Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai sau Tuần 7 Phục Sinh

 Monday 7^th of Easter Scripture: John 16:29-33

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Hai sau Tuần 7 Phục Sinh- John 16:29-33
Trong mùa Phục Sinh này, chỉ có một chân lý rõ ràng và bền vững nhất đó là việc Chúa Kitô đã chinh phục thế giới, mặc cho tất cả các những vấn đề của thế giới, và sự hoảng loạn của con người. Chúng ta lo ngại khi chúng ta cảm thấy triệu chứng lão hóa, già nua, hoặc khi chúng ta ngã bệnh, vì những hạn chế sức khoẻ của chúng ta. Trong tất cả các "thánh giá" của cuộc sống nơi chúng ta, Chúa Kitô đã đến khuyến khích với chúng ta là: "Hãy can đảm!" Chúa Kitô biết rõ những khó khăn, gian khổ của chúng ta, nhưng Ngài mời gọi chúng ta phải dũng cảm để chiến đấu với những cám dỗ hàng ngày trong cuộc sống. Chúa Kitô hiện diện nơi chúng ta, Ngài không bao giờ bỏ rơi chúng ta. Thời điểm của Chúa thật hoàn hảo. Sẽ có những lúc khi chúng ta đã sẵn sàng, và những khó khăn, gian khổ chắc chắn sẽ đến, đến không phải để tiêu diệt chúng ta, nhưng đến để thanh tẩy chúng ta và cho chúng ta thấy vinh quang của Thiên Chúa.
Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ ban cho chúng ta sự  an bình mà thế gian không thể cho. Và chúng ta sẽ được nếm qua cái hương vị của thiên đàng với Thiên Chúa và với lòng tin tưởng là Đức Kitô thực sự là Con Thiên Chúa. Khi chúng ta cảm thấy lo âu khắc nghiệt hoặc lo lắng do các vấn đề riêng tư, cá nhân của chúng ta, chúng ta hãy tự hỏi: Lạy Chúa, con chắc chắn Chúa đã đem đến cho con những khó khăn này với một lý do. Xin cho con có lòng can đảm, để con có thể yên tâm rằng có những nguyên nhân đằng sau tất cả những sự việc này. Nhưng, con tin chắc rằng Chúa đã thực sự chinh phục được thế giới và xin Chúa sẽ chinh phục những khó khăn đang đến với chúng con!
 
Comment:
Courage! I have overcome the world
Today, we may have the feeling that the world of faith in Christ is weakening. Many are symptoms against the fortitude and courage we would like to receive from a life integrally based on the Gospel. Consumerism, capitalism, sensualism and materialism values are very much in fashion and against any representation that may be in tune with the evangelical demands. Nevertheless, this combination of values and life ways do not provide either our own personal plenitude or our peace; in fact, it rather brings an intimate feeling of discomfort and uneasiness. Could not it be because of this circumstance that, today, we see lots of people in public sulking, lost in though and worrying about a rather obscure future, most probably because they have pledged it against the cost of a car, a flat or some holidays they simply cannot afford?  Jesus' words inspire confidence: «Courage! I have overcome the world» (Jn 16:33), that is, through his Passion, Death and Resurrection, He has attained the eternal life, life with nothing to stop it, a limitless life because it has overcome all limits and all difficulties.
We, soldiers of Christ, can overcome these difficulties too, as He did, in spite of the fact we may have to go throughout our life through many deaths and resurrections, never wanted but certainly assumed by the very Paschal Mystery of Christ. For “deaths” indeed are, losing a friend, parting with a beloved person, the failure of a project or the limitations our own human weakness impose upon us…
But «in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us» (Rm 8:37). Let us be witnesses to God's love, because He has, with us, «done great things» (Lk 1:49) and has given us his help to overcome all difficulties, even death, because Christ is sending us the Holy Spirit.
 
Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter
“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” John 16:33
What did Jesus tell His disciples that produced the “peace” of which He spoke? He is especially referring to His entire Last Supper Discourse from which we have been reading. The words spoken throughout this discourse are meant to give the disciples, and us, “courage” and the ability to conquer the trouble imposed upon us by the world.
Throughout Jesus’ discourse, He especially points to the unity He has with His Father and the fact that if we stay united with Jesus, we will also be united to the Father. He spoke of Himself being the vine and us the branches who must remain firmly attached to Jesus. He spoke of this being possible only by the coming power of the Holy Spirit Whom He will send. And He spoke of the hatred that the world has for all who remain firmly grounded in the Truth. Therefore, if you are one who seeks to remain deeply rooted in Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit and separated from the deceptions of the secular and un-Christian world, then Jesus is clearly speaking to you.
In this passage above, Jesus identifies one gift that will help us on this journey. This particular gift is the gift of His peace. Peace is the ability to remain calm and focused in the midst of any and every “trouble” we encounter. The trouble that Christians will especially face are the various persecutions of the world when we live in accord with the Truth. And though there are many moral truths presented clearly by our faith that the world attacks, there are also other forms of troubles we will encounter within the world today.
One of the most manifest troubles inflicted upon many by the world comes in the form of constant visual, auditory and mental stimulation. Our world is a noisy world. Modern electronics, the mass media, commercials, radio, Internet, social media and so many other parts of our daily life have the subtle effect of distracting us, stimulating us and stealing away the peace of Christ.
Consider, for example, the idea of entering into the silence of a retreat for a day, or two, or longer. How would you handle turning off your smartphone, tablet, computer, television and radio for an extended period of time? Would you go through a form of withdrawal? Many today would indeed find this difficult. And the reason for this is that the “peace” of which Jesus speaks is slowly dwindling in the lives of many. Instead of God’s peace, we are filled with constant noise, commotion and activity. This is the “world” attacking us and stealing the peace God wants to bestow.
Reflect, today, upon the exceptionally important truth—that Jesus wants you to know His peace in your heart. And He wants that peace to sustain you. Reflect upon the interior battle that may take place within you between the world and the peace of Christ. Who is winning that battle for your soul? Is there more of the world or more of the peace of Christ reigning within you? Seek out the peace that only Jesus gives, and, as you discover His peace, you will also discover the source of that peace: Jesus Himself.
Lord of all peace, You have called us out of the world so that Your peace will abide within us, sustaining us, giving us courage, wisdom and strength. I open my life to You, dear Lord, and pray that the many distractions and commotions imposed upon me by the world will begin to cease. May I always hear Your gentle voice and follow You to the place of silent repose found only in You. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
7th Monday of Easter 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, your Son has conquered the world and this fills me with hope, confidence, and courage. When I see evil in my life, move me to turn from sin and seek to be restored to your love.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Belief in Jesus’ Divinity: Through his word and mighty works, Jesus leads his disciples to believe in him. The disciples confess here that Jesus knows all things, that Jesus is omniscient. It is a confession of his divinity because knowledge of all things, i.e., omniscience, is proper to God alone. At the same time, the disciples’ faith in Jesus’ divinity will be tested. In just a few hours, in the Garden of Gethsemane, they will be overcome by fear, they will be scattered, and they will leave Jesus alone. The fear and lack of faith they experience that night is in stark contrast to the morning of Pentecost when they are empowered and emboldened by the Spirit to preach the good news to all nations. Today’s Entrance Antiphon captures this truth: “You will receive the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you will be my witnesses, even to the ends of the earth, alleluia.”
2. Witnesses to Jesus: A manifestation of the disciples’ mission to bear witness to Jesus to the ends of the earth is found in the First Reading. Paul is now on his Third Missionary Journey. He traveled through Galatia and visited the churches there for a third time. He makes his way to the coast, to Ephesus, where Apollos has been preaching about Jesus. Now, Apollos was an eloquent man, well versed in Scripture, but was familiar only with John’s baptism of repentance. Aquila and Priscilla, a married couple who became co-workers with Paul, instructed Apollos and expounded the Christian Way to him more accurately. After this, Apollos left Ephesus and headed to Corinth, to a Church founded by Paul on his Second Missionary Journey. There Apollos will help the believers and confute the Jews publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. When Paul arrives at Ephesus, he inquires whether or not the disciples have received the Holy Spirit. It turns out that they only received the baptism of John. John the Baptist was not the Messiah or the Prophet. He was the messenger who prepared the way for the Lord to come. He was the voice in the desert who prepared the way for the Word of God. John the Baptist was a prophet-like-Elijah who prepared the way for Jesus, theProphet-like-Moses. John was the bridegroom’s best man who rejoiced when the Bridegroom appeared before him; He was the child who leaped for joy in God’s presence. Everything John did was to prepare the people for the coming, the advent, of Jesus the Messiah. John’s baptism of repentance, then, was only a preparation for the Baptism that Jesus would bring through his death and resurrection. Jesus’ Baptism truly cleanses and sanctifies. Not only does Paul baptize the twelve men of Ephesus in the name of Jesus, but he also confirms them in the Spirit by laying his hands upon them. The twelve men receive the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in tongues and prophesy. It is like another Pentecost.
3. The Mystery of the Kingdom of God: Paul spent three months speaking in the synagogue about the Kingdom of God (Acts 19:8). This Kingdom was the one promised in the Old Testament and fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus began his preaching with the Kingdom of God and concluded his preaching after the resurrection with the Kingdom of God. Throughout his public ministry, Jesus announced that the Kingdom was near and was present among them. He invited sinners to the table of the kingdom and invited them to that conversion without which one cannot enter the Kingdom (CCC, 545). To gain the kingdom one must give everything; to enter the kingdom, one must become a disciple of Christ (CCC, 546). Jesus’ mighty works and signs manifest that the kingdom is present in him (CCC, 547). The culminating moment happened during the Passover, in the Paschal mystery, and in the days leading up to Pentecost. And so, we can say that the Kingdom was inaugurated at the Last Supper (CCC, 2816) and definitively established on the Cross (CCC, 550), in his Resurrection (CCC, 542), and at his Ascension (CCC, 664). Under the action of the Holy Spirit, and with the collaborators of the apostles, this Kingdom will develop in history until the end of time (John Paul II, November 22, 1989). At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness and the righteous will reign forever with Christ (CCC, 1042). This is the Kingdom we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10). It is a Kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness (Romans 14:17). It is a Kingdom filled with the Spirit, who bestows on those who accept God’s lordship, love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). The coming of the Reign of God is the work of the Holy Spirit who completes the Lord’s work on earth and brings us the fullness of grace (CCC, 2818). If we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit we will inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you proclaimed the mystery of the Kingdom in word and deed. You invite me to reign with you and be a member of your heavenly Kingdom. I pray that the Kingdom grow within me and transform my life.
Living the Word of God: How can Christ reign more fully in me and in my life? Is my life filled with the fruits of the Spirit? With love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Why or why not?
 
7th Monday of Easter - Opening Prayer: 
Lord, I am searching for you and I want to follow you. I know you are here with me in this time of prayer. I want to be filled by your presence. Give me the courage to follow you more closely.
Encountering Christ:
Just Tell Me What to Do: Do you wonder if the disciples grew tired of trying to interpret Jesus’s parables to understand what he meant? He had just finished telling them that he came from the Father and will be returning to the Father. The disciples must have thought, “Suddenly everything is clear! Or is it?” Just like the disciples we are never going to completely understand everything before we feel called to do it. By our faith we show that we are willing to follow Jesus. We don’t read the signs and follow the directions. We are often called to follow him without seeing the whole picture. Jesus asked, “Do you believe now?” because he knew the disciples’ faith would be tested during the dark time to come: Jesus’s Passion. He asks us the same question, “Do you believe?”
Scattered and Alone: The “hour” of Jesus’s Passion was approaching, and Jesus foretold that his disciples would fall short in the measure of their friendship with him. His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane would test their loyalty, and their love. They fell asleep “from grief” (Luke 22:45) and then scattered when the High Priest’s soldiers came to arrest Jesus with the temple guards. One disciple ran off without clothes (Mark 14:52), Peter struck the High Priest’s servant’s ear (John 18:10), Judas betrayed Jesus with an embrace (Luke 22:48). Are we surprised at the weakness of the disciples’ ability to stay awake and pray with Jesus, to stand beside him during this most difficult time? We fail in similar ways when we neglect our night prayers because we’re too tired; struggle to stay awake for an hour of adoration when it is so quiet and warm in the chapel; or shorten our visit to Jesus in the Tabernacle, pressed for time—and Jesus loves us anyway! "Jesus is not an idea or a feeling or a memory. Jesus is a living ‘person’ always present among us. Love Jesus present in the Eucharist" (St. John Paul the Great).
Conquered the World: By his death and Resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death. He has already won the battle for our souls. This should give us great peace. Our failures to love Jesus shouldn’t dismay us. We know that Jesus is there to pick us up and brush off our scrapes and bruises. When we acknowledge our weaknesses, we have an opportunity to ask for the gift of fortitude. Fortitude “strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions” (CCC 1808). 
Conversing with Christ: Jesus, sometimes I am discouraged by my failure to stay faithful to my prayer life. Help me to run to you, rather than give in to these feelings. I can count on you to help me if I ask for the grace of fortitude. Please give me the grace of a courageous heart.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace  I will turn over to you an area of my life that I have been struggling with on my own. Jesus, help me to overcome the temptation to give up by your gift of fortitude. Strengthen me.