Suy Niệm bài Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần 26TN

Suy Niệm bài Tin Mừng Thứ Năm Tuần 26TN – (Luke 10:1-12)
Chúa Giêsu đã sai 70 môn đệ của Ngài từng cặp, hai người một ra đi khắp xóm làng để rao giảng về Nước của Thiên Chúa. Họ được Chúa ban cho quyền chữa lành và an ủi, nhưng không được mang theo bất cứ thứ gì, họ, không được chọn lựa thức ăn hoặc chỗ ở của họ. Đó là một kinh nghiệm về sự tin cậy vào Thiên Chúa một cách tuyệt đối, vì họ không được phép mang theo tiền bạc hoặc đem theo quần áo. Tất cả sẽ được Thiên Chúa chu cấp và lo liệu. Như Thánh Phanxicô chúng ta mừng kính hôm nay. Từng là một người con trong gia đình quý phái giàu có, ngài đã nghe theo tiếng gọi của Chúa và từ bỏ tất cả mặc dù có sự ngăn cản của bố mẹ, ngài đã trả lại tất cả ngay cả bộ quần áo ngài mặc trên người để theo Chúa sống trong sự khó nghèo cho đến hôm nay. Chúng ta đã chng kiến bao nhiêu là người đã theo ngài và sống trong nhà các dòng Phanxicô .
Chúng ta đã chuẩn bị và bắt đầu cho cuộc hành trình của chúng ta chưa? Chúng ta học được cách đặt niềm tin tưởng của chúng ta vào Thiên Chúa. Sự tin tưởng đó không phải là tiền bạc, những mối liên hệ, hay quyền lực mà chúng ta sẽ thấy trong cuộc sống, nhưng đó là sự chăm sóc, ân cần chu đáo của Thiên Chúa. Thánh Phanxicô Assisi biết rõ điều này, các tu sĩ dòng Phanxicô từng sống rất đơn sơ, khó nghèo, và họ được Thiên Chúa chúc phúc trong sự thành công. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô kêu gọi chúng ta nên học lại bài học này trong sự hợp nhất trong Giáo Hội; tin tưởng nhiều hơn vào Thiên Chúa và đừng quá để tâm đến sự giàu có và quyền lực.
Lạy Chúa, xin giúp con biết sống trọn vẹn trong tình yêu mến Chúa.
 
Reflection:
Jesus sent out 70 followers, two by two, to travel through the land proclaiming the kingdom of God. They were to heal and comfort, but not linger or be choosy about their food or accommodations. It was an experience of absolute trust in God, for they were not allowed to take money or spare clothing. All would be provided. Would we embark on a journey so unprepared? We could learn to be far more trusting than we are. It is not money, connections, or power that will see us through life, but the care and providence of God. St. Francis of Assisi knew this well — his friars travelled and lived very lightly, and they were blessed with success. Pope Francis urges us to relearn this lesson as a Church — trust more in God and less in wealth and power.
  Like the disciples of Jesus, we are missioned to go and spread the Good News to those who do not know God, even to those we do not know. We are told that "Evangelization happens when the word of Jesus speaks to people's hearts and minds. This means that we must let our faith shine on the world around us, radiating the love of Jesus by the everyday way we speak, think and act." (US Conference of Bishops)
 May we, in our own little ways, become bearers of the Good News to others? Lord, help me to live in complete trust.
 
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Luke 13:34–35
In today’s Gospel, Jesus laments Jerusalem’s tragic history of persecuting the prophets sent by God to call His people back to fidelity. The deaths of Zechariah and Isaiah stand out, but the broader implication is that Jerusalem—the city of the Temple and the seat of divine worship—had often become the very place where divine truth was violently rejected. In lamenting this, Jesus reveals His deep love for His people and foreshadows His own death at their hands, which would also take place in Jerusalem.
Of note, Jesus’ words drip with holy sorrow and compassion, but also resolute clarity. Though He offers a condemnation in the form of a prophetic warning—that the Temple would ultimately be destroyed and the city overtaken by the Romans in AD 70—His tone is one of loving lament, not vengeful retribution.
In many ways, Jesus’ lament is that of a loving father mourning a wayward son: “How many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings.” Understanding this compassion in His Sacred Heart is especially helpful to us as we examine our own struggles with sin. Though God is perfectly just, His judgments are issued with a broken heart, not a violent one.
When you consider your sins, examine them through this lens. See Jesus’ Sacred Heart pierced with a sword of profound sorrow. When we turn back to Him, we console Him and relieve Him of that sorrow. Though we can add nothing to God’s greatness and glory on our own, we do have the capacity to fill Him with joy when we repent and diligently strive to overcome sin in our lives.
Recognizing this spiritual reality is the highest form of the spiritual Gift of Fear of the Lord. This gift of the Holy Spirit manifests itself in two ways. First, Fear of the Lord begins with what we traditionally call servile fear—that is, fear of punishment. Consider again a son who obeys his father because he fears being punished. This is a good beginning, but it is not the ideal.
The ideal form of Fear of the Lord is filial fear—the fear of a loving son or daughter. This fear does not avoid sin for selfish reasons, such as fear of punishment. Rather, it leads us to avoid sin because we perceive the tender compassion in Jesus’ Sacred Heart and become vividly aware of the sorrow our sin inflicts upon Him. What’s more, we also see the joy we can give Him by remaining faithful to His will. Our love for Him grows so strong that we are compelled to do all we can to give Him joy. His joy becomes ours, and we “fear” doing anything that would oppose that joy.
Though the Gift of Fear of the Lord primarily inspires us to console Jesus’ Heart, it also enables us to extend His love toward others. When this gift is alive in us, we look at those around us with the same compassion and tenderness that Jesus expressed over Jerusalem. We do not take their sins personally but share in the holy sorrow of Jesus’ Heart, longing for their conversion.
Reflect today on Jesus’ Sacred Heart as He looks at you with sorrowful love. Hear Him say, “How often I have longed to gather you.” Let that invitation move you to turn away from all that saddens Him and to cling to Him with fidelity and love. As you do, look also to those in your life who struggle with sin, and allow yourself to feel the same longing that Jesus has for them. Be an instrument of His Sacred Heart toward others, and you will ultimately share in His joy.
Most compassionate Lord, You long for Your children with the tenderest love, desiring that we turn to You with all our hearts. Please fill me with the Gift of Holy Fear, so that I may readily and wholeheartedly avoid all that grieves You. Make me an instrument of Your Sacred Heart toward others, so that through me, they may come to feel and know Your loving care. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Thursday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of the harvest. Send me into the world as your servant, carrying your peace and proclaiming your Kingdom. Teach me to trust in your providence, to depend upon your grace, and to love others with the merciful love of your Son. May my life bear abundant fruit for your Kingdom.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Sent as Lambs Among Wolves: Jesus does not intend to accomplish his mission alone. He appoints seventy-two disciples and sends them ahead of him to prepare the towns and villages for his coming. Their mission echoes the ministry of Moses, who appointed seventy elders to assist him in governing Israel. Jesus, however, sends his disciples with striking simplicity: they are to carry no money bag, sack, or extra sandals. Their poverty is meant to teach them dependence upon God. Jesus describes them as lambs among wolves. They will encounter resistance, but they are not sent to conquer through worldly power. They are sent to bring peace, heal the sick, and announce that the Kingdom of God has drawn near. The healings are visible signs of the spiritual salvation that Christ brings. The disciples prepare the way for Jesus by bringing his peace into the lives of those they encounter. Their mission also requires them to receive from others. They are to remain in the same house, eat what is offered, and accept the hospitality of those who welcome them. The Kingdom creates communion rather than separation. Jesus’ disciples are not to isolate themselves from the people they serve but to enter into their lives. This mission is not limited to the Twelve. Through Baptism, every Christian is called to participate in Christ’s mission. We may not all preach publicly or perform extraordinary works, but we can bring Christ’s peace, mercy, truth, and healing into the ordinary circumstances of our lives.
2. The Science of Divine Love: Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus understood this missionary vocation in a remarkably profound way. In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II proclaimed her a Doctor of the Church. He called the heart of her teaching the “science of divine love” – a wisdom received not through academic study but through prayer, Scripture, and an intimate experience of God’s merciful love. John Paul II emphasized that Thérèse possessed a special charism of wisdom. Although she had no advanced theological education, she was taught by Christ, the “Doctor of Doctors.” Her “little way” is therefore not merely a spirituality of doing small things. It is a profound way of understanding the Christian mystery: everything comes from God, everything returns to God, and everything is received within the mystery of his merciful love. Thérèse discovered that holiness does not require extraordinary accomplishments. It requires confident abandonment to God. Like the seventy-two disciples who were sent without provisions, she learned to rely completely upon divine providence. She understood her littleness not as an obstacle to God’s work but as the very condition for receiving his grace. Her spirituality also transformed the meaning of mission. Although she lived a hidden life in the Carmel of Lisieux, she understood herself as a missionary. She prayed and offered herself for the salvation of souls. She discovered her vocation in the Church through the words of Saint Paul: “In the heart of the Church, my Mother, I will be Love.” For Thérèse, love was not an alternative to mission. Love was her mission.
3. God is Our Father, and We are His Children: At the heart of Thérèse's “little way” is spiritual childhood. John Paul II explains that this means recognizing ourselves as God’s adopted children in Christ and confidently entrusting ourselves to the Father’s merciful love. It is not childishness or passivity. It is the mature recognition that we cannot save ourselves and that every grace comes from God. This helps us understand today’s Gospel more deeply. Jesus sends his disciples without the resources on which they might ordinarily depend. They must learn that the power of their mission comes not from themselves but from the One who sends them. Their poverty becomes an occasion for trust. Thérèse lived this same dependence upon God. She knew that she was “little,” but she also knew that the Father’s love was greater than her weakness. She did not need to accomplish great things by her own strength. She needed to allow God to work through her. Her confidence rested not upon her own abilities but upon God’s mercy. This spiritual childhood also leads outward toward love. Because we know ourselves to be beloved children of the Father, we can recognize others as his children. The love we receive from God becomes the love we give to others. Thus contemplation and mission belong together. Thérèse's hidden life became fruitful for the whole Church because it was filled with love. Her message therefore has extraordinary universality. The “little way” can be lived by priests and religious, parents and children, the young and the elderly, those engaged in public ministry and those whose lives appear hidden and ordinary. Every Christian can trust God, accept the circumstances he permits, perform small acts of love, pray for others, and offer everything to him. The missionary disciple does not need to be powerful, impressive, or successful by worldly standards. Like the seventy-two, we are sent as lambs. Like Thérèse, we are invited to become little before God, trusting that his grace can accomplish what we cannot. The Kingdom of God is at hand wherever Christ’s love is received and shared.
 
Thursday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.”  Luke 10:1–3
Why would our Lord send His disciples out like lambs among wolves? At first, this might be concerning and cause us to wonder if our Lord were sending them into a situation in which they would encounter harm. Saint Ambrose, in commenting on this, explains that there is no reason for these disciples to fear, since Jesus is the Good Shepherd Who always protects His sheep. It’s helpful to reflect upon what sort of danger these disciples would encounter on this mission and all future missions and to contrast that danger with the only form of danger we should fear.
The “wolves” in this situation are especially some of the cruel religious and civil leaders of that time, as well as those who would reject the disciples and their teaching. When looking at the worldly danger that our Lord encountered, as well as His disciples, we see that it was a danger of persecution. But is that a “danger” that one should fear? Clearly not, since Jesus never cowered in the face of it. In the Acts of the Apostles, we see how this same fate of persecution befell Jesus’ followers. But in the divine perspective, true “danger” is only that which has the potential to do eternal damage to one’s soul: sin. 
Sin and sin alone has the potential to do true damage, not persecution or even death. So when Jesus sent His disciples out “like lambs among wolves,” He was fully aware of the persecution they would receive in this world. But He exhorted them and sent them, because He knew that even if they were to eventually suffer persecution and death, their faith and courage in the midst of it would gain them merit in eternal life and would become an instrument of grace for others in their life of faith. As was commonly said in the early Church, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” For that reason, as Jesus sent these sheep out among wolves, He also accompanied their souls as the Good Shepherd, protecting their virtue, strengthening them in their witness to the faith, and keeping them from fear and from sin. He did not want them to fear the death of their body or their worldly reputation—rather, only the death of their souls which He, as the Good Shepherd, vigorously defended.
Reflect, today, upon the glorious truth that our Lord also sends you forth to be like a lamb among wolves. The fulfillment of the will of God in your life will take fortitude and courage as you trust that our Lord will keep you free from the countless temptations of sin. As you go forth, do not be surprised if you encounter harshness from others in the world, judgment and even persecution in various forms. When you do, respond with virtue. Keep faith, hope and charity alive in your life and do not fear those who can harm you in ways that are not eternal. Instead, stay firmly grounded in your mission to love and to share the mercy and truth of God in our world, no matter the consequences. Doing so will bring with it countless interior blessings of grace and will enable God to use you as an instrument of His grace in ways beyond that which you can ever conceive.
My courageous Lord, You came face-to-face with a harshness and cruelty in this world that ultimately enabled You to give witness to Your divine love by freely laying down Your life. Please send me forth on Your mission and strengthen me with every divine virtue so that I will not fear any form of persecution but always remain steadfast in my love of You, overcoming all fear through the gift of faith. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Do with me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.