Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm Tuần thứ Nhất Mùa Vọng

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm Tuần thứ Nhất Mùa Vọng
Tin Mừng Thánh Mathêu câu 7:24 viết: "Vậy ai nghe những lời Thầy nói đây mà đem ra thực hành, thì ví được như người khôn xây nhà trên đá.” Thật vậy, trong cuộc sống, chúng ta có thể nghe lời Chúa nhưng vẫn không nhận ra những gì Ngài nói với chúng ta nếu như chúng ta không có sự quan hệ mật thiết cá nhân với Ngài. Và  do đó trong lời cầu nguyện và kinh nghiệm của chúng ta với Chúa Kitô, chúng ta đã tạo ra được mối quan hệ yêu thương mật thiết với Ngài, Qua mối quan hệ này chúng ta đã được phép hành động theo lời Ngài. Cầu nguyện mà không hành động thì sẽ cũng chỉ bằng không, và như thế, đức tin của chúng ta chẳng khác gì một ngôi nhà xây trên cát, có nền nhưng không có móng và không nền tảng vững chắc. Những  thử thách thực sự mà các môn đệ của Chúa đã phải thử nghiệm là những gì mà Chúa nói với chúng ta phải hôm nay. Điều này có nghĩa rằng những gì đã tiếp xúc với lòng trí của chúng ta thì sẽ được in sâu, và đóng ấn trong trái tim của chúng ta và sẽ đưa chúng ta tới sự hành động, bởi vì chúng ta tin rằng, chúng ta đang làm theo ý muốn của Thiên Chúa.
            Mỗi việc tốt mà chúng ta làm, những gì mà chúng ta đáp trả lại tiếng mời gọi của Thiên Chúa, Thiên Chúa  sẽ biến đổi chúng ta và Ngài có thể biến đổi luôn cả những người đã nhận những hành động tốt của chúng ta, để chúng ta sẽ có một cuộc sống thánh thiện và đạo đức hơn. Tiếp tục lắng nghe và làm theo ý của Thiên Chúa sẽ trở thành một thói quen và củng cố nền tảng đức tin của chúng ta được thêm vững chắc hơn. Nếu chúng ta làm được như thế, thì không có một bối cảnh bên ngoài nào, hay bất cứ một thử thách nào có đủ sức mạnh để xô đổ  làm sập được những gốc tảng đức tin của chúng ta. Nền tảng đức tin của chúng ta được xây dựng trên chính con Người thân xác của Chúa Giêsu. Niềm vui lớn nhất của chúng ta là những ước muốn, nguyện vọng là được nhìn thấy Thiên Chúa mặt đối mặt trong ngày phán xét. Chắc chắn chúng ta sẽ muốn nghe Chúa nói với chúng ta, "Tốt lắm! hỡi người đầy tớ tài giỏi và trung thành! Được giao ít mà anh đã trung thành, thì ta sẽ giao nhiều cho anh. Hãy vào mà hưởng niềm vui của chủ anh “ (Matthew 25:21)
 
Reflection:
     "So, then, anyone who hears these words of mine and acts accordingly are like a wise man, who built his house on rock."     Indeed, we may hear God's word and not recognize Him speaking to us if we do not have a personal relationship with Him. And it is in prayer and our experiences with the Lord that we build a loving relationship with Him which enables us to act on His word.  Prayer without action will not strengthen the foundation of our faith and will be like a house built on sand.  The true test of discipleship is executing what we hear the Lord telling us to do. This means that what touches our mind is imprinted in our hearts and this moves us to action as we believe that we are doing God's will. Each good that we do, each call of God that we answer, transforms us and, possibly the recipient of our good deed, to a life of holiness and Godliness. Continuously listening and doing God's will become a habit and will strengthen our faith foundation. No external circumstance, no trial will be strong enough to collapse our "rock" of faith. Our faith foundation is built on the person of Jesus. The greatest joy we should aspire for us to see God face to face at the end of time. Wouldn't we want to hear the Lord tell us, "Well done, good and faithful servant, because thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." (Matthew 25:21)?
 
Thursday of the First Week of Advent
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”  Matthew 7:21
It’s frightening to think of those of whom Jesus is speaking. Imagine arriving before the throne of God upon your passing from this earthly life and you cry out to Him, “Lord, Lord!” And you expect Him to smile and welcome you, but instead you come face-to-face with the reality of your ongoing and obstinate disobedience to the will of God throughout your life. You suddenly realize that you acted as if you were a Christian, but it was only an act. And now, on the day of judgment, the truth is made manifest for you and for all to see. A truly frightening scenario.
To whom will this happen? Of course, only our Lord knows. He is the one and only Just Judge. He and He alone knows a person’s heart, and judgment is left only to Him. But the fact that Jesus told us that “Not everyone” who expects to enter Heaven will enter should grab our attention.
Ideally, our lives are directed by a deep and pure love of God, and it is this love and this love alone that directs our lives. But when a pure love of God is not clearly present, then the next best thing may be a holy fear. The words spoken by Jesus should evoke this “holy fear” within each of us.
By “holy,” we mean that there is a certain fear that can motivate us to change our lives in an authentic way. It’s possible that we fool others, and maybe even fool ourselves, but we cannot fool God. God sees and knows all things, and He knows the answer to the one and only question that matters on the day of judgment: “Did I fulfill the will of the Father in Heaven?”
A common practice, recommended over and over by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, is to consider all our current decisions and actions from the point of view of the day of judgment. What would I wish I had done in that moment? The answer to that question is of essential importance to the way we live our lives today.
Reflect, today, upon that important question in your own life. “Am I fulfilling the will of the Father in Heaven?” What will I wish I had done, here and now, as I stand before the judgment seat of Christ? Whatever comes to mind, spend time with that and strive to deepen your resolve to whatever God reveals to you. Do not hesitate. Do not wait. Prepare now so that the day of Judgment will also be a day of exceeding joy and glory!
My saving God, I pray for insight into my life. Help me to see my life and all of my actions in the light of Your will and Your Truth. My loving Father, I desire to live fully in accord with Your perfect will. Give me the grace I need to amend my life so that the day of judgment is a day of the greatest glory. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Thursday 1st week of Advent 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and all-knowing. Help me today to build a house on solid rock rather than shifting sand. Inspire me with your Spirit of Wisdom. Enkindle my heart to burn with love for you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Faith is Not Enough: The Gospel is taken from the concluding chapter of the Sermon on the Mount. The opening lines teach that faith alone – or faith that is mere lip-service – is not enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Our faith needs to flourish in good works, i.e., doing the Father’s will and acting upon the words of Jesus. The one who does the will of the Father in heaven is identical with the tree that bears good and beautiful fruit. Calling out to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” can be seen as an acknowledgment of Jesus’ divine nature. But merely acknowledging Jesus’ divinity is not enough. We can hear Christ’s words, but they can fall on barren ground or rocky soil. The Kingdom of Heaven has been inaugurated by Jesus on earth, and his words need to find good soil. “Christ’s words are aimed, not merely at the human ear, but at the human heart and will. … Christ’s words fructifying the human heart, grow into a harvest of prayer and charity” (Levia-Merikakis, Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Vol. 1, 312). Is my faith authentic or, at times, an empty faith? How am I an example of Christian living? How will I heed and carry out the Father’s will today?
2. Building on Sand: In his sermon, Jesus outlines how a person can choose to live their life in two very different ways. The same word of God is preached. The same building materials are offered. But what will be the foundation? Shifting sand or stable bedrock? Jesus concludes his powerful sermon with the admonition that our lives cannot be built on sand. They cannot be built on the latest fads, on earthly pleasures, on possessions, or on things that shift with the passage of time. That is the life of the fool. It lacks true, bedrock principles. When tribulation, trial, or temptation comes, the house built on sand collapses. The same storm, with its heavy rain, rising rivers, and howling wind, blasts against the house built on sand and the house built on rock. A life built on pleasure will break down when intense pain comes. A life built on earthly possessions will collapse when emptiness sets in. A life built on pride and power will fall when the celebrity fades. How am I tempted to build on sand?
3. Building on Rock: Our lives only have sense and meaning when they are built on the Lord God, the true Rock. That is the life of the wise and prudent person. What is it that gives true solidity to our lives on earth? The things of heaven: God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit; Mary our Mother; the Church, the gift of divine grace; the Eucharist and the Sacraments; the virtues of charity, faith, and hope; and the gifts of wisdom, piety, fortitude, fear of the Lord, knowledge, understanding, counsel, justice, temperance, courage, and prudence. Our final home is not an earthly grave. Our true home is heaven. The gates of the heavenly city are the goal of our striving. One day, if we persevere in love, we will enter those gates and give thanks to the Lord. How have I built my life on rock?
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my Rock! I choose today to build on sure foundations. I will act on your words and put them into practice. I reject the life built on sand, on pleasure, on power, and on earthly wealth. May I always seek to store up treasure with God the Father!
 
Thursday 1st week of Advent: Scripture: Matthew 7:21,24-27
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are all-powerful and all-knowing. Help me today to build a house on solid rock rather than shifting sand. Inspire me with your Spirit of Wisdom. Enkindle my heart to burn with love for you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. A Tale of Two Cities: The First Reading and the Gospel have many similarities, for both speak about construction and destruction, solidness and security, and entry into the city or into the kingdom of heaven. There is an invitation to trust in the Lord and build our lives on the Rock, who is the Lord himself. Isaiah speaks about having a strong city characterized by justice, faith, firm purpose, and peace. He also refers to the humbling of the lofty city. In its original context, it is a prophecy that the evil cities of Moab and the mighty Babylon will one day fall. Applied to our lives, God is inviting us to see how the humble will be exalted, and the prideful will be cast down. Will we be like the city of God, built on the solid rock of divine grace that flourishes in virtue? Or like the city built on shifting sand that is mired in vice?
2. The Gates of God’s City: The Responsorial Psalm takes up the theme of “opening the gates.” Those who enter the gates of God’s city are the just. We can identify the just, mentioned in the First Reading, with those who do the will of our heavenly Father, mentioned in the Gospel. God’s will is that we be a holy people. This holiness is not achieved solely through our own efforts to observe and keep the Old Law but rather is achieved through our free acceptance of God’s grace and mercy. Alone, we can do nothing. But united to Christ, the Son of God, all things are possible, including entering the gates of God’s eternal dwelling.
3. The Solid Things of Heaven: Our lives cannot be built on sand: on the latest fades, on earthly pleasures, on possessions, on things that shift with the passage of time. That is the life of the fool. Our lives only have sense and meaning when they are built on the Lord God, the Rock. That is the life of the wise and prudent man. What gives solidity to our lives on earth? The things of heaven: God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Mary our Mother, the Church, divine grace, the Eucharist, charity, faith, hope, wisdom, piety, fortitude, fear of the Lord, knowledge, understanding, counsel, justice, temperance, courage, and prudence. Our final home is not an earthly grave. Our true home is heaven. The gates of the heavenly city are the goal of our striving. One day, if we persevere in love, we will enter those gates and give thanks to the Lord.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I hope that I am acting in this passing world like a citizen of heaven. My earthly life is like the blink of an eye compared to the eternity that awaits me. Strengthen me for the battle ahead.