Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai Tuần thánh

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Hai Tuần thánh (John 12:1-11 )
Tin Mừng hôm nay ghi rõ rằng là cả căn nhà toả đầy mùi thơm của chai dầu thơm mà bà Maria mở ra, rưới lên Chân Chúa Giêsu mà rửa chân cho Chúa.. Bà Maria đã làm một điều đánh kính là tỏ lộ lòng yêu thương ngọt ngào, quý giá hơn cả chai dầu thơm mắc tiên mà bà ta dành cho Chúa, tình yêu này không chỉ ở ý nghĩa thể chất bên ngoài, nhưng cũng bao gồm cả ý thức tâm linh. Hành động đáng yêu của bà cho thấy sự lãng phí không tiếc tiền của bà đã dành riêng cho Chúa Giêsu, đó một tình yêu mà chúng ta không thể nào bắt chước được. Chúa Giêsu cho chúng ta thấy tình yêu mà Thiên Chúa cho chúng ta còn lãng phí gấp ngàn lần... Tình yêu của Chúa dành cho chúng ta không thể nào có thể so sánh được, Đó chính là giá Máu Chúa Giêsu Kitô đã đỗ ra cho chúng ta vì lợi ích của chúng ta mà Chúa đã xức dầu thơm cho chúng ta bằng chính Chúa Thánh Thần của Người. Thánh Phaolô đã nói “không có gì có thể tách được chúng ta ra khỏi tình yêu của Thiên Chúa trong Chúa Giêsu Kitô (Rô-ma 08:39)”.  Trong khi đón chờ Ngày Chúa Phục sinh, chúng ta nên tự hỏi: Chúng ta có cho phép tình yêu của Chúa Kitô đến trong tâm hồn của chúng ta để cai trị tất cả những suy nghĩ và ý định của chúng ta, và trong tất cả những lời nói và hành động của chúng ta?
 
 Reflection Gospel John 12:1-11 Monday of Holy Week
The gospel records that the whole house was filled with the perfume of the ointment. What Mary had done brought sweetness not only in the physical sense, but the spiritual sense as well. Her lovely deed shows the extravagance of love – a love that we cannot outmatch. The Lord Jesus showed us the extravagance of his love in giving the best he had by pouring out his own blood for our sake and by anointing us with his Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul says that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39). Do you allow the love of Christ to rule in all your thoughts and intentions, and in all your words and deeds?
 
Monday of Holy Week
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples, and the one who would betray him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” John 12:4–5
Jesus was with His disciples at the home of Lazarus, Martha and Mary. He regularly spent time at their home and was close to them. This meal took place just before Jesus entered into Jerusalem for the first Palm Sunday and Holy Week. It was six days before Jesus would die on the cross.
Recall that Lazarus had recently been raised from the dead by Jesus and also that Mary, Lazarus’ sister, was deeply devoted to Jesus and is recorded as the one who sat at His feet, while her sister Martha served. During this visit, Mary offered another act of devotion to Jesus when she anointed Him with “a liter of costly perfumed oil.” She offered Him an act of love and devotion. The Scripture passage above records Judas’ response as he also was at the meal. Jesus rebukes Judas and defends the act of devotion given by Mary, and the meal continues on. 
One clear lesson this teaches us is that nothing is too good for our Lord. It’s true that we must do our part to help care for the poor, but Jesus’ response to Judas is quite interesting. He says, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.” Jesus was not downplaying the importance of caring for the poor; He was emphasizing the importance of offering acts of love and devotion to Him.
As we enter into this the holiest week of the year, we are given this image of Mary lavishing upon Jesus this liter of costly perfumed oil as a way of inviting us to do the same. Though we serve Christ in others who are in need, we must also seek to regularly offer Him devotion and love directly, even in ways that others may think is excessive. Honoring Him, expressing our love, spending time with various devotions, praying for extended periods of time, and even offering Him our financial resources are all ways in which we give Jesus the glory that is due Him.
Reflect, today, upon ways in which you can imitate this act of loving devotion offered by Mary to Jesus. In what ways can you pour forth in an abundant way your time, money, talents, and energy upon our Lord? How can you best express your devotion to Him this Holy Week? Seek out ways to do this directly for the one and simple reason that you love our Lord and want to express that love this week.
My glorious Jesus, You are worthy of all praise and honor. You are worthy of our deepest devotion and love. As I enter into this Holy Week, I pray that it will be a time in which I may express my deepest love for You. Help me to pour forth that love in abundance this week so as to show You the glory and praise You deserve. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Monday of Holy Week 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have called me and chosen me out of love. I did nothing to deserve this vocation and election. Strengthen me to respond generously to your call, to resist the temptations of this world, and to be your humble servant.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Four Servant Songs During Holy Week: During Holy Week, we read the four Servant Songs of Isaiah. The first song, which we read today, introduces us to the Servant of the Lord, who is chosen and called by the Lord God to establish justice upon the earth. The second song, which we will read tomorrow, tells of the Servant being chosen from the womb to restore not just the twelve tribes of Israel but to bring God’s salvation to all nations. The third details how this restoration will come about through the Servant's suffering. The fourth, proclaimed on Good Friday, reveals how the Servant’s affliction and suffering, offered for sin, leads to life and the justification of many.
2. The Servant Pleases God: Today’s song first reveals that the Servant, who is chosen by God and does what is pleasing to God, will be anointed by the Spirit. This anointing of the Servant occurred on the day of Jesus’ Baptism when John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend in the form of a dove and rest on Jesus. The voice of the Father is heard: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). In the Gospel today, Jesus is anointed by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus. The anointing of the Spirit prepared Jesus both for his public ministry of teaching, healing the blind and the lame, casting out demons, working miracles, and for his passion; the anointing of Mary is an immediate preparation for Jesus' passion and death as the Suffering Servant. Jesus tells her to keep the rest of the oil for the day of his burial.
3. The Servant’s Mission: The first reading continues and, in it, God declares that his Servant will succeed in his mission to establish justice on the earth. He will not falter or be discouraged, for the Lord is his light and salvation, for the Lord sustains him. Jesus invites us to pray without ceasing for the establishment of justice: “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The prayer for the kingdom is a prayer that God reign over all nations. In his mission, Jesus will not seek notoriety for his accomplishments: he will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. Nor will Jesus promote violence toward the oppressed: a bruised reed he will not break. The Servant will bless and forgive, not destroy and condemn. God, Isaiah proclaims, is the Creator of heaven and earth. God is the creator of all men and all living beings. He is the one who is able to empower his Servant for his mission of restoring justice to the world, an original justice that was lost through the sin of Adam. The restoration of justice entails a new doctrine, a teaching that will reach to the coastland, to the ends of the earth. The Suffering Servant will be a light for all nations, open the eyes of the blind, and free those who live in darkness. But, above all, the Servant will himself be set as a covenant for the people. This Servant is Jesus, who, as our merciful and faithful high priest, will establish the new and everlasting covenant and promulgate the new law of charity.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, teach me everything I need to be a servant like you. You humbled yourself through your Incarnation, birth, and hidden life. Your public ministry was one of humble service. Your death on the Cross was the supreme example of humble obedience. Even now, reigning in heaven, you are the Servant King, who intercedes for his people.
Living the Word of God: When we make an act of faith, it is also an act of humility. In it, we recognize who we are before God, how everything we are depends on him, how he has saved us, and how he sanctifies us as we journey toward him. How can I incorporate this humility into my daily prayer?