Những phép lạ mà đáng kể nhất mà Chúa Giêsu đã làm là những phép là mà Chúa đã làm cho kẻ chết được sống lại. Và có lẽ một phép lạ ngoạn mục nhất là Chúa đã làm cho ông Lazarus sống lại sau khi đã chết và dã được chôn trong mồ bốn ngày. Chúa Giêsu gọi :"Lazarus hãy chỗi dậy và ra khỏi mồ." Lazarus đã bừng dậy từ trong bóng tối và đi vào ánh sáng, lao đảo nhảy từng bước với tất cả quần áo niệm đang quấn quanh người. Và Chúa Giêsu đã ra lệnh cho những người đi theo tháo gỡ vải tang quấn quanh người anh ta để cho anh ta được mở trói và tự do.
Những phép lạ về sự hoá bánh ra nhiều mặt khác đã làm vì chạnh lòng Thiên Chúa tối cao trong cương vị bản chất con người của Chúa Kitô. Chúa Giêsu, người mà có thể an chay, nhịn đói trong bốn mười (40) ngày và không nghĩ đén cái đói, thế mà có lòng từ bi, thương hại đến những người theo Chúa trong ba ngày liền mà không có gì không có gì để ăn. Không thể tìm được thứ gì cò thể ăn được trong vùng sa mặc chỉ có cát, đá, gai và cái nắng cháy người ban ngày và cái lạnh ban đêm.
Nếu Chúa Giêsu có thể làm cho người chết được sống lại, có thể làm cho bánh và cá hoá ra nhiều để nuôi sống hơn bốn ngàn (4.000) nggười, có thể chữa lành vô số người đau bệnh cả tinh thần lẫn thể xác, Thì những gì khác mà Ngài có thể làm để cho chúng ta tin vào Ngài? Thế thì những gì có thể thuyết phục chúng ta rằng là cầu xin với Ngài thì Ngài sẽ mang lại những phép lạ lớn nhỏ đến với cuộc sống của chúng ta? Hãy lắng nghe những gì Chúa hứa: ".: tất cả những gì anh em cầu nguyện và xin, anh em cứ tin là mình đã được rồi, thì sẽ được như ý" (Mk 11:24)
The most dramatic miracles performed by Jesus are those where he raises the dead to life. And perhaps the most awesome of all is the miracle of Lazarus. Arriving at the site when Lazarus was four days in his tomb, Jesus calls "Lazarus come out." Lazarus emerges from the darkness into the light, tottering with all his grave clothes wound about him. And Jesus orders the mourners, "Unwrap him and let him go!"
The miracle of the multiplication of the loaves on the other hand touches on the supreme humanity of Christ. Jesus, who could fast for as long as 40 days and not mind hunger, has compassion for those without food for three days. There was nowhere in the desert to find food and the shades of night where the beginning to fall.
Against the scoffing of his disciples, He raises His eyes to His Father and makes a miracle happen. This time, the miracle is to sustain life, feeding 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish.
If Jesus can raise the dead to life, can multiply bread and fish to feed 4,000, can heal countless afflictions, what else can touch us to believe in him? What can convince us that praying to him will bring small and big miracles into our lives? Listen to what the Lord promises: "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it. And it will be yours."
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will collapse on the way, and some of them have come a great distance.” Mark 8:2–3
Jesus’ primary mission was a spiritual one. He came to set us free from the effects of sin so that we could enter the glories of Heaven for all eternity. His life, death and resurrection destroyed death itself and opened the way for all who turn to Him to be saved. But Jesus’ love for the people was so complete that He was also attentive to their physical needs.
First of all, ponder the first line of this statement of our Lord above: “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd…” Jesus’ divine love was intertwined with His humanity. He loved the entire person, body and soul. In this Gospel story, the people were with Him for three days and they were hungry, but they were showing no signs of leaving. They had become so amazed by our Lord that they didn’t want to leave. Jesus pointed out that their hunger was serious. If He sent them away, He feared that they would “collapse on the way.” Thus, these facts are the basis for His miracle.
One lesson we can learn from this story is that of our priorities in life. Oftentimes, we may tend to have our priorities reversed. Of course, taking care of the necessities of life is important. We need food, shelter, clothing and the like. We need to care for our families and provide for their basic needs. But too often we elevate these basic necessities in life over our spiritual need to love and serve Christ, as if the two were opposed to each other. But that’s not the case.
In this Gospel, the people who were with Jesus chose to put their faith first. They chose to remain with Jesus despite the fact that they did not have food to eat. Perhaps some people had left a day or two earlier, deciding that the necessity of food took precedence. But those who may have done this missed out on the incredible gift of this miracle in which the entire crowd was fed to the point of being completely satisfied. Of course, our Lord does not want us to be irresponsible, especially if we have a duty to care for others. But this story does tell us that our spiritual need to be fed by the Word of God should always be our greatest concern. When we put Christ first, all other needs are met in accord with His providence.
Reflect, today, upon your own priorities in life. What’s more important to you? Your next good meal? Or your life of faith? Though these do not have to be opposed to each other, it’s important to always put your love of God first in life. Ponder this vast crowd of people who spent three days with Jesus in the wilderness without food and try to see yourself with them. Make their choice to remain with Jesus your choice also, so that your love of God becomes the primary focus of your life.
My providential Lord, You know my every need and are concerned for every aspect of my life. Help me to trust You so completely that I always put my love of You as my first priority in life. I do believe that if I can keep You and Your will as the most important part of my life, all other necessities in life will fall in place. Jesus, I trust in You.
1. The Sin of the House of Jeroboam: After the death of Solomon in 930 B.C., the ten northern tribes of Israel rebelled against Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, and chose Jeroboam, a court official, to be their king. One of Jeroboam’s first concerns was that the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel – if they went on pilgrimage three times a year to the Temple in Jerusalem – would want to rejoin the southern Kingdom of Judah. And so, he set up rival forms of worship and appointed a rival priesthood. In a sin reminiscent of the sin of the first high priest Aaron (Exodus 32:4), Jeroboam commissioned not one but two golden calves to be made. He declared them to be the god who brought Israel out of Egypt. He placed one calf in Bethel, near the southern border of the Kingdom of Israel, and placed the second calf in Dan, near the northern border of the Kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam also established another feast for Israel, that occurred in the late fall, exactly one month after the pilgrimage Feast of Tabernacles. Jeroboam, it seems, stopped at nothing to keep his royal power, even if this meant leading the people of Israel into grave sin and idolatry.
2. The Feeding of the Four Thousand: In contrast to the corrupt heart of Jeroboam in the First Book of Kings, we see the merciful heart of Jesus in the Gospel. Jesus has already multiplied the five loaves of bread for the five thousand Israelites. Today, he multiplies seven loaves of bread for the four thousand in the Decapolis, in the Gentile territory east of the Sea of Galilee. Even though the disciples saw Jesus perform the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand earlier, they show today that they still struggle to believe and ask where they can find bread to satisfy the crowds. The words of the two miracles – blessing, giving thanks, breaking the bread, and giving the bread to his disciples – encourage us to look forward to the Last Supper, when Jesus will give the gift of the Eucharist, the gift of his Body and his Blood, to the universal Church.
3. Worthily Receiving the Eucharist: In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul invites us to examine our consciences before receiving the Eucharist. (1 Corinthians 11:28). If we find ourselves in serious sin, we need to first receive forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If we are free of serious sin, we should know that the Eucharist will cleanse us of our venial sins and strengthen us to overcome sin in the future. The Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect, but is a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 47).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, purify my heart today so that it welcomes you and your love. Thank you for the gift of the Eucharist, the memorial of your Passion and Resurrection. May I be united to you and share in your Body and Blood.
Resolution: When I examine my heart and conscience before receiving the Eucharist, what do I find? What sins have broken my relationship with God and with others? What good and meritorious actions have I done recently? What do I most desire in life?
1. Jesus Sees our Humanity: This must have happened often in the three years of Jesus’ public ministry—that he spent such a long time preaching and teaching a crowd that they had eaten all the snacks they brought for the road trip. Hunger turned to hanger—for the apostles, too, perhaps. And Jesus was not insensitive to this. Perhaps in this time of prayer, we want to linger with this truth: there is no aspect of our humanity to which Jesus is insensitive. Everything about our lives matters to him because it matters to us. Pondering with the Holy Spirit, is there any particular aspect of our life, even so human and mundane as hunger, which the Lord invites us to present to him? Let us be confident that he will receive it in love, and act as he sees best.
The Gospels often use that strong anatomical verb on Jesus. His bowels "stirred with compassion." Time and again Jesus was touched (stirred with compassion) - touched with pity, with compassion, for all kinds of human suffering - for a crowd of thousands that had stayed with him three days and had nothing to eat: "I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way."(Mark 8:2-3) His bowels "stirred with compassion" for all kinds of sick people who had followed him to a lonely place; for a widow whose only son died before her eyes.
The father of an epileptic appealed to the "bowels of [his] compassion" to help his foaming, convulsing son. And in today's Gospel, Jesus' bowels "stirred with compassion" for a leper in the dust crying, "If you will, you can make me clean." But that is only half of the picture. When touched, what did Jesus do? When touched, he touches. When the bowels of his compassion are stirred, he reaches out, he touches the hand of a dead 12-year old girl (Mark 5:41), the hand of Peter's mother-in-law suffering from fever (Mark 1:31), the epileptic boy (Mark 9:27), the eyes of two blind men outside Jericho (Matt. 20:34), the ears and tongue of a deaf man with speech impediment (Mark 7:33), the right ear of the high priest's slave cut off by Peter, the poor swordsman (Luke 22:51). All these he touched. When Peter was sinking in the sea,
Jesus "reached out his hand and caught him." (Matt. 14:28-31) He not only bless the children, he "took them in his arms." At the Last Supper he lovingly washed the feet of his disciples (John 13:4-5). One of the things that stand out in the Gospels is that Jesus was a man of compassion. He certainly could feel with, identify himself
with the suffering people. In today's Gospel a leper is somebody everybody will avoid - even today.
It is here that we see the compassion of Jesus. His bowel stirred with compassion. He not only healed the leper, but he reached out and touched him - a gesture of love and caring, even if this touching would render Jesus him legally "unclean" for temple worship. Have you ever felt the touch of Jesus upon you? Try to take a moment to feel the healing touch of Jesus on your head or on your shoulder. Feel him embracing you in his love. Hear his words, "Your sins are forgiven. Be made clean." "Open your eyes, your ears, and your tongue. Stand and walk." Touch has many faces. There is the touch of the terrorist: cold, cruel, and destructive. There is the touch of the rapist and serial killer: secret, lustful, and pathological. There is the touch of the swindler: smooth, cunning, and deceptive. And there is the touch of someone who cares: at once strong and gentle, the kind of touch that brings healing and peace - the touch of Christ. To be effective, touch does not have to be physical. Skin touches skin is powerful beyond compare if... if it is a symbol, if it says something like, "I care" or "I'm sorry" or "I love you." But whether you make skin contact or not is not always important; what is important always is that you are reaching out. It is hearts that have to touch, even when hands do not.
Give yourself! Follow Christ in his compassion. Walk the same old Jericho Road, but now with eyes open, heart outstretched. Time and again you'll come upon someone - friend, enemy, stranger - someone who calls to you weakly - for a little of your life, a touch of your heart. If you hear that silent cry, try not to pass by on the other side. That silent cry ... it just might be Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment