Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Phục Sinh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Phục Sinh
Trong bài đọc thứ nhất, chúng ta nghe hai lần, Chúa Thánh Thần đã ngăn cản thánh Phaolô làm theo kế hoạch của riêng của ông.  Trước hết Thánh Phaolô không được phép rao giảng ở châu Á, và sau đó, không được phép đi đến Bithynia (miền bắc vùng Tiểu Á). Sách Công-vụ Tông Đồ đã không nói là Chúa Thánh Thần đã  hành động như thế nào, nhưng có lẽ qua lời cầu nguyện hay lời tiên tri. Tuy nhiên, Sách CVTĐ có cho chúng ta biết là khi ở thành phố Troas Thánh Phaolô đã được thị kiến và được Thánh Thần sai đến Macedonia.
Thật vậy, trong Công Vụ Tông Đồ, chúng ta thấy Chúa Thánh Thần đã dùng nhiều phương tiện để hướng dẫn các Kitô hữu, Thánh Luca tác giả CVTĐ thường xuyên đề cập đến vấn đề cầu nguyện, sự thị kiến, hay sự xuất hiện của các Thiên Thần, những lời tiên tri và những giấc mơ. Mục đích của Thánh Luca là thể hiện mối quan hệ chặt chẽ giữa những hành động của Cha Kitô Phục Sinh và của Chúa Thánh Thần.
Mặc dù Chúa Thánh Thần hầu như không được đề cập đến trong các câu cuối cùng của chương 15 trong Tin Mừng Gioan, nhưng Chúa Thánh Thần là trọng tâm trong những lời cầu nguyện của Chúa Giêsu, ngay ở đầu chương 16. Chúa Giêsu nói với các tông đồ rằng Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ liên tục hướng dẫn họ. Là Thánh Thần của sự thật, Ngài sẽ nói với họ. Qua Chúa Thánh Thần mà những gì mà Chúa Giêsu nói khi Ngài đang ngự bên Hữu của Đức Chúa Cha bây giờ sẽ được truyền đến cho các môn đệ.
Khi Chúa Giêsu rời khỏi cuộc sống ở trần tục của Ngài, Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta Chúa Thánh Thần, Người mà đem Chúa Giêsu Kitô phục sinh đến và hiện diện trong chúng ta. Cũng như Chúa Jêsus đã từng nói trong bản tính xác thịt của Ngài, bây giờ Ngài nói với chúng ta qua Chúa Thánh Thần. Giống như Phao-lô, chúng ta hãy sẵn sàng lắng nghe tiếng của Chúa qua Chúa Thánh Thần!
Lạy Chúa Thánh Thần, Xin đến và hướng dẫn chúng con hôm nay.
 
Reflection Saturday 5^th week of Easter 2014        
In the first reading, we read how twice, the Holy Spirit prevents Paul from pursuing his plans. First, Paul was forbidden to preach the word in Asia, and later, not permitted to travel to Bithynia. The writer of Acts, Luke, does not say how the Spirit acted, that is, whether, through prayer or prophecy. He does tell us, however, that it was a vision or dream in the city of Troas that directed Paul to sail to Macedonia.
Truly, in the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Holy Spirit uses many means to guide Christians. Luke most frequently mentions prayer, visions, appearances of angles, prophecies and dreams. Luke’s aim is to show the close relationship between the actions of the Risen Christ and that of the Holy Spirit.
Although the Holy Spirit is barely mentioned in the final verses of chapter 15 of John, he is at the centre of Jesus’ prayer at the beginning of chapter 16. Jesus tells the apostles that the Holy Spirit will be a constant guide to them. As the Spirit of Truth, he will speak to them. Through the Spirit, what Jesus says at the right hand of the Father will now be transmitted to the disciples.
When Jesus departed from his earthly life, he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, who enables the Risen Christ to be present to us and in us. Just as Jesus once spoke in the flesh, he now speaks to us through the Spirit. Like Paul, let us be ready to listen to his voice! Holy Spirit, guide me today.
 
Reflection Sat 5^th week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” John 15:18–19
This is a sobering thought: “the world hates you.” That is, if you are among those who have been taken by our Lord out of the world. In that case, Jesus says that the world will hate you.
No one wants to be hated. No one wants to experience the wrath, persecution, attacks, or ridicule of another. Hatred is ugly, painful and difficult to endure. But that is part of the nature of hate. It’s not only a form of persecution, it’s also a form of manipulation. Hate is an attack upon another by which the hater seeks to inflict injury and to manipulate them to change and conform to their will. The secular and unchristian “world” wants to win you over and away from God. Jesus offers this teaching, in part, to prepare us so that when we do experience hatred from the world, we will not be affected by it nor manipulated to turn from Him. Therefore, this teaching is a revelation of much mercy from our Lord.
Remember that Jesus spoke of three enemies of our soul. The flesh, the devil and the world. In this Gospel passage, to “belong to the world” means that a person allows themself to be negatively influenced by the countless lies embedded within the world. The secular media, pop-culture, biased opinions, social pressures, false images of happiness and the like seek to constantly misguide us and draw us in. We are regularly tempted to believe that fulfillment is found in money, our physical appearance, the recognition of our accomplishments and much more. The world tells us that our opinions must conform to the secular values of the age—and if they don’t, then we are judgmental, close-minded extremists and should be shunned and “canceled” or silenced.
These worldly temptations and pressures are real, and, for that reason, Jesus’ words are freeing. They free us from the manipulations and deceptions we will experience when we live our faith openly for all to see. When we do so, we will be hated by the world. But knowing that provides peace of heart when it happens.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful and consoling words of Jesus. If you do not experience any form of hatred from the world, then this should be a concern and the cause for reflection. And if you do experience some form of hatred, know that our Lord prepared you for this and offers you His strength and courage to endure it with joy. In the end, all that matters is what our Lord thinks—and nothing else. In the end, if you experience hatred by the world in any form, know that this makes you more like Christ Himself.
My persecuted Lord, You endured the hatred and ridicule of many who were engulfed by the false values of the world. I pray that I may share not only in Your life of love and mercy but also in Your strength during the times that I also endure the world’s hatred. I commit myself to You and pray that You continually take me out of the world and bring me close to Yourself. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Reflection Sat 5^th week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am in the world you have created, but this is not my true home. I am a pilgrim and sojourner on a lifelong journey to your house, where your Son has prepared a dwelling for me. Lift up my eyes toward my heavenly home. Do not let me be discouraged on the journey, but fill me with hope in your promise.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Hated by the World: Throughout the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus has been speaking about the blessings and curses of the New Covenant. By keeping the commandments, we are blessed to abide in the divine community of love. However, if we do not keep the commandments, abide in Jesus’ love, and bear fruit, then we will be cast into the fire (John 15:6-10). The New Covenant transforms the curses of the Old Covenant into blessings. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus promised: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). This same principle is at work in today’s Gospel. As friends of Jesus and adopted children of the Father, we will be hated by the world since we are in it but do not belong to it.
2. Persecuted by the World: At the Last Supper, Jesus was not asking his disciples to suffer more than himself or to do something that he himself did not. He was holy and innocent, and yet was crucified. When he healed and cast out demons, he was accused of working with the devil. When he declared his identity as the Son of God, he was condemned to death for blasphemy. When he restored his friend Lazarus to life, the religious authorities plotted to kill him. He went about doing good, and yet was rejected by many. We can expect the same treatment. In this way, we will suffer with Jesus, our friend and brother.
3. Loved by God: The New Covenant not only promises blessing, but also empowers us to attain the promised blessing. Even though we are hated and persecuted by the world for not living according to its sinful ways, we are loved and cared for by God for living according to his standards and our status as his children and friends of his Son. The Love of God, the Spirit of Truth, has been poured into our hearts through the waters of Baptism. This divine love surpasses all human love. Human love is often marked by likes and dislikes. We say things like, “I love ice cream,” and can easily equate love with what pleases us. Divine love is different. It is not a reaction to pleasure but an act of self-giving. The divine love, poured into our hearts, enables us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others in supernatural ways. Human love is often motivated by what I get out of the relationship. Divine love is motivated, so to speak, by what the lover can give so that their beloved flourishes.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as a child of God, I will endure persecution and suffer for the Gospel. You know the limits of my strength. I fully trust in you to accompany me, in your Father to care for me, and in your Spirit to guide me.
 
Reflection Sat 5^th week of Easter 2014       
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am in the world you have created, but this is not my true home. I am a pilgrim and sojourner on a lifelong journey to your house, where your Son has prepared a dwelling for me. Lift up my eyes toward my heavenly home. Do not let me be discouraged on the journey but fill me with hope in your promise.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Persecuted Children of the Father: The Gospel teaches us that Jesus’ disciples do not belong to the world because they have been freed from the sin of the world by Jesus himself. They are no longer slaves to sin and can now enjoy the freedom of the children of God. This freedom does not take away persecution and suffering. Just as the Son of God was persecuted and suffered, we too, as children of God, will be persecuted and suffer. One of the causes of the persecution of the bearers of the Gospel is ignorance: those who persecute the Apostles do not know the Father, who sent his only begotten Son to the world to redeem it. The proclamation of the Gospel by the Apostles, accompanied by signs and wonders accomplished in Jesus’ name, seeks to bring the people out of the darkness of ignorance and into the light of Christ. This light is a liberating and merciful light. It uncovers the lies of the world and its false promise of happiness. It reveals to us that we have sinned against God, but that we can be purified in the blood of the Lamb. Today’s Psalm reflects the joy we experience when we walk in the light of Christ. We sing today: “The Lord is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.”
2. The Beginning of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: In the First Reading, the Acts of the Apostles narrates the beginning of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (A.D. 50-52). Paul set out and invited Barnabas to come with him, saying: “Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:37). Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them but Paul disagreed with Barnabas because Mark had abandoned them during the first missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas decided to separate: Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to the cities of his homeland in Cyprus. Paul, on the other hand, took Silas with him and went through Syria and Cilicia and returned to the cities of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. During their journeys, both Barnabas and Paul were able to communicate the recent decision of the Council of Jerusalem to the newly founded churches. The Council had decided that Gentiles who came to believe in Jesus did not have to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses. There were still some difficulties in accepting this teaching. We see this in Paul’s decision to circumcise Timothy. Paul did this “on account of the Jews” of the region and because Timothy was considered a Jew, and not a Gentile, on his mother’s side. As Paul hands on the teaching of the Council to the recently founded churches, the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.
3. Persecution in Macedonia: After ministering to the churches in Galatia, Paul and Silas wanted to go north toward Bithynia, but were prevented by the Spirit of Jesus and led instead to the port city of Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a Macedonian imploring him to cross over to Macedonia and help them. In the morning, Paul and Silas discerned that this was God’s will for them: they would preach the Good News in Europe. At Troas, they probably met up with Luke, who accompanied them for a time and set sail with them to Macedonia. During their evangelizing mission, Paul and Silas suffered persecution in Macedonia, especially in the city of Philippi: they were stripped, beaten with rods, and imprisoned. Jesus’ Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of John refers to the persecutions that the Apostles would endure as they spread the Gospel to all nations. Jesus’ disciples must know that the world will hate them because it first hated him. Jesus tells us (in John 7:7) that the world, considered here as something negative, hates him because he shows the world that its sinful ways are evil. As the Lamb of God, however, Jesus has come to take away the sin of the world and purify and renew it.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as a child of God, I will endure persecution and suffer for the Gospel. You know the limits of my strength. I fully trust in you to accompany me, in your Father to care for me, and in your Spirit to guide me.
Living the Word of God: How have I been listening to the Spirit lately? What is the Spirit asking me to do? Where am I called to be a witness to the Good News of our salvation? How am I promoting and proclaiming the teachings of Jesus and the Church? How can I do better?
 
Reflection Saturday 5^th week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Jesus, you chose me to be your light in this world. The idea of being persecuted in your name can be a scary thought. Help me trust in you. Send me your Holy Spirit of charity and fortitude to be your light in the world. Open my heart to hear and understand your word, my Lord.
Encountering Christ:
Why Do They Hate Christ? Why does the world hate Jesus? For one, the presence of Jesus demands some type of response. Either one believes that he is God or one must profess unbelief in him. No one is truly “neutral” about Christ. In a similar way, when we see Christ, the truth (John 14:6), his presence is like a mirror held up to our behavior. If we are living in a sinful way, our sins are revealed to us by Christ. Jesus is the light, and those who live in godless ways seek to remain in darkness to hide their sins: “...the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed” (John 3:19-20). The light of truth is painful for those who sit in darkness. 
Blessed Are the Persecuted: This is why the world hates Jesus’s followers, as well. As Christian disciples, we seek to imitate Christ. When we gaze upon him and try to follow him, we actually come to resemble him. St. Paul wrote, “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we receive Holy Communion, we are transformed into Christ: “The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn. We are to become the Body of Christ, his own Flesh and Blood” (Pope Benedict XVI). When we kneel before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we gaze upon God himself. He is there, unveiled, truly present for us. This transforms us into “the same image,” as St. Paul says. So when the world sees us, they see Christ, the truth. This is painful for those who have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25). This is why we as Christians will experience persecution. When we imitate Christ, the world will treat us in the same way that it treated Christ. Remember that Jesus says being persecuted is a blessing: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12). When we experience the hatred of the world, we can remember that we are in the good company of Christ, the prophets before him, and his saints after him. 
Chosen for Holiness: Israel was God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). God set his people apart from the world for holiness. They were a cherished possession of the Lord’s (Deuteronomy 14:2). They were to be “a light to the nations, that [God’s] salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). The Church is the new Israel, the new light for the nations, called to live as an example of holiness: “But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). We do not belong to the world, we belong to God. We are consecrated to him; we are set apart from the world for holiness: “...the Lord has set apart the godly for himself” (Psalms 4:3). God chose us to love, serve, and worship him. We are not to conform ourselves to the culture around us (Romans 12:2). In fact, not only are we not to conform to the ways of the world, we are called to change the culture of this world and bring about Christ’s kingdom here and now. 
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, when others see me, may they see you instead. May I be a light to the world around me, no matter what it may cost me. May I never be afraid of being persecuted for your sake. Strengthen my spirit to persevere in faith, for I know that it will be necessary for me to undergo many hardships to enter your kingdom (cf. Acts 14:22). Consecrate me in your holiness; set me apart from this world to be its light.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend time in adoration of you in the Blessed Sacrament and ask for you to transform me into your image and likeness so I can be your face in the world.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Phục Sinh
Thiên Chúa luôn hướng dẫn Giáo Hội trong sự phát triển. Trong Bài Đọc I, chúng ta nghe thánh Phaolô đã tuyển chọn ông Timôthê người cai quản sau này trở thành giám mục của xứ Cypus (Síp). Sau đó, nghe lời hướng dẫn của Chúa Thánh Thần,  ông Phaolô đã quyết định đi rao giảng Tin Mừng ở miền Troas và Macedonia. Có Chúa ThánhThần hướng dẫn và thêm sức mạnh. ông Phaolô đã được Chúa Thánh Thần thêm sức mạnh và lòng can đảm trong tất cả các cuộc hành trình truyền giáo của ông ta. Tuy nhiên, ông cũng đã phải gặp nhiều sự chống đối của người Do Thái và những người dân ngoại không tin.
            Như vậy cuộc đời rao giảng Tin Mừng của Thánh Phaolô đã được ứng ngiệm như lời của Chúa Giêsu đã ứng nghiệm trước là những người theo Chúa sẽ phải bị áp bức và hãm hại. Vì những lý do khác nhau, nhiều người đã từ chối và không thể chấp nhận Tin Mừng. Vì những lý do khác nhau và cũng có nhiều lần có những người rao giảng Tin Mừng cũng bị nhục mạ, mắng rủa và bị bắt bớ.
Sự ác luôn muốn tiêu diệt những sự tốt lành.  khi sự tốt lành muốn chinh phục sự ác với tình yêu và lòng tốt. Cuộc chiến dường như không công bằng nhưng sự yếu đuối của Thiên Chúa chính là sức mạnh của con người. Qua cái chết và sự đau khổ, nhiều người đã được trở lại với đức tin. Qua sự đổ máu của các thánh vị Tử Đạo, nhiều người đã can đảm bước theo Chúa và tiếp tục đem Tin Mừng cho tất cả vì lợi ích của những người sẽ tin Vào Chúa.
 
Reflection
God is always guiding the Church in her growth.  In the first reading, St. Paul recruits Timothy who eventually became the bishop of Cyprus. Then, listening to the Holy Spirit, Paul decides to evangelize in Troas and Macedonia.   The Lord guides and strengthens Paul in all his missionary journeys. However, he encounters much opposition from Jews and non-believing Gentiles. 
 Thus is fulfilled in Paul's life and ministry Jesus' words about his followers being persecuted. For various reasons, many refuse to listen and accept the Goid News. For various reasons many times have those who preach the Good News also reviled and persecuted.
Evil wants to destroy good while good wants to conquer evil with love and kindness.  The fight seems so unequal but God's weakness is man's strength. Through death and persecution, many people have been converted to the faith. Through the shedding of the blood of many martyrs, many have entered the sheepfold.  We continue to bring the Good News to all for the sake of those who will believe.