Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai Ngày 29 tháng 12 /2025 ngày thứ 5 trong bát nhật Giáng Sinh/

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai Ngày 29 tháng 12 /2025 ngày thứ 5 trong bát nhật Giáng Sinh/
 Nếu chúng ta tưởng tượng đến hình ảnh của bài phúc âm hôm nay, chúng ta có thể sẽ thấy khu đền thờ đầy những người qua lại giống như một khu chợ  hơn là đền thờ. Khi Đức Maria, ông Giuse mang Chúa Giêsu đến  đền thờ này, chắc chắn họ sẽ bị lạc trong những đám đông này. Một cặp vợ chồng rất đơn sơ, bình thường với một đứa trẻ thơ, họ thực sự không có gì đáng để ý. Có nhiều thầy thượng tế và người Pha-ri-sêu hiện diện và đứng giữa đám đông, họ có thể vai xánh vai với ông Giuse, nhưng không một ai trong số các giáo sĩ này của dân của Chúa đã có thể nghĩ rằng đứa trẻ này lại là "ánh sáng để soi chiếu những người ngoại giáo và cũng là vinh quang của dân Chúa,  Israel ". Thất là kỳ lạ cho dù mọi người Do Thái đang háo hức khao khát và chờ đợi Đấng Mếtsaia sẽ đến với họ,  nhưng không ai biết , kể cả các nhà lãnh đạo tôn giáo, đều nhận Ngài. Không ai, ngoại trừ ông già, Simeon, và góa già Anna.
Thiên Chúa đã nói với Simeon rằng ông sẽ được sống cho đến khi mắt ông nhìn thấy Đấng Mết-sai-a. Vì ông là một người đạo đức biết kính sợ Chúa,  và Chúa Thánh Thần đã đến với ông, Như Tin Mừng Luca đã nói. Chắc chắn là Thánh Thần Chúa đã gợi cho ông Simeon nhìn thấy được thực tại của trần thế này là thấy Thiên Chúa đang làm việc trong con người. Và ông Simeon đã thấy nơi Chúa Jêsus trong việc Ngài đã hoàn thành các lời hứa của các đấng thiên sai. Ông còn thấy được nhiều hơn thế nữa; Ông đã công nhận rằng công việc của Chúa Jêsus không là chỉ đếb thế gian để cứu rỗi dân Do Thái mà thôi, nhưng Ngài còn đến để cứu rỗi toàn thể nhân loại. Chúng ta hãy cầu xin Chúa Thánh Linh dạy cho chúng ta cách biết nhìn vào kinh nghiệm của chính bản thân chúng ta hàng ngày và tìm ra công việc mả Thiên Chúa muốn chúng ta thực hiện trong kế hoạch cứu rỗi của nhân loại cũa Ngài..
 
REFLECTION December 29, 2017
If we try to imagine the picture of today’s gospel, we may see the temple area teemed with people. It was something like a marketplace. Jesus, Mary and Joseph came into the Temple area and immediately were lost in the milling crowds. An ordinary poor couple with a very young baby: there was really nothing worth noticing.
There were priests and Pharisees among the crowd, rubbing shoulders with the little family, yet not a single one of these religious elite of God's own people had any idea this child was "a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of [God's] people Israel." It seems very strange that though every Jew was eagerly waiting and yearning for the Messiah to come, no one, not even the religious leaders, recognized him. No one, that is, other than the old man, Simeon, and the old widow, Anna. God had told Simeon that he would live until his eyes beheld the Messiah.  He was a devout and pious man and the Holy Spirit was on him, Luke says. Undoubtedly the Spirit inspired Simeon to look at the earthly reality and see God at work in it. Simeon saw in Jesus the fulfillment of the messianic promises. He saw much more besides; he recognized that Jesus' task embraced the salvation not only of the Jewish people, but of the whole human race.
Let us ask the Spirit to teach us how to look into our daily experiences and find the task God intends us to fulfill in his plan for the salvation of all humankind.
 
The Fifth Day in the Octave of ChristmAS
Today’s Gospel tells the story of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Temple was, in practically a literal sense, the dwelling place of the Lord. In the Temple, divinity and humanity embraced, and the human race was brought back online with God.
But the sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the Temple. Therefore, one of the deepest aspirations of Israel’s people was to reestablish the Temple as the place of right praise so that the glory of the Lord might return. When Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the Temple, therefore, we are meant to appreciate that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The glory of Yahweh is returning to his favorite dwelling. And this is precisely what Simeon sees.
The old seer is a symbol of ancient Israel, watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon knew all of the old prophecies; he embodied the expectation of the nation; and the Holy Spirit had given him the revelation that he would not die until he had laid eyes on his Savior.
 
REFLECTION December 29, 2017
John was adamant: to believe in Jesus and to know him is to walk as he walked and that means loving as he loved. Love is not an abstraction or an idea but a way of life. The only way we express love for God is by loving our brothers and sisters. If we claim to walk in light and love but fail to love those around us, then we are living a lie. Our daily interactions with others and the attitudes we have towards them are a test and an indicator of the quality and depth of our faith and our love for God.
Love and faith sustained Simeon and led him to encounter the infant Jesus in the temple. He felt that his life was complete — he could now go in peace. God was in control! But there was a warning — Jesus embodied perfect love, but this is threatening for many people, especially those who walk in darkness and selfishness. His presence would stir up a lot of trouble; many would stumble and fall. Love has a way of laying bare what lies within people. In their encounters with Jesus, the true inner nature of many people would be revealed in both a positive and negative sense.
How would you react to the presence of Jesus? Would perfect love be threatening to you? What would be revealed and laid bare? The answers to those questions lie in beginning this very day to walk the path of love — it is the only path to God’s kingdom.Lord, may I always walk in light and love.
 
Reflection December 29, 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, today I contemplate the mystery of your Son’s Presentation in the Temple. It is a mystery that I often contemplate in the rosary. Help me to enter into this mystery and experience the depth of your obedient and loving self-offering to the Father.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Firstborn Sons Belong to God: In the Bible, we see Mary and Joseph bring their firstborn son to the Temple on the fortieth day after Jesus’ birth. The firstborn sons were to be consecrated – set apart as holy – to the Lord. The reservation of the firstborn to God is alluded to in the story of Cain and Abel, where we see Abel offering the firstlings of his flock to God in sacrifice. Cain, by contrast, offered some fruit from his harvest but not the first fruits. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted, while Cain’s offering was rejected (Genesis 4:4-5). In the Book of Exodus, we learn how Israel was expected to offer the Lord God the first fruits of their harvest and the firstlings of their flocks (Exodus 23:19; Deuteronomy 18:4). The commands in the Law of Moses concerning the consecration of the firstborn sons stemmed from the Exodus story when God spared Israel’s firstborn in Egypt, signifying how he saved them and how they belong to him (Exodus 13:2). God rejected the option of Israel’s offering their firstborn sons in sacrifice. This prohibition is anticipated in the story of Abraham and Isaac. God was testing Abraham when he ordered him to offer his son, Isaac, but ultimately spared Isaac’s life. In the place of his firstborn son, Abraham offered a ram and looked forward to the day when the Lord God would provide a sacrificial lamb. And so, instead of sacrificing their firstborn to God, Israel was expected to dedicate or consecrate their firstborn son for priestly service and worship.
2. Redeeming the First-Born: Israel’s sons, however, were unfaithful. And in the laws given to and by Moses, God ordered that the firstborn be redeemed or “bought back” from their priestly service (see Exodus 13:11-16; Numbers 18:15-16). This need for redemption is due to Israel’s idolatrous worship of the golden calf. Before this idolatry, the firstborn of Israel acted as priests and offered sacrifices. But when they worshipped the golden calf and broke the covenant, the priesthood was stripped from the firstborn and transferred to the sons of the tribe of Levi. The Levites served in the tabernacle of Moses and in the temple of Solomon in the place of the firstborn of the other tribes. This replacement of the firstborn by the Levites is evident in the Book of Numbers. A census in Numbers showed there were 22,273 firstborn males in Israel, but only 22,000 Levites (Numbers 3:12-51). For the extra 273 firstborn males, a redemption price of five shekels each – totaling 1,365 shekels – was paid to Aaron and his sons. In Jesus’ day, parents from non-Levite tribes continued the practice of redeeming or buying back their firstborn sons. When they paid the redemption price – typically 5 shekels – this would release their firstborn from his priestly duties. A Levite would take over the firstborn’s role, and then you could bring your son home. The Levite firstborn sons, however, were not redeemed; instead, they served as substitutes for all the other firstborn males in Israel.
3. Jesus was Consecrated, Not Redeemed: When Luke narrates the story of Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, he is careful to avoid saying that Jesus was redeemed or bought back from his priestly service. The emphasis is on his presentation and consecration as the firstborn son of Mary. “Jesus was brought to the Temple and presented – because he was going to serve God in a priestly role” (Bergsma, Jesus and the Old Testament Roots of the Priesthood, 80). As well, Luke doesn’t speak about any animals offered as aredemption sacrifice, but only the sacrifice for the ritual purification of the mother (Leviticus 12:6-8). The womb of Mary was not impure from giving birth, but, like the consecrated vessels in the Temple, needed to be purified after having been used. By not mentioning any animals as a redemption sacrifice, Luke points to the day when Jesus, the Lamb provided by God, will offer himself up as a sacrifice for our sins. It is highly symbolic that Jesus’ presentation on the 40^th day after his birth coincides with the 490^th day after the annunciation to Zechariah. Six months passed between this annunciation and the annunciation to Mary. Nine months passed until Jesus’ birth. 180 days plus 270 plus 40 equals 490 days. This was significant because 490 was a number connected to mercy. The prophet Daniel foretold that the end of exile, the coming of the Messiah, and the establishment of a merciful covenant would happen in “seventy weeks of years” (490 years). And when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive, Jesus answered, “seventy times seven times” (490 times). Today’s Gospel reminds us of how Jesus, the firstborn Son of Mary, was consecrated, would be sacrificed, and would establish the New Covenant of God’s merciful love.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you were consecrated for priestly service. I share in your priesthood through my baptism. Help me sanctify my day by offering it through you to the Father and interceding for my brothers and sisters in need.
 
Reflection December 29, 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord, I believe in your presence. I believe I can encounter you during this time of prayer. I believe in your promises. Increase my faith. 
Encountering Christ: 
1. What the Lord Had Promised: Simeon, like other Israelites, lived with the hope of the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. He was “awaiting the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), the Messiah that would come and save humanity from sin and death. Scripture is full of God’s promises. “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). “I will come back” (John 14:3). “You will have a treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). “You will inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5). “Where I am you will also be” (John 14:3). What has God promised you? Which promises most speak to you during this Christmas season?
2. Faith through Waiting: In this passage, we see the moment when Simeon encountered Jesus, when he saw the promise that he had awaited fulfilled. But how many days and nights had he shown up at the temple, waiting with no sign. When we read stories too quickly we can forget the struggle that occurred before the happy ending. We might be in a time of expectation, in a waiting period, tempted to darkness and doubt. In these moments, we battle against hopelessness, against the lies that suggest we’ve been abandoned or deceived. This is the perfect opportunity to exercise our faith, to stand strong in the certain knowledge that the Lord is always faithful, and that his timing is perfect. 
3. My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation: There was nothing out of the ordinary that morning in Jerusalem when a young father and mother brought their newborn to be presented in the Temple. Every family did so. But the Gospel tells us that Simeon was able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the light for the nations.What a life of prayer and silence Simeon must have had! In order to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives we need special eyes of faith. We need to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. We need to notice his subtle movements in our heart. Praying every day enables us to notice God’s hand at work in our day. Our Lord is constantly showering graces upon us, and prayer helps us be ever more attentive to his endless blessings in our life.
Conversing with Christ: Holy Spirit, I want to hear you. I want the disposition of my heart to be such that I notice your presence in my life every day. Help me to appreciate your faithfulness throughout my day, and if I must wait for an answered prayer, help me to wait with confidence.