Hôm nay, bài Tin Mừng cho chúng ta thấy Chúa Giêsu dậy
cho các môn đệ. Như thói quen, Ngài dạy các ông trong hình thức các dụ ngôn,
Ngài dùng hình ảnh đơn giản hàng ngày để giải thích những mầu nhiệm và bí ẩn to
lớn của Nước Trời. Bằng cách này mà tất cả mọi người từ những người thông minh
nhất đến những người đơn sơ thấp kém nhất cũng có thể hiểu được ý nghĩa Lời của
Chúa.
"Nước Trời giống như hạt cải" (Mt 13:31) hạt
cải là những hạt hết sức là nhỏ bé nó to gần như là hạt cát mịn, nhưng nếu
chúng ta trồng nó xuống đất, bun xới, chăm sóc tốt mỗi ngày ... kết quả, nó sẽ
trở thành một cây lớn lớn. “Nước thiên đàng giống như men mà một người phụ nữ
trộn lẫn với ba đấu bột (...)” (Mt 13:33). Nấm men thì vô hình, nhưng nếu nó
không được trộn và ủ trong bột làm bánh mì thì bột không nổi và bánh mì sẽ cứng
khô. Đó là những cách cần thiết cho cuộc sống Kitô hữu của chúng ta. Một cuộc sống
trong ân sủng: cho dù không thấy được sự bộc lộ ở bên ngoài; cũng không có một
âm thanh làm vang dội cho người khác nghe, nhưng ... nếu chúng ta cho phép
những ân sủng của Chúa đến và ở trong trái tim của chúng ta, thì ân sủng của
Thiên Chúa sẽ là phân bón nuôi dưỡng hạt giống và biến đổi con người tội lỗi
như chúng ta trở thành như các thánh của Chúa.
Chúng ta nhận được ân sủng của Thiên Chúa qua đức tin,
qua lời cầu nguyện, qua các bí tích, qua tình yêu của Thiên Chúa. Nhưng ân sủng
cho cuộc sống này phải là trên tất cả những ân sủng mà chúng ta đã hy vọng và
phải chờ mong, nhưng chúng ta phải mong muốn trong sự khiêm tốn. Những hồng ân
của Thiên Chúa mà những người khôn ngoan trên thế giới này không biết đánh giá
cao, không biết kính trọng nhưng mà Chúa là Thiên Chúa của chúng ta muốn truyền
ban cho những ai biết khiêm tốn, hèn hạ và biết chấp nhận thánh ý Chúa.
Đấy là một điều thật tuyệt vời nếu khi Ngài đi tìm kiếm chúng ta, những người
biết tự nhận ra chính bản thân mình là những người tội lỗi yếu đuối, nhưng biết
tin tưởng vào sự tốt lành của Thiên Chúa. Bằng cách này, hạt cải nơi chúng ta
sẽ phát triển thành cây lớn, các men của Lời Chúa sẽ đem lại cho chúng ta những
hoa trái của sự sống đời đời bởi vì như thánh Augustinô có nói: “Trái tim càng
biết khiêm tốn trong sự thấp hèn, thì nó sẽ càng được nâng lên để được hoàn
thiện” (Saint Augustine).
Reflection Monday 17th Ordinary Time:
Today, the Gospel shows us Jesus preaching to his disciples. He does so, as
is His custom, in the form of parables, using simple everyday images to explain
the great hidden mysteries of His Kingdom. In this way he could be understood
by everyone from the most highly educated to the simplest of individuals.
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed” (Mt 13:31)
The mustard seed is so tiny it is almost invisible, but if we take good care of
it and water it properly... it ends up becoming a large tree. «The kingdom of
heaven is like the yeast that a woman took and buried in three measures of
flour (...)» (Mt 13:33). The yeast is invisible, but if it weren't present the
dough would not rise. Such is the way for life lived as a Christian, the life
of grace: you don't see it externally; it doesn't make a sound, but… if one
lets it introduce itself in one's heart, divine grace nourishes the seed and
converts people from sinners to saints.
We get this divine grace through faith, through prayer,
through the sacraments, through love. But this life of grace is, above all, a
gift that we must wait and hope for, that we must desire with humility. A gift
which the wise and learned of this world do not know how to appreciate, but
that Our Lord God wants to transmit to the humble and uncomplicated. It would
be great if, when He looks for us, he finds us, not in the group of the proud,
but amongst the humble, the ones who recognize themselves as weak sinners, but
very grateful for, and trusting in, the goodness of the Lord. This way the
mustard seed will grow into the large tree, the yeast of the Word of God will
bring about for us the fruit of eternal life because «the more the heart is
lowered in humility, the higher it is raised to perfection» (Saint Augustine).
Monday
of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus
proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed
that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds,
yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and
the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” Matthew 13:31–32
Today’s Gospel presents two brief yet profoundly rich
parables—the mustard seed and the leaven—each revealing distinct dimensions of
the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven. Together, they draw our attention to the
Kingdom’s humble beginnings and hidden power, which unfold silently yet
irresistibly in the world and within the human soul.
Each parable possesses layers of meaning, and the Church
Fathers deeply explored these levels. In the Parable of the Mustard Seed, the
seed is frequently interpreted as Christ Himself. As “the smallest of all the
seeds,” the mustard seed illustrates the hiddenness and apparent insignificance
of Christ’s earthly life, from a worldly point of view. He entered the world in
obscurity, born in a cave in Bethlehem, fleeing into exile in Egypt, and
growing up in the humble village of Nazareth. His divinity—the Eternal Word
through whom all things were made—was veiled beneath the lowliness of His
humanity.
Even as He hung upon the Cross, His divine majesty was
hidden from the eyes of the world. Yet from this seed of self-emptying
love—this total descent into poverty and death—sprang forth the triumph of the
Resurrection, shattering the bonds of sin and death. In His risen glory, Christ
has become the “largest of plants,” and, as the parable says, “the birds of the
sky come and dwell in its branches.” This image is often understood as a symbol
of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, in which the peoples of the earth
find shelter, nourishment, and eternal hope.
The mustard seed also represents Christ planted within
each soul. When He is sown in the fertile ground of our hearts—through faith,
prayer, and the Sacraments—He takes root and grows, transforming our lives from
within. Though His presence may begin in us imperceptibly, it has the power to
expand beyond all measure, bearing fruit not only in our lives but in the lives
of all those we encounter. Ultimately, this growth finds its consummation in
the New Heavens and the New Earth, where the Kingdom of God will be fully
revealed.
The second
parable—the leaven—expresses a similar truth in another form. The leaven is
often interpreted as Christ or His grace, working silently and effectively.
Mixed into three measures of flour, it gradually transforms the entire
batch—symbolizing the hidden work of grace within the soul. Here, Christ is not
only among us, but within us, sanctifying every part of our being from the
inside out.
Today’s Gospel concludes with a beautiful citation from
“the prophet,” taken from Psalm
78:2: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain
hidden from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 13:35). On the
surface, the parables appear simple, but they conceal divine truths from those
who approach with indifference or pride. Yet for those who receive them in
faith and prayerfully ponder them, the Holy Spirit opens the inner meaning.
What was hidden from the beginning of creation is now disclosed—not to the wise
and learned of this world, but to the humble of heart. In this way, the
parables serve as a school of divine wisdom, inviting the soul to move beyond
mere appearances into the depths of God’s eternal plan.
Reflect today on the hidden ways in which Christ is at
work in your life. Are you attentive to His quiet growth within you? Do you
nourish the seed of His presence through prayer and the Sacraments? Trust that,
even in small beginnings, God is building His Kingdom—in you, through you, and
for His greater glory.
Most glorious King, You desire that Your Kingdom be born
within our lives through the grace poured out by Your Passion, Death, and
Resurrection. Come to me, Lord, and plant the seed of grace deep within my
soul. Let it take root and grow, transforming me according to Your perfect
will. Through me, expand Your Kingdom on earth, until the day we behold the
fullness of Your eternal Kingdom in glory. Jesus, I trust in You
Reflection Monday 17th Ordinary Time
2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for the seed of
your kingdom that has been sown in my heart and my family. I hope and pray that
I am truly transformed by your divine grace so that I may extend your Kingdom
throughout my community.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Fulfillment of Psalm 78: Matthew points out that Jesus teaches in
parables and, in this way, fulfills a prophecy from Psalm 78:2 that reads: “I
will open my mouth in a parable, unfold the puzzling events of the past.” The
first way that Jesus fulfills Psalm 78 is by teaching the crowds the hidden
mysteries of God’s plan of salvation in parable form. Just as a little mustard
seed is planted and develops into a large shrub and invasively grows in a
field, and just as a little yeast transforms a batch of dough, so also the
Kingdom of heaven will start small and grow to international proportions and
transform the nations of the world, represented by the birds of the sky, the
field, and the bread dough. As the teacher of the mysteries of salvation, Jesus
does not just recall the history but reveals its ultimate meaning. “What has
been hidden up until Jesus are ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven’
(13:11), God’s plans to establish his reign. Jesus has told four parables to
convey what God’s reign is like (13:3-9, 24-33). Jesus’ parables may be
puzzling to those who are not receptive (13:13-15), but his parable-telling is
a fulfillment of Scripture and part of his mission to make God known
(11:25-27). The mysteries of God cannot be captured in simple definitions but
must be announced in the elusive and evocative speech of parables”
(Martin, Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life, 280).
2. Bread from Heaven and the New Exodus: By invoking a line from the beginning of Psalm
78, Matthew is calling to mind the entire psalm. Psalm 78 is a lengthy
meditation on biblical history from the Exodus of Israel to the election of
King David. In verses 23-24, Psalm 78 narrates how God “opened the doors of
heaven,” and rained manna upon the people for food. And in verses 52-69, the
Psalm highlights how the Lord led out his people like sheep from Egypt, brought
them to his holy mountain, and drove out the nations before Israel. In
response, Israel tested the Lord, rebelled against the Lord God, and did not
observe his decrees. By invoking Psalm 78, Matthew is warning his readers, who
hear Jesus’ words, not to be like the rebellious Israelites in the desert. In
the next chapter, Matthew 14, Jesus will provide the crowds with an abundance
of bread from heaven. How will the people respond? Like rebellious, forgetful,
and defiant Israel (Psalm 78:8-11)? Or will they welcome the seed of the
Kingdom of Heaven like good soil, bear abundant fruit, and collaborate in the
transformation of the world?
3. The Merciful Shepherd-King: Psalm 78 contrasts the unfaithfulness of
Israel with the faithfulness of God. The merciful compassion of God is fully
revealed in Christ. Jesus doesn’t just retell Israel’s history but enters into
it and redeems it from within, bringing God’s merciful love to all people.
Psalm 78 ends with the election of David: “He chose David his servant, took him
from the sheepfolds. From tending ewes God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his
people, Israel, his heritage. He shepherded them with a pure heart; with
skilled hands he guided them” (Psalm 78:70-72). Jesus is the royal Son of
David. He is the Son of God. He is the Good Shepherd. David led the twelve
tribes of Israel as their king and prepared everything for his son, Solomon, to
build the Temple on Mount Zion. In a greater way, Jesus will gather the old
Israel, scattered among the nations, into the New Israel. He accomplishes this
through laying down his life for his sheep and by sending out his apostles to
the ends of the earth to preach the Good News of salvation and extend the
Kingdom of heaven.
Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven
is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch was leavened.” Matthew 13:33;
Yeast is powerful. Though it often accounts for only
about 1% of a loaf of bread, it causes that loaf to more than double in size.
Of course, it also has the amazing effect of turning the dough soft and
flexible as it rises. Without yeast, the dough would remain stiff and much
smaller in size. The dough would not become the bread it was meant to be.
The Church Fathers offer many interpretations of this
short, one-sentence parable. Some say that the three measures of flour
represent the spirit, soul and body into which the Gospel is inserted. Others
say the three measures of flour represent either three different kinds of
persons or three levels of fruitfulness in our lives. The yeast is understood
by some as the message of the Gospel in the Scriptures and by others as charity
that must permeate our lives and the world as a whole. Of course, the parables
of Jesus, as well as every teaching contained within the Scriptures, offer us
many levels of understanding and meaning that are all correct and consistent
with each other. One of the most important questions to ponder is this: What
does God want to say to you through this parable?
If you consider yourself to be the three measures of
flour, and the yeast to be God, His holy Word and His gentle but clear Voice
speaking to you, in what concrete ways do you see your life rising as a direct
result? How do you see yourself becoming that which you are intended to be as a
result of God entering your life? And do you see the effect as one that is
truly transforming and even exponential?
Sometimes the Word of God has little to no effect on our
lives. That, of course, is not the fault of the Word of God; rather, it’s
because we do not allow God to do His transforming work. For yeast to work, the
dough has to sit still for a while. So in our lives, for God to do His work, we
must allow Him to gently and powerfully work. This process requires that we
internalize all that God speaks to us. Then His actions must prayerfully be
permitted to work within us, and we must allow the change to be slow and
certain in accord with His divine plan.
Sometimes we can also become impatient with the workings
of God. Again, the yeast takes time to work. If we are impatient with God’s
grace, then it may be like taking the dough and kneading it over and over
before it even has a chance to work. But if we are prayerfully patient,
allowing God to do His work in our lives according to His will and in His time,
then little by little we will experience the transformation that He initiates.
Reflect, today, upon this short but powerful parable. See
yourself as that dough and see God and His action in your life as the yeast. As
you sit with that image in a prayerful way, let God reveal how He wants to work
within you and how He wants to transform you. Pray for patience. Trust that if
you receive His transforming Word into your soul, then He will do what He wants
to do. And trust that if this happens, you will indeed become the person God
wants you to become.
My transforming Lord, You desire to enter deeply into my
life and to permeate all that I am. You desire to change me, little by little,
making me into the person You want me to become. Please help me to be attentive
to all that You desire to do in me and to patiently await the transformation
that You have already begun. Jesus, I trust in You.
Monday 17th Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank
you for the seed of your kingdom that has been sown in my heart and my family.
I hope and pray that I am truly transformed by your divine grace so that I may
extend your Kingdom throughout my community.
Encountering the Word of God
Fulfillment of Psalm 78: Jesus teaches in parables and, in this way, fulfills a
prophecy from Psalm 78:2. “St. Matthew sees everything in the Old Testament as
prophetic in some way; Jesus fulfills the law, the prophets, and the figures
and stories. So it’s natural for him to see the Psalms as prophetic, as did the
early Christians. David, author of most of the Psalms, was the original Christ,
so it stood to reason that his Psalms would ultimately point to his ultimate
descendant, the end-time Christ” (Huizenga, Behold the Christ,
260). The first way, then, that Jesus fulfills Psalm 78 is by teaching the
mysteries of God’s plan of salvation in the form of parables. Just as a little
mustard seed develops into a large shrub and invasively grows in a field, and
just as a little yeast transforms a batch of dough, so also the Kingdom of
heaven will start small and grow to international proportions and transform the
nations of the world, represented by the birds of the sky, the field, and the
bread dough. As the teacher of the mysteries of salvation, Jesus does not just
recall the history but reveals its ultimate meaning.
Bread from Heaven and the New Exodus By invoking a line from the beginning of the Psalm, Jesus
is calling to mind the entire psalm. Psalm 78 is a lengthy meditation on
biblical history from the Exodus of Israel from Egypt to the election of King
David. In verses 23-24, Psalm 78 narrates how God “opened the doors of heaven,”
and rained manna upon the people for food. And in verses 52-69, the Psalm
highlights how the Lord led out his people like sheep from Egypt, brought them
to his holy mountain, and drove out the nations before Israel. In response,
Israel tested the Lord and rebelled against God and did not observe his
decrees. By invoking Psalm 78, Jesus is warning the people who hear his words
not to be like the rebellious Israelites in the desert. In the next chapter,
Matthew 14, Jesus will provide them with an abundance of bread from heaven. How
will the people respond? Like rebellious, forgetful, and defiant Israel (Psalm
78:8-11)? Or will they welcome the seed of the Kingdom of Heaven like good
soil, bear abundant fruit, and collaborate in the transformation of the world?
The Merciful Shepherd-King: Psalm 78 contrasts the infidelity of Israel with
the faithfulness of God. The compassion of God is fully revealed in Christ.
Jesus doesn’t just retell Israel’s history but enters into it and redeems it
from within, bringing God’s merciful love to all people. Psalm 78 ends with the
election of David: “He chose David his servant, took him from the sheepfolds.
From tending ewes God brought him, to shepherd Jacob, his people, Israel, his
heritage. He shepherded them with a pure heart; with skilled hands he guided
them” (Psalm 78:70-72). Jesus is the Son of God and the Good Shepherd. David
led the twelve tribes of Israel as their king and prepared everything for his
son, Solomon, to build the Temple on Mount Zion. In a greater way, Jesus will
gather Israel scattered among the nations into the New Israel. He accomplishes
this through laying down his life for his sheep and sending out his apostles to
the ends of the earth to preach the Good News of salvation and extend the
Kingdom of heaven.
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