Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm sau thứ Tư lễ tro

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Năm sau thứ Tư lễ tro (Luke 9:22-25 )
Hôm nay chúng ta đã vào mùa Chay, việc nhận tro trên trán của chúng ta như là một dấu chỉ của sự ăn năn, Những lời mời gọi từ bỏ tội lỗi và trở về trung thành với Tin Mừng vẫn còn vang lên trong tâm tư mỗi người chúng ta như một lời nhắc nhở về những gì là Mùa Chay.  Thiên Chúa đã tạo dựng con người và ban cho chúng ta có sự tự do và chúng ta phải biết chọn theo cách của Thiên Chúa là làm việc tốt, hay chúng ta cũng có thể chọn lựa sự đi ngưọc chiều, làm những điều xấu xa theo cách hướng dẫn của ma quỷ.   
            Thật sự, không phải là dễ đàng để chúng ta làm theo cách của Thiên Chúa là tuân theo luật pháp của Ngài, Vì như cuộc sống vật chất trong thế giới hôm nay rất dễ làm cho chúng ta tự tách rời chính mình ra khỏi tình yêu của Đức Kitô.  Sự phát triển tâm linh chỉ có thề đạt được khi chúng ta sẵn sàng để lựa chọn và làm những cái tốt trong tất cả, chứ không phải là chỉ làm những cái tốt mỗi khi chúng ta cảm thấy thích hay vì tư lợi cá nhân. 
Ông Môisen đã đặt dân Do thái trước một sự lựa chọn: Môt giao ước sống trong cuộc sống với Thiên Chúa hay là một cái chết không có Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa đã hứa với mọi người rằng nếu họ tuân theo Giới Răn hay luật pháp của Ngài, Ngài sẽ đem họ vào vùng đất Hứa mà Ngài đã dành cho tổ tiên của họ, nơi mà họ sẽ tận hưởng cuộc sống với đầy đủ tự do và sung túc. Nhưng một cái giá phải trả, là họ phải sẵn sàng chấp nhận lệ thuộc hoàn toàn vào Thiên Chúa, Đó là sự lựa chọn của họ.
            Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu mời gọi chúng ta hãy vác thập giá của chúng ta và theo Chúa để dược sống đời đời với Ngài.  Sự chọn lựa một cuộc sống với Chúa không phải là dễ dàng, Ví chúng ta phải hy sinh những thú vui và sự ham muốn riêng. Chúng ta có những lựa chọn cho những cái giá trị của chúng ta, và những điều quan trọng đối với chúng ta. Chọn lựa một sự sống có nghĩa gì đây? Một sự sống có ý nghĩa là một cuộc sống có Thiên Chúa trong cuộc sống hiện tại này, và sự sống trong Nước Trời cho ngày mai. Mùa Chay là cơ hội hàng năm để chúng ta hứa làm lại cuộc đời của chúng ta để được sống gần với Chúa Giêsu. Đó là một cơ hội để dâng hiến cuộc sống còn lại của chúng ta cho Thiên Chúa. Chúa Giêsu luôn luôn mong muốn chúng ta theo sát bên Ngài một cách  chặt chẽ hơn, và yêu thương Ngài tha thiết hơn.
 
REFLECTION
Yesterday we began the season of Lent by having ashes placed on our foreheads as a sign of repentance. The call to turn away from sin and to be faithful to the Gospel still rings out as a reminder of what Lent is all about. Each day we are given the option to choose God's ways and to do good or to be led astray by the devil. It is not always easy to follow God's laws. There are many influences around us that can separate us from the love of Christ. Spiritual growth is attained only when we are willing to choose good at all times, not just when we feel like it. There is a saying among athletes when training: "No pain, no gain." Sacrifice is necessary when we want to attain a particular spiritual goal.
Moses set before the people a choice: the covenant of life with God or certain death without God. God had promised the people that if they obeyed his laws, he would bring them to the land, which he had set aside for them, where they would enjoy life to the fullest. But there was a price to pay. They had to be willing to give themselves completely over to God. The choice was theirs.
             In today's Gospel reading, Jesus invites us to take up our cross and follow in his steps to eternal life. Choosing life is not always easy. It means sacrificing certain desires. We make choices every day which represent our values, what is important to us. What does it mean to choose life? It means that we desire life with God both now and in the heavenly kingdom when our time on earth is over. We all stumble and fall in our desire to follow the Lord. Lent is an opportunity for us to recommit our lives to Jesus. It is a chance to dedicate our lives to the Lord. Jesus always desires that we follow him more closely, and love him more dearly. Let us recommit our lives to Jesus, taking to heart the words that Moses spoke so long ago: "Choose life then ... that you may live in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists."
 
Thursday after Ash Wednesday 2026
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” Luke 9:23–25
Today’s Gospel presents us with one of the great paradoxes of our faith: the only way to save one’s life is to lose it by taking up Christ’s Cross and following Him. This truth defies human reason; we can only fully grasp it through divine revelation. The wisdom of the Cross is hidden and transformative, revealing a deeper reality that our natural instincts might miss.
Imagine gaining the whole world. What would that look like? From a secular perspective, it could mean possessing immense wealth, enjoying complete freedom, acquiring fame, and holding worldly power. Is it possible to attain all that the world offers and still save your soul? What if you were charitable, giving ten percent to the poor? What if you lived in luxury without being attached to it? Is that truly feasible?
Though some might convince themselves it is, Jesus’ life teaches us otherwise. He wasn’t wealthy by worldly standards. He had no earthly power in the conventional sense. He didn’t seek comfort or luxury. His singular focus was the salvation of souls, and He lived that mission fully.
This raises another question: Was Jesus happy in this life? His earthly existence was marked by hardship. He was born in a cave, escaped Herod’s attempt on His life as an infant, and likely lost Saint Joseph at a young age. He endured 40 days of intense temptation by satan, was rejected by His own people in Nazareth, and, though loved by many, was hated by others. Ultimately, He was betrayed, unjustly condemned, beaten, and crucified.
Is that happiness? Not in a worldly sense. But Jesus’ happiness was in doing the will of His Father. This obedience, this perfect fulfillment of His divine mission, brought a happiness beyond our human comprehension—a deep, abiding joy rooted in perfect love and surrender to God’s plan.
As we begin Lent, a good question to ask ourselves is: “Am I happy?” Many people struggle with this question. Like our Lord, we endure trials, suffering, and disappointment. Jesus wasn’t exempt from these; He faced the full range of human experience. He likely faced rejection as a boy because He was different. He knew the sorrow of losing loved ones and faced the daily demands of work to help support His family.
In the mystery of the Incarnation—God becoming man—the Son of God intimately shares in every human suffering. He understands our struggles and sorrows firsthand. This is why Jesus can look at us with compassion and say, “I understand.” He is not only divine and transcendent, He is also intimately close, having lived through the very trials we face.
It is this reality that makes His words in today’s Gospel so powerful: “Take up your cross daily and follow me.” The Cross is the roadmap to true happiness. Our human nature might seek to avoid suffering, but Jesus invites us to embrace it with grace, uniting it with His own suffering. Through the Cross, we find victory and fulfillment in ways that our natural reasoning could never grasp.
Reflect today on the wisdom of the Cross. Human reason alone will never fully comprehend it or accept it as the path to happiness. Let God’s truth elevate your mind to see beyond the false promises of the world. Embrace the Cross with trust, knowing that it is the gateway to true joy, peace, and eternal life.
My wise Lord, too often I rely on my limited understanding, trying to find happiness through worldly means. Grant me Your gift of wisdom so I may see the glory of the Cross and the sacrifices to which You call me. Help me take up my Cross daily and follow You, trusting that it is the true path to the fulfillment I seek. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Thursday after Ash Wednesday 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I need to learn how to lose my life to save it. This is no easy task. The temptations are many and I know my weaknesses. Grant me the anointing of your Spirit and the power of your grace to resist the allure of evil this day.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Imitation of Christ: In today’s Gospel, Jesus first speaks about himself and what will happen to him in Jerusalem. He did this at least three times on the way to Jerusalem. But after speaking about himself, he turns his attention to his disciples and how they must imitate his life. Imitation of Christ is good. And it is good to ask ourselves when confronted with choices, “What would Jesus do?” From the Gospel, we know that Jesus would opt for mercy, forgiveness, love, justice, kindness, patience, joy, piety, communion, unity, poverty, meekness, and peace. All of these Christ-like virtues are worthy of imitation. 
2. Sharing in Christ’s Life: Imitating Jesus’ life, however, is not enough. The Christian life is not about simply imitating or emulating the life of our teacher. Imitation of Christ needs to give way to identification with Christ and sharing in Christ’s life. In the beginning, Jesus invites men and women with the words, “follow me.” At the Last Supper, however, he invokes the image of a branch united to the vine. We have become members of the Body of Christ through the Sacrament of Baptism. His blood is coursing through our veins through the Sacrament of the Eucharist. His Spirit is living within us through the Sacrament of Confirmation. We are sons and daughters of the Father, we are brothers and sisters of the Son, and we are temples of the Spirit. Our everyday lives need to correspond to the gift we have received in Christ.
3. Christian Paradoxes: The Gospel today is an example of the paradox of the Christian life. We are familiar with these paradoxes in the Beatitudes. If we want to be happy, we need to be poor. If we want to be happy, we need to mourn. If we want to be happy, we need to suffer persecution for the sake of Jesus’ name. Today, we hear: If we seek to save our lives, we will lose them. But if we lose our lives, we will save them. There is a contrast here between earthly life and heavenly life. If we focus all our efforts on building up earthly treasure and happiness, we will not gain eternal life. However, if we are detached from this world and use things like earthly treasure wisely, then we will gain salvation and enjoy eternal life with God. By gaining the world, we lose ourselves. By renouncing the world, we gain the new heavens and the new earth.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I will follow you as your disciple. As I contemplate your life, I see your humble service, your hidden prayer, and your innocent suffering. I promise to serve my brothers and sisters in need, to pray as you did to the Father, and to accept and offer the suffering that comes my way.
 
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Jesus said to his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Luke 9:22
Jesus knew He would suffer greatly, be rejected and killed. How would you deal with that knowledge if you somehow knew this about your own future? Most people would be filled with fear and become obsessed with trying to avoid it. But not our Lord. This passage above shows just how intent He was on embracing His Cross with unwavering confidence and courage.
This is just one of several times that Jesus began to break the news to His disciples about His pending fate. And each time He spoke this way, the disciples for the most part remained either silent or in denial. Recall, for example, one such reaction of Saint Peter when he responded to Jesus’ prediction of His Passion by saying, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” (Matthew 16:22).
In reading this passage above, the strength, courage and determination of our Lord shine through by the fact that He speaks so clearly and definitively. And what motivates Jesus to speak with such conviction and courage is His love.
Too often, “love” is understood as a strong and good feeling. It’s perceived as an attraction to something or a strong liking of it. But that’s not love in the truest form. True love is a choice to do what is best for another, no matter the cost, no matter how difficult. True love is not a feeling that seeks selfish fulfillment. True love is an unwavering strength that seeks only the good of the person who is loved.
Jesus’ love for humanity was so strong that He was driven toward His pending death with great power. He was unwaveringly determined to sacrifice His life for us all, and there was nothing that would ever deter Him from that mission.
In our own lives, it’s easy to lose sight of what true love actually is. We can easily become caught up in our own selfish desires and think that these desires are love. But they are not.
Reflect, today, upon the unwavering determination of our Lord to sacrificially love us all by suffering greatly, by enduring rejection, and by dying upon the Cross. Nothing could have ever deterred Him from this love. We must show the same sacrificial love.
My loving Lord, I thank You for Your unwavering commitment to sacrifice Yourself for us all. I thank You for this unfathomable depth of true love. Give me the grace I need, dear Lord, to turn away from all forms of selfish love so as to imitate and participate in Your most perfect sacrificial love. I do love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You and others with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Opening Prayer: Lord God, your word today contains a mysterious paradox. Somehow, I will live by dying. The world you created for me is beautiful and good in so many ways and yet can be misused and lead me away from you. Help me to live in this world as I should and to use all things for your glory.
Encountering the Word of God
 1. Covenant Fidelity and Infidelity: When God makes a covenant with man, there are a series of blessings and curses attached to the covenant. This is recalled in today’s First Reading from Deuteronomy. Moses tells the people that if they are faithful to the covenant – obeying the commandments, loving God, and walking in God’s ways – then God will bless them. If the people are unfaithful – turning their hearts away from God, choosing other gods, and serving other gods – then they will perish. The Lord God has set before the people two paths. One path unleashes the blessings of the covenant – fruitfulness, abundance, prosperity – and leads to life and communion with God. The other way triggers the covenant curses: affliction, economic difficulty, political ruin, exile, and suffering. The curses of the covenant are not just punishments inflicted by God on those who are unfaithful, they are also an attempt by God to correct his children. This means that the first purpose of the covenant curses is to help the people to repent and change their sinful ways. However, if the people choose to persist in their sin, then they continue on the path that leads to death and separation from God.
 2. Why are the Faithful Tested? The promise of covenant blessing does not mean that if we are faithful to God and the covenant, our lives will be free of suffering or trial. What Jesus promises today is the opposite: that his authentic and faithful disciples will experience the cross daily. This is one of the greatest mysteries and paradoxes: if we try to keep hold of earthly life, we will lose eternal life; however, if we die to ourselves and this passing world, we will gain eternal life. If we try to avoid our cross, we will lose our lives. If we embrace the cross, we will be saved. Jesus warns us today that it is meaningless to chase after material wealth and seek to gain the whole world. We were made for so much more.
 3. Choose Life by Dying to Self: Choosing life means choosing to follow Christ and take up our cross each day. Choosing life means losing our life for Christ and gaining eternal life. In prayer at the beginning of each day, it is good to renew our commitment to choose life. And at the close of each day, we should look back to see when we chose life and when we chose death, when we chose eternal life and when we chose the passing world, and when we chose to love God and our neighbor and when we chose ourselves over others and God.
 Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your life in many ways was a paradox. You were the king of all creation, yet lived in poverty and had nowhere to lay your head. You were innocent, yet condemned to a shameful death. You were humiliated, yet this was the path that led to your glorification. Your death leads to life for all. Help me today and always to ponder and live this mystery of the paradox of Christian life.