Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 11 Thường Niên.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 11 Thường Niên.
Qua Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu mời gọi chúng ta nên quan hệ mật thiết với Thiên Chúa và sự liên hệ này sẽ phải là trung tâm cuộc sống của chúng ta. Điều này chỉ có thể có được khi chúng ta "khép kín cửa" lòng vỉ kỷ của chúng ta, khi chúng ta biết sống trong sự khiêm tốn, hạ mình trước những lời khen ngợi của người khác, biết chấp nhận những cái lỗi của mình và biết vui tươi với những lời chê bai của người khác, và cũng nên tìm những cái thất bại, những chê bai và lỗi xấu của mình mà ráng sửa đổi.
Chúng ta cần nên dành nhiều thời giờ với Thiên Chúa, dù chỉ có một vài phút mỗi ngày với Chúa, chúng ta sẽ thấy sự thay đổi. Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ giúp chúng ta sẽ từ từ nhận biết ra rằng việc tốt chúng ta làm vì danh Chúa chứ không phải làm để cho những người khác chú ý mà khen ngợi. Khi chúng biết dành thời giờ cho và với Thiên Chúa, chúng ta sẽ nhận biết được rằng chúng ta đang được Chúa yêu thương chúng ta một cách vô điều kiện, và để nắm được mối tình yêu này, Chúng ta cần phải bắt đầu biết lắng nghe những  lời nói yêu thương, trìu mến một cách sâu đậm và chắc chắn của Thiên Chúa.
Nếu chúng ta cứ thích dựa vào lời khen, hay sự ca ngợi của những người khác gì như người khờ dại xây nhà trên cát. Vì như ông bà chúng ta có nói “mật ngọt thì chết ruồi..” người mà khen ngợi chúng ta,  là người đang hại chúng ta, vì khi nhận những lời khen ngợi, con người chúng ta thường có cái khuynh hướng tự đắc, rồi sinh ra tự cao, ngạo mạn rồi đâm ra khinh người. Chính vì thế những khi chúng ta không được nhận những lời khen, chúng ta lại đâm ra thất vọng, buồn chán... cũng vì cái tạo tự cao và ngạo mạn của chúng bị xúc phạm! Đấy cũng là nguyên gây ra tội lỗi cho chúng ta.
   "Lạy Chúa Giêsu, xin cho chúng con một đức tin sống động, một niềm hy vọng vững chắc, lòng bác ái nhiệt thành, và một tình yêu tuyệt hảo cho Chúa để chúng con biết sống nhiệt tình và trọn niềm vui trong những suy nghĩ và ân sủng của Chúa. Xin lấp đầy trái tim của chúng con với lòng từ bi đối với những người khác, đặc biệt là những người đang cần đến sự giúp đỡ và lòng quảng đại của chúng con.
 
Meditation: When you pray, fast, and give alms
Why did Jesus single out prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for his disciples? The Jews considered these three as the cardinal works of the religious life. These were seen as the key signs of a pious person, the three great pillars on which the good life was based. Jesus pointed to the heart of the matter. Why do you pray, fast, and give alms? To draw attention to yourself so that others may notice and think highly of you? Or to give glory to God?  The Lord warns his disciples of self-seeking glory - the preoccupation with looking good and seeking praise from others. True piety is something more than feeling good or looking holy. True piety is loving devotion to God. It is an attitude of awe, reverence, worship and obedience. It is a gift and working of the Holy Spirit that enables us to devote our lives to God with a holy desire to please him in all things (Isaiah 11:1-2).
Communion with the Father
What is the sure reward which Jesus points out to his disciples? It is communion with God our Father. In him alone we find the fulness of life and happiness, truth and beauty, love and joy. Saint Augustine, the great fourth century bishop of Hippo, wrote the following prayer in his Confessions: When I am completely united to you, there will be no more sorrows or trials; entirely full of you, my life will be complete.
The Lord rewards those who seek him with humble and repentant hearts. He renews us each day and he gives us new hearts of love and compassion that we may serve him and our neighbor with glad and generous hearts. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Seek him expectantly in prayer, with fasting, and in generous giving to those in need.
“Lord Jesus, give me a lively faith, a firm hope, a fervent charity, and a great love for you. Take from me all lukewarmness in meditating on your word, and dullness in prayer. Give me fervor and delight in thinking of you and your grace. Fill my heart with compassion for others, especially those in need, that I may respond with generosity.”
 
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
“When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you may not appear to others to be fasting, except to your Father who is hidden. And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.” Matthew 6:16–18
Many today have abandoned the holy practice of fasting. Fasting is a powerful penitential practice that bestows great benefits upon the soul. The act of self-denial from certain food and drink, choosing instead simple nourishment from time to time, such as bread and water, or a reduced amount of food, greatly strengthens the soul and disposes a person to many spiritual blessings. Too often, we live for fleshly satisfactions and fall into the trap of trying to indulge our appetites on a regular basis. But doing so has the negative effect of tempting us to neglect the more important spiritual desires for holiness. By depriving ourselves of sensory delights from time to time, we become more disposed to seek the true and lasting delights that come only from God’s grace. Therefore, this passage above presumes that we do regularly fast and engage in other forms of self-denial. 
Do you fast? Do you engage in other forms of self-denial on a regular basis? Daily prayer, reading the Scriptures, learning about the lives of the saints, and regular participation in the Sacraments all lead us closer to God and make us holy. But fasting and self-denial are also very important, so it is essential that we strive to embrace them as a part of our spiritual growth.
In this passage, Jesus specifically calls us to seek the interior rewards that come from fasting and self-denial. He points out that if we use fasting as a way of gaining praise from others, then we lose the spiritual benefits of our fasting. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving must all be done in a way that they are as hidden as possible so that our acts are truly sincere and not done so as to receive the earthly rewards of the admiration of others.
Additionally, the lesson taught in this Gospel can also be applied to other areas of our lives. For example, if you are suffering from some illness or some form of bodily pain or discomfort, then of course you should seek the necessary medical attention. But these physical ailments also offer us another opportunity for spiritual growth when they are embraced in a silent and interior way. Even our pain or discomfort can be transformed into grace if we choose to embrace it with joy, offer it to God as a sacrifice, and keep it to ourselves as a silent gift given to God.
Reflect, today, upon your practice of fasting, as well as every other opportunity you have each day to make silent and interior sacrifices to God. If you do suffer from some daily cross that is beyond your control, then try to turn it into a spiritual offering to our Lord. And if you are able to freely embrace fasting on a regular basis, then try to prayerfully commit to this practice. Try to do it every week, especially on Friday in honor of the Good Friday sacrifice made by our Lord. Don’t underestimate the value of these hidden sacrifices. Make them a regular part of your spiritual life and God will bestow upon you many spiritual riches from Heaven.
My sacrificial Lord, You denied Yourself of many earthly delights, especially when You fasted for forty days in the desert. Help me to take seriously this obligation to fast and to mortify my appetites. And help me to do so in a hidden way. May my life continually imitate Your perfect sacrifice so that I may become more like You every day. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I want to fight the good fight in the daily battle of prayer. Help me to banish greed from my heart so that I may care for the poor around me. Help me to overcome my sinful tendencies so that I may be docile to the inspirations of your Holy Spirit.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Wages for Secret Almsgiving: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus identifies three ways we can earn heavenly wages and store up heavenly treasure. Earlier in the Sermon, Jesus pointed out that the righteousness of the Pharisees was insufficient to enter into the Kingdom of the Heavens. Here, he fleshes this out by contrasting how hypocrites do pious deeds and how his followers ought to do them. When the hypocrites give alms, they want everyone to know about it. They give, not so much to help the poor and alleviate their misfortune, but to win the praise of others. And that is their reward or wage. Human praise is what they seek, and that is what they get. By contrast, when the disciples of Christ give alms, they are to do so quietly and in secret. There is no need for a trumpet to announce their gift. There is no need to make sure the coins clang loudly in the Temple receptacles. The followers of Christ are not to seek human praise but divine glory. And the Father, who sees these actions of
2. Wages for Private Prayer: When the hypocrites pray, they want everyone to know about it. They pray, not to enter into communion with the Lord, but to be seen by others. They do not wake up early in the morning and go to the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13; Luke 5:16), climb the mountain, or enter the cloud to pray (Luke 9:28). Instead, the hypocrites wait until the synagogue is full on Sabbath or the marketplace is full of people, and there they make their loud prayer. Like the prayer of the Pharisee in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 18:9-14), it is not really a prayer made to God but to themselves. They are showing off that they can make eloquent discourses about pious things, but, in truth, they haven’t even taken the first step in prayer. Prayer begins not in the mind that thinks up interesting and eloquent things to say aloud, but in the depths of a humble, contrite heart moved by divine grace. And the Father who sees the disciple of his Son praying in this way, will compensate us, both in this life and the next.
3. Wages for Hidden Fasting: When the hypocrites fast, they want everyone to know about it. It is more like going on a diet and wanting everyone to know how much weight you lost, rather than giving up something good, like food, and making a sacrificial offering to God. The hypocrite receives their reward from others, who say things like, “How good you look!” “How good you are!” “You have such will-power!” and “I wish I could be like you!” The follower of Christ fasts not because they want human praise, but because they know this will strengthen them to resist the temptation of disordered pleasure in the future. Fasting, in the 21^st Century, takes many forms, such as fasting from certain foods, dessert, alcohol, shopping, gaming, complaining, and social media. And the Father, who sees this hidden fasting, will compensate us, both in this life and the next.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the New Moses who brings the law to fulfillment. You are the New Elisha who performs mighty deeds and cares for the poor. Teach me by your word and example to love the Father above all things and my neighbor as myself.
 
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time -  2022
Opening Prayer: “How great is the goodness, O Lord, which you have in store for those who fear you, And which, toward those who take refuge in you, you show in the sight of the children of men” (Psalm 31:20). Lord, teach me your Way. Bring me your Truth. Give me your Life so I may praise you, and only you, here on earth and with you for all eternity. I love you, my God!
Encountering Christ:
A Rewarding Life: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” Jesus was teaching his disciples to consider their actions and notice subtle temptations to pride. In between our good intentions and acting on them, we can get tripped up by the snares of the devil. “Take care,” Jesus said, which means “be cautious; keep oneself safe.” To live a life devoted to God, we need to discern if we are trying to impress others, bring acclaim to ourselves, or glorify God in what we say and do. To receive recompense from God is to receive atonement for our sins. When our righteous deeds are done for of love for God, he gladly responds: “But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die” (Ezekiel 18:27-28).
Almsgiving: “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.” Giving alms is not to be a matter of “checking off spiritual boxes” or lavishly giving so that we will be noticed by others. In this passage, Jesus was both revealing and calling his disciples more deeply into his hidden life with the Father. Almsgiving, Jesus tells us, is yet another invitation to “remain in me” (John 15:4). 
Useless Fasting: “When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance, so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” Jesus was offering practical advice, for it only makes sense that we defeat the purpose of self-denial through fasting if we use the practice to call attention to ourselves. Works of charity, spiritual practices, and praying, if not centered on and offered to God, become nothing more than self-gratification. The Church offers a helpful way for us to discern who we are glorifying by doing a daily examination of conscience. We are invited to spend a couple of minutes at the end of each day to ask the Holy Spirit to shine light on our actions in the past twenty-four hours. Where we have succeeded in giving glory to God, we praise and thank him. Where we have failed to receive his grace, we ask forgiveness. We end by asking for all the graces we will need the next day to try again. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I believe my righteous deeds are done for you, but you know me better than I know myself. Please reveal to me where I need to improve in my efforts to allow you to transform me. Thank you, Jesus. Mary, Mother of God, intercede for me. 
 
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time - Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Opening Prayer: Lord, I am eager to spend this time with you in prayer today, trusting that you will bless me with the graces I need to please you in all I do.
Encountering Christ:
Coveting “Likes”: We all want to be a little more liked. The different platforms of social media play upon our desire to be popular through likes, followers, friends, etc. In Jesus' day, the Pharisees wanted the same thing, just with a different platform: climbing their own pedestal. Jesus said they turned street corners into platforms when they gave alms or prayed with their arms spread wide out while chanting slowly so that everyone would see and hear. Whenever they prayed in synagogues, they stood, so all eyes were on them. In the parable of the Pharisee and the publican, there was one person who wasn't watching the Pharisee: God. Jesus said, "They have already received their reward." God's eyes were on the humble, quiet, repentant tax collector. "God looks upon the lowly, but watches the proud from a distance" (Psalms 138:6). "He has brought down the mighty from their thrones but lifted up the lowly" (Luke 1:52).
Blessed Are the Lowly: The wonderful thing is that God longs to meet the lowly, the simple, the small. St. Andre Bessette said of himself, "God chose the most ignorant one. If there was anyone more ignorant than I am, God would have chosen him instead of me." Other saints said much the same thing, that they were chosen by God, precisely because they were the weakest, the smallest, the least educated. St. Paul himself said, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27). God is drawn to humility like iron to a magnet. Or perhaps it would be better to say that God is the magnet, and when we are humble, our true mettle is shown, and we are lifted up towards him. When we are humble, he cannot take his eyes off of us. As St. John of the Cross said, "To descend is to ascend"—the more we humble ourselves, the more God will lift us up.
A Secret Room: Many saints say the secret room is the one inside our hearts. Whether working or at home, we can enter that secret place where no one else can go, and our “Father who sees in secret" will reward us and join us, for he delights when little people like ourselves sequester to visit with him.
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I close my door to others' eyes, go to my secret room where no one else but you see me, and present myself small and lowly. Allow me to experience your delight at seeing me in secret. When my sins accuse me, saying I’m not good enough for you, I will acknowledge that truth and pray for forgiveness and an increase in humility.