Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ Ba Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ Ba Thường Niên: ( Mark 4:1-20 )
            Qua bài đọc Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu muốn dạy chúng ta hãy nên tự xét mình, để xem coi chúng ta là loại "đất" nào khi chúng ta đón nhận lời Chúa. Một số hạt giống đã rơi vào luống đất phì nhiêu đã được cày bừa và chuẩn bị trước. Số hạt giống này sẽ được nẩy mầm, bén rễ, lớn lên, phát triển và có được năng xuất cao trong mùa thu hoạch. Nước Trời là những gì như thế. Nước Trời là hạt giống mang lại sự sống mà tất cả mọi người chúng ta mong muốn và được đón nhận. Hạt giống thiêng liêng trong một số người chúng ta đã bị dẫm đạp đến chết nghẹt bởi những người khác, bởi vì sự vô tâm hay cố tình. Tuy nhiên vẫn có nhiều người trong chúng ta có một trái tim biết rộng mở và dễ tiếp nhận. Nên Hạt giống thiêng liêng của họ sẽ được đâm chồi , nẩy lộc và phát triển với sản lượng thật phong phú.
            Làm thế nào chúng ta để có thể làm cho tâm hồn chúng ta được trở nên màu mỡ hơn, để dễ hấp thụ và phát huy được Lời Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta? Đó là một vấn đề do chúng ta tự sắp xếp để thích hợp, Một khi chúng ta nhận ra được những sự phiền nhiễu hay sự cám dỗ vật chất, ham muốn những ảo ảnh của quyền lực, của niềm tự hào, ích kỷ riêng trong mỗi người chúng ta, hy vọng chúng ta có thể nhận thức được những nết xấu đó mà cố gắng thay đổi để trở nên tốt hơn. Khi chúng ta biết chuẩn bị chính bản thân của chúng ta trong sự khiêm nhường, chúng ta sẽ cởi mở hơn và dễ chấp nhận những điều gì mà Thiên Chúa đã định sẵn hay an bài trưóc cho chúng ta. Chúng ta là thữa đất phì nhiêu, màu mỡ bởi vì chúng ta biết đón  nhận tình yêu của Thiên Chúa và nhờ thế Tình Yêu của Thiên Chúa đã sinh ra và nẩy nở trong chúng ta. Và qua chúng ta, tình yêu của Thiên Chúa sẽ được sinh sôi và phát triển ở những người khác nữa.\
           
My Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time - Gospel text (Mc 4,1-20):
In today’s Gospel message, helps us to examine what kind of "soil" we are. Some of the seeds will fall into rich trenches in the ploughed fields, take root, grow and produce a hundred times its own weight in harvest?.             
            That's what the Kingdom of heaven is like. It's a life-giving seed that everyone desires and receives it.             The sacred seed in some people is crushed to death by others. But many people have an open and receptive heart. Their sacred seed will grow and produce abundant fruit.
            How can we make our hearts more fertile to accepting God's word in our lives?     It's all a matter of proper disposition. Once we recognize the distractions of material things, of the illusion of power, of our own selfish pride, hopefully we become more teachable.
            When we prepare ourselves in humility, we become open to whatever God has in store for us.  We are fertile because we accept God's love to be brought forth in us and through us that love will grow in others.
            Take time, in prayer, to remember our sacred seed. Where do we feel there has been stony ground, rocks, or thorniness in your life? Where are the rich fruitful trenches? Does the word of God have a fighting chance to take root in our life? Pray to our loving God who sows his seed so generously.
 
Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
“Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit.” Mark 4:20
This description from the Parable of the Sower seems to describe a growing number of people in our world today. The first grouping of people mentioned in this parable have little to no faith and are represented by the seed sown on the path which is quickly consumed by satan. The second group of people have a little initial faith and are represented by seed sown on rocky ground. The passage above represents the third grouping of people who are like seeds sown in good soil but are also among thorns. The fourth are those who are like rich soil and the Word of God grows deeply in their lives. Let’s consider the third grouping of people in more detail. 
There are three evils that choke off the Word of God in our lives: “worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things.” In our day and age, there are many who encounter various types of anxieties, are consumed with a desire for material wealth and find themselves craving many other things. In all three cases, these interior temptations have the effect of overwhelming the pure Truth of the Word of God in their lives.
Anxiety is a common problem today. And though this is a psychological struggle much of the time, it also can have spiritual roots. Anxiety is the struggle of worrying excessively, nervousness about many aspects of life and an uneasiness about the future. In this case, when the Person of Jesus and the Truth of the Gospel message does not consume and direct our lives, we are left on our own to “figure it out.” And this loneliness will almost always lead us into a loss of hope, fear and lack of deep peace.
Most people who struggle with anxiety will constantly look for a cure. And one place they often look is the deceptive consolation of material wealth or the “craving for other things.” Imagine if you won a tremendous amount of money. Would this resolve your worries in life? Though you may be tempted to think it would, deep down we all know that this is a lie. Material wealth is never a reliable source of satisfaction in life. The same is true with almost everything else we “crave” in life. One thing and one thing alone can satisfy. And that one thing is God.
Reflect, today, upon those things in your life that seem to occupy your mental energy. What do you worry about, hope for, deeply desire? What do you falsely believe will relieve your interior struggles? What do you crave? Take time today to remind yourself of the irrefutable truth that God, His holy will and all that He has revealed as True is the only source of satisfaction. Seek to let that Truth sink in deeply in your heart so that the Truths of God will grow and bear the abundant good fruit you so deeply desire.
My merciful Lord, help me to be open fully to Your holy Word so that the seed of Your Word will be planted deeply in my heart. May I always reject the many lies and deceptions of the world so that I can be freed of the anxieties and fleeting pleasures of life. May I seek only the deep and sustaining delights that come from a life fully given over to You so that I will live in the peace and grace of Your holy will. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, today we celebrate the memorial of Thomas Aquinas. Help me to discern, as he did, the great mystery of who you are and what you have done for the human race by sending your only-begotten Son and your Holy Spirit.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Goal of the Moral Life: Today, we celebrate the memorial of Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican priest and one of the greatest Doctors of the Church. Aquinas’s most influential work was his incomplete Summa theologiae. The bulk of this work is dedicated to the moral life. Aquinas doesn’t reduce morality to a simple list of dos and don’ts; he sees it rather as the path that leads to eternal life. He begins the part on the moral life with the goal of our moral action (I-II, qq. 1-6), which he identifies as happiness, or beatitude. This ultimate happiness is found in the vision of God’s essence. It is a vision that satisfies all our desires, since God is infinite goodness, truth, and beauty. This ultimate beatitude transcends our natural powers, and we need the help of divine grace to achieve this vision. Aquinas identifies two primary guides for moral action: law and grace, which together direct the human will toward the good and enable its attainment. While grace resides in our souls and makes us participants in the divine nature, our natural powers are disposed by the supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and charity toward God. Sin, as a turning away from God, obstructs this path, leading to ultimate unhappiness. 
2. Seven Virtues: Aquinas’s moral teaching prominently features the seven virtues – four cardinal (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance) and three theological (faith, hope, charity) – as habitual dispositions that perfect human faculties and direct actions toward the good, ultimately facilitating beatitude. The cardinal virtues, rooted in Aristotelian ethics but adapted to Christian anthropology, govern practical life: prudence perfects reason, enabling discernment of the true good in particular circumstances; justice inclines the will to render each their due, fostering social harmony; fortitude strengthens the irascible appetite to endure hardships for the sake of virtue; and temperance moderates the concupiscible appetite, restraining sensual desires. These four natural virtues can be acquired through repeated acts and are essential for moral excellence, but they remain incomplete without supernatural infusion. The theological virtues, bestowed by grace, orient the soul directly to God: faith enlightens the intellect to assent to revealed truths; hope fortifies the will to trust in God’s promises amid difficulties and in the aid God will give to attain what he has promised; and charity, the form of all virtues, unites the soul to God and neighbor in perfect love, animating the others. For Aquinas, virtues are interconnected; charity vivifies the cardinal virtues, making actions meritorious for eternal life. The virtues counteract vices and the capital sins, structuring moral growth. Aquinas stresses that virtues are not static but dynamic, perfected through practice and divine aid, leading to moral maturity.
3. Christ and the Sacraments: The New Law, sanctifying grace, and the theological virtues are not given to us without Christ and the sacraments of the Church. Habitual or sanctifying grace is merited for us and given to us by Christ, who came to save us from sin and is truly our way to the Father. Sanctifying grace is communicated to us through the Church’s seven sacraments. Baptism regenerates us as children of God. Confirmation strengthens us in the Spirit for spiritual combat (III, q. 72, a. 4). The Eucharist nourishes us, gives us spiritual life (III, q. 79, a. 1), and unites us to Christ. Reconciliation forgives the mortal and venial sins we have committed after our baptism. For Aquinas, our entire moral and spiritual life should be seen as the way that leads us to heavenly union with God. The moral life is less about submission to prohibitions and commandments, and more about growing in the freedom of the children of God. Unlike the philosophers and theologians who came after him, Aquinas focuses on what brings us to ultimate happiness rather than obligation; he focuses on growing in the practice of virtue, rather than listing the sins that break God’s commandments (see Pinckaers, The Sources of Christian Ethics, 399).
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as you sit enthroned at the Father’s right hand, intercede for me and request the good things I need to grow in holiness and continue on the path that leads to eternal life.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as you sit enthroned at the Father’s right hand, intercede for me and request the good things I need to grow in holiness and continue on the path that leads to eternal life.
 
Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, thank you for sowing your Word into the depths of my heart. May the Word find in me deep, rich soil that is free of thorns. If there are rocks or thorns that need to be removed, remove them.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Three Failed Responses to God’s Word: God the Father has spread his Word throughout human history. Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, speaks about three failures to welcome the seed of the Word and bear fruit. The first failure is to be like a hardened path. Any seed that falls on the path remains outside the heart and is rejected outright. The outright indifference and rejection of God’s Word gives Satan free rein to keep the person from welcoming God’s transforming divine life. The second failure is to be like rocky ground. Unlike the hardened soil of the path, the rocky ground is welcoming soil, but it is not deep soil. This is like the person who is enthusiastic about encountering God’s Word, but whose conversion only lasts a couple weeks or months. After the initial enthusiasm passes, they quickly fall away. It is like a person who makes a New Year’s resolution, but after a month reverts to their old ways. The third failure is to be like seed sown among thorns. Unlike the hardened soil of the path, they welcome the word. Unlike the rocky soil, they have deep soil. The problem is that another type of vegetation – thorny plants – takes over. Here, Jesus identifies three things that can choke the Word and prevent it from bearing fruit: worldly cares and anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things. Which of these chokes the Word of God in my life?
2. Three Good Responses to God’s Word: The parable about the sowing of God’s Word is not completely negative. The three negative responses are contrasted with three positive and supernatural responses to God’s Word. Thirty, sixty, and one hundred fold are all harvests that exceed nature. Only empowered by God’s grace, can our works bear supernatural fruit. What Jesus’ parable teaches is that the fruit – the spiritual harvest – of divine grace is not identical in each person. We are all called to collaborate with God’s grace and bear fruit in different ways. How am I collaborating with divine grace? How is God uniquely acting in my life?
3. The Word Sits at God’s Right Hand: The Letter to the Hebrews speaks about the mystery of where Jesus, our eternal high priest, currently ministers and reigns. The author of the letter points out that the Levitical priests stand daily and frequently offer – twice daily – animal sacrifices that can never take away sins. This Levitical priesthood is in stark contrast to that of Jesus. The Levitical priests stand; Jesus sits. The Levitical priests are subject to time and repeat their actions daily; Jesus is eternal. The Levitical priests cannot take away sins through their sacrifices; Jesus’ sacrifice is perfect and effective. The Levitical priests belong to the old Covenant written on tablets of stone. Jesus establishes the New Covenant, written on the heart. Jesus reigns now at his Father’s right hand and patiently waits until his enemies are definitively made his footstool. Jesus was victorious and has conquered but only at the end of time will his victory and conquest be definitive. Even now, Jesus intercedes with us as our high priest and reigns over all creation as our king. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as you sit enthroned at the Father’s right hand, intercede for me and request the good things I need to grow in holiness and continue on the path that leads to eternal life.
 
Wednesday 3rd Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, merciful sower of all that is good, grant me the grace to receive your word with humility and obedience. You have created me in your image and invited me to be part of your Church, where “those who have ears ought to hear.” Enable your words to take root in me, and spur me to spread your Kingdom.
Encountering Christ:
Pass It Down: How beautiful a grandmother’s faith is! Many of us can joyfully recall the way our grandmother had devotionals stuffed in her well-worn Bible, straining the binding or even demanding a rubber band around the whole bundle. St. Paul deeply appreciated the grandmother and mother of his precious friend, Timothy, and how they passed along their sincere faith to him. Lois and Eunice today are recalled by all of us who read the Apostle’s second letter to Timothy, and we can dream about what St. Paul would include about us if he were to write to our children or grandchildren. Have we set a courageous example that can be emulated by those who come after us? Do our words and deeds point toward Christ being at the center of our life? Would our pastor know our name as somebody who tirelessly serves our family and the Church?
Preparing for the Seed: The parable of the sower presents a broad array of potential dispositions of each seed that the sower drops; where the seed falls almost appears random. We, though, who are the beneficiaries of sacred Scripture, are blessed to have this parable explained to us again and again as our fallen nature requires. We know from the Lord’s patient explanation that where the seed falls is certainly not random. We need grace to steer away from a fruitless path of concrete indifference. We need to discover the rich deposit of faith that provides depth for planting. We need to detach from material goods that threaten to choke off our branch from the life-giving vine. May we cling to the sower so that we bear abundant fruit for the Kingdom.
Greeting the Sower: Today’s Gospel acclamation is a fine distillation of the well-known parable of the sower. The seed is the word of God—the living, breathing, and life-giving force that we have at our disposal at any moment. How much of the word of God echoes in our daily conversations? Christ is the sower—and we hear in today’s psalm that he deserves our glory and praise for his marvelous deeds, which include making this world for us firm, “not to be moved.” How grateful are we for this foundation? Lastly, the acclamation goes right to the ripe harvest, assuring the faithful that all who come in good conscience to Christ, the just and merciful sower, will live forever. What have we done to cultivate an ever more delicate conscience, driving sin from our life so as to come ever closer to the Lord?
Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for placing grandparents, godparents, parents, and friends in my path to help me to cultivate good soil. You know that I sometimes allow the thorns and brambles to creep in, but you, in your mercy, continue to plant good seeds. Give me the grace to humbly acknowledge my faults and strip my planting field of anything that inhibits your good seed from growing.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will perform a good examination of conscience during my night prayers.
 
Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Tư Tuần thứ Ba Thường Niên: (Mark 4:1-20 )
            Qua bài đọc Tin Mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu muốn dạy chúng ta hãy nên tự xét mình, để xem coi chúng ta là loại "đất" nào khi chúng ta đón nhận lời Chúa. Nước Trời là hạt giống mang lại sự sống mà tất cả mọi người chúng ta mong muốn được đón nhận. Hạt giống thiêng liêng trong một số người chúng ta đã bị dẫm đạp đến chết nghẹt bởi những người khác, bởi vì sự vô tâm hay cố tình. Tuy nhiên vẫn có nhiều người trong chúng ta có một trái tim biết rộng mở và dễ tiếp nhận. Nên Hạt giống thiêng liêng của họ sẽ được đâm chồi, nẩy lộc và phát triển với sản lượng thật phong phú.
            Làm thế nào chúng ta có thể làm cho tâm hồn của húng ta được trở nên màu mỡ hơn, để dễ hấp thụ và phát huy Lời Chúa trong cuộc sống của chúng ta? Đó là vấn đề chúng ta phải tự sắp xếp để thích hợp, Một khi chúng ta nhận ra được những sự phiền nhiễu hay sự cám dỗ vật chất, hay ham muốn những ảo ảnh của quyền lực, của niềm tự hào, ích kỷ riêng trong mỗi người chúng ta, hy vọng chúng ta có thể nhận thức được những nết xấu đó mà cố gắng thay đổi để trở nên tốt hơn. Khi chúng ta biết chuẩn bị chính bản thân của chúng ta trong sự khiêm nhường, chúng ta sẽ cởi mở hơn và dễ chấp nhận những điều gì mà Thiên Chúa đã định sẵn hay an bài trưóc cho chúng ta. Chúng ta là thữa đất phì nhiêu, màu mỡ bởi vì chúng ta biết đón  nhận tình yêu của Thiên Chúa và nhờ thế Tình Yêu của Thiên Chúa đã sinh ra và nẩy nở trong chúng ta. Và qua chúng ta, tình yêu của Thiên Chúa sẽ được sinh sôi và phát triển ở những người khác nữa.\
 
My Wednesday 3rd in Ordinary Time - Gospel text (Mc 4,1-20):
In today’s Gospel message, helps us to examine what kind of "soil" we are. Some of the seeds will fall into rich trenches in the ploughed fields, take root, grow and produce a hundred times its own weight in harvest?. 
            That's what the Kingdom of heaven is like. It's a life-giving seed that everyone desires and receives it.             The sacred seed in some people is crushed to death by others. But many people have an open and receptive heart. Their sacred seed will grow and produce abundant fruit.
            How can we make our hearts more fertile to accepting God's word in our lives?     It's all a matter of proper disposition. Once we recognize the distractions of material things, of the illusion of power, of our own selfish pride, hopefully we become more teachable.
            When we prepare ourselves in humility, we become open to whatever God has in store for us.  We are fertile because we accept God's love to be brought forth in us and through us that love will grow in others.
            Take time, in prayer, to remember our sacred seed. Where do we feel there has been stony ground, rocks, or thorniness in your life? Where are the rich fruitful trenches? Does the word of God have a fighting chance to take root in our life? Pray to our loving God who sows his seed so generously.