Suy Niệm Thứ Bẩy Tuần Thánh trong Ngày

Suy Niệm Thứ Bẩy Tuần Thánh trong Ngày

Hôm nay sự im lặng đã bao trùm vũ trụ và ngự trị trong tất cả các loài sáng tạo: Chúa Giêsu đã chết và đang nằm trong mồ. Hôm nay là ngày mà cả Giáo Hội Công Giáo không có nơi nào được cử hành Thánh lễ: bởi Thiên Chúa, Đấng Tạo Hóa, thực sự đã chết trong cái bản chất tạo vật của Ngài.  Mầu nhiệm của những sự huyền bí, mà chúng ta phải cúi mình thờ lạy và khuất phục.
Tại Bêlem, Thiên Chúa được cuốn trong chiếc tã mỏng manh, trong đêm đông giá lạnh, Ngài nằm co ro với tấm thân trần trong máng cỏ thấp hèn. Trong Vườn Cây Dầu, Chúa Giêsu đã bị căng thẳng với quá nhiều lo âu và buồn bã đến đỗi mồ hôi và máu đã tuôn ra; Tại thành Jerusalem, Thiên Chúa đã bị xét xử như một tên trộm cướp, bị đánh đòn, bị đội mão gai; và trên thập giá Chúa Giêsu đã chết, chết vì yêu thương loài người chúng ta đã hư mất. Còn Chúa Giêsu, khi giờ đã đến, Ngài đã sẵn sàng hy sinh và chịu mất mạng sống mình vì chúng ta. Không có bất cứ một tôn giáo nào khác mà có thể nghĩ đến một thực tế như vậy. Không có một “thần linh hay chúa nào khác “có thể đã điên cuồng trong tình yêu như Chúa Giêsu Kitô.
Thánh Maria, Mẹ của đau khổ: Xin hãy tha thứ cho chúng con. Mẹ đã săn sóc, lo lắng cho Chúa Giêsu trong hơn ba mươi năm. Nhưng khi Ngài đã rơi vào tay của những kẻ thù, Ngài hầu như đã không còn được sống nổi trong hơn mười hai giờ đồng hồ. Và bây giờ một cách huyền bí, chúng ta có được Ngài, Ngài đã chịu đau khổ, đã chịu chết và Ngài đã sống lại từ cõi chết, Ngài hiện diện trong Thánh Thể. Cuộc sống hiện tại của chúng ta là phải dành riêng cho việc chăm sóc Ngài. Chúng ta hãy chuẩn bị cho việc ghi nhớ sự đơn độc của Đức Maria để sống trong ánh sáng của Phục Sinh và để chào mừng và tuyên xưng đức tin của chúng ta khi một ngày đáng buồn này đã qua đi; khi chúng ta sống với người mẹ mới, đó là Hội Thánh Công Giáo: Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã sống lại, cũng giống như Ngài đã nói! (x Mt 28: 6).
 
March 31, 2018 – Saturday of HOLY WEEK
Holy Saturday - The death of Christ
Today silence reigns in all of creation: Jesus is dead in the tomb. There are no Celebrations in Catholic Churches: God, the Creator, really has died of his creatures. Mystery of mysteries! Before which we should prostrate ourselves in adoration and submission.
In Bethlehem, God is swaddling clothes, in The garden of Olives, God stressed, so much so as to sweat blood; in Jerusalem, God judged, scourged and crowned with thorns; and on the cross God died. To love one most loose oneself: God, the hour arrives, willingly, lost his life for us. Never has any other religion thought such a fact. There are no other "Gods" so madly in love as Jesus Christ.
Holy Mary, mother of suffering: Forgive us. You looked after Jesus for more than thirty years. But when he falls into means hands, He barely survived for more than twelve hours. Now miraculously, we have him, He suffered, died and has risen from the dead— in the Eucharist. My life will be dedicated to looking after him!
 
Saturday of Holy Week with Virgin Mary 2024
The Savior of the World died a cruel death upon the Cross. His broken body was laid in the tomb. His disciples scattered and were fearful that they would be next. But our Blessed Mother kept vigil in the perfect hope that her Son would soon rise.
Traditionally, Saturdays within the Church year are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This ancient tradition developed in part due to the belief that, as others were filled with fear and confusion, Mother Mary kept vigil on Holy Saturday in prayerful anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection. She knew her Son would rise. She had hope beyond hope. Her faith was certain. Her love kept her vigilant as she awaited the return of her Son.
For many centuries, it has been suggested that the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His Resurrection was His own mother. Pope Saint John Paul II believed this. Saint Ignatius of Loyola believed it. And many others throughout the centuries shared this belief.
For these reasons, Holy Saturday is an ideal day to ponder the pondering heart of our Blessed Mother. There are several times in Sacred Scripture where we are told that Mother Mary pondered the mysteries of her Son’s life in her heart. She was one of the few who stood by Him in His agony and death. She stood before the Cross and prayerfully pondered His perfect sacrifice. The Blessed Mother held His dead body in her arms and pondered where His spirit had gone. And today she keeps vigil, pondering His imminent return to her.
Ponder her pondering heart. Try to unite your own heart with hers. Try to understand what she was thinking and hoping. Try to feel what she felt this sorrowful day. Try to experience her faith, her trust and her joyful expectation.
So many people in this world walk in despair and confusion. So many have lost hope in the new life that awaits them. So many have their own form of interior death without allowing God to draw them into His Resurrection. So many people today need the hope that was so alive in the heart of our Blessed Mother that first Holy Saturday.
Ponder the reality of Holy Saturday in silence this day and allow the glorious heart of our Blessed Mother to inspire you and draw you more deeply into her life of faith, hope and love.
Dearest Mother Mary, on that first Holy Saturday, you kept vigil for your Son. You allowed the divine gift of hope to grow within you, and you allowed that hope to be your strength in the midst of the horror of the Cross. Pray for me that I may ponder your beautiful heart this day so that I, too, may be filled with hope as I endure the challenges of this earthly life. Give me a heart of joyful anticipation as I await the grace of new life our Lord so deeply desires to bestow upon me. Mother Mary, pray for me.  Jesus, I do trust in You.
 
Encountering the Word of God
1. Water in Genesis and Exodus: Genesis opens with God’s creation of the heavens and the earth, with God’s Spirit hovering over the waters. The earth was without form and was empty. The first three days of creation give it form or structure, by separating the sky into light and dark, separating the water from the sky, and separating the earth from the water. The next three days fill the realms created during the first three days. The sun, moon, and stars fill the realms of light and darkness. The fish and birds fill the realms of the sky and water. The animals and human beings fill the realm of the earth. The realm of the earth, where human beings can come to know God and worship God and live in communion with him emerges, on the third day from the water and anticipates the reemergence of the earth at the end of the flood during the time of Noah. In the words of Peter, Noah’s family was saved through the water and this prefigures the sacrament of baptism, which saves us now (1 Peter 3:20-21). In the Third Reading, the crossing through the waters of the sea was the path of salvation for the people of Israel and also swallowed up the evil Egyptians who sought to kill God’s people. The song in Exodus praises God for destroying Pharaoh’s army, saving his people, and bringing his redeemed people to God’s Holy Mountain. It is the song taken up in the Book of Revelation (15:3-4) by the saints who celebrate the new Exodus from the sin and slavery of the world. 
2. Water in the Prophets: The Fourth Reading mentions the days of Noah and God’s promise to never again destroy the earth through a flood. It refers to a time of judgment but also to a new beginning for God’s people. The Fifth Reading invites us, who are thirsty, to come to the water and compares God’s word to rain and snow that bring life. Jesus is the Word, who, like the rain that descends from the heavens, brings new life. Through our Baptism, which establishes our initial participation in Christ’s Paschal Mystery, we truly draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation! The Sixth Reading, from Baruch, mentions the fountain of wisdom and how the people of Israel have forsaken it and found themselves in exile in Babylon. Jesus is the very divine Fountain of Wisdom who has appeared on earth, assumed our human nature, and dwelled among God’s people. We are invited to find in Jesus the words of everlasting life. The Seventh Reading, from Ezekiel, contains the promise that God will sprinkle clean water upon the people and, through this action, cleanse their sins and give them a new heart and spirit. This is fulfilled in the Sacrament of Baptism which purifies us from the stain of sin and introduces us into the life of God. Like the deer that longs for running streams, my soul longs for you, my God! 
3. Baptized into Christ Jesus: Paul teaches that Baptism unites the believer with Christ and incorporates the Christian into the Body of Christ, the Church. Being plunged into the waters of baptism symbolizes sharing in Christ’s death and burial. Rising from the waters symbolizes sharing in Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Baptism is not merely a symbol. It effectively communicates what it symbolizes. Each day, we need to leave behind our old selves and the slavery of sin, put on the newness of Christ, and live the freedom of the children of God. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, on this Holy Night, I will see and recall the great mystery of Baptism, which is a share in your death and resurrection. I have died with you and am raised to new life. Help me to live this new life to the full and experience its joy. Alleluia! 
Living the Word of God: Looking at my life, am I still attached to my old self and the slavery of sin? What in my life still needs to be crucified with Christ? How can I truly be dead to sin and alive in Christ Jesus?