Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Bẩy tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Bẩy tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên
  Như câu chuyện của Tobit trong sách Tôbia đến một kết thúc, chúng ta thấy rằng ông ta và gia đình ông đã phải chịu đựng nhiều đau khổ, thử thách đắng cay trong quá khứ. Và giờ đây, họ đã ơn của Chúa được may mắn vượt quá những sự hy vọng và mong đợi của họ. Tobit đã không quên dậy Tobia là không nên quên ơn người bạn đã đồng hành, hướng dẫn và giúp đỡ con ông là Tôbia và giúp đỡ gia đình ông, nên ông đã muốn chia một nửa những gì ông ta có để thưởng cho người bạn đồng hành của con ông. Nói cách khác, Ông Tobit đã muốn dạy cho Tobia biết quảng đại và rộng lượng với người cộng sự của mình  Để đáp lại sự quảng đại và đô lượng ấy, người bạn đồng hành đã cho Tobia biết rằng,  ông thực sự chính thiên thần  Raphael được Chúa gởi đến để thử thách Tobit và giúp ông.
 
Suy Niệm bài đọc thứ Bẩy tuần thứ 9 Thường Niên
            Trong Tin Mừng hôm nay, chúng ta thấy một góa phụ đã dâng cúng tới những hai đồng xu nhỏ. Như chúng ta biết là một góa phụ thời Chúa Giêsu, là người rất cô đơn, và nghèo khổ và bần cùng nhất trong xã hội thời đó vì không có sự hỗ trợ xã hội và họ là những người không có một tương lai vững chắn. Không có ai chăm sóc cho các nhu cầu cần thiết của họ? Việc bà goá phụ bỏ hai đồng xu nhỏ vào thùng tiền trong đền thánh, nếu như bà ấy đã giữ lại một đồng xu đẻ mua một tí cơm cho mình, chắc chắn sẽ không ai trách bà ta. Tuy nhiên, trong cuộc sống đầy thiếu tốn và mong manh như thế, bà goá phụ này đã tự hy sinh và lựa chọn dâng cho Chúa tất cả những gì bà có, kể cả mạng sống của bà cho Thiên Chúa. Bà ấy chính là người anh hùng trong câu chuyện này.
            Bà goá phụ trong bài Tin Mừng hôm nay chính là điềm tiên báo trước những gì mà Chúa Giêsu sẽ làm. Khi Chúa Giêsu bước vào thành Jerusalem, nơi mà Ngài sẽ dâng hiến tất cả những gì mà Ngài đang có, là chính Ngài cho Thiên Chúa Cha cũng là vì con người chúng ta. Và kết quả sẽ là những ơn phước vô biên mà Chúa ban cho chúng ta, những phúc lành mà Chúa ban cho không thể đo lường được . Chúa Giêsu yêu thương mời gọi chúng ta hãy nên quảng đại trong tình thần cũng như vật chất,  nhưng Ngài không không bắt buộc chúng ta. Bằng cách nào mà Chúa Giêsu đã mời gọi chúng ta chúng ta nên quảng đại?
            Lạy Chúa, xin giúp chúng con biết yêu thương như Ngài đã yêu chúng con, biết hy sinh và quảng đại như  Chúa đang làm ... để biết cho đi những gì chúng ta có, (tài chánh, thời gìờ) một cách rộng lượng và quảng đại mà không bao giờ biết do dự.
 
Saturday 9^th Ordinary Time 2026
Saturday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43–44
How generous are you? This is a challenging question, yet one worth considering. Does your generosity reflect God’s boundless generosity? Do you struggle with selfishness and greed, failing to live out the Gospel call to poverty, detachment, and charity? Most people likely fall short of this ideal. Acknowledging this, though difficult, is an act of honesty and humility. Such humility disposes us to receive an outpouring of heavenly riches, which far surpass any earthly possessions or attachments we may cling to or desire.
In today’s Gospel, set just days before His Passion, Jesus warns the people about the scribes. In a previous discourse, He had highlighted their limited understanding of His divine identity and their overly legalistic approach to Scripture. Today, He condemns them for their excessive attachment to external displays of piety—such as “long robes” and public honors—as well as their greed, neglect of the poor, and hypocritical religiosity. He concludes His warning with a sobering statement: “They will receive a very severe condemnation” (cf. Mark 12:38–40).
The scribes likely thought highly of themselves and sought to outdo one another in outward show. They fasted, meticulously followed the Law as they interpreted it, recited lengthy prayers in public, and cultivated a religious culture that held them in high esteem. Yet Jesus’ harsh condemnation of them was spoken out of love. They, more than anyone in the Temple area, needed to hear His words and repent. Perhaps some were convicted by His rebuke, but for most, His words only hardened their hearts—ultimately leading to their plot to crucify Him.
That same day, Jesus taught the people—and the scribes who were listening—that the Law’s fulfillment is found in love, not in multiplying empty displays of piety. When asked by a scribe which commandment in the Law was the greatest, He proclaimed: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…. You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30–31).
In today’s discourse, Jesus provided the people and the scribes who were listening with a concrete, visual example of His teaching. He pointed to a poor widow who placed two small coins in the Temple treasury, declaring that she had “put in more” than all the others. The coins she gave were called lepta (sometimes referred to as “mites”), the smallest denomination in circulation at the time. A single lepton was worth approximately 1/128 of a denarius, the standard daily wage for a laborer. In modern terms, if a daily wage were $170 USD, her two coins would amount to roughly $2.66—a seemingly insignificant sum, yet one of immense spiritual value in God’s eyes.
When God looks at your generosity, He looks into your heart and judges according to what He sees. He is not impressed by wealth or poverty, nor does He measure generosity by the size of a gift. Rather, He looks at your willingness to put love into action—loving “with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” This love is first directed to God and then expressed through an unwavering love of neighbor. How much should we give to God and others? Like the poor widow, we must give our “whole livelihood,” meaning the totality of who you are and what you can do. That is what Jesus praised, and it is what He expects of us.
Reflect today on the radical generosity to which we are all called. As finite beings, we cannot meet every need in the world—but that is not our duty. Our duty is to offer all that we are and have to God in service of His will. Though such generosity may feel difficult, the pain we experience does not come from giving but from the remnants of selfishness resisting detachment. Pray for the grace to be so generous that it purges all selfishness from your heart, soul, mind, and strength. When that happens, God will see your goodness and bless you abundantly.
Most generous Lord, You have given me everything and invite me to offer all in return, out of love for You and my neighbor. Fill my heart with the grace of radical generosity, that I may give my time, energy, and resources without hesitation, offering my whole self in Your service. Help me to see the wisdom in such self-giving, trusting that Your goodness is never outdone in generosity. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 9^th Ordinary Time 2026
pening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you see not as human beings see, but you behold the heart in truth. Free us from all pride and the desire for human approval, and teach us to give you our whole selves. May our offerings, however small, be made in sincerity and pleasing in your sight.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Danger of Honors: Today, we conclude our daily reading of the Gospel of Mark. One of Mark’s goals in his Gospel is to focus on what it takes to be a disciple of Jesus. On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus put his disciples on guard against seeking riches, pleasure, and power. He wants his disciples, especially the leaders of the Church, to be detached from earthly treasure, to be faithful to their spouses, and to exercise authority as humble servants. The lessons in Jerusalem continue these admonitions. First, Jesus cautions his disciples to “beware of the scribes.” And Jesus highlights two sinful actions. First, they use their position to seek earthly honors such as being called “rabbi,” which means “my great one.” They seek after the best places within the synagogue and outside the synagogue at banquets. Second, the scribes use their position for financial gain – they recite lengthy prayers, not to honor God and act as a priestly bridge between God and humanity, but to get money and exploit the poor. The leaders of the Church, Jesus knows, will be tempted like the scribes to use their position of authority for themselves.
2. The Widow’s Offering: The false piety of the scribes is contrasted with the true piety of the widow. Jesus observes how many wealthy people contribute large sums to the Temple treasury, but he draws special attention to a poor widow who contributes only two small coins. In human terms, her offering seems insignificant, yet in God’s eyes it is of immense value because it represents everything she has. Unlike the scribes, who give to be seen and honored, the widow gives quietly and without calculation, entrusting her entire life to God’s providence. Her act reveals that true worship is not measured by external abundance but by total, interior surrender. She becomes a living image of authentic discipleship, where love of God and neighbor outweighs all things.
3. True Greatness in the Kingdom of God: Jesus uses this moment to reveal a fundamental reversal in the logic of the Kingdom. What is admired by the world – status, celebrity, beauty, power, and surplus wealth – is not what God esteems. Instead, God looks upon the heart and values total trust in him, even when it appears fragile or hidden. The widow’s gift anticipates the self-gift of Christ himself, who will soon offer everything on the Cross without reserve. In this way, discipleship is shown not as a partial offering, but as a participation in Christ’s own total self-giving love. Those who follow Jesus are called to measure greatness not by what they retain for themselves, but by what they entrust to God.
 
Saturday 9^th Ordinary Time 2023
Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Mark 12:41–42
As soon as Jesus saw this widow contribute her “few cents” worth of coins, Jesus was moved with love. He immediately used this as an opportunity to teach a lesson to His disciples. He called them over and explained that this poor widow had contributed more than anyone because “she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.”
Our Lord judges’ generosity far differently than the world. What does it mean to be generous? Generosity certainly applies to how you use your money. But it also applies to your time, energy, commitment, and every other aspect of your life. To be generous, according to Jesus, is to give all you have, your “whole livelihood.”
You accomplish this goal when you make God and His holy will the central and most important part of your life. You can hold nothing back from Him! Does this mean that if you want to strive for perfection, then you must give away all you own? Perhaps the best answer is both “Yes” and “No.” The answer is “Yes” in the sense that we must become completely detached, on an interior and spiritual level, from everything that is not part of God’s perfect will. The answer is “No” in the sense that, for most people, it is part of His holy will that you own a house, a car, other possessions, and do enjoy other material comforts with your family and friends. The key is the interior detachment and the central focus upon the glory of God and the total service of His holy will. Love of God and neighbor, and freedom from selfishness, will be the guiding factors in these decisions.
With that said, there are certainly some who live in excess and indulgence in our world and, as a result, are deeply attached to their extravagant lifestyle. And there are some who are physically poorer who are just as attached, interiorly, to that which they do not have. For example, what if this poor widow, instead of giving her last few cents, sat in the Temple area watching as the wealthy put in large sums of money and allowed herself to grow in jealousy and greed. This interior attitude would have been in stark contradiction to the generous and trusting spirit she acquired through her total generosity. True generosity is a fundamental disposition of our lives. It means that we have chosen to imitate our Lord through a total self-giving of ourselves to His holy will. And that does include seeing all that we possess as belonging to Christ for the service of His holy will.
Reflect, today, upon whether material possessions and wealth possess you more than you possess them. Are you controlled by desires for more and struggle with disordered attachments to the things you do have? Are you able to make love of God and love of neighbor the central focus of your life and use all that you have, in accord with God’s will, for those purposes? Reflect upon the generosity in the heart of this humble and poor widow and allow our Lord to teach you how to be generous through her holy witness.
My generous Lord, You bestow upon us all good things. You enrich our lives with Your love and mercy which are the true treasures we must seek. Fill my heart with the same generosity exemplified by this poor widow so that I, too, will imitate the total self-giving that she lived in imitation of You. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 9^th week in Ordinary Time 2023
Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in you. To please you is worth more than any praise or recognition the world can give. I trust that you will always inspire my heart to love you in all I do. I wish only to forget myself to love you and those you send my way.
Petition: Lord Jesus, may I do all for the glory of your name!
1. A Scalpel to My Vanity: The scribes did everything right in the eyes of men. Jesus could see that it was all a facade. Their robes were for them to be noticed. People were to pay them tribute for being men of honor. Today that same vanity is still popular. What we wear, our car, and the titles or letters that follow our name seem to give us self-worth. Yet, these men of means brought nothing but condemnation upon themselves. Their position of leadership and learning placed a great responsibility upon them. However, far from the great good they could do for others, they used it to take advantage of others. What deeds do I have to show for any position or learning I have?
2. Eliminating My Egotism: For whom do I live? The scribes lived for themselves. If they taught, it was to impress others. If they gave, it was to build a reputation. If they prayed, it was to justify everything they stole from the poor. They were not evil men; they were ‘good guys.' But they were driven by self-love. It explained all they did. Even if they happened to do something just, its worth was empty, for they sought themselves.
3. Behold True Charity: Against the backdrop of so much show and empty parading, Jesus sees a bright act of virtue. He sees what no one else sees. He saw someone almost ignored by everyone. The authenticity of her gift was twofold. She gave quietly, without any thought of winning praise: her gift was for God alone. And what she gave appeared small but was her all, everything she owned. Pure charity is done for God and involves the gift of our entire self. Unreserved offers of service, ever ready to love and serve, when, where and as I am asked, how rare these are! How do I give? Is my charity ever hidden? In what ways do I give my entire self to God?