Suy Niệm thứ Tư Tuần 28 Thường niên

Suy Niệm thứ Tư Tuần 28 Thường niên
Công lý và hòa bình
Qua Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy trong cuộc tranh cãi với những người Pharisêu, Chúa Giê Su đã đặt nặng vấn đề công lý và tình yêu của Thiên Chúa như là lõi cốt chính của cuộc sống chung trong xã hội trên hơn tất cả bất cứ quan điểm cá nhân nào. Hòa bình và Pháp luật, Công lý và Hoà bình được kết nối không thể tách rời. Khi Luật Pháp bị chà đạp và sự bất công nổi lên nắm quyền, thì hòa bình luôn bị đe dọa.
Những tiêu chí chính trị phải dựa trên những giá trị đạo đức, chứ không phải là do con người chúng ta tạo ra, nhưng chúng phải được công nhận trên sự bình đẳng cho tất cả mọi người. Nếu không có sự bình đẳng thì Luật pháp có thể được áp dụng theo hình thức của những người có quyền theo kiểu cường hào ác bá bởi vì luật pháp được lập ra vì những lợi ích của phe phái hay phe nhóm có quyền.
Hai yếu tố sau đã làm nổi bật vì chúng biến công lý không còn có ý nghĩa mà là công cụ̣ bất chính cho kẻ cầm quyền. Thứ nhất, "chủ nghĩa hoài nghi của hệ tư tưởng", làm cho lương tâm trở nên tồi tệ hơn khi tìm mọi cách để biện minh cho những việc làm bất lương của kẻ cầm quyền bằng bất kỳ phương tiện nào để đạt được những mục tiêu và quyền lợi phe nhóm. Thứ hai, "chủ nghĩa hoài nghi cùa trong việc kinh doanh (khai thác vô nguyên tắc các nguồn tài nguyên thiên nhiên), khi con người lợi dụng những tài nguyên thiên nhiên dùng quyền lực để thay thế Luật pháp.
Lạy Chúa, đạo giáo của Chúa Kitô không làm cho  lý trí của chúng con ra mù quáng, nhưng xin Chúa hãy soi sáng cho chúng con biết dùng lý trí để mang lại sự hoà bình và xin đức tin của chúng con có thể lấy lại sự bình tĩnh cho lý trí bởi vì cuộc sống hiện tại luôn có sự bóp méo sự thật và kìm chế tư tưởng của chúng con..
 
Justice and Peace
Today, in controversy with the Pharisees, Jesus Christ places justice and God’s love, as axes of social coexistence by setting them above personal viewpoints. Peace and Law, Justice and Peace are inseparably connected. When Law is trampled on and injustice comes to power, peace is always threatened.
            Political criteria should be based on those moral values, not created by us, but recognized and equal for all men. Without them Law can be criminally used with factional purposes. Two factors of justice dilution stand out. First, the “cynicism of ideology”, which obfuscates consciences by justifying any means to achieve factional objectives. Second, the “cynicism of business” (unscrupulous exploitation of natural resources), where the useful also takes the place of the good and power displaces Law.
              O Lord, Christianity do not lead us far from reason, but illuminates it instead: make that to achieve peace, faith may calm down reason, often distorted by ideological tyranny.
 
Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply, “Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.” And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”  Luke 11:45–46
This scholar of the law had been listening to Jesus firmly rebuke the Pharisees. As he listened, his own conscience was pricked, and he challenged our Lord. What does Jesus do? He quickly and firmly rebukes the scholar of the law, pointing out that the scholar uses the law to impose heavy burdens on people. Jesus did not back down in this rebuke of love. Instead, He directed it to the very place that His rebuke was bearing fruit: in the conscience of this scholar of the law.
This experience of the scholar of the law teaches us two important lessons. First, we learn from him the importance of paying attention to our conscience when it is “pricked.” Second, it teaches us that when this happens, it is very easy to become defensive.
What is it that pricks your own conscience? Think back over the past month and reflect upon anything that you became defensive about. Did something someone said bother you? If so, pay attention to this. Sometimes we are bothered for reasons other than our own sin. But oftentimes, what actually bothers us is that we come face-to-face with some sin with which we struggle, and we do not want to admit it.
What if this scholar of the law would have listened to Jesus and, instead of being offended, became grateful for Jesus’ words? What if he would have humbly looked at his own life and realized that he was also guilty of the very things that Jesus was condemning the Pharisees for? If he would have done that, he would have been put in a position to sincerely examine his actions and begin a process of change. But this is hard to do.
Reflect, today, upon anything that has recently offended you. Be honest and admit that it is often the case that when God presents you with your sin through some means such as the loving rebuke of another, you must work diligently to overcome any pride. And when you feel defensive, you must immediately see that as an indication that there is something in your life that you need to change. A pricked conscience is a gift from God. Rejoice when that happens, rather than being offended, and you will discover one of the best ways by which you can grow in holiness of life by becoming free of the very sin our Lord is presenting to you.
My challenging Lord, You are constantly speaking to me in various ways. Sometimes You are gentle, and at other times You lovingly rebuke me. Please help me to see my sin. As I do, I pray that I will not become defensive or dismissive, rationalizing my erroneous actions. May I learn to rejoice in all that You say to me, especially when You speak Your rebukes of love. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday 28^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, enlighten my heart to know how I am responding to your gracious love. I hear the warning your Son gave to the Pharisees and the Scholars of the Law. Help me to know if I have unknowingly fallen into hypocrisy and sinful ways. May I help your people attain salvation!
 Encountering the Word of God
1. The Three Woes Pronounced upon the Pharisees: Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus pronounced a series of four covenant blessings and four covenant curses or “woes” (Luke 6:20-26). A “woe” is a cry of warning of coming judgment. Jesus taught that the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who are reviled on account of him enjoy God’s blessing. The rich, those who are full, those who laugh, and those who are spoken well of are given a warning. Jesus voices this cry “to warn that disaster awaits the comfortable of the world whose prosperity and notoriety have turned them away from God and the demands of his covenant” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 118). In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns the Pharisees with three “woes” that judgment is coming upon them. They are first warned about their religious hypocrisy. This means that they present themselves as righteous because of their detailed exterior fulfillment of lesser matters of the Law, and yet, interiorly, they are full of wickedness. They are two-faced: exteriorly and superficially, they give the appearance of holiness while, at the same time, they are interiorly and deeply wicked. Second, they are then warned about how they strive to attain temporal earthly honors instead of eternal heavenly glory. Third, Jesus warns them that they have become like unseen sources of defilement. Instead of bringing the people to God, they keep the people from entering the Kingdom of God. In short, Jesus warns the Pharisees that they are hypocrites, that they are full of evil, and that they have failed in their religious duties. For this, they are judged by Jesus and given a covenant warning of woe.
2. The First Woe Pronounced upon the Scholars of the Law: When the Scholars of the Law object that Jesus, by calling out the religious hypocrisy of the Pharisees, is insulting them too, Jesus does not apologize to them. He doubles down, so to speak, and pronounces three “woes” upon the Scholars of the Law. We hear the first one in the Gospel today and will hear the second and third warnings tomorrow. The first warning that Jesus gives concerns their interpretation of the Law of Moses. Jesus accuses them of burdening the people and not helping to ease the load. This means that they have added their human traditions to God’s Law and made it even harder to bear. In contrast to the Scholars of the Old Law, when Jesus gives us the New Law, he also gives the strength and power to fulfill it: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Although the New Law is a higher standard than the Old Law, we are empowered to fulfill it through the gift of the Holy Spirit and the merits and grace of Jesus Christ.
3. Works of the Flesh vs. the Fruit of the Spirit: In the Letter to the Galatians, Paul speaks about what it means to enjoy freedom in Christ. This is not freedom to choose between and to do good or evil, but a freedom to do good and serve one’s brothers and sisters in love (Galatians 5:13-14). Instead of having to submit to the Old Law, we are guided and empowered by the Spirit to live according to the New Law. We need to walk by the Spirit in this freedom Christ has given us (Galatians 5:15-17). “The works of the flesh are obvious, and [Paul] has warned [the Galatians] before of the judgment coming against them. But avoiding them is a matter not of the law but the Spirit, who produces good fruit in those joined to Christ. So live by the Spirit” (Prothro, The Apostle Paul and His Letters, 156). Paul lists fifteen works of the flesh, including immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, strife, selfishness, rivalry, dissension, division, envy, and drunkenness (see ESV-CE translation). He then lists nine fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you truly lived according to the Spirit. You loved, were full of joy, brought peace, were patient and kind, were generous beyond measure, were faithful to your Father’s will, were gentle, and manifested self-control in everything. Help me to imitate you in all that I do today.
 
Wednesday 28^th Ordinary Time 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe that you are present here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love, thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.
Petition: I want to see my heart as you see it, Lord, make my heart more like yours.
Encountering Christ:
1. Falling into the Same Trap: Do we ever find ourselves rooting for Jesus in this Gospel passage? “Give it to ’em hard, Lord! They deserve it!” We imagine ourselves there in the scene—our arms sternly crossed, our heads shaking in disapproval of those oh-so hypocritical Pharisees. Soon our thoughts turn to someone we know who “should also receive a good verbal lashing!” Even a priest or a bishop might be the subject of our mental reprimand. In this second scene, however, Christ has faded or disappeared altogether, and we are the ones telling it like it is. Yet we now find ourselves right in the shoes of the very Pharisees we so deplore: Our hearts are embittered and dry. Although we are able to condemn with the Lord, we do not love with the Lord. We forget that Christ would lay down his life for these Pharisees he is calling to conversion—even if they were the only ones who needed to be saved. We’ve become like the lawyers who bind up loads of criticism, yet won’t offer a prayer of help. Pointing the finger is easy, but a call to conversion can come only from a heart that loves. 
2. The Grumpy Catholics Guild: Is there anyone who can’t find at least one thing wrong in their parish or diocese? As long as the Church is made of human beings there will always be aspects to improve. One thing is to see, pray for, and help resolve these difficulties. Another matter is to dwell on them. That is what the members of the “Grumpy Catholics Guild” (GCG) do. They could be in the most thriving diocese in the country, in the most fervent and engaging parish, yet they have only negative things to say. This Gospel passage is the one exclusive lens through which they view everything. For the Rosary, members of the GCG pray the “Vengeful Mysteries”: Jesus curses the fig tree, Jesus clears the temple, Jesus condemns the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus separates the sheep from the goats and sends the goats to “you know where”. Might I be an anonymous member—or at least a supporter—of the GCG? Christ used hard words, but they were only fruit of an intense love and longing for the scribes’ and Pharisees’ salvation, not an intense bitterness toward them. If I have any bitterness in my heart, I need to ask Christ for the grace to forgive and to forgive as Christ forgives. 
3. Helping Hand: Our Lord was the greatest teacher, the great pedagogue of the fullness of life: the love of the Father. He knew how to bring souls along little by little, at their pace and to the extent they were capable. The way he dealt with the Samaritan woman is exemplary (cf. John 4:5-29). If anyone’s life could have been used by Christ as the occasion for a series of ‘woes to you’, hers could have served well. But that is not how Christ dealt with her. He didn’t heap opprobrium on her; rather, he gently brought her to recognize her own desire for the goodness and love of God. The same can be said of Christ’s treatment of the woman caught in adultery (cf. John 8:3-11). Because of his love, he forgave her and set her back on her feet. The opposite is true of the lawyers at the end of this Gospel passage. They would load restrictions, unwieldy responsibilities and weighty sacrifices upon the people, but would not reach out a helping hand to assist the people in carrying the weight. As Christians we are called to help illuminate the consciences of those around us so that they might have a closer relationship with God. However, if illuminating their consciences is merely our euphemism for “throwing the book at them”, we need to stop and see if Christ’s words don’t apply to us as well: “You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, at times I look at my heart and see that it is hard and bitter. It is ready to jump self-righteously at the first opportunity self-righteously to condemn someone else, but only so as to assure myself of my own moral superiority. Grant me a heart, meek and humble like yours.
Resolution: If I find myself thinking critically about someone today, I will pray for them and look for two good qualities in them.
 
Wednesday 28^th Ordinary Time (October 17): 
Suy niệm lời Chúa Thứ Tư 28 thuờng niên (Luke 11:42-46)
Điểm chính của bài học mà Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta hôm nay là  cốt lõi của giới răn Thiên Chúa đó là tình yêu thương, yêu thương là giới răn quan trong nhất, và yêu mến Thiên Chúa và thương yêu những người chung quanh là những người được tạo dựng nên theo giống hình ảnh Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa là tình yêu (1 Gioan 4:8) và tất cả mọi thứ Ngài dựng nên đuộc phát sinh ra từ tình yêu của Ngài cho chúng ta. Tình yêu Thiên Chúa là Tình yêu vô điều kiện và hoàn toàn hướng tới những lợi ích cho người khác. Tình yêu thương chân thật đều biết chia xẻ và nâng đỡ những gánh nặng của người khác. Thánh Phaolô đã nhắc nhở chúng ta như trong thư gửi tín hữu Rôma rằng "Thiên Chúa đã đổ tình yêu của Ngài vào lòng chúng ta, nhờ Thánh Thần mà Người ban cho chúng ta." (Rô-ma 5:5). Mỗi ngày trong cuộc sống của chúng ta, Thiên Chúa đã ban cho mỗi người chúng ta những hồng ân của Ngài hầu giúp chúng ta có đủ sức mạnh để chúng ta yêu thương nhau như Ngài đã yêu thương chúng ta và giúp chúng ta dỡ bỏ những gánh nặng của người khác để họ cũng có thể trải nghiệm được ân sủng và tình yêu của Chúa Giêsu Kitô.
Reflection Luke 11:42-46
The point of  lesson Jesus teach us today  is the essence of God's commandments is love; love of the supreme good ; and Love God himself and love of our neighbor who is made in the image and likeness of God. God is love (1 John 4:8) and everything he does flows from his love for us. God's love is unconditional and is wholly directed towards the good of others. True love both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Saint Paul reminds us in the letter to the Romans that "God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given us" (Romans 5:5). 
Each day in our lives, God gives each of us sufficient grace in order for us to love as he loves and to lift the burdens of others that they, too, may experience the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

Suy Niệm bài đọc Thứ Ba Tuần thứ 28 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc Thứ Ba Tuần thứ 28 Thường Niên
    Trong bài đọc thứ Nhất hôm nay, Thánh Phaolô nhắc nhở Giáo Đoàn Rôma rằng họ được cứu bởi vì họ có niềm tin vào Chúa Kitô và Tin Mừng. Thánh Phao lô cũng nói rằng chúng ta biết được Thiên Chúa là do bởi những công trình mà Chúa đã tạo ra trong thế giớ và trong cuộc sống của chúng ta..
      Trong bài Tin Mừnh, Chúa Giêsu đã khiển trách những người Pharisêu vì lòng đạo đức giả của họ, họ thờ phượng Thiên Cha bằng môi miệng trong nhiều quy tắc: họ có hàng đống luật lệ như nhỡng toa thuốc vô tận về sự thanh tẩy và sự sạch sẽ của họ với những nghi thức bề ngoài như việc chuẩn bị thức ăn và cách ăn uống. Tuy nhiên, lòng của họ thì "đầy tham lam và ác độc."
Điều quan trọng thực sự  chính là những gì chúng ta đang làm bằng tất cả trái tim, lòng nhiệt huyết và  cuộc sống của chúng ta.
      Lạy Chúa, xin giúp chúng con hiểu biết về Chúa nhiều ơn thêm và có ược tấm lòng  quảng ại và từ bi. Xin Chúa giúp chúng con lạy Chúa,  đừng bao giờ để con đi  tìm lỗi của người khác nhưng giúp chúng biết yêu thương lại. Xin Chúa giúp chúng con biết thông cảm và không xét đoán người khác trong động cơ và hành động của họ. Xin Chúa dạy chúng con biết khiêm tốn và rộng lượng.
 
REFLECTION Tuesday 28th Ordinary Time: 
     In the first reading Paul reminds the Church in Rome that they are saved by their belief in Christ and the Good News. Paul also says that we know God from his works, the world he had created..
     In the Gospel reading Jesus reprimands the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in their many rules: they have endless prescriptions about ritual purity and cleanliness, about preparing food and eating. Yet they are "full of greed and evil." What is truly important is what we are in our hearts and inmost being.
     Lord, help me to become more understanding and compassionate. Help me, Lord, not to be a fault-finder but a loving person instead. Help me to be discerning and yet not judgmental of others in their motives and actions. Teach me to be humble and generous.
 
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools!”  Luke 11:37–40
It’s hard to imagine Jesus calling someone a fool. But that’s exactly what He did. This Pharisee had just finished listening to Jesus give a series of teachings and then invited our Lord to His home for dinner in an apparent gesture of kindness. But as the passage unfolds, it’s clear that this Pharisee is no friend of Jesus. Instead, his hospitality and kindness are a cloak for the evil within his soul.
Why does Jesus respond so fiercely, calling the Pharisee a fool? Because this Pharisee is filled with hypocrisy. His exterior actions do not flow from a heart filled with charity and faith. Instead, his exterior actions are a show. He is a fraud. He, like many of the Pharisees, was very concerned with various external rituals, such as scrupulously washing his hands before he ate. He believed that doing so was a sign of his holiness and closeness to God. But it wasn’t. His heart was one that was filled with judgment and self-righteousness. He looked down on others and elevated himself. In doing so, he deceived others and even deceived himself.
The central message we must take from this is that we must diligently focus upon that which is in our hearts. Our hearts, our interior life, must be blooming with love of God and others. We must place all of our efforts on cultivating a sincere life of virtue within. This is done by prayer and humility. Humility will open our eyes to see the truth of who we are. Prayer will strengthen us to change as we see that which needs to be changed within. Only then, when we see clearly the truth of who we are and prayerfully rely upon grace obtained by prayer, will we be able to become people of true integrity and holiness. And only then will our interior holiness be made manifest externally in our actions.
Reflect, today, upon these powerful words of Jesus: “You fools!” Don’t be offended by these words; they are words of love from our Lord. They are His fierce attempt to wake this Pharisee up and lead him away from his hypocrisy. Listen to these words as if they were also spoken to you. Every one of us can humbly benefit from this loving chastisement from Jesus. Every one of us needs to humbly be transformed more fully interiorly. Let Jesus’ words speak to you and reveal to you the ways that you need to change. Perhaps your pride has led you to an interior practice of judgment of others. Perhaps it has blinded you to sins that you need to confess. If you can listen to these words as if they were spoken to you, then Jesus’ fervor will reach you, and your eyes will be opened to that which is in your soul that needs to be changed. Do not turn a blind eye to this. Be open, be humble and listen.
My fervent Lord, You spoke words of love in many ways. At times You were gentle and at times You were firm. Please give me the grace and humility I need to be open to Your firm rebukes of love. Help me to sincerely see the ways in which I need to change my life so that Your grace will transform my interior life, flowing over into my actions. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Tuesday 28th Ordinary Time:  2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, do not let me follow the way of foolishness that leads to death and separation from you. Do not let me be a hypocrite. I pray that I may grow in true holiness through the gift of your grace and truly serve my brothers and sisters in need.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Tradition of Washing Before a Meal: On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus accepted the invitation of a Pharisee to dine at his home. The Pharisee, Luke tells us, was amazed that Jesus did not observe the prescribed washing before a meal. This washing was not something commanded in the Law of Moses but was a tradition that was observed by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. What the Law of Moses actually prescribed was that priests needed to wash their hands and feet before offering a sacrifice (Exodus 30:17-21). The priests also needed to wash before eating their share of the sacrifice (Numbers 18:11-13). These rules for the priests, however, were extended to all meals by the tradition of the Pharisees, who wanted every meal to be a religious act and a symbol of Jewish identity.
2. Clean Outside and Dirty Inside: Jesus takes the opportunity to reveal the foolishness of the Pharisees. They were meticulous in observing their traditions, but their hearts were far from God. They cleaned the exterior of their dishes and cups, but interiorly, they were filled with evil. Jesus teaches that, instead of being filled with plunder and unrighteous wealth, the Pharisees ought to be detached from earthly treasure, give alms to the poor, and be clean interiorly. All three things are important. It is good to give alms and follow God’s precepts, but only when we are filled and empowered with God’s grace and virtue are those good actions meritorious for salvation and eternal life.
3. Faith Working through Love: In the Letter to the Galatians, Paul compares the Old Law of Moses to a yoke of slavery. This slavery is opposed to the freedom that comes from faith in Jesus Christ. Throughout his letter, Paul argued that accepting the yoke of the Law of Moses as a requirement for salvation is to reject Christ as the sole foundation of our redemption and spiritual life (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 339). Paul also teaches that faith alone is insufficient to justify the sinner. Our faith in Jesus Christ needs to work through and flourish in grace-empowered works of charity and love. If our faith does not manifest itself and bear fruit in merciful love, then it is a dead faith that cannot justify or save us or keep us in a right relationship with God.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your grace and the virtues of faith, hope, and charity enable me to do the good works that merit eternal life with you. Give me your grace always. Do not let me become wrapped up in myself or glory in what I have accomplished, but refer all to you and your Father in gratitude.
 
Tuesday 28th Ordinary Time: 
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe you are present here as I turn to you in prayer. I trust and have confidence in your desire to give me every grace I need to receive today. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your immense generosity toward me. I give you my life and my love in return.
Petition: Lord, you call me not just to a conversion of exterior actions and ways of living, but to a conversion of heart, a conversion of always loving more. Grant me this grace of conversion.
Encountering Christ:
1. Law for the Law’s Sake: The Pharisees placed great emphasis on fulfilling the Mosaic Law down to its last iota. They also had many more customs and regulations to ensure that they were adequately fulfilling the Law—layer upon layer of laws to enforce laws. Their mental checklist of laws fulfilled and regulations completed was impressive and a source of pride and satisfaction that they were living as they were supposed to. But they were missing the point. The Mosaic Law was intended to free them for worship, delivering them from slavery to pagan gods and from slavery to sin. When the Law (and the added customs and regulations) became an end in itself, it was truncated and severed from the One to whom it was meant to lead. Today in the Catholic Church, there are enough laws, customs, and regulations to make even the most rigorous Pharisee proud. The danger is that we can fall into one of two traps. First, we can adhere to them with such vigor that we lose sight of the One they are freeing us to worship. We don’t allow our hearts and minds to be educated and formed by them; we just follow them blindly. We wind up cleaning the outside of the cup and stopping there, without going on to see God’s love and let it purify our hearts.
2. The Second Trap: The second trap we can fall into is at the other extreme: to give ourselves an easy pass by presuming that “if my heart is in the right place, I don’t need to worry about all these rules and such.” With a lax attitude we permit ourselves to ease up on fulfilling these laws which in truth will free us. “I know today is Sunday and I should go to Mass, but it’s vacation! God knows I’m a good person.” Yet it is in the Sunday Mass that we receive the many graces necessary toward our being that “good person”. The commandment to keep the Sabbath holy, as with any of the Ten Commandments and customs of the Church, is there to lead us to God. These free us from our often confused, subjective conclusions about how we should worship God and live our lives.
3. Cleaning the Cup: “Charity covers a multitude of sin” (1 Peter 4:8). This is how St. Peter rephrased the words of Christ, “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” The Law of love is the most important of all the commandments of the Lord. In Chapter 12 of the Gospel of Mark, Christ responds to a scribe’s question about the first of all the commandments: “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Love of God and neighbor is both the source and the summit of the Law of the Old Covenant and of the New. Living these two greatest commandments purifies and cleanses our hearts—the inside of the cup. So, when Christ says to give alms, he is telling the Pharisees to love their neighbors. Then their hearts will be clean.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I want my heart always to be focused on you. I need your guidance, for I can’t do it alone. I need you to teach me how to love you, how to worship and serve you. The laws you give me free me and guide me toward you. Help me to see your hand leading me ever closer to you.
Resolution: If there is a rule or custom of the Church that I don’t understand or don’t practice, I will read up on it to better understand how it frees me and guides me in my relationship with Christ.
 
Tuesday 28TH ORDINARY 
Đối với Thiên Chúa điều nào quan trọng hơn, bàn tay sạch bế ngoài hay cái sạch từ bên trong, trong tâm hồn của chúng ta. Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu quở trách những người Pha-ri-si đã chấp chứa những tư tưởng xấu xa mà làm cho ô uế cả tâm linh, như tham lam, kiêu ngạo, ghen ghét, hờn dận, tự kiêu, và ham muốn vật chất. Chúa Giêsu dạy chúng ta tha thứ là một việc bác ái tự đến từ tấm lòng nhân hậu, thuơng yêu. Có những người trong như có vẻ bề ngoài, phô trương nhưng đó chỉ là những thứ giả hình, mà không phải thật sự. Có những thứ giả hình nhìn bề ngoài chúng ta không thể nhận ra, nhưng nếu nhận xét từ bên trong lòng họ đầy những giả dối . Họ cố chấp và không bao giờ biết tha thứ. Do đó, họ không bao giờ tha thứ cho người khác. Tâm hồn chúng ta vẫn còn nặng thù hận, cố chấp, chưa biết tha thứ là được bắt nguồn từ những thói quen của chúng ta tự cho mình là trung tâm của vũ trụ. Khi chúng ta không thể nghĩ xa hơn chính chúng ta, chúng ta không
 
Reflection Luke 11:37-41
Which is more important to God?  Clean hands or a clean mind and heart?  In the Gospel reading today, Jesus chided the Pharisees for harboring evil thoughts that make us unclean spiritually such as greed, pride, bitterness, envy, arrogance, and the like.
            Jesus didn’t care much for what people might say or what is politically correct, whether we like it or not. These are not criteria on which Christians should base their decisions. Jesus clearly condemns double morality, which clearly seeks convenience or deception, as He said in Gospel: “you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools” (Lk 11:39).
            God's word, as usual, questions us about customs and habits of our daily life, when we end up converting trivia into “values”, to disguise our sins of arrogance, selfishness and conceit, while attempting to “globalize” morals with political correction in order to avoid being out of tune or being marginalized.
            There is time our hearts are still bitter and heavy, tempt us want to revenge rather than forgive.
- Un-forgiveness is rooted in our habit of thinking self-centered thoughts. 
- When we cannot think beyond ourselves we cannot forgive.  
            When we freely give and give generously to those in need we express love, compassion, kindness, and mercy. And if our heart is full of love and compassion, then there is no room for envy, greed, bitterness, and the like. Let us allow God's love to transform our heart, mind, and actions toward our neighbors and others.
 

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Hai Tuần 28 Thường Niên
Qua bài Tin Mừng chúng ta Chúa Giêsu đã từ chối những đòi hỏi người Do Thái yêu cầu đó là làm các phép lạ hay đưa ra những dấu lạ đương thời cho thấy để họ tin. Nhưng Ngài đã chỉ cho họ biết về những dấu lạ riêng của Ngài qua hình ảnh ôngGiona và những lời cảnh báo của Giona!
Ma quỷ cũng có đòi hỏi những việc như thế, trong khi ngài ăn chay và bị cám dỗ, Chúng đã thử lòng Ngài và xúi ngài ném mình xuống từ đỉnh cao của đền thờ (Lc. 9-11). Chúa Giêsu đã khiêm tốn và hạ mình, Ngài đã không thực hiện những đìều lạ và kỳ diệu để phô trương quyền năng và sức mạnh của Ngài.
Hôm nay, chúng ta đã chứng kiến cảnh đám đông người đã vội vàng xô lấn nhau để tới phiên mình "chữa bệnh" và họ mong muốn rằng sẽ nhìn thấy phép lạ chữa lành của Chúa được xảy ra ngay trước mắt họ!
Phần chúng ta hôm nay, Chúng ta hãy tự hỏi chính mình coi, Sự cải hoá cá nhân của chúng ta có phải là một nhiệm vụ cấp bách đối với chúng ta? Dấu hiệu của Giô-na có ý nghĩa gì đối với chúng ta, và chúng ta phải làm thế nào để đáp ứng với những lời Chúa Giêsu cảnh cáo chúng ta hôm nay.
Lạy Chúa, Chúa đã Chết đi và đi vào trong lòng đất ba Ngày như ông Giôna đã sống trong bụng cá voi ba ngày, Và chính Chúa đã sống lại hiển vinh để cứu rỗi và cho chúng con có được cuộc sống mới trong Chúa. Xin Chúa Hướng Hẫn và Thánh Hoá chúng con, để chúng con được sống đời với Chúa trên nước Thiên Đàng.
 
Reflection Monday 28 Ordinary Time
When we are very busy, yes, even obsessed with ourselves, we are unable to see goodness in others, (outside ourselves). God is surely present and active in our life, our world. It takes courage to burst out of our own selves to behold his presence and plan in and through others. Yet there are many signs of his presence and love; but if we are not open for him in others, we will suffocate in our own selves. The presence and call of God are very real in our life, history and the world. The Ninevites were outside Israel, yet they listened to Jonah’s preaching, and responded to God’s call to repentance: from the king to the last animal!
Jesus refuses his contemporaries their request for a sign, other than his own person and message he proclaimed, and the person of Jonah and his preaching! The devil too had such a demand in asking Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple (Lk. 9-11). Jesus refuses to make any show of such feats of power. Today, we witness crowds who rush to “healing” sessions, eager to see miracles of healing happening before their very eyes!  Is personal conversion an urgent task for us? What does the ‘sign of Jonah’ mean to me, and how do I respond to Jesus
 
Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke 11:29–30
Do you ever find yourself looking for signs from God? Often when we go through life, navigating through the ups and downs we all experience, we can easily find ourselves looking for signs from God about what we should do about this or that. And though God certainly communicates to us at times through special graces that are signs from Heaven, the passage above gives clarity to what sign we must be most attentive to.
The simple message in this Gospel passage from our Lord is that we must discover the meaning of the most profound sign ever given and use that as the foundation of all our decisions in life. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not only the source of eternal life, they are also the clearest sign we need as we make all of our decisions in life.
A sign is some action that reveals a deep and hidden mystery. One mystery that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection reveals is that if we are to share in the new life won for us by His Cross, then we must follow the example He set by living a life of selfless sacrifice, laying down our lives for others, so that they will discover and embrace the new life of Christ’s Resurrection. Practically speaking, if you find yourself looking for answers in life, seeking signs from God about what you should do at times, then turn your eyes to the life of Christ and ponder ways in which you can more fully imitate His life in every daily practical decision you make. This is true whether you are discerning some important decision in life or some small practical decision. 
It is common to engage in such a discernment by looking at ourselves in a more selfish way. It’s difficult to move away from this line of thinking, but if we are to use the “sign” of the Son of Man, then we will discern our life decisions very differently. When we use the life, death and resurrection of our Lord as the source of our discernment and decision making in life, then we will end up making decisions that imitate His selfless sacrifice of love. So if you are faced with a decision, you will not ponder what is easier or what you prefer; rather, you will ponder what is more selfless and best for others. What is it that best imitates the sacrificial love of Jesus?
Reflect, today, upon any decision you are trying to make. Then reflect upon how you are going about this decision. Do you use the witness Jesus gave to us as the foundation of your discernment? Do you reflect upon how you can lay your life down as a sacrificial gift for others? Do you look at love from the point of view of the Cross of our Lord and strive to imitate His glorious and selfless dedication to the salvation of those whom He loves? Seek to imitate our Lord, using the witness of His actions as the foundation of all of your discernment and decisions in life, and you will have discovered the only true sign you need to navigate the challenges of life.
My perfect Lord, every decision You made in life was made out of love and was in accord with the perfect will of the Father. Give me the grace I need to make every decision in life in imitation of Your perfect example. May my life imitate You as You laid down Your life for others. I choose You and Your glorious sacrificial life as the sign by which I am directed in life. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday 28^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you for making me your child and gracing me with true freedom. Teach me to use my freedom properly to grow in love and holiness. Do not let me fall into my old ways of sin, but remember always how good it is to dwell in your house.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Sign of Jonah: In the Gospel, Jesus refers to the story of Jonah and invites us to contemplate the parallels between Jonah’s story and his. Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. Three days later, he was vomited ashore by the fish and was restored to life by God. The Book of Jonah implies that Jonah did not remain alive for three days and nights in the fish. Jonah died and went to the realm of the dead. His prayer reads: “I called to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried” (Jonah 2:2). “Thus, when the fish vomits Jonah out onto the land, it is vomiting up his corpse.” The first word to Jonah on the shore is “arise.” “This is the same Semitic word that Jesus uses when he raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead. … In other words, the story of Jonah is the story of his death and resurrection” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 188). After his death in the sea and restoration to life, Jonah preached in the great city of Ninevah, the capital of the Assyrian empire, which was one of Israel’s fiercest pagan enemies. The Ninevites, Jesus recalls, repented at the preaching of Jonah. And so, the real miracle in the book of Jonah, even more than his restoration to life, is the repentance of the Gentiles (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 188).
2. The Sign of the Conversion of the Gentiles: We can now contemplate how the story of Jonah is recapitulated and surpassed by the story of Jesus. Jesus was cast into the earth after dying on the cross for us. He was swallowed into the “heart of the earth” for three days. On the third day, he rose from the dead and sent his apostles to preach the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth. Peter and Paul both preached in Rome, the capital of the Roman empire. In due time, the Gentiles of the Roman Empire embraced the Good News, repented from the former ways, and became followers of Christ. “It is not just [Jesus’] resurrection from the dead that will be a reason for believing in him. It is also the inexplicable conversion of the pagan nations of the world – the Gentiles. As Jesus says: the pagans ‘repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here’ (Matthew 12:41; Luke 11:32). In Jonah’s case, only one Gentile city repents, and that only for a time. In Jesus’s case, countless Gentile nations, cities, even empires would go on to repent, cast away their idols, and turn to the God of Israel” (Pitre, The Case for Jesus, 189).
3. Paul’s Allegory about the Old and New Covenants: In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul interprets the story of Hagar and Sarah allegorically. He says that the two women, each giving Abraham a son, represent two different covenants. Hagar, a slave woman, represents the Old Covenant mediated by Moses on Mt. Sinai and practiced in the earthly Jerusalem. Sarah, a freeborn woman, represents the New Covenant mediated by Jesus on Mt. Zion and symbolized by the heavenly Jerusalem. Paul uses the allegory to argue that the Galatians, who have embraced salvation and justification through faith in Jesus in the New Covenant, should not add the burdensome requirements of the Old Covenant to the New and submit themselves to them. The Judaizers, who are promoting this addition of Old Covenant ceremonies, dietary restrictions, and social norms to the New, are trying to turn the Galatians away from the Gospel preached by Paul and inviting them to embrace once again the yoke of slavery. Paul’s Gospel, by contrast, proclaims that we are children of God born into the freedom and blessedness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you fulfilled the story of Jonah in a truly marvelous way. Jonah was restored to earthly life. You were resurrected, body and soul, to heavenly glory. Jonah’s preaching made one city repent. You have merited forgiveness and have brought repentance to the entire world!
 
Monday 28^th Ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Lord, again I come before you, coming into your presence with a humble heart in need of hearing your voice speak to me words of hope and encouragement. I know you never stop thinking of me and desiring for me to stay close to you. As I pray and reflect on your words today, I want to be open to the grace of a conversion of heart to live in the truth of who I am and how I can come closer to you. Enlighten and strengthen me, Lord, to have the courage to follow what you ask of me.
Encountering Christ:
1. What Are We Looking For?: Why is it that we need tangible signs and ratifications for what we believe? Why are we so stubborn and slow of heart to overlook what has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus? Jonah preached God’s salvation to the Gentiles of Nineveh, and the wisdom of Solomon attracted the Gentile Queen of Sheba. Such conversions of non-Jews were powerful signs to the Jews of that time. Jesus makes it clear that in him is something even more superior. Yet many rejected and refused to accept him as the Messiah. Jesus himself came to establish the kingdom of God, and so fulfill the promise of blessedness to the descendants of Abraham. What more do we seek? What other signs, proof, or confirmation are we looking for? We need to contemplate every day the reality of his claim, to see in him (not just in passing marvels or supernatural phenomena) how this truth gives perspective and meaning to our lives as his faithful friends. Am I content and open to accepting Jesus as my Lord and savior, or do I hesitate and wait for “signs” as proof? 
2. Repentance: Through the preaching of Jonah, many hearts were converted. In contrast, the scribes and Pharisees remained obstinate, refusing to repent. They were discontent with the miracles and wonders of Jesus and demanded more signs. They wanted Jesus to submit himself to their criteria. They wanted him to fit into the framework of their idea of the Messiah. There was no openness for possible conversion in them. But Jesus did not submit himself to their request. The only sign he gave them was his resurrection. This is the sign given to all of us. Jesus, who was condemned to death and death on the cross, who rose from the dead through the power of God, will continue to resurrect in many ways the lives of those who believe in him. The sign which converts is not the miracles but the witness of life! Let us ask for the grace to be open to seeing and being converted by the many ways his grace brings life, hope, and joy to our lives. 
3. Heart of the Matter: We can easily become critical and doubt the power of Christ in our lives when we are inundated with the chaos and evil unleashed in the world around us. Jesus is greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon. For us Christians, he is the principal key for interpreting the events of our daily life. Do I believe that there is no space, circumstance, or time that Jesus is not lord and cannot bring some good, no matter the challenge? Jesus criticizes the scribes and the Pharisees who managed to deny the evidence, rendering themselves incapable to recognize the call of God in the events. As a Christian in today’s world, do I deserve the same criticism from Jesus? Today, the calls of reality are an invite to a change and conversion of heart. Whatever the political unrest, injustice, violence, cause, etc. what is the call of God in my reality?
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you know how easily I get swept up in the pace of life, how I seek clarity, affirmation, consolations, and assurances through the seductions of worldly comforts, wealth, and popularity. I have so many concerns in temporal realities that I forget to open my eyes to the marvels of your grace that actively shape my life. Open the eyes of my heart to recognize that following only you and your will gives lasting fruitfulness. Help me desire to treasure every word you have revealed to me of yourself in Scripture to discern and follow your will. 
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will seek you for a moment in adoration to contemplate who you are as my creator and the redeemer of all things, the all-powerful and all-loving God. With gratitude and awe, I will place before you every area of my life, trusting in the power of the Resurrection to order all things for your glory and my eternal place with you in heaven. 

Suy niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật 28 Thường Niên. Year B

Suy niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật 28 Thường Niên. Year B
Trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta nghe nói rằng Chúa Giêsu đang trên đường hành trình rao giảng Tin Mừng. Ngài đã mời một người thanh niên giàu có dỡ bỏ kho báu của mình và theo Người. Nhưng người thanh niên này đã buồn bã và bỏ đi vì anh ta có rất nhiều của cải, tài sản quý giá mà anh ta không thể bỏ được. Chúa Giêsu tiếp tục cuộc hành trình mà không có anh ta.
            Tôi nhớ câu chuyện mà bố mẹ tôi kể khi Cộng Sản Việt Nam nắm quyền cai trị miền Bắc Việt Nam và Việt Nam bị chia cắt thành 2 miền Nam Bắc vào năm 1954. Ông bà và bố mẹ tôi phải bỏ lại tất cả nhà cửa ruộng vườn và những gì họ đã bỏ công sức dành dụm và xây đắp hàng chục năm để ra đi tìm sự tự do. Họ đã phải bắt đầu từ con sộ không với hai bàn tay trắng để xây dựng một cuộc sống mới ở một vùng đất mới tự. Bên cạnh đó, nhiều người ở lại miền Bắc đã bị giết hại hay tù tội trong cuộc đấu tố giai cấp của cộng sản vì không muốn bỏ lại của cải và những gì họ có được.
            Đối với tôi, để tìm được một cuộc sống mới và tự do tại đất nước này, tôi cũng đã phải hy sinh rất nhiều thứ. Người thanh niên trong bài Tin mừng hôm nay, chúng ta biết anh ta rất thông minh và anh ta cũng rất giàu có. Tuy nhiên, anh ấy muốn nhiều hơn thế, anh ta muốn có cuộc sống vĩnh cửu; thế nhưng chẳng khác gì những người địa chủ miền bắc trước 1954 anh ta đã không thể đành lòng đánh đổi cuộc sống vĩnh cửu đó với mớ của cải, tiền bạc và gia tài anh hiện đang có. Đó là cái điều mà mà anh đang thiếu và cần phải cỏ có để vào nước Trời.
            Tin Mừng Thánh Mathêu viết Chúa Giêsu nói: Ai yêu mến cha mẹ hơn ta, thì không xứng với ta. Ai  yêu thích con cái của mình hơn ta, thì không xứng với ta ... (Mt 10,37). Và chúng ta có thể thêm câu nếu ai yêu thích của cải kho báu thế gian hơn ta, cho dù đó là tiền bạc, đất đai trang trại, nhà cửa, con cái hay cháu chắt, thì đều không xứng với ta.
            Chúng ta thường biết rằng hầu hết người Công giáo thích xem ti vi một giờ hơn là thích cầu nguyện trong mười phút; Thích bỏ nhiều thời giở để đọc những cuốn tiểu thuyết hay hơn là một cuốn sách nhỏ nói về đức tin; nhiều người ở Mỹ có thể bay qua những các thành phố khác xa lắc xa lơ để xem một trận đấu bóng hơn là đi 1 dặm đường để đến nhà thờ; chúng ta có thể chi 50 đô la trong các quán rượu hoặc nhà hàng sang trọng mà không hề tiếc, nhưng lại tiếc rẻ khi bỏ 10 đô la vào giỏ tiền trong lễ Chủ nhật. Chúng ta không nói về những người xấu ở đây vì những người tốt cũng giống như chúng ta; nhưng có một thứ họ thiếu đó là họ chưa phát triển được mối quan hệ thích hợp giữa Chúa Kitô và túi tiền hay kho báu của họ.
            Giống như người thanh niên trong bài Tin Mừng họ muốn có cuộc sống vĩnh cửu nhưng lại không muốn có phải hy sinh, bỏ lại những gì chúng ta đang có, đang hưởng thụ. Và cũng giống như người thanh niên giàu có kia đã phải cúi ầu buồn rầu ra đi. Thật đáng buồn! Cho người thanh niên ra đi với kho báu của mình.
            Hôm nay Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta rằng chúng ta phải hoàn toàn tách mình ra khỏi những thứ vật chất để vào Nước Trời. Như ông nội của tôi đã nói: "Chúng ta không thể mang theo tài sản của mình khi chúng ta chết, cũng như những thứ trước thế gian của chúng ta." Khi trải qua cuộc đời chông gai theo thời gian, chúng ta thấy mình ngày càng có được nhiều của cải vật chất hơn. nhưng khi cận kề cái chết, chúng ta mới biết ra rằng chúng ta phải cần phải tách mình ra khỏi tất cả những thứ đó, vì chúng ta không thể mang theo chúng. Giai đoạn cuối cùng của cuộc đời thi chúng ta cũng phải buông bỏ.
            Sự giàu có của chúng ta hiện tại là trung lập về mặt đạo đức; nó không tốt cũng không xấu, nhưng chính đó những gì chúng ta cần phải làm cho giàu có thì chúng ta mới đưa mình đến gần với thiêb Chúa và nước Trời.
            Trong câu chuyện Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta không chê người thanh niên giàu có nhiều của cải. Tuy nhiên, điều mà Chúa Giêsu đang chỉ cho chúng ta thấy là sự giàu có của người thanh niên này đã ngăn cản anh ta hoàn toàn tiếp nhận Tin Mừng và nước Trời. Vì thế thái độ của chúng ta mới là vấn đề quan trọng.
 
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B
- Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Mark 10:17-30
            In today, Gospel, we heard that Jesus is setting out on a journey. He invites a man to unload his treasure and join him. But the man is sad because he has a lot of possessions which he loves very much.  Jesus moves on without him.
I remember the story my dad told me when Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese Communists took control of the North VN and Vietnam was divided into 2 parts, North and South in 1954. My grandparents and parents had to leave everything they had, and everything they had saved for their lives: their houses, their farms, and took up a long journey to find their freedom.  They built new lives in a new free land with empty hands, but they had freedom. Besides, many people in the North were killed because they did not want to leave their wealth.
For me, in order to find a new life and freedom here in this country, I had to sacrifice many things. For the man in the gospel today it was his wealth and it seems he was very wealthy. And yet, he wanted more. This man wanted eternal life; And he wanted to know from Jesus what he had to do to get it.  Jesus loved him for that.
Jesus advised him: You know the commandments and then very obligingly listed a good number of them.
            They became for the man a kind of list of achievements! Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days. Jesus recognized this man was serious about his salvation and responded: There is one thing you lack. Now surely, this is an earth-shattering challenge to the man and to all of us.  It is the heart of the gospel passage this week  “There is one thing you lack! “.  What is it, precisely, that this man lacked? It is not a question of having wealth or not having wealth, rather it is our attitude towards it. And for us the lesson is clear. Our relationship with God must be our greatest, our prime relationship, and the one which gives meaning to all our other relationships.
When we come to think of it, our relationship with God is the one thing we take with us into the next life; all else will be left behind. Shouldn't we cultivate it while we can? The invitation and challenge are clear.  Jesus is asking each one of us to give priority to God in our lives and to get rid of all that we love more than him, everything which prevents us from saying yes to his wonderful invitation: and then: come follow me. This Gospel message is reassuring but challenging.  Sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom is an essential requirement of those who wish to truly follow Christ. The Christian follows a difficult path in life but it is a journey with a destination.
And the destination is nothing other than the Kingdom of Heaven. As we continue with this Mass, let's renew our commitment to seeking the treasure that lasts forever, and let's ask our Lord Jesus to help us.
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B
“This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” Luke 11:29–30
Do you ever find yourself looking for signs from God? Often when we go through life, navigating through the ups and downs we all experience, we can easily find ourselves looking for signs from God about what we should do about this or that. And though God certainly communicates to us at times through special graces that are signs from Heaven, the passage above gives clarity to what sign we must be most attentive to.
The simple message in this Gospel passage from our Lord is that we must discover the meaning of the most profound sign ever given and use that as the foundation of all our decisions in life. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection were not only the source of eternal life, they are also the clearest sign we need as we make all of our decisions in life.
A sign is some action that reveals a deep and hidden mystery. One mystery that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection reveals is that if we are to share in the new life won for us by His Cross, then we must follow the example He set by living a life of selfless sacrifice, laying down our lives for others, so that they will discover and embrace the new life of Christ’s Resurrection. Practically speaking, if you find yourself looking for answers in life, seeking signs from God about what you should do at times, then turn your eyes to the life of Christ and ponder ways in which you can more fully imitate His life in every daily practical decision you make. This is true whether you are discerning some important decision in life or some small practical decision. 
It is common to engage in such a discernment by looking at ourselves in a more selfish way. It’s difficult to move away from this line of thinking, but if we are to use the “sign” of the Son of Man, then we will discern our life decisions very differently. When we use the life, death and resurrection of our Lord as the source of our discernment and decision making in life, then we will end up making decisions that imitate His selfless sacrifice of love. So if you are faced with a decision, you will not ponder what is easier or what you prefer; rather, you will ponder what is more selfless and best for others. What is it that best imitates the sacrificial love of Jesus?
Reflect, today, upon any decision you are trying to make. Then reflect upon how you are going about this decision. Do you use the witness Jesus gave to us as the foundation of your discernment? Do you reflect upon how you can lay your life down as a sacrificial gift for others? Do you look at love from the point of view of the Cross of our Lord and strive to imitate His glorious and selfless dedication to the salvation of those whom He loves? Seek to imitate our Lord, using the witness of His actions as the foundation of all of your discernment and decisions in life, and you will have discovered the only true sign you need to navigate the challenges of life.
My perfect Lord, every decision You made in life was made out of love and was in accord with the perfect will of the Father. Give me the grace I need to make every decision in life in imitation of Your perfect example. May my life imitate You as You laid down Your life for others. I choose You and Your glorious sacrificial life as the sign by which I am directed in life. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
28th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you do not promise me an easy life. However, you do offer the promise of eternal life. I will give up everything and follow your Son. Help me to know today what is holding me back and what I am attached to that keeps me from the path that leads to life.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Parables as Riddles: Jesus used many different types of parables. Some of Jesus’ parables were narrative stories, others were thought-provoking sayings, and still others were puzzles or riddles. Jesus liked to use riddles to reveal and conceal the mystery of the Kingdom and the mystery of his divinity (Pitre, Jesus and Divine Christology, 112). In the Gospel, a rich man asked Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life (Mark 10:17) and be raised from the dead at the final judgment (Daniel 12:2). In response, Jesus insisted first on two points: first, profess the goodness of the one God of Israel and, second, keep the commandments to have eternal life. Jesus then added a third requirement: the rich man must sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. When Jesus says that there is only one who is good, he does not deny that he is God. Rather, he is using a riddle meant to lead the rich man to the realization of who Jesus really is (Pitre, Jesus and Divine Christology, 136). If the rich man truly loves God, then he will give up his money and follow Jesus, the incarnate Son of God.
2. Compared to Wisdom, Gold is like Sand: The First Reading, taken from the Book of Wisdom, compares having wisdom to having riches. The passage recalls King Solomon’s prayer for wisdom. The wisdom Solomon had in his youth was not something he achieved through study and his own efforts but was a gift from God. The youthful Solomon loved wisdom more than power – he “preferred her to scepters and thrones.” Great wealth was nothing in comparison to wisdom. Power, riches, gems, and health are all good things, but they pale in comparison to wisdom. In comparison with wisdom, gold is like sand, and silver is like clay. Solomon not only received the spirit of wisdom from God but he was blessed with many other good things. “Solomon’s riches, power, and enjoyment of life all derived from wisdom” (Giszczak, Wisdom of Solomon, 85). Wisdom is a source of heavenly riches, servant authority, and true happiness.
3. The Word of God is Sharper than a Sword: In the Second Reading, the Letter to the Hebrews is encouraging its readers to not be like the people of Israel in the desert. Unlike the people of Israel who refused to enter into the Promised Land and feared that they would “fall by the sword” if they followed the Lord into Canaan (Numbers 14:3), we are to strive to enter into God’s eternal rest and not fall short due to disobedience to God’s living and active Word. God’s Word is sharper than a physical sword. A physical sword can only bring about physical death. The “divine word is more lethal still, for it can bring eternal death and destruction” (Hebrews 10:26-31) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 421). Nothing will be hidden from God’s judgment, which can discern our deepest thoughts and intentions.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, penetrate the depths of my heart, soul, and spirit. Expose any evil thoughts or intentions. Heal them with your grace, transform me to be like you, and fill me with your Spirit of Wisdom.
 
Twenty-eighth Sunday: What’s On Our Bucket List?
             A few years ago a great movie came out starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson called The Bucket List. Perhaps you saw it. Two men who were dying but in temporary remission, one of whom was very rich, decided to make out a list of the things they wanted to do before they died.  It was really a great movie, even though we Catholics would have far more important things to write on your lists, the type of actions that would help us grow in closer union to God.  Still, there was an extremely beautiful scene in the movie.  The Jack Nicholson character made the huge step and was reconciled with his daughter with whom he had been estranged for years.  Then she showed him his little five year old grand-daughter.  He gave her a hug and a kiss.  When he left the house, he crossed off, “Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world.”
             The Bucket List has led a lot of us to consider the things we want to do and need to do in our lives. It also reminds us of some other lists we need to compile.  Even though we have had an easy hurricane season this year, at least so far, we all should have a list of what we would need to take with us if we had to evacuate.  It should also be prioritized.  People first, obviously, then the materials we would have the hardest time replacing, important papers, etc, and of course, those reminders of our past.  Actually, in this computer age, many of us would probably include a removal hard drive.
             The question today’s readings ask us is simply, “What are the most important things on our lists?”  In the first reading, Solomon responds to the invitation by God to ask for anything in return for his constructing the Temple in Jerusalem.  To the surprise of many, Solomon doesn’t ask for riches.  He asks for wisdom. Next to wisdom, he says, gold and silver are like mud.  But when he possesses wisdom, the Wisdom of God, everything else comes to Him.
             The rich man in the Gospel reading is asked about his list.  This is a good man. Jesus looked at the man and loved him.  The man who came up to Jesus and knelt down, was really serious when he asked. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He wasn’t trying to test Jesus, or catch him between two issues like the people who asked Jesus if it was right to pay tax to Caesar.  Those people knew that Jesus would get into trouble no matter what he said.  He wasn’t like the people who asked Jesus about eternal life.  They were trying to involve Jesus in the battle between the Sadducees who said there was no such thing as life after death and the Pharisees who said  that there was eternal life.  No, the man in today’s Gospel was sincere.  He really wanted to have God’s life.  He told Jesus he had kept the commandments all his life.  Jesus knew he had.  That’s why He looked at him and loved him. 
             Then Jesus asked him what was on the top of his list. Following the Lord had to be more important than any of his possessions. Jesus offered him treasure in heaven.  What He said to the man shocked him.  It left the man in turmoil.  Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor, and then follow Him.  Jesus was offering the man a place among his closest disciples.  The man wasn’t ready for this.  He was surprised, perplexed and dismayed.
             What is on your list?  What is on my list?  What is there that we could not live without?  What is on that list that would leave us devastated if it were destroyed? If it is anything other than the lives of others, the presence of God in their lives and the Presence of God in our lives, or, simply, the Kingdom of God, then we really don’t understand what it means to be a Christian, to be a Catholic.
             Catholics, Christians are right now sitting in the cells of horrible prisons throughout the world.  Some have lost everything they owned and are waiting to lose their lives. Others have refused to sacrifice Christian for the sake of advancing in business and are living far more frugally than some of their workmates, yet all, those standing for truth in jail and those standing for truth in the rat race of business are living as rich people. They possess all that matters in life, the Presence of Jesus Christ.  At the other end of the spectrum, there are some who are living miserably in mansions, surrounded by every type of unfathomably expensive items, paintings, sculptures, with the best vehicles in their garages and a huge ship waiting for them in some Caribbean port, but they are not happy because none of the possessions they spent their lives acquiring can give them happiness.
             “Our hearts are made for you, O Lord, and shall not rest until they rest in you.”  St. Augustine in his Confessions.
            The readings today really hit us to the core of our lives.  They ask us to consider where we find meaning in life.  Scripture does that to us, doesn’t it?  The second reading from Hebrews 4 says that the Word of God is a two-edged sword, by that it means one that is very sharp and very strong.  It cuts into us and uncovers the thoughts, reflections and desires of our hearts.
             All of us want to be happy. All of us want to live lives of meaning.  All of us want to finish our physical lives united to God.  To do all this we need to keep the priorities of life straight. God and His Presence in others must be first.  His love must grow.  His Word must envelope the world.  If we allow that to happen, God Himself will take care of the rest of our needs.  Solomon said that along with wisdom, all good things came to him.  Jesus promises that those who live only for His sake and the sake of the Gospel will receive a hundred times more than they gave up in this age and eternal life in the next.
             So what is on our lists, be they our bucket lists, or our evacuation lists, or our hope lists?   
             The Word of God, that two-edged sword, asks us today to consider where we are seeking happiness