Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu tuần 27 Thường Niên
Friday 27th 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 27th 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 27th 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
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