Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần 11 TN

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Thứ Sáu Tuần 11 TN

Qua bài tin mừng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu nói với chúng ta “đèn của thân thể là con mắt” (Mt 6:22). Thánh Tôma cho rằng khi nói về mắt Chúa Giêsu là đề cập đến ý định, lòng muốn của con người. Khi nào ý định của chúng ta ngay lành, thì lòng của chúng ta phát sáng hướng vào Thiên Chúa, tất cả các hành động của chúng ta là tươi sáng, rực rỡ, nhưng khi ý định của chúng ta trở nên mờ ám hay trở nên “tối tăm”, và không có cái đen tối nào sẽ tối bằng cái đen tối nhất trong lòng của chúng ta! (x. Mt 6:23)
            Nếu chúng ta giận dữ, ý định của chúng ta thường độc ác hay không được thẳng thắn, bởi chỉ vì chúng ta thiếu một số ý nghĩa tốt đẹp, Nhưng chúng ta sống chỉ nghĩ tới vật chất, như thể chúng ta được sinh ra để làm ra tiền, để gây dựng tài sản vật chất hay chồng chất cho sự giàu có mà chúng ta không lòng trí để có thể nghĩ đến sự tốt đạp khác nữa.
            Đó là những nguyên nhân làm cho chúng ta lừa dối nhau, làm chúng ta đau khổ, làm cho chúng ta lo lắng và đau đớn và không thể tìm thấy hạnh phúc như chúng ta mong muốn, Nhưng hôm nay, Chúa Giêsu đưa ra cho chúng ta một bài học, một đề nghị khác:” Hãy tích trữ cho mình những kho tàng trên trời, nơi mối mọt không làm hư nát, nơi trộm cắp không đào ngạch và lấy đi được (Mt 6:20).
            Thiên đàng là nhà kho nơi mà các việc làm (hành động) tốt được lưu trữ, và chắc chắn đây là một kho báu vĩnh viễn dài lâu, Chúng ta hãy chân thành và thành thật với chính mình: đâu là những nỗ lực mà chúng ta phải hướng đến? Đúng thế, những Kitô hữu tốt phải học và lao động một cách trung tín để kiếm sống, để nâng cao đời sống gia đình, để đảm bảo tương lai của họ và một cuộc sống yên bình khi đến tuổi già hưu, và họ cũng phải làm việc với mục đích để giúp đỡ những người khác nữa... Tất cả những điều này thực sự chính là một đặc trưng của một Kitô hữu chân chính, ngay lành. Nhưng nếu những gì mà chúng ta luôn luôn đang tìm kiếm, muốn có nhiều và có nhiều hơn nữa, thì chúng ta đang đặt tâm hồn và lòng của chúng ta trong những sự mong ước giàu có vật chất mà quên đi tất cả những việc làm phúc đức.
            Hãy tỉnh thức đừng để những thứ vật chất lôi kéo chúng ta vào khoảng trống rỗng mà thực tế chỉ là tạm bợ, bởi vì cuộc sống của chúng ta hôm nay chỉ qua là một chiếc bóng, có đúng là đó là sự thật không? “Nếu thế ánh sáng nơi chúng ta lại thành bóng tối, thì tối biết chừng nào!” (Mt 6:23).
 
Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.” Matthew 6:22–23
Every Scripture passage, in a spiritual sense, can teach us many lessons. Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his commentary on Matthew’s Gospel, offers one interpretation to the passage quoted above by saying that the “eye” in this passage refers to your intention and “your whole body” refers to all of your actions that follow from your intention. Therefore, when your intentions are in line with God’s will, the actions that follow will be also. This is a very practical and useful lesson for your journey toward holiness.
With this insight from Saint Thomas, we must look at our intentions in an honest and complete way. What are your intentions in life? It’s easy for us to form various intentions that may seem good as well as some that are contrary to the will of God without even realizing it. We may intend to get a good night’s sleep on one occasion. Or intend to have fun with family and friends on a certain day. Or we may intend to cook a good meal, clean the house, do well at work, etc. There are many momentary intentions that are good and are a normal part of daily living. However, the most important intention to consider is that which is the deepest of them all. What is the most central, foundational, and fundamental intention by which your life is directed?
The primary intention that you should work to acquire is to give God the greatest glory possible in all that you do. Giving glory to God is accomplished when you choose Him and His holy will above everything else in life. When this is the deepest and most fundamental intention of your life, everything else will flow from it. All secondary intentions and actions will align with this central focus and work toward its accomplishment. But when there are other “first intentions” that you have on the most fundamental level, then all the rest of your intentions and actions will be misguided and directed in a disordered way.
Reflect, today, upon the most fundamental intention you have in life. Doing so will require a considerable amount of interior reflection and honesty. It will require that you sort through the many things that motivate you and the decisions you make each and every day. Reflect upon the primary purpose of your life, which must be to give God the greatest glory possible by choosing and living His perfect will. Do all of your daily actions align with this ultimate goal? Commit yourself to the holy work of examining all of your actions in this light so that you will more fully achieve the purpose for which you were created.
God of all glory, You and You alone are worthy of all my praise. Your will and Your will alone must become the foundation of all that I choose in life. Give me the spiritual insight I need to look deeply at all that motivates me and all of my most interior intentions in life. May all of my intentions and all of my actions have as their goal Your eternal glory. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” Matthew 6:19–21
Today’s Gospel is one that many find difficult to take literally. It is common for people to dream of wealth and material possessions. In an attempt to reconcile our Lord’s teachings with their desires, they might justify the pursuit of riches by promising to be generous with the poor. But what is the ideal we should strive for?
Jesus’ exhortation is clear: The treasures of this world—money, possessions, power—are fleeting. They are subject to decay, theft, and loss. In contrast, spiritual treasures—virtues, good works, acts of charity, and growth in holiness—are eternal. Recall Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, in which Jesus plainly states, “Blessed are you who are poor…” (Luke 6:20). Was Jesus speaking metaphorically, or does literal poverty bestow great blessedness?
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus is recorded slightly differently: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (Matthew 5:3). By adding “in spirit,” He emphasizes an interior disposition of detachment from worldly goods. He calls us to be free from the attachments that hinder our union with Him. However, we must be cautious not to assume that we can possess or desire great wealth and remain truly “poor in spirit.” While some are called to use material goods wisely, in accord with God’s will, the Gospel ideal is a simplicity of life that fosters detachment from material security.
One reason this teaching is difficult to embrace is that material comforts provide a false sense of security. We often find satisfaction in abundance, yet struggle to believe that a life of simplicity and detachment could bring even greater joy. Jesus does not call us to destitution but to a life free from excessive attachment to wealth, where our true security rests in God.
Imagine winning an all-expenses-paid trip to the most luxurious resort in the world, offering unparalleled comfort and experiences. Such a prize would naturally seem desirable, even fulfilling. But Jesus’ teaching today reminds us that no earthly luxury can compare to the eternal riches of Heaven. The question remains: where do we set our hearts? If we place our ultimate hope in worldly goods, our vision will be darkened, preventing us from seeing the greater good that awaits. But if we seek first the Kingdom of God, our hearts will be filled with His light, guiding us to treasures that will never fade.
Though material things are not evil in themselves, Jesus desires that our hearts be properly ordered toward the greater good. He does not condemn wealth itself but warns against its dangers when it becomes an obstacle to spiritual growth. Recall that Jesus did not say it was impossible for the rich to enter His Kingdom, but that it was difficult (cf. Matthew 19:23–24; Mark 10:25). The challenge lies in the attachments wealth creates, fostering a false sense of security and self-sufficiency rather than reliance on God.
For this reason, there is great wisdom in choosing the easier path—not only the path to Heaven but also the path to abundant riches in Heaven. That path is one of intentional simplicity, freely embracing a life detached from material excess, so that our desires are purified and freed from worldly temptations. This call to detachment is not only for those who are wealthy but also for those who have little, yet remain consumed by an insatiable longing for more.
Reflect today on the profound spiritual truth that when we embrace simplicity—both outwardly and inwardly—we cultivate a deeper trust in God’s providence and find our true wealth in His grace. Such spiritual wealth will remain with us for eternity. Choosing it is an act of divine wisdom, leading to eternal rewards beyond imagination, where neither moth nor decay can touch the treasures we store in Heaven.
Lord of all riches, You bestow upon the poor and humble treasures beyond imagination. Please free me from inordinate desires for worldly wealth, and set my heart on the true riches of Heaven. Grant me the grace to be disciplined in my possessions and, even more so, in my heart, so that I may desire You and Your will above all else. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, the things of this passing world often vie for my attention. I know that they cannot ultimately satisfy me or bring me ultimate happiness. You alone satisfy. Love alone will last for eternity. May I love you above all things and with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Encountering the Word of God
1. The Debt of Sin: More than any other Gospel, the Gospel of the tax-collector turned Apostle, Matthew, employs economic language to speak about spiritual realities. Heaven is a place to store up treasure, sinful actions incur debt, the Kingdom of the Heavens is like a pearl of great price, God is a king who entrusts his wealth (talents) to his servants for them to invest it, the rich young man is invited by Jesus to sell everything and give to the poor, the laborers in the Lord’s vineyard are given generous wages, and the vineyard of the Lord will be leased out to other tenants. The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus has just given in the Sermon on the Mount, teaches us to ask God to forgive, remit, or cancel our debts. The debts in question concern what we have incurred due to our sins. Almsgiving is seen as an act that earns heavenly treasure, and this treasure delivers from death and punishment. Heavenly treasure redeems us from the debt of sin (see Eubank, Wages of Cross-Bearing and the Debt of Sin, 50-51). The meaning of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer is made clearer in the Parable of the ungrateful servant (Matthew 18:23-35): “Sin puts one in danger of becoming a debt-slave, but God will cancel the debts of those who ask him, provided that they in turn cancel the debts of their fellow servants” (Eubank, Wages of Cross-Bearing and the Debt of Sin, 56).
2. Treasure in the Heavens: The three examples of righteous deeds done in secret – almsgiving, prayer, fasting – were examples of how to earn a wage for righteous deeds from God rather than from people. Today’s Gospel passage approaches the question of heavenly treasure from a different angle. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus contrasts the ephemerality of earthly treasure with the eternity of heavenly treasure. “Earthly treasures are here today and gone tomorrow. Pursuit of such wages is antithetical to the pursuit of heavenly wages. The parables of the treasure hidden in a field and of the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:44-45) make a similar point: the kingdom is like a treasure that compels a person to sell all her possessions in order to gain it” (Eubank Wages of Cross-Bearing and the Debt of Sin, 81).
3. Reviewing our Heavenly Bank Account: When we make an examination of conscience, it is like a review of the ledger of our heavenly bank account. We can imagine it as follows. The first column of the ledger has the time, day, month, and year of an action. The second column summarizes the action. The third column records if the action was sinful and resulted in a debt that wounded or broke our relationship with God. The fourth column is for credits – heavenly treasure – stored up through righteous deeds of charity toward God and neighbor, empowered by grace. The fifth column has our balance. A daily review of this ledger can keep us on track. A yearly review of the ledger – in a retreat setting, perhaps, or at the end of the year – is also important. If we see insurmountable debt, we know the way out: humility before God, sacramental forgiveness, and deeds of charity. If we see heavenly treasure, this is not a cause for pride or self-righteousness, but for thanksgiving. We only have treasure in the heavens because God is with us, Jesus has merited it for us, and we have worked with God’s grace.
 
Friday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time 2024
Opening Prayer: Lord God, the things of this passing world often vie for my attention. I know that they cannot ultimately satisfy me or bring me ultimate happiness. You alone satisfy. Love alone will last for eternity. May I love you above all things and with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Athaliah, the Usurper Queen: During the past few days, we have read about the prophet Elijah in the northern kingdom of Israel and how he led the efforts to combat paganism and the worship of Baal. Today, we read about the southern kingdom of Judah, the reigns of Queen Athaliah (842-837) and King Joash (837-796), and how the priest Jehoiada led the efforts against paganism and the worship of Baal. Our First Reading tells the story of the rise and fall of Athaliah, the usurper queen. Athaliah’s son, Ahaziah (the King of Judah), was killed by archers by order of Jehu, the King of Israel. Athaliah flew into a rage and began killing the members of the royal family of Judah. She wanted to exterminate the house of David. She almost succeeded, but thanks to Jehosheba, Joash (Athaliah's grandson) was taken away and hid in the temple for six years. On the one hand, Jehosheba's actions parallel those of Jochebed and Miriam who saved the baby Moses from the wrath of pharaoh. On the other, the story prefigures the wrath of King Herod who tried to kill Jesus, of the house of David. Not only did Queen Athaliah try to exterminate David’s house and line, but she also introduced the worship of the pagan god Baal into the Jerusalem temple.
2. Joash the King and Jehoiada the Priest: When six years had passed, in the seventh year, the priest Jehoiada prepared to show Joash to the people. After proclaiming Joash king, crowning him, and anointing him, Jehoiada commands that Queen Athaliah be put to death outside the temple of the Lord. Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord, the king, and the people. Led by King Joash and the priest Jehoiada, the people destroyed the altars and images of Baal throughout the land of Judah. Joash reigned for forty years in Jerusalem and he did what was right because Jehoiada the priest instructed and guided him. Nevertheless, although the altars and images of Baal were destroyed, the high places were not taken away and the people of Judah continued to sacrifice and burn incense on the high places. In response, King Joash began to collect money to repair the Temple, the house of the Lord. After the death of Jehoiada the priest, however, the princes of Judah came before the king and convinced him to forsake the house of the Lord and serve other gods and idols. In response, the Lord God sent prophets to Judah and Jerusalem to bring the people back to him. These prophets testified against the people, but the people would not give heed (2 Chronicles 24:17-20). Today’s psalm recalls the covenant made with David. God promised him that if his sons (his descendants) keep his covenant, their sons will forever sit upon his throne. “The covenant with David is a divine gift or ‘grant’: God binds himself by divine oath, swearing unwavering fidelity and promising unconditional blessings and everlasting kingship to David and his offspring. This covenant of grant seems to reward David’s single-minded dedication to restoring Israel as a priestly kingdom and building a house for the ark of the covenant” (Hahn, The Kingdom of God as Liturgical Empire, 70-71). The life of King Joash exemplifies the two teachings in today’s Gospel. Under the guidance of Jehoiada, Joash’s heart is in the right place and he sees clearly. He works to eliminate pagan worship and restore God’s Temple. Towards the end of his life, however, he allows himself to be swayed by the princes of Judah and permits the worship of idols. His heart was turned from God and reigned over the Kingdom of Judah in darkness. He became spiritually blind.
3. Store Up Treasure in Heaven: Up to this point, Jesus's Sermon on the Mount has dealt with the paths to true beatitude (5:3-12), the mission of his disciples (5:13-16), and the fulfillment of the law (5:17-48), and has given indications about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting in secret (6:1-18). Now, in the next section of his sermon, Jesus teaches his disciples how they should use their material possessions in this world and trust in divine providence (6:19-34). What matters ultimately is not earthly treasure, but heavenly treasure. Earthly treasures pass away and we can’t take them with us when we die. We can store up heavenly treasure, that lasts forever, through righteous deeds, done not out of vanity or for show, but out of love. Almsgiving, prayer, and fasting are done not to be seen by others, but for God alone. The difference between building up earthly treasure and building up heavenly treasure is paralleled by the difference between spiritual blindness (darkness) and walking by the light of Christ. “Christ's teaching here shows that the way one approaches wealth affects the entire self. The sound, generous eye illumines like a lamp; the selfish, greedy evil eye leaves a person in darkness” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 109).