Suy Niệm Tin Mừng
Thứ Sáu Tuần 13 Thường Niên
Đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay đoạn cho chúng ta thấy được niềm hy vọng, vì Chúa Giêsu đến để kêu gọi và cứu chữa những con người tội lỗi. Người thu thuế Mathêô chắc chắn đã có thấu hiểu đưoơc về sự vô nghĩa của việc tích lũy của cải vật chất. Và vì thế ông đã từ bỏ tất cả để chạy theo và nghe những lời Chúa Giêsu giảng dạy. Tất cả của cải vật chất trên thế giới và sự đam mê của chúng sẽ không thể đáp ứng cho con người chúng ta. Chỉ có Chúa Giêsu, Con Thiên Chúa là vị cứu tinh của thế giới mới có thể đem lại chúng ta những niềm vui và hạnh phúc nước trời. Lạy Chúa Giêsu, là Đấng Cứu Thế của chúng con, xin Chúa, sưởi ấm tâm hồn của chúng con với tình yêu vị tha của Chúa. Vì tâm hồn của chúng con đang mang đầy tội lỗi; Xin tẩy sạch chúng con bằng máu quý báu của Chúa. Va xin lấp đầy tâm hồn của chúng con với sự hiện diện của Chúa Thánh Thần. Lạy Chúa Giêsu, tâm hồn của chúng con là của Chúa; Xin Chúa hãy chiếm hữu tâm hồn chúng con và chỉ có Chúa mới là sở hữu tâm hồn con mà thôi.
Reflection:
Today gospel passage gives us hope. Jesus comes to save sinners. The tax collector Matthew must have experienced the meaninglessness of accumulating riches, exploiting others, etc. He must also have resolved to amend his ways after listening to Jesus preach. The world and all its allurements cannot satisfy man. Only Jesus, Son of God and saviour of the world, can.
Do we believe this? Have you finally realized this? If you are still thinking that the world can give you happiness, true happiness, Jesus is coming to you and inviting you to change your mentality. Do not be like the Pharisees who were self-righteous and who looked down on others. Jesus is willing to dine with us even if we are sinners. Are we interested in dining with him or do we prefer the company of the devil?
Friday of the Fourteenth Week in
Ordinary Time
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:12–13
Would you describe yourself as one who is “well” or one who is “sick?” Are you among the “righteous” or the “sinners?” Be careful how you answer this question. Of course, the pride that comes with our fallen human nature often tempts us to claim that we are “well” and “righteous.” But humility will reveal the truth that we are among the “sick” and “sinners.”
This statement of Jesus is a response to the Pharisees who noticed that Jesus was dining at the house of Matthew, the tax collector, whom He had just called to follow Him. Matthew did indeed leave everything behind and followed Jesus, and then he hosted dinner for Jesus at his house. At that dinner, there were “many tax collectors and sinners” who came and sat with Jesus and His disciples, which led the Pharisees to ridicule them all.
Jesus’ response is very important for us to hear. By stating that He came not for those who were well and righteous but for those who were sick and sinners, it tells us two important things. First, it tells us that we are all spiritually sick and sinful. Second, it tells us that if we cannot humbly admit to that, and in our pride claim that we are well and are righteous, then we essentially reject Jesus, the Divine Physician, from our lives. We essentially say, “Lord, I do not need You.”
It’s also helpful to notice that Jesus was not embarrassed to be seen with sinners. He did not hesitate at all and, in fact, clearly stated that they were those whom He came for. For that reason, we should not be afraid or embarrassed to admit we are sinners who are spiritually ill and in need of our Lord. To deny that fact is to deny reality and to deny the very source of the ongoing healing we most certainly need in life. It’s a denial of our need for Christ Jesus Himself.
Do you need our Lord? Do you need interior cleansing, healing, and forgiveness every day? If it’s difficult for you to wholeheartedly say “Yes” to that question, then perhaps you struggle with the pride of the Pharisees more than you know. No matter how holy you become, no matter how deeply you pray and no matter how charitable you are, you will always need the healing and forgiveness of the Divine Physician each and every day.
Reflect, today, upon the need you have in your life today for forgiveness. What sin do you struggle with the most? Interestingly, the holier one becomes, the more clearly they see their daily sins and their need for forgiveness and healing. If you struggle with this at all, spend time examining your conscience. Look for ways to do it more thoroughly and honestly. If you do, you can be certain that our Lord, the Divine Physician, will deeply desire to dine with you today and always.
My forgiving Lord, You are the Divine Physician Who has come to forgive and heal all of our ills. Remove my pride and self-righteousness so that I can be filled with humility and see clearly the sin in my life. As I see my sin, help me to turn to You and to trust in Your abundant mercy. You came for sinners, dear Lord, and I am one of those sinners in need. Jesus, I trust in You.
Friday
13th ordinary time
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I offer you the sacrifice of my life, united to the sufferings of your Son. I will be merciful as you are merciful. I will strive for holiness and perfection as you are holy and perfect.
1. Matthew and the Economy of Salvation: In the Gospel, we learn about the call of Matthew the tax collector. As a tax collector, Matthew had the ability to read and write and was not illiterate. He produced the Gospel that bears his name. One of its characteristics is the economic language used all throughout the Gospel. He speaks about the debt of sin and the credit of righteousness, about storing up heavenly treasure, about how God forgives our enormous debt and expects us to forgive the debts of others, about how we will be paid for our labor, and about how we have been entrusted with the king’s talents and need to work to build up the Kingdom of the Heavens. We are able to do all of this because the Kingdom of the Heavens that Jesus has inaugurated has broken into this world. God’s grace given to us through Jesus and the Spirit empowers us to do meritorious works of charity that build up the Kingdom and store up heavenly treasure.
Friday 13th ordinary time
Opening Prayer: Lord, you nourish me with your words in Scripture, and with your body when I answer your invitation to come to your banquet table. Never stop calling me to follow you, and give me the grace to walk in your ways, with the help of your Holy Spirit.
1. Seeing a Man: When the penetrating gaze of Jesus fell upon Matthew, the Lord saw a man. Instead of perceiving Matthew as the object of derision for the role he played in society, Jesus saw the man first and foremost as a reflection of himself, created in his image and likeness. Man’s first sin in the garden had surely tarnished this reflection, but neither that original sin, nor any subsequent sin committed by this particular man, diminished the incredible dignity that Matthew enjoyed as a child of God. Matthew had used his free will, granted by our loving God and Father, to side with the Roman authorities against the Jews, the chosen people into which he was born. But Our Lord also gave him, and gives us, a chance to turn his back on his former life and follow Christ, perfecting that will. “By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude” (CCC 1731).
Đoạn Tin Mừng hôm nay đoạn cho chúng ta thấy được niềm hy vọng, vì Chúa Giêsu đến để kêu gọi và cứu chữa những con người tội lỗi. Người thu thuế Mathêô chắc chắn đã có thấu hiểu đưoơc về sự vô nghĩa của việc tích lũy của cải vật chất. Và vì thế ông đã từ bỏ tất cả để chạy theo và nghe những lời Chúa Giêsu giảng dạy. Tất cả của cải vật chất trên thế giới và sự đam mê của chúng sẽ không thể đáp ứng cho con người chúng ta. Chỉ có Chúa Giêsu, Con Thiên Chúa là vị cứu tinh của thế giới mới có thể đem lại chúng ta những niềm vui và hạnh phúc nước trời. Lạy Chúa Giêsu, là Đấng Cứu Thế của chúng con, xin Chúa, sưởi ấm tâm hồn của chúng con với tình yêu vị tha của Chúa. Vì tâm hồn của chúng con đang mang đầy tội lỗi; Xin tẩy sạch chúng con bằng máu quý báu của Chúa. Va xin lấp đầy tâm hồn của chúng con với sự hiện diện của Chúa Thánh Thần. Lạy Chúa Giêsu, tâm hồn của chúng con là của Chúa; Xin Chúa hãy chiếm hữu tâm hồn chúng con và chỉ có Chúa mới là sở hữu tâm hồn con mà thôi.
Today gospel passage gives us hope. Jesus comes to save sinners. The tax collector Matthew must have experienced the meaninglessness of accumulating riches, exploiting others, etc. He must also have resolved to amend his ways after listening to Jesus preach. The world and all its allurements cannot satisfy man. Only Jesus, Son of God and saviour of the world, can.
Do we believe this? Have you finally realized this? If you are still thinking that the world can give you happiness, true happiness, Jesus is coming to you and inviting you to change your mentality. Do not be like the Pharisees who were self-righteous and who looked down on others. Jesus is willing to dine with us even if we are sinners. Are we interested in dining with him or do we prefer the company of the devil?
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9:12–13
Would you describe yourself as one who is “well” or one who is “sick?” Are you among the “righteous” or the “sinners?” Be careful how you answer this question. Of course, the pride that comes with our fallen human nature often tempts us to claim that we are “well” and “righteous.” But humility will reveal the truth that we are among the “sick” and “sinners.”
This statement of Jesus is a response to the Pharisees who noticed that Jesus was dining at the house of Matthew, the tax collector, whom He had just called to follow Him. Matthew did indeed leave everything behind and followed Jesus, and then he hosted dinner for Jesus at his house. At that dinner, there were “many tax collectors and sinners” who came and sat with Jesus and His disciples, which led the Pharisees to ridicule them all.
Jesus’ response is very important for us to hear. By stating that He came not for those who were well and righteous but for those who were sick and sinners, it tells us two important things. First, it tells us that we are all spiritually sick and sinful. Second, it tells us that if we cannot humbly admit to that, and in our pride claim that we are well and are righteous, then we essentially reject Jesus, the Divine Physician, from our lives. We essentially say, “Lord, I do not need You.”
It’s also helpful to notice that Jesus was not embarrassed to be seen with sinners. He did not hesitate at all and, in fact, clearly stated that they were those whom He came for. For that reason, we should not be afraid or embarrassed to admit we are sinners who are spiritually ill and in need of our Lord. To deny that fact is to deny reality and to deny the very source of the ongoing healing we most certainly need in life. It’s a denial of our need for Christ Jesus Himself.
Do you need our Lord? Do you need interior cleansing, healing, and forgiveness every day? If it’s difficult for you to wholeheartedly say “Yes” to that question, then perhaps you struggle with the pride of the Pharisees more than you know. No matter how holy you become, no matter how deeply you pray and no matter how charitable you are, you will always need the healing and forgiveness of the Divine Physician each and every day.
Reflect, today, upon the need you have in your life today for forgiveness. What sin do you struggle with the most? Interestingly, the holier one becomes, the more clearly they see their daily sins and their need for forgiveness and healing. If you struggle with this at all, spend time examining your conscience. Look for ways to do it more thoroughly and honestly. If you do, you can be certain that our Lord, the Divine Physician, will deeply desire to dine with you today and always.
My forgiving Lord, You are the Divine Physician Who has come to forgive and heal all of our ills. Remove my pride and self-righteousness so that I can be filled with humility and see clearly the sin in my life. As I see my sin, help me to turn to You and to trust in Your abundant mercy. You came for sinners, dear Lord, and I am one of those sinners in need. Jesus, I trust in You.
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I offer you the sacrifice of my life, united to the sufferings of your Son. I will be merciful as you are merciful. I will strive for holiness and perfection as you are holy and perfect.
1. Matthew and the Economy of Salvation: In the Gospel, we learn about the call of Matthew the tax collector. As a tax collector, Matthew had the ability to read and write and was not illiterate. He produced the Gospel that bears his name. One of its characteristics is the economic language used all throughout the Gospel. He speaks about the debt of sin and the credit of righteousness, about storing up heavenly treasure, about how God forgives our enormous debt and expects us to forgive the debts of others, about how we will be paid for our labor, and about how we have been entrusted with the king’s talents and need to work to build up the Kingdom of the Heavens. We are able to do all of this because the Kingdom of the Heavens that Jesus has inaugurated has broken into this world. God’s grace given to us through Jesus and the Spirit empowers us to do meritorious works of charity that build up the Kingdom and store up heavenly treasure.
Friday 13th ordinary time
Opening Prayer: Lord, you nourish me with your words in Scripture, and with your body when I answer your invitation to come to your banquet table. Never stop calling me to follow you, and give me the grace to walk in your ways, with the help of your Holy Spirit.
1. Seeing a Man: When the penetrating gaze of Jesus fell upon Matthew, the Lord saw a man. Instead of perceiving Matthew as the object of derision for the role he played in society, Jesus saw the man first and foremost as a reflection of himself, created in his image and likeness. Man’s first sin in the garden had surely tarnished this reflection, but neither that original sin, nor any subsequent sin committed by this particular man, diminished the incredible dignity that Matthew enjoyed as a child of God. Matthew had used his free will, granted by our loving God and Father, to side with the Roman authorities against the Jews, the chosen people into which he was born. But Our Lord also gave him, and gives us, a chance to turn his back on his former life and follow Christ, perfecting that will. “By free will one shapes one's own life. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude” (CCC 1731).
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