Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Bẩy tuần 31 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Bẩy tuần 31 Thường Niên
Ca dao Việtnam chúng ta có câu :"Có tiền mua tiên cũng được... " Điều này là hoàn toàn đúng, nếu xét rằng hầu hết mọi người chúng ta cố gắng để tích lũy tiền bạc và sự giàu có trong cuộc đời của chúng ta, và nghĩ rằng của cải này sẽ giúp chúng ta an tâm hơn cho cuộc sống tương lai của con cháu... Tiền của thật sự nó không phải là sự ác. Khi tiền của được sử dụng đúng cách, đúng mục đích thì nó có thể làm được nhiều điều tốt đẹp. Cách mà chúng ta cư xử và sử dụng số tiền đó sẽ xác định được việc chúng ta đang kiểm soát sự giàu có của chúng ta hay là việc chúng ta đang bị sự giàu có, tiền của này đang kiểm soát chúng ta.
            Chúa Giêsu không lên án việc chúng ta sử dụng tiền của. Nhưng trong thực tế, Ngài vẫn luôn khuyến khích việc sử dụng tiền bạc miễn là nó được dungmột cách khôn ngoan và thực hiện cho những việc tốt lành. "Khi chút ít mà trung tín, thì nhiều cũng mới trung tín; khi chút ít mà đã bất lương, thì nhiều, cũng bất lương.  Vậy nếu nơi tiền của bất lương, các ngươi không trung tín, thì của chân thật ai nào sẽ ký thác cho các ngươi? (Lc 16: 10-11). Rõ ràng, Chúa Giêsu coi tiền như là một phương tiện hơn là sự kết thúc. Chúng ta đều là những người quản lý của những ân sủng và sự giàu có mà Thiên Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta.Chúng ta phải biết sử dụng những món quà này để giúp chính mình và những người khác có thể có được những thứ "của cải chính đáng" mà Thiên Chúa đã chuẩn bị cho chúng ta ở trên thiên đường.
            Kho báu của chúng ta và quyền thừa kế là phải là sự hiệp nhất trong Đấng Tạo Hóa của chúng ta.  Tâm hồn của chúng ta phải luôn luôn được đặt vàosự hiệp nhất với Thiên Chúa mà không phải đạt trên những thứ của cài vật chất của thế giới này, Có gì thường được xem là quan trọng trong thế giới này không phải là những thứ mà Thiên Chúa muốn. "chúng ta không thể vừa phục vụ choThiên Chúa, vừa làm nô lệ cho tiền bạc" (Lc 16: 13). Chúng ta nên chọn những gì?
 
REFLECTION Saturday 31^st Ordinary
We're all familiar with the saying, "Money makes the world go `round." This is quite true, considering that most people try to accumulate money and riches in their lifetime, thinking that these will give them security and peace of mind. Money by itself is not evil. When used properly, it can do a lot of good. It is how we treat and use money that determines whether we control our wealth or we allow it to control us.
Jesus himself doesn't condemn the use of money. In fact, he encourages its use as long as it is wisely done and for the good. "The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great" (Lk 16 : 10). Obviously, Jesus considers money ("little [basic] things") more as a means than as the end. We are all stewards of the gifts and riches that God has given us. We have to use these gifts to help ourselves and others to obtain the "genuine riches" that God has prepared for us in Heaven.
Our true treasure and birthright is to be united with our Creator. Our hear t should always be set on being united with God and not on the material things of this world. What's usually considered important in this world is not what God wants. "You cannot be the slave both of God and of money" (Lk 16 : 13). What do we choose?
 
Saturday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
“The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.”  Luke 16:10
What are the “small matters” in life? Most likely, if you asked many different people from all walks of life this question, then you would receive many different answers. But if we consider the context of this statement of Jesus, then it is clear that one of the primary small matters of which He speaks is our use of money.
Many people live as though the attainment of wealth were of the highest importance. There are many who dream of becoming rich. Some regularly play the lottery in the very unlikely hope that they will hit it big. Others dedicate themselves to much hard work in their careers so that they can advance, make more money and, so they believe, become happier as they become wealthier. And others regularly daydream about what they would do if they were rich. But from the perspective of God, material wealth is a very small and unimportant matter. Money is useful insofar as it is one of the ordinary means by which we go about providing for ourselves and our families. But it truly is small in importance when it comes to the divine perspective.
With that said, one way to be entrusted by Jesus with “great” matters is to use your money appropriately. We become “trustworthy” in this small matter of money when we only give it the value that it has. In other words, we must see money only as one means to the end of fulfilling God’s perfect will. When we work to rid ourselves of excessive desires and dreams of riches, and when we use what we have in accord with God’s will, then this act on our part will open the door to our Lord to entrust us with much more. What is that “much more?” It’s the spiritual matters that pertain to our eternal salvation and the salvation of others. God wants to entrust to you the great responsibility of building His Kingdom on earth. He wants to use you to share His saving message with others. But He will first wait until you show yourself trustworthy in small matters, such as using your money well. And then, as you fulfill His will in these less important ways, you will begin to see Him call you to greater works.
Reflect, today, upon the fact that God wants great things from you. The goal of all of our lives is to be used by God in incredible ways. If this is something you desire, then do every small act in your life with great care. Show many small acts of kindness. Try to be thoughtful of others. Put others’ needs before your own. And commit yourself to using the money you have for God’s glory and in accord with His will. As you do these small things, you will begin to be amazed at how God is able to begin entrusting you with more, and, through you, great things will happen that have eternal effects in your life and in the lives of others.
My trustworthy Lord, You were entrusted with the greatest good ever known. Your Father in Heaven entrusted to You the salvation of the world. Please help me to share in this task by being faithful to Your holy will in every small way. As I seek to serve You in the small matters of life, I pray that I will be able to be used for even greater ones. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 31^st Ordinary time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I love you above all things. A day in your heavenly court is better and worth more than all the kingdoms of this world. I choose to serve you today and help my brothers and sisters in need.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Make Friends with Dishonest Wealth: The purpose of the Parable of the Dishonest Steward is not to invite us to practice dishonesty, act fraudulently, or “cook the books,” to help ourselves. When Jesus reveals the meaning of the parable (Luke 16:9-15), he refers to how the steward was prudent to use “dishonest wealth” to be welcomed into earthly dwellings. Likewise, we are to use our earthly wealth to be welcomed into eternal dwellings. If the dishonest steward was prudent enough to plan his earthly future to receive a welcome into people’s homes, how much more ought the faithful and prudent steward of the Lord prudently plan a heavenly future to be welcomed into the Lord’s eternal dwelling (see Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 282). Drawing out the lesson, Jesus teaches that we cannot serve two masters: “Those who trust in wealth are in effect serving mammon as if it were a god. Faithful disciples will instead serve as good stewards of all that God has entrusted to them, generously sharing what they have with others” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 283).
2. We are Known by God: When we read passages like Romans 16:3-27, it raises the question of why so many passages in the Bible are lists of names. For example, the early chapters of Genesis are full of genealogies. The Book of Numbers includes the results of two censuses of the people of Israel. The first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles are a list of names. Isn’t there a better use for entire chapters of God’s revealed Word? What is God telling us in these chapters that we are tempted to skip over? One important truth is that we are known and loved individually by God. The Bible doesn’t just record the stories of great rulers but includes the names of humble family members. Name after name after name… And while we know almost nothing about them, they are fully known by God. Another truth that comes out in Paul’s conclusion to the Letter to the Romans is that we form one family in Christ. He is eager to greet all of his brothers and sisters when he finally gets to Rome.
3. God knows your Hearts: Not only does God know each one of us by name, but God, as Jesus teaches in the Gospel, knows our hearts. Jesus calls out the Pharisees because they presented themselves as holy on the outside, but inside were full of corruption. Human beings can see the outside of a person and their exterior works. But God can see the heart and judge it. It has been said that we barely know our own hearts. It is difficult to know why we choose to do what we do or to say what we say. And yet, all of this is known to God. He can see our hearts when they are prideful and when they are humble, when they are full of sorrow and when they are full of joy, and when they act with purity of intention and when they are selfish. As the Letter to the Hebrews teaches: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account” (Hebrews 4:12-13).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me to judge the things of this world aright.  Grant me a share in your wisdom. Purify my heart with your grace and banish from it any evil desires or thoughts.