Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Sáu tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Sáu tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên Scripture: Mark 12:35-37

Con người chúng ta thường hay phàn nàn với Chúa khi mọi thứ đã
xảy ra không được như ý muốn của chúng ta, cũng như những điều đau đớn, phiền muộn đã xảy ra. Nhưng khi tất cả mọi thứ tốt đẹp đã xảy ra hoàn toàn theo như ý muốn của chúng ta, thì con người chúng ta có lúc đã quên cám ơn hoặc khen ngợi Thiên Chúa , có lúc chúng ta đã quên Thiên Chúa hoàn toàn. Những nhân vật trong Sách Tôbia đã cực kỳ đau khổ thậm chí đã còn phải trải qua những bi kịch thật đau buốn. Nhưng lòng thương xót và lượng từ bi của Thiên Chúa luôn luôn làm việc và hiện diện trong những nỗi gian truân ấy, vì vậy mà cuộc đời của Tobit, Tobias, và Sarah đã được xoay chuyển, những khó khắn, nguy hiểm, đau buồn, thất vọng đã được biến thành những sự thành tựu, khôi phục lại sức khỏe và hạnh phúc. Họ đã bị choáng ngợp bởi tình yêu của Thiên Chúa và không bao giờ ngừng nghỉ ca ngợi Thiên Chúai. Có lẽ chúng ta có thể biểu hiện cái lòng biết ơn Thiên Chúa nhiều hơn cho những gì mà Thiên Chúa đã làm và đã ban cho chúng tôi. Chúng ta hãy cố gắng dành một chút thời giờ để ca ngợi và cảm tạ Chúa. Lòng biết ơn sẽ xua đuổi và giúp chung ta thoát khỏi bóng tối và sự tiêu cực trong tất cả những hình thức của nó. Lạy Chúa, giúp chúng con biết tự giác biết ơn những người đã giúp chúng ta cách này hay cách khác và biết cảm tạ Chúa một cách chân thành vì những gì Chúa đã làm cho chúng con qua những người chung quang của chúng con.
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Reflection Friday 9^th Ordinary SG
People often complain to God when things do not go well or when painful things happen. But when everything turns out well, sometimes God doesn’t get thanked or praised! The characters in the Book of Tobit had suffered terribly and even experienced tragedy. But God’s compassionate mercy was always at work, so Tobit, Tobias, and Sarah were delivered from danger and restored to health and happiness. They were overwhelmed by God’s love and never stopped praising Him. Perhaps we can show more gratitude for what God has done for us and spend a bit of time praising and thanking God. Gratitude gets rid of darkness and negativity in all its forms.
            Sometimes we think we have Scripture ‘all figured out.’ Jesus showed his listeners how their interpretation of Scripture was flawed. The Messiah was far more than the son of David — he was the son of God. The writers of the Gospels all tried to show how the entire Bible was talking about Jesus in one way or another — even in rather hidden ways. From start to finish, the Bible is about the mercy, compassion, and care of God for all humanity.
            That is the key with which we can open the meaning of Scripture. It also records the many ways in which humans fail to remain on the spiritual path to which God calls them. By meditating on Scripture and allowing it to speak to our heart, we too can draw on its wisdom and inspiration. The Lord will be revealed to us in surprising and illuminating ways.  Lord, help me to be grateful.
 
Friday 9^th Ordinary Time 2023
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.’” Mark 12:35–36
At the time of Jesus’ ministry, the Jews understood that the Messiah would come from the line of David. Furthermore, many thought that the Messiah would simply be a nationalistic leader who would lead the Jewish nation out of the oppression of the Romans. Thus, they reduced the Messiah to a descendent of David who would set them free in a more political way.
In the passage above, Jesus gives clarity to this common understanding of the Messiah as the “son of David.” The Messiah would not only descend in human form from David’s ancestral line, He was also David’s “Lord.” Jesus shows this by pointing to Psalm 110 in which David refers to the Messiah as his Lord. And though this subtle distinction may not at first seem to be that important to us today, Jesus clearly makes an intentional effort to teach this.
One key lesson we should take from this passage is that we must work diligently to have a correct image of Jesus. Though today we may not see our Lord as a nationalistic leader who came to set us free from political oppression, we can often form other erroneous images of Him. For the Jews at that time, the idea that the Messiah was also the “Lord” of King David was new. This points to the divinity of the Messiah and His eternal nature. Jesus gives this subtle clarification and “The great crowd heard this with delight.” We also must work to delight in a clear and correct understanding of Who Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God and Son of Man truly is. So Who is He?
To answer this question, first consider how you see Jesus in your life. Jesus is your friend, a wise teacher, an inspiring personality, a kind soul, a merciful leader and a model for us all. But He is also so much more. To pick only one image of Who Jesus is and to then give that one image excessive focus in our lives is an error similar to the error that many of the Jews had at the time Jesus taught them.
The “so much more” is the part we must focus on as we consider the identity of our Lord. We must see Him as God, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. As God, He is to be worshiped and adored. And though He was God from all eternity, He also took on human flesh, uniting humanity with divinity. And as a human, He permitted Himself to die so that He could rise in His human nature. This way, if we unite ourselves to Him through a total surrender of our lives, then we will also die in our sin but then rise with Him to new life. In so doing, we are given the gift of eternal salvation and are enabled to share in the eternal life of the Most Holy Trinity. Though much more could and should be said about the identity of our Lord, this slight glimpse into His life should help us to avoid the trap of limiting Who He is in our minds and hearts.
Reflect, today, upon the image you have of Jesus. Look for ways that you may unintentionally limit His greatness and glory in your mind and heart. Try to expand that image of our Lord that you have and be open to all that He desires to reveal to You about Himself. The more you do so, the more you, too, will be filled with “delight” as the Person of our Lord is more clearly revealed to you.
My infinite and glorious Lord, You are so far beyond our understanding and comprehension, yet You invite us to come to You so that we may know You more fully. Give me the grace I need, dear Lord, to shed the erroneous and limited images of You that I have, so as to come to know You as You are. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday 9^th Ordinary Time 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you have created and redeemed me. I believe that you have called me to prayer today. I trust you will teach me to pray and relish what is right and true, good and beautiful. I love you, Lord, for in you is all perfection, goodness, and love.
Petition: Lord Jesus, make my heart more like yours.
1. Speaking for All to Hear: Imagine Jesus teaching in the Temple area, surrounded by hundreds of spiritually hungry men and women. The scribes stand in the background and at a distance: cold stares, squinting eyes, full of distrust, fear, and scheming. He raises his voice enough for even those in the back to hear. He is speaking to everyone. What are their dispositions? Most of the crowd does more than hear; they listen intently. They believe that God will speak to them through Jesus, speak to their needs and hearts, and give them the love, truth, and inspiration they need. Others listen but superficially. Their motives are curiosity, entertainment, and vanity – something to talk about. The scribes don’t listen, except for what might serve their plotting. Jesus still tries to reach them then and reach me now. Am I open?
2. A Mysterious Identity: Lord and Son - The scribes oppose Jesus for jealousy, ignorance, and pride…. But the greatest reason is that he acts as though he were the Messiah, even God himself. How close they are to the truth! Using their own Scriptures, he points to this truth: somehow the Messiah will be both son and Lord. His rebuttal of their objections is another effort of his heart to reach out. He invites them to rise to the level of faith. Reminiscent of his words to his mother – “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s work” (Luke 2:49) – Jesus is a son of man by birth, but by origin and mission, he is the Lord, the Son of the Most High. Do I overcome my pride and ignorance with faith, allowing God to work at his level, far beyond my comprehension?
3. Hearing with Delight: Prayer is a difficult and challenging art; indeed, it is much more than an art. We try to focus, reflect and enter into dialogue with someone we neither see nor hear with our senses. And worst of all, we don’t usually feel anything: “I get nothing out of it!” While prayer is not about feelings but rather loving, it is nonetheless an experience that should move us in some way to change. Listening to Jesus brought “delight” to the crowds. A neat and convincing argument! The wonderment of discovering truth! The joy and satisfaction of seeing their champion score a victorious blow! Whatever the occasion, our experience of Christ in prayer can, at times, produce delight, but only to the degree that we share or conform our thoughts, desires, and loves to his. The scribes found no delight, for they shared not his heart and mind. Where is my delight?
Conversation with Christ: Dear Jesus, open my heart to your words. Help me to believe even if it hurts or demands that I change my ideas. Raise me up above my prejudices and insecurities. Show me what to change in my life. I want to do it to love you more fully and to delight more deeply in your friendship and love.
Resolution: I will choose and develop a love for one spiritual value, virtue, or good. I will look for it in Christ, reflect on its beauty, and ask him to grant it to me.
 
Friday 9^th Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: 
Dear Lord Jesus, I come before you in prayer. I ask you to increase my faith so that I may hear and understand what you will tell me. May my understanding of your word and your mysteries lead me to a deeper love, and may that love move me to greater obedience to you.
Encountering Christ:
The Lord Said to My Lord: Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand.’” The same psalm says, “Yours is princely power from the day of your birth” (Psalms 110:3). Therefore, it was quite reasonable for the scribes to interpret this passage as referring to David’s royal lineage. It was true that Joseph, Jesus’s foster-father, was of the house of David (Luke 1:27). However, their interpretation was incomplete. Jesus pointed to the mystery of the Incarnation. He is truly the son of David and truly the eternal Son of the Father. Our Lord’s person possesses each nature fully, both human and divine. 
Jesus the Pedagogue: Jesus asked the scribes about something they knew, the prophecy in Psalm 110, to reveal something they did not yet know about that same prophecy. That is how we learn. We build from that which we know to learn something new. So our knowledge of two plus two equals four lays the groundwork for grasping the sum of four plus four. Jesus is a master teacher. Either by familiar Biblical references or by simple imagery taken from daily life, Jesus taught his listeners about himself and his kingdom. One of the primary purposes of Our Lord’s Incarnation was to make God more accessible to man; this is not only true in his reality as God and man, but also in his teaching.
The Crowd Heard with Delight: In what did the crowd delight? It would seem in part that they delighted in Jesus getting the better of the scribes, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees. This passage came after attempts by Our Lord’s enemies to entrap him. Now Our Lord asked them a question, and one they could not answer. Humility rejoices when truth prevails over insincerity. However, they also rejoiced in the vindication of Our Lord’s doctrine. They were excited that his teaching showed no fissures, contradictions, or weaknesses. Our intellect demands that ideas be coherent. Even though they could not fully grasp Jesus’s teaching, the crowd saw that it withstood all challenges. This reassured and delighted them.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, let me realize that your mystery constantly transcends me. Let me accept that your thoughts are not my thoughts, your ways not my ways (Isaiah 55:8). Nevertheless, I ask for the gift of understanding to grasp better the truths of faith, so that in turn I may live more accordingly. I marvel that you stoop to my lowliness so that I may know, love, and serve you. I thank you, Jesus, for such constant signs of love. Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will try to communicate some aspect of the faith to a friend by way of imagery or comparison. 
 
REFLECTION
In the Gospel passages these last three days, the Pharisees and Herodians, Sadducees and finally a lawyer hostilely question Jesus. They were hoping to catch him in a statement that would make him seem foolish in the eyes of the people. The lawyer found Jesus' answer admirable. However, the hostility of the others because they would see no wisdom or good in Jesus, grew into real enmity toward him. In all three incidents this week, it was Jesus' opponents who carried the dispute to him. In today's Gospel, Jesus decides to take the offensive, to carry the argument to them.
Jesus points out that in the psalms the Messiah is called "son of David". Yet in Psalm 110 David calls the Messiah "my Lord." Then Jesus asks, "How can the Messiah be the "son of David" if David calls him "my Lord?" What's Jesus trying to do here? Well, perhaps he's trying in the eyes of the people to put the Pharisees and the scribes in their place.
After all, they were constantly attempting to destroy his credibility with the people. But there's something more to Jesus' behavior. Jesus knew himself to be a descendant of David, therefore, "David's son." He was also coming to believe himself to be the Son of God.
So Jesus is hinting, "You're waiting for the Son of David to come and to restore Israel to a place of honor among the nations. But I come among you, the Son of God, not to establish an earthly kingdom, but to bring to humankind the love of God." This is God's great revelation in Jesus: God so loved the world that he sent his only son into it to take up our human nature in its fullness. God wanted to make his love for us incarnate in our world. He wanted God's love for us to be manifested in an sublimely attractive human person whom we can see and hear and touch, with whom we can speak, whom we can love.
 
Scripture: Mark 12:13-17
Today's passage puzzles scholars greatly.  It could bear several interpretations.  The people who were listening to Jesus were clear in their minds that the Messiah would be a descendent of King David  -  because of a text in their Scriptures, “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:13).  They were clear: they knew the kind of Messiah they had in mind.  Whatever interpretation his saying is to bear, it is obvious that he is ruining their clarity.  He is either saying that the Messiah will not be a descendent of David, or that he will be much more than a descendent of David. 
            There are people who insist on clarity above all else, thinking that clarity is a proof of truth.  But there are many things that are clear and false.  When we think we have understood something we say “I have it!”  We use the words ‘having’, ‘grasping’, ‘holding’, and the like.  Even the word ‘concept’ (from Latin capio) means ‘to seize’.  These words should make us pause, because fundamentally it is not we who seize the truth, it is the truth that should seize us.  As Chesterton put it, we are not here to get the skies into our heads, but to get our heads into the skies.  To promote false clarity is to be an enemy of the truth.