Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật thứ 16 Thường Niên- Năm B

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật thứ 16 Thường Niên- Năm B
Sách Thánh liên tục nhắc nhở chúng ta về sự quan tâm yêu thương không ngừng nghỉ của Thiên Chúa đối với con người. Ngài đã tạo dựng ra con người và mọi thứ cho con người được dùng trong cuộc sống. Ngài đã liên tục sai gửi các sứ giả, tiên tri của Ngài đến để chăm sóc và giáo huấn người dân của Ngài. Trong lịch sử cứu độ của Thiên Chúa, Hình ảnh người mục tử hay chăn chiên xuất hiện nhiều lần trong Tân Ước cho chúng ta thấy sự chăm sóc và quan tâm đến con người chúng ta của Thiên Chúa qua Chúa Giêsu.
Chúng ta có những hình ảnh rất phổ biến về Chúa Giêsu, đó là hình ảnh Người chăn chiên tốt lành vác một con chiên con trên vai, hay hình ảnh một Chúa Giêsu tươi cười ngồi dưới gốc cây, với một chú chiên con trên đùi. Hình ảnh người mục tử này hấp dẫn chúng ta vì giúp chúng ta thấy sự dịu dàng và lòng trắc ẩn của Chúa Giêsu. Một người chăn chiên thường đi trước bầy chiên của mình để tìm kiếm lối đi an toàn và đưa chúng đến đồng cỏ xanh tươi mát, với suối nước ngọt ngào. Chiên của Chúa đi theo Ngài, vì chúng nhận ra tiếng của Ngài, và chúng tin tưởng Ngài. Hình ảnh Chúa Giêsu như người Mục Tử Nhân Lành đang trấn an chúng ta vì chính Ngài luôn là chỗ dựa của chúng ta trên hành trình trong cuộc đời này của chúng ta. Mỗi khi chúng ta gặp nỗi khó khăn trên đường đời và phải đối mặt với những vấn đề nghiêm trọng, sự hiện diện của Chúa Giêsu, Người Mục Tử Nhân Lành này sẽ trấn an chúng ta, Ngài sẽ không bao giờ bỏ rơi chúng ta. Và chúng ta biết rằng Chúa Giêsu luôn ở ngay bên cạnh chúng ta, Ngài đang nâng đỡ và giúp chúng ta.
Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta thấy được lòng trắc ẩn và sự hiểu biết nhân bản của Chúa Giêsu đối với con người. Tin Mừng cho chúng ta biết rằng các môn đệ vừa trở về sau một sứ mệnh rao giảng Tin Mừng Cứu rỗi. Họ được sai họ đi và làm những công việc như Chúa đã làm. Các Tông đồ đã bận rộn thực hiện sứ mệnh qua việc chữa lành và công bố Tin Mừng về sự cứu rồi. Họ đã rao truyền Nước Thiên Chúa và mời gọi mọi người ăn năn sám hối, thay đổi cách sống của họ và chuẩn bị cho một nước Thiên Đàng sắp tới. Họ tiếp tục công việc của Chúa là giải phóng con người khỏi quyền lực của bóng tối và sự dữ, xức dầu và chữa lành cho các người bị bệnh tật. Họ đã thực hiệc sứ mệnh với quyền phép của thầy Giêsu, họ đã thực thi những điều mà Chúa Giêsu đã làm trong hai năm qua.
            Qua đoạn tin mừng hôm nay, chúng ta có thể kết luận là các tông tồ đã thành công mỹ mãn trong sứ mệnh mà Chúa đã sai họ đi. Chúa Giêsu đã có ý thực hiện việc rút lui vào sa mạc để cho các tông đồ có khoảng thời gian yên tĩnh để nghỉ ngơi, suy ngẫm và cầu nguyện về những gì họ đã trải qua và những gì họ thực sự đã nhân danh Chúa thực hiện và ‘quyền năng’ của họ thực sự đến từ đâu. Không ai có một sứ mệnh quan trọng và khẩn cấp hơn Chúa Giêsu. Tuy nhiên, Ngài biết rằng những việc quan trọng không thể hoàn thành nếu không có sự bình an trong tâm hồn.
Qua các Tin Mừng cho chúng ta biết rằng vào những buổi sáng sớm, Chúa hay đi cầu nguyện và đôi khi Ngài dành cả đêm để cầu nguyện. Ngài muốn các môn đệ của Ngài cũng có một sự trải nghiệm tương tự. Hôm nay chúng ta thấy các tông đồ có lẽ rất thất vọng vì giây phút nghỉ ngơi của họ đã biến mất khi đám đông người tìm đến Chúa. Có lẽ Chúa Giêsu cũng thất vọng như họ vì chính Ngài đã đưa ra ý tưởng tìm nơi yên tĩnh để nghi ngơi. Thế nhưng, khi nhìn thấy đám đông khổng lồ, Lòng của Chúa tràn đầy trắc ẩn và thương xót họ. Cao điểm của đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay là khi Chúa Giêsu xuống thuyền và nhìn thấy đám đông người đang tập trung tại nơi cập bến. Chúa Giêsu cảm thấy thương xót cho họ, vì Ngài thấy họ đang bơ vơ như bầy chiên không người chăn dắt, như những người không có hướng đi, không có sự hướng dẫn, họ đang khao khát những lời nhẹ nhàng và ý nghĩa cho cuộc sống của họ. Dù mệt mỏi, Chúa Giêsu đã không quản ngại, Ngài đã sẵn sàng ở lại với họ và giảng dạy cho họ. Chúa không lo nghĩ đến phúc lợi cá nhân của mình mà chỉ biết quan tâm đến người khác nhiều hơn. Vì vậy, sự mong muốn của đám đông đã làm đảo lộn kế hoạch của Chúa và các tông đồ.
Hình ảnh của người chăn chiên trong Cựu ước ám chỉ đến Người lãnh đạo trong dân chúng. Người Do thái cổ đại cũng đã dùng chữ người mục tử để ám chỉ về Thiên Chúa. Thiên Chúa là đấng đã sáng tạo con người trong tình yêu. Ngài vẫn tiếp tục tiếp cận với dân riêng của Ngài để chăm sóc họ như một người mục tử tốt lành. Ngài ở đó để bảo vệ họ, dẫn họ đến những đồng cỏ xanh tốt và ở đó khi họ cần. Đó chính là lý do tại sao Chúa Giêsu đã đến thế gian là để thiết lập Nước Thiên Chúa và nắm quyền hướng dẫn dân Ngài.
Nơi Chúa Giêsu, chúng ta có một nhà lãnh đạo thuộc loại độc nhất vô nhị. Ngài là người biết hướng về con người với mối quan tâm của con người, đồng thời với sự hiểu biết của Thiên Chúa. Ngài dẫn dắt mọi người chúng ta bằng cách ở bên cạnh chúng ta và đồng thời thể hiện sự quan tâm và chăm sóc của Ngài.
Để quy tụ mọi người cùng hướng về Thiên Chúa là cha và Nước Trời, Chúa Giêsu đã thánh hiến mạng sống của mình trên thập giá và Ngài mong muốn những môn đệ của Ngài cũng dám hy sinh làm chứng nhân cho Ngài trước thế gian giống như Ngài đã làm. Với cái chết trên thập giá, Chúa Giêsu đã phá vỡ mọi hàng rào cản lối và chia rẽ trong thế giới con người và mở ra một con đường mới cho giáo hội đến với sự cứu rỗi. Ngày nay, qua Giáo Hội, Chúa Giêsu vẫn tiếp tục mời gọi chúng ta hãy lắng nghe tiếng người mục tử tốt lành, biết theo gót chân người loan báo Tin Mừng cứu rỗi và sứ điệp yêu thương của Chúa cho mọi người chúng ta gặp qua trong cuộc sống.
Hôm nay chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện cho Giáo hội Chúa Kitô để chúng ta có thể thực sự dấn thân theo Chúa một cách hiệu quả, có trách nhiệm hơn, có lòng nhân ái đối với tất cả mọi người và thể hiện cuộc sống của chúng ta giống như Chúa Giêsu đã sống. Chúng ta cũng hãy cầu nguyện cho các nhà lãnh đạo trên thế giới, bao gồm các bậc cha mẹ và giáo viên, những người chịu trách nhiệm về nhiều mặt ảnh hưởng đến cuộc sống của những người khác. Chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện cho những nhà lãnh đạo các quốc gia để họ có trách nhiệm lãnh đạo và giúp cho quốc gia của họ mang lại cơm no, áo ấm, hạnh phúc, tự do và những điều tốt đẹp hơn cho mọi người, nhất là những người nghèo khổ, vô gia cư. Chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện cho các nhà lãnh đạo các xí nghiệp, các nhà bào chế và các khoa học gia tìm ra và bao chế các loại thuốc để chống ngừa và tiêu diệt được cơn dịch bệnh đang hoành hành trên thế giới cách riêng cho Việt Nam thân yêu của chúng ta.
 
Sunday 16th Ordinary Time B
In today’s Gospel Mark very strongly brings out the compassion and human understanding of Jesus for man. The Gospel tells us that the disciples had just returned from a missionary journey. Jesus had sent them on a mission and they had been doing the same work as their Master. The Apostles had been busy carrying out their mission and ministry of healing and proclaiming the message of repentance. They had gone to proclaim the kingdom of God and had been inviting people to change their lives and prepare to enter the Kingdom. They were liberating people from the power of the evil one and did the healing by anointing people with oil. They did with the authority of their master, what Jesus had been doing over the past two years. Now, obviously, with some pride, they report back to Jesus all they had done. They would have told him all their activities, the miracles they worked, the healing they did, and the message they had taught. Here, we see their accountability, where the apostles render complete reports to Jesus who had sent them with trust. From the tone of the passage, one could conclude that they have been very successful in their mission. This is an ironic contrast to the experience of Jesus who had just been rejected by the people of his hometown, Nazareth. Nevertheless, the ministry was a challenging one and Jesus realizes the need for the Apostles to step out of the mainstream for a moment and rest.
Mark tells us that Jesus showed great consideration towards the Apostles and suggested that they all go off to a quiet place to be by themselves alone. He invited them to retire to a desert place which in Mark indicates the symbolism of this place was both challenge and grace. One goes to the desert to rest and to be purified. Jesus would have done this withdrawal purposely, to give them some quiet time to reflect and pray on what they had experienced. It is something every person needs to do from time to time. They had worked hard and they deserved total rest to re-energize themselves. Jesus certainly felt they needed to be separated for a while to reflect on what they were really doing and where their ‘power’ really came from. He was so protective of them and so caring for them. No one had a more important and urgent mission than Jesus. Yet he knew that important things cannot be accomplished without peace of mind. Jesus too would have needed that rest for in the absence of the Apostles he was working all alone. He himself was used to spend his time in quiet. The Gospels tell us that in early mornings he went to pray and sometimes he spent the whole night in prayer. He wanted his friends also to have the same experience. While their attempt to escape to a desert place by boat was well-intended, people are portrayed as those who wanted to follow them wherever they went.
The Gospels indicate that people all the time refused to leave them alone and they followed them. Maybe the disciples were highly disappointed as their day of rest had disappeared due to the crowds. Jesus now consoled the disciples and indicated that he too wanted to be with them. Perhaps Jesus, too, was disappointed as it was he who brought the disciples out. After all, the idea of getting away was his. But, seeing the huge crowd, he was filled with compassion for them. When in the Scriptures we see Jesus often surrounded by crowds, we are not fully surprised as he was always a crowd puller, a person so attractive. The crowds and their over-enthusiasm are characteristic of Mark’s storytelling style. The irony throughout the Gospel is that those closest to Jesus do not understand and accept him while the common people and outsiders do. The climax of the passage is when Jesus disembarks from the boat and sees the huge crowd assembled there at the place of landing. When Jesus observes the people awaiting them, he sees them in a very profound way. He saw the crowds as helpless like sheep without a shepherd, people without direction, without guidance, hungry for words of light and meaning in their lives. They had no one to take care of them or protect them. Even though he was tired, Jesus immediately sat down and began to teach them. He was not worried of his personal welfare but cared more for the people. People were eager to listen to him. He spoke to them with an intensity and power that they had never before experienced.
Thus, the desire of the crowds to see Jesus and hear him speak upset their plans. They had reached the place even before they arrived by boat. He could have sent them away but again his human compassion took over. Seeing their eagerness to hear the word of God he lets them stay. The imagery used here is very popular in the Bible namely the imagery of Shepherd. Mark tells of the observation made by Jesus that they were like the sheep without the shepherd. They were the persons who needed someone to take care of them, someone to teach them about God’s love and concern. This imagery of shepherd in the Old Testament referred to the Leader of the people. The ancient Hebrews applied the metaphor of the shepherd also to God. God the creator in his love continues to reach out to his people to care for them like the good shepherd. He is there to protect them, lead them to good pastures and be there in their needs. The very reason why Jesus came to the earth was to establish the Kingdom of God and assume Leadership.
Today’s Gospel picture gives joy to anyone who considers the measure of leadership to be popular. Generally, a leader is considered as one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. In the ordinary world, the type of leadership varies depending on the situation, be it political, military, institutional, or sports. In Jesus, we have a leader of a unique type. He was a person who was people-oriented with human concern at the same time with divine understanding. He leads people by being with them and at the same time shows the way through his care and concern. Mark tells us that people were going and coming constantly and they had no time for anything even to eat. For Jesus, the religious leader’s life is a series of goings from the presence of people to the presence of God and back again. But he knew that there are dangers in each of the alternatives. One can spend too much time in the activities of people and thus gradually lose the vision of God.
No matter what idea we have about a good leader we will see the total application of it in Jesus. To bring together people he gave his life on the cross and he asked his disciples to sacrifice themselves just like he did. By dying on the cross, he broke all barriers and divisions in the world and opened a new way for the church. Today the church is called upon to live this call to leadership and proclaim the message of love and service to all. Hence Jesus told his disciples that with him the leadership is combined with service and he washed the feet of his disciples to prove the type of leadership he practiced. We need to pray that our Church today may be truly effective, responsible, and compassionate to all and show leadership like Jesus. At the same time, we need also to pray for other leaders in the world, including parents and teachers who are in many ways responsible for influencing the lives of others. There are political leaders who have the responsibility to lead the people to achieve a greater good. The Lord is our Good Shepherd who wishes to lead us on the right path.
It was a joyous occasion. Every member of the family and a host of special friends had gathered on the lawns of the bungalow to celebrate the parents’ wedding anniversary. As would be expected, the mother had brought out her best crockery, reserved only for occasions such as these. There was a tray full of used teacups, made of fine China with exquisite designs on them, lying on a side table. The mother signaled one of her daughters and requested her to carry it over to the kitchen. The daughter immediately obliged, but in her hurry to get the job done, she missed a step while entering the house. The crockery spilled over the tray and crashed on the floor. The girl was stunned. Her mother would kill her now, she thought, shaking with nervousness. There were tears in her eyes as she quickly collected the broken bits into the tray and went to the kitchen. Though terrified, she decided that she had to tell her mother. Putting on a brave front she went up to her mother and confessed how she had broken the treasured crockery. To her utter surprise, her mother remained calm. With a reassuring smile on her face, she simply asked, “Are you hurt?” When she replied she wasn’t, the mother said, “Then I’m not worried, dear. I can replace the crockery, but I can’t replace you!” (Fr Eugene Lobo S.J. Bangalore, India)
 
Sunday 16th Ordinary Time B 2024
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34
Both Jesus and the Twelve Apostles had been working very hard. The Twelve had been out on mission to many of the neighboring towns preaching, healing the sick and casting out demons. Upon the completion of their mission, they returned to Jesus and reported all that they had done. Jesus, in turn, invited them to “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” But the crowds heard about their departure by boat and quickly went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee so that they would arrive before Jesus and the Twelve.
The passage quoted above reveals the internal reaction that Jesus had toward the crowds as He and the Twelve disembarked from the boat. Though they had attempted to go away together to a quiet place for rest, the crowds were intent on being with them. Jesus, of course, was not upset that the crowds had spoiled His attempt to find some quiet time with the Twelve. Instead, His heart was moved with compassion. He could see that the people were hungry for more and were “like sheep without a shepherd.” For that reason, Jesus immediately began to feed them with His teachings.
A helpful point to ponder in this passage is that the people who gathered were described as a “vast crowd.” From the subsequent passage in Mark’s Gospel, we learn that when Jesus finished teaching them many things, He performed the miracle of the multiplication of fish and bread and fed 5,000 men, not counting the women and children. Given the fact that the estimated ratio at that time of adult men to women and children was at least 5:1, the crowd could have been as large as 25,000 people. For a spontaneous gathering of people in a remote area by the Sea of Galilee, that is a huge number. This is especially the case, since it is estimated that there were only about 1,500 people living in Capernaum at that time. People had flocked to our Lord from very far away.
This vast and spontaneous gathering reveals to us the hunger that Jesus instilled in the hearts of very many people. Some of these people had already heard Jesus speak and had witnessed His miracles. Others were those to whom the Twelve had just preached in the surrounding villages. The Twelve had spoken clearly and convincingly by the power of the Holy Spirit about Jesus, and many people responded, wanting to know more about our Lord.
As you ponder the enthusiasm of so many people, try to compare that with your own enthusiasm for Jesus. Are you driven to seek Him out with the same passion and zeal that consumed these first followers? Or do you find that your zeal and enthusiasm are lacking at times? This vast crowd, with their zeal and determination to seek out our Lord, should be a source of inspiration and self-examination for us all.
Reflect, today, upon this vast crowd. Try to see yourself joining them. Ponder yourself being so moved by the preaching of the Apostles that you become single-focused in your determination to be fed by Jesus’ holy teaching. If it is hard to imagine yourself acting this way, then humbly acknowledge that you may need more zeal for Jesus in your life. Pray that these holy desires become stirred up within you, and do all that you can to foster such zeal.
My compassionate Lord, the vast crowds sought You out to listen to You and to be fed by Your holy Word. They burned with a desire to be with You, and You responded to them with great mercy. Please fill my heart with the same zeal and desire for You. Teach me, Lord, feed me and draw me close to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Sunday 16th Ordinary Time B 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you have taught me many things. My life has meaning because I know that I am called to share in your divine life. My life does not end in the grave. I will encounter you and ask that you be merciful to me on the day of judgment.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Come Away To a Deserted Place: In the Gospel, Jesus manifests his deep concern for the well-being of his apostles. They were sent out two by two on mission and ministered throughout Galilee. They preached about the Kingdom, invited people to repent, cast out demons, and healed the sick by anointing them with oil. They met with both acceptance and rejection. Naturally, they were tired and exhausted and in need of rest. But Jesus also wanted them to go to a deserted place, away from the crowds, so that they would not get too prideful about their successful ministry. There are also times in our lives when we need to break from our day-to-day lives. We need time to reflect, to pray, and to strengthen our resolve to follow Jesus.
2. Jesus’ Heart: Jesus is concerned for his apostles, but also for the crowds who hunger for his words and healing touch. Jesus sees that the people lack a Good Shepherd. They have been hurt by the religious authorities like the scribes, priests, and Pharisees who, instead of guiding them to God, have exploited them. “As shepherdless sheep are likely to scatter, get lost, and quickly become vulnerable to predatory beasts, so when leadership fails, God’s people are likely to stray from fidelity to him and become prey to their enemies. After Israel had experienced centuries of incompetent, self-seeking, and corrupt leadership (as exemplified by Herod Antipas), there was a growing recognition that ultimately only God himself can adequately guide his people and provide for their needs” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 125). The people who went after Jesus longed for his message, a message of mercy, love, forgiveness, peace, purity of heart, joy, sacrifice, suffering, and repentance.
3. God Saved Us: Last Sunday, we read from the first chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. We learned that our salvation was planned by the Father from all eternity, was fulfilled in his Son, and is bestowed on us through baptism and the Spirit. This Sunday we read a section from the second chapter. Ephesians 2 begins by explaining how God saved us from spiritual death, the world, the flesh, and the devil and raised us up to heaven as an act of pure grace through our union with Christ (Williamson, Ephesians, 105). In our Second Reading (2:13-18), Paul proposes that Christ’s death eliminated the causes of division between Jew and Gentile and united both to God. One cause of division was the Law of Moses. What Paul proclaims is that our covenant relationship to God no longer depends on the observance of the old Law of Moses. The relationship of both Jews and Gentiles to God is founded on the New Covenant in Christ’s blood (Williamson, Ephesians, 73). The Old Law of Moses, which divided humanity, has been brought to fulfillment and its perfection in the New Law of Christ, which unites humanity. “Just as Jesus’ death on the cross eliminated the estrangement between Jews and Gentiles and between God and the human race, his resurrection brought both Jews and Gentiles into an intimate relationship with the Father through the Holy Spirit” (Williamson, Ephesians, 76). Through the Son, we all have access in the Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). Gentile and Jewish believers have been united in one body, reconciled with God, and built into a spiritual temple (Williamson, Ephesians, 105).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are always ready to serve your people. You are not selfish in any way but have given your life as a ransom for many. You died for my sins and have redeemed me. I want to offer my life too and be a servant of those I encounter.
Living the Word of God: How can I better listen to and welcome Jesus’ teaching and be an agent of unity within my community? Do I understand the ideologies that divide people? How can I have a heart like Jesus that is moved to pity?