Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu sau lễ Hiển Linh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu sau lễ Hiển Linh

Qua bài Tin Mừng chúng ta được nghe hôm nay, chúng ta đã thấy được những gì đặc biệt trong phép lạ mà Chúa Giêsu đã làm trong bài đọc phúc âm hôm nay

            Một số người trong chúng ta có thể không bao giở dám đến với Chúa để nói một câu tương tự: Nhưng Chúa Giêsu vẫn luôn trong tư thế sẵn sàng để chữa lành chúng ta, có lẽ vì chúng ta không tin là Ngài có thể làm được như vậy.  Đôi khi chúng ta đến với Chúa và cầu nguyện để xin cho chúng ta một ơn xin hay một cái gì đó, nhưng trong thâm tâm xôn xao lo lắng, vì chúng ta có thể không tin là Chúa có thể được thay đổi những tình hình bi đát hiện tại của chúng ta. Bởi vì chúng ta thường cầu nguyện, đọc kinh hay theo các nghi thức, những nguyên tắc cứng đơ, như người có xác, mà không có hồn trong các nghi lễ, và hình như chúng ta làm là để chĩ muốn xe xua, tỏ vẻ quan trọng các dấu hiệu bên ngoài mà quên không nhắc tới những câu nguyện cầu căn bản: “Con tin rằng Đức Giêsu có thể chữa lành cho Con, Xin giúp con biết thay đổi.”

            Chúng ta hãy can đảm để suy ngẫm về những lời cầu nguyện của chúng ta. Không nên quá chú trọng về nội dung của lời cầu nguyện, nhưng hãy tự đo dâng lên Chúa những lời cầu nguyện riêng của mình. Khi chúng ta nói chuyện với Chúa Giêsu, xin Chúa về điều gì đó, chúng ta có tin rằng Chúa luôn luôn lắng nghe lời cầu xin của chúng ta và Ngài có thể đáp ban cho chúng ta nhừng lời cầu xin của chúng ta?

            Chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện lên Chúa Giêsu một cách chân thành là xin Ngài ban cho chúng ta được gia tăng đức tin. Ngài sẽ lắng nghe Chúng ta.

             Lạy Chúa, chúng con tin; Xin Chúa gia tăng đức tin của chúng con.

 

Reflection: (SG)

What is special about the miracle which is reported in today’s gospel reading? There was a leper who wanted to be cleansed. When he saw Jesus, he knelt down and said something very special to him: “Sir, if you are willing, you can cleanse me”. We can feel the faith of this man. He did not have any doubt that Jesus was able to change his miserable life. Jesus touched him and he was cleansed immediately.

            Some of us may not ask whether Jesus is willing to heal us, because we do not believe he is able to do so. Sometimes we multiply prayers asking for something, but in our heart, we do not believe that anything can be changed. We stick to rituals, external signs and do not ask the fundamental question: Do I believe that Jesus can heal me, help me and change my life?

            I would like to encourage you to mediate about your prayer. Not about its content but about the prayer itself. When you talk to Jesus, asking him about something, are you convinced that he listens to you and he is able to answer your question? Pray to Jesus sincerely for an increase of faith. He will listen to you.         

            Lord, I do believe; increase my faith

 

Fifth Christmas Weekday after Epiphany

Friday after Epiphany or January 11

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Luke 5:12

What a perfect prayer! This leper, likely shunned by the townspeople, including his own family, had been reduced to a life of isolation and rejection. Some might have pitied him, but out of fear of contracting his dread disease, they kept their distance. The emotional and social isolation he endured would have been even more painful than the physical suffering caused by leprosy.

This miracle takes place shortly after the people in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth rejected Him. The Nazarenes’ rejection stemmed from a sense of entitlement; they saw themselves as God’s chosen people and thus believed they were entitled to His grace and blessings. When Jesus confronted their false beliefs, they became hostile and even attempted to kill Him. As a result, He left Nazareth and continued His ministry in Capernaum and other towns.

Jesus did not perform miracles to impress others or to win their esteem. Instead, He performed miracles for those who already exhibited deep faith. The miracles were not only intended to reveal His identity but were primarily acts of love meant to invite the faithful to believe more deeply. This leper is a perfect example of such faith.

First, the man approached Jesus and “fell prostrate” before Him. In doing so, he professed his faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This act of faith was enough to open the floodgates of God’s blessings. The leper believed and worshiped first, and because of this, God’s grace was poured out upon him. Too often, we seek blessings first, as if we are entitled to anything from God. We might say, “Please do me this favor, Lord, and then I will believe.” But that is not how it works. Jesus is God and must be treated as such. Whether we are blessed or not, whether we suffer or not, we must worship God because He is God. This leper understood that.

The leper’s prayer for healing is also a model of humility and trust. He did not directly ask Jesus to heal him. Instead, he professed his faith in Jesus’ ability to heal, saying, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” This expression of faith unlocked the tender compassion of our Lord, who responded, “I do will it. Be made clean.”

When you pray, do you tell God what He should do for you? Do you present Him with a list of your ideas and expectations? If so, try setting those aside. Begin your prayer by worshiping God simply because He is God. When it comes to your needs, place them before Him with trust, but avoid telling God what to do. God knows what is best for you. Presenting your needs to Him should not be a plea for Him to fulfill your will; rather, it should be an act of trust, believing that He will do what is best according to His will. We must desire nothing other than that.

Reflect today on the example of this leper. Though the disease of leprosy is a dreadful affliction, the leper’s model of prayer is truly admirable. Consider whether you follow his example. Love, worship, and profess your faith in God, and then entrust yourself to His providential care, ready to embrace His will no matter what it may be. This form of holy detachment will unleash God’s mercy and provide you with what you need most—God’s will.

My miraculous Lord, too often I come to You with my needs, telling You what I want You to do for me. Please grant me a humble and faith-filled heart like that of the leper. May my first prayer always be one of worship. May my worship lead to trust so that Your will, not mine, may be done in my life. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Friday after Epiphany 2026

Opening Prayer: Lord God, cleanse me from my sin and wash me with the blood of your Son. Purify the intentions of my heart and inspire me with your Word. Strengthen me with your Spirit and grant me docility of heart to carry out your holy will.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Signs of Salvation: The majority of Jesus’ signs and miracles – as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke – were healings. Jesus healed the blind, the mute, the deaf, lepers, the lame, the paralyzed, epileptics, and the sick. Through these healings, Jesus fulfilled the words of the prophets and manifested that the age of salvation had come. For example, Isaiah prophesied that in the age of salvation, the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped, the lame would leap like the deer, and the tongues of the mute would sing for joy (Isaiah 35:5-6). Jesus fulfilled all of these prophecies. As signs, the healing signs done by Jesus point to greater healing realities in the age of the Church. Sin causes spiritual blindness, lameness, muteness, deafness, leprosy, paralysis, and sickness. The Church, with the power given her by Christ, can open the eyes of the blind through faith. The Church can strengthen the muscles of the spiritually lame. The Church can enable the spiritually mute to sing God’s praises. The Church can open our ears with the proclamation of the Word of God. The Church, through her Sacraments, can raise the spiritually dead to life and restore those who are spiritually sick to health.

2. Jesus’ Priestly and Healing Power: When Jesus touched the leper, he was not rendered unclean by the leper. The reverse happened. The leper was cleansed by the touch of Jesus. The same happens with our sinful humanity. When God reached out and touched us by assuming our human nature, he was not rendered unclean through his contact with humanity. Instead, the Son of God perfected our human nature. He lived our life but was not marred by sin. This is comforting because no matter how serious or how many our sins are, they can all be healed and cleansed by God’s healing touch. On the Cross, we see Jesus revealed as our priest, who sacrifices himself for our sins. He effectively did what the Levitical priests could not do through their animal sacrifices.

3. Show Yourself to the Priest: In the Gospel, Jesus commands the leper to go and show himself to the priest. This was to fulfill the Law of Moses, which obligated those who were healed from skin diseases to be examined by the priests before they could be readmitted to the community and society. This was a practical way of protecting the community from a contagious disease. But it was also a sign that pointed to something greater in the New Covenant. When we go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we show ourselves to the priest. We humbly confess our sins, manifest as best we can our conscience, and ask to be readmitted to God’s family. When the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation ends, there is still work to be done. We need to do our penance and work to restore the relationships we broke through sin.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am always in need of your forgiveness and mercy. Do not let me become haughty or self-righteous like the Pharisees and Scribes. Do not let me wallow in the filth of sin. I want to strive every day and every hour for holiness and perfection and count on your grace to attain them.

 

Friday after Epiphany 2022

Opening Prayer: My God, I give you thanks for the Holy Catholic Church, your body on earth, of which you are the head. Through the Church, I can know your Truth. I thank you for the gift of the Eucharist, where I can encounter your Real Presence both in Communion and Adoration. I thank you for your presence in Scripture. Lord, in all these ways I can see your desire to make yourself known to me and to draw me to yourself. As I place myself in your presence for this moment of prayer, I ask you to open my ears so that I may hear you speak and to open my eyes so that I may see my life through your eyes.

Encountering Christ:

You Can Make Me Clean: Leprosy not only caused physical suffering, disfigurement, and even death, it also separated an individual from society—both general society and the religious community. Thus a leper was cut off from human contact and relationships even in his great physical need. In this story, a leper risked coming into town to plead with Jesus for healing. He knew that Jesus was his only chance of both physical health and restoration to his community. In a similar way, sin affects us personally, weakening our practice of virtue and separating us from God and others. We need healing and restoration. The sacrament of Reconciliation not only forgives sin, but it “reconciles us with the Church,” repairing and restoring fraternal communion. (CCC 1469). In the same paragraph, the Catechism speaks of our being “reestablished or strengthened in the communion of saints” and being “made stronger by the exchange of spiritual goods” within members of the Body of Christ.

 I Do Will It: There was no question about Jesus’ desire to heal the leper. He didn’t hesitate but stretched out his hand and touched the leper, saying, “I do will it; be made clean.” As a result of original sin, each of us is subject to concupiscence (the inclination to sin). When we commit what seem to be minor sins, it can be tempting to think, “It’s just a little thing” or “It’s not a mortal sin.” However, even venial sin disfigures the image of God within us. Venial sin “impedes the soul’s progress in the exercise of the virtues and the practice of moral good…(and) disposes us little by little to commit mortal sin” (CCC 1863). We need to approach Jesus in the healing sacrament of Reconciliation where he can touch and heal us and reconcile us with the community of the Church.

Go Show Yourself to the Priest: A student once challenged a theology professor about the need for the sacrament of Reconciliation, stating his belief that individuals could just ask Jesus for forgiveness in prayer. The professor asked the young man, “Don’t you think each person deserves a personal encounter with Jesus?” In Reconciliation, we really and truly encounter Christ himself through the priest. Not only are we forgiven, but we are healed and strengthened in this encounter of grace. Regular confession is a means to “form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ, and progress in the life of the Spirit” (CCC 1458).

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I trust in your mercy. You see my brokenness and sin. You know where I need your healing grace, and you are so ready to touch me and heal me. Why then do I hesitate to seek you out in the sacrament of Reconciliation? Is it human respect, worrying what the priest may think of me? Is it pride and self-justification? Lord, I ask you to give me the desire to make regular Reconciliation a habit in my life. Help me experience this sacrament as an encounter with your merciful, forgiving love.

 

Friday after Epiphany 2021

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, in this moment of prayer I come before you and place myself at your feet. Give me the patience to gently set aside the rushing distractions in my mind and heart and open that space within me to you. I believe that you are happy I am here, that you wish to give yourself to me, and that you are faithful. Cleanse my heart today and strengthen me by your grace. 

Encountering Christ: 

1. Full of Leprosy: Imagine the smell, the sight of this man full of leprosy so far progressed. It was a human illness that the healthy could do nothing about but shun, hide from, and shamefully and quietly try to forget. This man was someone’s brother, someone’s son. Yet, according to the law, he had to be cast out and left to this infirmity’s painful progression. Now, the physical disease is rare and curable, yet spots of spiritual leprosy within us are all too common. Do we have a soul-sickness, something within that needs healing, but which cannot be healed on our own? Do we shun, hide from, or shamefully and quietly try to forget these sore spots, binding them tightly under layers of metaphorical bandages? Or do we, like this leper, prostrate ourselves before the only one who has the power to heal our leprosy? 

2. Filled with Something Else: What did the leper do? He stepped out of the shadows that hid him and sought Jesus. Finding Jesus, he fell prostrate—an expression of total surrender and openness. And he pleaded with great trust in Jesus’s power. “If you wish,” he said, which is another way of affirming that “you can.” How differently Jesus received him than many others might have. Others would take pity on the leper and feel sorry for him, but none could enter and redeem his sickness as Christ did. Pity feels sorry from the outside. Christ’s love redeems and heals from the inside out. Jesus did not shun, hide from, or shame this brother and child of God. He saw the faith behind this marred visage. He saw the leper’s openness to receive healing and granted it. 

3. “Go…” Go, Jesus told the one who was once a leper. Go, and let your healing be proof to them of the sincerity of your faith. This command to the leper calls to mind the command Christ will make to his apostles and to us, the Great Commission to “Go, make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:16). On his way to make the offering, others saw and recognized the healed man as the former leper. By his testimony of God’s goodness and power, he became a disciple. He brought others to Jesus to find healing for themselves. What message do my life and witness proclaim? 

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I am like this leper. I come to you in great need, for I cannot heal myself. I come to you with trust. You know what’s on my heart and I believe that, if you wish, you can make me clean, make me more like you. Let your healing take root in my soul. I quiet my soul to receive your response—it may come with words, or it may not. But I believe it always comes with grace. Heal me and make me your instrument for others. 

 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu sau Lễ Hiển Linh Lu-ca 5: 12-16

Nhiều lần chúng ta thấy trong sách Tin Mừng cho chúng ta biết Chúa Giêsu đã lên núi hay một nơi thanh vắng để cầu nguyện. Thông thường, là những khi sau khi Ngài đã làm một phép lạ hay chữa lành, hoặc Ngài cầu nguyện trước khi một số những biến cố quan trọng.

            Hôm nay Tin Mừng cho chúng ta biết là một số đông người đến nghe Ngài giảng  và được Ngài chữa lành sau khi được nghe và biết đến các phép lạ chữa lành của Ngài. Như trong cách mà Thánh Luca đã viết về Ngài hôm nay,  thì rõ ràng rằng thì việc đi cầu nguyện là việc Chúa Giêsu đã làm rất thường xuyên, chứ không phải là chỉ có cầu nguyện trong những dịp đặc biệt '.

            Chúa Giêsu đã cầu nguyện cho những điều gì? Và Ngài cầu nguyện làm sao? Việc cầu nguyện của Chúa Giêsu là việc liên lạc và giao tiếp trực tiếp giữa Ngài và Thiên Chúa, Đấng mà Ngài gọi là "Cha". Đây là một việc làm rõ ràng và rất quan trọng đối với Ngài. Đó là cuộc sống của Ngài, như Ngài đã giải thích rõ rang cho các môn đệ khi Ngài nói với các môn đệ và những người theo Ngài về Chúa Cha. Và một cách rõ ràng Ngài Ông cho cúng ta thấy là việc cầu nguyện, giữ sự liên hệ với Chúa Cha thì chúng ta cần phải có nhu cầu thời gian và không gian để "đi" thoát cái khỏi cuộc sống bình thường. Dĩ nhiên Chúa Giêsu vẫn luôn luôn ở với và trong  Cha của Ngài, và trong ý nghĩa này, Ngài không cần phải có sự thanh vắng và sự cô đơn một mình. Trong thực tế thì Ngài vẫn thường cầu nguyện như vậy, chắc chắnNgài cũng muốn mời gọi chúng ta làm như vậy. Cầu Nguyện không phải là chỉ có thể lui về "bên trong phòng" của chúng ta, nhưng chúng ta cần một số thời giờ và không gian để chung ta có thể ngồi tâm sự một mình với Thiên Chúa, một mình với Chúa Giêsu. Hơn nữa, những gì chúng ta có thể nói hay làm  không quan trọng, nhưng là việc chúng ta được ở gần bên Chúa mới là điều quan trọng.

            Trong con người của người phong hủi mà Chúa Giêsu đã chữa lành trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay cũng cho chúng ta thấy một cách để cầu nguyện, đó là  nhận ra Chúa Giêsu là Chúa thực sự,  Quỳ xuống và sụp lạy, cầu xin Ngài và nói: "Lạy Chúa, nếu Chúa muốn (không phải là con muốn), và có thể, Xin Chữa con ..."  và chúng ta sẽ có được câu trả lời ngay sau đó: "Lẽ tất nhiên ta muốn. Hãy trở nên sạch sẽ”

 

Meditation: Luke 5: 12-16

A number of times the gospels tell us Jesus went to a mountain or a deserted place to pray. Usually it seemed to be just after a healing or other miracle, or before some important event. Today’s gospel tells us about crowds coming to listen to Him and be healed, after learning about His healing miracles. But from the way St Luke writes about Him it’s clear that going away to pray was something Jesus regularly did. It wasn’t just for ‘special’ occasions.

What did Jesus pray about? How did He pray? His contact and communication with the One He called “Father” was obviously very important for Him. It was His very life, as He indicated when talking with His disciples and followers about the Father. And clearly He showed that keeping in touch with the Father required time and space “away” from ordinary life. Of course Jesus remained always with His Father, and in that sense He didn’t need the solitude of being alone. The fact that He nevertheless did so often and so regularly 'go away' to pray, surely invites us to do the same. It may only be to retire to our “inner room”, but we need some time and space for being alone with God, alone with Jesus. More that what we might say or do, just being with the Lord is the important thing.

            In the person of the man Jesus healed, today’s gospel also shows us a way to pray — recognizing who Jesus really is, to fall prostrate, plead with Him and say: