Suy Niệm tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy tuần thứ 8 TN

Suy Niệm tin Mừng Thứ Bẩy tuần thứ 8 TN. Mark 11:27-33

Trong trong các Bài Tin Mừng, nhiều trường hợp chúng ta thấy các thầy  thượng tế, các thầy thông giáo và các trưởng lão muốn hạ uy tín của Chúa Giêsu trước mặt mọi người nên nhiều lần họ đã chất vấn Chúa. Họ tìm mọi cách để chứng minh Chúa Giêsu là người “xáo quyệt”, “nói láo”. Vì vậy, họ nghĩ rằng Chúa Giêsu không thể trả lời được câu hỏi của họ đưa ra trong tin mừng hôm nay. họ đã cố tình gài bẫy với câu hỏi lừa bịp của họ, "Ông lấy quyền nào mà làm các điều ấy ?" (Mc 11:27) Họ quá chắc chắn là Chúa Giêsu sẽ  không thể trả lời câu này. Tất nhiên, họ đã sai lầm vì Chúa Giêsu đã hỏi lại họ  một câu hỏi mà họ không thể trả lời được. Dù bằng cách nào câu trả lời của họ cũng sẽ đưa chính họ vào sự thù nghịch với dân chúng.
            Ở đây chúng ta thấy tâm địa  con người của chúng ta có hạn chế. Những người có chức quyền trong xã hội hay lạm dụng kiến thức của mình để đặt những gánh nặng lên những người khác, hay lên dân chúng dưới quyền của họ.  Vì quyền lợi riêng rư,  vì niềm tự hào của họ, họ không thể thừa nhận rằng Chúa Giêsu đã nói nên sự thật về chân lý.
 Đôi khi chúng ta cũng có những hành động như thể,  chúng ta có câu trả lời cho tất cả mọi thứ trong thế giới này. Như các thầy  thượng tế, các thầy thông giáo và các trưởng lão trong thời Chúa Giêsu, chúng ta cũng không nhận ra được là chính quyền thực sự đến từ Thiên Chúa. Chúng ta đôi lúc cũng đã đặt những câu hỏi tương tự về Thiên Chúa với sự hiểu biết nông cạn và hạn chế của chúng ta, chúng ta đã độc tài ra lệnh Ngài nên làm theo ý riêng của chúng ta.
            Chỉ có sự hạ mình và biết khiêm tốn chúng ta mới có thể công nhận được uy quyền của Chúa Giêsu. Và vì thế, Thiên Chúa sẽ không gây ra khó khăn ngăn trở chúng ta tìm hiểu những gì Ngài muốn nơi chúng ta. Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta bộ Kinh Thánh để dạy dỗ, hướng dẫn chúng ta hàng ngày. Nếu chúng ta chịu khó đọc Lời Chúa mỗi ngày, Chúa Thánh Thần sẽ hướng dẫn chúng ta hiểu được công việc và quyên năng của thiên Chúa.. Và  bây gìờ là thời gian mà chúng tôi phải biết rõ  tầm quan trọng cũa việc rao truyền Tin Mừng của Ngài và làm chứng cho quyền lực của Chúa Giêsu trong cuộc sống hàng ngày của chúng ta.
 
REFLECTION
Members of the religious ruling class ask Jesus by what authority he drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple. They were hoping to trap him. If he answers, "by my own authority," they will arrest him for causing a disturbance in           God's house. If he says, "by God's  authority," they will accuse him of blasphemy.
            Jesus refuses to answer their question unless they first answer a question he will put to them: "John's baptism, was it from heaven or from man?" They hesitate to answer, for if they say "from heaven,"  the people will ask them why did they not believe in John? If they answer, "from man," they fear the reaction of the people who had great respect for John. The religious authorities refused to do what  they ought to have been doing, discerning what is from God and what          from man. They refused to do this, because they would have to admit the truth. People who refuse to face the truth, in the end get themselves in very tight situations. Whatever they say, they will be denying the truth. The person who faces the truth, however, will be asked to take a stand in defense of the truth as he perceives it, and will, therefore, have the honor of being very Christ-like. For Christ lived by the truth and went to his death in defense of the truth. As he had told others that the truth would make them free, so the truth had set him free, had made him free to choose death rather than falsehood, had made him free to rise again to new life.
 
Saturday 8^th Ordinary Time 2023
“I shall ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin?  Answer me.” Mark 11:29–30
This is Jesus’ response to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders when they approached Jesus in the Temple area and asked Him by what authority He did the things He did. And what was it that Jesus did? The day before, Jesus had been in the Temple and drove the money changers out, telling them, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” This outraged the religious leaders, and they immediately began to discuss how they could put Jesus to death.
Consider, first, the tension in the air. They literally were plotting to put Jesus, the Son of God, to death. They were filled with hatred and jealousy and refused to believe in Him. Jesus saw their hardness of heart and put them on the spot to first answer His question before He would answer theirs. Why would Jesus do this?
The question Jesus asked them was actually an act of great mercy on His part. He gave them an opportunity to repent. If they had only answered His question with humble faith and honesty, they could have saved their lives. Instead, they discussed among themselves His question and gave the politically correct answer. If they had said John’s baptism was of human origin, and not from God, they were afraid that the people would turn on them. So they simply said, “We do not know.” But imagine if they would have given the right answer. What if they had discussed it among themselves and concluded that John’s baptism truly was from God and that they should have believed in him? If they would have only humbled themselves, admitted that they had gravely erred in regard to John, then Jesus would have answered their question, and their life of true faith could have begun. But they didn’t. They remained obstinate. They could not admit they were wrong.
Obstinacy is among the most dangerous of sins. It’s a sin that cannot be forgiven, because, in essence, it’s a refusal to change. And when a person refuses to admit their sin, and refuses to change, then God cannot help them. They remain lost in their sin and suffer the consequences.
Do you struggle with obstinacy in your life? Do you find it difficult to admit when you are wrong? Do you find it difficult to apologize to another and seek to change?
Reflect, today, upon anything you remain obstinate about. Are there matters of faith that you refuse to believe? Are there broken relationships that you refuse to humbly restore? Do you justify your sin and refuse to admit your guilt and need to change? Pray to our Lord for the gift of a humble heart. Humility, in many ways, is nothing other than being completely honest with yourself and others before God. Do not follow the example of these religious leaders. Humbly seek to remove all obstinacy from your heart so that Our Lord can enter in and bring His mercy into your life.
My unwavering Jesus, You confront those who are proud, arrogant and obstinate with much strength and love. You do so to help them overcome their stubbornness of heart. Give me the grace of humility, dear Lord, so that I will always be able to admit my sin and turn to You in love. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 8^th Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, do not let me harden my heart. Replace my heart of stone with a spirit-filled heart. Show me how to grow in my faith today and imitate your merciful love.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Jesus’ Authority: As he journeyed along the way to Jerusalem, Jesus predicted three times that members of three groups – the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders – would condemn him to death. Now, three days after his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the groups openly confront Jesus and ask him two questions about his authority. Throughout Mark’s Gospel, the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders has revolved around the issue of authority (Gray, The Temple in the Gospel of Mark, 56). The leaders questioned Jesus’ authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:7), heal on the Sabbath (Mark 3:2-6), and cast out demons (Mark 3:22). Here, the leaders question Jesus’ authority to judge the Temple and its rulers. The answer to their questions is that Jesus has the same authority granted to the Son of Man in Daniel 7. Jesus’ condemnation of the Temple is the beginning of the end-times judgment foretold in Daniel 7 (Gray, The Temple in the Gospel of Mark, 59). Instead of answering their two questions directly, Jesus answers them indirectly with a question of his own about John the Baptist’s authority. The leaders wanted to tell Jesus that John’s baptism was not sanctioned by them or by God, but they feared the crowds who believed that John’s baptism was “from heaven.” The leaders refused to believe John’s claim to be sent from God and now show that they refuse to accept that Jesus has been sent from God. They are truly acting like the wicked tenants in the parable we will read on Monday (Mark 12:1-9). Like the wicked tenants, the religious leaders rejected the prophetic messenger sent by God – John the Baptist – and are now plotting to kill Jesus, the beloved Son sent by God the Father.
2. The Letter of Jude: Our First Reading is taken from the Letter of Jude. At the beginning of his letter, Jude identified himself as the brother of James, who was the Bishop of Jerusalem after the departure of Simon Peter. Jude was likely a cousin or relative of Jesus. The goal of Jude’s letter was to encourage Christians to fight for the faith and to warn them about infiltrators who were teaching things contrary to the faith. He exhorts the Christian faithful to stand firm in the firth, to remain in the love of God, and to have mercy on all who are struggling (Keating, First and Second Peter, Jude, 192. “In practical terms, Jude urges readers to deepen their grasp of apostolic doctrine (20), to wait prayerfully and patiently upon the Lord (21), and to steady the faith of others who are either wavering in doubt or overcome by deception (22-23)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, 485). While false teachers are devoid of the Holy Spirit (19), we are called by Jude to pray in the Holy Spirit and be led by the Spirit. The Spirit will teach us how to pray as we ought. In verse 23, “Jude appeals to us to show mercy to those who doubt or who are struggling, and even to try to win back those who are bringing harm to the faith. We are called to rescue those who are in spiritual danger, even at cost to ourselves” (Keating, First and Second Peter, Jude, 195). 
3. Justin’s Description of the Early Christian Liturgy: On this memorial of Justin Martyr, it is good to recall his letter to the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius (who reigned from A.D. 138 to 161) that explains how the early Christians worshipped. This is the faith we have received and are called to hand on. This is how we continue to worship every week. Justin writes: “On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place. The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits. When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things. Then we all rise together and offer prayers for ourselves … and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation. When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss. Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren. He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks that we have been judged worthy of these gifts. When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: ‘Amen.’ When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the ‘eucharisted’ bread, wine, and water and take them to those who are absent.”
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I give you thanks for the gift of the Liturgy. By your Word of Life, you teach me the path of life and salvation. By your Bread of Life, you nourish me and unite me to yourself, the True Vine, and deepen my communion with my brothers and sisters in the Church. 
Living the Word of God: How am I called today to contend for the faith I have received? How am I handing on the faith to my family, friends, and coworkers? Am I identifying and avoiding errors and false paths?
 
Saturday 8^th Ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Lord, I come to you today to praise and honor you. You are the king of my life, and I thank you for the authority of love you have over me. 
Encountering Christ:
Love and Authority: “By what authority are you doing these things,” the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders asked Jesus. For them, authority meant power and dominion. But for Jesus, authority means a relationship of love, such as between a Father and Son. It is no wonder that Jesus then brought up John’s baptism in response to them. It was through this baptism that “we are reborn as sons of God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213) When we think of God’s authoritative love, let us remember his character: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Catechism of the Catholic Church 210). 
Humility to Listen: This wasn’t the first time that the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders heard Jesus speak, but they just couldn’t realize the truth about who Jesus was. They lacked humility. Jesus’s words can never pierce our hearts if we just hear them. We need the trust, simplicity, and humility to listen so we can arrive at the answer and rejoice at knowing and loving the truth our hearts seek. 
Seeking Answers Elsewhere: Here, we saw the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders talking among themselves, looking for answers when the answer was right in front of them. Sometimes, we do the same thing. When we are confused or distraught, do we lean into our relationship with Jesus and enter into a dialogue with him in our prayer? We know that Jesus is all-knowing and all-powerful and full of love for us, so we can trust that he has the answers to the questions that unsettle our hearts. Why do we ever look elsewhere?
Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to surrender my whole life to you more perfectly. Help me to overcome any sin that separates me from you and allow me to grow in the certainty that you love me.
Resolution: Lord, today, by your grace, I will face any decisions I make by first coming to you interiorly in prayer. 
 
Saturday 8^th Ordinary Time 2022
Opening Prayer: Lord, I come to you today to praise you and to honor you. You are the king of my life and I thank you for the authority of love you have over me. 
Encountering Christ:
Love and Authority: “By what authority are you doing these things,” the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders asked Jesus. For them, authority meant power and dominion. But for Jesus, authority means a relationship of love, such as between a Father and Son. It is no wonder that Jesus then brought up John’s baptism in response to them. It was through this baptism that “we are reborn as sons of God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213) When we think of God’s authoritative love, let us remember his character: merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Catechism of the Catholic Church 210). 
Humility to Listen: This wasn’t the first time that the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders heard Jesus speak, but they just couldn’t realize the truth about who Jesus was. They lacked humility. Jesus’s words can never pierce our hearts if we just hear them. We need the trust, simplicity, and humility to listen so we can arrive at the answer and rejoice at knowing and loving the truth our hearts seek. 
Seeking Answers Elsewhere: Here, we saw the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders talking among themselves, looking for answers when the answer was right in front of them. Sometimes, we do the same thing. When we are confused or distraught, do we lean into our relationship with Jesus and enter into a dialogue with him in our prayer? We know that Jesus is all-knowing and all-powerful and full of love for us, so we can trust that he has the answers to the questions that unsettle our hearts. Why do we ever look elsewhere?
Conversing with Christ: Dear Jesus, help me to surrender my whole life to you more perfectly. Help me to overcome any sin that separates me from you and allow me to grow in the certainty that you love me.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will face any decisions I make by first coming to you interiorly in prayer.