Suy Niệm Thứ Ba Tuần 8 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Thứ Ba Tuần 8 TN -Mark 10:28-31

 Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay tiếp theo bài đọc hôm qua. Sau khi Chúa bảo người thanh niên giàu có về bán tài sản của mình đem bố thí và theo ngài.... nhưng người thanh niên này đã buồn bã ra đi... Chính vì thế mà Phêrô đã hỏi Chúa Giêsu "Tôi bỏ tất cả theo thầy, Phần tôi, tôi sẽ được gì đây?" với bản tính con người, Các môn đệ đã cũng mong đợi một vài lợi ích tài chính hoặc vật chất cho lòng trung thành của họ?  Vì vậy, Chúa Giêsu đã bảo đảm với họ rằng họ sẽ được hoàn trả hơn một trăm lần, nhưng không phải bây giờ.
            Từ khi nghe tiếng mời gọi theo Chúa, các môn đệ đã để lại sau lưng tất cả mọi thứ vì lợi ích của Ngài và vì công việc của Ngài và điều này bao gồm những sự bách hại; đây là mối đầu tư của họ. Nhưng phần thưởng là rất lớn, đó là sự  sống đời đời. Nhưng không phải trong cuộc sống này vì rất khó có thể sống theo như ý Thiên Chúa muốn mà không vác lấy thánh giá Chúa trao ban.
            Đấy chính là thực tại trong cuộc sống tình yêu hy sinh của một người theo ý Chúa. Như khi người đời thường nói, "Không đau khổ, thi không đạt được kết quả tốt. Không chéo, không vương miện". Tất cả Mười hai môn đệ đầu tiên của Chúa Giêsu đã chịu tử đạo, ngoại trừ Gioan. Không biết bao nhiêu người trong số các tiền nhân Việt Nam của chúng ta cũng bị đàn áp và tử đạo vì Chúa và vì lợi ích của Tin Mừng phúc âm.
            Tuy nhiên, có hai loại tử đạo:- những người chết vì đức tin trong tay của kẻ thù, và những người cống hiến cuộc đời của mình để phục vụ Giáo Hội trong sự cứu rỗi các linh hồn mà đã chết đi một cách lặng lẽ, không được chú ý, không ai biết đến.
            "Lạy Chúa Giêsu, chúng con muốn đi theo Chúa để được làm môn đệ của Chúa và yêu thương Chúa hết lòng với tất cả những gì chúng con có. Xin Chúa hãy điền vào tâm hồn chúng con với đức tin mạnh mẽ, với hy vọng, và tình yêu vô vị lợi, để chúng con luôn luôn có thể tìm thấy được sự bình an và niềm vui trong sự hiện diện của Chúa."
 
REFLECTION
Today we continue Gospel from yesterday.When Jesus tell the young man whatv to do to have enternal life, But because he was so rick, and he did not want to give up his well to follow Jesus. For that reason Peter actually asking Jesus "What's in it for me?"  When Jesus called his first disciples to follow him, they laid down their boats, their fishnets, left their families, and immdiately went with him and today in the Gospel:
            - Did the disciples expect some sort of financial or material gain for their service and follow Jesus?
            So Jesus reassures them that they would be repaid a hundred times over; but not now, not just yet. At the present time, they leave behind everything for his sake and the sake of his work and this includes persecutions; this was their investment. But the rewards are great, very great, in the eternal life. It is not possible to live as God wills us to do without a cross. This is the reality of sacrificial love in the life of a person following God's will.
            As the saying goes, "No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown." All of Jesus' first Twelve suffered martyrdom except John. Many of our saints also suffered persecution and martyrdom for Christ's sake and for the sake of the gospel.
            However, there are two kinds of martyrdom; those who die for the faith in the hands of the enemy, and those who dedicate their lives to serving the Church for the salvation of souls and who die quietly, unnoticed. "Lord Jesus, we want to follow you as your disciple and to love you wholeheartedly with all that we have. Fill our heart with faith, hope, and love that we may always find peace and joy in your presence."
 
Tuesday week 8^th in Ordinary Time 2023
 
Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more…” Mark 10:29–30
Jesus’ statement above is in response to Peter who said to Him, “We have given up everything and followed you.” It was as if Peter were patting himself on the back, attempting to highlight just how much he and the other disciples had sacrificed to follow Jesus. And it was true, they did give up everything of their former life. They left home, their occupation, their relationships and everything that had been part of their daily established life in response to the call of Jesus. They were truly all in.
In hearing this statement from Peter, Jesus does not give the expected response. He doesn’t say to Peter, “Yes, you have, that’s very impressive Peter. Good job and thank you!” Instead, Jesus immediately explains to Peter that the sacrifice he and the others have made is worth it. Their unwavering commitment to follow Jesus would be repaid with gifts beyond their imagination. Thus, Jesus was saying that the gifts that He would bestow upon them would be exponentially greater than every sacrifice they made.
This was not a belittling of Peter’s self-sacrifice; rather, it was a form of encouragement by Jesus. He was encouraging Peter, and the other disciples, to have full confidence in their decision to follow Him. Their sacrifice would yield a hundredfold return. That is truly a good investment.
It can be tempting for us all, at times, to feel as though God asks too much of us. It’s true that God asks much of us. He asks everything from us. He asks for the complete and total gift of our lives to Him. He calls us to abandon all selfishness and to dedicate ourselves to His holy will without exception. But if we understand the reward of our self-giving, then the sacrifices we make will pale in comparison to the reward.
Reflect, today, upon whether or not you can say those words with the Apostle, Saint Peter: “Lord, I have given up everything to follow You.” Have you truly given your life completely to Christ Jesus? Are there things that you still hold back, not wanting to “sacrifice” for our Lord? Ponder those words of Peter and allow yourself to see the areas of your life you still need to surrender over to Jesus. And as you do so, allow the reward promised by our Lord to motivate you to the point that you truly hold nothing back and truly have given up everything to follow His holy will.
My generous Lord, You ask everything of me. You ask me to abandon everything in my pursuit of Your perfect will. Give me the grace I need to answer Your call and to live sacrificially for You without counting the cost. You are generous beyond description, dear Lord, and I trust that following You will produce an abundance of good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Tuesday week 8^th in Ordinary Time  2023
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, though I am not deserving, I am grateful for your love. Sometimes following you is not easy. I lose my way and fall into sin, but you always find me. You gently lead me to the road back to your heart. Help me to persevere in following you.
Encountering Christ:
What about Us?: Peter had just heard Jesus tell everyone how hard it can be to enter the kingdom of heaven. “It is easier for a camel to pass through [the] eye of [a] needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:25). They were all amazed. In this context, Peter voiced the thought that was probably on everyone’s mind: “We have given up everything and followed you.” In other words, “What about us?” God bless Peter for his frankness. Without his outburst, we would have missed the consolation Jesus offered next. We should never hesitate to tell the Lord what’s really on our minds. He knows already and loves us anyway. The very act of praying from our heart unleashes graces from Jesus’s Sacred Heart. 
The First Will Be Last: The “firsts” in this world believe in themselves. They believe they are deserving of their elevated status. They believe they are stronger, smarter, more beautiful, etc., than others. They can be demanding, ungrateful, self-important, and sometimes downright angry. These are not the qualities of the “firsts” who belong to Our Lord’s kingdom. These “firsts” believe not in themselves but in God who sustains them. They believe that if they are stronger, smarter, or more beautiful than others, the attribute is to be used to glorify God and to be of service to others. They are grateful, peaceful, joy-filled, and authentic. They may or may not be the “last” in a worldly sense, but, by their faith, they have secured a prime place with God for all eternity.
The Reward: The cost-benefit analysis is a method used to analyze business decisions before actually committing to one, but let’s relate this concept to the decision of following Jesus. “Take up your cross and follow me,” Jesus said. Walking with Jesus can mean we suffer hardships, but the benefits outweigh the burden of carrying our crosses because we don’t carry them alone. Jesus accompanies us through our pains and gives meaning to our sorrows. And there is also a promise, a reward: When we offer our lives to Jesus, we gain the joy of his friendship, which is a priceless treasure, and we receive an inheritance in heaven which lasts forever.
Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, thank you for calling me to the Catholic faith. I am reminded that no worldly good can truly fill my heart. The joy of knowing you is the greatest treasure of all. Fill my heart with faith and hope, and with the vision of heaven especially when circumstances around me get tough. May I always find peace and joy in your presence.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a plan to go to confession.
 
Tuesday week 8^th in Ordinary Time 2022
Comment: Fr. Jordi SOTORRA i Garriga (Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain)
Truly, there is no one who has left house for my sake and for the Gospel who will not receive his reward in the present time and in the world to come eternal life
Today, just like that landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard, the Lord is seeking disciples, followers and friends. His, is a universal call. A captivating offer, the Lord entrust us with! On one condition, though. One condition that may dishearten us: «For my sake and for the Gospel» you are to leave «house, brothers or sisters, or father or mother, or children, or lands» (cf. Mk 10:29).
            But, is there any compensation? Shall there be any reward? Shall we make any gain out of it? Peter, in the name of the Apostles, reminds the Master: «We have given up everything to follow you» (Mk 10:28), as if asking: what benefit shall we get?
            The Lord's promise is very generous: «but he will receive one hundred times more now in this time (…) and in the age to come eternal life» (Mk 10:30). He cannot be surpassed as far as generosity. But He adds: «even in the midst of persecution». Jesus is very realistic and He does not want to deceive anybody. To be a disciple of his, if we are truly so, will bring us troubles and problems. However, Jesus considers persecutions and troubles a reward, for they help us to grow, if we accept and live through them as an opportunity to gain in maturity and responsibility. Whatever act of sacrifice makes us more like Jesus Christ who, by dying in the Cross, saves us.          
            We have always time to revise our life and get closer to Jesus Christ, especially during the times of Advent and Lent. Through prayer and the sacraments, these times and all times, we can find out whether we are amongst the disciples He is seeking, and decide which our answer must be to that call. Next to radical responses (such as those from the Apostles) there are others. For many, “to leave house, brothers or sisters, or father or mother…” will just mean whatever unable us to live deeply in Jesus' close friendship and, as a consequence, become his testimony before the world. And this is urgent, don't you think so?
 
Meditation:   
            What's the best investment you can make with your life? The gospel presents us with a paradox: we lose what we keep, and we gain what we give away. When we lose our lives for Jesus Christ, we gain a priceless treasure and an inheritance which lasts forever. Whatever we give to God comes back a hundredfold. Generosity flows from a heart full of gratitude for the abundant mercy and grace which           God grants. Do you give freely and generously? And why do you give, for reward or for love?
Right after a wealthy young man refused to follow Jesus, Peter, somewhat crudely wanted to know what he and the other disciples would get out of it since they had freely accepted Jesus’offer to follow him unconditionally. Jesus spoke with utter honesty: Those who left all for him would receive a hundred times more now, even in this life, as well as unending  life in the age to come. Jesus’disciples can expect opposition and persecution from those who are opposed to Christ and his gospel.
            Should we be surprised if we lose favor and experience ridicule, intimidation, and injury when we take a stand for truth and righteousness? In place of material wealth, Jesus promised his disciples the blessing and joy of rich fellowship with the community of believers. No earthly good or possession can rival the joy and bliss of knowing God and the peace and unity he grants to his disciples. The Lord wants to fill our hearts with the vision of heaven and with his joy and peace. Do you know the joy of following the Lord as his disciple? Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with the joy of the gospel and the knowledge of God’s personal love.
            "Lord Jesus, I want to follow you as your disciple and to love you wholeheartedly with all that I have. Fill my heart with faith, hope, and love that I may always find peace and joy in your presence."

Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Mừng Mẹ là mẹ Giáo Hội Thứ Hai sau lễ Hiện Xuống

Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Mừng Mẹ là mẹ Giáo Hội Thứ Hai sau lễ Hiện Xuống

Đức Mẹ đã được ban nhiều danh hiệu, để nhấn mạnh vai trò của Mẹ trong sự kết hiệp với Chúa Giêsu Con của Mẹ trong công cuộc cứu rỗi của Chúa. Mẹ đã có rất nhiều danh hiệu bao gồm cả những cái tên nơi mà Mẹ đã hiện trên trái đất. Những danh xưng khác của Mẹ được lấy từ Kinh thánh, thêm vào sự hiểu biết trong những  mầu nhiệm của Thiên Chúa Cha trên Trời. Một danh hiệu đáng lẽ phải được dùng phổ thông và rộng rãi ngay từ thời Chúa Giêsu đã phải chết trên Thập giá, đó là danh hiệu Mẹ của Giáo hội, và tên này chính là động căn bản được xuất phát từ những lời của Chúa Giêsu đã với Mẹ Maria ngay lúc Ngài còn trên thập giá: “Hỡi bà, này là con bà” [ Ga 19: 26-27]. Đứng dưới chân thánh giá Mẹ Maria và Thánh Gioan là biểu tượng của Giáo hội, do đó, khi trao cho Mẹ Maria cho môn đệ yêu dấu của Ngài chăm sóc, Chúa Giêsu đã ngầm trao Mẹ Mria coi sóc và phù trợ cho Giáo hội với tư cách là Mẹ của Giáo hội.  Thánh Ambrose của Thành Milan đã dùng danh hiệu này cho Mẹ Maria từ thế kỷ thứ 4, nhưng đó chỉ được sdùngvtrng địa phương. Cho tới khi thời Giáo hoàng Paul VI đã chính thức dùng danh hiếu này trong Công đồng Vatican II. Và ĐGH Phanxicô muốn giáo hội mừng nhớ mMẹ vào Mi thứ Hai sau lễ Chúa Thánh Thần Hiện Xuống -viồ đấy cũng là Ngày sinh hhật của Giáo Hội.
Maria, Mẹ của Giáo hội, xin Mẹ chăm sóc chúng con và hướng dẫn chúng con đến sự thánh thiện hơn trong cuộc sống mà chúng con đang sống hầu giúp chúng con có thể thực sự trở thành môn đệ yêu dấu của Chúa Giêsu, Con của Mẹ.’
 
Monday after Pentecost- Our Lady, Mother of the Church:
Gen. 3:9-15,20 or Acts 1:12-14; Ps. 87(86):1-2,3,5,6-7; Jn. 19:25-34)
Our Lady has been given many titles, stressing her role in union with her Son Jesus in God’s work of salvation. Many of the titles include the names where it is believed Our Lady appeared on earth. Other titles are taken from Scripture, adding levels of understanding to the mystery of the Mother of God. One title which should have been widely in use from the time of Jesus’ death on the Cross, is “Mother of the Church”, which essentially derives from Jesus’ words to his Mother from the cross:  “Woman, behold your Son” [Jn 19:26-27].
Standing at the foot of the cross Mary and John are symbolic of the Church, thus in giving Mary into the care of the Beloved Disciple, Jesus is implicitly giving the Church into Mary’s care as Mother of the Church. St Ambrose of Milan used the title for Mary already in the 4th century, but it only came into universal use in the Church when Pope Paul VI officially used it during Vatican Council II.
Mary, Mother of the Church, take care of us and guide us to a greater holiness of life that we may truly become beloved disciples of Jesus, Your Son.
 
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Monday after Pentecost—Memorial
Liturgical Color: White
One Mother, two motherhoods 
Mary mothered Jesus, Jesus then gave life to the Church with water and blood from His side, and the Church then mothers us into existence through baptism. Devotion to Mary goes hand in hand with devotion to the Church because both are mothers. Mother Mary gives the world Christ. Mother Church gives the world Christians.
The metaphorical parallels between Mother Mary and Mother Church are spiritually rich and deeply biblical. Mary was understood by many early theologians as both the mother of the Head of the Church, Jesus, and also the symbol of the Church par excellence. Mother Mary is a virgin who conceived the physical body of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit at the Annunciation. In a parallel way, Mother Church is the Mystical Body of Christ who gives every Christian rebirth through the power of the Holy Spirit received at Pentecost. Both Mary and the Church conceived through the same Spirit, without the aid of human seed. Mother Mary makes Christ’s body physically present in Palestine in the first century. Mother Church, in turn, makes Christ’s body mystically present through baptism and sacramentally present in the Eucharist, in every time and place. It was common for a baptismal font in early Christianity to be described as a sacred womb in which Mother Church gave her children life. 
The theological cross-pollination between Mother Mary and Mother Church has produced a field ripe for spiritual and theological cultivation. Christ is from Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Galilee. But He is most deeply from the Father. He is one Son but lives two sonships. Similarly, all Christians are born from one Mother expressed in two motherhoods: Mary’s and the Church’s. Mary and the Church, understood most profoundly, form one mother.  Both are the mother of Christ, but each mutually assists the other to bring Christ physically, sacramentally, and mystically into the world in all His fullness. Neither Mary nor the Church can exercise their motherhoods alone. 
Today’s feast, formally integrated into the Church’s calendar by the authority of Pope Francis in 2018, specifically commemorates Mary’s motherhood of the Church rather than her motherhood of God, a feast celebrated on January 1. Mary likely showed as much tender concern for Christ’s mystical body as it slowly matured in its native Palestine as she did for His physical body in Nazareth. Pope Pius XII perceptively noted Mary’s dual maternity in his encyclical on the Church: “It was she who was there to tend the mystical body of Christ, born of the Savior’s pierced heart, with the same motherly care that she spent on the child Jesus in the crib.” It is possible the Apostles held their first Council in about 49 A.D. in Jerusalem precisely because Mary still dwelled in the holy city. She was likely the young religion’s greatest living witness and pillar of unity. We can imagine her presiding over early Christian gatherings with reserved solemnity, nursing primitive Christianity just as she had Christ. 
Ancient pagans spoke of imperial Rome as a Domina, a divine female master. Rome was praised as a conquering mother who brought vanquished peoples close to her own heart, incorporating them as citizens into her vast, multicultural, polyglot realm. Other empires executed prisoners of war, exiled peoples, imposed a foreign culture, or displaced populations. Not Rome. Rome absorbed them all. The early fathers understood Mother Church as the successor to this Domina. In baptism this Mother does not release her children from her body but absorbs them, making them fully her own unto death. Since the early Middle Ages, feast days and devotions to the Virgin Mary have proliferated in Catholicism. Now Pope Francis has given the Church a feast to compliment that of January 1. The two motherhoods of Mary reflect one profound truth, that Christ approaches us in time and in space, in history and in sacrament, in mysterious and beautiful ways. In the words of Saint Augustine: “What (God) has bestowed on Mary in the flesh, He has bestowed on the Church in the spirit; Mary gave birth to the One, and the Church gives birth to the many, who through the One become one.” This is all cause for deep reflection.
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, you are the fairest daughter of Israel, chosen and prepared by God as the sacred vessel to replace Mother Synagogue with Mother Church. Eve approaches you like mother to daughter, old Eve to New Eve—two mothers of souls both on earth and in heaven.
 May 29- Mary, Mother of the Church 2023
Introductory Prayer: You are true goodness and life, Lord. Closeness to you brings peace and joy. You deserve all of my trust and my love. Thank you for the gift of life, my family, and above all of my faith. Thank you as well for giving us your Mother at the foot of the cross. 
Petition:  Lord, help me to grow in my filial love for Mary, your Mother, and mine.
1. Standing: Today is a Marian celebration, the memorial of “Mary, Mother of the Church.” Mary, like me, had no particular love of pain and sorrow. The first announcement of her vocation by the Archangel Gabriel mentioned nothing about it, being filled only with messianic promises. However, soon after Jesus’ birth, Simeon completed the dimensions that were to enlighten her vocation: “…and a sword will pierce your heart that the thoughts of many might be revealed.” Recognizing the fulfillment of her calling to accompany her Son during his crucifixion, she does so with a desire to fulfill God’s mysterious plan, not reluctantly, but by standing close to Jesus with all the sorrow that this implied for her. Mary never abandons her children when they are suffering.
2. Last Will and Testament: The words Jesus speaks to his mother and beloved disciple are equivalent to his last will and testament. He bequeaths what is most precious to him to a beloved person. To Mary, he gives the friend he loves so much, who will also need her help in his difficulties. To John, he gives his greatest human comfort, his best disciple, his mother. He knows that she needs him, an adopted son, to comfort and accompany her.
3. Mary Makes My Home Sweet: John took his responsibility for Mary seriously, taking her into his own home. Home for John was nothing less than the Church that Jesus founded. Mary was to have pride of place there, as Jesus’ mother and as she who knew, loved, and served him best. She also took her role seriously, so seriously that she immediately perceived that all those she encountered were her adoptive sons and daughters. In this house, that is the Church; Mary is the sweetness of the traditional saying, “Home, sweet home.”
Conversation with Christ: Jesus, I can’t thank you enough for entrusting your mother to me and me to her. I want to care for her by being an attentive, faithful son or daughter who imitates you. That’s what will console her and make her heart rejoice. Mary, be always at my side and intercede for me before God so that I persevere in following your Son.
Resolution: I will make my devotion to Mary very personal, whether in spontaneous conversation with her or contemplating the mysteries of Christ’s life while praying the Rosary.
Mary, Mother of the Church 2022
Opening Prayer: Mother Mary, in this special month of May, please bless me as I contemplate your suffering at the foot of the cross.
Encountering Christ: 
His Last Gift: With his dying breath, Jesus presented his mother to the apostle John. With this gesture, he offers her to us as well. Afterward, John invited Mary into his home. Do we also invite Mary into our spiritual home? If we look to Mary when life gets tough, our relationship with her deepens. If we pray for her as an intercessor, situation after situation, our connection to her grows. If we are grateful for her, in life’s storms or on calm seas, our bond with her is solidified. If we pray the rosary, read about Mary, and talk about her, she becomes our constant companion. When we have faith in our Mother, we truly receive her presence as a gift—the gift Jesus intended for each one of us when he said, “Behold your mother.”
His Thirst: In her well-known letter, “I thirst for you,” St. Teresa of Calcutta described the infinite love and thirsts of God. Jesus told her, “Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be me, I am there: waiting for even the smallest suggestion of an invitation that will permit me to enter.” Jesus longs to strengthen, console, carry, transform, calm, and heal us. He knows everything about us—our troubles, rejections, humiliations, even the number of hairs on our head. “All I ask of you that you entrust yourself to me completely. I will do the rest.” Do the words “I thirst” echo in our souls?
It Is Finished: In his brief life, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the will of God. When he made the ultimate sacrifice for mankind, he proclaimed, “It is finished.” God’s plan had been perfectly executed. Those same words are true for us when we’ve run a race, completed a project, or endured a hardship. Jesus, however, accomplished his Father’s will in perfect union with him. We are called to do likewise. Our Lord wants nothing more than to be an integral part of our life—all of it. Next time we say, “Ahhh… it is finished,” may we also acknowledge that Jesus strengthened and accompanied us.
Conversing with Christ: I know I will never truly understand the sacrifice you made for me on the cross because I did not endure your life and suffering. Help me, Lord, to join every suffering in my life to yours, because I know that pleases you. By these offerings may I grow more appreciative of your sacrifice for me. Thank you for the gift of your Blessed Mother. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will invite you into every suffering I experience, knowing that I am accompanied by my Blessed Mother and you.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng - Mark 10:17-27 Thứ Hai Tuần thứ 8 TN.
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đã chỉ cho chàng trai trẻ biết rõ là lý do căn bản mà chúng ta phải có những luật đạo là vì bản chất con người yếu đuối của chúng ta là tội lỗi. Về thực chất, Chúa Giêsu nói với chàng trai trẻ là: không phải là Ngài, Đấng mà sẽ cứu chính mình nhưng Thiên Chúa, Người đã thực sự yêu thương Ngài.  Nhưng chàng trai trẻ  này không bao giờ có thể hiểu được điều này, Chúa Giêsu tiếp tục nói với chàng trai trẻ  ấy là hãy về bán đi tất cả các tài sản của mình để bố thí cho người nghèo.  Những anh ta buồn bã bỏ đi, vì anh ta rất giàu có. Điều này đã khiến Chúa Giêsu nói rằng con lạc đà đi qua lỗ kim còn dễ dàng hơn là một giàu có mà vào được Nước Thiên Đàng.  Không phải là trạng thái giàu có đó là vấn đề kó vài Thiên àng, nhưng là việc Người giàu có, nếu có đầu óc ích kỷ và tham lam, lúc nào cũng muốn giàu có hơn và không muốn chia sẽ những gì mình có với người thiếu thốn, đói khổ.
Thông thường khi một người có phương tiện, ý tưởng và niềm tin của họ được tập trung vào sự giàu có của họ là làm thế nào để giữ và làm cho giàu thêm, và thật đáng buồn vì mối bận tâm này mà họ đã quên Chúa, quên anh chị em khó nghèo. Như chàng trai trẻ nọ không nhìn thấy giá trị thực sự của mọi sự vật.
            Sự cứu rỗi của chúng ta không thể và sẽ không thể tìm thấy được trong các việc làm theo các quy tắc hoặc tin rằng chúng ta có thể tự cứu rỗi lấy chính mình. Ơn cứu độ là một hồng ân của Thiên Chúa, hồng ân này chỉ đến được với chúng ta qua việc kiến tạo một mối quan hệ giữa chúng ta với Thiên Chúa.
Và làm thế nào để chúng ta có thể kiến tạo được một mối quan hệ với Thiên Chúa? Bằng cách cầu nguyện và lắng nghe Lời Ngài, và sống theo lời Chúa biết tha thứ, biết chia sẻ những gì Chúa đãn ban cho chúng ta với những nguười kém may mắn. Đó là một trong những mối quan hệ thật sự của chúng ta với Thiên Chúa và dễ làm đẹp lòng Chúa. Chúng ta có sẵn sàng bỏ lại bất cứ những thứ gì đang làm trở ngại cho việc đạt được ơn cứu rỗi của chúng ta?
 
REFLECTION
Jesus pointed out to the young man that the basic reason why we have these laws is that by nature we are sinners. In essence, he was telling the man that it is not he who would save himself but God who truly loves him. As the man could not understand this, Jesus went on to tell the man to let go of all his wealth. The man chose not to, for he had great wealth. This prompted Jesus to say that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich to enter the Kingdom of God. It is not the state of being wealthy that is the problem but the disposition and preoccupation one tends to have when one is wealthy. Often when one has means, his ideas and beliefs focus on his wealth, how to keep and make it grow, and sadly with this preoccupation, he fails to see the real value of things.
            Our salvation cannot and will not be found in following all the rules or believing that we alone can save ourselves. Salvation is a grace from God which comes only through our building a relationship with Him. And how do we build a relationship with God? By praying and listening to His Word, and living it. Have I taken time to ask how my relationship with God is lately? Am I willing to leave anything in my possession that may be an obstacle to the attainment of my salvation?