Suy
Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Ba Tuần thứ 2 Thường Niên
"Vì Chúa không thấy những gì mà như là con đã người nhìn thấy."
Cả hai bài đọc hôm nay nói cho chúng ta biết về những khía cạnh khác nhau về góc độ nhìn của Chúa. Quan điểm của chúng ta là rất hạn chế và thường bị ô nhiễm độc bởi tất cả các loại tội lỗi. Kết quả là chúng ta không thể nhìn thấy xa hơn những gì mà chúng ta có thể thấy.
Reflection SG (2016)
“For the Lord does not see as mortals see.” Today's readings both speak of looking at each other from the Lord’s perspective. Our perspective is very limited and often tainted by all kinds of sin. As a consequence, we do not see beyond what we see.
Therefore, we miss the life-giving and life-creating perspective of God. Most of the time without looking into the hearts of the others, we judge them by their outward appearances, forgetting that these outward appearances can be deceptive.
After having created the world in six days the Lord rested on the seventh day and consecrated it as the Sabbath. The true spirit behind the Sabbath was to continue to do unceasingly what is good for others. In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to return to the true inner spirit behind all of our spiritual practices and not get stuck with outward practices. The greatest commandment that Jesus has given us is of love. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John-13:34). He teaches us a very simple law, namely “the law of love.” We should always follow the spirit rather than the letter of the law.
Lord Jesus, grant that, like Yours, our lives may be governed by love.
Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary
Time
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath” Mark 2:27–28
Today’s Gospel should console those who struggle with a legalistic and scrupulous mindset. This is an easy trap to fall into for those who desire to keep God’s commandments and remain faithful to His holy will. Despite the best intentions, it’s easy for those who are deeply sincere in their fidelity to God to misunderstand how best to please and glorify Him. One common trap is to think that meticulous observance of the external Law is sufficient. While obedience to God’s Law is essential, it is equally important to understand the authentic requirements of His Law—what it truly demands and what it does not.
Today’s Gospel takes place toward the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, after He had named His Twelve Apostles and begun preaching and healing. As they walked to another town on the Sabbath so Jesus could continue His mission, they passed through a field. The Apostles, being hungry, forged a path through the grain and picked some of it to eat. When the Pharisees saw them doing this, they seized the opportunity to condemn them, saying, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” (Mark 2:24).
Without getting too philosophical, it’s important to understand what we call God’s Eternal Law. The Eternal Law encompasses reality—physical, moral, and spiritual truths. All that God has established as true must be our guide through life. The goal of the evil one is to deceive us by leading us into a false understanding of that reality.
Traditionally, the Eternal Law has been divided into two distinct aspects: the Natural and Divine Laws. The Divine Law is all that is known only through divine revelation—all that the Scriptures reveal, especially through Christ’s humanity and mission. The Natural Law, on the other hand, is written upon creation itself, including our own human nature. Natural Law is written on our consciences and discerned through reason. For example, we instinctively know it is wrong to lie, steal, and murder. Though God’s Divine Law confirms this through the Ten Commandments, these basic moral truths are already evident to us when we reflect clearly.
In today’s Gospel, the Apostles’ actions were perfectly aligned with right reason—the Natural Law—showing how their choices reflected God’s design for human flourishing. They were eating grain as they journeyed with Jesus so He could continue His mission. Their need for sustenance, especially while in service to Christ, took precedence over rigid legalistic interpretations of the Sabbath. The Pharisees, however, mistook the Sabbath for an end in itself. They focused solely on external observance and failed to understand that the Sabbath was instituted as a gift for humanity—a day for rest, worship, and renewal in communion with God.
What’s freeing and beautiful to note is that the Natural Law, written on our human reason, and the Divine Law, revealed through the Scriptures, are in perfect harmony. Both flow from God. Through His mission, Jesus shows us how the Divine Law elevates and perfects the Natural Law, orienting both toward love and mercy. The Pharisees’ legalism obscured this harmony, reducing the Law to a burdensome set of rules rather than as a pathway to life and freedom.
Reflect today on your own approach to God’s Law. If you find it burdensome, reevaluate your thinking. Properly understood and embraced, God’s Law is not a weight; it’s the source of freedom. The Sabbath, in particular, invites us to rest and trust in God’s providence. When we live according to the Eternal Law—both Natural and Divine—we discover harmony within our souls that refreshes and elevates us. Resolve to follow God’s Law with love, avoiding both scrupulosity and laxity, and you will find the freedom and joy for which you were created.
Divine Law-Giver, all that You have spoken and established is Truth. You are the Source of Truth and Truth Itself. Please free me from both laxity and scrupulosity as I strive to live in accord with Your will. May I find in Your Law the pathway to freedom and joy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday 2nd Week
of Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son, the Lord of the Sabbath, to reconcile us with you. Help me, each Sunday, to praise you for your great work of creation and look forward to eternal rest with you in heaven.
1. The Depth of Biblical Truth: Today’s Gospel is famous because it seems to have an error. The line in question reads: “[David] went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest.” In fact, however, Ahimelech, not Abiathar, was the high priest when this happened. Some point to this and argue that the Bible contains errors and, therefore, is not reliable. But there is a simple solution. The books of the Bible, in Jesus’ day, were not divided into numbered chapters and verses. And so, when you referred to a story or line from the Old Testament, you could point to a prominent figure in the section. Abiathar, who was deposed as the high priest when he supported Adonijah instead of Solomon, was more prominent than Ahimelech. And so, instead of translating the Greek preposition “epi” as “when,” it should be translated as “in the time of,” “concerning,” or “in the section of.” Likely, however, there is something even deeper. By alluding to Abiathar instead of Ahimelech in his conflict with the religious authorities, Jesus is alluding to the end of the old priesthood and the beginning of the new. Abiathar was the last of his line to be high priest. After Abiathar, the high priesthood passed to Zadok, who was high priest during the reign of Solomon, the son of David. This is why Jesus compares himself and his disciples to David and David’s companions and points out how they did something that belonged exclusively to priests. Jesus is the eternal high priest. He will consecrate his Apostles on the night of the Last Supper as the priests of the New Covenant. At the Last Supper, Jesus will institute the New Passover that his Apostles, their successors, and their coworkers will celebrate on Sunday, the day of the New Sabbath. It will be a day that commemorates the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The New Sabbath is a day that looks forward to the Ultimate Sabbath, the consummation of history, when our Lord will return in glory. So, rather than superficially abandoning our belief in the truth of the Bible because we think we found an error, the proper attitude is humility, knowing that through prayer, meditation, contemplation, and further study, God’s Word will continue to astound us with its truth and depth.
Tuesday 2nd Week
of Ordinary Time 2024
The Pharisees were greatly concerned about many things that were distortions of the law of God. The Third Commandment calls us to “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.” Furthermore, we read in Exodus 20:8–10 that we are not to do any work on the Sabbath but are to use that day for rest. From this Commandment, the Pharisees developed extensive commentary on what was permitted and what was forbidden to do on the Sabbath. They determined that picking the heads of grain was one of the forbidden actions.
In many countries today, the Sabbath rest has all but disappeared. Sadly, Sunday is rarely set aside any longer for a day of worship and rest with family and friends. For that reason, this hypercritical condemnation of the disciples by the Pharisees is hard to relate to. The deeper spiritual issue seems to be the hyper “nitpicky” approach taken by the Pharisees. They were not so much concerned about honoring God on the Sabbath as they were interested in being judgmental and condemning. And though it may be rare today to find people overly scrupulous and nitpicky about the Sabbath rest, it’s often easy to find ourselves becoming nitpicky about many other things in life.
Consider your family and those who are closest to you. Are there things they do and habits they have formed that leave you constantly criticizing them? Sometimes we criticize others for actions that are clearly contrary to the laws of God. At different times, we criticize others on account of some exaggeration of fact on our part. Though it is important to speak charitably against violations of the external law of God, we must be very careful not to set ourselves up as the judge and jury of others, especially when our criticism is based on a distortion of the truth or an exaggeration of something minor. In other words, we must be careful not to become nitpicky ourselves.
Reflect, today, upon any tendency you have in your relationships with those closest to you toward being excessive and distorted in your criticism. Do you find yourself obsessing over the apparent minor faults of others on a regular basis? Try to step back from criticism today and renew, instead, your practice of mercy toward all. If you do, you may actually discover that your judgments of others do not fully reflect the truth of God’s law.
My merciful Judge, give me a heart of compassion and mercy toward all. Remove from my heart all judgmentalness and criticalness. I leave all judgment to You, dear Lord, and seek only to be an instrument of Your love and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Tuesday 2nd Week
of Ordinary Time 2024
1. David is Anointed King: King Saul was prideful and disobedient and separated himself from God’s friendship through his sins. Because of Saul’s disobedience, the Lord commanded Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel in the town of Bethlehem. God saw the heart of Saul and judged him unworthy to lead his people. As well, God saw the heart of David and sent his Spirit upon the young boy. David was tending the sheep before he was anointed. This foreshadows his future service as king. Authority is not given by God for earthly gain and privilege. Those in authority are called to serve and dedicate their life to others.
"Vì Chúa không thấy những gì mà như là con đã người nhìn thấy."
Cả hai bài đọc hôm nay nói cho chúng ta biết về những khía cạnh khác nhau về góc độ nhìn của Chúa. Quan điểm của chúng ta là rất hạn chế và thường bị ô nhiễm độc bởi tất cả các loại tội lỗi. Kết quả là chúng ta không thể nhìn thấy xa hơn những gì mà chúng ta có thể thấy.
“For the Lord does not see as mortals see.” Today's readings both speak of looking at each other from the Lord’s perspective. Our perspective is very limited and often tainted by all kinds of sin. As a consequence, we do not see beyond what we see.
Therefore, we miss the life-giving and life-creating perspective of God. Most of the time without looking into the hearts of the others, we judge them by their outward appearances, forgetting that these outward appearances can be deceptive.
After having created the world in six days the Lord rested on the seventh day and consecrated it as the Sabbath. The true spirit behind the Sabbath was to continue to do unceasingly what is good for others. In the Gospel, Jesus invites us to return to the true inner spirit behind all of our spiritual practices and not get stuck with outward practices. The greatest commandment that Jesus has given us is of love. “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another” (John-13:34). He teaches us a very simple law, namely “the law of love.” We should always follow the spirit rather than the letter of the law.
Lord Jesus, grant that, like Yours, our lives may be governed by love.
“The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath” Mark 2:27–28
Today’s Gospel should console those who struggle with a legalistic and scrupulous mindset. This is an easy trap to fall into for those who desire to keep God’s commandments and remain faithful to His holy will. Despite the best intentions, it’s easy for those who are deeply sincere in their fidelity to God to misunderstand how best to please and glorify Him. One common trap is to think that meticulous observance of the external Law is sufficient. While obedience to God’s Law is essential, it is equally important to understand the authentic requirements of His Law—what it truly demands and what it does not.
Today’s Gospel takes place toward the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, after He had named His Twelve Apostles and begun preaching and healing. As they walked to another town on the Sabbath so Jesus could continue His mission, they passed through a field. The Apostles, being hungry, forged a path through the grain and picked some of it to eat. When the Pharisees saw them doing this, they seized the opportunity to condemn them, saying, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” (Mark 2:24).
Without getting too philosophical, it’s important to understand what we call God’s Eternal Law. The Eternal Law encompasses reality—physical, moral, and spiritual truths. All that God has established as true must be our guide through life. The goal of the evil one is to deceive us by leading us into a false understanding of that reality.
Traditionally, the Eternal Law has been divided into two distinct aspects: the Natural and Divine Laws. The Divine Law is all that is known only through divine revelation—all that the Scriptures reveal, especially through Christ’s humanity and mission. The Natural Law, on the other hand, is written upon creation itself, including our own human nature. Natural Law is written on our consciences and discerned through reason. For example, we instinctively know it is wrong to lie, steal, and murder. Though God’s Divine Law confirms this through the Ten Commandments, these basic moral truths are already evident to us when we reflect clearly.
In today’s Gospel, the Apostles’ actions were perfectly aligned with right reason—the Natural Law—showing how their choices reflected God’s design for human flourishing. They were eating grain as they journeyed with Jesus so He could continue His mission. Their need for sustenance, especially while in service to Christ, took precedence over rigid legalistic interpretations of the Sabbath. The Pharisees, however, mistook the Sabbath for an end in itself. They focused solely on external observance and failed to understand that the Sabbath was instituted as a gift for humanity—a day for rest, worship, and renewal in communion with God.
What’s freeing and beautiful to note is that the Natural Law, written on our human reason, and the Divine Law, revealed through the Scriptures, are in perfect harmony. Both flow from God. Through His mission, Jesus shows us how the Divine Law elevates and perfects the Natural Law, orienting both toward love and mercy. The Pharisees’ legalism obscured this harmony, reducing the Law to a burdensome set of rules rather than as a pathway to life and freedom.
Reflect today on your own approach to God’s Law. If you find it burdensome, reevaluate your thinking. Properly understood and embraced, God’s Law is not a weight; it’s the source of freedom. The Sabbath, in particular, invites us to rest and trust in God’s providence. When we live according to the Eternal Law—both Natural and Divine—we discover harmony within our souls that refreshes and elevates us. Resolve to follow God’s Law with love, avoiding both scrupulosity and laxity, and you will find the freedom and joy for which you were created.
Divine Law-Giver, all that You have spoken and established is Truth. You are the Source of Truth and Truth Itself. Please free me from both laxity and scrupulosity as I strive to live in accord with Your will. May I find in Your Law the pathway to freedom and joy. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son, the Lord of the Sabbath, to reconcile us with you. Help me, each Sunday, to praise you for your great work of creation and look forward to eternal rest with you in heaven.
1. The Depth of Biblical Truth: Today’s Gospel is famous because it seems to have an error. The line in question reads: “[David] went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest.” In fact, however, Ahimelech, not Abiathar, was the high priest when this happened. Some point to this and argue that the Bible contains errors and, therefore, is not reliable. But there is a simple solution. The books of the Bible, in Jesus’ day, were not divided into numbered chapters and verses. And so, when you referred to a story or line from the Old Testament, you could point to a prominent figure in the section. Abiathar, who was deposed as the high priest when he supported Adonijah instead of Solomon, was more prominent than Ahimelech. And so, instead of translating the Greek preposition “epi” as “when,” it should be translated as “in the time of,” “concerning,” or “in the section of.” Likely, however, there is something even deeper. By alluding to Abiathar instead of Ahimelech in his conflict with the religious authorities, Jesus is alluding to the end of the old priesthood and the beginning of the new. Abiathar was the last of his line to be high priest. After Abiathar, the high priesthood passed to Zadok, who was high priest during the reign of Solomon, the son of David. This is why Jesus compares himself and his disciples to David and David’s companions and points out how they did something that belonged exclusively to priests. Jesus is the eternal high priest. He will consecrate his Apostles on the night of the Last Supper as the priests of the New Covenant. At the Last Supper, Jesus will institute the New Passover that his Apostles, their successors, and their coworkers will celebrate on Sunday, the day of the New Sabbath. It will be a day that commemorates the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. The New Sabbath is a day that looks forward to the Ultimate Sabbath, the consummation of history, when our Lord will return in glory. So, rather than superficially abandoning our belief in the truth of the Bible because we think we found an error, the proper attitude is humility, knowing that through prayer, meditation, contemplation, and further study, God’s Word will continue to astound us with its truth and depth.
The Pharisees were greatly concerned about many things that were distortions of the law of God. The Third Commandment calls us to “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.” Furthermore, we read in Exodus 20:8–10 that we are not to do any work on the Sabbath but are to use that day for rest. From this Commandment, the Pharisees developed extensive commentary on what was permitted and what was forbidden to do on the Sabbath. They determined that picking the heads of grain was one of the forbidden actions.
In many countries today, the Sabbath rest has all but disappeared. Sadly, Sunday is rarely set aside any longer for a day of worship and rest with family and friends. For that reason, this hypercritical condemnation of the disciples by the Pharisees is hard to relate to. The deeper spiritual issue seems to be the hyper “nitpicky” approach taken by the Pharisees. They were not so much concerned about honoring God on the Sabbath as they were interested in being judgmental and condemning. And though it may be rare today to find people overly scrupulous and nitpicky about the Sabbath rest, it’s often easy to find ourselves becoming nitpicky about many other things in life.
Consider your family and those who are closest to you. Are there things they do and habits they have formed that leave you constantly criticizing them? Sometimes we criticize others for actions that are clearly contrary to the laws of God. At different times, we criticize others on account of some exaggeration of fact on our part. Though it is important to speak charitably against violations of the external law of God, we must be very careful not to set ourselves up as the judge and jury of others, especially when our criticism is based on a distortion of the truth or an exaggeration of something minor. In other words, we must be careful not to become nitpicky ourselves.
Reflect, today, upon any tendency you have in your relationships with those closest to you toward being excessive and distorted in your criticism. Do you find yourself obsessing over the apparent minor faults of others on a regular basis? Try to step back from criticism today and renew, instead, your practice of mercy toward all. If you do, you may actually discover that your judgments of others do not fully reflect the truth of God’s law.
My merciful Judge, give me a heart of compassion and mercy toward all. Remove from my heart all judgmentalness and criticalness. I leave all judgment to You, dear Lord, and seek only to be an instrument of Your love and mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. David is Anointed King: King Saul was prideful and disobedient and separated himself from God’s friendship through his sins. Because of Saul’s disobedience, the Lord commanded Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel in the town of Bethlehem. God saw the heart of Saul and judged him unworthy to lead his people. As well, God saw the heart of David and sent his Spirit upon the young boy. David was tending the sheep before he was anointed. This foreshadows his future service as king. Authority is not given by God for earthly gain and privilege. Those in authority are called to serve and dedicate their life to others.
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