không
thể dùng kinh Lạy Cha này để xin bất cứ điều chúng ta muốn, nhưng chúng ta có thể xin những gì thực sự là vì lợi ích cho chúng ta
và những người chung quanh. Nếu không ai muốn làm tổn thương chính mình,
thì mình không nên làm điều gì phật lòng
người
khác,
Đôi
khi, Chúng ta không nhận ra mối quan tâm của Thiên Chúa đối với chúng ta, bởi vì chúng ta thấy những lời cầu nguyện của chúng ta dường như chưa được đáp lại hoặc thậm chí có thể cảm
thấy rằng Thiên Chúa đã không yêu
thương chúng ta, Trong những khoảnh khắc như vậy, chúng ta hãy nên nhớ lời khuyên này từ thánh Jerome: “Chắc chắn Thiên Chúa sẽ
ban cho những
ai xin, những người tìm,
sẽ được tìm thấy, và những
ai gõ thì
cửa sẽ được mở ra:” Như vậy chúng ta thấy rõ rằng là những ai là người đã xin không nhận được, Tìm mà không thấy, những ai đã gõ mà cửa vẫn không được mở ra, vì họ là những người không biết xin như thế nào, không biết kiếm tìm như thế nào và cũng không biết gõ như thế. Do dó, . Chúng ta cầu xin Chúa trước hết là cho chúng ta một tâm hồn biết yêu thương giống như của
Chúa Giêsu Kitô.
Reflection Thursday 1st
week of Lent
For everyone who asks, receives; whoever seeks, finds
Today,
Jesus reminds us of the need and power of prayer. We cannot understand our
Christian life without being related to God, and in this relation, prayer takes
a central place. While we live in this world, we Christians find ourselves on a
pilgrimage road, but our prayer gets us closer to God, opens up the door of his
immense love and brings forward the Heaven delights. This is why, our Christian
life is a constant request and search: «Ask and you will receive; seek and you
will find; knock and the door will be opened» (Mt 7:7), says Jesus to his
disciples.
At
the same time, the prayer gradually turns a stone heart into a flesh heart: «As
bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much
more, then, will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!»
(Mt 7:11). The best summary we can ask God can be found in Our Lord's Prayer:
«Your kingdom come and your will be done, on earth as in heaven» (cf. Mt 6:10).
We, therefore, cannot ask just anything in our prayers, but something which is
really for our own good. If nobody wants to hurt himself, we should not want
any damage for others, either.
We,
sometimes, fail to see God's concern for us, for we find our prayers seemingly
unanswered or may even feel God does not love us. In such moments, it will do
us good to remember this advice from Saint Jerome: «It is certain God gives to
he, who asks, that he, who seeks, finds, and that he, who knocks, will be
opened: It is clearly seen that he, who has not received, who has not found,
who has not been opened, is just because he did not know how to ask, how to
seek nor how to knock at the door». Let us, therefore, ask God, in the first
place, to give us a loving heart just like that of Jesus Christ.
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
“Which one of you would hand his son
a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a
fish?” Matthew
7:9–10
Clearly
this is a rhetorical question by Jesus. No parent would hand their son or
daughter a stone or a snake if they asked for food. But that of course is the
point. Jesus goes on to say, “…how much more will your heavenly Father give
good things to those who ask him.”
When
you pray with deep faith, will our Lord give you whatever you ask? Certainly
not. Jesus did say, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.” But this statement must be carefully
read within the whole context of Jesus’ teaching here. The fact of the matter
is that when we sincerely ask in faith for “good things,” meaning that which
our good God wants to bestow upon us, He will not disappoint. Of course, this
does not mean that if we beg Jesus for anything whatsoever that He will give it
to us.
What
are those “good things” that our Lord will most certainly give to us? First and
foremost, it is the forgiveness of our sins. We can be absolutely certain that
if we humble ourselves before our good God, especially within the Sacrament of
Reconciliation, we will be granted the freely given and transforming gift of
forgiveness.
In addition to the forgiveness of
our sins, there are many other things we need in life, and there are many other
things that our good God wants to bestow upon us. For example, God will always
want to give to us the strength we need to overcome temptations in life. He
will always want to provide for our most basic needs. He will always want to
help us grow in every virtue. And He most certainly wants to bring us to
Heaven. It is these things that we must especially pray for every day.
But
what about other things, such as a new job, more money, a better house,
acceptance into a certain school, a physical healing, etc.? Our prayers for
these and other similar things in life should be prayed for but with a caveat.
The “caveat” is that we pray that God’s will be done. Not ours. We must humbly
acknowledge that we do not see the big picture in life and do not always know
what will give God the greatest glory in all things. Therefore, it may be
better that you not get that new job, or be accepted at this school, or even
that this illness not end in healing. But we can be certain that God always
will bestow upon us that which is best for us and that which enables us to give
God the greatest glory in life. The crucifixion of our Lord is a perfect
example. He prayed that that cup be taken from Him, “but not my will but Yours
be done.” And, of course, the Father saw the great eternal value in the death
of His Son on the Cross and answered that prayer of His accordingly.
Reflect,
today, upon how you pray. Do you pray with detachment from the outcome, knowing
that our Lord knows best? Do you humbly admit that only God knows what is truly
good for you? Trust this to be the case and pray with complete confidence that
God’s will be done in all things and you can be certain that He will answer
that prayer.
Dear
Lord of infinite wisdom and knowledge, help me to always place my trust in Your
goodness and care for me. Help me to daily turn to You in my need and to trust
that You will answer my prayer according to Your perfect will. I place my life
into Your hands, dear Lord. Do with me as you wish. Jesus, I trust in You.
Reflection Thursday 1st
week of Lent 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I believe in you; help me overcome my weak
faith and unbelief. Lord God, I trust in you; help me overcome my self-reliance
and my lack of trust. Lord God, I love you; help me overcome my selfishness and
give myself more perfectly to your service and the service of my brothers and
sisters.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Faith Frees Us to Give: The Gospel is taken from the third part of Jesus’
Sermon on the Mount. The first part (Matthew 5:1-48) brought the Old Law to
fulfillment in the New Law. The second part (Matthew 6:1-18) concerned worship
and the three pious practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. The third
part concerns “deeds of charity.” Here, “Jesus warns against stockpiling
earthly treasures, exhorting his disciples to build treasure in heaven by good
deeds. … This can be done, Jesus teaches next, only if we are free from anxiety
through the knowledge that the Maker of all things is our provident and caring
Father. Anxiety and fear imprison, whereas faith in the Father frees us to give
and trust, to be satisfied with our ‘daily bread,’ allowing us to ‘seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’
(Matthew 6:33)” (Gray and Cavins, Walking with God, 262).
2. Confidence in Prayer: Our faith and trust in the Father are seen especially in how
we pray. Jesus invites us to be confident in prayer because our Father is good
and generous. A human father, despite their defects and shortcomings, tends to
give good things to their children when they ask for them. If that is the case,
then how much more will our Heavenly Father, who is all good and all-knowing,
give us good things? Jesus concludes this teaching by emphasizing how we need
to imitate the Father and be generous toward our fellow human beings. The
golden rule Jesus gives is a powerful tool to discern how we are to act
generously or what we are to do for others.
3. The Prayer of Esther: Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the New Testament is
complemented by the example of Queen Esther’s prayer in the Old Testament. The
Book of Esther tells the story of how a Persian official named Haman tricked
King Xerxes I, who ruled from 485 to 465 B.C., to exterminate the Jewish
population of Persia (Esther 3:6-13). The massacre was narrowly averted by the
wisdom of Mordecai and the courage of his niece Esther, who recently had become
the queen (Esther 7:9-10; 8:1-8) (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible:
Old and New Testament, 761). Esther is confident in the knowledge and power
of God. She remembers the saving actions of God in the past. She humbly asks
for the courage to overcome her fear and the grace of persuasive speech. The
escape from the threat led to the establishment of a new Jewish feast, that of
Purim, “which celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from total
destruction at the hands of the Persians” (see Esther 9:1-32; Ignatius
Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, 761). Purim is celebrated
every year, about a month before Passover. This year, on this very day, it is
celebrated from sundown on Thursday, March 13, to sundown on Friday, March 14.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me today and every day how to pray.
Inspire me to ask good things from the Father and to seek always to do his holy
will.
Reflection Thursday 1st
week of Lent
Opening Prayer:
Lord, how often I forget to ask for what I need. You are always
there to help me, yet I rush into my day forgetting that I need your grace,
your strength, your wisdom, and your provision. Please fill me with the grace I
need to see you in everything so I won’t forget to include you in anything.
Encountering Christ:
Promises: “Everyone
who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks,
the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8). Although these words of Christ seem so
simple and straightforward, to receive the promised reward we must live as
Christ did, and align our will with his. Christ lived a life of self-denial
even before he carried the physical cross. He bore a heavy load by living his
life for others. We are also called to deny ourselves and take up our cross
daily to follow him (Luke 9:23). Luke includes the word “daily” in his Gospel.
We can’t pick up the cross or deny ourselves when it is convenient. We are to
do this daily. St. Therese of Lisieux taught us how to do this in her Little
Way. She counsels that we are to do our daily tasks with great love, thereby
meeting and carrying the cross in the midst of our ordinary life.
Good Gifts: Do
we unwittingly ask the Lord for stones and snakes and then grumble because he
hasn’t answered our prayer as we wanted? Our vision is often very limited.
Eternity is not in the forefront of our minds. We may pray for help with the
bills but neglect a God-given opportunity to practice prudence. We may ask God
for physical healing, unaware that our illness is “curing” us spiritually. It
is not wrong to ask God for help with whatever we think we need. God wants us
to include him in everything that’s on our minds. Yet, it is important to
remember that God gives good gifts, gifts of lasting value. He wills for our
good and desires eternal union with us. God is concerned with our ultimate
salvation.
The Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew
7:12). Christ trusted the Father. He was not afraid of being left out, of being
left behind, or not having his fill of good things. When we trust God, the
Golden Rule feels attainable. Knowing that we are loved, we are able to deny
ourselves and live for others. Jesus preached the Golden Rule and he lived it
with divine perfection. We are called to do likewise, by relying on the Lord’s
grace and strength.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you are the giver of all good things. Sometimes I get
caught up in this world, becoming attached to its goods and forgetting that you
give gifts of infinite value. Lord, please help me to seek what is truly
valuable. I desire to belong completely to you. Please, continue to draw me
near
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