Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm 30th Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm 30th Thường Niên - Luca 13:31-35

Trong bài tin mừng hôm nay, Thánh Luca cho chúng ta thấy rằng những người Biệt Phái không phải là những người xấu cả và cũng có một số ít trong số những người biệt phái này đã có cảm tình với Chúa Giêsu và đến báo cho Ngài biết về mối nguy hại sẽ xẩy đến với Ngài. Không cần nghi ngờ, chúng ta đều biết không phải tất cả những người Biệt Phái là thánh cả, như trong phần trước của bài tin mừng hôm nay, Thánh Luca, đã cho chúng ta nghe Chúa Giêsu giảng: " Anh em đừng xét đoán, thì anh em sẽ không bị Thiên chúa xét đoán." (Lk.6 : 37).

Người Biệt Phái là những người rất sùng đạo. Lỗi của họ là vì họ đã quá đạo đức và quá thận trọng với cái vỏ bề ngoài của luật lệ, nhưng Chúa Giêsu đã không chỉ trích họ về những điều đó. Cái sai lầm lớn nhất của họ là họ để tự rơi vào cái bẫy mà họ thường xuyên phải đối mặt đó là tự cho mình là những người đạo đức, rồi đâm cuồng tín và tỉ mỉ. Sự nhiệt tình của họ dễ dàng trở nên cố chấp, không biết khoan dung. Họ đã sẵn sàng áp đặt gánh nặng lên mọi người sự nghiêm ngặt, khắt khe trong các lề luật Thiên Chúa theo cách riêng của họ, mà họ quên rằng Thiên Chúa là đấng đầy lòng nhân từ, thương xót và dịu hiền, bởi vì Ngài biết không phải tất cả chúng ta luôn luôn có thể sống và tuân giữ từng những chi tiết nhõ trong lề luật của Thiên Chúa để đạt được lý tưởng trong sự thánh thiện.

Trong bài thánh thư gởi cho Ê-phê-sô chúng ta đọc hôm nay, Thánh Phaolô thúc giục chúng ta nên dùng chân lý sự thật, công bằng và lòng nhiệt thành để truyền bá Tin Mừng hòa bình của Chúa. Chúng ta có thể có được lòng nhiệt thành, sốt sắng như những người Biệt Phái, nhưng lòng nhiệt thành của chúng ta phải được sinh động bởi sự thật và công lý, vì chúng ta phục vụ Tin Mừng bình an của Thiên Chúa.

Lạy Chúa Cha trên trời, sự kiên nhẫn của Chúa chính là cơ hội cho chúng con được cứu rỗi. Xin Chúa ban cho chúng con một tinh thần kiên nhẫn khoan dung, khiêm nhường và rèn tôi lòng nhiệt thành của chúng con trong sự thật và công bằng.

 

Thursday -30th Week in Ordinary Time (Rom. 8:31-39)

Luke shows us that the Pharisees were not evil men and that at least some of them were sympathetic to Jesus and warned him of danger. No doubt, not every single Pharisee was a saint, but earlier in this chapter 13 of Luke’s gospel we heard Jesus’ teaching: “Do not judge and you will not be judged yourselves” (Lk.6:36). The Pharisees were very religious people. Their fault was that they were too religious and scrupulous, but that did not of itself merit Jesus’ criticism of them. Their greatest fault was that they fell into the trap frequently facing such over-religious and scrupulous people: their zeal easily become intolerance. They easily imposed on others their own strict fidelity to the Law of God, forgetting that God is merciful and kind since not all of us can always in every single detail attain to the ideal of holiness.

Today’s passage from Ephesians urges us to use truth, justice and zeal to propagate the Gospel of peace. We may be as zealous as the Pharisees, but our zeal must be animated by truth and justice, for we serve the Gospel of peace.

Heavenly Father, Your patience is our opportunity to be saved. Grant us a spirit of patience and tolerance and temper our zeal with truth and justice

 

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling!” Luke 13:34

It’s helpful to ponder the Sacred Heart of Jesus. His heart is one that is strong and gentle, compassionate and just, merciful and truthful. In this Gospel passage, we are given a glimpse of Jesus’ love for the people of Jerusalem. He was not expressing His love for the city, but for the people in the city. It is clear that His deepest desire, His strong yearning, was that they allow Him to draw them close to Him so that He can protect them from all evil.

Jesus begins by speaking the word “Jerusalem” twice. This expresses deep compassion for the people of that city. It also expresses a lament that they have not turned to Him, remaining unwilling to change. Their refusal began long before Jesus walked the earth when their forefathers rejected the call of the prophets to repent and turn back to God. The stubbornness of their fathers continued with the people of Jesus’ day, and He experienced their rejection. This rejection did not lead Jesus to anger or condemnation as much as it led Him to holy sorrow.

The image of a hen gathering her brood under her wings is a lovely image to meditate upon. A mother hen protects her chicks with great courage and without concern for her own safety. When danger approaches, she extends her wings and covers the vulnerable chicks to protect them. Jesus uses this motherly image to express His desire to protect not only the people of Jerusalem, but all of us.

If Jesus yearned to gather the people together under his “wings” to protect them, then we should know, with certainty, that we need our Lord’s protection. He would not desire something that was unnecessary. He is not an overly protective God Who irrationally worries about His children. His concern is real and necessary, and we must know that we need His protection.

As you go about your daily life, do you feel as though you can handle life on your own? Do you act as an independent child who wants to separate yourself from the safety of your parents? Though we must all work to become responsible in life, we will never arrive at a point where we no longer need the protection of our loving God. The world in which we live is filled with dangers from which only God can protect us.

At the beginning of today’s Gospel, Jesus referred to Herod as a “fox.” That image must be seen in the context of Jesus desiring to act as a mother hen, protecting her brood. Jesus was told that Herod was trying to kill Him, but He clearly was not afraid of Herod. Of Herod’s desire to kill Jesus, Jesus said, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.’” As a protector, Jesus took authority over demons, performed healings and opened the gates of Heaven by rising from the dead on the third day. As we go through life, there will be many demons who seek to attack us. We will need many forms of healing, and without the gift of Jesus’ triumph over death itself, we will not be led to the glories of Heaven. Demons are real. Wounds are real. And the need for a Savior is real.

Reflect, today, upon the image of Jesus acting as a mother hen, extending His wings over you to protect you from the many temptations and diabolical attacks you will encounter in this world. Ponder the fact that you need His daily protection. The demons will never stop their attacks. Mental, emotional and spiritual wounds need His healing. Jesus is the only one Who can protect you and heal you so that He can then pour forth the gift of eternal life. Remain under His protective care, and allow Him to fulfill the yearnings of His Sacred Heart.

My compassionate Lord, You yearn to protect me from the many evils in this world. You yearn to heal me of the wounds my sins have caused. And You yearn to bestow upon me the gift of eternal life. I accept Your protection, dear Lord, and pray for the healing I need. Please cover me always and bestow upon me the gift of eternal life. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Thursday 30^th in Ordinary time 2025

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am in awe when I contemplate the great mystery of salvation. You did not abandon us when we sinned against you. You sent your Son out of love to save us from sin and redeem us. Bring me home and guide me every step of the way.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Jesus’ Purpose: The Pharisees are often presented as Jesus’ foes, but, in today’s Gospel, they try to help him. It is possible, however, that the Pharisees were only doing this hypocritically. They figured that they could get rid of Jesus by threatening him with news about Herod “the fox.” And maybe that is why Jesus tells them to go back to Herod. But Jesus doesn’t give up on the Pharisees. He offers them an insight into his identity, mission, and destiny. Jesus refers to the signs he has been performing. The healings and exorcisms are all signs that he is the Christ promised by the prophets and that the age of salvation has begun. Jesus also alludes to his destiny. He will be killed as a prophet in Jerusalem and, “on the third day,” accomplish his purpose. We, as Christians, know that the third day is the day of Jesus’ resurrection. His purpose is our salvation, redemption, sanctification, and glorification. 

2. Your House will be Abandoned: Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem and contemplates the history and destiny of the holy city. As regards its history, Jerusalem has refused to listen to the prophets God sent. God sent the great prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah to bring the city back to him, but the people refused to listen. Jeremiah especially prophesied the fall of Jerusalem. The prophet Ezekiel saw the Spirit of the Lord abandon the Temple and dwell among the people in exile. All three prophets, however, foretold in different ways the restoration of the people of God, the establishment of a New Covenant, and the coming of the Lord and his Kingdom. The old Jerusalem will be abandoned, and the old covenant will come to an end. The New Jerusalem and the New Covenant will be inaugurated and established through Jesus. It is best to see this transition as a bringing to fulfillment rather than a replacement. Yes, the old house of God in Jerusalem “made with human hands” will be destroyed, but the new House of God, not made with hands, will be established. The Church is the seed and beginning of this new House of God! And we are members of this household and living stones in this new Temple.

3. The Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord: In the First Reading, Paul has been arguing that  God is a loving Father who is on the side of his children. “Believers cannot reasonably doubt his love or commitment, given what he has already done for them through the joint ministries of the Son and the Spirit. And since no creature is his equal and no worldly power can thwart his purposes, it follows that no one and nothing arrayed against us can hope to rob us of our inheritance in Christ” (Hahn and Mitch, Romans, 144). Abraham did not spare his son Isaac, and God the Father did not spare his only begotten Son. In this way, Abraham in the Old Testament foreshadows the actions of the Father in the New Covenant. Just as Abraham held nothing back, so also God the Father held nothing back to achieve our salvation. God is the one who justifies us and sent his Son to die for us, be raised for us, and rule and intercede at his right hand for us. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you willingly offered yourself as a sacrificial victim to save us from sin and death. You love us and have welcomed us into your divine family as your brothers and sisters. Teach me to be a docile child in the Father’s house.