Trong mọi sự, Thiên Chúa là người có những sáng kiến. Chính Chúa là Đấng đă chọn chúng ta. Trong bài Tin Mừng, Chúa Giêsu kêu gọi mỗi mọi người chúng ta hãy trở nên môn đệ đi theo Ngài bằng cách từ bỏ tất cả, bản ngă của chính mình và hãy nhận lấy Thánh giá Chúa ban.
Một sự khác biệt đáng kể là trong thực tế là Thiên Chúa đă phán ra từ đám lửa có hình trái tim cháy cho người Israel; Trong khi Chúa Jêsus đã nói với mỗi trái tim, mỗi tâm hồn riêng biệt của mọi người cúng ta. Qua sức mạnh và quyền năng của Chúa là Thiên Chúa, một dân tộc đă được cứu thoát. Qua việc từ bỏ bản ngă và thế giới của chúng ta như Chúa Giêsu dạy, một trái tim đă được thay đổi, một người sẽ được biến đổi. Do đó, tất cả mọi người được chọn để hợp tác với Đấng Kito, và cả thế giới được Thánh Giá Chúa Kito cứu độ.
Chúng ta có thể bảo vệ lợi ích cá nhân của chúng ta, và sẵn sàng bước ra khỏi cái vỏ ốc an toàn của chúng ta không? Thánh giá của sự cứu rỗi luôn ở trong tầm nhìn của mọi người Kitô hữu. Lạy Chúa Jêsus, xin Chúa ban cho chúng con ân sủng và sự tự do trong nội tâm mà chúng con cần để có thể buông suôi tất cả. Xin cho chúng con đuoc ơn khôn ngoan để chúng con biết rằng cuộc sống của chúng con không phải là của chúng con để tự cứu; nhưng tất cả sự viên mãn đều nằm trong Chúa.
In everything it is God who takes initiatives. It is God who chooses us. In the Gospel Jesus calls each and every person to be a follower by letting go of the self and taking up the cross.\
A significant difference lies in the fact that the Lord God spoke from the heart of the fire to the people; whereas Jesus speaks to each individual heart. Through the power and might of the Lord God, a nation was saved. Through renouncing the self and the world, as Jesus instructs, a heart is changed, a person is converted. Individuals are thus chosen to collaborate with Christ, and the whole world is saved by the Cross. Can we be less protective of our interests, more willing to come out from our comfort zone? The Cross of salvation is always within sight of the Christian.\\Lord Jesus, give me the grace of interior freedom that I need to be able to let go. Give me wisdom to know that my life is not mine to save; all fullness lies in You.
Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
“What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?” Matthew 16:26
Would you like to “gain the whole world?” Many people daydream about becoming exceptionally rich and being able to purchase everything they ever wanted. Others dream of doing heroic acts that thrust them into the public spotlight and lead to public admiration. Still, others dream of having great power in this world and being a person of great importance. Though none of these are bad in and of themselves, the inordinate desire for them will damage your relationship with God. And when one of these desires becomes the dominant and all-consuming desire within, the result is that you forfeit your eternal soul.
When we speak of the “world,” we can understand different things. First, this is a reference to all the material things of this world—for example, the best of food and drink, self-indulgence, fleshly pleasures, material wealth, and all that is temporary and passing in this life. Second, the “world” can refer to pride and desire for attention and praise. This is when we become consumed with concern about what others think and say about us. Third, the “world” can refer to the desire for power so as to insert our own will. At a very high level, this is often the cause of wars among countries. One leader has a desire for domination and control. This desire for power and control can also affect each person within any part of that person’s life, including family, friends, work, social circles, etc.\\
The common thread among all three of these examples of worldly desires is the deception that obtaining more of them will satisfy you. Though they may satisfy you in a temporal and passing way, these desires will also have the effect of destroying your soul. This is because we have to choose. Either we seek to satiate the spiritual yearning of our souls, or we will seek to satiate ourselves with the passing promises of the world. We cannot have both.
It should be noted that obtaining wealth, being publicly praised, or being put in a position of power is not evil in and of itself. In fact, any one of these offers potential for good. The problem arises when a person seeks one of these worldly desires for selfish reasons and under the delusion that it will provide fulfillment. Truth be told, any one of those situations imposes a true cross on the person who is seeking to serve God alone. The responsibility that comes with wealth, prestige, or power is real. Therefore, when one or more of these are obtained, they must be handled with detachment and humility.
For example, if one becomes quite wealthy, the precept to live spiritually detached from material things still remains. Thus, in this case, material wealth poses a certain burden in the form of temptation. While this temptation certainly can be overcome and wealth can be used for good, the danger is real and must be regularly acknowledged. Or, if you are praised by many for something you did, or if you are given much responsibility and authority over others, humility and detachment must also increase so that God and God alone remains the single object of your desire.
Reflect, today, upon your desires. What do you want in life? Do you want to “gain the whole world?” Do you desire to gain even some of the worldly ambitions? If so, be careful. Reflect honestly upon your interior desires and work to purify them so that you desire God’s will alone. Once that happens, it will not matter to you if you are rich or poor, publicly praised or criticized, entrusted with earthly power or not. All that will matter is that you use all for the glory of God, in accord with His perfect and fulfilling will.
Most glorious God, Your will is perfect and is the one and only source of fulfillment in life. Please purify my soul of all desires pertaining only to this world. May my one and only desire in life be the fulfillment of Your holy will so that all I have will only be used for Your glory. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I desire to lose my life and die to myself so as to gain eternal life. I will put off my old self and put on my new self through your Son and in your Spirit. I offer you my life and my deeds, empowered by the grace of your Son.
1. After Peter’s Confession and Rebuke: In the Gospel, Peter just confessed that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of God. However, when Jesus revealed to him that as the Messiah he must suffer and be killed, Peter took Jesus aside and rebuked him. Jesus turned and said to Peter: “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men” (Matthew 16:23). Peter is the Rock when he listens to the voice of the Father, but he becomes a stumbling block when he listens to the lies of Satan. Jesus then tells his disciples that not only will he suffer on the Cross, but that they, as his followers, must also carry their own cross. The way of Christ leads to glory but passes through the Cross. If we renounce our cross and try to hold on to the passing things of this life, we risk losing the gift of eternal life. Throughout his Gospel, Matthew records Jesus’ teaching on this: the kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor in spirit (5:3); we are to lay up treasure in heaven and not here on earth (6:19-21); we are not to be anxious about our life, for our heavenly Father knows all that we need; we should seek first the kingdom and God's righteousness and all the things we need shall be ours (6:25-34); the one who loses his life on behalf of Jesus will find life (10:39); finally, the kingdom of heaven is worth selling all we possess in order to obtain it (13:44-45). Jesus turns the gaze of the Apostles, and our gaze, from the things of earth to the things of heaven. As we look toward heaven, we see that he is the Son of Man who comes with his angels in the glory of the Father. In fact, three of the Apostles will see the glory, dominion, and kingship of the Son of man in Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8).
2. Nahum’s Vision: In the First Reading, we hear the voice of the prophet Nahum, who had a vision of the fall of Nineveh, the capital of the enemy of Israel, Assyria. The fall of Nineveh happened in 612 B.C. It fell to an alliance of the Medes and Babylonians. The fall of Nineveh will be followed by the fall of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. The first chapter of Nahum’s prophetic book deals with the revelation of God to Nineveh and to Judah. The Lord is revealed once again as a jealous God, who is slow to anger and who keeps his wrath for those who oppose him (1:2-3). The Lord is sovereign over all creation (1:3-5); he pursues his enemies into darkness but protects those who take refuge in him (1:6-8). The Assyrians, because they worked against the Lord and his people, will experience God’s wrath. Their lineage and their gods will come to an end: “No more shall your name be perpetuated; from the house of your gods I will cut off the graven image and the molten image. I will make your grave, for you are vile” (Nahum 1:14). By contrast, Judah experiences God’s favor and hears good tidings. During the reign of the good king Josiah, the people of Judah are encouraged to keep and celebrate their feasts and fulfill their vows to the Lord. The Lord promises to restore the vine of Jacob and the pride of Israel.
3. Divine Judgment: According to Isaiah, the Assyrians were the rod of God’s anger and the staff of God’s fury against the Northern kingdom of Israel (Isaiah 10:5). The king of the Assyrians, however, fell into the sin of pride and thought that he alone was the one who conquered. Because of this, the Lord, Isaiah says, “will punish the arrogant boasting of the king of Assyria” (Isaiah 10:12). For his part, “Nahum wanted his people to realize that the Medes and the Babylonians were acting as agents of the Lord’s judgment when they attacked Nineveh. By contrast to the extinction of Assyria, at one time the most imposing of all nations, Judah continues to survive successive waves of invasion and plunder (2:1)” (Duggan, The Consuming Fire, 284). Nahum compares the coming destruction of Nineveh to how the Assyrians treated the Egyptians when they conquered Thebes in 663 B.C. (Nahum 3:8-15). Nahum’s vision sees the Babylonian army laying siege to Nineveh, yet the victor is not Babylon; the one attaining victory is the Lord of hosts (Nahum 2:13). God is a Mighty Warrior fighting on the side of Judah. What Nahum and the other prophets reveal is that the Lord rules over all kingdoms and people; “their fate is in his hands, no less than the fate of Israel and Judah. [...] Whereas Isaiah asserted that God used Assyria to punish his own people, Nahum prophesies that the Lord will use Babylon to punish Assyria. Not only does God use other kingdoms for his purposes with respect to Israel, God uses them to carry out his plans among themselves – true testimony to God’s universal sovereignty” (Leclerc, Introduction to the Prophets, 222).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, one day you will return to judge the world. I know that you will judge me at the moment of my death. As I contemplate that encounter, I ask you to enlighten my mind to know my faults, to move me to contrition and repentance, and to strengthen my will to resist temptation in the future.
Friday 18 Ordinary Time-2023
Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to seek the things that are above. Help me to seek the things that last forever, so that all the things that I do may give you glory and help my brothers and sisters to grow closer to you, who live and reign with Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Petition: Father, give me the courage to take up my cross and follow in the footsteps of your Son
1. Friends of the Cross: There are many Christians that are willing to be friends with Jesus in good times. However, there are very few Christians that are real friends of Jesus, who embrace the cross at all times, even in the bad. Of course, it is never easy to be a friend of the cross, but who wants to be a fair-weather fan of Jesus and his Gospel? Our Christian lives are a constant battle. We should never forget that. We all are tempted to escape from the reality of our situation from time to time. Nevertheless, whoever perseveres until the end will be saved and have a fruitful life. We can’t expect to have a glorious eternity full of celebration and joy if we don’t shed some blood, sweat, and tears here on earth for the sake of Christ and the good of our brothers and sisters.
Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to seek the things that are above. Help me to seek the things that last forever, so that all the things that I do may give you glory and help my brothers and sisters to grow closer to you, who live and reign with Christ, your Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
2. Money Can’t Buy You Love: “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life?” In other words, Jesus is saying that it doesn’t matter how much money you make, or what kind of car you drive, or what kind of clothes you wear, or what type of degree you have. You might spend your whole life trying to earn millions of dollars and amass all sorts of luxuries and securities, but you will have done all this in vain. You will have missed out on the true meaning of life and the real treasure of love. Don’t make the mistake of continually trying to make life easier and more comfortable for yourself. You will only end up being hopelessly miserable and incredibly lonely.
3. Paybacks Are Tough: “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.” Jesus will not let us into heaven just because we say we believe in him. He also makes this clear in other teachings throughout the Gospels. Faith alone is not sufficient to be saved. Even Satan and his devils believe — and shudder (cf. James 2:19). Let us reflect on the words of Saint James for further insight: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:14-17).
Conversation with Christ: I pledge allegiance to the cross and the holy, Catholic Church; and to the Kingdom for which it stands: One Body in Jesus Christ, everlasting life, with forgiveness and freedom from sin.
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần thứ 18 Thường Niên
Nếu chúng ta nghĩ về cuộc đời của người linh mục hay của người tu sĩ (nam hay nữ tu) hay những giáo dân bình thường biết hiến dâng cả cuộc đời mình để phụng vụ Thiên Chúa trong sự thương yêu mọi người thì chúng ta nghĩ chắc rằng những người này sẽ nhận được nhiều phần thưởng tinh thần. Nhưng nếu chúng ta cũng biết quảng đại và phục vụ tha nhân, chúng ta cũng sẽ nhận được những ân Sủng và hồng ân của Thiên Chua.
Một số người trong chúng ta có thể đã tận tụy thực hiện những lời cam kết của họ trong việc dâng mình, dâng cuộc sống của họ cho Chúa rất sớm, và cũng có một số đã đến trễ. Nhưng trong bất cứ ở thời điểm nào trong cuộc sống, dầu chúng ta có hứa những lời cam kết sớm hay muộn thì điều đó cũng không là vấn đề; những vẫn đề ở đây là sự cam kết với cả tâm hồn, sức mạnh và khả năng của mình đó mới là vấn đề cần chú ý.
Thậm chí cho đến ngày nay, chúng ta có thể tìm thấy rất nhiều nhân vật mẫu như; các linh mục, tu sĩ nam hay nữ, ngay cả thành phần giáo dân, một số người bình thường như chúng ta. Sự chú ý, tận tâm săn sóc và phục vụ cho hạnh phúc của người khác chính là động lực giúp cho chúng ta có thể cống hiến thời giờ và tài năng của mình để giúp đỡ cho người khác và cộng đồng của chúng ta.
Trong khi thực hành công việc thường ngày của chúng ta, nếu chúng ta biết phủ nhận quyền tự do riêng của chúng ta, biết dành những khoảng thời gian rảnh rổi để cầu nguyện, là chúng ta như đang chào đón Chúa đến với cuộc sống của chúng ta và cho phép Ngài tự do đến để hướng dẫn và chỉ đạo ý tưởng những hành động của chúng ta.
Có lẽ những gì mà Chúa đang nhắc nhở cho chúng ta qua Tin Mừng hôm nay đó là "sự hy sinh và phục vụ cho những người khác" chúng ta không cần phải tiêu cực, nhưng thay vào đó, nếu chúng ta thật sự cống hiến thời giờ và chính bản thân của chúng ta cho ý muốn của Thiên Chúa một cách hết lòng trong việc phục vụ những người khác, chúng ta có thể tìm thấy sự thỏa mãn, hạnh phúc và bình an trong cuộc sống của chúng ta. Có phải chúng ta đã sẵn sàng để vươn lên với thách thức của Thiên Chúa?
REFLECTION
If we reflect on the life of a priest or a nun or any person who has given his or her life to the service of our Lord, we find plenty of spiritual rewards. Some of these individuals may have made their commitments very early in their lives or some later in their lives. At what point in life the commitment was made does not matter; it is the wholeheartedness of that commitment that matters.
Even today, we can find many role models - priests, nuns, lay religious, some people as common as you and me. Their genuine care for the well-being of other people drives them to dedicate their time and talent to help others and their communities. In fulfilling their tasks, they deny their own freedoms, their free time, but in doing so they welcome our Lord into their lives and allow him to freely direct their ideas and actions. Perhaps what our Lord is reminding us today through the Gospel is that "sacrifice and service for others" need not be negative. Rather, if we give our time and ourselves wholeheartedly to the Lord's will, to serve others, we can find fulfillment, happiness and peace in our lives. Are we ready to rise to God's challenge?
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