Suy niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ 16 Thường Niên

Suy niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần thứ 16 Thường Niên
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta thấy Thiên Chúa giống như một người nông dân tốt và đại lượng, người mà đã quá cao thượng và hiểu biết nhiều trong lĩnh vực gieo trồng trên đất ruộng của mình, Ngài đã không tiếc bất cứ điều gì để cứu chuộc con người; Ngài đã trao phó tất cả mọi thứ trong tay Chúa Giêsu,  Người đã được ví như hạt giống được gieo vào đất tốt (cái chết và sự chôn lấp), với sự phục sinh lành thánh của Ngài, đã trở thành cuộc sống và sự sống lại của chúng ta.
            Thiên Chúa là một người nông dân biết cách chờ đợi, Thời gian thuộc về Thiên Chúa Cha, vì Ngài là người duy nhất biết được về ngày giờ (Mc 13:32) của những vụ thu hoạch, gặt hái mùa màng. Thiên Chúa cũng đang chờ đợi, và chúng ta cũng phải chờ đợi khi những hy vọng của chúng ta đã được thiết kế trong ơn cứu độ của Thiên Chúa., như thánh Giacôbê đã nói: “ Kìa xem nhà nông, họ kiên nhẫn chờ đợi cho đất trổ hoa sinh trái với hoa màu quý giá: họ phải đợi cả mưa đầu mùa lẫn mưa cuối mùa” (Giacôbê 5: 7). Thiên Chúa chờ đợi mùa gặt hái trong sự phát triển của những cây Ngài đã trồng trong ân sủng của Người. Và chúng ta cũng phải gắn liền với cuộc sống tâm linh của chúng ta; Bằng những ân sủng của Thiên Chúa chúng ta cũng phải cộng tác với Ngài bằng cách cho Ngài hợp tác với chúng ta và không nên chống lại tất cả tác động biến đổi này của Thiên Chúa.
            Một khi chúng ta mở lòng với Lời Chúa, chúng ta sẽ phát triển kiến thức và sự hiểu biết như những hạt giống phát triển đất vùng đất tốt mầu mỡ. Nếu chúng ta cứng lòng với những gì Thiên Chúa đã hy vọng cho chúng ta, Thì chúng ta cũng giống như hạt giống rơi trên mảnh đất khô cằn mà hạt giống sẽ không phát triển được. Chẳng có gì xảy ra, khi lòng trí và tâm hồn của chúng ta khép kín và từ chối chấp nhận lời Chúa, chúng ta cũng gống người lười biếng không chịu rời khỏi phòng của mình để xem xét hay quan sát những điều gì khác mới mẻ. Khi chúng ta biết mở rộng tầm nhìn của chúng ta, chúng ta chắc chắn sẽ được mở mang và trở thành một phần của cái gì đó lớn hơn chính bản thân của mình.
            Lạy Chúa, Chúa rất nhân từ và rộng rãi với chúng con, Chúa muốn chia sẻ cuộc sống của Ngài và tình yêu của Ngài trong mọi việc chúng con làm. Xin Chúa tiếp tục ban xuống những ơn phúc của Ngài cho chúng con.
 
REFLECTION 16^th Ordinary Time
Once we open ourselves to the Word of God, we will grow in knowledge and understanding like the seed growing infertile soil. If we harden our hearts to what God hopes for us, then like seed in parched land that seed will not grow. Nothing happens. When we close our minds and refuse to accept His word, we do not leave room to consider anything else. When we widen our vision, we become part of something bigger than ourselves.
Our Lord is so generous to us. He continually showers His blessings upon us. He wants to share His life and His love in everything that we do. It is a continuous experience of birth and rebirth. We are made whole and new all over again.
 
Friday 16^th Ordinary Time 2023
“The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” Matthew 13:22–23
Today, Jesus clarifies for His disciples the meaning of His parable told to the crowds. He explains the meaning of the seed sown on the path, on the rocky ground, among the thorns and on the rich soil. Quoted above are the last two of those explanations. When we look carefully at the meaning of the seed sown into the rich soil, we see that these are those who hear, understand and bear fruit. And the fruit that is born is in varying degrees. One thing that this parable tells us is that hearing and even understanding the Word of God is not enough. There are many temptations we will face that will hinder God’s Word in our lives. Let’s briefly consider each.
First, there are many people who have been blessed to hear the Word of God. There are many who have been to religious education classes, have been taught by parents and others, have attended Church services but have failed to allow what they have heard to penetrate deeply to the point that they understand. To hear the Word of God is very different from understanding the Word of God. One reason for this is that the pure Word of God, when heard and understood, challenges us to the core of our being. If one truly understands God’s Word, then that person cannot remain indifferent. They must change. And they must change in a complete way. Failure to do so means that it is impossible for good fruit to be born in their life to the degree God wants.
But understanding and changing is not even enough. This is because the enemies of our soul, traditionally spoken of as the world, the flesh, and the devil, will powerfully attack any person who receives the Word of God and decides to abide by that Word. For example, if you were to fully accept the teachings of Jesus regarding forgiveness of others, as soon as you make the choice to forgive, there would most likely be numerous temptations to abandon that practice. Pride, anger, hurt, the lies of the evil one and the world will all try to deter you from an act of complete forgiveness of others. Or take, for example, the call to live completely detached from “riches.” Jesus’ teachings on true spiritual poverty versus true spiritual riches require a depth of conversion that is difficult to obtain. Thus, the “lure of riches” is very hard to overcome.
In the end, if your soul is truly fertile ground and if you allow the most pure and complete teaching of the Gospel to penetrate your soul so as to change you in every way God wants to change you, then this means that you have overcome each and every temptation thrown at you. You have rejected the temptations that come from greed, pride, anger and the like. You have embraced humility, rejected worldly esteem, dismissed anxiety and worry and are directed only by the powerful, gentle, holy, and clear Voice of God in your life. This requires much prayer, much interior purification, total dedication and unwavering obedience to the Word of God spoken to you both through the Gospels and in the depths of your conscience. And even among those who achieve this level of holiness, the fruit born in their lives is dependent upon how fully and habitually they live by the guiding Word of God.
Reflect, today, upon this high calling from our Lord. Achieving the goal of having exceptionally rich soil in your heart for the Word of God requires unyielding commitment and determination. There are numerous temptations that will fight against the creation of a fertile heart. Try to look at your own heart today. Be honest. How fertile is it? Does the Word of God grow there? And if so, does it grow to superabundance? Commit yourself to the goal of becoming that rich soil in which the Word of God is sown that not only bears good fruit but bears good fruit that is a hundredfold.
My demanding Lord, You desire that every soul of every person You have created become the most pure and most fertile ground in which the seed of Your Word can grow and produce fruit in superabundance. Please help me to commit myself to this radical depth of holiness, dear Lord. My life is Yours. Please purify me, change me, mold me and produce in me an abundance of good fruit. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday 16^th Ordinary Time 2024 Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you prepared a holy family for the Mother of your Son. They raised your Immaculate daughter with love and tenderness and encouraged her on the path of holiness and righteousness. Be with me today and guide my steps.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Immaculate Conception: Today we celebrate the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They were chosen by God to conceive and raise the mother of his only-begotten Son. As grandparents of our Savior and the parents of the Mother of our Redeemer, they were participants in the great mystery of our salvation. The child whom they conceived, Mary, was preserved from the stain of original sin and was redeemed from the moment of her conception. Today we venerate, Anne, the one chosen by God from all eternity to conceive Mary, who is the Immaculate Conception. Joachim and Anne educated and raised Mary and introduced her to God’s Word, the Word that she responded to generously each day and that one day she would conceive by the Holy Spirit. In fact, the home of Joachim and Anne in Nazareth was most likely the place of the Incarnation. In this way, they too welcomed God’s Word in their hearts and in their home.
2. The Descendants of God’s Faithful Ones: The First Reading, chosen for today’s memorial, draws our attention to the covenant that God made with the ancestors of Israel. Through this covenant, the family of the godly men of Israel endures. Their fidelity and virtues have not been forgotten. God fulfills the promises made to Abraham, the covenant he made with Israel through Moses his servant, and the covenant he made with David, his chosen one, through Joachim and Anne. It is not easy to sort through all the different stories that have come down to us about the early life of Mary and her parents. Some of the writings we have about Joachim and Anne attempt to give Mary both a kingly genealogy (through Joachim, a descendant of David) and a priestly genealogy (through Anne of the tribe of Levi). This is because the promised Messiah is both priest and king. In any case, the first reading speaks about how the descendants of God's faithful ones will endure, how their glory will never be blotted out, how their name lives on and on, and how they are praised in the assembly long after they pass away. All of this applies to Joachim and Anne. On the one hand, their descendants – Mary, the New Eve, and Jesus, the New Adam – endure. We form part of that new humanity redeemed in Christ. On the other hand, even today we sing their praises in the liturgical assembly.
3. Blessed are Your Eyes: The Psalm today focuses our attention on the covenant promise that God swore to King David, the promise that one of David's descendants would reign without end: “I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will not take my merciful love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom for ever and his throne shall be established for ever” (1 Chronicles 17:11-14). The history of Israel saw the kingdom divided and sent into exile. God, though, is faithful to his promise: Jesus Christ is the son of David and the grandson of Joachim and Anne; his kingdom is without end. It is possible that Joachim and Anne saw Jesus for the first time when the Holy Family returned to Nazareth from Egypt. We can read the Gospel in this light. Their eyes were blessed because they saw the child Jesus, the Son of God. They probably didn’t hear him preach the Gospel of the Kingdom during his public ministry, but they might have heard some of the words of Jesus’ hidden life. And when they heard him, they were amazed at his understanding and his answers to their questions. They saw and heard what the prophets and righteous people of Israel longed to see and hear. In particular, they saw Jesus atone for our disobedience by his submission to Mary and Joseph (CCC, 517). It is possible that in Nazareth they saw the child Jesus grow in wisdom and strength, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you were blessed to have holy grandparents in the figures of Joachim and Anne. Help me appreciate the wisdom, kindness, and love of the elderly. Teach me to be humble so that I may learn from them and imitate their good example.
Living the Word of God: Today, let us praise God’s faithful and merciful love, for he fulfilled his promises and, through Joachim and Anne, prepared mankind to receive Mary, the Immaculate Conception. Today, let us venerate Joachim and Anne, for their fidelity to God and for the way they raised Mary, our Mother. They are models of kindness, love, and joy for grandparents everywhere. In heaven, they intercede for us so that we may attain the salvation God promised to his people (Collect). Like grandparents waiting for the visit of their children and grandchildren, they are eager to welcome us to our heavenly home.
 
Friday 16^th Ordinary Time 2023
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, open my heart so that I might receive your Word and hear it in a new way today. Come Holy Spirit, help me learn what you want to teach me through this parable.
Encountering Christ:
1. Learn Something New: We may have heard this parable many times, but God is speaking to us anew each time we hear it. We can ask God what he is trying to reveal to us today, at this very moment. Praying with Scripture changes our hearts: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). How is the Holy Spirit calling me to deeper conversion by hearing Jesus explain this Gospel? How can I increase my love of God and my neighbor by praying with this parable today?
2. Our Faith Journey: After reading this parable, we might be tempted to think, “I’m so glad that I have good soil. Mission accomplished!” Not so fast, though. Most of us have been through all the stages of the path in the parable. Our hearts were once on the path of ignorance and did not understand what God was teaching us through his Word. Our hearts have had rocky soil when we have questioned our faith or fallen away during a time of trial. We have dealt with the weeds and thorns of our own distractions and anxieties, which can choke out the fruits of our good works. Our Lord asks us to reflect once again on the state of our soil and, by the light of the Holy Spirit, to repent and be converted.
3. Bear One Another’s Burdens: Remembering our own faith journey helps us to be more compassionate when we notice others struggling with rocks, weeds, and thorns. It’s our Christian duty to help one another: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). When we encounter someone who questions his or her faith–be it because of a persecution, a trial, or worldly distractions, or anxieties–simply sharing our Christ-filled presence and compassion may be enough to help that person remove the obstacle that is keeping him or her from bearing fruit.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, till the soil in my heart and help me to bear good fruit for you, fruit that will last (John 15:16). Help me to recall my own faith journey and give me the grace to draw from my experiences when it can help others grow and flourish in their lives of faith.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace, I will look for an opportunity to bear the burdens of someone close to me. I will listen with compassion, praying silently as he or she speaks.