Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai 25 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai 25 Thường Niên

Qua bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã dùng hình ảnh của một chiếc đèn để mô tả cách mà Ngài muốn các môn đệ phải sống trong ánh sáng chân lý và tình yêu của Ngài. Cũng như ánh sáng tự nhiên soi sáng bóng tối và cho giúp chúng ta thấy được một cách rõ ràng những hiện vật trước mắt, vì vậy ánh sáng của Chúa Kitô tỏa sáng trong trái tim của chúng ta và cho phép chúng ta được xem thấy những thực tế trên trời, trong  vương quốc của Thiên Chúa.
            Trong thực tế, nhiệm vụ của chúng ta là  đem ánh sáng của Chúa Kitô để cho những người khác có thể nhìn thấy sự thật, chân lý của Tin Mừng phúc âm và để giải thoát sự mù quáng của tội lỗi và sự lừa dối. Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta biết rằng không có gì có thể dấu kín hay giữ được bí mật lâu dài. Chúng ta có thể cố để giấu diếm người khác, hay cả  chính chúng ta về những bí mật riêng của chúng ta. Nhưng làm thế nào chúng ta có thể giấu được Thiên Chúa và cố nhắm mắt được với những hậu quả của con đường tội lỗi và những thói quen xấu của chúng ta, ngay cả khi chúng ta biết những hậu quả sẽ xãy đến cho chúng ta.
            Thiên Chúa biết hết tất cả mọi sự, vì Ngài nhìn thấy tất cả và biết mọi sự trong tâm hồn thầm kín của chúng ta. Những người sống trong ánh sáng của Thiên Chúa và những người tìm kiếm Chân lý hay sự thật của Ngài, sẽ được hưởng sự tự do tuyệt vời và niềm vui vô tận. Những người lắng nghe Thiên Chúa và biết chú ý đến Lời của Ngài sẽ nhận được nơi Ngài rất nhiều sự phong phú của trí tuệ, sự hướng dẫn, sự hòa bình, và phúc lành của Ngài ban cho. Chúng ta có sẵn sáng và mong được có những niềm vui và được tự do sống trong ánh sáng của Thiên Chúa?
 
Reflection
The light, in today's gospel, is likened to Christ who came to earth to lead the way, to show the path. When Jesus was to talking to his disciples, he was talking about himself and he was saying that soon this prophecy of the Messiah would be realized and the truth will be out. Those who listened and followed will learn to understand yet those who thought they knew what they knew will soon realize the fallacy of what they believed in. Thus, they will be stripped of their spiritual authority and those who followed Christ will be given more responsibilities in spreading the Word.
            In our current situation, where the birth, the death and the resurrection is part of our spiritual history, as Christians we are the light that Christ mentioned in Luke 8:16. As we walk in faith, it is but inevitable that people will notice us especially when we do what is opposite of the norm. As followers of Christ, it is in our nature to act responsibly in any situation. This we do not do boastfully or with pride but with humility and faith that in all of this there is God whom we are serving faithfully. In turn, it is reminding us to pay heed and not act as if we are better than other people in our community lest we gull ourselves into believing that we are infallible. Instead, Jesus instructs us to listen and to act. Mere listening is a superficial act. When one does what one is told, people will see the depth of our faith. As Christians it is very easy to fall into complacency, where we think the mere routine of going to church, listening to homilies, getting involved in parish socials is enough. The act of true faith is manifested in how one openly shares with his brethren. In the Last Supper, Jesus enjoins us to do what he does. As Jesus willingly and gratefully served others, so must we be to our fellowmen. Have you prayed for the grace of true service lately? It is costly, but then again Jesus did this to show
 
Monday 25^th - Ordinary Time
“Take care, then, how you hear. To anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” Luke 8:18
Do you have much? Or little? According to Jesus’ words, if you have much, then you will receive much more; but if you have little, then you will lose even what you have. Does this seem fair?
Of course, our Lord is not speaking in worldly terms. He’s not saying that if you have much money, then you will gain more, or if you are poor, then you will become poorer. Instead, Jesus is speaking about the grace that comes from understanding His holy Word. Notice that the passage above begins by saying, “Take care, then, how you hear.”
To “hear” the Word of God implies that you truly receive what Jesus teaches. Hearing is not just hearing the words spoken with your ears. One early Church Father, Saint Bede, explains that truly hearing the Word of God with our minds leads us to love that Word, and loving the Word leads to understanding. This is not accomplished by an intellectual exercise alone, as if our natural gifts are the primary means by which we comprehend all that Jesus teaches. Rather, it comes through spiritual insight gained by the supernatural gift of the Spirit Who teaches us all things.
If you want “more” understanding of the mysteries of God, then commit yourself to engaging the holy Scriptures with your mind. Read the Scriptures, ponder them and pray with them. It’s easy to forget that the Word of God is a Living Word. This means that when we prayerfully immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, we are prayerfully encountering God Himself. God is alive in His holy Word. We meet Him, personally, and this happens only by a special grace that we must be open to receive.
The beautiful aspect of this teaching of Jesus is that the more we understand His Word by this grace, the more we will immerse ourselves in it, and it will continue to grow within us. If, however, we devote little time to engaging the Word of God in prayer, we will begin to “forget,” so to speak, the spiritual depths of the wisdom of God. We will lose the little understanding we have and when this happens, we will be prone to engaging and accepting the many confusions and deceptions alive in our world.
Reflect, today, upon your practice of prayerfully meditating upon the Scriptures. If this is not your current practice, resolve to make it so. Perhaps start with one of the Gospels and commit yourself to prayerfully reading it little by little every day. The goal is not to get through the books of the Bible. The goal is to enter into each book. Every chapter and every line provides us with a depth of spiritual insight and understanding just waiting to be given and received. Commit yourself to this holy practice, and you will be amazed at the spiritual riches our Lord bestows upon you.
Living Word of God, my Lord and my King, I thank You for the way in which You come to me and all Your children through Your written Word. Fill me with a love for that Word so that I will daily engage my mind in the deep truths revealed within it. May I meet You, dear Lord, and grow in an understanding of Who You are and what You wish to reveal to me. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday 25^th - Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, give me more! I have received the gift of your grace and have set out to work in your vineyard. I have seen the fruits of my labor. I ask that you accept them as my sacrifice united to that of your Son. Grant me an abundance of your grace so that I may bear even more fruit for your Kingdom.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Word of God and the Light of Salvation: In the Gospel, Jesus has just spoken about the Word of God as a seed sown in human hearts. In today’s passage, he follows this up and uses a lamp as an image for God’s Word. Just as the seed is sown in soil to yield a fruitful harvest and just as the lamp placed on a lampstand to give light to the house, so the Word of God is to be welcomed by the human heart and, in turn, is to be given to others. “Thus, the person who, when hearing God’s word, embraces and understands it (Luke 8:10, 15) is filled with light and becomes a visible lamp so that others may see the light. Those who have been granted knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom must make them known. Hence, this parable complements the previous one: a person receives the word in order to believe and be saved (v. 12), thus becoming a lamp that enlightens others so that they too may be saved” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 160). How have I welcomed and shared the light of Christ?
2. The Book of Ezra: During the next three weeks, the First Reading will be taken from the Book of Ezra and Nehemiah, the Book of Baruch, and five of the 12 minor prophets (from Haggai, Zechariah, Jonah, Malachi, and Joel). What Church, through the Liturgy of the Word, principally wants us to consider is the aftermath of the end of the Babylonian Exile (586-538 B.C.). The Book of Ezra narrates the return of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi, who start to rebuild the foundations of Jewish life (Ezra 2). The tribes who returned to Jerusalem initially focused their efforts on restoring the sacrifices and rebuilding the Temple of the Lord, which had lain in ruins since the Babylonian conquest of Judah in 586 B.C. (Ezra 3-6). “Once these tasks are completed despite harassment and delay, the narrative springs forward into the next century, when another wave of Jewish exiles returns to the homeland under the wise leadership of Ezra the priest (Ezra 7-8). This time, the focus of reconstruction is spiritual. Ezra finds a community in Judea that is religiously apathetic and out of alignment with the commandments of God regarding marriage. Immediately he begins a campaign of reform, calling the community to repentance and insisting that interreligious marriages between Jews and Gentiles be dissolved, since unions between Israelites and non-Israelites are forbidden by the Torah (Ezra 9-10)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 676). 
3. Divine Providence in the Book of Ezra: The Book of Ezra emphasizes the hand of God’s providence in shaping the history of the covenant people. “The divine hand is the unseen power ensuring that the Lord’s plan for his people unfolds according to his will. It is no accident that Cyrus of Persia granted the exiles in Babylon their freedom and generously funded the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is because ‘the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus’ to fulfill the words of “Jeremiah” and other prophets that this took place (Ezra 1:1). The Lord thus appears as one who inspires even Gentile kings to accomplish what he desires for Israel (6:22; 7:27). Just as God was free to use a wicked king like Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to bring destruction on the Temple and city of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 25:9-10), so he could use a benevolent monarch like Cyrus to rebuild them (Isaiah 44:28). Besides this, the Lord is the one who preserved a remnant of his people in the first place (Ezra 9:8). And he produced in them a desire to rebuild the sanctuary (Ezra 1:5), just as he will later inspire Ezra’s work (Ezra 7:6) and give him favor in the eyes of Persian authorities (Ezra 7:28). Elsewhere in the book we see God shielding the Jewish community from enemy plots (Ezra 5:5; 9:9), sending them prophets with words of encouragement (Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14), and making their hearts joyful in celebrating Israel’s great liturgical feasts (6:22). In these and other ways, the Book of Ezra is as much about God’s activity as about the life and labors of the postexilic community” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 676). 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my light and my salvation, of whom should I be afraid? You guide me along right paths and protect me from danger. You lead me to restful waters and good pasture. Guide my steps always so that I may reach the glory of eternal life with you.
 
Monday 25^th - Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, give me more! I have received the gift of your grace and have set out to work in your vineyard. I bear the fruits of my labor. I ask that you accept them as my sacrifice united to that of your Son. Grant me an abundance of your grace so that I may bear more fruit for your Kingdom.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Light of Christ: Everything we have done and all that we do in our lives will be revealed. The wicked mistakenly think that their evil deeds will go unnoticed. Jesus corrects this view: “For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” If our deeds are good, then we have no reason to fear. In fact, in our deeds and actions, we are called to be a light for the world. We are not the ultimate source of the light, for Jesus is the light that enlightens all men (John 1:9). At the same time when we walk in the light of Christ, we are called to share and communicate this light to others. Jesus also teaches that to those who have, more will be given. And so, when we receive Jesus and the Holy Spirit, when we immerse ourselves in divine wisdom, and when we let the light of Christ shine through us, even more will be given to us. Our knowledge of God will be even more profound; our love for God will be even deeper.
2. Two Ways of Life according to Proverbs: The First Reading is from the Book of Proverbs. The book is like a “treasury of wisdom for successful living, ... [that] aims at the formation of character by imparting values and encouraging virtues” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Proverbs, 14). The beginning and foundation of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. “Since wisdom ultimately comes from God (2:6), one can hardly be called wise who fails to revere the Lord. Everyone is obliged to discern the lessons of life by use of reason and to conform to the order that God's wisdom has built into creation” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Proverbs, 14). Proverbs sees that human beings follow one of two ways: the righteous follow the way of wisdom and life; the senseless follow the way of foolishness and death.
3. The Call to Wisdom: Today’s First Reading (Proverbs 3:27-34) is taken from the first collection of Wisdom Discourses (Proverbs 1:8-9:18). The first chapters of Proverbs invite the reader to not consent to the enticements of sinners and to not walk with them or in their ways. Wisdom calls out in the streets of the city for men and women to listen to her words. If they receive her words, they will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. By heeding wisdom, they will understand righteousness and justice and follow a good path; they will be delivered from the way of evil. The one who listens to wisdom trusts in the Lord with all their heart, honors the Lord with their work, and does not despise the Lord’s discipline. Happy is the man who finds wisdom. Today’s First Reading tells us that the wise man is just: He gives to others their due and does not envy the wicked man who commits injustices. The reading also tells us that the wise man is humble and that they receive favor from God. The wise, the just, and the humble receive blessings from God, while the wicked bring down curses upon themselves.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am your disciple. Teach me to see all things from a divine perspective and to contemplate all things in the light of eternity. Help me to know what is lasting and of true value and to relativize what is passing and temporal.