Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ bẩy tuần 29 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ bẩy tuần 29 Thường Niên
Trong một lúc nào đó trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, có lẽ chúng ta cũng đã giống như cây vả mà Chúa Giêsu đã nhắc tới trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay. Chúng ta cũng thế, chúng ta đều có nguy cơ bị từ bỏ, và bị coi như là thứ vô dụng. Nhưng với tình yêu thương của Thiên Chúa, Ngài đã thương xót chúng ta, và Ngài đã cho chúng ta có một cơ hội khác để sử đổi. Do đó, bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, kêu gọi tất cả chúng ta hãy tỏ lòng biết ơn Thiên Chúa một cách sâu sắc hơn vì Ngài đã cho chúng ta có được cơ hội thứ hai. Đây cũng là một phần đòi hỏi sự quyết tâm thật tình của chúng ta trong nhưng việc làm hầu chúng ta có được cái cơ hội thứ hai.
            Chúng ta sẽ hành động như thế nào ? Có phải là chúng ta sẽ vẫn giữ cái trạng thái trong sự lười biếng thiêng liêng? Thiên Chúa luôn yêu thương và sẽ giúp chúng ta, nhưng Ngài sẽ không ép buộc chúng ta vào thiên đàng. Chúng ta cần phải thay đổi cách sống của chúng ta. Chúng ta cần phải chấp nhận, tin tưởng  và trông cậy vào sự giúp đỡ, và sự yêu thương của Thiên Chúa. Chúng ta cần phải sản xuất những hoa quả của những việc làm tốt trong sự ăn năn, trong sự khiêm tốn và trong tình yêu thương. Với thời gian, không bao giờ là quá muộn hay quá trễ để chúng ta bắt đầu thay đổi cuộc sống của chúng ta để chúng ta được trở nên tốt hơn hay thánh thiện hơn. Chúng ta đừng để Chúa Giêsu Kitô phải thất vọng vì chúng ta, Ngài đã phải hạ mình, từ Thiên Chúa đã xuống làm người, một con người thật hèn hạ để ban cho chúng ta thêm một cơ hội thứ hai là để cứu chuộc chúng ta.
 
Saturday 29^th In Ordinary Time- LUKE 13:1-9
At some point in our lives, many of us were like the fig tree. We, too, were in danger of being rejected as useless. But in his mercy, God took pity on us. We were given another chance. Today's Gospel, therefore, calls forth from us deep gratitude to God for the second chance he has given us. It also calls for a deep determination on our part to make the most of our second chance.
How shall we act? Shall it be with the same spiritual laziness? God will help us but he will not force us into heaven. We need to change our ways. We need to accept the loving help of God. We need to produce the fruit of good deeds in repentance, humility and love. It is never too late to begin to change our lives for the better. Let us not disappoint Jesus who allowed himself to be cut down to give us a second chance to redeem ourselves.
 
Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”  Luke 13:7–9
How much good fruit is born from your life? This is an important question to answer honestly. One of the best ways to discern whether or not we are serving the will of God is to look at the fruit being born from our lives.
Good fruit is born in various ways and manifests itself in various forms. However, the fruit you must look for is twofold. First, it is the fruit found within your own soul resulting from a life of true prayer and union with God. Second, we must look for the fruit that is born of charity in our actions toward others.
When you look honestly at your own soul, what do you see? Often, you may see a sort of war within you in which your disordered passions and appetites fight against the Spirit of God. Good spiritual fruit will require interior purification. Through prayer, fasting, spiritual reading and the like, you must look for ways in which God’s Spirit takes control of your disordered human nature and reorders it in accord with His holy will. Though we are all sinners and will all fall at times, we must work diligently to overcome every action, desire and temptation that we can objectively discern to be contrary to the will of God. At times, your fallen human nature can so forcefully draw you into sin that it can confuse your intellect and lead you to rationalization of your sins. But if you want the fruit of God’s presence in your life, then you must continually choose to make your interior life a fruitful garden in which the virtues of God grow and are nourished in abundance. So, again, what do you honestly see as you look into your own soul?
As God nourishes the virtues within us, and our disordered passions and appetites fall under the control of the Spirit of God, then we will also discover a need to allow the interior fruits of God’s love to flow forth from our lives into the lives of others. We will begin to desire selfless and sacrificial living. We will begin to desire to put others first. We will consider others’ lives as precious and filled with dignity. And we will overcome judgment, harshness, anger, and the like. We will find ourselves desiring the good of others and will supernaturally be drawn to do many small acts of kindness toward all. But it all starts with one’s interior life which our Lord desires to cultivate and fertilize with His grace so that the interior fruits of His love will grow within and ultimately become very manifest in one’s daily exterior actions toward all.
Reflect, today, upon your soul being like this fig tree that has not been bearing fruit. See our Lord coming to you and asking you to allow Him to cultivate the ground and fertilize it. Know that this requires change on your part. If you are to bear good fruit, then you need this intervention by our Lord. Work with Him, be diligent, and do all you can to begin to bear an abundance of good fruit so that you are not among those who are ultimately cut down by God’s justice.
My laboring Lord, You never cease to work diligently to cultivate the soil of my soul so that the seeds of Your mercy will grow and produce the good fruit You desire to come forth from my life. Please give me the grace I need to be faithful to a daily life of prayer, a practice of penance and a search for Your holy Word. Transform me, dear Lord, and bring forth the good fruit of Your holy Kingdom in my life. Jesus, I trust in You
 
Saturday 29^th In Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are kind and patient with me. Help me respond to your loving care and produce the good fruits of repentance and charity. Do not let me be discouraged by evil in the world. I trust in you and hope that you will bring me to dwell in your house all the days of my life.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Urgency of Repentance: The Gospel offers us a glimpse of how Jesus viewed the news of his day. When the people told Jesus about Pilate’s brutality, they likely wanted him to speak and comment about the unjust Roman occupation of their land. But Jesus uses the news about Pilate and the Galileans to teach two things. First, the sufferings of those murdered by Pilate were not a sign that they had sinned. As the Book of Job teaches, at times, the innocent and righteous suffer because God mysteriously permits it. Second, the person the people should truly fear offending is not Pilate but God. Instead of wasting their time thinking about how others might have sinned, they need urgently to repent from their own sins. Jesus drives home the teaching by referring to another event – the eighteen people who perished when a tower near the pool of Siloam fell. Yes, they died tragically and unexpectedly. But this was not because they were guilty of some sin. God knows how and when we will suffer. He also knows how and when we will die. We are ignorant of both things, and because of this, we must strive to be always ready to meet our Creator. And this preparation includes repentance from sin. 
2. The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree: On the one hand, Jesus teaches us through examples of unexpected tragedy that we need to repent and be ready to meet God. On the other, he teaches us in the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree that God is patient and will work with us to help us produce good fruit. The parable invites us to compare the fig tree to Israel and the gardener to Jesus. The owner of the orchard, the Lord God, speaks of a period of three years. This lines up with the time of Jesus’ public ministry. During Jesus’ three years of ministry, God has looked for spiritual fruit from Israel and found none. The parable ends with the gardener pleading for more time, for one more year, hopeful that in the coming year, the tree will bear fruit. This means that while there is still hope for repentance, the time for repentance is running out. Just as the tree cannot fertilize itself, repentance is not something we accomplish by our own strength. We have the gardener working with us, cultivating the soil of our hearts to bring about true repentance and spiritual fruit.
3. Ministry in the Church and Christian Maturity: The Church of Christ is one. It is united but also characterized by a diversity of gifts, spiritualities, and ministries. As members of the Church, we have received God’s grace through Baptism. Certain members of the Church have been given other gifts of grace for the benefit of the Church. Christ has ascended to the right hand of the Father and poured out the Spirit as he bestows gifts and blessings on his people. The list of gifts Paul gives in Ephesians 4:11 focuses on those who speak the word of God and those who fulfill major leadership roles (Williamson, Ephesians, 116). Some, like bishops, are called to be apostles and exercise special authority in the Church. Others are prophets or evangelists. Still others are pastors or teachers. The purpose of these leadership roles is to equip the members of the church, particularly the laity, to accomplish all that ministry entails: service such as hospitality, caring for the poor, sick, and elderly among us, and preaching and teaching the Word of God. The work of ministry is not confined to those with leadership roles and gifts; rather, it is carried out by all the “holy ones,” the baptized believers, whom the leaders have “equipped” (Williamson, Ephesians, 117-118).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I am a member of your Body, the Church. Help me to know my role in the Church and the gifts you have bestowed upon me. I promise to spend quality time with you so that I may truly know you and be able to be sent out by you to care for the sheep of your flock.
 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 29 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 29 Thường Niên
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay nhắc nhở chúng ta là những người Kitô hữu phải nên biết sáng suốt với những lời mời gọi của Chúa trong mọi lúc. Bất kể tuổi tác, tình trạng trong cuộc sống, hoặc tập quán, của chúng ta, chúng ta luôn luôn được mời gọi để mang niềm hòa bình và sư hiệp nhất trong chúng ta ngay trong gia đình, trong trường học, trong nơi làm việc, hay trong cộng đồng và xã hội chúng ta đang sống. Một cách chính xác, là chúng ta phải làm như thế nào?, Chúng ta không cần phải nhìn xa để tìm cho câu trả lời. Phản ứng của chúng để đáp lại lời mời gọi này có thể khác với những người khác và tùy thuộc vào hoàn cảnh của chúng ta và người đó. Nhưng tiêu chuẩn của Chúa thì luôn đơn giản giống nhau đó là sự khiêm tốn, nhân từ và kiên nhẫn. Hầu như chúng ta có thể tìm thấy những đặc điểm này là nên tự giúp đỡ nhau, hướng dẫn cho nhau để hoàn tất được công việc mà Chúa Trao phó thành công một cách mỹ mãn. Sự khiêm tốn, kiên nhẫn và lòng nhân từ chính là những công cụ không mất tiền mua, khá mạnh mẽ và sắc bén có thể giúp bồi dưỡng chúng ta cho mùa gặt lớn trong vườn nho của Thiên Chúa. Chúng ta là những hạt giống. Và Thiên Chúa sẽ giúp làm cho chúng ta nẩy mầm và phát triển đức tin của chúng ta.
 
REFLECTION
What is asked of us by the Lord to do now? It is a simple question but we may not have the answer to it all the time. We pray hard but we may not have understood the Lord's message. Maybe we did not listen enough. Or perhaps we understood what the Lord asked of us to do but we complicate it or make different excuses not to act on it. The gospel reminds us Christians to be discerning of the Lord's call at all times. Regardless of our age, status in life, or heritage, we are always called to bring peace and unity in our family, school, workplace, community, and society. How exactly can we make it happen? We need not look far for answer. Our response to this call may differ from one person to another and depending on the person's circumstances. But the Lord's standards are simple and always the same - be humble, gentle and patient. Hardly that we can find these traits recommended in self-help guide to get a fulfilling job or to establish a successful business. But it is a powerful inexpensive tool that we can nurture for a great harvest in the Lord's vineyard. We already have the seeds. And our dear Lord will help us make them grow and put to good use. We just need to act on our faith.
 
Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Luke 12:57–59
The Church Fathers offer many different interpretations of this passage. Among them, Saint Bede says that our “opponent” can be seen as the Word of God, in the sense that the Word of God makes war upon our weaknesses and sins. When we listen to the Word of God, our Lord will convict us of our faults so that we can reconcile our lives with the Truth of the Word of God Himself.
When you think about God’s holy Word, in its entirety, what most convicts you? Sometimes we try to downplay such personal convictions. We rationalize our actions and dismiss what God is saying to us. Are there any teachings of Jesus that you recall that have truly stung you to the heart? If so, this is a grace, and it’s an opportunity to fulfill the lesson from our Lord taught in the passage above. God does not convict our hearts so as to condemn us. Rather, He convicts us, as an opponent to our sin, so that we can “make an effort to settle the matter on the way.” The conscience is a wonderful gift from our Lord and can be likened to this passage above. It is a form of courtroom where our Lord desires not to have to issue punishment upon us. Instead, He desires that we engage His holy Word, listen to what He says, and settle our sin by repenting immediately.
Among the many lessons taught by our Lord, it is often the lesson that jumps out at us, even in a startling way, that we need to pay attention to the most. God often brings His most urgent teachings to us by causing us to feel a sense of guilt that cannot be denied. If we listen to these convictions, then we will not have any need to stand before the Judge. But if we do not, if we bury these convictions, downplay them and ignore them, then our Lord will find it necessary to keep at us. We will begin to experience His judgment, and we will see the effects of being out of His good graces. And in the end, if we fail to repent of the more serious sins in our lives, then we will even be held accountable for the smallest of sins. We will be required to “pay the last penny.”
Reflect, today, upon the idea that the Word of God, all that our Lord has taught us, is the opponent to the sin in your soul. This good and holy opponent wants only what is best for you. Commit yourself to an ongoing reading of God’s holy Word so that you will be continually disposed to hear all that God wants to say to you and so that you will be able to reconcile with our Lord before He is compelled to issue forth His judgments. 
My most merciful Judge, You desire that I listen to Your holy Word, revealed through Scripture, so as to receive Your most merciful conviction of my sin. I pray that I will be open to always hear all that You desire to say to me so that I can respond with generosity and trust, reconciling with You and others continually through my journey in life. Enliven my conscience with Your holy Word, dear Lord. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday 29th in Ordinary Time2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my mind to discern the signs of the times. I do not want to remain in ignorance or dedicate my life to unimportant things. Human life is so short, barely the blink of an eye. And yet, how I live this short life on earth will determine how I will live for all eternity.
Encountering the Word of God
1. How to Interpret the Present Time: Jesus called out the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Scholars of the Law. Today, he also calls out the hypocrisy of the crowds. He notes how they are able to discern that it is going to rain when they see clouds rising on the western horizon from the Mediterranean Sea. They can also foresee hot weather when the wind blows from the south. Jesus marvels that they are so good at interpreting weather patterns but that they do not spend time or energy interpreting what is most important in life. The person who stands before them is their Lord and Messiah, the Son of God and the Son of Man, who has inaugurated and unleashed the time of tribulation before the time of salvation. This is a time for repentance. And yet, they are ignorant of this and more concerned with superficial things like weather forecasts.
2. Settle on the Way: If this is the time of visitation, then it is the time for repentance. Jesus encourages his disciples to be reconciled with their brothers and sisters during their earthly lives before they encounter the Lord God, who will judge them at the moment of their death. The Bible often compares sin to debt. When we sin, we accrue debt (Luke 7:4—43, 47; 11:4); when we do what is right, good, and just, we build up heavenly credit and treasure. Jesus’ mission is to proclaim the jubilee year of the remission of such debts (Luke 4:18-19). “However, these debts will not be forgiven without repentance – the sooner, the better. Jesus will now take up this message by issuing an urgent summons to repentance (Luke 13:3,5)” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 248).
3. The Establishment and Preservation of Unity: Paul exhorts the Ephesians to walk the path of goodness and reject evil. This path includes the virtues of humility, gentleness, and patience. Humility concerns how we view ourselves. Gentleness or meekness is not weakness. It is a virtue of the courageous and peacemakers who know how to temper their strength and act accordingly. Those who are patient are like God, who is slow to anger (Exodus 34:6). These virtues enable the Christian to bear with others through love. They are essential to the preservation of unity among the members of the Church. We form one body. We share one Spirit. We are called to and hope for the blessing of eternal life. We have one Lord, Jesus Christ. We profess the one faith. We have received one Baptism. We are children of one God and Father of all. Our bond of unity in the Church is not superficial, like a club membership, but profound and deep!
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you brought all peoples into the unity of your divine family.  May I always be a promoter of unity in your Church. I want to be like St. Paul, who overcame many obstacles and was able to bring many different and diverse people into your family.
 
 
Friday 29th in Ordinary Time2023
Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time- Luke 12:54-59
Opening Prayer: My Lord, I come before you as your child, and I ask you to send your Spirit into my soul, so that his gifts might strengthen me, comfort me, sanctify me, and enlighten me to hear what you want to say today. 
Encountering Christ:
1. Complacency: Jesus’s admonishing words tell us a lot, between the lines, about the attitude of those to whom they were addressed. His listeners were utterly complacent. Jesus’s thundering reproach was probably meant to shake off that complacency; he challenged them to read the signs of the times, and he did all that he could to free them from their blindness. How frustrating must it have been for Jesus to come to those who had been praying for the Messiah only to find that they neither accepted nor believed him, nor seemed willing even to have an open mind about him. We console Jesus when we fight against our own tendency to become complacent.
2. Proactivity: It is not uncommon for a person to be quite focused on a specific goal (for example, to improve one’s prayer life or to grow in virtue), but to bluntly ignore the simple opportunities to actually advance toward that goal. A good program of life will help us to make concrete resolutions (little baby steps toward living a virtue) so that we can be more confident, by God’s grace, of growing in that virtue. It is true that the ideals of Christian life are lofty, but God always gives us some concrete step we can proactively take each day. 
3. Surrender: Ultimately, such a proactive attitude requires a lot of humility, for it underscores the fact that we cannot reach our high ideals with one powerful leap. Instead, our little steps to grow in virtue or to draw closer to God only have a chance of success to the degree in which they are aided, quickened, and elevated by God’s grace. Maybe that is why it is so difficult to proactively invest into our spiritual life; instead of relying on our control, it requires an increasing degree of surrender to the work of grace in us. May we be docile enough to allow Christ to work in our souls. 
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, help me to shake off all types of complacency. Free me of my blindness. Grant me the grace “to interpret the present time” and the humility to make a small step in the right direction today. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will set a spiritual goal for myself and take the first step toward growing in that virtue.
 
Reflection:
     We have the opportunity every week to hear the word of God proclaimed to us in the Eucharist through the readings and the priest's homily.  And sometimes we have the privilege of listening to inspirational speakers or to friends who give Christian advice. All of these are prophets giving us the Word. But most of the time, we do not heed their preaching and exhortation and do not find time to put into action the promptings of the Spirit. In the history of the people of God, many times, the Israelites also chose not to listen to God, or they postponed and set aside the words of the prophets. Like them, we can read many signs, but the real signs we need to see and recognize – the presence of the Lord in these prophets – we do not recognize. Thus, we don't understand the present times at all. It's a pity that we may risk losing everything, all the signs that the Lord sends to us through events and people – these will all go to naught.  When we see that the Lord comes to suggest to us the path of reconciliation, let us not tarry, for events may overtake us, and we may not find the opportune chance again to convert or reconcile. It may be too late. Let us walk in the light while the light is with us. Let us not delay when the Holy Spirit blows our way. 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm Tuần 29 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm Tuần 29 Thường Niên
Nhiều người thường nghĩ là Chúa Giêsu đến thế giới này để thuyết dạy con người trong sự mềm giẻo trong giáo lý của Ngài. Họ nghĩ rằng là những Kitô giáo, thì họ có thể sống một cuộc sống không bị xáo trộn và yên bình nếu như họ hoàn thành một số nghĩa vụ như đi lễ như luật buộc nhất định. Đối với họ, thì những giá trị như sự tha thứ và bình an được Thiên Chúa ban cho không mà không đòi hỏi họ phải có những nỗ lực ở nơi họ.
Tuy nhiên, trong Tin Mừng ngày nay, Chúa Giêsu nhắc nhở chúng ta rằng những sứ điệp của Ngài đòi hỏi chúng ta là những Kitô hữu phải hoàn thành nghĩa vụ của chúng ta nhiều hơn nữa chứ không phài là việc đi nhà  thờ đi lễ mà thôi. Ngài mời gọi và muốn chúng ta cam kết hoàn toàn với cuộc sống của Ngài. Điều này có nghĩa là chúng ta phải có quyết định một là theo Ngài hay hai là chống lại Ngài. Vì chúng ta không thể trở thành một Kitô Hữu với cái tên... Để trở thành một người Kitô giáo có nghĩa là chúng ta phải biết từ bỏ mọi thứ hay mọi người đang cẳn bước chúng ta trên con đường đến với Đức Kitô mà chúng ta đã hứa.
Đây là lý do tại sao làm môn đệ Chúa Kitô là phải chấp nhận sự tổn thất hoàn toàn. Thật ra, sự lựa chọn theo Đức Kitô có thể gây ra cho chúng ta sự phân chia và mâu thuẫn ngay trong gia đình hay trong cộng đồng. Khi đối mặt với những điều này, là Người Kitô hữu chúng ta  cần phải biết nắm giữ giá trị phúc âm và có những sự ưu tiên rõ ràng. Sự cam kết của chúng ta với Chúa Giêsu không phải là chủ yếu dựa vào quan hệ con người nhưng là việc biết biết để tâm  lắng nghe và làm theo lời của Chúa.
Vì thế chúng ta phải dành cho Chúa Giêsu những gì? Nếu chúng ta không hứa sống hoàn toàn với Chúa Jêsus, Chúa Jêsus cảnh báo là thời gian của chúng ta vẫn còn để cho chúng ta làm một quyết định. Chúa đã đến để đốt cháy trái đất này. Với ơn Chúa Thánh Thần, Ngài đã bắt đầu tách lúa mì ra khỏi nhỗng nhánh rơm khô. Vì vậy, đừng chờ đợi quá lâu. Bởi vì trước khi chúng ta biết điều đó, thì giờ phán xét đã đến với chúng ta.
Lạy Chúa, giúp chúng con luôn giữ mãi lời hứa với Ngài
 
Reflection: (2018)
Many people think that Jesus came to preach a soft gospel. They think that as Christians they can live an untroubled and peaceful life by fulfilling certain religious obligations and rituals. To them, values such as forgiveness and peace are readily given and require no effort on their part.
In today’s Gospel, however, Jesus reminds us that there is a side to his message that demands Christians to do more than fulfill obligations or participate in rituals. He demands that we commit our lives totally to him. This means that we have to decide whether we are for him or against him. It is not enough to be a Christian by name. To be a Christian means that we forsake everything and everyone who stands in the way of our total commitment to Christ.
This is why Christian discipleship is costly. The choice that we make for Christ may even cause divisions and conflicts in the family and community. In the face of these, a Christian needs to hold on to a clear set of gospel values and priorities. This commitment to Jesus is not based primarily on human kinship but on hearing and doing God’s word.
So are we totally for Jesus? If we have not committed ourselves totally to Jesus, then there is still time for a decision, warns Jesus. He has already come to set the earth on fire. And by sending the Holy Spirit, he has started to separate the wheat from the chaff. So do not wait too long. Because before we know it, the time for judgement will be upon us. Lord, help us to commit ourselves to You totally.
 
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time.
Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!” Luke 12:49–50
There is much that we can take from these teachings of our Lord. Not only did Jesus say, “I have come to set the earth on fire…” He also said that it’s His desire that this fire be “blazing!”
Fire is powerful. A blazing fire, for example, can purify the precious metal gold. When heated to a liquid state, the impurities rise to the surface for easy removal. Fire can also consume. When a blazing fire completes its burning, what’s left are only ashes. Many great saints have reflected upon the image of fire as an image of the purification God wants to do within our souls. Saint John of the Cross, for example, reflected in depth upon this image. He explained that entering into divine union was similar to a log burning. At first, as the log begins to burn, it crackles and pops. This is because the impurities within the wood, such as moisture or sap, do not burn as the wood burns. But as a log continues to burn, as Saint John explains, eventually the log becomes one with the fire. At first, you can distinguish the log from the fire when only part of the log is burning. But once the entire log is engulfed in the flames and all the impurities are burnt out, you have a piece of wood that is one with the fire. It glows and emits light and heat.
When we ponder these words from Jesus regarding His desire to “set the earth on fire,” we must first see this as His desire to purify our souls. Within our souls, there are many impurities that need to be removed if we are to become one with God, emitting His radiance and glory.  This purification involves a process of allowing God to bring our sins to the surface so that they are seen and can be removed. But this is only possible if we allow the blazing fire of God’s purifying love to consume us.
Oftentimes in life, we are content with simply being mediocre in our faith journey. We pray, go to Mass on Sunday, and try to be good. But this is not the life our Lord wants for us. He wants a life that is radically consumed with the blazing fire of His love. He wants us to become so purified from our sin that He is able to become one with us, sending forth the radiance of His glory through our lives. 
Reflect, today, upon this image of a blazing and purifying fire. Use the image of gold melting to the point that all impurities rise to the surface. Or use the image that Saint John of the Cross uses with the log. God wants so much more from you. He wants to transform you and use you in ways beyond your imagination. Do not be afraid to make the radical decision to allow the blazing and purifying fire of our Lord’s mercy to transform you. And don’t wait for this to start tomorrow—kindle that flame today.
My purifying Lord, You deeply desire to set my heart and soul on fire with the transforming mercy of Your love. Please give me the grace I need to permit You to kindle this fire of love in my heart so that it will truly become blazing and all-consuming. May this blaze ignite me in the inner depths of my heart so that You will shine brightly in my life, bringing forth the warmth of Your love into our world. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time. 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, send forth your Spirit into my heart that I may understand your divine Word. Grant me the gift of counsel so that I may know what to say and how to act within my family. I want to bring all my family members to share in your divine life.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Prince of Peace or Bringer of Division? The Gospel passage we read is not an easy one to understand. If Jesus is the “prince of peace” (Isaiah 9:6) and gives the gift of peace to his Apostles after the Resurrection, then why does he say in today’s Gospel that he came not to give peace but to bring division? How can we reconcile this with his message of love, communion, mercy, eternal life, and salvation? Before speaking about the interfamilial division he will bring about, Jesus tells us that he came to cast fire on the earth and that he will be baptized. The fire Jesus brings is not an earthly fire. Rather, fire is an image of God’s presence and love. It is an image of God’s judgment of sinners. It is also a symbol of divine purification. Jesus, then, brings us the fire of God’s love: he invites sinners to repent, and he purifies them from sin. And when Jesus speaks about his baptism, he isn’t speaking about his past baptism by John in the River Jordan, but about his future baptism on the Cross. He desires to purify and save us, and he will do this by being sacrificed for our sins.
2. Unleashing the Tribulation: To understand the type of division Jesus brings, we need to recall that the prophets (like Micah 7:6) foresaw a time of tribulation, characterized by a time of interfamilial strife and division, before the coming of the Kingdom and the salvation of the New Exodus (see Pitre, Jesus, the Tribulation, and the End of the Exile, 216). When Jesus speaks about the division he will bring, he is saying that he is unleashing the time of tribulation foreseen by the prophets. The time of tribulation precedes the age of salvation. By unleashing the time of tribulation, Jesus then can establish the Kingdom of God and lead the New Exodus. When Jesus began his ministry, the people of Israel were in exile. They were waiting for the Shepherd who would restore them and bring them into one flock. With the coming of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the exile ends and the New Exodus begins. This New Exodus leads not to an earthly promised land but to a heavenly one. We, who have been baptized into Christ, are on this New Exodus. We are walking with Jesus, the New Moses, and are led by the cloud and fire of the Holy Spirit to our heavenly home.
. Paul’s Five Petitions: Like Jesus, who speaks about deep mysteries, Paul also speaks about very deep mysteries in his prayer for the Ephesians. Paul kneels before God the Father in prayer and makes five petitions for his readers (see Williamson, Ephesians, 96-101). First, he asks that they be strengthened with the power of the Holy Spirit. Second, he asks that Jesus may dwell in their hearts. This is where Jesus wants to dwell and reign. As Christians, we live in Christ, and he lives in us. Third, Paul asks that they may understand. This likely refers to God’s loving plan of salvation and the wisdom of the Cross. Fourth, Paul wants his readers to know the love of Christ. Each day, we have to experience Christ’s merciful love. Lastly, Paul wants the Ephesians to be filled with the fullness of God. This sums up the other petitions. Through grace, the Trinity dwells in us, and we share in the wisdom of the Son and the love of the Spirit. Through grace, we are granted the wisdom to see things from God’s perspective and are enabled to love God and our neighbor. As we journey through the desert to our heavenly home, we are led by Jesus and the Spirit, sustained with the New Manna of the Eucharist, guided by the New Law of charity, and enjoy the peace of the New Covenant. We are called to invite all men and women to share in these riches and journey with us to heaven, where every tear will be wiped away and where sin and death are no more.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I do not know how to pray as I ought. I need to sit again and again at your feet and learn from you. Guide my thoughts and prayers so that I may ask for good things from the Father.
 
Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time. 2023
Opening Prayer: My Lord, send forth your Spirit and enkindle in me the fire of your love. In a world so divided, help me to be part of your divine solution.
Encountering Christ:
1. Fire, Anguish, Strife: Powerful words such as fire, anguish, and strife paint the backdrop for a striking statement by the Lord which we can call a “mission statement” in the truest meaning of the words: “I have come to…” Jesus’s words in today’s Gospel allows us to more deeply contemplate his heart and discover how he understood his mission in this world. And what we see is a rock in the storm, a bastion of confidence, a heart ablaze. Let’s subjugate ourselves to this blazing Sacred Heart.
2. “I Have Come to Set the Earth on Fire”: Jesus had come to save the world, to die for us, and to defeat death. But his mission was not reduced to the last hours of his earthly life. His whole life was part of that redemption, during which he revealed the mystery of who God is. Today, he shows us the passionate, epic character of God’s love. Let’s ask for the grace to share in the Lord’s passion.
3. Imitating Christ: To love like Christ loved means to quest and strive for the good that he yearned for: the salvation of men. It also means that we are to seek ways to give of ourselves lovingly—a “baptism with which I must be baptized.” Today as we commemorate St. John Paul II, we can identify an excellent example of a man who followed Christ closely and sought to imitate him in the way he loved–passionately, joyfully, generously–a man who adopted Christ’s mission statement wholeheartedly in his own life. May we do so as well.
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, you have come to love mankind and to save the world, and you have also made this mission our mission. As your disciple, I acknowledge that it is also my mission to love like you and to bring the message of your salvation to all people in my path. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will look for an occasion to live out my mission as a Christian by imitating your love and spreading your message.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Năm Tuần 29 Thường Niên-Y-1
Trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta, đã bao nhiêu lần chúng ta bị thối thúc hay cám dỗ bởi những sự mong muốn của riêng của mình và trở thành nô lệ cho những sự ham muốn vật chất và biến chúng ta thành con người ích kỷ? Trong quá trình xác nhận những ước nguyện của chúng ta, một số người trong chúng ta đã đi lầm đường, lạc lối và đã đi đến hậu quả là làm mất lòng Thiên Chúa. Vì chúng ta làm mất đi sự kiểm soát về sự công bình và đã dẫn chúng ta đến với tội lỗi và làm nô lệ cho xác thịt. Vâng, thật vậy, còn bao nhiêu người trong chúng ta vẫn chưa hoàn toàn nhận ra những gì gây ra tội lỗi.
            Trong cộng đoàn của chúng ta, chúng ta có lẽ đã gặp những người rất tích cực trong việc phúc âm hóa. Mỗi khi họ có một cơ hội để nói về Thiên Chúa hay Lời Chúa trong Tin Mừng, họ đã làm cho chúng ta cảm nhận được rằng chúng ta như đang có cảm giác là "thế giới" đang châm mồi, bật lửa để họ được bùng cháy. Nơi họ toát những đặc tính tốt của tình yêu nồng nàn, chân thành và lòng trung thành toàn diện của Thiên Chúa. Ngọn lửa đốt cháy trong họ dường như lan rộng đến tất cả những người nghe. Nhưng có lửa bên trong chúng ta là không đủ.  Chúng ta cần nhớ rằng Thiên Chúa là nguồn gốc của ngọn lửa đó, và qua Ngài, chúng ta tiếp tục được "nung đốt" trong đức tin và sẽ dùng năng lượng này để đem truyền về đức tin đó cho người khác.
            Lạy Chúa, Xin vì tình yêu của Chúa thiêu đốt tâm hồn và lòng trí của  chúng con, xin biến đổi cuộc sống của chúng con để chúng con  thực sự chỉ biết mong muốn những gì trong cuộc sống với Chúa. Xin hãy ban cho chúng con được mạnh mẽ trong tình yêu và sự trung thành mà không có gì có thể cản trở chúng con trong việc làm theo ý muốn của Chúa."
 
REFLECTION
            In our daily lives, how often do we become driven by own wishes and become slaves to our physical or spiritual desires and subject to our own selfishness? In the process of confirming our wishes, some of us have went astray only to suffer later because of these consequences and lose control of righteousness that leads us to be slaves of sin. Yet how many more of us do not fully realize just what sin entails.
            In our own communities, we probably have met people who are very active with evangelization. Whenever they have a chance to talk about God and his words, they give us the feeling that the "word" ignites them and sets them "on fire". They exude characteristics of ardent love, sincerity and full of the faithfulness and love of God. The fire that burned within them seems to spread to all who listen. But having that fire within us is not enough. We need to remember that God is the source of that fire, through him we continue to be "burning" with faith and use that energy to channel that faith to others.
            "Lord, may your love consume me and transform my life that I may truly desire nothing more than life with you. Make me strong in love and fidelity that nothing may hinder me from doing your will."

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần 29 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần 29 Thường Niên
Trong bài Dụ ngôn hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta thấy một thí dụ về người đầy tớ trung thành, biết lo việc nhà và biết trông chờ và sẵn sàng mở cửa cho người chủ trở về không biết lúc nào. dụ ngôn này, Chúa Giêsu đã  nhấn mạnh cho chúng ta biết sự cần thiết về đức tin và sự kỳ vọng thận trọng của chúng ta. Chúng ta biết chắc chắn rằng Thiên Chúa sẽ đến, nhưng chúng ta không biết ngày nào hay giờ nào. Như người đầy tớ khôn ngoan chúng ta phải biết sẵn sàng, tỉnh thức và chờ đợi cho đến khi Chúa đến. Đó mới là người xứng đáng lãnh được phần thưởng nơi Thiên Chúa.
            Thánh Basil đã viết: "Những gì là dấu hiệu của một Kitô hữu? Phải chú ý từng ngày, từng giờ và biết sẵn sàng trong trạng thái chuẩn bị trong sự hoàn hảo đó là phải biết làm đẹp lòng Thiên Chúa, và phải nhớ rằng Chúa sẽ đến trong bất cứ giờ phút nào.". Có lẽ ai trong chúng ta cũng đã phải trải qua một mất mát bất ngờ của một người bạn hoặc người thân, mà trong số họ là những người còn qua trẻ. Có bao giờ chúng ta đã trở nên quá gắn liền cuộc sống của chúng ta với những thứ hay hư nát của thế gian này, mà chúng ta đã quên và không chuẩn bị sẵn sàng cho ngày mà Chúa đã trở lại với chúng ta trong ngày Sau hết.?   Tinh thần và đạo đức của chúng ta phải là một tấm gương sang và trở thành một ví dụ thực sự tốt cho những người khác dưới sự chăm sóc và hướng dẫn của chúng ta. Đó là một trách nhiệm nghiêm trọng có giá trị cao cần phải được phản ánh.
            Xin Chúa giúp chúng con luôn biết sẵn sàng và sống đúng với vai trò và bổn phận của chúng con, để nhờ đó mà những người chung quanh có thể nhận biết Chúa qua những việc chúng con đã và đang làm..
 
REFLECTION Wednesday of 29th Week in Ordinary Time (B)
There are two lessons in the Gospel reading today: preparedness for Jesus' coming, and responsibility to develop and make use of gifts given to us by God.  The parable of the servants waiting for the master's return emphasizes the need for faith and vigilant expectation on our part. We know for sure that God is coming, but we do not know the hour. The wise servant is he who is ready and waiting for the master's arrival. It is he who deserves reward from the master. St. Basil writes: "What is the mark of a Christian? To watch daily and hourly and stand prepared in that state of perfection which is pleasing to God, knowing that at what hour he thinks not, the Lord will come." Perhaps some of us must have experienced an unexpected loss of a friend or relative, some of them still in the youthful years of life. Have we become too attached to things of this world, that we have forgotten to be ready, at all times, for God's coming? 
            The other message tells us of our responsibility and accountability to God for the gifts and talents he has bestowed on each of us. Greater responsibility entails greater accountability. When a person is placed in a position that allows him to guide, care, and influence others, much more is required of his moral, spiritual and ethical life so that he becomes a truly good example to those under his care. It is a responsibility worth serious reflection.
            "Lord, you are faithful even when I fail. Help me to remain ever faithful to you and to not shrink back when I encounter difficulties. Make me diligent in the exercise of my responsibilities and wise and prudent in the use of my gifts, time and resources.
 
Wednesday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” Luke 12:39–40
These words from Jesus should cause us to sit up and take notice. This parable, followed by the rest of today’s Gospel, exhorts us to always be prepared for our particular judgment at the conclusion of our earthly life. There are various reasons these words should be heeded.
First of all, the obvious reason is that life for any of us could end at any time. We only need to recall various tragedies in which people have suddenly died from a car accident or from some other unexpected reason. Furthermore, there truly will be a specific moment in time when our Lord does return to earth for the Final Judgment. That moment will take place in an instant without any warning. It’s easy to presume that this end of the world when our Lord “comes to judge the living and the dead” will not happen for hundreds or perhaps even thousands of years. But the simple truth is that it could be at any time, when those who are alive least expect it.
With that said, there is another important reason to always be prepared and ready to meet our Lord for our particular judgment. Even though our particular judgment will take place in a definitive way at the end of our life when we see our Lord face-to-face, we also encounter Him every day, all day, receiving daily rewards for our fidelity or judgment for our sins. It is useful to see this “hour you do not expect” as every moment of every day. If you can live every day with this ongoing expectation that our Lord is coming to you, today, then every moment can be turned into a moment of much grace.
Think about your day today. Does God want to come to you, to inspire you and to lead you to fulfill His holy mission today? Indeed He does. He has a specific mission for you today that will not be there tomorrow. He wants you to be aware of His presence right now so that you can respond to Him with much generosity.
Reflect, today, upon the importance of always being vigilant and attentive to God’s presence in your life. He wishes to speak to you, day and night, so as to guide you into a life of true holiness. If you can build a habit of attentiveness to His continual comings, then you will truly be prepared for that final coming when you meet our Lord face-to-face.
My ever-present Lord, You do come to me day and night, speaking to me, inspiring me, and leading me. Please fill me with the gift of holy vigilance so that I will always be prepared to meet You and hear Your holy voice. May I learn to build a habit of responding to You always. And may I especially be prepared for that glorious moment when I am blessed to see You face-to-face.  Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday of 29th Week in Ordinary Time (B) 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you know all things. You know when and how I will be tempted, how I will fail, and how I will be victorious. Guide me along the right path so that I may be entrusted with more. I am your servant and will strive to care for those you have entrusted to me.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Be Vigilant: Jesus teaches his disciples to be ready for our encounter with him at the moment of our death and to be ready for his second glorious coming at the end of time. Yesterday, we listened to Jesus compare his disciples to servants waiting for the master’s return from a marriage feast. The servants who were vigilant and welcomed the master were seated at the table and served by the master when he returned. When Jesus knocks at the door, we must open the door to him. Just like the householder does not know when a thief may strike, we do not know the day or the hour of Jesus’ return.
2. Our Royal Tasks: Cyril of Alexandria interprets the three watches of the night as three stages in our lives: childhood, adulthood, and old age. “The first of these, in which we are still children, is not called to account by God but is deemed worthy of pardon, because of the innocence as yet of the mind and the weakness of the understanding. The second and the third – the periods of adulthood and old age – owe obedience and piety of life to God, according to his good pleasure. Whoever is found watching and well-belted, whether by change he is still young or has arrived at old age, shall be blessed. For he will be counted worthy of attaining to Christ’s promise” (Commentary on Luke, Homily 92). Today, Jesus compares the apostles to domestic servants who are charged with various duties in the household of God’s kingdom. The royal tasks entrusted to them must be fulfilled diligently before Christ’s sudden return (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 133). Unfaithful stewards neglect their duties and will be punished. To whom much is given, much will be required. In short, watchfulness, diligence, service, and fidelity lead to the joy of heaven; carelessness, laziness, greed, and infidelity lead to the misery of hell.
3. The Ministry of Paul: Paul exemplifies the characteristics of a good and faithful servant. He was watchful and allowed himself to be guided by the Holy Spirit. He was diligent, even working to sustain himself and not burden the Christian communities with whom he stayed. He served tirelessly and saw his life as being for the service of the Gospel. In the First Reading, he called his ministry “stewardship” since it has been entrusted to him by God and given to him for the benefit of the people he served. Paul was faithful, faithful to Christ and to the mission he had been given. Not only was Paul a steward of the mysteries of God, but he was also a minister and servant (diakonos) of God. Paul served the Gentile Christians by communicating to them the mysteries of salvation, mysteries revealed to the Apostles and prophets by the Holy Spirit. This plan of salvation includes the Gentiles, who, in Jesus Christ and through the Gospel, have been made coheirs of the promises made to Israel and members of the Body of Christ. Their inheritance and ours is eternal life.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the supreme example of a Servant. You did the will of your Father perfectly. It was your sustenance. Help me to imitate you and be attentive to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit you have poured out within me.
 
Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time.  2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, my Creator, and Redeemer, everything good comes from you. You are the one source of peace and happiness. Thank you for bringing me into existence and ensuring I received the invaluable gift of the faith.Thank you for accompanying me in every moment. I am grateful for your mercy and love, and wish to respond more generously to you in my life.
Petition: Lord, help me to be a faithful and prudent steward.
1. Wanted: Faithful and Prudent Stewards: Anyone who has had a management position knows that one of the riskiest parts of the job is hiring. Very often, it can seem like rolling dice, especially when there is a conflict between what’s read in the resume and what’s felt in the gut. Nevertheless, to make a good hire, you need to have a clear idea of what you want. The Lord has a simple job description for the stewards he is looking to bring on. They must be faithful and prudent. In being faithful, they don’t seek to impose their vision or desires over his, but rather serve the Master who has given them their commission. Their will is such that they are confident in assimilating the desires of their master. They can perceive how to adjust and adapt to the multitude of circumstances that arises. These stewards are continually applying the old wristband test, “WWJD,” i.e., What Would Jesus Do?
2. Tasting One’s Own Medicine: Having been “hired” by the master, it would be foolish not to expect to be held accountable for the trust that he bestows. Nevertheless, the irresponsible steward indulges his appetites and abuses his authority. The master’s “delay” gives him a false sense of security. Without the natural brake of his master’s watchful eye, his pride gets out of control. Yet the master is bound to return, and the servant eventually experiences the results of his arrogance: the taste of his own medicine is bitter indeed. The Lord is inviting us to have a greater awareness of his constant presence. His absence and “delay” are only apparent. He is very much present to those who wish to live their God-given charge with integrity and responsibility. His grace is always available to those who live their lives in his presence.
3. Management Styles: The two types of stewards have very different management styles. One beats the servants; the other “distributes the food allowance at the proper time.” We all want to be counted among those faithful and prudent stewards who take good care of those entrusted to us. Yet at times, the responsibility we have seems more burdensome than desirable. While the bad steward indulges his passions, the good steward is in danger of giving into his fatigue and impatience. Frustration is a distinct possibility when it comes to forming others. If the Lord died such a cruel death for our salvation, who can measure the value of a single soul? By contemplating that example, we need to learn to put aside our petty annoyances and instead be faithful in caring for those entrusted to us. 
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have given me such great responsibility. I am sorry for the times I have offended you, and for when I have not lived up to the trust you have bestowed on me. I promise you that I will strive to reflect your love for those to whom you have entrusted to my care.
Resolution: When my patience is tested, I will pause and ask myself, “How does the Lord want me to handle this situation?”