Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Ba tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Ba tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên

            Qua bài đọc thứ nhất hôm nay, chúng ta thấy bà con của ông Tôbit đã đau buồn, khổ sở vì một tai nạn  không may đã xảy ra cho ông ta và làm ông ta phải chịu cảnh mù loà.  Như câu chuyện ông Tôbit đã kể lại về vuộc đời của mình, chúng ta có thể chắc chắn là sẽ đặt câu một hỏi với Thiên Chúa một cách khắc nghiệt và cay cú: là tại sao Thiên Chúa đã để cho một người hết sức Đạo đức như Ông Tôbit đã phải chịu những sự khốn khó như thế…. chúng ta biết rằng ông ta thật là một người tốt bụng, biết kính sợ Thiên Chúa và yêu thương mọi người, đã đã không biêt mệt mỏi khi chôn cất những người bị giết hại ngoài đồng.  Trước bị mù đôi mắt, ông đã làm những công việc bác ái không biết mệt mỏi,  thế nhưng tại sao những điều xấu này lại xảy ra cho ông, một người tốt lành biết kính sợ Thiên Chúa?
            (Như chúng ta được biết trong trong sách Tôbia, thì ông Tôbit là một Người Do Thái rất trung thành với Thiên Chúa, một trong những "người nghèo của Chúa", như là để nói rằng một trong những người bất chấp mọi thảm họa, nguy hiểm trong cuộc ông lưu vong  vì chính trị và chiến tranh, những vẫn cực kỳ trung thành với Thiên Chúa. Thế nhưng ông Tobit đã không bao giờ thắc mắc, và phàn nàn với Thiên Chúa vì sự lưu vong, li tán gia đình hay thắc mắc về tai nạn và hậu quả đem đến sự mù loà, và tàn tật của chính mình.)
            Trong cuộc của chúng ta, đôi lúc chúng ta đã gặp phải những nghịc cảnh đáng buồn,  những tạ nạn hay sự không may đã xảy đến với chúng ta hay gia đình, chúng ta đã có những sự phản ứng ra sao trong tâm hồn của mỗi người hay trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Những người yếu kém đíc tin hoặc không có niềm tin thường có lẽ sễ đặt câu hỏi tại sao Thiên Chúa đã lại để cho những điều đó xấu xảy ra cho họ để họ phải gánh nhận những sự kém may mắn này và sự thất vọng. Còn chúng ta, chúng phải có một đức tin vững chãi để tránh những tiến dèm phà không tốy và chúng ta cũng phải biết cố gắng, can đảm để học hỏi và bắt chước ông Tôbit là biết đặt tất cả sự hy vọng và niềm Tin của chúng ta vào Thiên Chúa.
            Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Chúa đang sống giữa chúng con, Chúa là niềm hy vọng và vinh quang của chúng con. Xin Chúa ban cho chúng con những ân sủng để chúng con tin rằng tất cả những gì xẩy đến cho chúng con sẽ được tốt đẹp, vì Chúa đã toàn thắng thế gian này.
 
Reflection SG
Many accidents happen in this world, some very minor, others more devastating. All of them call forth different reactions in human hearts and lives. People with a weaker faith or no faith at all, will often question why God allows such things to happen. Tobit’s kinsmen grieved at his blindness, the result of an unfortunate simple accident.
            As Tobit recounts his story, we discover an element in it which would certainly make some people question God more harshly. He tells us that he was fatigued from burying the dead. He was obviously a good man, engaged, just before the accident to his eyes, in doing works of charity.         Why do bad things happen to good people? Tobit was a faithful Jew, one of “the poor of the Lord”, that is to say one of those, who in spite of the great disaster of being in exile because of Middle-East politics and warfare, remained extraordinarily faithful to God.
            As Tobit did not question God over the exile, so he did not question God over his own accident and his consequent disability. Let us learn from Tobit to place all our hope in God.
Lord Jesus, you are alive in our midst, our hope of glory. Grant us the grace to believe that all will be well, for you have overcome the world.
 
Tuesday 9^th Ordinary time 2023
“Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” Mark 12:14–15
These Pharisees and Herodians were sent to trap Jesus in His speech. These men were very politically minded and loved to pick sides and find fault with others. They were self-righteous and cared little about the salvation of souls. So they came to Jesus with what appeared to be an innocent question. They appear to presume that Jesus would voice opposition to paying the census tax to Caesar, and, if He did, they were ready to report Him to the civil authorities. They didn’t care about the truth; they only cared about trapping our divine Lord. When they brought the Roman coin to Jesus with the image of Caesar on it, Jesus spoke that profoundly wise line, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
Clearly, if these hypocritical religious leaders would have come to Jesus with humility and sincerity, Jesus would have responded to them much differently. But because they came only to trap, twist and destroy our Lord, Jesus puts them in their place with an act of divine wisdom. He doesn’t show support for paying the census tax, nor does He speak against it. Therefore, this Gospel passage ends with the line: “They were utterly amazed at him.” “Amazement” is the right response. Therefore, in a sense, we can learn from these hypocritical religious leaders. Whenever we come face-to-face with the profound wisdom of God, we should experience awe and holy amazement.
Of course, the amazement they experienced was on account of Jesus thwarting their evil trap. But even though that is the case, we can learn from this that the wisdom of God can never be outdone. God’s wisdom silences the foolishness of the age and reveals the hidden malice behind that evil.
Have you ever been confronted by the trickery of the secular “know-it-alls” of our age. Have you ever been challenged by another, had your faith directly attacked, or your moral convictions called into question? Most likely, if you have chosen to live your faith openly and with confidence, you may have felt the attack of another. For those who lack a deep faith and a clear gift of divine wisdom, such trickery can cause confusion and anxiety. You may find you do not know how to respond and feel trapped by the erroneous “wisdom” of the age. In that case, what do you do? The only answer to the false doctrines and deceptions we will all encounter within the growingly secular and atheist world is the answer that comes from divine wisdom. By ourselves, none of us is wise enough to combat these errors. Therefore, our only recourse is to continually turn to the wisdom of God.
We turn to the wisdom of God through prayer and sacred study. Our prayer opens our minds to the clear voice of God Who speaks pure truth. And sacred study, especially of the Scripture, the teachings of the Church and the lives of the saints, will help to clarify God’s voice and dispel the confusion the world tries to throw at us. In the end, if we are not immersing our minds in the true wisdom of God, we will be unprepared for that which we encounter within the world.
Reflect, today, upon your need to be filled with divine wisdom so as to navigate the trickery and foolishness of the world. Acknowledge that you are not wise enough on your own to cut through the confusion of life. Pray for the gift of wisdom and allow our Lord to bestow it upon you.
Lord of all Truth, You are wise beyond all worldly wisdom, and You thwart the trickery of the evil one. Open my mind, dear Lord, to Your holy Truth so that I may be able to navigate through the challenges of life. Bestow Your wisdom upon me, dear Lord, so that I may follow You wherever You lead. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Tuesday 9^th Ordinary time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, in every age you have been our refuge. You are the eternal God and I am your humble creature. I am in this world as a pilgrim and long for my home. I do not belong to this passing world. I belong to you and am yours.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Give the Image of Caesar to Caesar: The Gospel of Mark narrates three attempts to test and ensnare Jesu on the same day. Jesus, the Son of David, has entered the city of Jerusalem as a King (Mark 11:1-11), purified the old Temple (11:15-19), and alluded to himself as the cornerstone of a new Temple (Mark 12:10-11). Jesus is acting here like a New Solomon. His actions and words provoke the religious 1leaders to question and try to undermine Jesus’ authority. They test him and hope to trap Jesus in his speech. In his responses, Jesus will show that his wisdom far surpasses that of Solomon. Just as the devil tempted and tested Jesus in the desert at the beginning of the Gospel (Mark 1:12-13), Jesus will be tested three times by the religious authorities. The first of three tests comes from the Pharisees and Herodians. They represent opposite ends of the political spectrum. The Herodians supported Herod Antipas and were willing to cooperate with Rome. The Pharisees sought to separate themselves from any contact with the Gentiles and wanted nothing to do with Rome. If Jesus says to pay taxes to Caesar, the Pharisees will go before the people and accuse Jesus of violating God’s law, committing blasphemy, and supporting the Roman occupation. If Jesus says it is unlawful to pay taxes to Caesar, the Herodians will denounce Jesus to the Roman authorities and hope they will imprison Jesus for treason. Jesus knows they are testing him and asks to see a denarius. On one side the coin proclaims Tiberius Caesar Augustus, son of the divine Augustus. On the other side, the coin proclaims Caesar as the High Priest (Pontifex Maximus) meaning that he is the supreme mediator between human beings and the gods. “Tiberius’s claim of divinity was a way of promoting the emperor worship that was widespread in Roman civic religion, but was an abomination to Jews. Jesus’ questioners bring him a denarius, revealing that they were carrying the idolatrous coin within the temple precincts” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 241). In response to Jesus’ question, the Pharisees and Herodians acknowledge that the image and inscription are Caesar’s. Jesus then resolves the dilemma: “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
2. Give the Image of God to the Lord: Jesus tells the Pharisees especially that they are to give back to Caesar. And he tells the Herodians especially that they are to give to God what belongs to God. Caesar has placed his image on a coin. The Lord God has placed his image in human beings. The elements, minerals, plants, and brute animals do not bear the image of God. Human beings and angels are spiritual creatures, endowed with intellect and freedom and capable of knowing and loving God. On the one hand, we are called to be faithful citizens while on this earth. It is an act of justice to pay our taxes and work with public authorities to create a more just and charitable society. On the other hand, we are called to offer ourselves, all that we are, to God. We are called to love God above all things with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
3. Be Prepared: Our First Reading is the conclusion of the Second Letter of Peter, which we began yesterday. It turns our thoughts to the second coming (advent) of Jesus and the definitive end of the old creation. Through his life, passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus inaugurated the New Creation, the New Heavens and the New Earth. What Jesus inaugurated with his first advent, he will bring to conclusion with his second advent. While we are in this world – raising our families, working, and paying taxes – we are to be patient as we await our definitive encounter with God. Saint Peter encourages us to be eager to be found without spot or blemish before God, to be at peace, and to consider the patience of God as salvation. We are also to be on guard not to be led into error by false teachers. Rather than stray from the path and sin, we are to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. One day, after a life of giving ourselves to God, we hope to behold the glory of God and share in God’s eternal life.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you offer me true wisdom, the heavenly wisdom that leads me to eternal life. Your words remain with me and guide my actions. I need to imitate you in all that I do. Help me to be a good earthly citizen who works for a more just and charitable society. And lead me to be a good citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Living the Word of God: Do I give to Caesar what is Caesar’s? Am I a responsible citizen who contributes according to my talents and abilities? Do I truly give to God what is God’s? What am I holding back?
 
Tuesday 9^th Ordinary time 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I come before you humbly. As one who has frequently fallen into sin, I know my weakness. Your great love assures me that your grace can keep me on the path to holiness.
Petition: Guide me, Lord, on a big decision I must make.
1. Setting the Trap: The Pharisees and Herodians use an old ploy, flattery, to try to trap Jesus. It is a ploy that enjoys a long shelf life. Flattery can cause us to lower our guard. "You're an intelligent person, why don't you …?" Or: "You're a good parent; you already have two kids. You don't really believe the Church on …?" Being Christian in the world often means living among devious people. Hence, Jesus warned us to "be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves" (Matthew 10:16). To maintain a balance, we must live only for God. Is it Christ who shapes my day?
2. Lying in Wait: They pose a false dilemma to Jesus. It's "either/or." Either Jesus must accept Caesar totally or rebel against Rome. Such is how the world sees it. It's still either/or. Either we embrace Darwinism (no questions asked) or cling to Creationism. Either we are tolerant of alternate lifestyles, or we are insufferable bigots. But things are more complicated than that. Moreover, the Catholic faith is often "both/and." Hence, we give to Caesar and God what belongs to each. And how do we decide what belongs to whom? That's where things get tricky. And that is precisely why we are called as Christians to develop our gifts, intelligence, and prayer life, to make the right choices. Catholicism is not a religion for robots. It demands that we responsibly use our freedom and gifts to do God's will. Am I using my gifts well? Do I develop my skills and intellect to serve God better?
3. The Trap is Sprung; the Game is Over: Jesus' response floors his critics. Why? Partly because he throws the question back to them. Now they have to decide what belongs to Caesar — and what belongs to God. "You must decide," was Karol Wojtyla's signature phrase as a confessor. Nothing can so frighten us as freedom. It frightened Jesus' audience. How am I using my freedom? How am I using the time God gives me?
Conversation with Christ: Help me realize that you are calling me in freedom. You respect the freedom you gave me, even if I misuse it. But I don't want to misuse it. I want to render a good account of my life on Judgment Day.
Resolution: I will read some Scripture or a few paragraphs from the Catechism or a papal document today to try to form myself better in the faith.