Hôm nay chúng ta tiếp tục một cuộc hành trình với tâm hồn thống hối và ăn năn của chúng ta để chúng ta có thể tìm thấy đường về với Thiên Chúa với bản thân đích thực như Chúa đã tác tạo ra chúng ta. Cuộc hành trình mùa chay này sẽ đưa chúng ta đến ngã tư đường, nơi mà chúng ta sẽ gặp gỡ Chúa Giêsu trên con đường dẫn tới đồi Calvary (Núi sọ). Nhất định chúng ta sẽ được mời để cùng sống và cùng đồng hành với Đức Kitô trên con đường Ngài đến sự khổ hình, chịu đóng đinh và bị chết treo trên thập giá. Để đạt tới điểm đó trên đường với Đức Kitô, trước hết, chúng ta cần phải biết chuẩn bị bằng cách mở rộng vành tai để nghe lại những lời của các tiên tri, những người đã hướng dẫn chúng ta tới con đường mà chúng ta phải sống trong cuộc sống này, và chúng ta cũng phải biết mở rộng tâm hồn và cho phép Chúa Thánh Thần đến và sống trong chúng ta để giúp chúng ta biết thay đổi tâm hồn, và biến cho tâm hồn của chúng ta nên giống như của Chúa.
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
We continue during these first few days after Ash Wednesday to deepen our understanding of what the Lenten season should mean for us. We begin a journey of repentance and conversion that will lead us back to the Lord and to the authentic selves we were created to be. Our journey will finally take us to the crossroads where we will meet Jesus travelling along his own path to Calvary. There we will be invited to accompany Him and be with Jesus on his way to crucifixion and death.
To reach that point on the road, however, we must first prepare ourselves by opening our ears to the words of the prophets who will point out for us the way we must travel, and open our hearts to the Lord who will encourage us to let him enter and change them for us, making them more like his own. Today we hear a continuation of yesterday’s reading from chapter 58 of the Prophet Isaiah. In these verses we are reminded that the road back to life, to fullness, to meaning, to health, peace and redemption can only be travelled by those who ‘pour themselves out for the hungry’ and ‘satisfy the desire of the afflicted.’
Our Gospel offers us the encouraging words of Jesus that he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. We should then feel free to admit our sinfulness and weaknesses, both to ourselves and to the Lord, for it was indeed for the likes of us that the Lord came into this world. Lord, lead me back to You so that I may know my authentic self.
Levi had a good life. He made good money and had steady employment as a tax collector. But in an instant, he gave that all up to follow Jesus, and his life immediately changed for the good.
This short story of the call of Levi is one that we should take note of. Though you most likely have already made the choice to follow Christ, that choice needs to be deepened each and every day. And the witness of Levi is one that should inspire you to do so.
Oftentimes, when we sense God calling us deeper and closer to Him, when we sense that He wants us to follow Him more completely, we might pause and hesitate. It’s common for people to want to think through such a decision and weigh the “pros and cons” before stepping out in faith. But don’t do that. The witness of Levi’s immediate choice to leave all else behind and follow Christ is given to us so as to invite us to do the same.
How is Jesus inviting you, today, to imitate the radicalness of Levi? What is He calling you to walk away from so as to more fully serve Him with love and totality? If you do not know the answer to that question, say “Yes” to our Lord anyway. Tell Him that you want to imitate Levi and that you want to wholeheartedly commit yourself to a complete and radical following of His holy will.
It’s also interesting to note that as soon as Levi made the choice to follow Jesus, he held a dinner at his house for Jesus and other tax collectors. Levi was not afraid to let others know of his choice, and he wanted to offer his friends the opportunity to do the same.
Reflect, today, upon the person and call of Levi. And as you begin this Lenten season, use Levi’s call and response as an opportunity to hear Jesus calling you. You may not be called to “leave everything behind” literally, but express your willingness to do so anyway. Put no conditions on your choice to follow our Lord and you will be eternally grateful you did.
My precious Lord, You call all of your children to follow You without reserve. You call us to be ready and willing to abandon all that this life has to offer so as to obtain so much more. Give me the grace I need to trust You enough to say “Yes” to You today, tomorrow and all days. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Do with me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have given me this sacred time to encounter you. Draw me into the silence of the desert so that I can hear your voice more clearly. Grant me the grace to respond to you in love with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind.
1. Responding to Isaiah’s Call: The First Reading from Isaiah touches on some of the things we need to leave behind. These include things like seeking ourselves, making false accusations, and engaging in malicious speech. We cannot follow Christ if we are solely focused on following our own ways apart from God. We cannot live in the Truth if we are filled with falsehood. We cannot enjoy divine blessings if our hearts are full of malice. The First Reading also speaks about having God in our lives. When we have God, light will conquer the darkness. The Lord will guide us. He will renew our strength. He will nourish us. All of these have to do with divine grace. Grace enlightens us through faith. Through grace, the Lord empowers us to walk along the path that leads to heaven. Grace purifies us, restores us, and strengthens us. And, in the Eucharist, we are given the spiritual food we need for the journey.
2. Responding to Christ’s Call: In the Gospel, Levi’s response to Christ’s call is a model for us to imitate this Lent. Levi is involved in and busy with the affairs of the world. Yet he hears the voice of Jesus Christ who says: “Follow me.” This is the heart of every Christian vocation: leaving behind the things of this world, responding to God’s call, following Jesus Christ, and serving God’s people.
3. The Divine Physician: Jesus compares himself to a physician who heals the sick. In his public ministry, Jesus often cured physical sickness. But this was a sign that pointed to something greater. Jesus wants to heal the spiritual sickness caused by sin. When Jesus says that the righteous do not need to repent, it is important to remember that we are only made righteous by God’s grace. And so, both sinners and the righteous need Jesus, but in different ways. Sinners need to repent from sin and for Jesus, the divine physician, to heal them and restore them with his grace. The righteous need to persevere in righteousness and for Jesus to sustain them, guide them, nourish them, and help them flourish with his grace.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you call me, like Levi, to follow you. Help me discern today what this means. Help me to know what I have to leave behind and what I have to embrace. Strengthen my heart with your grace so that I can turn away from what keeps me from following you.
Resolution: The task of leaving behind the world and living according to God’s will is not something we accomplish on our own. Jesus reminds us of this, telling the Pharisees and scribes that he has come for the sick, for those who allow themselves to be healed, and for sinners who seek to repent and turn their lives toward God. What is it that I, empowered by God’s grace, need to leave behind?
Saturday after Ash Wednesday 2023
Petition: Lord you know how difficult it is for me to forgive. Help me to do so always.
1. The Doctor Who Cures the Sick: What a great reply: “I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.” It is a statement open to all humanity in need of redemption. It is an affirmation that shows us that God is not exclusive. Christ has come for all sinners, and he extends to everyone his call to repent and be transformed by his grace. It shows us that Christ wants to reach everybody and forgive everybody. He is not like us, who discriminate and hold grudges. When someone sins more, God makes particular efforts to reach that person and offer his pardon and his elevating grace. What an example for us to follow when we have difficult moments in our dealings with others! Christ teaches us patience. Christ teaches us that we must love and build bridges whenever the opportunity arises.
2. We Must Evangelize the Sick: Christ sets the example and sends us to evangelize people who do not know him, or who offend him knowingly, half-knowingly, or even unknowingly. Interestingly enough, it is those who oppose Christ whom he calls the “righteous,” because they are inflexible, and their criteria cannot be bent. Christ calls us, on the other hand, to forgive, as often as is necessary (Luke 17:4). We need to learn how to forgive in a world that tells us to be tough and not to let anything get past us.
3. Forgiveness Can Only Come from Love and Lead to Love: This Gospel reminds us of the story of the adulterous woman who was brought before Jesus. The Law of Moses was clear, yet Jesus knew that something had to be changed for man to be able to reach heaven. He knew that only forgiveness and love for everyone would unite all men in paradise. He knew all men had sinned, and therefore they could not accuse someone else without indirectly accusing themselves. That is why Christ answered to those who accused the adulterous woman, “Let the one who is sinless cast the first stone” (John 8:7). We are all sinners. We all need to be forgiven and to forgive one another. We all need to allow love to invade our hearts so that it may be the bond that reunites us.
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