Suy Niệm Thứ Bẩy Tuần Thánh trong Ngày

Suy Niệm Thứ Bẩy Tuần Thánh trong Ngày

Hôm nay sự im lặng đã bao trùm vũ trụ và ngự trị trong tất cả mọi loài sáng tạo: Chúa Giêsu đã chết và đang nằm trong mồ.
- Hôm nay là ngày mà cả Giáo Hội Công Giáo không có nơi nào được cử hành Thánh lễ: bởi vì Thiên Chúa, Đấng Tạo Hóa của chúng ta thực sự đã chết đi trong cái bản chất tạo vật của Ngài.  Mầu nhiệm của những sự huyền bí! Trước đó là những gì mà chúng ta phải cúi mình thờ lạy và khuất phục.-
- Tại hang đá Bêlem năm xưa, Thiên Chúa được cuốn trong chiếc tã mỏng, giữa đêm đông giá lạnh, nằm trong cái máng cho chiên lừa ăn một cách rất thấp hèn.
- Trong Vườn Cây Dầu, Chúa Giêsu đã bị căng thẳng với quá nhiều âu lo và buồn phiền  cho đến đỗi mồ hôi và máu.
- Tại thành Jerusalem, Thiên Chúa đã bị xét xử như một tên tội phạm hình sự hay như một tên cướp,  bị đánh đòn, bị đội mão gai; bị vác thánh giá đi khắc các nẻo để đến núi sọ,
- Và trên thập giá Chúa Giêsu đã chết để yêu thương và cứu chuộcloài người chúng ta đã hư mất:  
- Khi giờ đã đến, Chúa Giêsu đã sẵn sàng hy sinh và chịu mất mạng sống mình để làm của Lễ Hy Sinh, Hiến Dâng lên Thiên Chúa Cha để đền vì tội lỗi của chúng ta.
            Không bao giờ có bất cứ một tôn giáo nào khác mà có thể nghĩ đến một thực tế như hôm nay. Không có một “ thần linh hay một vị chúa nào khác “đã có thể điên cuồng trong tình yêu như Chúa Giêsu Kitô.
Thánh Maria, Mẹ của đau khổ: Xin hãy tha thứ cho chúng con. Mẹ đã săn sóc, lo lắng cho Chúa Giêsu trong hơn ba mươi năm. Nhưng khi Ngài đã rơi vào tay của những kẻ thù, Ngài hầu như đã không còn được sống nổi trong hơn mười hai giờ đồng hồ. Bây giờ một phép lạ, một cách huyền bí, chúng ta có được Ngài, Ngài đã chịu đau khổ, đã chịu chết và Ngài đã sống lại từ cõi chết, Ngài hiện diện trong Thánh Thể. Cuộc sống hiện tại của chúng ta là phải dành riêng cho việc chăm sóc Ngài.
            Chúng ta hãy chuẩn bị cho việc ghi nhớ sự đơn độc của Đức Maria để sống trong ánh sáng của Phục Sinh và để chào mừng và tuyên xưng đức tin của chúng ta khi một ngày đáng buồn này đã qua đi; khi chúng ta sống với người mẹ mới, đó là Hội Thánh  Công Giáo: Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã sống lại, cũng giống như Ngài đã nói! (x Mt 28: 6).
 
Comment: Fr. Antoni CAROL i Hostench (Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain)
The death of Christ
Today silence reigns in all of creation: Jesus is dead in the tomb. There are no Celebrations in Catholic Churches: God, the Creator, really has died of his creatures. Mystery of mysteries! Before which we should prostrate ourselves in adoration and submission.
In Bethlehem, God is swaddling clothes, in The garden of Olives, God stressed, so much so as to sweat blood; in Jerusalem, God judged, scourged and crowned with thorns; and on the cross God died. To love one most loose oneself: God, the hour arrives, willingly, lost his life for us. Never has any other religion thought such a fact. There are no other "Gods" so madly in love as Jesus Christ.
Holy Mary, mother of suffering: Forgive us. You looked after Jesus for more than thirty years. But when he falls into means hands, He barely survived for more than twelve hours. Now miraculously, we have him , He suffered, died and has risen from the dead— in the Eucharist. My life will be dedicated to looking after him!
 
Easter Vigil
Holy Saturday
The Savior of the World died a cruel death upon the Cross. His broken body was laid in the tomb. His disciples scattered and were fearful that they would be next. But our Blessed Mother kept vigil in the perfect hope that her Son would soon rise.
Traditionally, Saturdays within the Church year are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This ancient tradition developed in part due to the belief that, as others were filled with fear and confusion, Mother Mary kept vigil on Holy Saturday in prayerful anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection. She knew her Son would rise. She had hope beyond hope. Her faith was certain. Her love kept her vigilant as she awaited the return of her Son.
For many centuries, it has been suggested that the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His Resurrection was His own mother. Pope Saint John Paul II believed this. Saint Ignatius of Loyola believed it. And many others throughout the centuries shared this belief.
For these reasons, Holy Saturday is an ideal day to ponder the pondering heart of our Blessed Mother. There are several times in Sacred Scripture where we are told that Mother Mary pondered the mysteries of her Son’s life in her heart. She was one of the few who stood by Him in His agony and death. She stood before the Cross and prayerfully pondered His perfect sacrifice. The Blessed Mother held His dead body in her arms and pondered where His spirit had gone. And today she keeps vigil, pondering His imminent return to her.
Ponder her pondering heart. Try to unite your own heart with hers. Try to understand what she was thinking and hoping. Try to feel what she felt this sorrowful day. Try to experience her faith, her trust and her joyful expectation.
So many people in this world walk in despair and confusion. So many have lost hope in the new life that awaits them. So many have their own form of interior death without allowing God to draw them into His Resurrection. So many people today need the hope that was so alive in the heart of our Blessed Mother that first Holy Saturday.
Ponder the reality of Holy Saturday in silence this day and allow the glorious heart of our Blessed Mother to inspire you and draw you more deeply into her life of faith, hope and love.
Dearest Mother Mary, on that first Holy Saturday, you kept vigil for your Son. You allowed the divine gift of hope to grow within you, and you allowed that hope to be your strength in the midst of the horror of the Cross. Pray for me that I may ponder your beautiful heart this day so that I, too, may be filled with hope as I endure the challenges of this earthly life. Give me a heart of joyful anticipation as I await the grace of new life our Lord so deeply desires to bestow upon me. Mother Mary, pray for me.  Jesus, I do trust in You.
 
Easter Vigil 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have prepared all human history for the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son. From the creation of the world to the call of Abraham, from the formation of the nation of Israel to the Kingdom of David, from the prophets to the fullness of time, you have guided all things and have revealed your great love for us through the sending of your Son and your Spirit.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Living One: The resurrection of Jesus is unlike the miracles which recount the restoration of someone to earthly, physical life. What happened in the cases of Jairus’ daughter, the Widow of Nain’s son, and Jesus’ friend Lazarus, was a resuscitation. All three would die again someday. Jesus’ resurrection is something more and greater. He doesn’t return to ordinary life. He begins a new mode of existence and will never die again. He enjoys not just the immortality of his soul, but the everlasting life of his risen and glorified body. Luke alone records the question of the angel, who asked: “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead? “It’s not just that Jesus is alive; it’s that being alive is constituent of his person: he is the One characterized by Life! Why would anyone week the Author of Life, the One who lives eternally, in the place of the dead, in an area of tombs? What sense does that make?” (Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Solemnities and Feasts, 201).
2. The Women Announced These Things: Luke is unique among the Gospels in emphasizing the role of the women who were disciples of Jesus and were prominent in the early Church. Luke names three of the women who discovered Jesus’ empty tomb and how they immediately believed. Mary Magdalene acted as a leader among the women and was the one from whom seven demons were cast out by Jesus. Joanna was the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward. Like Mary Magdalene, she was a person of high rank. She was one of the wealthy women who provided for Jesus and his disciples out of their means. The third woman mentioned was Mary, the mother of James. She was also Jesus’ aunt. She was married to Clopas, who, according to tradition, was the brother of Joseph. Luke emphasizes that the eleven Apostles, led by Simon Peter, were slow to believe the announcement of the resurrection by the women.
3. Peter Went Home Amazed: Luke doesn’t say that Peter looked in the tomb and believed, but that he returned home amazed by what he saw and what had happened. Peter is left wondering and cannot understand why the tomb is empty. He does not yet believe it was because Jesus was raised from the dead to new life. Throughout the next forty days, Peter will have multiple encounters with the risen Jesus, usually on Sunday. We too encounter Jesus at mass and especially on Sundays. We hear his Word and receive his Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Sundays are our encounter with the Risen Lord and, like Peter, we are encouraged each week to deepen our faith and commitment to him.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, on this Holy Night, I will see and recall the great mystery of Baptism, which is a share in your death and resurrection. I have died with you and am raised to new life. Help me to live this new life to the fullest and experience its joy. Alleluia!
 
 
Easter Vigil
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, I give you thanks and praise for the miracle of Easter. In your loving mercy, you sent your Son to redeem us and to open the gates of Heaven. As I take this time today to reflect on your word and be in your presence, fill me with faith, conviction, and determination to live each day in service to you. Fill my heart with your love and make my life a reflection of that love in my interactions with others. 
Encountering Christ:
Mournful Duty: When Mary Magdalene and the other women went to Jesus’ tomb, it was with heavy and saddened hearts. Their beloved teacher, the man they had come to believe was their Messiah and Lord, had been put to death like a common criminal. These women must have been reeling from the ups and downs of this emotional week. We can assume they witnessed the joyous acclaim of Palm Sunday and then saw the horrifying events of Jesus’ Passion and death. Although only Mary Magdalene and Mary stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross with John, several other women now gathered to assist in the somber task of anointing his body for his final resting place. These women were fulfilling their duty to the Lord they loved, and because of their faithfulness, they were about to become witnesses to the greatest miracle in human history.
Angels Appeared: The two men in dazzling clothes were angels of God, and indeed they brought tidings of great joy. They remind the women of Jesus’ words about the Temple being destroyed and raised up in three days. Suddenly the women understood that Jesus was in fact alive, that he had conquered death itself. Any lingering doubts they might have harbored were gone now. They knew that he indeed is the Messiah, the Son of God. Only the Son of God could defeat death itself. Buoyed by this incredible experience, they raced off to share the news with the disciples. May the Holy Spirit grant each of us a heart overflowing with Easter graces that we can joyfully share with family and friends.
0.      Disbelief to Belief: Beset by the same sadness and disillusionment as the women, the Apostles did not at first believe them, dismissing their claims as nonsense. Peter alone, probably with a strong prompting from the Holy Spirit, raced off to the tomb and found things just as the women reported. He was amazed at what had happened. We can be sure he recalled the words of Jesus regarding the Temple, as well as Jesus’ insistence that he must drink the cup his father had given him. Suddenly, new hope and joy must have filled the heart of Peter and the Apostles. “Why should we today sing Alleluia, Praise the Lord? Because this day we are fed, freed, assured of the truth, and given promises of being endowed, in our resurrection, with the gifts of clarity, agility, brightness, and impassibility, which Christ showed in his Resurrection” (St. Vincent Ferrer).
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I believe, but please help me when I struggle with unbelief. So often the events of Easter seem far away and almost mythical when they are retold year after year. Fill my soul with the awareness that you actually conquered sin and death. Fill my heart with gratitude for your love. Fill my entire being with the determination to follow you in all I do. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make an act of faith, thanking you from the bottom of my heart for the miracle of your Resurrection.