Suy Niệm bài đọc ngày thứ 6 trong mùa Bát Nhật Giáng Sinh. Dec 30 2019

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng (thứ Hai Ngày 30/12 2024) trong Tuần Bát Nhật Giáng Sinh

Chúng ta  có hy vọng gì? Niềm hy vọng với Thiên Chúa trong trái tim của chúng ta là sự ham muốn Nước Trời và sự sống đời đời là hạnh phúc của chúng ta. Niềm htrong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Bà là nổi tiếng về lòng đạo đức, bà là một người phụ nữ có niềm hy vọng to lớn là đặt kỳ vọng tất cả vào Thiên Chúa và Ngài sẽ thực hiện tất cả những lời hứa của Ngài. Với ơn Thánh Thần, bà đã sống hàng ngày trong đền thánh Chúa, bà cầu nguyện ngày đêm và nói tiên tri cho những người khác biết về lời hứa của Thiên Chúa là Ngài sẽ đem đến cho nhân loại một đấng cứu chuộc. Bà là một mô hình của sự tin kính cho tất cả chúng ta, khi chúng ta lớn lên và thăng tiến theo độ tuổi.
            Tuổi tác và sự thất vọng trong cuộc sống có thể làm cho chúng ta dễ dàng hoài nghi và thất vọng nếu như chúng ta không có niềm hy vọng của chúng ta được đặt đúng chỗ và có niềm tin, hy vọng một cách đúng đắn. Niềm Hy vọng của bà Anna trong Thiên Chúa và những lời hứa của Ngài lớn lên với tuổi già của bà! Bà không bao giờ nản chí và ngừng thờ phượng Thiên Chúa trong đức tin và sự cầu nguyện trong niềm hy vọng. Hy vọng và niềm tin vào những lời hứa của Thiên Chúa thúc đẩy sự nhiệt tình, sự bất khuất của bà và sự nhiệt tình trong lời cầu nguyện và phục vụ dân Chúa. Làm thế nào để chúng ta có thể được sống và trưởng thành trong niềm hy vọng? Bằng cách đặt niềm tin của chúng ta vào những lời hứa của Chúa Giêsu Kitô và không nhờ vào sức riêng của mình, nhưng dựa trên những ân sủng và sự giúp đỡ của Chúa Thánh Thần. Chúng ta có đặt hy vọng và sự nhiệt tình của chúng ta nơi Thiên Chúa khi chúng ta lớn lên và trưởng thành theo tuổi tác của của ta?
"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin đừng để chúng con bao giờ ngừng hy vọng nơi Chúa và ngừng tin tưởng vào những lời hứa của Chúa. Xin đốt lên ngọn lửa tình yêu và làm hâm nóng nhiệt huyết của chúng con cho Nước Chúa và gia tăng tình yêu của Chúng con dành cho việc cầu nguyện, để chúng con có thể không bao giờ ngừng chúc tụng,  khen ngợi và thờ phượng Chúa.
 
Meditation The 6^th day in the Octave of Christmas
What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness. Hope grows with prayer and perseverance. Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his promises. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she was found daily in the house of the Lord, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about the Lord's promise to send a redeemer. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age.
Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope placed rightly. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age! She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people.
How do we grow in hope? By placing our trust in the promises of Jesus Christ and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace and help of the Holy Spirit. Does your hope and fervor for God grow with age?
"Lord Jesus, may I never cease to hope in you and to trust in your promises. Inflame my zeal for your kingdom and increase my love for prayer that I may never cease to give you praise and worship".
A people who have walked in darkness, have seen a great light. Anna, like Simeon, was also part of that people shrouded in darkness; but her faith in the faithfulness of God, prepared Anna for her encounter with her salvation in the person of the child Jesus. Disciplined by prayer and vigil, on seeing Jesus she immediately began to give thanks to God, who was faithful to his covenant and sent the messiah to those “looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Anna was at peace on seeing the child Jesus, on seeing her “Christmas.” How peaceful are we after experiencing our “Christmas” yet again? Christmas is about the birth of a child, so we live and walk in hope, hopeful of the future. Christmas is about the birth of a child who is at once eternal and new, divine and human. Christmas is about the quest for truth and for goodness; the quest to quiet one's inner fears; the quest to find the secret for living authentic human lives. Look to the Christ child, growing strong, increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. This child holds the answers to your deepest desires and needs.
Christmas is a season for one’s personal hopes to be reborn and re-energized as we commemorate again and afresh, the coming of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice.”
 
Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas, December 30
There was a prophetess, Anna…She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.  Luke 2:36–38
We all have a unique and sacred calling given to us from God. Each one of us is called to fulfill that calling with generosity and wholehearted commitment. As the famous prayer of Saint John Henry Newman puts it:
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons…
Anna, the prophetess, was given a very unique, one-of-a-kind mission. When she was young, she was married for seven years. Then after losing her husband, she remained a widow until she was eighty-four. During those decades of her life, the Scripture reveals that “She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” What an incredible calling from God!
Anna’s unique calling was to be a prophetess. She fulfilled this calling by allowing her whole life to be a symbol of the Christian vocation. Her life was spent in prayer, fasting and, most especially, in anticipation. God called her to wait, year after year, decade after decade, for the one and definitive moment of her life: her encounter with the Christ Child in the Temple.
Anna’s prophetic life tells us that we each must live our lives in such a way that our ultimate goal is to continually prepare for the moment when we meet our divine Lord in the Temple of Heaven. Unlike Anna, most are not called to literal fasting and prayer every day all day within the church buildings. But like Anna, we must all foster an interior life of ongoing prayer and penance, and we must direct all of our actions in life to the praise and glory of God and the salvation of our souls. Though the way this universal vocation is lived out will be unique to each and every person, Anna’s life is nonetheless a symbolic prophecy of every vocation.
Reflect, today, upon how well you imitate this holy woman in your own life. Do you foster an interior life of prayer and penance and daily seek to devote yourself to the glory of God and the salvation of your soul? Evaluate your life this day in light of the wonderful prophetic life of Anna that we are given to ponder.
Lord, I thank You for the powerful witness of the prophetess Anna. May her lifelong devotion to You, a life of continual prayer and sacrifice, be a model and inspiration for me and for all who follow You. I pray that You daily reveal to me the unique way in which I am called to live out my vocation to total dedication to You. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
The 6^th day in the Octave of Christmas 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, fill me with your Spirit so that I may testify to your love and the love of your Son in this world. I am a prophet by my baptism, and only with your grace can I live out my prophetic vocation.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Symbolism of the Prophetess Anna’s Age: In the Gospel, we meet Anna, an elderly prophetess from the ancient northern tribe of Asher. Luke gives special attention to her age, 84, which has the symbolic meaning of 7 (perfection) times 12 (the number of tribes of Israel). She was likely married at 14, lived with her husband for 7 years until she was 21, and has been a widow for the last 63 years. While Mary represents Israel as a virgin mother, Anna represents Israel as a suffering widow. The three stages of Anna’s life parallel three stages in Israel’s history. The years of her youth refer to the time of preparation for the kingdom of Israel. The 7 years of her marriage refer to the time of the Davidic kings, who acted as royal husbands. The long years of widowhood indicate the time of Israel’s and Judah’s exile and the time of waiting for the restoration of the kingdom. Anna is now 84, and this indicates that Israel’s story is being brought to fulfillment and that the prophecies, like those of Isaiah, are being fulfilled: “The reproach of your widowhood no longer remember. For your husband is your Maker; the Lord of hosts is his name, Your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 54:4-5; see 62:4-5, 12). “Isaiah is portraying the Lord God as Israel’s bridegroom redeemer – that is, the kinsman who redeems a childless widow by marrying her (see Ruth 4:5-6, 14)” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 72). Anna’s story is coupled with that of Simeon, who, like her, was waiting for God to bring about the “consolation of Israel” and the “redemption of Jerusalem.” Anna and Simeon represent the prophets, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, communicated God’s Word to the people of Israel. Anna and Simeon both pointed to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, Consoler, Savior, Bridegroom, and Redeemer of Israel.
2. Kings: The opening two chapters of Luke’s Gospel – which we frequently read from and meditate on during Advent and Christmas – not only show how Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament but also that Jesus was the true king. Herod the Great was the King of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 1:5). But he was just a puppet king appointed by the Roman Senate in 40 B.C. Herod forcibly took control of Jerusalem in 37 B.C. when he defeated the Hasmonean king and high priest Antigonus II. Herod, though, was not the true king of Israel. He was not a royal descendant of David, and he only reigned as a client-king of Caesar Augustus. In his Gospel, Luke subtly takes all the titles that Caesar Augustus claimed to have and gives them to Jesus, the real and true King of the entire universe. Caesar Augustus claimed to be the son of a god and the savior of the world and exercised his authority by decreeing an enrollment or census of the entire world (Luke 2:1). Jesus, by contrast, is truly the Son of God and Savior. He is Lord over all creation. And as our true king, Jesus isn’t interested in extending his empire through military conquests or increasing his wealth through taxation. He doesn’t need a census to know us, for, as our good shepherd, he knows each one of us by name. Jesus wants to reign in our hearts and in our society and extend his justice, peace, charity, and mercy to all humanity.
3. Priests: Luke’s narrative about the births of John and Jesus also focuses on the priesthood and the Temple. Earlier, we learned about Zechariah and his encounter with Gabriel in the Temple. The old priesthood was coming to an end, and a new priesthood would be inaugurated by Jesus. The Holy of Holies of the old Temple was empty when Zechariah burned incense for the evening sacrifice. The old Ark of the Covenant was not there. And so, when Luke tells the story of Mary traveling from Galilee to the hill country of Judah and then later to Jerusalem, he points to her as the new Ark of the Covenant, who had in her womb the Word of God, the Bread of Life, and the eternal High Priest. The story of Jesus’ birth, then, highlights how the ancient prophecies are fulfilled and how we are called to be prophets in the world by announcing the salvation that Jesus brings. It highlights how Jesus is Lord of all and how we are called to share in Jesus’ royal office by extending the Kingdom of God throughout the world. Finally, it highlights the new priesthood inaugurated by Jesus and how we are called to offer ourselves to God as a pleasing sacrifice.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the faithful and merciful High Priest, who intercedes for me at the Father’s right hand. As the Word of God, you are the Prophet who is greater than Moses. You are the King, who reigns forever at the right hand of the Father.
 
Suy Niệm bài đọc ngày thứ 6 trong mùa Bát Nhật Giáng Sinh. Dec 30 2019
     Linh hồn có ba kẻ thù: xác thịt, thế gian và Satan. Theo Thánh Gioan trong bài đọc thứ nhất xác định là xác thịt là thân thể thiêng liêng, khi chúng ta bị chi phối bởi những sự ham muốn trần thế như: khao khát dục vọng, chúng ta trở thành nô lệ cho tình dục, cho sự ăn uống, rượu chè, ma túy và thậm chí còn cả bạo lực. Thế giới có rất nhiều thứ để cám dỗ và dẫn dụ chúng ta như tiền của, quyền lực, uy tín, vinh dự, và lời khen ngợi ... Những điều này sẽ đem lại cho chúng ta một cuộc sống hạnh phúc giả tạo dựa trên những lời dụ dỗ này. Sự nhận dạng của chúng ta sẽ được xuất phát từ những gì nơi chúng ta có và không phải là do bản tính con cái của Thiên Chúa nữa.
Thánh Gioan khuyên bảo chúng ta không nên yêu thương cái thế giới vật chất mau qua hay hư mất bởi vì. “thế gian đang qua đi và đam mê của nó; còn kẻ làm theo ý Thiên Chúa thì lưu tồn vạn đại.” 1 Jn 2:17.  Cái chết thì không thể tránh khỏi, tất cả chúng ta sẽ ra đi rời bỏ thế giới này một cách trần truồng. Vì vậy, chúng ta phải có sự phân biệt đúng đắn về những gì là thiện hay là ác vì chúng ta rất dễ dàng rơi vào sự lừa dối của quỷ dữ Satan. Vì Satan luôn luôn cố gắng đưa đẩy chúng ta đến với những thú vui xác thịt và cám dỗ chúng ta với những sự hấp dẫn của trần thế. Và khi chúng ta bị lún sâu trong sự cám dỗ của chúng, chúng sẽ lấy đi niềm hy vọng nơi chúng ta và đưa dẫn chúng ta đến những nỗi buồn rầu và tuyệt vọng.
Khi cuộc sống không còn có ý nghĩa, con người rất dễ tìm đến sự tự huỷ diệt thân xác chính mình. Để chống lại sự cám dỗ của ma quỷ, chúng ta phải mặc áo giáp của Thiên Chúa; sự thật sẽ là cái dây đai của chúng ta, là sự an toàn của áo giáp, sự háo hức để truyền bá phúc âm như là giày dép, và chiếc mũ bảo hiểm của chúng ta là sự cứu rỗi của Thiên Chúa và Lời của Chúa là thanh gươm sắc của chúng ta.
Tại sao chúng ta lại phải cần đến những vũ khí này? Bởi vì một năm mới đang đến. Chúng ta sẽ kết thúc một năm với pháo hoa và sự đam mê. Để rồi, khi tất cả những điều vui và hoan lạc đã kết thúc, chúng ta phải trở lại với thực tế, với những công việc hàng ngày, những món nợ cần phải trả, những khoàn chi cho gia đình... Chúng ta sẽ cần phải có những món vũ khí tinh thần đó để chiến đấu với kẻ thù của linh hồn chúng ta.
 
REFLECTION The 6^th day in the Octave of Christmas
     The soul has three enemies – the flesh, the world and Satan. St. John, in the first reading defines flesh as the sensual body, when we are governed by unrestrained desires, passions or sensual appetites, we become slaves to sex, food, drinks, drugs and even violence. The world has a lot to offer us like money, prestige, honor, adulation, etc. It presents to us a life of happiness based on these seductions. Our identity then comes from what we possess and not anymore from being children of God.  St. John tells us not to love this passing world or anything in it because they are all coming to an end.  "But the one who does the will of God remains forever." Death is inevitable, we will all depart from this world naked. So we must have proper discernment of what is good and evil for us or we can easily fall into the deception of Satan who is also called the "angel of light," the father of deceit.  He always tries to lead us to love fleshly pleasures and succumb to the allurements of the world.  And when we are swallowed up by these, he takes away hope and leads us to sadness and despair.  When life has no meaning, suicide becomes a possibility. To be able to resist we must put on God's armor – truth as our belt, integrity for a breastplate, the eagerness to spread the gospel as our footwear, our helmet is the salvation of God and the Word of God is our sword.  Why do we need these weapons? Because a new year is coming.  We will end the year with fireworks and revelry. Then when all the fun is over, we must go back to reality – work, studies, bills to pay, a family to support, etc.  We will need spiritual weapons to fight the enemies of the soul.  
 
The 6^th day in the Octave of Christmas
Opening Prayer: Lord, I believe in your presence. I believe I can encounter you during this time of prayer. I believe in your promises. Increase my faith. 
Encountering Christ: 
1. What the Lord Had Promised: Simeon, like other Israelites, lived with the hope of the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. He was “awaiting the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), the Messiah that would come and save humanity from sin and death. Scripture is full of God’s promises. “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). “I will come back” (John 14:3). “You will have a treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). “You will inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5). “Where I am you will also be” (John 14:3). What has God promised you? Which promises most speak to you during this Christmas season?
2. Faith through Waiting: In this passage, we see the moment when Simeon encountered Jesus, when he saw the promise that he had awaited fulfilled. But how many days and nights had he shown up at the temple, waiting with no sign. When we read stories too quickly we can forget the struggle that occurred before the happy ending. We might be in a time of expectation, in a waiting period, tempted to darkness and doubt. In these moments, we battle against hopelessness, against the lies that suggest we’ve been abandoned or deceived. This is the perfect opportunity to exercise our faith, to stand strong in the certain knowledge that the Lord is always faithful, and that his timing is perfect. 
3. My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation: There was nothing out of the ordinary that morning in Jerusalem when a young father and mother brought their newborn to be presented in the Temple. Every family did so. But the Gospel tells us that Simeon was able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the light for the nations.What a life of prayer and silence Simeon must have had! In order to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives we need special eyes of faith. We need to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. We need to notice his subtle movements in our heart. Praying every day enables us to notice God’s hand at work in our day. Our Lord is constantly showering graces upon us, and prayer helps us be ever more attentive to his endless blessings in our life.
Conversing with Christ: Holy Spirit, I want to hear you. I want the disposition of my heart to be such that I notice your presence in my life every day. Help me to appreciate your faithfulness throughout my day, and if I must wait for an answered prayer, help me to wait with confidence. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reflect on all those times you have shown your presence in my life and I will thank you for your fidelity. I will renew my hope in your promises. 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng (thứ Hai Ngày 30/12 2024) trong Tuần Bát Nhật Giáng Sinh

 Suy Niệm Tin Mừng (thứ Hai Ngày 30/12 2024) trong Tuần Bát Nhật Giáng Sinh

Chúng ta  có hy vọng gì? Niềm hy vọng với Thiên Chúa trong trái tim của chúng ta là sự ham muốn Nước Trời và sự sống đời đời là hạnh phúc của chúng ta. Niềm htrong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay, Bà là nổi tiếng về lòng đạo đức, bà là một người phụ nữ có niềm hy vọng to lớn là đặt kỳ vọng tất cả vào Thiên Chúa và Ngài sẽ thực hiện tất cả những lời hứa của Ngài. Với ơn Thánh Thần, bà đã sống hàng ngày trong đền thánh Chúa, bà cầu nguyện ngày đêm và nói tiên tri cho những người khác biết về lời hứa của Thiên Chúa là Ngài sẽ đem đến cho nhân loại một đấng cứu chuộc. Bà là một mô hình của sự tin kính cho tất cả chúng ta, khi chúng ta lớn lên và thăng tiến theo độ tuổi.

            Tuổi tác và sự thất vọng trong cuộc sống có thể làm cho chúng ta dễ dàng hoài nghi và thất vọng nếu như chúng ta không có niềm hy vọng của chúng ta được đặt đúng chỗ và có niềm tin, hy vọng một cách đúng đắn. Niềm Hy vọng của bà Anna trong Thiên Chúa và những lời hứa của Ngài lớn lên với tuổi già của bà! Bà không bao giờ nản chí và ngừng thờ phượng Thiên Chúa trong đức tin và sự cầu nguyện trong niềm hy vọng. Hy vọng và niềm tin vào những lời hứa của Thiên Chúa thúc đẩy sự nhiệt tình, sự bất khuất của bà và sự nhiệt tình trong lời cầu nguyện và phục vụ dân Chúa. Làm thế nào để chúng ta có thể được sống và trưởng thành trong niềm hy vọng? Bằng cách đặt niềm tin của chúng ta vào những lời hứa của Chúa Giêsu Kitô và không nhờ vào sức riêng của mình, nhưng dựa trên những ân sủng và sự giúp đỡ của Chúa Thánh Thần. Chúng ta có đặt hy vọng và sự nhiệt tình của chúng ta nơi Thiên Chúa khi chúng ta lớn lên và trưởng thành theo tuổi tác của của ta?

"Lạy Chúa Giêsu, Xin đừng để chúng con bao giờ ngừng hy vọng nơi Chúa và ngừng tin tưởng vào những lời hứa của Chúa. Xin đốt lên ngọn lửa tình yêu và làm hâm nóng nhiệt huyết của chúng con cho Nước Chúa và gia tăng tình yêu của Chúng con dành cho việc cầu nguyện, để chúng con có thể không bao giờ ngừng chúc tụng,  khen ngợi và thờ phượng Chúa.

 

Meditation The 6^th day in the Octave of Christmas

What do you hope for? The hope which God places in our heart is the desire for the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness. Hope grows with prayer and perseverance. Anna was pre-eminently a woman of great hope and expectation that God would fulfill all his promises. Filled with the Holy Spirit, she was found daily in the house of the Lord, attending to the Lord in prayer and speaking prophetically to others about the Lord's promise to send a redeemer. She is a model of godliness to all believers as we advance in age.

Advancing age and the disappointments of life can easily make us cynical and hopeless if we do not have our hope placed rightly. Anna's hope in God and his promises grew with age! She never ceased to worship God in faith and to pray with hope. Her hope and faith in God's promises fueled her indomitable zeal and fervor in prayer and service of God's people.

How do we grow in hope? By placing our trust in the promises of Jesus Christ and relying not on our own strength, but on the grace and help of the Holy Spirit. Does your hope and fervor for God grow with age?

"Lord Jesus, may I never cease to hope in you and to trust in your promises. Inflame my zeal for your kingdom and increase my love for prayer that I may never cease to give you praise and worship".

A people who have walked in darkness, have seen a great light. Anna, like Simeon, was also part of that people shrouded in darkness; but her faith in the faithfulness of God, prepared Anna for her encounter with her salvation in the person of the child Jesus. Disciplined by prayer and vigil, on seeing Jesus she immediately began to give thanks to God, who was faithful to his covenant and sent the messiah to those “looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

Anna was at peace on seeing the child Jesus, on seeing her “Christmas.” How peaceful are we after experiencing our “Christmas” yet again? Christmas is about the birth of a child, so we live and walk in hope, hopeful of the future. Christmas is about the birth of a child who is at once eternal and new, divine and human. Christmas is about the quest for truth and for goodness; the quest to quiet one's inner fears; the quest to find the secret for living authentic human lives. Look to the Christ child, growing strong, increasing in wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. This child holds the answers to your deepest desires and needs.

Christmas is a season for one’s personal hopes to be reborn and re-energized as we commemorate again and afresh, the coming of the Messiah, Jesus the Christ. “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice.”

 

Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas, December 30

There was a prophetess, Anna…She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.  And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.  Luke 2:36–38

We all have a unique and sacred calling given to us from God. Each one of us is called to fulfill that calling with generosity and wholehearted commitment. As the famous prayer of Saint John Henry Newman puts it:

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons…

Anna, the prophetess, was given a very unique, one-of-a-kind mission. When she was young, she was married for seven years. Then after losing her husband, she remained a widow until she was eighty-four. During those decades of her life, the Scripture reveals that “She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” What an incredible calling from God!

Anna’s unique calling was to be a prophetess. She fulfilled this calling by allowing her whole life to be a symbol of the Christian vocation. Her life was spent in prayer, fasting and, most especially, in anticipation. God called her to wait, year after year, decade after decade, for the one and definitive moment of her life: her encounter with the Christ Child in the Temple.

Anna’s prophetic life tells us that we each must live our lives in such a way that our ultimate goal is to continually prepare for the moment when we meet our divine Lord in the Temple of Heaven. Unlike Anna, most are not called to literal fasting and prayer every day all day within the church buildings. But like Anna, we must all foster an interior life of ongoing prayer and penance, and we must direct all of our actions in life to the praise and glory of God and the salvation of our souls. Though the way this universal vocation is lived out will be unique to each and every person, Anna’s life is nonetheless a symbolic prophecy of every vocation.

Reflect, today, upon how well you imitate this holy woman in your own life. Do you foster an interior life of prayer and penance and daily seek to devote yourself to the glory of God and the salvation of your soul? Evaluate your life this day in light of the wonderful prophetic life of Anna that we are given to ponder.

Lord, I thank You for the powerful witness of the prophetess Anna. May her lifelong devotion to You, a life of continual prayer and sacrifice, be a model and inspiration for me and for all who follow You. I pray that You daily reveal to me the unique way in which I am called to live out my vocation to total dedication to You. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

The 6^th day in the Octave of Christmas 2024

Opening Prayer: Lord God, fill me with your Spirit so that I may testify to your love and the love of your Son in this world. I am a prophet by my baptism, and only with your grace can I live out my prophetic vocation.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Symbolism of the Prophetess Anna’s Age: In the Gospel, we meet Anna, an elderly prophetess from the ancient northern tribe of Asher. Luke gives special attention to her age, 84, which has the symbolic meaning of 7 (perfection) times 12 (the number of tribes of Israel). She was likely married at 14, lived with her husband for 7 years until she was 21, and has been a widow for the last 63 years. While Mary represents Israel as a virgin mother, Anna represents Israel as a suffering widow. The three stages of Anna’s life parallel three stages in Israel’s history. The years of her youth refer to the time of preparation for the kingdom of Israel. The 7 years of her marriage refer to the time of the Davidic kings, who acted as royal husbands. The long years of widowhood indicate the time of Israel’s and Judah’s exile and the time of waiting for the restoration of the kingdom. Anna is now 84, and this indicates that Israel’s story is being brought to fulfillment and that the prophecies, like those of Isaiah, are being fulfilled: “The reproach of your widowhood no longer remember. For your husband is your Maker; the Lord of hosts is his name, Your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 54:4-5; see 62:4-5, 12). “Isaiah is portraying the Lord God as Israel’s bridegroom redeemer – that is, the kinsman who redeems a childless widow by marrying her (see Ruth 4:5-6, 14)” (Gadenz, The Gospel of Luke, 72). Anna’s story is coupled with that of Simeon, who, like her, was waiting for God to bring about the “consolation of Israel” and the “redemption of Jerusalem.” Anna and Simeon represent the prophets, who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, communicated God’s Word to the people of Israel. Anna and Simeon both pointed to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, Consoler, Savior, Bridegroom, and Redeemer of Israel.

2. Kings: The opening two chapters of Luke’s Gospel – which we frequently read from and meditate on during Advent and Christmas – not only show how Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament but also that Jesus was the true king. Herod the Great was the King of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 1:5). But he was just a puppet king appointed by the Roman Senate in 40 B.C. Herod forcibly took control of Jerusalem in 37 B.C. when he defeated the Hasmonean king and high priest Antigonus II. Herod, though, was not the true king of Israel. He was not a royal descendant of David, and he only reigned as a client-king of Caesar Augustus. In his Gospel, Luke subtly takes all the titles that Caesar Augustus claimed to have and gives them to Jesus, the real and true King of the entire universe. Caesar Augustus claimed to be the son of a god and the savior of the world and exercised his authority by decreeing an enrollment or census of the entire world (Luke 2:1). Jesus, by contrast, is truly the Son of God and Savior. He is Lord over all creation. And as our true king, Jesus isn’t interested in extending his empire through military conquests or increasing his wealth through taxation. He doesn’t need a census to know us, for, as our good shepherd, he knows each one of us by name. Jesus wants to reign in our hearts and in our society and extend his justice, peace, charity, and mercy to all humanity.

3. Priests: Luke’s narrative about the births of John and Jesus also focuses on the priesthood and the Temple. Earlier, we learned about Zechariah and his encounter with Gabriel in the Temple. The old priesthood was coming to an end, and a new priesthood would be inaugurated by Jesus. The Holy of Holies of the old Temple was empty when Zechariah burned incense for the evening sacrifice. The old Ark of the Covenant was not there. And so, when Luke tells the story of Mary traveling from Galilee to the hill country of Judah and then later to Jerusalem, he points to her as the new Ark of the Covenant, who had in her womb the Word of God, the Bread of Life, and the eternal High Priest. The story of Jesus’ birth, then, highlights how the ancient prophecies are fulfilled and how we are called to be prophets in the world by announcing the salvation that Jesus brings. It highlights how Jesus is Lord of all and how we are called to share in Jesus’ royal office by extending the Kingdom of God throughout the world. Finally, it highlights the new priesthood inaugurated by Jesus and how we are called to offer ourselves to God as a pleasing sacrifice.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are the faithful and merciful High Priest, who intercedes for me at the Father’s right hand. As the Word of God, you are the Prophet who is greater than Moses. You are the King, who reigns forever at the right hand of the Father.

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng tháng 12 /ngày thứ 5 trong bát nhật Giáng Sinh/

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng tháng 12 /ngày thứ 5 trong bát nhật Giáng Sinh/

 Nếu chúng ta tưởng tượng đến hình ảnh của bài phúc âm hôm nay, chúng ta có thể sẽ thấy khu đền thờ đầy những người qua lại giống như một khu chợ  hơn là đền thờ. Khi Đức Maria, ông Giuse mang Chúa Giêsu đến  đền thờ này, chắc chắn họ sẽ bị lạc trong những đám đông này. Một cặp vợ chồng rất đơn sơ, bình thường với một đứa trẻ thơ, họ thực sự không có gì đáng để ý. Có nhiều thầy thượng tế và người Pha-ri-sêu hiện diện và đứng giữa đám đông, họ có thể vai xánh vai với ông Giuse, nhưng không một ai trong số các giáo sĩ này của dân của Chúa đã có thể nghĩ rằng đứa trẻ này lại là "ánh sáng để soi chiếu những người ngoại giáo và cũng là vinh quang của dân Chúa,  Israel ". Thất là kỳ lạ cho dù mọi người Do Thái đang háo hức khao khát và chờ đợi Đấng Mếtsaia sẽ đến với họ,  nhưng không ai biết , kể cả các nhà lãnh đạo tôn giáo, đều nhận Ngài. Không ai, ngoại trừ ông già, Simeon, và góa già Anna.

Thiên Chúa đã nói với Simeon rằng ông sẽ được sống cho đến khi mắt ông nhìn thấy Đấng Mết-sai-a. Vì ông là một người đạo đức biết kính sợ Chúa,  và Chúa Thánh Thần đã đến với ông, Như Tin Mừng Luca đã nói. Chắc chắn là Thánh Thần Chúa đã gợi cho ông Simeon nhìn thấy được thực tại của trần thế này là thấy Thiên Chúa đang làm việc trong con người. Và ông Simeon đã thấy nơi Chúa Jêsus trong việc Ngài đã hoàn thành các lời hứa của các đấng thiên sai. Ông còn thấy được nhiều hơn thế nữa; Ông đã công nhận rằng công việc của Chúa Jêsus không là chỉ đếb thế gian để cứu rỗi dân Do Thái mà thôi, nhưng Ngài còn đến để cứu rỗi toàn thể nhân loại.

Chúng ta hãy cầu xin Chúa Thánh Linh dạy cho chúng ta cách biết nhìn vào kinh nghiệm của chính bản thân chúng ta hàng ngày và tìm ra công việc mả Thiên Chúa muốn chúng ta thực hiện trong kế hoạch cứu rỗi của nhân loại cũa Ngài..

 

REFLECTION December 29, 2017

If we try to imagine the picture of today’s gospel, we may see the temple area teemed with people. It was something like a marketplace. Jesus, Mary and Joseph came into the Temple area and immediately were lost in the milling crowds. An ordinary poor couple with a very young baby: there was really nothing worth noticing.

There were priests and Pharisees among the crowd, rubbing shoulders with the little family, yet not a single one of these religious elite of God's own people had any idea this child was "a light to enlighten the pagans and the glory of [God's] people Israel." It seems very strange that though every Jew was eagerly waiting and yearning for the Messiah to come, no one, not even the religious leaders, recognized him. No one, that is, other than the old man, Simeon, and the old widow, Anna. God had told Simeon that he would live until his eyes beheld the Messiah.  He was a devout and pious man and the Holy Spirit was on him, Luke says. Undoubtedly the Spirit inspired Simeon to look at the earthly reality and see God at work in it. Simeon saw in Jesus the fulfillment of the messianic promises. He saw much more besides; he recognized that Jesus' task embraced the salvation not only of the Jewish people, but of the whole human race.

Let us ask the Spirit to teach us how to look into our daily experiences and find the task God intends us to fulfill in his plan for the salvation of all humankind.

 

The Fifth Day in the Octave of ChristmAS

Today’s Gospel tells the story of the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. The Temple was, in practically a literal sense, the dwelling place of the Lord. In the Temple, divinity and humanity embraced, and the human race was brought back online with God.

But the sins of the nation had, according to the prophet Ezekiel, caused the glory of the Lord to depart from the Temple. Therefore, one of the deepest aspirations of Israel’s people was to reestablish the Temple as the place of right praise so that the glory of the Lord might return. When Joseph and Mary bring the infant Jesus into the Temple, therefore, we are meant to appreciate that the prophecy of Ezekiel is being fulfilled. The glory of Yahweh is returning to his favorite dwelling. And this is precisely what Simeon sees.

The old seer is a symbol of ancient Israel, watching and waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Simeon knew all of the old prophecies; he embodied the expectation of the nation; and the Holy Spirit had given him the revelation that he would not die until he had laid eyes on his Savior.

 

REFLECTION December 29, 2017

John was adamant: to believe in Jesus and to know him is to walk as he walked and that means loving as he loved. Love is not an abstraction or an idea but a way of life. The only way we express love for God is by loving our brothers and sisters. If we claim to walk in light and love but fail to love those around us, then we are living a lie. Our daily interactions with others and the attitudes we have towards them are a test and an indicator of the quality and depth of our faith and our love for God. Love and faith sustained Simeon and led him to encounter the infant Jesus in the temple. He felt that his life was complete — he could now go in peace. God was in control! But there was a warning — Jesus embodied perfect love, but this is threatening for many people, especially those who walk in darkness and selfishness. His presence would stir up a lot of trouble; many would stumble and fall. Love has a way of laying bare what lies within people. In their encounters with Jesus, the true inner nature of many people would be revealed in both a positive and negative sense.

How would you react to the presence of Jesus? Would perfect love be threatening to you? What would be revealed and laid bare? The answers to those questions lie in beginning this very day to walk the path of love — it is the only path to God’s kingdom.

 

Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas, December 29

The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  Luke 2:33–35

When something truly supernatural takes place, the human mind that grasps that supernatural event is filled with wonder and awe. For Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, their minds were continually filled with a holy amazement at what they were witnessing.

First there was the Annunciation to our Blessed Mother. Then the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. Then the miraculous birth took place. Shepherds came to adore their child and revealed that a multitude of angels had appeared to them. Shortly after this, the Magi from the East showed up to do homage to their child. And today we are given the story of Simeon in the Temple. He spoke of the supernatural revelation he had received about this Child. Time after time, the miracle of what was taking place was placed before Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, and each time they responded with wonder and awe.

Though we are not blessed to encounter this supernatural event of the Incarnation in the same way that Mary and Joseph did, we are nonetheless able to share in their “amazement” and their “wonder and awe” by prayerfully pondering this supernatural event. The mystery of Christmas, which is a manifestation of God becoming man, is an event that transcends all time and space. It’s a spiritual reality of supernatural origin and is therefore an event that our minds of faith have full access to. Just like Mother Mary and Saint Joseph, we must hear the angel at the Annunciation, the angel in Joseph’s dream, we must witness the shepherds and Magi and, today, we must rejoice with Simeon as he gazed upon the newborn Messiah, the Savior of the World.

Reflect, today, upon how fully you have allowed your mind to engage the incredible mystery that we celebrate this holy season. Have you taken time to prayerfully read the story once again? Are you able to sense the joy and fulfillment experienced by Simeon and Anna? Have you spent time considering the minds and hearts of Mother Mary and Saint Joseph as they experienced that first Christmas? Let this deep supernatural mystery of our faith touch you this Christmas season in such a way that you, too, are “amazed” at what we celebrate.

Lord, I thank you for the gift of Your Incarnation. With Simeon, I rejoice and offer You praise and thanksgiving. Please renew within me a true sense of wonder and awe as I gaze with amazement at what You have done for me and for the whole world. May I never tire of pondering this supernatural gift of Your life. Jesus, I trust in You.

The Fifth Day in the Octave of ChristmAS

Opening Prayer: Lord, I believe in your presence. I believe I can encounter you during this time of prayer. I believe in your promises. Increase my faith. 

Encountering Christ: 

1. What the Lord Had Promised: Simeon, like other Israelites, lived with the hope of the fulfillment of God’s promises to his people. He was “awaiting the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25), the Messiah that would come and save humanity from sin and death. Scripture is full of God’s promises. “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). “I will come back” (John 14:3). “You will have a treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22). “You will inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5). “Where I am you will also be” (John 14:3). What has God promised you? Which promises most speak to you during this Christmas season?

2. Faith through Waiting: In this passage, we see the moment when Simeon encountered Jesus, when he saw the promise that he had awaited fulfilled. But how many days and nights had he shown up at the temple, waiting with no sign. When we read stories too quickly we can forget the struggle that occurred before the happy ending. We might be in a time of expectation, in a waiting period, tempted to darkness and doubt. In these moments, we battle against hopelessness, against the lies that suggest we’ve been abandoned or deceived. This is the perfect opportunity to exercise our faith, to stand strong in the certain knowledge that the Lord is always faithful, and that his timing is perfect. 

3. My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation: There was nothing out of the ordinary that morning in Jerusalem when a young father and mother brought their newborn to be presented in the Temple. Every family did so. But the Gospel tells us that Simeon was able to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the light for the nations.What a life of prayer and silence Simeon must have had! In order to see God’s promises fulfilled in our lives we need special eyes of faith. We need to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. We need to notice his subtle movements in our heart. Praying every day enables us to notice God’s hand at work in our day. Our Lord is constantly showering graces upon us, and prayer helps us be ever more attentive to his endless blessings in our life.

Conversing with Christ: Holy Spirit, I want to hear you. I want the disposition of my heart to be such that I notice your presence in my life every day. Help me to appreciate your faithfulness throughout my day, and if I must wait for an answered prayer, help me to wait with confidence. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will reflect on all those times you have shown your presence in my life and I will thank you for your fidelity. I will renew my hope in your promises. 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật Lễ Kính Thánh Gia

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Chúa Nhật Lễ Kính Thánh Gia
Thật là chuyện đau lòng khi chúng ta nghe hay chứng kiến những mầm mống dang dần dân làm cho nền tảng gia đình bị sụp đổ. Chúng ta cần phải có ý thức thực tế hơn về những nguyên nhân về tan vỡ gia đình , hiện tượng gia đình chỉ có mẹ mà không cha hay có cha mà không mẹ.. hay sự lạm dụng trẻ em, và nghiện ngập của cha mẹ. Kịch bản như thế đang xảy ra hàng ngày trong xã hội của chúng hôm nay đang ở mức đáng báo động vì những hậu quả sâu rộng của nó. Khi những bà mẹ, hay người cha hoặc có khi cả hai phải bỏ gia đình để con ở nhà cho ông bà nuôi nấng dậy dỗ còn họ thì đi kiếm tiền ở thành phố hay lao động ở nước ngoài. Đây có đáng là một nỗ lực cho chúng ta phải hy sinh gia đình không?
Gia đình là sự kết nối cơ bản của con người không cần biết trong đó có những vấn đề khó khăn hay thiếu sót. Không có gia đình nào trong gia đình của chúng ta được coi là những gia đình thánh thiện và hoàn hảo; nhưng mỗi gia đình, gia đình nào cũng có những sự thử thách về tình yêu và sự tha thứ của chúng ta, gia đình nào cũng có những khó khăn và sóng gió, Nhưng Thiên Chúa vẫn hiện diện và ở giữa tất cả,  Vì không có nơi nào khác để chúng ta có thê tìm thấy Ngài. Nhưng gia đình chính là nơi mà Ngài tìm thấy chúng ta.
Tuy nhiên, sự hiểu biết về gia đình phải được mở rộng. Trọng tâm của cuộc sống gia đình của Chúa Giêsu và trọng tâm của sự mục vụ của ngài chính là Cha của Ngài. Mối quan hệ giữa Cha và Chúa Giêsu là việc quan trọng nhất trong cuộc đời của Ngài vì giúp Ngài định hướng được việc mục vụ của ngài và hỗ trợ cho Ngài. Sức mạnh để có thể chịu đựng được những đau khổ và cái chết của Ngài. Khi Chúa Giêsu mô tả gia đình của Ngài trong Kinh Thánh, Ngài phán rằng sự liên hệ gia đình đó không phải là một mối quan hệ máu mủ mà là một mối quan hệ trong sự trung thành với Lời Chúa. Đó là lý do tại sao Ngài đã thưa ". Mẹ và anh em ta là những ai biết nghe và sống thực hành Lời Chúa"
Cũng như Chúa Giêsu, chúng ta cũng thế, chúng ta được giao phó nhiệm vụ tập trung đời sống của chúng ta dựa trên Lời Chúa. Cho dù chúng ta sống một mình hoặc sống trong một gia đình, cho dù chúng ta có nhiều người thân thích hay sống cô đơn, chúng ta vẫn có thể là một phần tử mới trong gia đình mở rộng của Chúa Giêsu. Điều kiện duy nhất là chúng ta phải biết lắng nghe và biết sống và thực hiện  Lời Chúa.
Chúng ta cầu nguyện với lòng biết ơn vì những hồng ân Chúa đã ban xuống cho mỗi gia đình của chúng ta trong ý nghĩa thông thường và  trong cả ý nghĩa mở rộng của nó. Chúng ta cầu nguyện cho sự thân tình và sự hiệp nhất với nhau trong Chua Kitô để chúng ta có thể được trở nên nhân chứng cho tình yêu của Thiên Chúa.
 
REFLECTION 1ST Sunday after Christmas
It is disheartening to hear and see the gradual decimation and demise of the family. We are more aware of the realities of broken homes, the single parents' phenomenon, child abuse, and parental addictions. Such scenario is alarming because of its far-reaching consequences. When mothers, fathers or both have to leave their families to earn abroad, there are not only economic gains but also social costs. Is the effort worth it?
The family, no matter what its shortcomings and flaws are, remains the fundamental human connection. None of our families is holy and perfect; each is a combination of all sorts of conflicts, compulsions, and craziness that put to test our love and forgiveness. But in the midst of all that, God remains present. There is no other place to find Him. It is the place where He found us.
Yet the understanding of family has to be expanded. At the center of Jesus' family life and at the center of his ministry is his Father. That relationship is for Jesus the most important in his life because that gives him direction and support that will sustain him in his suffering and death. When Jesus describes his family in Scriptures, he says that it is not a relationship of blood but rather a relationship of fidelity to the Word of God. That is why he said: "My mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and hear it."
Like Jesus, we are thus tasked to focus our lives on the Word of God. Whether we live alone or in a family, whether we have many relatives or none, we can be all part of Jesus' new and expanded family. The only requirement is to hear the Word of God and fulfill it. Since Jesus extended his family, today's Feast of the Holy Family truly belongs to all of us. Look around then and see the people around us are indeed members of our family.
We then pray in gratitude for our respective families both in its usual and expanded meaning. We pray for a greater familiarity and unity of sense as we become better witnesses of God's love.
 
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sunday
When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.  Luke 2:39–40 
Today we honor family life in general by pausing to ponder the particular and beautiful hidden life within the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In many ways, their daily life together would have been very similar to other families at that time. But in other ways, their life together is entirely unique and provides us with a perfect model for all families.
By God’s providence and design, the family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was spoken of in the Scripture very little. We read of the birth of Jesus, the presentation in the Temple, the flight into Egypt and the finding of Jesus in the Temple at age twelve. But other than these stories of their life together, we know very little.
The line from today’s Gospel quoted above does, however, give us some insight worth pondering. First, we see that this family “fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord…” Though this is in reference to Jesus being presented in the Temple, it should also be understood to apply to all aspects of their life together. Family life, just like our individual lives, must be ordered by the laws of our Lord.
The primary law of the Lord regarding family life is that it must share in the very unity and “communion of love” found in the life of the Most Holy Trinity. Each person of the Holy Trinity has perfect respect for the other, gives selflessly to each other without reserve, and receives each person in their totality. It is their love that makes them one and enables them to act together in perfect harmony as a communion of divine Persons. Though Saint Joseph was not immaculate in his nature, the perfection of love did live in his divine Son and in his immaculate wife. This overwhelming gift of their perfect love would have daily drawn him into the perfection of their lives.
Ponder your own closest relationships today. If you are blessed with a close family, ponder them. If not, ponder the persons put into your life who you are called to love with familial love. Who are you to be there for in good times and in bad? Who are you to sacrifice your life for without reserve? Who are you to offer respect, compassion, time, energy, mercy, generosity and every other virtue? And how well do you fulfill this duty of love?
Reflect, today, upon the fact that God wants you to share in a communion of life, not only with the Most Holy Trinity but also with those around you, especially your family. Try to ponder the hidden life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and seek to make their family relationship the model for how you love others. May their perfect communion of love be a model for us all.
Lord, draw me into the life, love and communion that You lived with Your Immaculate Mother and Saint Joseph. I offer You myself, my family and all those to whom I am called to love with a special love. May I imitate Your family love and life in all my relationships. Help me to know how to change and grow so that I may more fully share in Your family life. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Homily The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Sunday
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family. Graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity. May we, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Samuel and Jesus: The mystery of the finding of Jesus in the Temple recalls the story of Samuel in many ways. The mother of Samuel, Hannah, and the mother of Jesus, Mary, both sang similar songs (1 Samuel 2:1-10; Luke 1:46-55) after miraculously conceiving their children. Both songs emphasize how God casts down the prideful and arrogant and lifts up the lowly and humble. Hannah’s song looks forward to the coming of the future king and Messiah; Mary’s song rejoices in the fact that God has given Israel its long-awaited King, whom she now carries in her womb. Hannah brought her child, Samuel, to the Shrine in Shiloh; Mary brought her child, Jesus, to the Temple in Jerusalem. Neither Hannah nor Mary were said to redeem or buy back their children, implying that both children were dedicated or consecrated for priestly and prophetic service.
2. A New Samuel: In the finding of the child Jesus in the Temple, the figure of Jesus is modeled on that of Samuel. Jewish tradition held that Samuel was twelve years old when he was called by God in the Temple (1 Samuel 3:1-10), and Jesus, we are told, was twelve years old when he accompanied Mary and Joseph on their yearly pilgrimage up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread. When Samuel was in the sanctuary, he heard the voice of God. When Jesus was in the sanctuary, he spoke as the Word of God, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. Samuel didn’t recognize the voice of the Lord at first; Jesus, however, was familiar with his Father and attentive to his Father’s will. At the end of the Gospel passage today, Luke uses a phrase to recall the story of Samuel: Just as Samuel increased in stature and favor (grace) with the Lord and with men, so also “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and men” (Luke 2:52).
3. Foreshadowing of the Paschal Mystery: The Finding of Jesus in the Temple foreshadows the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Luke’s Gospel in many ways. In both events, Jesus makes a pilgrimage from Galilee to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. In both, Jesus draws attention to the Father’s will and “things.” In both events, Jesus enters the Temple and amazes the people with his wisdom. In both, he is lost and, on the third day, is found. The joy Mary and Joseph experienced on finding their Son on the third day is experienced by Jesus’ disciples on Easter Sunday. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I want to listen to you and hear your questions and answers in prayer. I find you today in the sanctuary of my heart.
 
Reflection: The Holy Family Sunday
     The Holy Family was a family who lived profound hope: Jesus, Mary and Joseph trusted completely in God. They call all of us to that same kind of trust.  In our own time they stand beside all who worry and struggle, all who search and pray. The Holy Family stands besides parents anxious about their children, worrying for their welfare. They walk with immigrants and refugees separated from those they love. They comfort teen-age mothers and single parents. They console prisoners, the outcast, the bullied, the scorned – and the parents who love them.  And they offer solace and compassion to parents grieving over the loss of their children.
     The Holy Family shares our burdens and uplift us by their example.  Jesus, Mary and Joseph were never alone: they endured any hardships through the grace of God; they prayed and hoped; they trusted in God's will and help. Surely we could ask where we can find the same kind of peace and purpose in our own families and lives.
     An answer is given in Paul's letter to the Colossians. The second reading for today is at times used for weddings. Like Paul's letter to the Corinthians, it speaks of love. Paul was not writing about romantic love. Paul was writing about how to form a healthy and holy Christian community. From his words we can draw lessons about how to form a healthy and holy Christian family.
     Paul tells us to put on compassion and kindness, lowliness and meekness, patience and forgiveness, and love. It is all that simple, or all that difficult. The Holy Family must have moments when living those virtues or ideals was hard. But they persisted; they listened to angels, dreamed and entrusted themselves fully to the hands of God.
     We have a model for living in the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We need to see them in full, remembering the closeness of poverty, danger and the cross: we see the manger because there was no room in the inn; we see the flight into Egypt in fear for the Child's life; we see the anxiety over the loss of the twelve year old Boy. We see the quiet simple life in Nazareth where the Child Jesus was subject to his parents and "increased in wisdom and age, and in divine and human favor." 
     Through any challenge, anxiety, difficulty or danger, they showed us how to be people of faith, people of forgiveness, people of love.
     The Holy Family teaches us how to be holy. They had happy times; they had difficult times. Through doubt and insecurity, in peace and joy, in good times and bad times they trusted in God. They did not understand Simeon's prophecy about the Child who would be "the rise or fall of the multitudes of Israel," who would "stand as a sign of contradiction while a sword would pierce [your] own soul." Though they did not understand their Child as in the loss and finding in the temple, they trusted and "kept all these things in their hearts." 
     Our own lives are similar, our present and future with similar doubts, questions and uncertainties, with good times and bad times. We hope we can live our lives with similar trust in God and love for one another.
 

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Ngày 28 thánh 12.. Lễ các thánh Anh hài

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Ngày 28 thánh 12.. Lễ các thánh Anh hài
Qua bài Tin Mừng, chúng ta có thể tự hỏi là làm thế nào mà những vụ giết hại các trẻ sơ sinh nam vô tội ở Bethlehem phù hợp với những niềm vui của mùa Giáng sinh. Sự kiện tàn ác này của Hêrôdê đã gây ra biết bao nhiêu đau khổ và nước mắt cho cha mẹ của những trẻ sơ sinh tử đạo. Theo các lệnh của vua Hêrôdê bắt những trẻ sơ sinh nam, vô tội và không thể tự vệ, phải chết. Những tiếng kêu la được nghe ở Ra-ma; những than thở và khóc lóc đã thành tiếng. Bà Rachel khóc lóc  thảm thiết vì con của bà đà bị hêrôđê giết. Bà từ chối những sự an ủi của mọi người, vì con trai của bà không còn nữa.
Chúng hãycùng cầu nguyện với hội thánh: “Lạy Chúa, Các hài nhi vô tội này đã được tuyên xưng và kính nhớ đến trong ngày hôm nay, khộng phải những gì mà những hài nhi này đã làm hay tuyên xưng, nhưng đã họ chết vì Ðức Kitô. Nay được theo Người là Chiên con tinh tuyền. Xin cho chúng con có lòng tin vững mạnh nơi Chúa để miệng lưỡi chúng con chẳng ngớt tung hô:" Lạy Chúa, vinh danh Chúa ".
Chúng ta cũng không quên cầu nguyện cho những thai nhi và các trẻ em đã bị cha mẹ chối bỏ. Xin cho chúng ta có được ân sũng Chúa ban để chúng ta có thể trở nên trong trắng, thơ ngây giống như các em : "Quả thật, Ta bảo các ngươi, nếu các ngươi không hoán cải mà nên như trẻ nhỏ, các ngươi sẽ không vào được Nước Trời. ⁴ Vậy phàm ai kể mình hèn hạ như trẻ nhỏ này, thì người ấy là kẻ lớn hơn trong Nước Trời. Và kẻ nào tiếp đón một trẻ nhỏ này vì Danh Ta, tức là tiếp đón Ta. "(Mt 18: 3-5)
Chúng ta cũng hãy cầu nguyện cho tất cả các nạn nhân của sự bất công và bạo lực, đặc biệt là những sự bạo hành liên quan đến trẻ em như chúng ta đang chứng kiến mỗi ngày ngay trong đất nước của chúng và các cuộc chiến tranh, các cuộc xung đột vũ trang trên thế giới ngày nay. Đặc biệt, chúng ta hãy cầu nguyện cho các thai nhi nạn nhân của sự ích kỷ, của những bất công và bạo lực trong xã hội của chúng ta hôm nay.
 
Reflection Holy Innocents
     We may wonder how the massacre of the innocent male infants in Bethlehem fits in with the joy of the Christmas season. The event must have caused great suffering and anguish for the parents of the martyred babies. At the order of evil King Herod these male infants, innocent and defenseless, were killed: A cry is heard in Ramah; wailing and loud lamentation: Rachel weeps for her children. She refuses to be comfoted, for they are no more.
     We pray with the Church: "O God, whom the Holy Innocents confessed and proclaimed on this day, not by speaking but by dying, grant that the faith in you we confess with our lips may also speak through our manner of life." (Collect at Mass, Feast of the Holy Innocents)
     Let us pray for children and that we be graced to become like them: "I assure you that unless you change and become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes lowly like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whoever received such a child in my name receives me." (Mt 18: 3–5) Let us pray for all victims of injustice and violence, especially involving children as we see in present-day wars and armed conflicts in the world. Let us especially pray for victims of injustice and violence against those still unborn. 
 
December, 28 Fourth Day of the Octave of Christmas Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs.
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Matthew 2:13
The most glorious event ever to take place in our world also filled some with hatred and rage. Herod, who was jealous of his own earthly power, felt greatly threatened by the message shared with him by the Magi. And when the Magi failed to return to Herod to tell him where the Newborn King was located, Herod did the unthinkable. He ordered the slaughter of every boy, two years old and younger, who was in Bethlehem and its vicinity.
Such an act is hard to comprehend. How could the soldiers carry out such an evil plot? Imagine the deep mourning and devastation so many families encountered as a result. How could a civil ruler murder so many innocent children.
Of course, in our day and age, so many civil leaders continue to support the barbaric practice of permitting the slaughter of the innocent within the womb. Thus, in many ways, Herod’s action is not that different from today.
The passage above reveals to us the will of the Father regarding not only the protection of His divine Son but also His divine will for the protection and sanctity of all human life. It was satan who inspired Herod to kill those precious and innocent children so long ago, and it is satan who continues to promote a culture of death and destruction today. What should our response be? We, like Saint Joseph, must see it as our solemn duty to protect the most innocent and vulnerable with unwavering determination. Though this newborn Child was God, and though the Father in Heaven could have protected His Son with a myriad of angels, it was the Father’s will that a man, Saint Joseph, protect His Son. For that reason, we should also hear the Father calling each and every one of us to do all we can to protect the innocent and most vulnerable, especially the child within the womb.
Reflect, today, upon the will of God for your life. In what ways is God calling you to be like Saint Joseph and protect the most innocent and most vulnerable? How are you being called to be a guardian of those entrusted to your care? Certainly on a civil level we must all work to protect the lives of those who are unborn. But every parent, grandparent and all those entrusted with responsibility for another must strive to protect those in their care in countless other ways. We must diligently work to preserve them from the evils in our world and the numerous attacks of the evil one on their lives. Ponder this question today and allow the Lord to speak to you of your duty to imitate the great protector, Saint Joseph.
Lord, give me insight, wisdom and strength so that I can work in accord with Your will to protect the most innocent from the evils of this world. May I never cower in the face of evil, and may I always fulfill my duty to protect those entrusted to my care. Saint Joseph, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.