Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh
Tin Mừng này hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu nói về sự xuất hiện của Chúa Thánh Thần, Đấng an ủi chúng ta. Chúa Thánh Thần chỉ có thể đến khi Chúa Giêsu đã được lên trời. Đó là việc rất tốt lành mà Chúa Kitô đã để lại cho chúng ta, bởi vì không có sự ra đi của Ngài, Ngài không thể sai Chúa Thánh Thần đến với chúng ta. Chúng ta có thể thấy rằng Đức Chúa Thánh Thần vẫn luôn tồn tại với chúng ta tới ngày nay bởi vì chúng ta thấy bảy ơn thánh của Chúa Thánh Thần đang sống trong chúng ta. Tất cả chúng ta có thể nhận được những ơn Chúa Thánh Thần như là những thành quả của sự khôn ngoan, ơn hiểu biết, ơn biết lo liệu, ơn Sức Mạnh, ơn Thông minh, ơn đạo đức, và ơn Kính sợ hãi Thiên Chúa. Những ơn này giúp chúng ta được sống hạnh phúc với Thiên Chúa. Tất cả những việc làm tốt của chúng ta có mục tiêu mang đến sự vinh quang không phải là cho chính bản thân mình hay cho một người nào khác, nhưng là đem sự vinh quang cho Thiên Chúa. Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã sống cuộc sống con người của Ngài trong thế giới của chúng ta là để tôn vinh Thiên Chúa. Và Thiên Chúa cũng sẽ tôn vinh Chúa Kitô trong việc Ngài đã sống lại từ cõi chết. Đó là sự thống nhất hoàn hảo và hiệp thông với Chúa Cha, Chúa Con và Chúa Thánh Thần. Thiên Chúa Ba Ngôi cùng làm việc với nhau trong sự hiệp nhất vì lợi ích của con người chúng ta.
 
Reflection:  Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 / Ps 148:1-2, 11-12, 13, 14 / Jn 16: 12-15  
This Gospel speaks about the arrival of the Paraclete. The Holy Spirit can come only when Jesus would have ascended. It is for our own good that Christ has to leave us, because without his departure, he cannot send us the Holy Spirit. We can see that the Holy Spirit exists today because we see the seven fruits of the Holy Spirit alive around us. We can all receive see the fruits of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord to help us be happy with the Lord. All our good deeds have the ultimate goal to give glory not to others or ourselves, but to God. Christ lived his life on earth for this moment - to give glory to God.  And God glorified Christ in return by resurrecting Him from the dead. There is a perfect unity and communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Holy Trinity acts together for our benefit.   
 
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth.”  John 16:12–13
This passage still rings true for all of us today. God wants to reveal to us, within the depths of our consciences, the deepest, most profound and transforming truths that flow from the mind of the Father in Heaven. But we cannot bear it all now. Not fully. And eternity will be spent continually deepening our understanding of all that God reveals. And the process of this ongoing and deepening discovery will fill us with an ongoing and deepening joy. This will be our Heaven, but it must begin now.
First of all, it’s important to understand that God does “have much more to tell you.” Interestingly, coming to know how much you do not already know is itself a form of knowledge. Knowing that there is so much more, that God’s wisdom is infinitely beyond you, that the mind of God compared to yours is incomparable is itself a beautiful truth that must be understood. This truth should both humble you and also fill you with a holy awe of God and the infinite depth of wisdom, truth, beauty and glory contained within Him. This is an essential first step.
Furthermore, by saying that “you cannot bear it now” does not mean that you should not try to bear more and more of the truth that God wants to reveal. In fact, it’s a form of invitation, in that it indicates that there will come a time when you will be able to comprehend more. This should once again foster a hope and anticipation for all that remains hidden to be revealed. Humility in the face of the infinite God is necessary for growth in wisdom and knowledge of God.
How does this growth in wisdom and the knowledge of God happen? It happens by the power and working of the Holy Spirit. It is the “Spirit of truth” who will “guide you to all truth.” But even this statement, once again, implies that this is a process. It is the Spirit Who will “guide” you. And this guidance will continue throughout this life and on into eternity.
This teaching of our Lord begs the question: Have you begun the process? Have you begun to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into the truth? Have there been concrete moments in your life when you came to know God in a new and profound way that could only have been possible by the power and working of God Himself?
Reflect, today, upon these essential questions. If you have had God the Holy Spirit speak clearly to You, then humble yourself before that truth. Pray for more wisdom and more knowledge of all that you do not know. And if you cannot relate to the idea of there being so much more that is beyond you, then humbly turn to our Lord and beg Him to begin to open your mind to all that He wants to say to you. The infinite mind of our God awaits you to be discovered and embraced. Begin the process today and let Him guide you into all truth.
God of all truth, You, Your wisdom, Your love and all of Your glorious attributes are infinite in nature and are beyond my complete comprehension. As I humble myself before these holy truths, dear Lord, please bestow upon me the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, so that I may open my mind more fully to You by Your grace. May the process of deep discovery be one of great joy and become for me a process that continues into eternity. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday Sixth Week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for who you are and thank you for all you have done for me. You have created all things and guide them carefully to their ultimate end. You sent your Son to redeem me and your Spirit to sanctify me. You have done marvelous things and show, in all things, your love and mercy.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Guidance of the Spirit: The Gospel of John reminds us that it is the Holy Spirit who will guide us to all truth. When we are stubborn and reject the Spirit’s guidance, we abuse our freedom. However, when we allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit, it is then that we are truly free. As Jesus says: “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). When we deviate from the moral law, we violate our own freedom, become imprisoned within ourselves, disrupt fellowship with our brothers and sisters, and rebel against divine truth (CCC, 1740). The grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit do not take away our freedom or act as a rival to our freedom. “On the contrary, … the more docile we are to the promptings of grace, the more we grow in inner freedom and confidence during trials… By the working of grace the Holy Spirit educates us in spiritual freedom in order to make us free collaborators in his work in the Church and in the world” (CCC, 1742).
2. The Speech of the Spirit: Jesus declares at the Last Supper that the Spirit will not speak on his own apart from the Father or the Son. Just as the Son speaks the words of the Father and reveals what the Father has revealed to him, so also the Spirit will speak “what he hears and will declare to you the things that are coming.” We see this action of the Holy Spirit especially in the prophets of Israel. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and all the other prophets were inspired by the Spirit to speak to Israel and Judah about their then-present situations but ultimately pointed forward to the Messianic age. And just as the Spirit inspired the Apostles, the Spirit continues to inspire us about our present but also points our gaze to the future. We need to be attentive to the voice of the Spirit and discern the good path that the Spirit opens up to us.
3. The Spirit Leads Us to Glory: The Spirit guides us and speaks to us with the goal of helping us attain a share in divine glory. Ultimately, this world was created for the glory of God. It is not the result of chaos or just one more world in a never-ending series. God did not create the world because he lacked something or needed something. He didn’t create the world because he was bored. “God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Savior. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life” (CCC, 1). By allowing the Holy Spirit into our lives, we share in the glory of the Son and of the Father.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the true philosopher and lover of wisdom. You teach the truth about all things and the path that leads to true happiness. Welcome me into your school of wisdom and let me learn from you each day.
 
Wednesday 6th Week of Easter 2022
Opening Prayer: Lord, I come before you humbly and open. I know that I am in your presence. I trust that my well-being matters to you. I love you and worship you in this time of prayer and intimacy with you.
Encountering Christ:
I Have Much to Tell You: In hindsight, we Easter people know exactly what Christ was alluding to here. How beautiful it was for Jesus to reveal the painful truth of his Passion gradually, sharing as much as they could handle at the moment. He does the same with us. According to the Law of Gradualness, people most often grow in virtue step by step, not all at once. We absorb the truth of the Gospel at God’s pace, not ours. He knows what is best for us at any given moment, and we can trust that we are as holy and perfect as he desires for us to be, providing we avoid sin, don’t cling to attachments, and are faithful to prayer and the sacraments. Are there obstacles within us that keep us from loving Christ? May we, by his grace, detach from whatever holds us back.
He Will Guide You: Pontius Pilate once asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Regardless of what we see or hear around us–for example, boy is girl or murder is healthcare– the truth is not democratic; we don’t get to vote on it. And we don’t get to avoid inconvenient truths because we don’t like them. How do we conform our hearts and minds to the truth of the Gospel when it doesn’t seem to jive with what the world says or, perhaps, even with what our own heart wants to hear? This is where we need to cultivate the virtue of trust. God, who is all good, really knows what’s best for us. We are called to live in the Spirit, trusting in the Lord with all our heart (Proverbs 3:5). The proverb continues, “In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:6). In whom do we trust?
What Is His Is Ours: The Holy Spirit has “everything the Father has,” and everything the Spirit has is ours as children of God. The “things that are coming” include the powerful gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are at work in our lives to this day. Furthermore, “things that are coming” include our own death and resurrection to eternal life (God willing), about which we still know very little except what St. Paul told us, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). How blessed are we to receive truth and gifts of all kinds from the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit who is present in our lives!
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you have searched me and you do know me. You know that I seek your truth, but that I am weak. Please continue to bless me with your healing and forgiveness. Help me to trust in your mercy, you love, and your Resurrection power.
 
Wednesday 6th Week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, I come to you in prayer today to encounter you in all your majesty. Open my heart that I may learn from you, get to know you better, and love you more so as to serve you always.
Encountering Christ:
 Let Me Introduce You: Yesterday in the Gospel, Jesus was saying farewell to his disciples and today he gave them these comforting words. He introduced his disciples (and us) to the great mystery of the Trinity. Three in one, one in three, what an unfathomable truth! In his great gentleness, Jesus fed us slowly in these verses. We have so much to learn about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let us keep our hearts open to this pure love and seek to learn more.
 The Perfect Guide: The Holy Spirit wants to guide us in truth. It can be difficult to listen in the noisy world in which we live. Devoted time to prayer can help us be less anxious about the things that are to come. With open hearts, let us listen and rely on the truths that the Holy Spirit, that sweet guest of our souls, is whispering to us and wanting us to share with the world which so desperately needs truth.
Generosity: Jesus is never outdone in generosity! Jesus gave us everything that the Father gave to him—everything: our life, our baptism, the Eucharist, our families. How often do we sit and ponder with Our Lord the greatness of his gifts? How can we show our appreciation? How do we receive such great gifts? Love, love, love!
Conversing with Christ: Father, Son, Holy Spirit–Holy Trinity–thank you for this time. Thank you for opening my mind and my heart to experience this pure love, this pure gift of yourself. May I rest and be at peace knowing you are always with us. Open our hearts to this great truth!
 
6th Week of Easter: Wednesday, Acts 17:15,22-18:1; Jn. 16:12-15
Paul gained the attention of the Athenians by pointing out their statue to an unknown god; something familiar to his audience. Paul was able to use this as a stepping-off point to explain how God, the Creator of the universe and the giver of life to every creature, remained close to each person. Paul spoke in ways that would be understood by his pagan audience. He did not quote Scripture that would be unfamiliar to the Athenians.
Like Paul, when we speak to people about God, we need to use words and images that they will understand. We need to speak clearly and gently for we are not trying to impress with our knowledge; we are asking God to use us to speak to the hearts of others. There were some things that the disciples would not understand before Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus promised them the Holy Spirit, who would be able to guide them “into all the truth”. Jesus explained that the Father had belonged to him too. Whatever the Holy Spirit told the disciples would be from the Father through Jesus. There would be a direct communication line from the Father to the disciples through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. How amazing that must have seemed to the disciples! And how amazing it is for us to realize that, if we are open to the Holy Spirit, we have access to God’s message to each of us. Lord, help me to listen to the Holy Spirit

Suy Niệm Thứ Ba Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh:

Suy Niệm Thứ Ba Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh:
Trong Bài Đọc I, một số phép lạ đã xảy ra trong nhà tù. Trước hết, là việc động đất và tất cả các dây xích sắt của các tù nhân đã đuợc cắt đứt và được mở ra, nhưng không tìm cách trốn thoát. Tuy nhiên, phép lạ lớn nhất đấy chính là người cai ngục, người mà luôn ngược đãi các tù nhân, đã được Thiên Chúa mở mắt và nhận ra rằng Thánh Phaolô và Silas là đặc sứ của Thiên Chúa. Vì vậy, ông đã xin họ cho ông được ơn cứu độ nơi Thiên Chúa. Chính ông là người đã đem họ ra khỏi nhà tù và đem về nhà săn sóc những vết thương của họ và ngồi lắng nghe lời họ giảng dạy về Chúa Giêsu và ơn cứu rỗi của Ngài. Tất cả những người trong gia đình ông chủ ngục đã được rửa tội và nhận đức tin của Chúa Giêsu Kitô. Đây chính là một phép lạ!
            Chúng ta đã được chứng kiến những phép lạ mà mọi người đã được biến đổi hoàn toàn cuộc sống của họ? Việc đó chắc chắn sẽ là một điều sẽ là tuyệt vời để chứng kiến phép lạ như vậy bởi vì chính việc đó thực sự đã làm củng cố đức tin của chúng ta vào Thiên Chúa. Việc biến đổi của Thánh Phaolô cũng là một phép lạ như vậy. Sự biến đổi kỳ diệu chính là công việc của Chúa Thánh Thần. Khi Chúa Thánh Thần chạm vào một người nào đó, Thì Thánh Thần có thể thay đổi những người ấy và làm cho họ có được tâm hồn đầy dẫy lòng nhiệt thành để vâng lệnh của Ngài.
            Chúng ta không nên nản lòng và bỏ rơi bất cứ ai, không cần biết là họ xấu thế nào, bởi vì Thiên Chúa có sức mạnh hơn tội lỗi của chúng ta. Ngài có thể thay đổi chúng ta hoàn toàn nếu chúng ta tin vào Ngài và mong muốn được biến đổi theo như cách làm việc và sự suy nghĩ của Ngài. Những việc Chúa Thánh Thần làm là hủy bỏ hoàn toàn các việc làm của của ma quỷ và thánh hoá  chúng ta. Vì vậy, chúng ta không nên sợ những điều ác vì Thiên Chúa đã chiến thắng ma quỷ và sự dữ trong ngày Chủ Nhật Chúa Phục Sinh.
 
Reflection Tuesday 6th Week of Easter
     In the first reading, several miracles occur. First, there is an earthquake and the chains of all the prisoners fall off. But the bigger miracle is that no one tries to escape. Most probably Paul talked to them and convinced them not to run away. However, the biggest miracle is about to happen. The jailer, who must have maltreated many of the prisoners, realizes that Paul and Silas are envoys of God. So he asks for salvation from God through them. He brings them to his house (still another miracle), washes their wounds and then sits down to listen to their preaching. All his family members are converted to the faith and are all baptized. Now that is a miracle!
     Have you witnessed miracles in which people completely change the direction of their lives?  It would be great to witness such miracles because they truly strengthen our faith in God. The conversion of St. Paul is one such miracle. Miraculous conversions are the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit touches a person, he can change immensely and is filled with zeal to obey God and His commands. We should not give up on anyone no matter how bad they might be because God is more powerful than our sins. He can change us totally if we believe in Him and desire to be converted to His way of doing and thinking. The work of the Holy Spirit is to undo the works of the devil. So we should not be afraid of the evil one because God has already triumphed on Easter Sunday over the prince of this world.  The gospel says so.    
 
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “Now I am going to the one who sent me, and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts. But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” John 16:5–7
Jesus continues to speak prophetically to His disciples about the necessity for Him to go to the Father so that He can send the Holy Spirit. What’s interesting in this passage is that Jesus points out to His disciples that “grief” has filled their hearts because of what He has said to them. Clearly, this grief in their hearts is because they do not understand what they will soon experience and do not want their relationship with Jesus to change.
Throughout our lives, our Lord will call us to change. At times, He calls us away from that with which we are familiar and comfortable, and He calls us to something new. This can be frightening and can become the cause of “grief” for us also. To help, let’s consider this passage above in detail.
Recall that there were many times, prior to Jesus’ death, that Jesus slowly started to reveal to His disciples, especially to the Twelve, that He would be going to the Father and that He would no longer be with them in the way He had been. Jesus wanted the Twelve to begin to understand that their relationship with Him, with the Father and with the Holy Spirit would soon take on new meaning in their lives. But the fact that this was something new, a change to what they had grown accustomed, meant that they were more focused upon the grief that accompanies loss than they were focused upon the joy that awaited.
This same experience can often be found in all of our lives. Though dramatic change is not necessarily a regular occurrence throughout life, most everyone will experience change at various moments in life. And when that change occurs in accord with the will of God, it must be embraced with hope and great expectation.
For example, vocational changes, such as getting married, having children, or entering a religious vocation, always bring with it much change—but a change that God can use for much good. Also, the death of a loved one, a move to a new community, a new job or school, the establishment of new relationships and the like can be difficult but also fruitful. Since the Gospel passage above specifically refers to the change that comes from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, it might be helpful to consider the fact that whenever some new change takes place in our lives, the Holy Spirit is there, waiting to enter into the new situation in ways we could have never imagined. So if you find yourself at times experiencing the grief of some loss, or difficulty with some new endeavor in life, know that the disciples experienced something similar. But in the end, Jesus’ words came true—“it is better for you that I go.” Though they did not want to see Jesus die and then ascend to Heaven out of their sight, this was part of the plan of God for their lives. So also when the changes we encounter in life are part of God’s divine plan, we can be certain that good things await.
Reflect, today, upon anything that our Lord may be asking of you in regard to a change in your life. Are you open, ready and willing to do whatever He asks? Or are you fearful or grieved by the thought of some change. Be open to anything our Lord asks of you and know that the full embrace of His holy will is the only path to true happiness in life.
My dear Jesus, You prepared Your disciples for the new life of grace that they would receive after Your death and Resurrection. Though fearful and uncertain, they embraced the new life You called them to live, and You did marvelous things through them. Please open my heart to the full embrace of my vocation and any changes that You desire for my life. I say “Yes” to You, my Lord, and pray that You work powerfully through me by the Holy Spirit. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Tuesday 6th Week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, guide me with your Holy Spirit. I cannot save myself or sanctify myself through my own efforts. Salvation and holiness are gifts from you. I am saved and sanctified by welcoming your saving grace in faith and in the Sacraments. Work in me, reign in my heart, and send me out like the Apostles to bring others into communion with you.
Encountering the Word of God
1. A Farewell Discourse: Jesus’ discourse at the Last Supper in the Gospel of John is a type of last will and testament and also a farewell discourse. He wants to teach his disciples some of his most important lessons about the Eucharist, the new commandment of love, the need for unity in the Church, etc. In today’s Gospel, he openly recognizes how grief has filled his disciples’ hearts. Jesus points out that they want to ask him about where he is going and what is going to happen to him. They should know the answer to both questions, as Jesus was very deliberate in his words on their final journey to Jerusalem and spoke about his departure (exodus) at least three times on the way. Jesus foretold being condemned to death by the religious authorities and crucified in Jerusalem during the Passover. He also promised to rise on the third day. But his disciples’ hearts were slow to understand all this.
2. Is It Really Better for Jesus to Depart? Jesus proclaims that it is better for him to go. How should we understand this? The goodness of Jesus’ departure can be a reference to his beneficial death on the Cross. Through his death, he conquers death. Through his obedient and innocent suffering, he makes atonement for our sins. Through his death, he takes upon himself the curse of the Old Covenant and establishes the New Covenant through the pouring out of his blood. As well, his death is not the end. He will be raised up and ascend to heaven and send us his Spirit to guide us to our heavenly home. And so, while we could think that it would have been better for him to not to have left us, we should rejoice like disciples on the way back from the Ascension (see Luke 24:52). We should rejoice because Jesus has left us to prepare a place for us in the Father’s House, but he has also mysteriously remained with us in the Eucharist, in the Church, and through the Spirit. He has not left us orphans, but continues to care for us and guide us.
3. The Mission of the Holy Spirit: In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks about the mission of the Holy Spirit as the Advocate (Paraclete). “At work since creation, having previously ‘spoken through the prophets,’ the Spirit will now be with and in the disciples, to teach them and guide them ‘into all the truth’” (CCC, 243) The Spirit empowers Jesus’ disciples to proclaim the Gospel with boldness, instructs them in the fullness of truth, strengthens them to bear witness to Christ in times of persecution, and defends them against the works of the devil. The Spirit is the one, who “exposes the sin of unbelief for what it is (John 3:20), convinces the world that Christ, though condemned as a criminal, was truly righteous (John 8:46), and makes it known that Satan and every enemy of Christ will face judgment for rejecting him (John 5:26-29; 12:31)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1920).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I renew my faith in your divine power over evil. The devil wants me to be discouraged, to despair, and to turn my gaze from you. You, however, invite me to turn to the Counselor who convicts the world of sin, judges the devil, and shows me the path to righteousness.
 
Tuesday 6th Week of Easter 2022
Opening Prayer: God my Father, I believe in you; help me grow that faith. Jesus, I hope in you; help me grow in that trust. Holy Spirit, I love you; stir in me the desire to love you more.
Where Are You Going? No one asked this question. They had seen Jesus leave once and it was pretty painful. Perhaps they thought, “If I don’t ask, maybe it won’t happen.” Grief filled their hearts. Christ recognizes that, at times, “grief fills our hearts” too. Desolation can creep in when we feel like Christ has “gone away.” Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV, in his book The Discernment of Spirits, breaks down St. Ignatius’s fourteen rules for discernment in an easily accessible way so that we can identify desolations or consolations and act accordingly. Understanding these principles can help us better comprehend God’s actions in our lives. 
But If I Go…: We inevitably feel a loss when Christ does not seem near. St. Teresa of Calcutta said she lived through years of spiritual desolation, feeling separated from the Lord. The path to God in one sense can be easy: repent and believe. But in daily life, many times we struggle to be in relationship with Christ and it takes real effort to persevere in prayer. It’s important to remember that, even though Jesus can feel far away at times, he never leaves us. Our spiritual desolation has a purpose, as Christ reveals in these verses. He goes away for a time so that our encounters with him can become more intimate. When we feel desolation, St. Ignatius tells us, “it is very advantageous to change ourselves intensely against the desolation itself, as by insisting more upon prayer, meditation, upon much examination, and upon extending ourselves in some suitable way of doing penance.” When we follow this advice, we can be assured that we will stay on the narrow path (Matthew 7:13-14) that leads us to Christ! 
Sin, Righteousness, and Condemnation: If you just saw these three words, how easy it would be to conclude: I am a sinner, Christ is righteous, and I deserve condemnation. But let's look again at what Jesus said the Holy Spirit would accomplish. He will convict Christians who reject Christ. He will help believers to see sin for the evil that it is. The Spirit will strike us with awe and appreciation for Jesus who sits at the right hand of the Father. Who is being condemned here? The ruler of this world–Satan–and all who follow him! Truly, as Jesus said, “It’s better that I go,” because he blesses us abundantly with the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit! 
Conversation with Christ: Lord, open the eyes of my heart. Help me trust that you are truly with me even when I can’t see you. Help me to fully embrace Easter joy through a new and profound faith, hope, and love for the Holy Spirit. 
 
Tuesday 6th Week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, fill my heart with your peace. Increase my faith, knowing that you will never leave me or abandon me. I am your child precious in your sight. Come Holy Spirit, fill my heart and kindle in me the fire of your love!
Encountering Christ:
 Grieving Hearts: How hard it is to say goodbye to those we love! The disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus and now he was saying goodbye. They must have been brokenhearted. So many times, emotion blinds us from the goodness and grace Our Lord wishes to pour out upon us. Let us be not afraid when trials come our way, or completely overwhelmed by grief when sorrows hit, but rather be hopeful, for we know where Jesus went, where he is now, and where we would like to be some day.
The Advocate: Jesus promised us a great Counselor, the sweet guest of our soul— the Holy Spirit. Let us cling to the Holy Spirit, calling upon the graces from our confirmation. We need to rely on the gifts and the fruits that we received from the Holy Spirit to live as beloved sons and daughters of the Father and proclaim Christ to the world.
Go: When we lose loved ones, we naturally want to keep their memory alive. Our faith tells us they are not far from us, separated by a thin veil between heaven and earth. “On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7). Our faith also tells us that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit abide in us! While eyes may not see and ears may not hear, we are never alone. What a consolation his accompaniment can be to our grieving hearts. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, increase my faith, increase my hope, increase my love! Help me stay sober, awake, and alert knowing you are here with me. Open my heart to receive you and enlighten me on how I can use the gifts and fruits you have so generously poured out upon me. I love you!

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh:

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai Tuần thứ 6 Phục Sinh:
Chúa Giêsu đã chắc chắn rằng những người theo Ngài là những người sẽ không bao giờ phải cô đơn trong cuộc sống vì Ngài sẽ sai Chúa Thánh Thần là Đấng Bảo Hộ, là Người sẽ An ủi hay là Người bênh vực của Chúa đến để làm chứng, hướng dẫn và giảng dạy chúng ta, những người đã tin theo Chúa. Chúng ta sẽ cần đến Chúa Thánh Thần! Ngài cảnh cáo cho chúng ta biết rằng: Nếu chúng ta theo Chúa sống và làm theo những giáo huấn của Ngài thì thế giới này sẽ ghen ghét và thù nghịch với chúng ta. Và một ngày sẽ đến khi chúng ta sẽ bị một số người bách hại chúng ta nhưng họ cứ nghĩ là họ đã làm đẹp lòng Thiên Chúa. Thật sự như thế cho đến cả hôm nay bao nhiều quốc gia Hồi Giáo quá khích đã gây ra chiến tranh, bạo động và họ cố gắng tiêu giệt các tôn giáo khác, kể cả Thiên Chúa Giáo, họ nghĩ là họ vậy là làm đẹp lòng và trung thành với Thiên Chúa. 
Thiên Chúa không bao giờ muốn hay chấp nhận bạo lực hay thù hận vì danh Chúa. Chúng ta hãy cẩn thận, sống làm đẹp lòng Chúa trong lời nói, trong sự suy nghĩ, lời nói của chúng ta không bao giờ có thể thể hiện sự bạo lực, không dung nạp, hoặc hận thù với bất cứ ai vì lý do nào, đặc biệt là liên quan đến Thiên Chúa. Lạy Chúa, xin ban cho con lòng khoan dung và luôn biết tôn trọng người khác.
 
Monday 6th Week of Easter (C) May 2, 2016
Many of the first converts to Christianity were women. Paul and his companions met a Greek woman named Lydia outside of Philippi next to a river (there is a beautiful outdoor chapel there now). She was a God-fearer — a pagan who was attracted to Judaism and open to its teachings. The Lord opened her heart; she and her household were baptized, and she extended hospitality to Paul. Often the contributions of women in the church have not been adequately appreciated and recognized, and the Holy Father has called for a greater voice for women. Let us open our own minds and hearts.
Jesus made sure that his followers would never be alone. He left them the Paraclete; comforter or advocate ; to witness, guide, and teach. They would need it! He warned that by following him they would earn the world's hatred. A day would even arrive when those who killed them would think that they were doing God a favor. How true — even today, many resort to violence in the belief that they are being faithful to God. God does not ask for or accept violence or hatred in His name. Let us take care in word, thought, and speech that we do not demonstrate violence, intolerance, or hatred to anyone for any reason, especially concerning God. Lord, grant me tolerance and respect for others.
 
Monday 6th Week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26–27
Jesus informs His disciples that “the Spirit of truth” will come and that the Spirit, as well as the disciples, will “testify” to Him. When Jesus first spoke these words to His disciples, they would not have comprehended what He meant. Since these words are prophetic in nature, they are words spoken that were to come to fulfillment and, then, once fulfilled, the words would be understood. So what does Jesus mean?
When we look at the Acts of the Apostles and read about the early Church, it is clear that something incredibly transforming took place after Jesus ascended into Heaven. Up until that time, the disciples and other followers of Jesus had faith, but they were also fearful. They communicated with those others who believed, but did so in secret and with fear. But as soon as Pentecost came and the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, descended upon them, the Apostles began to be used by God to powerfully proclaim the Gospel without fear and with great effect upon many. It was this experience of the disciples of our Lord, being filled with the Holy Spirit, to which Jesus was referring.
After Jesus died, and perhaps even more so after Jesus ascended into Heaven, it is likely that some of His disciples immediately concluded that the new movement Jesus started was now over. They could have never conceived of the idea that what Jesus started was only beginning. They could have never conceived of the fact that soon they would share in the beginning of the Church, proclaim the Gospel with courage and power, see the conversion of countless lives, witness the ongoing forgiveness of sins, and ultimately give their lives in imitation of our Lord. These disciples had no idea just what awaited them with the coming of the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth. What was awaiting them was their sharing in the ability to “testify” to Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. They soon realized that Jesus was actually more alive than ever and that He was now going forth to convert souls by the power of the Holy Spirit and through the instrumentality of all of His new disciples.
The same is true in our lives today. It is far too common for Christians to simply believe in Jesus personally, but then fail to wholeheartedly give testimony to Him by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. It is far too common for followers of Christ to act more like the disciples prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit. Too often, Christians keep the Gospel to themselves, fearful of giving testimony by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Reflect, today, upon these prophetic words of Jesus. Though these words were initially spoken to the Twelve, Jesus also speaks these words to you today. He wants you, too, to be a witness to Him, giving testimony to others so that they will come to believe. Reflect upon how well you fulfill this prophetic calling. Where you are lacking, pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life so that God can reach many hearts through you.
Most glorious Jesus, You promised to send upon Your disciples and also upon me the Holy Spirit, the Advocate and Spirit of Truth. Holy Spirit, I welcome You into my life and offer myself to You without reserve to be used to give testimony to the Truth. Please do use me, my God, and touch many lives through me. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday 6th Week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, send your Spirit of truth, the Advocate, into my heart. Unmask the lies I have welcomed and lead me to be authentic in all that I say, think, and do. Open my ears to hear the testimony of the Spirit.
 Encountering the Word of God
1. Two Advocates: Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are referred to as Advocates or Counselors (Paracletes). The word “paraclete” is a legal term in Greek that means an attorney or spokesperson, i.e., someone you call to your side to defend you in a courtroom. Jesus uses the term “for a heavenly intercessor who is called to the side of God’s children to offer strength and support. Jesus is a ‘Paraclete’ because in heaven he pleads to the Father for believers still struggling on earth (1 John 2:1)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1917. Jesus is a good Advocate before the Father because, through his Incarnation, he has identified himself with us and has solidarity with us. He was tempted like us, and yet did not fall into temptation. He knows our strengths, our weaknesses, our struggles, and our very real temptations to power, pleasure, and possessions. And yet, he did not sin. He did not, like the old Adam, give in to temptation. His solidarity with us informs his merciful and priestly intercession on our behalf.
 2. Spirit of Truth: The Holy Spirit is also one of our advocates. The Spirit is sent to strengthen the disciples in Jesus’ absence (John 14:16), instruct them in the truth (John 14:26; 15:26), and defend them against the prosecutions of the devil (John 16:7-11), who is the ‘accuser’ of the family of God (Revelation 12:10) (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1917). While Jesus lived our life and can plead for us at the right hand of the Father and intercede for us as our eternal and merciful high priest, the Holy Spirit fills us with his Love and moves us in each moment to choose the good and act in accord with the Father’s plan. The Spirit knows the depths of our hearts and can offer good counsel and move us to live truly as adopted children of God.
 3. The Western and Eastern Traditions on the Procession of the Spirit: One of the theological issues that divided Christianity was how to understand the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit. While both the East and the West affirm and confess the divinity of the Spirit, Catholics hold that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, while Orthodox Christians hold that the Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son. The Catechism summarizes that this is not so much a controversy as a legitimate complementarity: “At the outset the Eastern tradition expresses the Father’s character as first origin of the Spirit. By confessing the Spirit as he ‘who proceeds from the Father,’ it affirms that he comes from the Father through the Son (see John 15:26). The Western tradition expresses first the consubstantial communion between Father and Son, by saying that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son (filioque). It says this, ‘legitimately and with good reason,’ (Council of Florence from 1438-1445) for the eternal order of the divine persons in their consubstantial communion implies that the Father, as ‘the principle without principle,’ is the first origin of the Spirit, but also that as Father of the only Son, he is, with the Son, the single principle from which the Holy Spirit proceeds (Second Council of Lyons in 1274). This legitimate complementarity, provided it does not become rigid, does not affect the identity of faith in the reality of the same mystery confessed” (CCC, 248)
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I contemplate today how the Spirit guided you in your life and guided the Apostles as they preached the Gospel. I pray that I be docile to the action of the Holy Spirit and patient when I do not understand where or how the Spirit is leading me.
 
Monday 6th Week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Good and Loving God, I am here before you in faith. Please strengthen my faith. I come before you in hope; please increase my hope. I come before you in love; please deepen my love.
Encountering Christ: 
Truth, Beauty, and Goodness: In this internet age, we are often pummeled by misinformation or simply too much information. This overstimulation can hurt our capacity to discern truth. When we shift our time and attention to reading the Scriptures and other quality books, seeking out beauty in nature and art, and watching resources like Formed.org, we are much more likely to sharpen our discernment and find truth we can live by. Jesus tells us that the Advocate is the Spirit of Truth, and testifies to the Father. It is the Spirit that helps us to seek and find Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. May we invite the Holy Spirit into all of our efforts to seek truth.
They Will Expel You from the Synagogues: In every epoch, people have felt that they lived in the worst time in history. Fr. John Bartunek, LC, said recently that the history of the Church is the history of crisis! He also pointed out, however, that great saints emerged in each era of trial and hardship. Today’s reflection is a call to mission for each of us. We are called to be the saints of this era. We are called to sanctity that begins in relationship with God through our Advocate, the Holy Spirit. We will grow in holiness through our personal prayers and our liturgical prayer. 
“I Never Promised You a Rose Garden”: Christ knew how difficult certain periods of history would be for Christian believers. For how many centuries have we read, “They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me. I have told you this so that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you.” (John 16:3-4) And many of our brothers and sisters have courageously said, “Amen,” to suffer for the Gospel. Some of us have really just started understanding that we live in a post-Christian culture. This reality, however, should cause us no fear, for we do not journey alone. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are ready to do whatever Our Lord requires to spread the Gospel in our day. Lord, excite our hearts for this mission!
Conversation with Christ: Lord, in this Easter season, send me your Easter joy. I want to live that Easter joy even when the culture resists. Help me to connect to you in a special way today as I meditate on your victory over death so that I am empowered by your grace to do your will in all things.
 
REFLECTION 2006
The first reading relates the path that Paul and Barnabas took after leaving Jerusalem and as they progressed towards the area of the Gentiles. In the first reading, they meet Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, listened and as a result, the Lord enlightened and opened her heart to hear what Paul was saying.
We can relate this particular instance in our daily lives. When we allow ourselves to listen and open our hearts to what God is trying to tell us, we may be able to hear and understand him. However, there are times no matter how hard we try, it seems that his Word refuses to give meaning in our lives. During those times, we need to ask the help of the Holy Spirit to open our ears, mind and heart so that we can reap the full benefit from the Lord's Word.
In the Gospel today, Jesus emphatically states that he will be sending the Advocate to the disciples and to us. Jesus reminds us that the Spirit of truth will testify to you and me. These words of Jesus should comfort and encourage us all. The disciples were once a group of people who were afraid for their own lives, especially during the period after Jesus was crucified. But they turned into a group of brave men, unafraid to proclaim the teachings of the Lord and enduring all kinds of suffering and persecution. In the last forty days which Jesus spent with the disciples after his resurrection, Jesus gave his disciples a lasting hope and courage which they needed to fulfill their mission that was entrusted to them - that of bringing the Word of the Lord to all nations.

Bài Giảng Chúa Nhật Thứ 6 Mùa Chay năm C-

Bài Giảng Chúa Nhật Thứ 6 Mùa Chay năm C-
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay đưa chúng ta trở lại quang cảnh đêm Tiệc Ly. Chúng ta nghĩ đến lúc Mười Hai Vị Tông Đồ đang quây quần bên bàn tiệc ly với Chúa Giê-xu. Chúng ta nghe những lời huyền bí và vinh quang của Ngài. Đây là bữa ăn cuối cùng Chúa Giê-su dùng với những người bạn thân nhất của ngài. Ngài muốn để lại cho họ một món quà trước khi rời khỏi họ.
Món qua đó là gì? Chúa Kitô muốn để lại điều gì cho các Tông đồ trong Bữa Tiệc Ly?
Sự  bình an. "Bình an Thầy để lại với anh em; bình an của thầy ban cho anh em" Và lời Bình An của Ngài có ý nghĩa gì? Đó không phải là những gì chúng ta thường nghĩ: " Thầy ban cho anh em không theo kiểu thế gian.." Sự bình an của Chúa Jêsus là trường tồn. Đó là bình an trong nội tâm, tràn ngập an bình trong các gia đình, trong cộng đồng, trong toàn thể quốc gia. Đó là sự bình yên đến từ việc không nghi ngờ gì về việc chúng ta được Ngài yêu thương.
Đó là sự bình yên đến từ việc không nghi ngờ gì rằng bất cứ khi nào chúng ta xúc phạm đến Ngài, Ngài sẽ luôn sẵn sàng tha thứ cho chúng ta. Đó là sự bình yên đến từ việc không nghi ngờ gì rằng chúng ta có một mục đích sống, một sứ mệnh; sứ mệnh mà chính Chúa Giêsu đã trao cho chúng ta: loan truyền Vương quốc của Người.
Như chúng ta đã nghe Thi thiên hôm nay: "Xin Ngài để cho khuôn mặt của Ngài chiếu sáng trên chúng tôi. Vậy, đường lối của bạn được cả thế gian biết đến; trong muôn dân, sự cứu rỗi của bạn." Chỉ bởi vì Chúa Giêsu đã ban cho chúng ta sự bình an này, bằng cách cho chúng ta đức tin vào tình yêu, lòng thương xót và sứ mệnh của Người, nên Người mới có thể truyền lệnh cho chúng ta: “Đừng để lòng các con phải bối rối hay sợ hãi”.
Nếu bình an của chúng ta dựa trên bất cứ thứ gì khác: sự nổi tiếng, giàu có, tiện nghi hay quyền lực, thì nó sẽ không ổn định, bởi vì tất cả những thứ đó đều dễ bị thay đổi. Nhưng sự bình an của Chúa Giê Su KiTô không dễ bị tổn thương, bởi vì nó dựa trên tình yêu thương, lòng thương xót và sứ mệnh của Ngài, và những điều đó là bất diệt.
Tôi đã kể cho bạn nghe câu chuyện về Đức Phanxicô-Xaviê Nguyễn Văn Thuận trước đây. Bây giơ ông được tòa thánh nhận là đáng đánh Kính và trên quá trình điều tra đẻ phong thánh. Đánh đánh Kính Hồng Y Thuận là một tù nhân chiến tranh, nhưng ông là một hồng y, và là nguồn cảm hứng cho người Việt Nam và các tín hữu khác trên toàn thế giới. Ông qua đời tại Rome vào tháng 9 năm 2002, bị đày ải khỏi quê hương của chúng tôi. Tất cả những ai biết ông trong những năm cuối đời đều bị ấn tượng bởi sự bình yên và vui vẻ bên trong ông.Tất cả những ai biết ông trong những năm cuối đời đều bị ấn tượng bởi sự bình yên và vui vẻ nơi ông. Ông là người đã tìm thấy sự bình an của Chúa Giêsu Kito, sự ổn định đến từ việc khám phá và bám vào những lẽ thật sâu xa hơn.
Trước khi bị đày ải, ông từng là Giám mục tại Giáo phận tôi, Giáo phận Nha Trang, VN. Tháng 4 năm 1975, Đức Cha Thuận được bổ nhiệm làm Tổng Giám mục kiêm Giám mục Phụ tá Sài Gòn, thủ đô miền Nam Việt Nam. Bảy ngày sau, Sài Gòn rơi vào tay Cộng sản. Ông đã bị chính quyền cộng sản bắt giữ và họ tống ông vào tù và trại cải tạo không xét xử trong 13 năm, vì cộng sản đã cố gắng tiêu diệt Giáo hội Công giáo ở nước ta nhưng không thành công. 9 năm trong số 13 năm đó, tổng giám mục Thuận bị biệt giam, trong những điều kiện khủng khiếp và sự khắc nghiệt khủng khiếp.
Quyết tâm tiếp tục phục vụ nhân dân của mình, anh ấy đã sử dụng những nguồn lực rất hạn chế của mình cho mục đích tốt. Ong ta nhờ một cậu bé mang cho mình những cuốn lịch, rồi ông ta xé thành nhiều mảnh nhỏ và dùng để viết những lời suy niệm với thông điệp hy vọng ngắn gọn gởi đến các tín hữu. Cậu bé đã sao chép các thông điệp đó và phổ biến chúng trong số các tín hữu, những thông điệp đã giúp họ rất nhiều để họ có thể chịu đựng được sự áp bức như những người tín hữu Việt Nam đã phải làm trong các thời kỳ bắt đạo trước đây.
   Trong sự cô lập của ông, ban đầu nhà cầm quyền cộng sản quyết định chỉ có hai lính canh trông chừng ông, để không có nguy cơ lây nhiễm tư tưởng Công giáo cho quá nhiều người lính trẻ. Nhưng sau một tháng, Đức Tổng Giám mục Thuận đã kết bạn với cả hai và dạy họ tiếng Pháp hoặc tiếng Latinh, sau đó là một số bài thánh ca và lời cầu nguyện của Kitô giáo. Các quan chức buộc phải luân phiên lính canh hàng tuần để tránh những vụ chuyển đổi đáng xấu hổ như vậy. Nhưng chiến lược xoay vòng đã phản tác dụng.
Vị Tổng giám mục thánh thiện đã chiếu rọi sự tốt lành của Chúa Kitô một cách mạnh mẽ, ngay cả trong lúc đau khổ về tinh thần và thể xác, đến nỗi Ngài sẽ chiến thắng những người lính canh của mình mà không cần cố gắng, khiến họ tò mò và quan tâm đến “bí mật” của Ngài; đó là đức tin của Ngài. kết thúc, nhà cầm quyền cộng sản quay trở lại phân công hai lính canh thường trực. Vì họ nói rằng thà mất hai người còn hơn mất hai mươi người hay nhiều hơn. Đó là loại sức mạnh nội tâm và sự bình an trong tâm hồn mà Chúa Giêsu muốn ban cho chúng ta. Chúng ta cần được nhắc nhở rằng tình yêu của Chúa Giêsu, lòng thương xót và sứ mệnh của Ngài có thể mang lại cho chúng ta sự bình an nội tâm mà chúng ta hằng mong ước, khi tình bạn của chúng ta với Ngài lớn lên, thì kinh nghiệm của chúng ta về sự bình an đó cũng vậy.
Chúa Giêsu yêu cầu các môn đệ và chúng ta chứng tỏ tình yêu của mình bằng sự trung thành với sứ mệnh mà Chúa Giêsu đã giao phó cho chúng ta. Chúng ta được hỗ trợ trong việc này nhờ tác động của Đức Thánh Linh của Đức Chúa Trời trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Cũng như Chúa Cha đã ban món quà lớn nhất của Ngài bằng cách sai Con Một của Ngài đến thế gian, thì bây giờ, khi Chúa Giêsu lên cùng Chúa Cha, Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ được tuôn đổ trên mặt đất.
Điểm quan trọng của Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật này là tất cả những ai theo Chúa Giê Su Kitô phải thể hiện tình yêu thương của họ đối với Ngài bằng cách kiên trì trong đức tin, hy vọng và tình yêu thương. Sự xa cách khỏi Chúa Giêsu, như khi Ngài lên trời, chúng ta có thể đau buồn khổ sở, nhưng không có nghĩa là chúng ta bị bỏ rơi. Thầy trở về với Chúa Cha, nên làm cho tâm hồn mọi tín hữu được bình an, nhất là dưới ánh sáng của Chúa Giêsu đã hứa ban Chúa Thánh Thần, Đấng dẫn dắt chúng ta trên con đường kết hiệp vĩnh cửu với Thiên Chúa Ba Ngôi: Chúa Cha, Chúa Con, Chúa Thánh Thần. Tinh thần. Đây là một khả năng tốt cho tất cả chúng ta!
Trong Bài Đọc Thứ Hai này, chúng ta được thấy một tầm nhìn đầy cảm hứng và sống động về thành Giê-ru-sa-lem trên trời, nơi Hội Thánh khải hoàn, gồm tất cả những ai đã vượt qua từ sự sống cho đến sự Vinh quang của Thiên Chúa, hiện diện với Ba Ngôi Chí Thánh. Đó là một cách khác để diễn tả rằng “Thiên Chúa sẽ ở trong tất cả”, như Thánh Phao-lô mô tả trong Thư Thứ Nhất gửi tín hữu Cô-rinh-tô (15, 28), khi sự cứu chuộc của chúng ta sẽ hoàn tất.
Trong hai tuần cuối cùng của Mùa Phục sinh này, chúng ta được mời gọi ngày càng mở rộng tâm hồn mình hơn với Chúa Giêsu để chuẩn bị cho Lễ Hiện Xuống. Khi làm như vậy, chúng ta có thể cảm nghiệm được nhiều hơn tình yêu vĩ đại của Chúa Phục Sinh, và phát triển khả năng yêu mến Người nhiều hơn, trong tất cả những gì Người kêu gọi chúng ta làm.
 
My Homily Sixth Sunday of Easter Year C 
This Sunday’s Gospel passage comes from the Farewell Discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper, right before his betrayal, crucifixion and death occurred. 
Jesus spoke to his disciples about returning to the Father. The Lord Jesus had come to earth as the ambassador of the Father, with the mission of revealing God’s love for the human race, and bestowing the gift of salvation by rising from the dead. What Jesus taught and the works that he performed came from God, and Jesus would ultimately return to the Father at the Ascension.
What does Jesus want to leave to his Apostles at the Last Supper? Peace. "Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give to you." And what does he mean by peace? It is not what we usually think: as He said: "Not as the world gives do I give it to you."  The peace of Jesus is lasting. It is interior peace of heart, which overflows into peace in families, in communities, in entire nations.  It is the peace that comes from knowing without any doubt whatsoever that we are loved by him. It is the peace that comes from knowing without any doubt whatsoever that whenever we offend him, he will always be ready to forgive us.  It is the peace that comes from knowing without any doubt whatsoever that we have a purpose in life, a mission; the mission that Jesus himself has given us: to spread his Kingdom.
By giving us faith in his love, mercy, and mission, he can command us: "Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."   If our peace were based on anything else: popularity, wealth, comfort, or power, it would be unstable, because all those things are vulnerable to change. But the peace of Jesus Christ isn't vulnerable, because it's based on his love, mercy, and mission, and those are everlasting.
I did tell you the story of Venerable Francis-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận before. He was a prisoner of war, But he was a cardinal, and a source of inspiration for the Vietnamese and other faithful worldwide. He died in Rome in September 2002, exiled from our homeland. Everyone who knew him during the last years of his life was impressed by his interior peace and joy.
He was someone who had found Jesus Christ's peace, the stability that comes from discovering and clinging to the deeper truths. Before his exile, he served as bishop in my diocese, Diocese of Nha Trang VN.
In April of 1975, Bishop Thuận was named Archbishop and Coadjutor Bishop of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam. Seven days later, Saigon fell to the Communists. He was arrested by the communist authorities and they put him in prison and Reeducation camp without a trial for 13 years, as the communists tried unsuccessfully to destroy the Catholic Church in our country.
Nine of those 13 years archbishop Thuan was spent in solitary confinement, in gruesome conditions and horrible privations.
Determined to continue serving his people, he used his very limited resources for good. He asked a delivery boy to bring him calendars, which he tore into small pieces and used to write brief messages of hope to the faithful. The boy copied the messages and spread them among the faithful, messages which greatly helped them to endure under oppression as the Vietnamese faithful had had to do in previous periods of persecution.
    In his isolation, at first the communist authorities decided to have only two guards watch over him, so as not to risk contaminating too many young soldiers with the Archbishop's Catholic ideas. But after a month, Archbishop Thuan had made friends with both of them and taught them French or Latin and then some Christian hymns and prayers.  Officials were forced to rotate guards every week in order to avoid such embarrassing conversions. But the rotation strategy backfired.
The holy Archbishop radiated Christ's goodness so powerfully, even in the midst of his emotional and physical suffering, that he would win over his guards without even trying, sparking their curiosity and interest in his "secret”; that is, his faith. In the end, the communist authority went back to assigning two permanent guards.
For they said that it was better to lose two of their men than lose twenty or more men. 
That's the kind of interior strength and peace of mind that Jesus wants to give us.   We need to be reminded that the love of Jesus, and His mercy, and mission can give us the interior peace we long for, that as our friendship with Him grows, so will our experience of that peace.
Jesus asked his disciples, and us to demonstrate our love, by fidelity to the mission Jesus has entrusted to us. We are assisted in this by the action of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as the Father gave his greatest gift by sending his only Son into the world, so now, when Jesus ascends to the Father, the Holy Spirit will be poured out upon the face of the earth.
The important point of this Sunday’s Gospel is that all who follow Jesus Christ must demonstrate their love for Him by persevering in faith, hope and love. Separation from the Lord Jesus, as when He ascended into Heaven, may be painful, but it does not mean being abandoned. The Master returns to the Father, which should fill the hearts of all believers with peace, especially in the light of Jesus’ promise of sending the Holy Spirit who leads us along the way to eternal union with the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. This is a possibility for all of us!
In this Second Reading, we are given an inspiring and vivid vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, where the Church Triumphant, composed all who have passed from life to God’s Glory, are present with the Holy Trinity. It is another way of expressing that “God will be all in all,” as Saint Paul describes it in his First Letter to the Corinthians (15, 28), when our redemption will be fully accomplished.
During these final two weeks of the Easter Season, we are called to open our hearts more and more to the Lord Jesus in preparation for Pentecost. In doing so may we experience more the great love of our Risen Lord, and grow in our ability to love him more, in all that he calls us to do.
 
6th Sunday of Easter Year C
Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me.” John 14:23–24
The Father and the Son are One. Their unity is perfect in every way. They share one divine nature. Yet they are distinct Persons. They are not only perfectly united as One God, they are also able to be in a loving communion of unity with each other. The mystery of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is a mystery so deep that we will never fully comprehend Them. They are the “unknowable God” Whom we seek to know. Thus, our relationship with God is an ongoing journey by which we plunge ourselves into this mystery more deeply every day and through eternity.
Today’s Gospel gives us a glimpse into the glorious unity of God, but it goes further. It also reveals the desire in the Heart of God to come and dwell within us. If we love God and keep His Word, the Trinity will come to us and dwell within us. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” This invitation given to us to share in the unity of God is also a mystery too deep for words.
As a child, perhaps you were taught about the mystery of the Trinity by being shown a three-leaf clover. Each petal represents one of the divine Persons, but the whole leaf represents Their unity. We benefit from this simplistic imagery to help us begin to understand Who God is. But in reality, there is only one thing that will help to fully reveal God’s very Self to us. What is that one thing? It is exactly what Jesus spoke about: Loving obedience to the Word of God.
Obedience to the Word of God is the best expression of love we can offer to God. This is because God’s Word is Truth in its fullness. When we understand this Truth and live by it, then this is love. Furthermore, this form of loving obedience will result in something that is unimaginable. It will result in the indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity in our souls: “…and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”
Though this language is clouded and mysterious, when the Most Holy Trinity comes to dwell within a person, the cloud begins to be lifted and the mystery begins to become known. Therefore, the only way to begin to discover this incomprehensible mystery of the life of the Most Holy Trinity is to allow the Trinity to dwell within you. And the only way to invite God to do so is through love of Him. And the only way to love Him is through obedience to the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. We especially come to know Him as the Word of God through our reading of the Scriptures and by living the message it proclaims. 
Reflect, today, upon the most central calling you have been given. That mission is to become a dwelling place for God. And that is only accomplished by your love of God which is expressed through obedience to His Word. Ponder obedience. Tell God you will obey His every command of love. Look at your actions and consider any ways that you fail in obedience to all that our Lord has commanded. Where you see any deviation, know that correcting that deviation is the pathway not only to a deeper love but also the pathway to a fuller unity with the Triune God Who seeks to unite Himself to you from within.
Most Holy Trinity, Unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, come dwell within me. I pray for the gift of love of You, expressed through my obedience to Your every command that is revealed through Your holy Word. May I become more fully aware of every way I delay in my obedience so that I may change my ways and open myself more fully to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
6th Sunday of Easter Year C 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am truly blessed to know you. You are my Father. All I have, every good thing, I have received from you. Guide me as I walk the path of life toward you. Move me with your Spirit to do what is right and just and holy.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Trinity in the Gospel of John: Of the four Gospels, the one that speaks the most about God as a Trinity of divine Persons is the Gospel of John. A key part of the Last Supper Discourse in John’s Gospel concerns Jesus’ relationship as Son to the Father and how he and the Father will send the Holy Spirit after his departure from this world. Throughout the Gospel of John, there are many verses that reveal the mystery of the Trinity. God the Father “so loved the world that he gave his only Son … For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). “The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him” (John 3:35). “[Jesus] called God his own father, making himself equal to God” (John 5:18). “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). “If you know me, then you will also know my Father” (John 14:7). “The Father who dwells in me is doing his works” (John 14:10). “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). “The Advocate, the holy Spirit, that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything” (John 14:26). “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth that proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me” (John 15:26). After the Resurrection, Jesus breathes on the disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).
2. The Trinity in the Book of Revelation: In the Second Reading, John has a vision of the holy city of the New Jerusalem. The gates of the New Jerusalem – with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel – symbolize how the whole world enters into the Church of the New Covenant through the promises made to Israel. The Church of the New Covenant is also built on Apostolic foundations. There is no temple in the holy city because its temple is the Lord God and the Lamb. John will see a vision of two thrones – the throne of the Lord God the Almighty and the throne of the Lamb. Where, then, is the throne of the Spirit? John sees not a throne, but the Spirit flowing from the two thrones: “Then, he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). Just as the Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son, so also, in time, the Spirit is poured out into our hearts to heal us, sanctify us, and leads us, in time of tribulation, to the heavenly Jerusalem.
3. The Trinity at the Council of Jerusalem: In the First Reading, we hear a brief account of the decisions made by the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 49 concerning how to welcome the Gentiles into the Church founded by Jesus. In the debate, they focused on how the Holy Spirit was given to Gentiles who came to believe in Jesus. Peter decided that the yoke of the Law of Moses should not be imposed on the Gentiles and that we are saved not by the works of the Law but through the grace of the Lord Jesus. James, who acted at the time as the bishop of Jerusalem, agreed with Peter and judged that the Gentiles who turn to God should not be troubled with the ceremonial rites of the Law. In the letter the council sent to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, the apostles and elders of the Church conveyed the “decision of the Holy Spirit” not to burden them beyond a couple of points regarding the Christian life and table fellowship. In brief, we see that the works of all three Persons of the Trinity are mentioned at the Council of Jerusalem: God the Father knows the heart of his people, the Lord Jesus gives his to his people, and the Spirit guides the decisions of the people of God, gathered in a council.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for revealing the mystery of the Trinity to me. The mystery far surpasses my understanding and reason, and yet you, through the virtue of faith and the gift of wisdom, can bring me more deeply into the mystery. I believe, Lord, help my unbelief! Grant me your wisdom!

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Phục Sinh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Phục Sinh
Trong bài đọc thứ nhất, chúng ta nghe hai lần, Chúa Thánh Thần đã ngăn cản thánh Phaolô làm theo kế hoạch của riêng của ông.  Trước hết Thánh Phaolô không được phép rao giảng ở châu Á, và sau đó, không được phép đi đến Bithynia (miền bắc vùng Tiểu Á). Sách Công-vụ Tông Đồ đã không nói là Chúa Thánh Thần đã  hành động như thế nào, nhưng có lẽ qua lời cầu nguyện hay lời tiên tri. Tuy nhiên, Sách CVTĐ có cho chúng ta biết là khi ở thành phố Troas Thánh Phaolô đã được thị kiến và được Thánh Thần sai đến Macedonia.
Thật vậy, trong Công Vụ Tông Đồ, chúng ta thấy Chúa Thánh Thần đã dùng nhiều phương tiện để hướng dẫn các Kitô hữu, Thánh Luca tác giả CVTĐ thường xuyên đề cập đến vấn đề cầu nguyện, sự thị kiến, hay sự xuất hiện của các Thiên Thần, những lời tiên tri và những giấc mơ. Mục đích của Thánh Luca là thể hiện mối quan hệ chặt chẽ giữa những hành động của Cha Kitô Phục Sinh và của Chúa Thánh Thần.
Mặc dù Chúa Thánh Thần hầu như không được đề cập đến trong các câu cuối cùng của chương 15 trong Tin Mừng Gioan, nhưng Chúa Thánh Thần là trọng tâm trong những lời cầu nguyện của Chúa Giêsu, ngay ở đầu chương 16. Chúa Giêsu nói với các tông đồ rằng Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ liên tục hướng dẫn họ. Là Thánh Thần của sự thật, Ngài sẽ nói với họ. Qua Chúa Thánh Thần mà những gì mà Chúa Giêsu nói khi Ngài đang ngự bên Hữu của Đức Chúa Cha bây giờ sẽ được truyền đến cho các môn đệ.
Khi Chúa Giêsu rời khỏi cuộc sống ở trần tục của Ngài, Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta Chúa Thánh Thần, Người mà đem Chúa Giêsu Kitô phục sinh đến và hiện diện trong chúng ta. Cũng như Chúa Jêsus đã từng nói trong bản tính xác thịt của Ngài, bây giờ Ngài nói với chúng ta qua Chúa Thánh Thần. Giống như Phao-lô, chúng ta hãy sẵn sàng lắng nghe tiếng của Chúa qua Chúa Thánh Thần!
Lạy Chúa Thánh Thần, Xin đến và hướng dẫn chúng con hôm nay.
 
Reflection Saturday 5^th week of Easter 2014        
In the first reading, we read how twice, the Holy Spirit prevents Paul from pursuing his plans. First, Paul was forbidden to preach the word in Asia, and later, not permitted to travel to Bithynia. The writer of Acts, Luke, does not say how the Spirit acted, that is, whether, through prayer or prophecy. He does tell us, however, that it was a vision or dream in the city of Troas that directed Paul to sail to Macedonia.
Truly, in the Acts of the Apostles, we see how the Holy Spirit uses many means to guide Christians. Luke most frequently mentions prayer, visions, appearances of angles, prophecies and dreams. Luke’s aim is to show the close relationship between the actions of the Risen Christ and that of the Holy Spirit.
Although the Holy Spirit is barely mentioned in the final verses of chapter 15 of John, he is at the centre of Jesus’ prayer at the beginning of chapter 16. Jesus tells the apostles that the Holy Spirit will be a constant guide to them. As the Spirit of Truth, he will speak to them. Through the Spirit, what Jesus says at the right hand of the Father will now be transmitted to the disciples.
When Jesus departed from his earthly life, he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit, who enables the Risen Christ to be present to us and in us. Just as Jesus once spoke in the flesh, he now speaks to us through the Spirit. Like Paul, let us be ready to listen to his voice! Holy Spirit, guide me today.
 
Reflection Sat 5^th week of Easter
Jesus said to his disciples: “If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.” John 15:18–19
This is a sobering thought: “the world hates you.” That is, if you are among those who have been taken by our Lord out of the world. In that case, Jesus says that the world will hate you.
No one wants to be hated. No one wants to experience the wrath, persecution, attacks, or ridicule of another. Hatred is ugly, painful and difficult to endure. But that is part of the nature of hate. It’s not only a form of persecution, it’s also a form of manipulation. Hate is an attack upon another by which the hater seeks to inflict injury and to manipulate them to change and conform to their will. The secular and unchristian “world” wants to win you over and away from God. Jesus offers this teaching, in part, to prepare us so that when we do experience hatred from the world, we will not be affected by it nor manipulated to turn from Him. Therefore, this teaching is a revelation of much mercy from our Lord.
Remember that Jesus spoke of three enemies of our soul. The flesh, the devil and the world. In this Gospel passage, to “belong to the world” means that a person allows themself to be negatively influenced by the countless lies embedded within the world. The secular media, pop-culture, biased opinions, social pressures, false images of happiness and the like seek to constantly misguide us and draw us in. We are regularly tempted to believe that fulfillment is found in money, our physical appearance, the recognition of our accomplishments and much more. The world tells us that our opinions must conform to the secular values of the age—and if they don’t, then we are judgmental, close-minded extremists and should be shunned and “canceled” or silenced.
These worldly temptations and pressures are real, and, for that reason, Jesus’ words are freeing. They free us from the manipulations and deceptions we will experience when we live our faith openly for all to see. When we do so, we will be hated by the world. But knowing that provides peace of heart when it happens.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful and consoling words of Jesus. If you do not experience any form of hatred from the world, then this should be a concern and the cause for reflection. And if you do experience some form of hatred, know that our Lord prepared you for this and offers you His strength and courage to endure it with joy. In the end, all that matters is what our Lord thinks—and nothing else. In the end, if you experience hatred by the world in any form, know that this makes you more like Christ Himself.
My persecuted Lord, You endured the hatred and ridicule of many who were engulfed by the false values of the world. I pray that I may share not only in Your life of love and mercy but also in Your strength during the times that I also endure the world’s hatred. I commit myself to You and pray that You continually take me out of the world and bring me close to Yourself. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Reflection Sat 5^th week of Easter 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am in the world you have created, but this is not my true home. I am a pilgrim and sojourner on a lifelong journey to your house, where your Son has prepared a dwelling for me. Lift up my eyes toward my heavenly home. Do not let me be discouraged on the journey, but fill me with hope in your promise.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Hated by the World: Throughout the Last Supper Discourse, Jesus has been speaking about the blessings and curses of the New Covenant. By keeping the commandments, we are blessed to abide in the divine community of love. However, if we do not keep the commandments, abide in Jesus’ love, and bear fruit, then we will be cast into the fire (John 15:6-10). The New Covenant transforms the curses of the Old Covenant into blessings. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus promised: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). This same principle is at work in today’s Gospel. As friends of Jesus and adopted children of the Father, we will be hated by the world since we are in it but do not belong to it.
2. Persecuted by the World: At the Last Supper, Jesus was not asking his disciples to suffer more than himself or to do something that he himself did not. He was holy and innocent, and yet was crucified. When he healed and cast out demons, he was accused of working with the devil. When he declared his identity as the Son of God, he was condemned to death for blasphemy. When he restored his friend Lazarus to life, the religious authorities plotted to kill him. He went about doing good, and yet was rejected by many. We can expect the same treatment. In this way, we will suffer with Jesus, our friend and brother.
3. Loved by God: The New Covenant not only promises blessing, but also empowers us to attain the promised blessing. Even though we are hated and persecuted by the world for not living according to its sinful ways, we are loved and cared for by God for living according to his standards and our status as his children and friends of his Son. The Love of God, the Spirit of Truth, has been poured into our hearts through the waters of Baptism. This divine love surpasses all human love. Human love is often marked by likes and dislikes. We say things like, “I love ice cream,” and can easily equate love with what pleases us. Divine love is different. It is not a reaction to pleasure but an act of self-giving. The divine love, poured into our hearts, enables us to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others in supernatural ways. Human love is often motivated by what I get out of the relationship. Divine love is motivated, so to speak, by what the lover can give so that their beloved flourishes.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as a child of God, I will endure persecution and suffer for the Gospel. You know the limits of my strength. I fully trust in you to accompany me, in your Father to care for me, and in your Spirit to guide me.
 
Reflection Sat 5^th week of Easter 2014       
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am in the world you have created, but this is not my true home. I am a pilgrim and sojourner on a lifelong journey to your house, where your Son has prepared a dwelling for me. Lift up my eyes toward my heavenly home. Do not let me be discouraged on the journey but fill me with hope in your promise.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Persecuted Children of the Father: The Gospel teaches us that Jesus’ disciples do not belong to the world because they have been freed from the sin of the world by Jesus himself. They are no longer slaves to sin and can now enjoy the freedom of the children of God. This freedom does not take away persecution and suffering. Just as the Son of God was persecuted and suffered, we too, as children of God, will be persecuted and suffer. One of the causes of the persecution of the bearers of the Gospel is ignorance: those who persecute the Apostles do not know the Father, who sent his only begotten Son to the world to redeem it. The proclamation of the Gospel by the Apostles, accompanied by signs and wonders accomplished in Jesus’ name, seeks to bring the people out of the darkness of ignorance and into the light of Christ. This light is a liberating and merciful light. It uncovers the lies of the world and its false promise of happiness. It reveals to us that we have sinned against God, but that we can be purified in the blood of the Lamb. Today’s Psalm reflects the joy we experience when we walk in the light of Christ. We sing today: “The Lord is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness, to all generations.”
2. The Beginning of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: In the First Reading, the Acts of the Apostles narrates the beginning of Paul’s Second Missionary Journey (A.D. 50-52). Paul set out and invited Barnabas to come with him, saying: “Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are” (Acts 15:37). Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them but Paul disagreed with Barnabas because Mark had abandoned them during the first missionary journey. Paul and Barnabas decided to separate: Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to the cities of his homeland in Cyprus. Paul, on the other hand, took Silas with him and went through Syria and Cilicia and returned to the cities of Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch in Pisidia. During their journeys, both Barnabas and Paul were able to communicate the recent decision of the Council of Jerusalem to the newly founded churches. The Council had decided that Gentiles who came to believe in Jesus did not have to be circumcised according to the Law of Moses. There were still some difficulties in accepting this teaching. We see this in Paul’s decision to circumcise Timothy. Paul did this “on account of the Jews” of the region and because Timothy was considered a Jew, and not a Gentile, on his mother’s side. As Paul hands on the teaching of the Council to the recently founded churches, the churches grew stronger in faith and increased in number.
3. Persecution in Macedonia: After ministering to the churches in Galatia, Paul and Silas wanted to go north toward Bithynia, but were prevented by the Spirit of Jesus and led instead to the port city of Troas. During the night, Paul had a vision of a Macedonian imploring him to cross over to Macedonia and help them. In the morning, Paul and Silas discerned that this was God’s will for them: they would preach the Good News in Europe. At Troas, they probably met up with Luke, who accompanied them for a time and set sail with them to Macedonia. During their evangelizing mission, Paul and Silas suffered persecution in Macedonia, especially in the city of Philippi: they were stripped, beaten with rods, and imprisoned. Jesus’ Last Supper discourse in the Gospel of John refers to the persecutions that the Apostles would endure as they spread the Gospel to all nations. Jesus’ disciples must know that the world will hate them because it first hated him. Jesus tells us (in John 7:7) that the world, considered here as something negative, hates him because he shows the world that its sinful ways are evil. As the Lamb of God, however, Jesus has come to take away the sin of the world and purify and renew it.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as a child of God, I will endure persecution and suffer for the Gospel. You know the limits of my strength. I fully trust in you to accompany me, in your Father to care for me, and in your Spirit to guide me.
Living the Word of God: How have I been listening to the Spirit lately? What is the Spirit asking me to do? Where am I called to be a witness to the Good News of our salvation? How am I promoting and proclaiming the teachings of Jesus and the Church? How can I do better?
 
Reflection Saturday 5^th week of Easter
Opening Prayer: Jesus, you chose me to be your light in this world. The idea of being persecuted in your name can be a scary thought. Help me trust in you. Send me your Holy Spirit of charity and fortitude to be your light in the world. Open my heart to hear and understand your word, my Lord.
Encountering Christ:
Why Do They Hate Christ? Why does the world hate Jesus? For one, the presence of Jesus demands some type of response. Either one believes that he is God or one must profess unbelief in him. No one is truly “neutral” about Christ. In a similar way, when we see Christ, the truth (John 14:6), his presence is like a mirror held up to our behavior. If we are living in a sinful way, our sins are revealed to us by Christ. Jesus is the light, and those who live in godless ways seek to remain in darkness to hide their sins: “...the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed” (John 3:19-20). The light of truth is painful for those who sit in darkness. 
Blessed Are the Persecuted: This is why the world hates Jesus’s followers, as well. As Christian disciples, we seek to imitate Christ. When we gaze upon him and try to follow him, we actually come to resemble him. St. Paul wrote, “All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we receive Holy Communion, we are transformed into Christ: “The Body and Blood of Christ are given to us so that we ourselves will be transformed in our turn. We are to become the Body of Christ, his own Flesh and Blood” (Pope Benedict XVI). When we kneel before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, we gaze upon God himself. He is there, unveiled, truly present for us. This transforms us into “the same image,” as St. Paul says. So when the world sees us, they see Christ, the truth. This is painful for those who have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25). This is why we as Christians will experience persecution. When we imitate Christ, the world will treat us in the same way that it treated Christ. Remember that Jesus says being persecuted is a blessing: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12). When we experience the hatred of the world, we can remember that we are in the good company of Christ, the prophets before him, and his saints after him. 
Chosen for Holiness: Israel was God’s firstborn son (Exodus 4:22). God set his people apart from the world for holiness. They were a cherished possession of the Lord’s (Deuteronomy 14:2). They were to be “a light to the nations, that [God’s] salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:6). The Church is the new Israel, the new light for the nations, called to live as an example of holiness: “But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). We do not belong to the world, we belong to God. We are consecrated to him; we are set apart from the world for holiness: “...the Lord has set apart the godly for himself” (Psalms 4:3). God chose us to love, serve, and worship him. We are not to conform ourselves to the culture around us (Romans 12:2). In fact, not only are we not to conform to the ways of the world, we are called to change the culture of this world and bring about Christ’s kingdom here and now. 
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, when others see me, may they see you instead. May I be a light to the world around me, no matter what it may cost me. May I never be afraid of being persecuted for your sake. Strengthen my spirit to persevere in faith, for I know that it will be necessary for me to undergo many hardships to enter your kingdom (cf. Acts 14:22). Consecrate me in your holiness; set me apart from this world to be its light.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend time in adoration of you in the Blessed Sacrament and ask for you to transform me into your image and likeness so I can be your face in the world.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bảy Tuần thứ 5 Phục Sinh
Thiên Chúa luôn hướng dẫn Giáo Hội trong sự phát triển. Trong Bài Đọc I, chúng ta nghe thánh Phaolô đã tuyển chọn ông Timôthê người cai quản sau này trở thành giám mục của xứ Cypus (Síp). Sau đó, nghe lời hướng dẫn của Chúa Thánh Thần,  ông Phaolô đã quyết định đi rao giảng Tin Mừng ở miền Troas và Macedonia. Có Chúa ThánhThần hướng dẫn và thêm sức mạnh. ông Phaolô đã được Chúa Thánh Thần thêm sức mạnh và lòng can đảm trong tất cả các cuộc hành trình truyền giáo của ông ta. Tuy nhiên, ông cũng đã phải gặp nhiều sự chống đối của người Do Thái và những người dân ngoại không tin.
            Như vậy cuộc đời rao giảng Tin Mừng của Thánh Phaolô đã được ứng ngiệm như lời của Chúa Giêsu đã ứng nghiệm trước là những người theo Chúa sẽ phải bị áp bức và hãm hại. Vì những lý do khác nhau, nhiều người đã từ chối và không thể chấp nhận Tin Mừng. Vì những lý do khác nhau và cũng có nhiều lần có những người rao giảng Tin Mừng cũng bị nhục mạ, mắng rủa và bị bắt bớ.
Sự ác luôn muốn tiêu diệt những sự tốt lành.  khi sự tốt lành muốn chinh phục sự ác với tình yêu và lòng tốt. Cuộc chiến dường như không công bằng nhưng sự yếu đuối của Thiên Chúa chính là sức mạnh của con người. Qua cái chết và sự đau khổ, nhiều người đã được trở lại với đức tin. Qua sự đổ máu của các thánh vị Tử Đạo, nhiều người đã can đảm bước theo Chúa và tiếp tục đem Tin Mừng cho tất cả vì lợi ích của những người sẽ tin Vào Chúa.
 
Reflection
God is always guiding the Church in her growth.  In the first reading, St. Paul recruits Timothy who eventually became the bishop of Cyprus. Then, listening to the Holy Spirit, Paul decides to evangelize in Troas and Macedonia.   The Lord guides and strengthens Paul in all his missionary journeys. However, he encounters much opposition from Jews and non-believing Gentiles. 
 Thus is fulfilled in Paul's life and ministry Jesus' words about his followers being persecuted. For various reasons, many refuse to listen and accept the Goid News. For various reasons many times have those who preach the Good News also reviled and persecuted.
Evil wants to destroy good while good wants to conquer evil with love and kindness.  The fight seems so unequal but God's weakness is man's strength. Through death and persecution, many people have been converted to the faith. Through the shedding of the blood of many martyrs, many have entered the sheepfold.  We continue to bring the Good News to all for the sake of those who will believe.