Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần 11 Thuong Niên,

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy Tuần 11 Thuong Niên, Matthew 6:24-34
Qua bài tin mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu an ủi chúng ta trong những lo lắng của cuộc sống, Chúa khuyến khích chúng ta hãy tin tưởng vào sự Quan Phòng của Chúa. Những lo lắng phiền muộn nhiều khi thường xuyên áp đảo cuộc sống nội tâm chúng ta và khiến chúng ta mất đi sự bình an trong tâm hồn. Ngài an ủi chúng ta bằng cách cho chúng ta thấy rằng Thiên Chúa luôn chăm sóc và lo lắng giúp đỡ chúng ta, chúng ta sẽ thiếu thốn gì, và đây là lý do tại sao điều quan trọng là chúng ta phải cần lo làm việc cho Nước Trời và công lý của Ngài.
            Chúng ta đã được Thiên Chúa yêu thương và được tạo ra trong hình ảnh của Ngài, và Ngài hứa với chúng ta là Ngài không bao giờ bỏ rơi chúng ta. Do đó, chúng ta có thể tin chắc rằng cuộc sống của chúng ta luôn nằm trong bàn tay thươngbyêu, tốt lành của Thiên Chúa. Nếu Thiên Chúa có tầm nhìn xa và chăm sóc thế giới của chúng ta và các sinh vật trong thế giới này, như hoa cỏ ngoài đồng, chim rú trong rừng, thì Ngài có rất nhiều lý do hơn để Ngài chăm sóc chúng ta vì chúng ta là con cái của Ngài! Trong cuộc sống, chúng ta đôi lúc có những vấn đề phải lo lắng về, nhưng chúng ta không nen để tâm hồn của chúng bị dày vò bởi những vấn đề riêng của chúng ta, Vì chúng ta biết Thiên Chúa ở với chúng ta, đón chúng ta tới với Ngài và Ngài luốn đến với chúng ta.
            Lạy Chúa, là Thiên Chúa lòng lành xin cho chúng con tình yêu của Chúa và những điều chúng con cần phải sống đúng với phẩm giá con người, xin giúp cho con biết tin tưởngvào sự Quan phòng của Chúa, và xin Chúa dạy con biết làm thế nào để chia sẻ với người khác những gì hóa mà Chúa ban riêng cho chúng con.
 
Meditation:
What does the expression "serving two masters" and "being anxious" have in common? They both have the same root problem - being divided within oneself. The root word for "anxiety" literally means "being of two minds." An anxious person is often "tossed to and fro" and paralyzed by fear, indecision, and insecurity. Fear of some bad outcome cripples those afflicted with anxiety. It's also the case with someone who wants to live in two opposing kingdoms - God's kingdom of light, truth, and goodness or Satan's kingdom of darkness, sin, and deception - following God's standards and way of happiness or following the world's standards of success and happiness.
Who is the master in charge of your life? Our "master" is whatever governs our thought-life, shapes our ideals, and controls the desires of our heart and the values we choose to live by. We can be ruled by many different things - the love of money and possessions, the power of position and prestige, the glamor of wealth and fame, and the driving force of unruly passions, harmful desires, and addictive cravings. Ultimately the choice of who is our master boils down to two: God or "mammon". What is mammon? "Mammon" stands for "material wealth" or "possessions" or whatever tends to control our appetites and desires.
            There is one master alone who has the power to set us free from slavery to sin, fear, pride, and greed, and a host of other hurtful desires. That master is the Lord Jesus Christ who alone can save us from all that would keep us bound up in fear and anxiety. Jesus used an illustration from nature - the birds and the flowers - to show how God provides for his creatures in the natural order of his creation. God provides ample food, water, light, and heat to sustain all that lives and breathes. How much more can we, who are created in the very image and likeness of God, expect our heavenly Father and creator to sustain not only our physical bodies, but our mind, heart, and soul as well? God our Father is utterly reliable because it is his nature to love, heal, forgive, and make whole again.
            Jesus taught his disciples to pray with confidence to their heavenly Father: Give us this day our daily bread. What is bread, but the very staple of life and symbol of all that we need to live and grow. Anxiety is neither helpful nor necessary. It robs us of faith and confidence in God’s help and it saps our energy for doing good. Jesus admonishes his followers to put away anxiety and preoccupation with material things and instead to seek first the things of God - his kingdom and righteousness. Anxiety robs the heart of trust in the mercy and goodness of God and in his loving care for us. God knows our needs even before we ask and he gives generously to those who trust in him. Who is your master - God or mammon?
"Lord Jesus, free me from needless worries and help me to put my trust in you. May my first and only concern be for your glory and your kingdom of peace and righteousness. Help me to live each day and moment with trust and gratitude for your providential care for me."
 
Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24
Mammon is another word for money. Jesus is clear that you must choose to serve either God or money, but not both. A divided heart does not suffice. Saint John of the Cross, in His spiritual classic “Ascent to Mount Carmel,” explains something similar. He says that our desires must become completely purified to the point that all we desire is God and His holy will. Every other desire in life must be purged away so that we are singularly devoted to God. Does this mean that God and God alone should be the object of all of our love? Yes, indeed. But that truth must be properly understood.
When we consider the calling we have been given from God to love, it is true that we must love not only God but also many other things in life. We must love family, friends, neighbors, and even our enemies. Hopefully we also love other aspects of our lives, such as our vocation, our job, our home, a certain pastime, etc. So how do we love God with singular devotion when we also have many other things we must love?
The answer is quite simple. The love of God is such that when we make God the singular object of our love and devotion, the love we have for God will supernaturally overflow. This is the nature of the love of God. As we love God, we will find that God calls us to love Him by loving other people and even various aspects of our lives. As we love what God wills us to love and as we express our love for all that is contained in the will of God, we are still loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
But back to our Scripture above. Why is it that we cannot love God and money? “Mammon” in this passage must be understood as a love that becomes an unhealthy attachment and desire. Money is such that we can “love” it by allowing our desires for it to become disordered and, thus, exclude the will of God from that “love.” Money is not evil when it is used solely in accord with the will of God. In that case, the money we use will give God great glory. But when money, or any other object of our desire, begins to take on a life of its own, so to speak, then that desire will be at odds with our love of God. To love God and God alone means we love God and all that He wills us to love in life.
Reflect, today, upon the necessity of being singularly devoted to God. As you commit yourself to this exclusive love, consider also whom and what God calls you to love in and through Him. Where does His perfect will lead you, and how are you called to show your love of God through the love of others? Consider, also, any ways in which you have allowed an unhealthy attachment to money or anything else in life to distract you from the one and ultimate purpose of your life. Allow God to purge those unhealthy desires and false “loves” from your heart so that you will be free to love as you were made to love.
My Lord and God, You are worthy of all of my love. You and You alone must become the single focus of all of my love. As I love You, dear Lord, help me to discover all that Your will directs me to love more and all that Your will calls me to detach from. May I choose only You and that which is contained in Your holy and perfect will. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday week of 11 Ordinary Time 2024,
Opening Prayer: Lord God, my heavenly Father, you know what I need even before I ask you. You provide me with earthly food and drink and with heavenly food and drink. You clothe me with the robe of righteousness and shelter me under your wing. Help me to trust in you more fully each day and abandon myself to your loving care.
Encountering the Word of God
1. A Child of God or a Slave of Money: In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches his followers the proper attitudes toward religious practices and material goods: Do not store up treasure on earth, but store up treasure in heaven. “Instead of practicing piety in order to gain the praise from other people, which is a kind of earthly treasure, the disciples should do righteous deeds in secret so that they may be rewarded by God alone with heavenly treasure (6:1-18). Similarly, Christ’s followers should not seek to secure their lives with the earthly treasure of material possessions but should seek first the heavenly treasure of the kingdom of God, trusting in the Father to provide all they need (6:19-34)” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 102). We have to choose between being a child of God or a slave of money. We cannot choose both. Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is not characterized by external wealth and the acquisition of material goods. Rather than be consumed with the acquisition of wealth and earthly status, we need to concern ourselves with the righteousness of the Kingdom of God: poverty of spirit, contrition, meekness, desire for holiness, mercy, purity of heart, peace, and acceptance of persecution (see Bergsma, The Word of the Lord: Year A, 259). Jesus’ disciples are not to be like the pagans, who are anxious about their material needs since they do not know or trust in God the Father.
2. The Fall of King Joash: When we read about King Joash in Second Kings, we are told that he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. This was due primarily to the good influence and instruction of Jehoiada the priest (2 Kings 12:2). However, 2 Kings 12:3 also hints that King Joash failed as king. Although he worked to restore the Temple, he failed to do away with the pagan shrines in Judah as the Law of Deuteronomy commanded (Deuteronomy 12:2). Second, he failed because he attempted to prevent an invasion of Hazael, the Aramean king of Damascus (Syria), by paying him off with money from the Temple treasury (2 Kings 12:17-18). He trusted more in earthly wealth to protect him than in the Lord God. In 2 Chronicles 24, we learn about the wicked things Joash did after the death of Jehoiada the priest. There, we are told that the princes of Judah paid homage to the king and convinced him to abandon the Temple and the worship of the Lord God. They convinced him to serve the Asherim, which involved setting up sacred poles or trees in honor of the fertility goddess Asherah. The Law of Moses prohibited these poles or trees from being set up next to the temple altar (Deuteronomy 16:21-22; Leviticus 26:1). Joash permitted them to do this and begin worshiping idolatrous gods. God responded to this by sending prophets to Judah to bring the king, the princes of Judah, and the people to conversion. As well, the Spirit of God inspired Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, to pronounce judgment on the people. The people of Judah and Jerusalem responded, not with conversion, but by conspiring against Zechariah and stoning him to death in the Temple court. Zechariah’s dying words asked God to avenge his death. This came about within the year when a small force of Arameans (Syrians) invaded Judah and Jerusalem, killed the princes of Judah, and sent the spoils to Hazael in Syria. King Joash’s life ended tragically when he was assassinated in 796 B.C. through a plot within the royal palace (2 Kings 12:20-21; 2 Chronicles 24:25-26). Even though King Joash eliminated the pagan worship of Baal throughout Judah at the beginning of his reign, he allowed the worship of the fertility goddess Asherah, the consort of Baal, at the end of his reign. He chose to follow the princes of Judah instead of the Lord God.
3. The Almighty Dollar or the Almighty God: Today’s responsorial psalm applies to King Joash, a descendant of King David. Because Joash forsook the law of God and did not walk according to the ordinances of the Lord, because he violated God’s statutes and did not keep the Lord’s commands, God punished his crime with a rod and his guilt with stripes. At the same time, God is faithful to the covenant he made with his servant David. Despite the infidelity of David’s sons, God will raise up Jesus, “the root and offspring of David” (Revelation 22:16). Jesus is the son of Abraham and the son of David, and is the one who fulfills the covenants made with them both. Jesus’ “birthplace, ministry, resurrection, and enthronement are all depicted in terms drawn from the Davidic covenant. [...] Also in fulfillment of the dynastic promise made to David, Jesus is described throughout Luke as the ‘Son of God,’ and his royal mission is inextricably bound to Jerusalem and the temple; the kingdom he envisions is to embrace all twelve tribes of Israel and all the nations, and it is to be eternal" (Hahn, The Kingdom of God as Liturgical Empire, 82). Like the First Reading, which warns us against serving false gods, the Gospel today warns us against serving “mammon.” “Mammon is a Greek transliteration of an Aramaic word for wealth and possessions. It is derived from a word that means ‘believe, trust;’ thus it means ‘that in which one places trust’” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 110). Mammon can enslave us and keep us from serving God. In short, serving mammon enslaves us; serving God frees us. We are freed from anxiety because we place our hope in almighty God and not in the “almighty dollar.” 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your Word contains examples of sinners who foolishly chose the path to death and of saints who wisely chose the path to life. I choose life today and ask that you guide my steps always.
Living the Word of God: We are to entrust our lives to our heavenly Father who knows what we need even before we ask him. Our goal is not to amass wealth here on earth but to collaborate with God in the extension of his kingdom of righteousness, peace, joy, and love. God truly reigns in us when we are obedient to his loving will; and, as a good king and Father, he will give us subjects and his children everything they need (our daily bread; forgiveness from sin; perseverance when tested and tempted; deliverance from evil).
 
Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord, I make this effort at prayer for the sake of my soul and the souls of my loved ones. I believe that you died for us and want us to be with you forever in heaven.
Petition: Grant me new respect, Lord, for parents.
1. Bundle of Joy: The arrival of a new baby has been a source of joy throughout the ages. Babies are God's way of saying the world should go on. Each new child reflects a facet of the infinite beauty and mystery of God. And by teaching us patience and selflessness, the little ones help us grow in holiness. In their childlike simplicity, they teach us to remain simple. Their neediness can, and should, soften our hearts. They don't even have to be our children; we can feel an obligation to help all kids since their lives enrich all of us. What have I done lately to help the little ones, born and unborn? Is there a crisis-pregnancy center that could use help? Have I spoken well of parents who are open to large families?
2. God's Choice: For the ancient Jews a name captured, even defined, a person's identity. So for Elizabeth to name her son "John" was significant. It showed her recognition of God's great plan for the child. John was in the Almighty's special care from the start. Even today, each child is loved by God and has a destiny in the heavenly Father's plan. Each has a vocation, a calling, in the Church. Do I appreciate the role that little ones have in God's plans? Do I respect their dignity? Or do I try to impose my prejudices on them? They are tomorrow's adults. How will I want them to remember my example?
3. Loosened Lips: Zechariah had doubted God and was struck mute. He regains his speech only after publicly accepting God's plan and allowing his newborn son to take the name, John. We, too, might have a bit of Zechariah in us. We resist God, only to hit a dead end. Bad friendships, habits of serious sin, rising despair – all of these can eat away at us. Repentance is slow to come. Why? "We think that evil is basically good," said Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI (December 8, 2005). "We think that we need it, at least a little, in order to experience the fullness of being. … If we look, however, at the world that surrounds us we can see that this is not so; in other words, that evil is always poisonous, does not uplift human beings, but degrades and humiliates them." Am I resisting God's plans?
Conversation with Christ: Lord, you have put family members and other loved ones in my life for a reason. I'm to help them get to heaven, and they are to help me do the same. Remind me of this truth, and help me in a special way not to interfere with the plans you have for the children in my life.
Resolution: I will pray a decade of the rosary that all my family members reach heaven.