Tin Mừng hôm nay, cho chúng ta thấy chính Chúa Giêsu cũng đã đang phải gặp những vấn đề khó khăn tương tự tiên tri Jeremiah trong bài đọc thứ Nhất, Vì Chúa Giêsu cũng bị người Do Thái thời bấy giờ chống đối và tìm cách hãm hại khi Ngài hành thi hành sứ vụ rao giảng Cứu Rỗi mà Chúa Cha đã trao giao phó cho Ngài.
Đây là vấn để dễ làm cho chúng ta thất vọng, dễ gây ra cho chúng ta sự nản lòng và mất niềm tin.
Như vậy, có lẽ Chúa Giêsu đã có sự cảm nhận như thế trong ngày hôm nay về thái độ của chúng ta, vì thế Ngài đã thách thức mọi người chúng ta hãy nhìn vào những gì mà Ngài đã làm, những gì mà chỉ có Thiên Chúa mới có thể làm được; để rồi chúng ta sẽ đưa ra quyết định riêng cho mỗi người chúng ta. Chúng ta hãy xem xét, kiểm tra cuộc sống của chúng ta và hành vi mà chúng ta đã đối xử với người khác: Chúng ta hãy tự hỏi chính mình là: chúng ta có mang ấn dấu của Chúa Giêsu nơi chúng ta và và mang trong lòng chúng ta cái sức mạnh của lòng nhân từ và đầy thương xót của Ngài?
Hình ảnh và sự hiện diện của Chúa Giêsu trong mỗi người chúng ta như thế nào với những ân sủng Ngài mang đến cho mỗi người chúng ta? Những gì khác biệt Ngài đã thực hiện trong cuộc sống của chúng ta và những người chung quanh?.Chúng ta không thể “phát hiện ra” hay phân tích được Chúa Giêsu, Nhưng chúng ta chỉ có thể chấp nhận và cảm nghiệm được Ngài mà thôi.
Lạy Chúa, Xin ban cho chúng con có lòng tin vững chãi vào Chúa và được sống trong tình yêu vô biên của Ngài. .
Jeremiah was not a happy or joyful prophet. He was reluctant from the start, and as his ministry unfolded, we can see why. He was constantly opposed — and more than that, those in power actually tried to have him killed. There was not much cause for rejoicing, and he even tried to quit a couple of times, but the Spirit of God in him would not leave him in peace. In his lament about the plot against his life, he reaffirmed his trust in God. Alone he could not accomplish his mission, but with God all things were possible. We should remember this when we feel discouraged, especially when we are doing God’s work. It’s not about us; it’s all about God.
Jesus met the same sort of resistance in his ministry. It must have been discouraging and disheartening to face such unbelief and hardheartedness — and he would probably feel the same way today about the attitudes of many Christians. He challenged people to look at his record — the things that he was doing, which only God could do — and then make their decision. We can examine our own lives and those of others: do they bear the marks of Jesus and his compassionate power?
What sort of presence has Jesus graced us with? What difference has He made? Jesus cannot be ‘figured out’ or analyzed; He can only be accepted and experienced. Lord, deepen my trust in You.
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.” John 7:46–49
Hopefully the Pharisees mentioned above went through a deep interior conversion before they died. If they did not, then their day of particular judgment would have been shocking and frightening to them. The greatest act of love ever known was God becoming one of us, being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, growing up in the household of Saint Joseph, and eventually beginning His public ministry by which the saving truth of the Gospel was proclaimed so that all may come to know God and be saved. And it was of this act of perfect love given to us by God that the Pharisees attacked and called those who believed in it “deceived” and “accursed.”
Though the Pharisees do not offer us much by way of inspiration, they do provide us with many lessons. In the passage above, the Pharisees model for us one of the most common tactics of the evil one. In his spiritual classic, The Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola explains that when a person is moving from a life of sin to a life of holiness, the evil one will attack in various ways. He will try to unsettle you and cause an undue anxiety about serving God, he will try to sadden you with an unexplained sorrow, put obstacles in your way of virtue causing you to feel overwhelmed and think you are too weak to live a good Christian life of virtue, and he will tempt you to lose your peace of heart by doubting God’s love or His action in your life. It seems clear that this attack by the Pharisees also has these goals.
Again, though this may not appear “inspiring,” it is very useful to understand. The Pharisees were vicious in their attacks, not only to Jesus but also upon anyone who began to believe in Jesus. They said to the guards who were impressed by Jesus, “Have you also been deceived?” This was clearly the evil one at work through them trying to intimidate the guards and anyone who dared believe in Jesus.
But understanding the tactics of the evil one and his messengers is of great value, because it helps us reject the lies and deceptions spewed out at us. Sometimes these lies come from individuals and are directed directly at us, and sometimes the lies are more universal, coming through the media, the culture and even the government, at times.
Reflect, today, upon the distasteful and bitter words of these Pharisees. But do so to help yourself understand the tactics the evil one often takes as you seek greater holiness in life. Be assured that the closer you get to God, the more you will be attacked. But do not be afraid. Identify any personal, social, cultural or even governmental attack for what it is. Have confidence and do not be deterred as you seek to follow Christ more completely every day.
My divine Judge of all, at the end of time You will establish Your permanent Kingdom of truth and justice. You will reign over all and will bestow Your mercy and justice on all. May I live fully in Your truth and never be deterred by the attacks and lies of the evil one. Give me courage and strength, dear Lord, as I always trust in You. Jesus, I do trust in You
1. Who is Jesus? On the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Jesus proclaims to the crowds that he will give living water to those who believe in him. The promise of water recalls the figure of Moses, who struck the rock and provided water for the people of Israel in the desert. The new Moses-like figure of Jesus makes the crowd wonder: “Who is Jesus? Is he the prophet? Is he the Christ?” All four Gospels ask and seek to answer the question: “Who is Jesus?” Matthew takes up the question in Chapter 16 when Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they reply, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (16:13-14). Jesus inquires further: “And who do you say that I am?” Peter responds that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. In Mark, Peter answers simply: “You are the Christ” (8:29). In Luke, Peter says that Jesus is “the Christ of God” (9:20). Peter also confesses in the Gospel of John that Jesus is “the Holy One of God” (6:69). The identification of Jesus with the Christ posed an insurmountable problem for the crowds: How can Jesus be the Christ if he is from Galilee? The Christ, they knew from the prophets, would descend from David and be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). What the crowds did not know was that, as Matthew and Luke relate, Jesus was in fact born in Bethlehem, the City of David (Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4), and that Joseph – the spouse of Mary and the mother of Jesus – was a descendant of David and belonged to the royal house of David (Matthew 1:16, 20). The chief priests and the Pharisees were also ignorant of Jesus’ heavenly and earthly origins. They responded in anger to Nicodemus who suggested that they give Jesus a hearing and learn more about his person, his message, and the purpose of his actions.
2. Is Jesus the Prophet? The crowds, the chief priests, and the Pharisees all mention “the prophet.” This refers to the prophecy about the return of Elijah before the coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5-6), and the appearance of a prophet-like-Moses, promised in Deuteronomy 18:15 and 18. Earlier in John’s Gospel, John the Baptist denied that he was the Christ, that he was Elijah, and that he was the prophet (John 1:20-21). John understood himself as the voice in the desert (Isaiah 40:3), who prepares the way of the Lord. Jesus, however, will identify John the Baptist as the fulfillment of Micha’s prophecy about the return of Elijah: “If you are willing to accept it, [John] is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:14). In Acts 3:22, Peter will identify Jesus as the Prophet-like-Moses. Jesus, then, is both the Christ (Messiah) and the Prophet-like-Moses. The Pharisees are wrong to say that no prophet arose in Galilee. The prophet Jonah was from Galilee (2 Kings 14:25) and the prophet Hosea also was likely from Galilee. They might have meant, though, that “the prophet” does not rise from Galilee. Whether they meant “a prophet” or “the prophet,” the chief priests and the Pharisees are blind because they refuse to see and believe in Jesus. Nicodemus, however, is not blind. He appears three times in John’s Gospel. He first comes to Jesus by night and professes that Jesus is a teacher come from God. That night, Jesus taught Nicodemus three things: first, that entry into the kingdom of God is accomplished through being born anew; second, that this re-birth is not physical but rather spiritual and accomplished through the Spirit; third, that Jesus, the Son of man, must be lifted up in order to send the Spirit. In his second appearance, Nicodemus attempts to convince the Pharisees to listen to Jesus and give him a hearing. Finally, Nicodemus appears at Jesus’ burial and brings a mixture of myrrh and aloes. Nicodemus is a man of faith, who desires to learn from Jesus the Rabbi, to defend Jesus the Christ, and to honor Jesus the King.
3. The Plot against Jesus: The first reading from Jeremiah reflects the attitude of the Pharisees who wanted to arrest and kill Jesus: they wanted to “destroy the tree with its fruit” and “cut him off from the land of the living.” They wanted Jesus’ name to be remembered no more. The death of Jesus, the gentle Lamb led to the slaughter, will produce the opposite effects: the Cross becomes the tree of life with supernatural fruit; Jesus destroys death by dying and wins eternal life for us; because of his obedience unto death, God highly exalts Jesus and bestows on him the name which is above every name (Philippians 2:8-9). There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name by which we may be saved (Acts 4:12).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the Anointed One who reigns at the right hand of the Father. You bring the gift of eternal life and the joy of salvation to the world. Grant me this gift today and the joy that springs from love.
Opening Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time you have given me to ponder your words of truth. Allow them to sink into the depths of my soul so that I can be forever faithful to you.
Truth Can Surprise: What were the words of Christ that caused so much consternation? "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. As the Scripture says: 'He who believes in me—rivers of living water shall flow from his belly.'" Christ preached the truth and people reacted to him with awe, indifference, or hatred. Perhaps most surprising was the reaction of the guards, who were so amazed that they did not obey the Jewish leaders’ order to bring Jesus to them. “Never before has anyone spoken like this man,” they told their superiors. We don’t know if this was not a life-changing moment for the guards, but they had certainly taken the first step toward conversion: They listened with open hearts to the words of Christ and their hearts were moved.
Trong bào đọc thứ Nhất hôm nay, chúng ta nhận thấy Tiên tri Jeremiah không phải là một tiên tri có được cuốc sống hạnh phúc, vui vẻ và thích thú với sứ vụ của mình. Ngay từ lúv đầu, ông đã miễn cưỡng cuộc sống và sứ mệnh Tiên Tri mà Chúa đã gọi ông. Bởi vì ông đã liên tục bị chống đối, và hơn thế nữa, những người cầm quyền những người có thế lưc Do Thái thời bấy giờ đã cố gắng tìm cách để ám hại và giết ông ta Vì thế cuộc đời Tiên Tri của ông chẳng có gì để đáng thích thú và vui mừng, và thậm chí một vài lần ông đã, chán chường, bất mẵn và muốn tránh né cái sứ vụ thiêng liêng này , nhưng Thánh Thần của Thiên Chúa ở nơi ông ấy đã thục dẩy ông không thể bỏ cuộc được. Trong những than vãn đau khổ về những âm mưu của dân Israel nổi dậy để chống đối ông và đe doạ về sự sống của ông ta, ông đã tái khẳng định niềm tin của ông vào Thiên Chúa. Nếu như ,một mình ông, với sức con người chắc chắn ông ta sẽ không thể hoàn thành những nhiệm vụ mà Thiên Chúa đã giao phó cho ông ta, nhưng có Thiên Chúa, mọi sự đều hoàn tất hoàn chỉnh. Không có gì mà Thiên Chúa không làm được. Chúng ta nên nhớ điều này khi chúng ta cảm thấy chán chường và thất vọng, đặc biệt là những khi chúng ta đang làm công việc của Thiên Chúa. Vì đó không phải vấn đề riêng của chúng ta; Nhưng tất cả các vấn đề đó là vấn đề chung của Thiên Chúa.
Hình Ảnh và sự hiện diện của Chúa Giêsu trong mỗi người chúng ta như thế nào với những ân sủng Ngài mang đến cho mỗi người chúng ta? Những gì khác biệt Ngài đã thực hiện trong cuộc sống của chúng ta và những người chung quanh?.Chúng ta không thể “phát hiện ra” hay phân tích được Chúa Giêsu, Nhưng chúng ta chỉ có thể chấp nhận và cảm nghiệm được Ngài mà thôi.
Lạy Chúa, Xin ban cho chúng con có lòng tin vững chãi vào Chúa và được sống trong tình yêu vô biên của Ngài. .
Sat 5th April 2014 4th Sunday of Lent
Jesus met the same sort of resistance in his ministry. It must have been discouraging and disheartening to face such unbelief and hardheartedness — and he would probably feel the same way today about the attitudes of many Christians. He challenged people to look at his record — the things that he was doing, which only God could do — and then make their decision. We can examine our own lives and those of others: do they bear the marks of Jesus and his compassionate power?
What sort of presence has Jesus graced us with? What difference has He made? Jesus cannot be ‘figured out’ or analyzed; He can only be accepted and experienced. Lord, deepen my trust in You.
"Doesn't Scripture say that the Christ is a descendant of David and from Bethlehem, the city of David?" John 7:42
The Scripture speaks of signs...what to expect. Most often we take them literally. We live by labels and the dictates of society. Sadly we fail to see that life is a mystery. Things happen which we could not understand. When it does we fall back on understanding literally what was written. Have we ever thought that God is God? He does not need to explain Himself to us. "I Am Who Am." The great "I Am" works in ways so much different from ours. We may not see it but He is true to His word. We cannot put God in a box. Neither can we do the same with life. Our faith has to transcend signs. We simply must believe that our Father is taking good care of us every microsecond of the day.
During his time, Jesus encountered many people who changed their ways because of his teachings and examples. Silenced and dumbfounded by his great wisdom, many accepted his great authority as divine.
Challenged by Jesus, those who accepted and recognized him as "the One" promised to establish the Kingdom of God, in whatsoever way they understood it. They were gradually molded and came to understand his love more deeply. However, pride blocked this offer of peace and love. It betrayed the truth and schemed to work against what was good and true. That was why the prophets who spoke the truth about the Messiah were killed. That was why Jesus was betrayed. It also happened to his apostles, who had witnessed the Gospel of Jesus.
Today as in the past, the "Culture of Death," as Pope John Paul II called it, opposes all that the "Culture of Life" offers. Many will be deceived. That is why the followers of Christ must be unrelenting and vigilant in proclaiming what the Lenten season celebrates – the Love of God and His desire that we "turn from sin and believe in the Gospel."
The Gospel today has Jesus also caught up in controversy. The people in the crowd are divided, some thinking him to be the prophet or even the Messiah, others denying he is either, some even in favor of his arrest. Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who secretly became a disciple of Jesus, openly defends him, asserting that the law allows no one to be condemned without the facts having been established and without the accused being given a hearing. Nicodemus's colleagues, dismiss his legal advice with smothering ridicule.
Jesus and Jeremiah are alike in several ways. Each is a prophet sent by God. Each preaches the truth as God wants it preached. Each enjoys a close relationship with God. Each turns to God in prayer when difficulties and problems arise. But it is here that Jesus and Jeremiah differ completely from each other - in their prayer.
In the first reading, Jeremiah prays that God will take revenge on his enemies and that he be allowed to look on when God's vengeance consumes his enemies. Jesus will pray-and in this he is being true to his teaching-Jesus will pray for those who are crucifying him. This is the great difference between the two testaments. Jesus here brings Jewish Law to fulfillment. The desire for vengeance against an enemy is to be replaced by love for the enemy. The law of love is to dominate Christian thinking and behavior.
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