Suy Niệm Chúa Nhật
32 Mùa Thường Niên Năm C
Cùng với Sách Khôn ngoan mà chúng ta đã nghe từ Chủ nhật tuần trước, 2 cuốn sách Maccabê là một trong những cuốn sách mới nhất trong Cựu ước được viết, có thể là đã được viết trong những năm cùng với thế kỷ thứ mà Chúa Giêsu đã giáng sinh.
Thông điệp của bài đọc hôm nay kể lại sự bắt bớ vì đức tin thật là đáng sợ nhưng cho chúng ta thấy Đức Tin dẫn tới sự phục sinh, bài đọc hôm nay đang hé lộ sự bí ẩn sau trong các trang sách Cựu ước và được đưa đến hiện thực qua Đức Ki-tô- Đấng có thể vượt qua tất cả những cực hình kinh khủng nhất. trong bài đọc này, chúng ta nghe một trong bảy anh em nhà Maccabê đã làm chứng cho điều này khi nói: “Thà chịu chết do tay người đời mà trông cậy Thiên Chúa sẽ cho sống lại thì hơn: Phần vua, vua sẽ không được sống lại để sống đời đời đâu".”(2 Macc 7:14).
Thư thứ hai gửi tín hữu Tê-sa-lô-ni-ca Thánh Phao-lô cũng liên quan đến sự sống lại và thời gian Chúa trở lại cuối cùng, như chúng ta có thể thấy từ phần mở đầu của bài đọc hôm nay: “ Hỡi anh em, về sự Quang lâm của Chúa [chúng ta] Ðức Yêsu Kitô là sự ta được hội ngộ với Ngài, chúng tôi xin anh em đừng vội để mình bị giao động lòng trí và kinh hoàng...” (2 Th 2: 1-2). Cả cuốn Thê-sa-lô-ni-ca Thứ nhất và Thứ hai đều phản ánh sự quá lo âu trong Giáo hội sơ khai về điều gì sẽ xảy ra vào thời điểm phục sinh và số phận của những Ki-tô giáo đã chết trước khi Đức Ki-tô sẽ trở lại.
Bài Tin mừng hôm nay đề cập trực tiếp đến niềm tin của người Kitô giáo vào sự phục sinh, qua việc chính Chúa Giê-su đang phải đối mặt với những gì mà những người Sa-đu-sê nghĩ rằng qua một câu hỏi họ có thể đánh lừa gài bẫy Chúa Giêsu trong việc làm sáng tỏ ý tưởng về người chết sẽ sống lại. Họ đặt ra cho Chúa Giê-su một kịch bản trong đó một người phụ nữ đã kết hôn với bảy anh em trai một nhà, Mỗi người em trai kế sẽ phải kết hôn với người chị dâu sau cái chết của người anh trai ruột của mình. Điều này có vẻ kỳ lạ đối với hầu hết mọi người ngày nay, nhưng những tình huống như vậy không phải là hiếm thấy trong thời cổ đại, và thậm chí còn được luật Torah đưa ra trong một số trường hợp nhất định, như chính những người Sa-đu-sê lưu ý trong câu hỏi của họ (xem Phục truyền Luật lệ Ký 25: 5-6).
Hai bài học quan trọng giúp chúng ta hiểu rõ hơn về sự phục sinh và Nước của Thiên Chúa có thể được rút ra từ câu trả lời của Chúa chúng ta với người Sa-đu-sê. Cách thứ nhất liên quan đến cách mọi người trong các nền văn hóa cổ đại nghĩ về người khác đặc biệt là người phụ nữ và người hầun thì thường được coi như “thuộc về” chồng, cha của họ, v.v. Mặc dù ngày nay khi việc nói về “sở hữu” người khác là điều ghê tởm đối với chúng ta, nhưng chúng ta vẫn có thể vô thức sa ngã. làm mồi cho chính chúng ta suy nghĩ theo cách này, ngay cả khi nói đến những người thân thiết nhất với chúng ta. Qua câu trả lời của Chúa Giêsu với người Sa-đu-sê, Chúa Giê-su cho chúng ta thấy rõ rằng là Nước của Thiên Chúa đang ở giữa các ngươi” (Lu-ca 17:21; hay câu 11:20 Chúa Giêsu nói:” Nước Thiên Chúa đã đến trên các ngươi.". Cũng như trên trời, không ai “thuộc về ai” hoặc , không ai “được ban cho”.ai khác; đúng hơn, tất cả “đều là con cái của Thiên Chúa.”
Quan trọng hơn nữa, Chúa Giê-su đã đánh bại nỗ lực của người Sa-đu-sê nhằm chế nhạo sự sống lại bằng cách nhắc họ: “ Còn người chết mà sống lại, thì Môse cũng đã mặc thị trong đoạn Bụi gai, khi ông gọi Chúa là Thiên Chúa của Abraham, Thiên Chúa của Isaac, và Thiên Chúa của Yacob. 38 Người không phải là Thiên Chúa của kẻ chết, mà là của người sống; vì hết thảy đều sống cho Người".”(Lu-ca 20: 37-38). Chúng ta được chia sẻ với Chúa Giê-su trong những đau khổ của cuộc sống, chúng ta hãy để niềm hy vọng được chia sẻ vào sự phục sinh của Ngài để củng cố chúng ta để chúng ta có thể vượt qua mọi trở ngại để trở thành môn đệ trung thành của Ngài, ngay cả những khi chúng ta bị chế nhạo, bắt bớ và ngay cả chính cái chết tử vì đạo.
32nd Sunday in
Ordinary Tine - Year C
The Second Book of Maccabees makes a rare appearance in the Lectionary today—it occurs only once in the three-year Sunday cycle and twice more (November 19th and 20th this year) on weekdays. Along with the Book of Wisdom which we heard from last Sunday, First and Second Maccabees are among the latest books of the Old Testament to be written, probably taking their final form within a century of the birth of Christ. The message of today’s passage recounting frightening persecution is that with faith in the resurrection—revealed inchoately in the pages of the Old Testament and brought to reality through Christ—one can overcome even the most awful torments. We hear one of the seven Maccabee brothers witness to this in saying: “It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life” (2 Mc 7:14).
The New Testament reading is drawn from the Second Letter to the Thessalonians and it, too, is concerned with the resurrection and the timing of the eventual return of the Lord, as we can see from the opening of the chapter from which today’s reading is taken: “We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed” (2 Thess 2:1-2). Both First and Second Thessalonians reflect the deep anxiety in the early Church over what would happen at the time of the resurrection and what the fate of Christians who died before the coming of Christ would be.
The Gospel addresses Christian belief in the resurrection directly, with Jesus himself being confronted with what his opponents, the Sadducees, think is a perfect trick question making light of the idea that the dead would rise. They pose to Jesus a scenario in which a woman has been married to a sequence of seven brothers, with each respective brother being married to the woman upon the death of his older sibling. This seems bizarre to most folks today, but such situations were not uncommon in ancient times, and it was even required in certain cases by the Torah, as the Sadducees themselves note in their question (see Deut 25:5-6).
Two key lessons which give us a better understanding of the resurrection and the Kingdom of God can be taken from our Lord’s reply to the Sadducees. The first involves the way people in ancient cultures thought about others—especially women and servants—as “belonging” to their husbands, fathers, etc. While today such talk of “possessing” other people is abhorrent to us, we nonetheless might unconsciously fall prey to thinking in this manner ourselves, even when it comes to those who are closest to us. Through his reply to the Sadducees Jesus makes it clear that in the Kingdom of God which “is in your midst” (Luke 17:21; cf. 11:20) as in heaven, no one “belongs” or “is given” to anyone else; rather, all “are children of God.”
Even more importantly, Jesus foils the attempt of the Sadducees to mock the resurrection by reminding them: “That the dead will rise even Moses made known…when he called ‘Lord,’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive” (Luke 20:37-38). We share with Jesus in the sufferings of life, let our hope of sharing in his resurrection strengthen us that we might overcome any obstacle to being his faithful disciples, even ridicule, persecution—and death itself.
32nd Sunday in
Ordinary Tine - Year C
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless.” Luke 20:27–31
The Sadducees were a small, wealthy and privileged ruling class among the Jews who only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah. They rejected oral tradition and were in constant conflict with the Pharisees. Yet when it came to Jesus, these two groups each took turns challenging our Lord in an attempt to discredit Him.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul. For that reason, they devised the above scenario as a way of trapping Jesus. Jesus did answer them, and then went on to use the Book of Exodus, which the Sadducees accepted, to show that Moses spoke of Abraham, Issac and Jacob as alive and with God. Thus, their souls, according to Moses, were immortal, proving them wrong. This humbled and silenced the Sadducees in their attempted trap.
One thing this story tells us is that we must be careful not to enter into a limited and narrow view of eternal truths. When we get to Heaven, and when our minds have the fullness of God’s truth revealed to us, we will be in awe and will realize how limited our understanding was while we were on earth. Though we must always seek to understand more fully, and strive to grow in our faith and knowledge of the truths of God, we must also always approach those eternal truths with humility, acknowledging how limited our grasp of them truly is. Our journey of faith must be one that discovers, is in awe of that discovery, then humbly admits how limited that discovery of our faith truly is. Humbly admitting this is not a denial of the truths we discover. Rather, it is a way of continuously realizing that there is so much more.
How well do you understand God and all that He has revealed? That might be a difficult question to answer. Saint Thomas Aquinas, perhaps the most knowledgeable theologian ever to walk the earth, was one of the most prolific writers on the faith. Much of what we teach today on many topics of faith stem from His detailed teachings. At the end of his life, before finishing his final work, he had a mystical experience that was beyond words. After that experience, the Dominican who was helping him asked Saint Thomas to finish his writing. It is said that Thomas replied to him, “Reginald, I cannot, because all that I have written seems like straw to me.” Thus, one of the greatest works of Catholic theology, The Summa Theologica, was never finished. Saint Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of theologians, was in awe of how little he actually knew and how limited was his articulation of the truths of God.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to seek the truth with all your mind. Reflect upon how dedicated you are to this important task. The more we understand, the more we will want to understand. Reflect, also, upon the humble truth that we will never comprehend the infinite mind of God. This humble truth must drive us on to an ever deepening mission of discovery and awe.
My infinite Lord, Your wisdom is infinitely above my wisdom and Your ways far above mine. Please give me a burning desire to know You and to understand all that You have revealed. As I discover more about You, dear Lord, please also keep me humble so that I will always remain in awe of the vastness of Who You are. Jesus, I trust in You.
32nd Sunday in
Ordinary Tine - Year C
Encountering Christ:
1. To Be or Not to Be?: This past week we have read various Gospels in the daily Mass that have encouraged us to look at the deeper motives of our hearts as we face the final judgment and the ultimate consequences of our choices: eternal life or eternal damnation. Now the evangelist brings home the reality of eternal life by presenting the debate about the resurrection of the body. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body and consequently, tried to trick Jesus into affirming a doctrine contrary to their own beliefs. But, as always, it backfired. Jesus cannot be played. He goes to the heart of who God is to offer an answer to their dilemma. God is the God of the living; thus, we are all called to participate in his very life.
2. The Children of This World: Marriage, a primordial and sacramental means of loving union is a mere image of what we are called to in eternity. It represents the intimate union and eternal commitment of the living God to his beloved creation—the human person. Jesus says that they do not marry in the other world, signifying that marriage is a reflection and a means to a relationship with the living God. How do our marriages and earthly commitments reflect that goal? Are we sagacious in the way that we make the most of the paths that we have chosen in light of eternity?
3. The Children of the Resurrection: It is a common doctrinal mistake for people to say that when we die we become angels. When Jesus says that we are the same as the angels, he means that we live as full persons in the afterlife. While angels are persons without bodies, however, we will be persons with our resurrected bodies. It is a mystery, but a truth revealed in Scriptures. One thing is certain: we remain children of God and we will be fully alive. This identity begins here on earth, through grace in baptism and through our participation in his life through our sacramental, spiritual, and moral lives. Let us rejoice now and act as children of our living God who calls us beyond the grave to eternal life.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of eternal life that you offer me. Help me to participate in your life here and now, so as to live the dignity and identity to which you call me as a child of God.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will reflect on the spiritual means that I make the most of to live authentically as a child of God and resolve to renew or add a practice in earnest.
Hôm nay, chúng ta mừng kính Vương cung thánh đường Lateran ở
Rome, nhà thờ mẹ của toàn thể Giáo hội Công giáo La Mã. Vương cung thánh đường
này được trao cho Giám mục Rome vào thế kỷ thứ tư và vẫn là nơi ở chính của Đức
Giáo hoàng cho đến khi Vương cung thánh đường Thánh Phêrô được xây dựng, vào thời
điểm Vương cung thánh đường Lateran đang dần bị đổ nát. Tuy nhiên, cho đến ngày
nay, Vương cung thánh đường Lateran vẫn là Nhà thờ quan trọng nhất trên thế giới,
vì về mặt chính thức, nó là Nhà thờ Chính tòa của Rome.
Khi chúng ta tôn vinh nhà thờ này,
chúng ta tôn vinh nhiều hơn một tòa nhà. Vương cung thánh đường Lateran là biểu
tượng của Giáo hội đích thực duy nhất của Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Nội thất của nó đẹp
đẽ và đầy cảm hứng, cho chúng ta thấy vẻ đẹp không thể tưởng tượng được của
chính Giáo hội, đó là Nhiệm thể Chúa Kitô.
Tin Mừng hôm nay mô tả Chúa Giêsu vào Đền thờ và dùng roi đuổi những người đổi tiền và những con vật họ đang bán để kiếm lời. Vừa làm vậy, Người vừa kêu lên: "Đem những thứ này ra khỏi đây, đừng biến nhà Cha Ta thành nơi buôn bán." Sau đó, Người trích dẫn Thánh Vịnh 69: Lòng nhiệt thành vì nhà Chúa sẽ thiêu đốt con.
Chúa Giê-su yêu Hội Thánh của Ngài như chính Thân Thể Ngài;vì đó chính là Hội Thánh. Là Thân Thể Ngài, các thành viên của Hội Thánh được kêu gọi và sai đi để hành động như những khí cụ của Ngài, những thành viên trong hành động cứu rỗi của Ngài. Hơn cả một tòa nhà nhà thờ, hôm nay chúng ta tôn vinh chính Hội Thánh—điều đó có nghĩa là chúng ta tôn vinh bạn, vì bạn là thành viên của Thân Thể Chúa Kitô. Và dưới ánh sáng của đoạn Phúc Âm này trong Lễ hôm nay, chúng ta được nhắc nhở về lòng nhiệt thành mà Chúa Giêsu đã dành cho việc thanh tẩy Hội Thánh của Ngài.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome,
November 9
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. John 2:19–21
We celebrate, today, the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the mother church of the entire Roman Catholic Church. It was given to the Bishop of Rome in the fourth century and remained the pope’s primary residence until the building of St. Peter’s Basilica, at a time when the Lateran Basilica was falling into ruins. However, the Lateran Basilica to this day remains the most important Church in the world, since it is officially the Cathedral Church of Rome.
As we honor this church, we honor more than a building. The Lateran Basilica is a symbol of the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Its interior is beautiful and awe-inspiring so as to point us to the unimaginable beauty of the Church Herself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.
Today’s Gospel depicts Jesus entering the Temple and driving the money changers out with a whip and the animals they were selling for profit. As He did so, He cried out, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” Psalm 69 is then quoted: Zeal for your house will consume me.
Jesus loves His Church as His own Body—because that is what it is. As His Body, the members of His Church are called and sent to act as His instruments, members of His saving action. Much more than a church building, today we honor the Church Herself—which means we honor you, insofar as you are a member of the Body of Christ. And in light of this Gospel passage for today’s Feast, we are reminded of the zeal that our Lord has for the cleansing of His Church.
How is the Church purified? It is purified by the cleansing of Her members. That means that Jesus desires, with perfect zeal, to drive out every sin from your soul, cleansing the filth that keeps you from fulfilling your essential role as a member of His Body.
Sometimes we become slack in our own commitment to be purified. We can easily become comfortable with the sins we commit, and we can form habits that are hard to break. When this happens, it is useful to ponder this story of the cleansing of the Temple and see it as Jesus’ desire to cleanse our own soul. At times, we need to be shaken up, challenged, confronted and encouraged with the unwavering zeal in the heart of our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon this powerful image of Jesus cleansing the Temple. As you do, apply it to your own life. The people selling and buying in the Temple must have been shocked at Jesus’ zeal and actions. If you have become complacent with your sins, try to allow this holy shock to also wake you up. Allow our Lord’s zeal to affect you, and know that His purifying actions are acts of love by which He desires to free you to become a more fully functioning member of His holy Church.
My zealous Lord, Your heart burns with a deep desire to cleanse me and all Your children from sin. Your zeal reveals Your deep love and Your willingness to do all that You can to make me a fuller member of Your Body, the Church. Open my mind and will, dear Lord, to all that You wish to say to me and give me the grace to respond to Your purifying action in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Nov
9-2025
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome - John 2:13-22
1. Ezekiel and the Vision of the New Temple: The Lateran Basilica is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. The yearly remembrance of its dedication in the fourth century A.D. by Pope Sylvester is a sign of union with the See of Peter. The readings chosen for today invite us to contemplate the mystery of the Temple. The First Reading is taken from the prophet Ezekiel, who, at the end of his book, dedicated several chapters to the vision of the restored People of God gathered around a New Temple. In particular, Ezekiel sees a supernatural river of water flowing from the New Temple. This prophecy and vision look back to the four rivers that flowed out of the original Garden of Eden. In fact, the spring in Jerusalem was named the “Gihon,” after one of the four rivers. But Ezekiel’s vision also looks to the future and is fulfilled in the “Church, which is the true Temple from which the Holy Spirit flows forth as a life-giving river under the signs of the sacraments” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1442).
Cùng với Sách Khôn ngoan mà chúng ta đã nghe từ Chủ nhật tuần trước, 2 cuốn sách Maccabê là một trong những cuốn sách mới nhất trong Cựu ước được viết, có thể là đã được viết trong những năm cùng với thế kỷ thứ mà Chúa Giêsu đã giáng sinh.
Thông điệp của bài đọc hôm nay kể lại sự bắt bớ vì đức tin thật là đáng sợ nhưng cho chúng ta thấy Đức Tin dẫn tới sự phục sinh, bài đọc hôm nay đang hé lộ sự bí ẩn sau trong các trang sách Cựu ước và được đưa đến hiện thực qua Đức Ki-tô- Đấng có thể vượt qua tất cả những cực hình kinh khủng nhất. trong bài đọc này, chúng ta nghe một trong bảy anh em nhà Maccabê đã làm chứng cho điều này khi nói: “Thà chịu chết do tay người đời mà trông cậy Thiên Chúa sẽ cho sống lại thì hơn: Phần vua, vua sẽ không được sống lại để sống đời đời đâu".”(2 Macc 7:14).
Thư thứ hai gửi tín hữu Tê-sa-lô-ni-ca Thánh Phao-lô cũng liên quan đến sự sống lại và thời gian Chúa trở lại cuối cùng, như chúng ta có thể thấy từ phần mở đầu của bài đọc hôm nay: “ Hỡi anh em, về sự Quang lâm của Chúa [chúng ta] Ðức Yêsu Kitô là sự ta được hội ngộ với Ngài, chúng tôi xin anh em đừng vội để mình bị giao động lòng trí và kinh hoàng...” (2 Th 2: 1-2). Cả cuốn Thê-sa-lô-ni-ca Thứ nhất và Thứ hai đều phản ánh sự quá lo âu trong Giáo hội sơ khai về điều gì sẽ xảy ra vào thời điểm phục sinh và số phận của những Ki-tô giáo đã chết trước khi Đức Ki-tô sẽ trở lại.
Bài Tin mừng hôm nay đề cập trực tiếp đến niềm tin của người Kitô giáo vào sự phục sinh, qua việc chính Chúa Giê-su đang phải đối mặt với những gì mà những người Sa-đu-sê nghĩ rằng qua một câu hỏi họ có thể đánh lừa gài bẫy Chúa Giêsu trong việc làm sáng tỏ ý tưởng về người chết sẽ sống lại. Họ đặt ra cho Chúa Giê-su một kịch bản trong đó một người phụ nữ đã kết hôn với bảy anh em trai một nhà, Mỗi người em trai kế sẽ phải kết hôn với người chị dâu sau cái chết của người anh trai ruột của mình. Điều này có vẻ kỳ lạ đối với hầu hết mọi người ngày nay, nhưng những tình huống như vậy không phải là hiếm thấy trong thời cổ đại, và thậm chí còn được luật Torah đưa ra trong một số trường hợp nhất định, như chính những người Sa-đu-sê lưu ý trong câu hỏi của họ (xem Phục truyền Luật lệ Ký 25: 5-6).
Hai bài học quan trọng giúp chúng ta hiểu rõ hơn về sự phục sinh và Nước của Thiên Chúa có thể được rút ra từ câu trả lời của Chúa chúng ta với người Sa-đu-sê. Cách thứ nhất liên quan đến cách mọi người trong các nền văn hóa cổ đại nghĩ về người khác đặc biệt là người phụ nữ và người hầun thì thường được coi như “thuộc về” chồng, cha của họ, v.v. Mặc dù ngày nay khi việc nói về “sở hữu” người khác là điều ghê tởm đối với chúng ta, nhưng chúng ta vẫn có thể vô thức sa ngã. làm mồi cho chính chúng ta suy nghĩ theo cách này, ngay cả khi nói đến những người thân thiết nhất với chúng ta. Qua câu trả lời của Chúa Giêsu với người Sa-đu-sê, Chúa Giê-su cho chúng ta thấy rõ rằng là Nước của Thiên Chúa đang ở giữa các ngươi” (Lu-ca 17:21; hay câu 11:20 Chúa Giêsu nói:” Nước Thiên Chúa đã đến trên các ngươi.". Cũng như trên trời, không ai “thuộc về ai” hoặc , không ai “được ban cho”.ai khác; đúng hơn, tất cả “đều là con cái của Thiên Chúa.”
Quan trọng hơn nữa, Chúa Giê-su đã đánh bại nỗ lực của người Sa-đu-sê nhằm chế nhạo sự sống lại bằng cách nhắc họ: “ Còn người chết mà sống lại, thì Môse cũng đã mặc thị trong đoạn Bụi gai, khi ông gọi Chúa là Thiên Chúa của Abraham, Thiên Chúa của Isaac, và Thiên Chúa của Yacob. 38 Người không phải là Thiên Chúa của kẻ chết, mà là của người sống; vì hết thảy đều sống cho Người".”(Lu-ca 20: 37-38). Chúng ta được chia sẻ với Chúa Giê-su trong những đau khổ của cuộc sống, chúng ta hãy để niềm hy vọng được chia sẻ vào sự phục sinh của Ngài để củng cố chúng ta để chúng ta có thể vượt qua mọi trở ngại để trở thành môn đệ trung thành của Ngài, ngay cả những khi chúng ta bị chế nhạo, bắt bớ và ngay cả chính cái chết tử vì đạo.
The Second Book of Maccabees makes a rare appearance in the Lectionary today—it occurs only once in the three-year Sunday cycle and twice more (November 19th and 20th this year) on weekdays. Along with the Book of Wisdom which we heard from last Sunday, First and Second Maccabees are among the latest books of the Old Testament to be written, probably taking their final form within a century of the birth of Christ. The message of today’s passage recounting frightening persecution is that with faith in the resurrection—revealed inchoately in the pages of the Old Testament and brought to reality through Christ—one can overcome even the most awful torments. We hear one of the seven Maccabee brothers witness to this in saying: “It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life” (2 Mc 7:14).
The New Testament reading is drawn from the Second Letter to the Thessalonians and it, too, is concerned with the resurrection and the timing of the eventual return of the Lord, as we can see from the opening of the chapter from which today’s reading is taken: “We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed” (2 Thess 2:1-2). Both First and Second Thessalonians reflect the deep anxiety in the early Church over what would happen at the time of the resurrection and what the fate of Christians who died before the coming of Christ would be.
The Gospel addresses Christian belief in the resurrection directly, with Jesus himself being confronted with what his opponents, the Sadducees, think is a perfect trick question making light of the idea that the dead would rise. They pose to Jesus a scenario in which a woman has been married to a sequence of seven brothers, with each respective brother being married to the woman upon the death of his older sibling. This seems bizarre to most folks today, but such situations were not uncommon in ancient times, and it was even required in certain cases by the Torah, as the Sadducees themselves note in their question (see Deut 25:5-6).
Two key lessons which give us a better understanding of the resurrection and the Kingdom of God can be taken from our Lord’s reply to the Sadducees. The first involves the way people in ancient cultures thought about others—especially women and servants—as “belonging” to their husbands, fathers, etc. While today such talk of “possessing” other people is abhorrent to us, we nonetheless might unconsciously fall prey to thinking in this manner ourselves, even when it comes to those who are closest to us. Through his reply to the Sadducees Jesus makes it clear that in the Kingdom of God which “is in your midst” (Luke 17:21; cf. 11:20) as in heaven, no one “belongs” or “is given” to anyone else; rather, all “are children of God.”
Even more importantly, Jesus foils the attempt of the Sadducees to mock the resurrection by reminding them: “That the dead will rise even Moses made known…when he called ‘Lord,’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob: he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive” (Luke 20:37-38). We share with Jesus in the sufferings of life, let our hope of sharing in his resurrection strengthen us that we might overcome any obstacle to being his faithful disciples, even ridicule, persecution—and death itself.
Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone’s brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless.” Luke 20:27–31
The Sadducees were a small, wealthy and privileged ruling class among the Jews who only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah. They rejected oral tradition and were in constant conflict with the Pharisees. Yet when it came to Jesus, these two groups each took turns challenging our Lord in an attempt to discredit Him.
The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul. For that reason, they devised the above scenario as a way of trapping Jesus. Jesus did answer them, and then went on to use the Book of Exodus, which the Sadducees accepted, to show that Moses spoke of Abraham, Issac and Jacob as alive and with God. Thus, their souls, according to Moses, were immortal, proving them wrong. This humbled and silenced the Sadducees in their attempted trap.
One thing this story tells us is that we must be careful not to enter into a limited and narrow view of eternal truths. When we get to Heaven, and when our minds have the fullness of God’s truth revealed to us, we will be in awe and will realize how limited our understanding was while we were on earth. Though we must always seek to understand more fully, and strive to grow in our faith and knowledge of the truths of God, we must also always approach those eternal truths with humility, acknowledging how limited our grasp of them truly is. Our journey of faith must be one that discovers, is in awe of that discovery, then humbly admits how limited that discovery of our faith truly is. Humbly admitting this is not a denial of the truths we discover. Rather, it is a way of continuously realizing that there is so much more.
How well do you understand God and all that He has revealed? That might be a difficult question to answer. Saint Thomas Aquinas, perhaps the most knowledgeable theologian ever to walk the earth, was one of the most prolific writers on the faith. Much of what we teach today on many topics of faith stem from His detailed teachings. At the end of his life, before finishing his final work, he had a mystical experience that was beyond words. After that experience, the Dominican who was helping him asked Saint Thomas to finish his writing. It is said that Thomas replied to him, “Reginald, I cannot, because all that I have written seems like straw to me.” Thus, one of the greatest works of Catholic theology, The Summa Theologica, was never finished. Saint Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of theologians, was in awe of how little he actually knew and how limited was his articulation of the truths of God.
Reflect, today, upon the high calling you have been given to seek the truth with all your mind. Reflect upon how dedicated you are to this important task. The more we understand, the more we will want to understand. Reflect, also, upon the humble truth that we will never comprehend the infinite mind of God. This humble truth must drive us on to an ever deepening mission of discovery and awe.
My infinite Lord, Your wisdom is infinitely above my wisdom and Your ways far above mine. Please give me a burning desire to know You and to understand all that You have revealed. As I discover more about You, dear Lord, please also keep me humble so that I will always remain in awe of the vastness of Who You are. Jesus, I trust in You.
Encountering Christ:
1. To Be or Not to Be?: This past week we have read various Gospels in the daily Mass that have encouraged us to look at the deeper motives of our hearts as we face the final judgment and the ultimate consequences of our choices: eternal life or eternal damnation. Now the evangelist brings home the reality of eternal life by presenting the debate about the resurrection of the body. The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body and consequently, tried to trick Jesus into affirming a doctrine contrary to their own beliefs. But, as always, it backfired. Jesus cannot be played. He goes to the heart of who God is to offer an answer to their dilemma. God is the God of the living; thus, we are all called to participate in his very life.
2. The Children of This World: Marriage, a primordial and sacramental means of loving union is a mere image of what we are called to in eternity. It represents the intimate union and eternal commitment of the living God to his beloved creation—the human person. Jesus says that they do not marry in the other world, signifying that marriage is a reflection and a means to a relationship with the living God. How do our marriages and earthly commitments reflect that goal? Are we sagacious in the way that we make the most of the paths that we have chosen in light of eternity?
3. The Children of the Resurrection: It is a common doctrinal mistake for people to say that when we die we become angels. When Jesus says that we are the same as the angels, he means that we live as full persons in the afterlife. While angels are persons without bodies, however, we will be persons with our resurrected bodies. It is a mystery, but a truth revealed in Scriptures. One thing is certain: we remain children of God and we will be fully alive. This identity begins here on earth, through grace in baptism and through our participation in his life through our sacramental, spiritual, and moral lives. Let us rejoice now and act as children of our living God who calls us beyond the grave to eternal life.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of eternal life that you offer me. Help me to participate in your life here and now, so as to live the dignity and identity to which you call me as a child of God.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will reflect on the spiritual means that I make the most of to live authentically as a child of God and resolve to renew or add a practice in earnest.
Tin Mừng hôm nay mô tả Chúa Giêsu vào Đền thờ và dùng roi đuổi những người đổi tiền và những con vật họ đang bán để kiếm lời. Vừa làm vậy, Người vừa kêu lên: "Đem những thứ này ra khỏi đây, đừng biến nhà Cha Ta thành nơi buôn bán." Sau đó, Người trích dẫn Thánh Vịnh 69: Lòng nhiệt thành vì nhà Chúa sẽ thiêu đốt con.
Chúa Giê-su yêu Hội Thánh của Ngài như chính Thân Thể Ngài;vì đó chính là Hội Thánh. Là Thân Thể Ngài, các thành viên của Hội Thánh được kêu gọi và sai đi để hành động như những khí cụ của Ngài, những thành viên trong hành động cứu rỗi của Ngài. Hơn cả một tòa nhà nhà thờ, hôm nay chúng ta tôn vinh chính Hội Thánh—điều đó có nghĩa là chúng ta tôn vinh bạn, vì bạn là thành viên của Thân Thể Chúa Kitô. Và dưới ánh sáng của đoạn Phúc Âm này trong Lễ hôm nay, chúng ta được nhắc nhở về lòng nhiệt thành mà Chúa Giêsu đã dành cho việc thanh tẩy Hội Thánh của Ngài.
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his Body. John 2:19–21
We celebrate, today, the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the mother church of the entire Roman Catholic Church. It was given to the Bishop of Rome in the fourth century and remained the pope’s primary residence until the building of St. Peter’s Basilica, at a time when the Lateran Basilica was falling into ruins. However, the Lateran Basilica to this day remains the most important Church in the world, since it is officially the Cathedral Church of Rome.
As we honor this church, we honor more than a building. The Lateran Basilica is a symbol of the one true Church of Jesus Christ. Its interior is beautiful and awe-inspiring so as to point us to the unimaginable beauty of the Church Herself, which is the Mystical Body of Christ.
Today’s Gospel depicts Jesus entering the Temple and driving the money changers out with a whip and the animals they were selling for profit. As He did so, He cried out, “Take these out of here, and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.” Psalm 69 is then quoted: Zeal for your house will consume me.
Jesus loves His Church as His own Body—because that is what it is. As His Body, the members of His Church are called and sent to act as His instruments, members of His saving action. Much more than a church building, today we honor the Church Herself—which means we honor you, insofar as you are a member of the Body of Christ. And in light of this Gospel passage for today’s Feast, we are reminded of the zeal that our Lord has for the cleansing of His Church.
How is the Church purified? It is purified by the cleansing of Her members. That means that Jesus desires, with perfect zeal, to drive out every sin from your soul, cleansing the filth that keeps you from fulfilling your essential role as a member of His Body.
Sometimes we become slack in our own commitment to be purified. We can easily become comfortable with the sins we commit, and we can form habits that are hard to break. When this happens, it is useful to ponder this story of the cleansing of the Temple and see it as Jesus’ desire to cleanse our own soul. At times, we need to be shaken up, challenged, confronted and encouraged with the unwavering zeal in the heart of our Lord.
Reflect, today, upon this powerful image of Jesus cleansing the Temple. As you do, apply it to your own life. The people selling and buying in the Temple must have been shocked at Jesus’ zeal and actions. If you have become complacent with your sins, try to allow this holy shock to also wake you up. Allow our Lord’s zeal to affect you, and know that His purifying actions are acts of love by which He desires to free you to become a more fully functioning member of His holy Church.
My zealous Lord, Your heart burns with a deep desire to cleanse me and all Your children from sin. Your zeal reveals Your deep love and Your willingness to do all that You can to make me a fuller member of Your Body, the Church. Open my mind and will, dear Lord, to all that You wish to say to me and give me the grace to respond to Your purifying action in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.
Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome - John 2:13-22
1. Ezekiel and the Vision of the New Temple: The Lateran Basilica is the cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. The yearly remembrance of its dedication in the fourth century A.D. by Pope Sylvester is a sign of union with the See of Peter. The readings chosen for today invite us to contemplate the mystery of the Temple. The First Reading is taken from the prophet Ezekiel, who, at the end of his book, dedicated several chapters to the vision of the restored People of God gathered around a New Temple. In particular, Ezekiel sees a supernatural river of water flowing from the New Temple. This prophecy and vision look back to the four rivers that flowed out of the original Garden of Eden. In fact, the spring in Jerusalem was named the “Gihon,” after one of the four rivers. But Ezekiel’s vision also looks to the future and is fulfilled in the “Church, which is the true Temple from which the Holy Spirit flows forth as a life-giving river under the signs of the sacraments” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1442).
No comments:
Post a Comment