Chia sẻ Lời Chúa: October 2025

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

Suy Niệm Thứ bảy 27th Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Thứ bảy 27th Thường Niên.
Ai là người may mắn ơn phúc trong mắt chúng ta? Trong văn hóa Do Thái, chính chữ này chỉ người mà chúng ta được ra (vì một người đàn ông) và người mà chúng đã đã sinh ra (cho một người phụ nữ) điều đó đã quyết định sự may mắn của chúng ta. Đó là lý do tại sao trong bài ca Ngợi Khen ‘Magnificat’ Đức Maria đã nói, “Này từ đây mọi người sẽ khen tôi có phúc.” (Lc 1:48).
Tuy nhiên, Chúa Giêsu, không những chỉ thừa nhận những gì mà những người phụ nữ trong đám đông ã nói về Đức Maria, người được Thiên Cha ban cho có được phước để trở thành mẹ của Ngài, những còn đưa Mẹ uq khỏi lằn ranh giới của sự hiểu biết của người Do Thái về ơn phước hạnh phúc khi đến một chân trời mới. Như Ngài đã nói là phúc hơn cho những ai biết lắng ghe lời Chúa và biết giữ lời dạy của Ngài. Có ai biết được ai là người có phúc hơn khi nghe và biết thực hành lời Chúa? tất nhiên không ai hơn ngoài Đức Maria! Người không những chỉ biết nghe lời Chúa mà còn vâng lời Người, khi Đức Maria nói với thiên thần Gabriel (lúc truyền tin) – “Xin hãy thành sự cho tôi theo lời Ngài..” (Lc 1, 38).
Chữ vâng lời the tiếng Hy Lạp có nghĩa là (phylassein) mang ý nghĩa của người bảo vệ thành phố hay cái gì có một giá trị rất lớn. Vì vậy, khi chúng ta vâng lời Chúa, chúng ta đang nói với Chúa rằng chúng ta bảo vệ giá trị và bất cứ điều gì Chúa đã nói thì có một giá trị rất lớn đối với chúng ta.
Chúa Giê-su đưa ra sự vâng phục này đến với Lời Chúa bằng cách nói thêm, mẹ ta và các anh em của ta là những người biết nghe Lời Chúa và đưa lời Chúa vào sự thực hành (Lc 8:21). Để được họp mặt với Chúa và trong gia đình của Chúa thì chúng ta phải biết nghe tiếng Chúa, Lời Chúa. Và phài biết sống và thực thi những điều răn mà Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta. Xin Chúa giúp chúng ta luôn luôn tìm cách nghe lời Chúa qua Kinh Thánh và thực thi những gì Chúa đã dạy chúng ta qua các bài đọc trong các Thánh Lễ. Lạy Chúa, xin dạy chúng con biiết lắng nghe lời Chúa, để giữ lời Chúa bằng trái tim, tâm hồn chúng con.

Saturday 27th Week in Ordinary Time:
Who are the blessed in our eyes? In the Jewish culture, it is from whom you descended (for a man) and to whom you gave birth (for a woman) — that determined your blessedness. That is why in the Magnificat, Mary says, “from now onwards all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48).
However, Jesus, not only acknowledged what the woman in the crowd said about His mother Mary, being blessed to have been His mother, but pushed the boundary of the Jewish understanding of blessedness to a new horizon. He said, more blessed are those who “hear the word of God and keep it”. Whom do we know who is more blessed as to “hear and obey”? Mary of course! She not only heard the word of God but obeyed it, when she said to the angel Gabriel (at the annunciation) — “let what you have said be done to me” (Lk 1:38).
The Greek word for “obey” (phylassein) carries the meaning of “guard” or “value greatly”. So, when we obey God, we are saying to God that we “guard” and “value greatly” whatever God has spoken to us.
Jesus takes this obedience to God’s word further by saying, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the Word of God and put it into practice” (Lk 8:21). To be in Jesus’ family is to “hear” God’s Word and “practise it.”
May we seek always to hear God’s word and keep it!
Lord, train me to observe Your word, to keep it with my heart.

Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
While Jesus was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Luke 11:27–28
This short Gospel reading reveals much about what makes one “blessed” in life. Specifically, Jesus considers those truly blessed who do two things: “hear the word of God” and then “observe it.” Though this seems quite obvious at first read, it is often harder than it seems.
The first step to a blessed life is hearing the Word of God. To “hear” implies that we do much more than become familiar with the Gospels. Hearing means we are not only aware of all that our Lord has revealed, it also means that we have truly internalized it, understanding all that our Lord requires of us.
Have you heard our Lord? It’s important to understand that the Gospel is alive. In other words, becoming familiar with the Word of God is not the same as reading some ancient book of lessons. Rather, hearing the Word of God means we hear a Person: the Son of God, speaking to us and guiding us each step of our lives. God’s Word is something that must speak to us every moment of every day, inspiring us to do this and avoid that. It is accomplished through a lifelong habit of prayerful communion with our Lord through which we are attentive to His voice always.
Hearing the very Person of the Son of God, the Word made flesh, necessarily implies that we also observe all that He speaks to us. In fact, failure to follow His continuous and gentle command to love will result in us being unable to clearly hear Him at all. We will become confused and will easily become directed by the many other voices in our world, unable to discern the glorious path chosen for us by our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon whether or not you struggle in any way with both hearing and observing the voice of God. If this is your struggle, then recommit yourself to a time of humble and wholehearted discovery. Tell our Lord that you are sorry for not being attentive to Him and set yourself on a mission to seek and find Him. Reject the confusion and anxiety of life, reject the many other voices of “wisdom” within our world, and listen for His gentle but clear voice. He is always speaking. He is always calling you. He is always present. Open the eyes of your soul and give Him your full attention. And when you sense Him speaking to you, respond with the utmost generosity and obedience. Doing so will result in you discovering what it means to be truly blessed by our Lord.
My blessed Lord, You are glorious beyond all things, and You invite me and all Your creatures to share in Your very life. Give me the grace I need to turn from the confusion and deceptions of life so that I will hear only You and respond only to Your voice. I commit myself to Your holy will, dear Lord. As I do, please bestow upon me every blessing You desire to give. Jesus, I trust in You.

Saturday 27^th Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, bless me today as I hear your Word and strive to observe it. I am your child, and I desire your fatherly blessing with all my heart. Teach me to be an obedient child who seeks to please you in all that I do today.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Hearing and Observing the Word of God: Throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches that he is inaugurating a new family of God and a New Covenant. Much attention was given in the Old Covenant to physical bloodlines. To be an Israelite, you needed to descend from one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The king and future Messiah could only come from the tribe of Judah and the line of David. Priests needed to descend from Aaron. The High Priest needed to descend from Zadok. The woman in the crowd represents the idea that divine blessing was attached to your bloodline. But Jesus teaches that, in the New Covenant, what counts is not your lineage, but your observance of the Word of God. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is blessed because she believed that what was spoken to her from the Lord would be fulfilled. Jesus is not rebutting Mary’s blessedness, but offering her faith, her welcoming of God’s word, and her observance as an example of those who are truly blessed by God.
2. The Valley of Jehoshaphat: In the First Reading, we read the conclusion of the Book of Joel. The book identifies the Valley of Jehoshaphat as the place of the Lord’s judgment. Historically, this place has been identified with the Kidron Valley, the ravine east of Jerusalem. But, since the name Jehoshaphat simply means, “the Lord has judged,” it is likely a reference to God’s judgment in general rather than a specific geographical location. What several Doctors of the Church have taught is that when the history of the world comes to an end, all human beings will rise and be judged. The righteous will rise with glorified and luminous bodies, while the wicked will rise with frightful and hideous bodies (see Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life 1, 14). Joel uses the image of a harvest as an image of judgment. Just as a farmer separates grain from the husks after the stalks have been sickled and gathered, so the righteous will be separated from the wicked.
3. The Darkening of the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars: Another important image of the judgment in Joel and other prophets is the darkening of the sun, the moon, and the stars. In the ancient world, time was regulated by these heavenly bodies. The hours of the day were marked by the position of the sun. The moon regulates the monthly cycle of four weeks. The position of the stars marks the seasons of the year. The darkening of these heavenly bodies means, “Your time is up!” Prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Amos all invoked depictions of heavenly chaos to predict the judgment and downfall of pagan kingdoms. Jesus will redirect this same language, not toward a Gentile kingdom, but toward Jerusalem. “The kingdom of Old Covenant Israel will be devastated for corrupting itself like the pagans and rejecting Jesus” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1771). And so, when Jesus predicts the darkening of the heavenly bodies (Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-25), he is pronouncing the end of the Old Jerusalem that occurred within a generation (within 40 years) in A.D. 70 (Mark 13:30). The end of Jerusalem, however, also points forward symbolically to the end of time, when new heavens and a new earth will be definitively established, when everyone will be judged, and when evil will be swallowed up.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have brought me into your family. I recognize that I need to learn from you how to be a better child of God and how to be a better sibling to my brothers and sisters. Guide me always along the path of true holiness.

Saturday 27^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, bless me today as I hear your Word and strive to observe it. I am your child, and I desire your fatherly blessing with all my heart. Teach me to be an obedient child who seeks to please you in all that I do today.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Blessed Mother: In the Gospel of Luke, Mary declares that all generations will call her “blessed” (Luke 1:48). Just as Elizabeth called her “Blessed” because of her faith (Luke 1:45), Jesus calls his mother “blessed” because of her attentive hearing of the Word of God and her faithful observance of it. The woman in the crowd interrupted Jesus as he was speaking. Jesus was answering two objections to his work. The first objection was that he was working in league with the devil. The second demanded a heavenly sign to test him. The interruption allowed Jesus to point to the example of his mother as one who worked with God and did not demand heavenly signs. Unlike Zechariah, who demanded a sign from the Lord to confirm Gabriel’s message, Mary demanded no sign. Mary, as Jesus points out, is blessed in many ways. Not only is she graced as the mother of the Messiah, but she is graced because she heard and observed God’s holy Word. The seed of God’s Word did not fall on bad soil but found fertile soil in Mary. Mary welcomed God’s Word in faith and put it into practice in love.
2. The Old Law as a Disciplinarian: Paul, in his Letter to the Galatians, has just argued that justification comes through faith in Jesus and not through the law of Moses. This raises an important question: if the law cannot justify us, then why was it given to Israel? Paul responds that the Law was given to heighten Israel’s awareness of sin. In many ways, the Law acted as a temporary disciplinarian. This alludes to the practice of the Greeks who charged a household slave with the moral formation of the children of the family. “This tutelage normally lasted from the time the child was a minor until he reached maturity. The tutor would accompany the youth to and from school, supervise his daily activities, protect him from dangers, and administer discipline whenever necessary. Paul used this familiar custom to explain how the Mosaic Law served a similar function in Israel. It was an instructor and guide for the nation, yet one that was temporary and destined to pass away” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 337).
3. Children of God: Before the coming (advent) of Jesus Christ, the people of Israel were under a disciplinarian or tutor. Through Jesus, they were able to become children of God. Israel was freed from the supervision and restraints of the Mosaic Law to embrace the full inheritance awaiting it in the New Covenant (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 337). We become children of God not through the old rite of circumcision (according to the old Law of Moses) but through the new rite of baptism (according to the new Law of Christ). Paul refers to the ancient liturgical practice of the newly baptized putting on a white garment to symbolize their purity in Christ. He also teaches that baptism unites peoples from all nations into the one family of God.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have brought me into your family. I recognize that I need to learn from you how to be a better child of God and how to be a better sibling to my brothers and sisters. Guide me always along the path of true holiness.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu tuần 27 Thường Niên

Friday 27^th Ordinary Time. Scripture: Luke 11:15-26
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu tuần 27 Thường Niên
Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, "Ai không đi với tôi thì là kẻ ấy là người chống lại tôi, và ai không cùng tôi thu góp là phân tán." Chúa Giêsu có thể đã bổ sung vào lời giải thích: "Kẻ nào không giúp ta vác thập giá, thì kẻ ấy đã thực sự làm cho thập giá đó nặng nề hơn; còn kẻ nào không đi với ta, nói chuyện với ta, làm việc với ta, và sống với ta, thì kẻ ấy chắc chắn đang theo một ai đó khác không phải là ta. "
            Có phải chúng ta đang theo Chúa Kitô hay chúng ta đang chống lại Chúa Kitô? Có lẽ chúng ta đã tìm ra một câu trả lời rất đơn giản, dễ dàng bằng cách chúng ta hãy hỏi chính bản thân: "Tôi có giúp phụ vác thánh giá với Chúa Kitô?" Tôi có dám từ bỏ chính bản thân mình để giúp đỡ người khác khi họ đang có nhu cầu, đang cần sự giúp đỡ? Hãy nhớ là Chúa Kitô đã hiến mạng sống Ngài cho tất cả chúng ta. Chúng ta có dám sẵn sàng vác thập giá vì tình yêu thương Chúa Kitô cho người nghèo khổ, đói khát, không nhà và cô đơn? Chúng ta có dám hy sinh một chút thời giờ quý hoá, năng lực và tiền bạc của chúng ta để giúp những người khác có thể sống một cách xứng đáng hơn, trọn vẹn hơn và được hạnh phúc hơn?
            Có bao giờ chúng ta có cùng một ý nghĩ với Chúa Kitô trong tư tưởng, trong lời nói và hành động của chúng ta? Đời sống cầu nguyện của chúng ta có được Chúa Kitô thường xuyên hiện diện với chúng ta và chúng ta có thật sự đối diện trực tiếp với Ngài? Chúa Giêsu là đường, là cách duy nhất để giúp đem chúng ta đến với hạnh phúc vĩnh cửu. Những chỉ khi nào chúng ta sống với Ngài và chết với Ngài, thì chúng ta mới có thể được ở bên Ngài trong Nước Chúa ở trên trời.

REFLECTION
Jesus tells us in today's Gospel, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." Jesus might have added in explanation: "He who does not help me carry the cross, actually makes it heavier; he who does not walk with me and talk with me and work with me and live with me, he surely is following someone else not me."
Are we for Christ or against Christ? Perhaps we can easily find out by asking ourselves: "Am I helping Christ to carry his cross?" Am I denying myself to be of help to others when they are in need? Remember Christ gave his life for all of us. Are we willing to carry the cross out of love for the poor, the needy, the lonely? Can we sacrifice a little of our precious time, energy or money so that others may live more decently and more happily?             Are we with Christ in our thoughts, words and actions? Is our prayer life such that Christ is often with us and we with him?" Jesus is the way, the only way to eternal happiness. Only if we live with him and die with him, can we be with him in his heavenly kingdom.

Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
“Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Luke 11:23
These words are embedded within several powerful teachings of Jesus, but, in many ways, this single sentence can stand alone as an important Christian truth. Specifically, it tells us that we cannot be neutral in our position regarding Jesus and all that He has taught us. This is an important message in the world today.
Today, there seems to be a growing secular value that we might call “neutrality.” We are told by many in the world that we must accept any morality, any lifestyle, any choice that others make. And though it is true that we must always love and accept every person and treat them with the utmost dignity and respect, it is not true that we should be neutral to the choices and secular values that some choose to live and express. Sadly, when we do speak the full truth, especially the many moral truths our Lord has revealed, we are often labeled as judgmental. But this is not the truth.
This quote above from today’s Gospel makes it clear that we cannot remain indifferent to the teachings of our Lord and still remain in His good graces. In fact, Jesus makes it clear that the opposite is true. He says that if we are not with Him, meaning, if we do not accept all that He has revealed, then we are, in fact, against Him. Being neutral on matters of faith and morality is not actually being neutral at all. It’s a choice that some make that has the clear effect of separating them from Jesus.
For example, regarding matters of faith, if someone were to say, “I do not believe in the Eucharist,” then they are, in fact, rejecting God. And though it is not our duty to be their judge, it is our duty to acknowledge that they have expressed a belief contrary to the truth. They are in error, and if they persist in this error, then they do separate themselves from God. That’s what Jesus is saying.
The same is true regarding morality. There are many examples in the moral life that are becoming more and more blatant in their opposition to our Lord’s teaching. Thus, we must remind ourselves that when we reject a moral teaching given to us by our Lord, we reject Jesus Himself.
Jesus goes even further when He says that “whoever does not gather with me scatters.” In other words, it’s not enough to simply personally believe all that Jesus taught, we must also teach it to others. If we do not and if we, instead, offer a false form of “acceptance” of another’s error, then we are actually working against Jesus. We all have a moral duty to actively promote the truths of the Gospel given to us by our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon how fully you are “with” our Lord and “gather” with Him. Do you fully accept all that He has taught and also seek to gather many others for the Kingdom of God? If you do not see yourself actively believing in and participating in the mission of our Lord, then heed these words of Jesus and allow them to gently but firmly challenge you, so that you will more fully work to build up God’s Kingdom in your own heart and in the world all around you.
My glorious King, You desire to build up Your Kingdom in my life and, through me, in the lives of others. Give me the grace and courage I need to fully accept all that You have taught me and to actively become an instrument of Your grace and truth in the world. May I be with You in all things, dear Lord, and gather many into Your loving arms of grace. Jesus, I trust in You.

Friday 27^th Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, protect me from the attacks of the Evil One. Do not allow me to succumb to temptation, fall into despair, or stray from your ways. I belong to you and your Kingdom. I will fight the good fight and, with your grace, finish the race.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Power behind Jesus’ Exorcisms: Jesus’ public ministry consisted of teaching the crowds about the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, raising the dead, fulfilling the Law and the prophets, forming his apostles to exercise authority, and driving out demons. The opponents of Jesus could not deny that he was doing wondrous things. Jesus’ mighty deeds didn’t bring them to faith, but to fury: “But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Luke 6:11). They were desperate to explain the source of Jesus’ power and authority. They denied that Jesus’ power was divine, and so, they concluded, it must be demonic: “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons” (Luke 11:15). Beelzebul was a derogatory name for Satan. Originally, it was a philistine god worshiped at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2-16). It means, “Prince Baal,” but the Jews mockingly changed it to mean “Lord of the flies,” or “Lord of dung.”
2. Liberation and Life in the Spirit: Jesus points out the flaw in this kind of reasoning. Why would Satan work to undermine his kingdom of darkness? Jesus is not working for Satan or on behalf of Satan when he drives out demons. Jesus, rather, is the strongman who binds Satan, overthrows him, and plunders his house by releasing sinners held captive. Now, when a person experiences the liberation that Jesus brings, it is important to fill up the void left by the demons and sin. We need to be filled with the goodness of Christ’s kingdom. “To benefit from his ministry without accepting his message leads to spiritual ruin” (2 Peter 2:20) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1855). For example, when a person tries to overcome an addiction, it is not enough to just not fall into whatever vice they were trapped in. If a person spent their evenings at the bar or at home getting drunk, and then went cold turkey in an attempt to be sober, what are they going to fill the now-empty hours with? And so, Jesus teaches that vice needs to be replaced by virtue, and a life of sin by a life in the Spirit. It is not enough to empty the house. It needs to be filled with God.
3. The Book of the Prophet Joel: Today and tomorrow, the First Reading will be taken from the book of the prophet Joel. Almost nothing is known about its author, and it is not easy to determine when he lived and delivered his prophetic message. The liturgy reads Joel along with the other postexilic prophets, possibly because Joel refers to the selling of captives from Judah as slaves “to the Greeks” (Joel 3:6). So, it is possible that the Book of Joel was composed around 400 B.C. The book has two main parts. The first part deals with a present crisis, and the prophet laments a recent plague of locusts (1:2-20) and views it as a foretaste of the coming “Day of the Lord” (2:1-11). The second part of the book looks to the future. If the people of Judah repent, then God promises to restrain his judgment on Judah and restore his blessings on the land (Joel 2:18-27). “And beyond the horizons of Joel’s day lies the eschatological fulfillment of God’s plans. Events to come include an outpouring of God’s Spirit on his people (2:28-29), the salvation of a faithful remnant in Zion (2:30-32), and a day of harvest when the Lord judges all nations (3:1-15). The book concludes with a vision of the Lord dwelling securely with his people in an undefiled Jerusalem” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1503). Today, we hear the admonition to do penance and fast, for the Day of the Lord, the day of judgment, is coming. This is when the Lord will settle accounts with Israel and the nations. It is a day when the prideful and arrogant will be humbled, while the humble and those who served with love will be exalted.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my King. Through your passion and death, you have inaugurated the Kingdom of your Father and now reign from heaven at the Father’s right hand. Reign in me and keep me in a right relationship with you and the Father through your Holy Spirit.

Friday 27^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, protect me from the attacks of the Evil One. Do not allow me to succumb to temptation, fall into despair, or stray from your ways. I belong to you and your Kingdom. I will fight the good fight and, with your grace, finish the race.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Finger and Reign of God: As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem with his disciples, he faces increasing opposition and rejection. In today’s Gospel, two objections are raised. On the one hand, some people begin to say that Jesus is in league with the devil and using demonic power to cast out demons. On the other, some people want to test or tempt Jesus and demand he perform a sign from heaven. Jesus answers the first objection in today’s Gospel (Luke 11:17-26). We will hear his response to the second objection on Monday (Luke 11:29-32). Today, Jesus simply points out that the logic of the first objection is unsound. Why would the devil, called here “Beelzebul,” try to destroy his own kingdom? Jesus is not exorcizing demons because he belongs to the kingdom of the devil. No, he is working with God, acts by the power of God, and is establishing the reign of God here on earth! Jesus refers to the “finger of God,” and, in so doing, recalls the works of Moses and Aaron before the Exodus of the people from Egypt (Exodus 8:15). In like manner, Jesus is performing mighty works and signs “by the finger of God” before his own Exodus in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31).
2. The Unclean Spirit Brings Back Seven Other Spirits: Jesus warns that when an unclean spirit is driven out, this does not mean that it won’t return. Consider a person who has recently overcome an addiction – for example, to alcohol, drugs, gambling, or pornography. The effects of the addiction often remain. Although the body and mind heal in a month or so from the addiction, it is easy for the person to fall again. When this happens, the person can succumb to pessimism and depression, thinking that they will never be better or conquer their addiction. Jesus, then, gives wise counsel. He tells us that his grace is powerful and that the unclean spirit can be driven out. If we work with his grace and love, we can defend our house – our spiritual soul – from even more powerful attacks and temptations in the future.
3. Abraham was Justified by Faith: In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul comes to his central point that we are justified, not by the works of the Law of Moses, but by faith. He quotes Genesis, which states that Abraham believed and was made righteous (Galatians 3:6; Genesis 15:6). Paul alludes to the fact that Abraham was said to be justified by his faith many years before his circumcision. We are sons of Abraham not by the external act of being circumcised but by being “men of faith.” God promised to bless all nations through Abraham, and this blessing is bestowed through faith in Jesus Christ. To further bolster his argument, Paul also cites Habakkuk 2:4, which says that the righteous shall live through faith. Faith and not the works of the law are the foundation of our justification. By dying on the Cross, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Old Law. “For Paul, Jesus bore the curses pressing down upon Israel when he mounted the Cross (Gal 3:10). This act enabled the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant, held back for centuries because of the curse, to pour forth upon Israel and the world as a result (3:14; CCC, 580)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 336).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my King. Through your passion and death, you have inaugurated the Kingdom of your Father and now reign from heaven at the Father’s right hand. Reign in me and keep me in a right relationship with you and the Father through your Holy Spirit

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần 27 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần 27 Thường Niên
            Qua bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa đã nhấn mạnh cho chúng ta thấy sức mạnh của lời cầu nguyện và sự cần thiết trong việc phải kiên trì trong sự cầu nguyện. Khi chúng ta cảm thấy rằng Thiên Chúa không nghe hoặc không đáp lại những lời cầu xin của chúng tai, có lẽ chúng ta phải nhớ rằng cách của Thiên Chúa làm việc không phải là cách làm việc của con người chúng ta và có lẽ Thiên Chúa đã có kế hoạch khác cho chúng ta, và có khi kế hoạch đó còn tốt hơn là những gì chúng ta đã xin.
            Khi Chúa dạy các môn đệ cầu nguyện, Ngài cũng nhắc nhở chúng ta qua Tin Mừng là hãy nhớ cầu nguyện luôn. Chính vì trong khi cầu nguyện, chúng ta đã mở lòng với Thiên Chúa. Chính vì trong lời cầu nguyện mà chúng ta đã xác tín được sự tin tưởng của chúng ta ở nơi Thiên Chúa. Và chính vì trong lời cầu nguyện mà chúng ta xác tín được sự chân thành và thẳng thắn của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa.

Reflection:
Today's Gospel strongly emphasizes the power of prayer and the need to be persistent in prayer. When we feel that God is not listening or answering our prayers, perhaps we must remember that God's way is not man's way and perhaps the Lord has other plans for us. As the Lord taught his disciples to pray, he also reminds us through the Gospel to remember to pray. It is in prayer that we open ourselves to him. It is in prayer that we confirm our trust in him. It is in prayer that we confirm our sincerity and frankness with him.

Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him…’” Luke 11:5–6
Unless your friend were truly a very close friend, you may hesitate in waking them and their family at midnight to ask to borrow some food. And even if it were a very close friend, you would probably hesitate for fear of disturbing them. But in this parable, the “friend” is God. Jesus just finished giving His disciples the “Our Father” prayer, and now He adds this parable as a way of expressing the great confidence and determination with which we must pray to the Father. The parable concludes by stating that even if the person in bed does not get up to meet the request, they will do so “because of his persistence.” And though God always is attentive to our prayer, our persistence is an essential quality we must have.
When we pray to God with persistence, never doubting the goodness and generosity of God, God will pour forth upon us everything that is good. Of course, if our prayer is for something that is selfish or not in accord with the will of God, then all the begging in the world will not be effective. But when we pray as the “Our Father” prayer teaches us, then we can be certain that our fidelity to that prayer, prayed with the utmost trust and persistence, will affect the good gifts of the will of God in our lives.
One of the seven petitions of the “Our Father” prayer is “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” This is a truly beautiful petition that requires not only ongoing persistence but also detachment from our preference in life. To pray that “God’s” will be done and that “His” Kingdom come is a way of also saying that you surrender all of your preferences to God. You come to God acknowledging that your will may not be God’s will. Thus, this petition expresses detachment in a powerful way.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of praying with the utmost fervor and persistence to God. Reflect, also, upon the importance of doing so with detachment. What does God want of you? What is His holy will for your life? Seek that will and that will alone with all your heart and you will discover that His will truly will come to be in your life.
My perfect Lord, Your will and Your will alone is what I want and seek. I seek it with all the powers of my soul. Help me to grow in confidence in You and Your goodness. May I trust in You and believe with all my heart that You truly will bring forth Your holy will in my life if I only persist in prayer and trust. Jesus, I trust in You.

Thursday 27th Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, pour out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth! Enlighten my mind to know your holy will. Inflame my heart to love you without reserve. Strengthen my will to seek you in all things.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Persistence in Prayer: In the Gospel, Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray. He has already given them a model prayer. He now adds that they need to persist and persevere in their prayer. This is an important lesson because the purpose of prayer is not to inform God of something he doesn’t already know or to beg him to change his will and be favorable toward us. The purpose of prayer is to dispose our hearts towards the Father and his will through praise, adoration, petition, thanksgiving, and repentance. “Jesus’ filial prayer is the perfect model of prayer in the New Testament. Often done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father, even to the Cross, and an absolute confidence in being heard. In his teaching, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name. Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him” (CCC, 2620).
2. The Father’s Gift of the Holy Spirit: The Parable invites us to reflect on a man who finds himself without food and needs to feed his friend who has just come in from a long journey. The stores were closed, and so the only way to feed his friend was to ask his neighbor for some bread. We are in the same situation. We cannot produce the grace and charity we need to serve our brothers and sisters. We have to request it from our Father, who, unlike a neighbor, will not be bothered by our request even in the middle of the night. God wants us to ask and to persevere in our asking. To the one who prays like this, the heavenly Father will “give whatever he needs,” and, above all, the gift of the Holy Spirit, who contains all gifts (CCC, 2613).
3. The Book of Malachi: The prophet Malachi was active after the rebuilding of the Temple, sometime after 515 B.C. It is likely he preached before the year 450 B.C. and was concerned about the spiritual downfall of the people of Judah. He accuses them of offering blemished sacrifices, not tithing, and getting divorced. “Malachi calls the people to repentance and admonishes their waywardness. He then points vividly to the future, giving a prophecy of the return of ‘Elijah,’ before the great coming of the Lord” (A Catholic Guide to the Old Testament, 462). The Book of Malachi is structured around six disputations. Malachi states a theological truth, the people object to it, and then the Lord responds to the objection. We read today from the sixth and final disputation. It opens with the Lord charging that the people of Judah have spoken against him: “You have defied me in word, says the Lord” (Malachi 3:13). The accused people demand an example of this: “What have we spoken against you?” The Lord points out that they think that they are serving him in vain and that there is nothing gained by keeping the Lord’s commands. They think that the proud and not the humble are blessed, that evildoers prosper, while the righteous languish. Malachi says that the Lord listened attentively to them. The Lord judges that they are wrong: “the situation will be resolved when he saves the righteous among them and comes in fiery judgment against arrogant sinners” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1633). “But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Malachi 3:20b).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have redeemed me and made me a new creation. Move me to ask for what I most need from the Father. Encourage me to persevere as I seek what I most desire. Help me overcome any obstacles and knock on the door that leads to eternal life.

Thursday 27th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, pour out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth! Enlighten my mind to know your holy will. Inflame my heart to love you without reserve. Strengthen my will to seek you in all things.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Persistence in Prayer: In the Gospel, Jesus has just taught his disciples how to pray and what to ask for in prayer to the Father. Now, Jesus teaches his disciples by means of a parable to persist in prayer. In the parable, a man goes to his friend’s house at midnight to ask for bread so that he may feed another friend who came to his home unexpectedly. At first, the friend refuses to get up and give the man what he needs. However, Jesus points out that if the man persists in his request, his friend will get up and give him the bread he needs for his other friend. He does so, not because of their friendship, but because of his friend’s persistence. This invites us to think about God the Father, who hears our requests in prayer. Unlike the friend who is asleep and in bed, God is not asleep nor bothered by our prayer. God will give us the good things we ask for because we are his children. Knowing this, then, that God is not like a bothered friend, but is a benevolent Father, should motivate us all the more to persist in our prayer to him.
2. Ask, Seek, Knock: After the parable about persistence in prayer, Jesus gives three imperatives. He first tells us to ask. If we ask for good things from the Father, we will receive them. He then tells us to seek. If we seek good things from the Father, we will find them. Finally, he tells us to knock at the door. If we knock at the door of heaven, then the door will be opened to us. The humble ask, seek, and knock. The prideful refuse to ask because they are self-sufficient. The prideful refuse to seek because they are content with what they have accomplished and gained. The prideful refuse to knock because they think that others must come to them. Jesus teaches us that when we ask for the physical and spiritual nourishment we need, his Father will not give us evil things – symbolized by the snake and scorpion – but give us the supreme good, i.e., the gift of the Holy Spirit, the very Love between the Father and the Son.
3. You Have Received the Spirit: In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul talks about receiving the Holy Spirit. He calls the Galatians “fools.” This is because they have begun to believe the message of the Judaizers (Galatians 1:6). Paul reminds the Galatians that they did not receive the Holy Spirit by following the ceremonial laws and social norms of Moses but by believing in Jesus Christ. The Galatians are fools to think that, after having received the New Law and the grace of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, they need to add the works of the Old Law – circumcision and other ceremonial laws – to complete their Christian initiation. “Before the coming of Christ, the rite of circumcision was the doorway into God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14) and the sacrament of initiation into the family of Israel (Leviticus 12:3). The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, however, marks a turning point in covenant history where circumcision is now set aside, along with the entire body of liturgical and ceremonial legislation promulgated by Moses. Through his Cross, Christ has redeemed us from the curses of the Old Covenant (Galatians 3:13) and unleashed the divine blessings of the New Covenant in a powerful way, inaugurating a ‘new creation’ (Galatians 6:15) and a renewed ‘Israel’ (Galatians 6:16)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 330).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have redeemed me and made me a new creation. Move me to ask for what I most need from the Father. Encourage me to persevere as I seek what I most desire. Help me overcome any obstacles and knock at the door that leads to eternal life.

Thursday 27th Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: I come to you today, Lord, believing firmly that you care about me and are interested in my life. I take comfort in the words from today’s first reading: “the Lord listened attentively.” I know you are listening to me, right now. You are loving me and smiling upon me, because, as you remind me in today’s first reading, I am “yours, your own special possession.” Teach me, Lord, to hear your voice and follow wherever you lead.
Encountering Christ:
            Expectations: What do I expect from God? Jesus makes it abundantly clear that we should expect from God much more than we can possibly imagine: “How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” A merely human father knows how to give good gifts to his children. Our heavenly Father is infinitely more loving, attentive, wise, and powerful. He is infinitely more committed to us, to our welfare. Even the best of human fathers is only finite in his capacity to love and provide. God is all-loving, all-powerful, all-present. What a difference it would make if we believed with all our heart and soul in this truth that Jesus has revealed so energetically! When we look at the lives of the saints, we see an unbridled faith in God’s infinite goodness and commitment to us. That faith frees them from the shackles of earthly fears and insecurities. It unleashes the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that they experience more and more fully the divine goodness they believe in and spread that goodness around them. We all believe in this infinite goodness and loving interest of God. But we can believe in it more fully, more radically. Faith, like all Christian virtues, is a gift and a task. We have received the gift; now we need to exercise it more consciously, intentionally, and regularly so that it can grow and bear the fruit God wants it to.
            Ask, Seek, Knock: Whenever the Jewish rabbis repeated one concept three times with three different words, it was a sign of extreme emphasis. That is what Jesus did in this case. He used two parables–the sleeping friend and the fish/egg vs. snake/scorpion–to illustrate how we must entrust ourselves and our needs to God, and so enter a true childlike relationship with him. And then he exhorted us to be very demanding with God by asking, seeking, knocking. Jesus knows that our hearts burn with deep and passionate desires–for meaning, for happiness, for peace, for wisdom, for counsel, for love, for blessings–our hearts are furnaces of desires! And they are thus because God has made them thus. Ours is not a religion that promises peace only by extinguishing desires. On the contrary, Jesus invites us to feed our good desires by expressing them insistently to the One who can fulfill them. Life itself, with all the yearnings it gives us, is God at work within us. Every good desire we experience is like a promise from the Lord—he wouldn’t give us hearts that yearn so much if he wasn’t able to satisfy beyond all expectations the yearnings we experience. As the Catechism puts it (1718): “This desire [for happiness] is of divine origin: God has placed it in the human heart in order to draw man to the One who alone can fulfill it.”
            The Cynical Seduction: We have all prayed to God for so many things. We have asked him for so many graces and favors; we have sought and knocked so often, just like the importunate friend in the parable. But it seems that more often than not our petitions are ignored. Doesn’t it? Be honest. So many problems, so much suffering, so many difficulties and failures, sins and sorrows—if God really is the Good Father who wants to give us more than we even know how to ask for, why is life such an unending flow of tears and tribulations? If only we remember one thing, we will never get stuck in cynicism and discouragement. If only we remember what Jesus told Pilate just hours before he sacrificed his own life to redeem us from sin, we will learn to obey St. Paul’s bold injunction to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always! I shall say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Jesus told Pilate, “My Kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). The fulfillment he yearns to give us is much deeper than we realize, although he sometimes allows us to glimpse it even in earthly terms, as he did when answering the prayers of all Christendom in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto (commemorated by today’s memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary). And so, when he doesn’t answer our askings, seekings, and knockings the way we expected, we can be sure that it’s only because what he has in mind is better than what we had in mind. And with that assurance, our hearts will never be seduced by the siren calls of soul-squelching cynicism.
Conversing with Christ: I will never give up on you, Lord. Just as I know you will never give up on me. I know that for you “one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day” (2 Peter 3:8). I renew my commitment to follow and obey you every single day of my life, no matter what. I will never stop asking, seeking, and knocking for the fulfillment of the longings you have placed with me. And I will never stop renewing my faith in your infinite goodness and in your personal commitment to my holiness and everlasting happiness. Thank you, my Lord! May your name be ever blessed!