Suy Niệm Bài Đọc thứ Tư Tuần thứ 15 Thường Niên

Suy Niệm Bài Đọc thứ Tư Tuần thứ 15 Thường Niên
Bài Tin Mừng hôm nay cho chúng ta một cơ hội để hội nhập, có thể nói, với cấu trúc khôn ngoan của Thiên Chúa, Người đang ở giữa chúng ta, Có lẽ Ngài sẽ không thích được làm quen với những bí ẩn kỳ lạ của cuộc sống? Có nhiều điều bí ẩn mà những nhà khoa học gia nổi tiếng vẫn không thể nào tìm ra được nguyên nhân. Tuy nhiên đứng trước những bí ẩn đó, chúng ta “không có gì mà có thể giấu kín được mãi (...);  cũng không có một cái gì mà có thể dấu mãi được sự bí mật” (Mc 4:22). Đây là mầu nhiệm của Con Người, đấng đã tự gọi mình là "Con Thiên Chúa", bởi vì Ngài đã nói về chính mình: “Mọi sự đều đã được Cha Ta trao phó cho Ta” (Mt 11:27) Bản chất Con người của Chúa Giêsu, qua sự hợp nhất trong Chúa Ba Ngôi đã được Ngôi Lời của Thiên Chúa đảm nhận: chính là Ngài,  nói cách ngắn gọn, Ngôi Hai Thiên Chúa Ba Ngôi đã có trước khi mà bóng tối chưa có và do đó, ban đêm còn sáng hơn giữa ban ngày.
            Một câu tục ngữ của Ả Rập có câu: “Nếu trong bầu trời đen tối,  một  kiến đen trèo lên trên một bức tường màu đen, Thiên Chúa nhìn thấy nó”. Không có gì có thể giữ được bí mật trước mặt Thiên Chúa. Cho dù có những điều thật là bí ẩn đối với chúng ta, nhưng không có gì là bí ẩn với Thiên Chúa vì trước mặt Ngài, tất cả những quá khứ, hiện tại và tương lai đều được  mở rộng và được tỏ bày.
            Chúng ta có thể khá hài lòng, vì Chúa nói hôm nay: "Lạy Cha là Chúa trời đất, Con xin ngợi khen Cha, vì Cha đã giấu các điều ấy với hạng khôn ngoan thông thái, mà đã mạc khải ra cho những kẻ bé mọn.” (Mt 11:25). Thật vậy, bởi vì không ai có thể biết hết được những điều bí ẩn, thậm chí cũng không thể đưa chúng ra khỏi bóng tối, cho dù đã phải dầy công nghiên cứu, hay phải dùng đến sự khôn ngoan.
Một người phụ nữ già, không có một kinh nghiệm hay học thức, nhưng bà luôn luôn có ý thức về những bí mật sâu sắc của cuộc sống hơn là các nhà khoa học đã từng theo học ở những trường đại học có uy tín và mắc tiền. Một số khoa học có thể đạt được sự thành công qua đức tin trong nội tâm, sự khiêm tốn và đơn sơ.  Clement of Alexandria rất nổi tiếng đã viết: “ Ban đêm là điều kiện rất thuận lợi cho những bí ẩn; đó là khi linh hồn chúng ta  chăm chú và khiêm tốn để biến đổi bản thân trong khi cân nhắc cho thân phận chính mình; và đó là khi tâm hồn của chúng ta tìm thấy Thiên Chúa “.
 
Reflection on Wednesday 15th Ordinary Time
            Today, the Gospel offers us the opportunity to accede, so to speak, to the very structure of the divine wisdom. Who, amongst us, would not love to become acquainted with the unfathomable mysteries of life? There are enigmas the world's best team of investigators would not even dream of detecting. There is One however before which «there is nothing hidden, (...); nor is anything secret» (Mk 4:22). This is the mystery of who calls himself the “Son of man ”, inasmuch He says about himself: «All things have been handed over to me by my Father» (Mt 11:27). His human nature —through the hypostatic union— has been assumed by the Person of the Word of God: He is, in short, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, before which darkness does not exist and for which, night is more luminous than broad daylight.
            An Arab proverb says: «If a pitch black night a black ant climbs over a black wall, God sees it». There are neither secrets nor mysteries for God. There are mysteries for us, but not for God, before whom, past, present and future are open and dug into, to the last comma.
            Quite pleased, the Lord says today: «Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to simple people» (Mt 11:25). Indeed, because no one could pretend to know these or similar hidden secrets, not even by bringing them out of the darkness through exhaustive studies, or as the wisdom should. A little old aged woman, without any school experience, will always be more aware about the deep secrets of life than the pretentious scientist that has spent an awful lot of money at reputed universities. Certain science can be achieved through inner faith, humility and poorness. Clement of Alexandria very well wrote: «Night is favourable for mysteries; it is then when our soul —attentive and humble— turns on itself while pondering over its condition; it is then when it finds God».
 
Wednesday 15^th Ordinary Time 2026
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”  Matthew 11:25–27
Jesus’ praise of the Father, as recorded in today’s Gospel, is highly significant. Being both human and divine, His praise originated in His divinity and was expressed through His human nature as a perfect act of divine gratitude. This is significant not only for Jesus, but also for us.
As human beings, we are incapable of performing divine acts or attaining the perfection of divine gratitude unless God Himself acts in and through us. Since Jesus’ divinity and humanity are perfectly united in the one Person of the Son of God, He not only offered the perfection of praise to the Father, He also elevated human nature itself, enabling us to do the same in Him.
When we pray with Jesus as He says, “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,” we join in His perfect praise of the Father for His divine wisdom and action in our lives. Our praise, in union with Christ’s, is raised beyond mere emotional thanksgiving. It becomes an all-consuming adoration of the Father and a divinely inspired confession of Who He is and what He has accomplished in us. This praise glorifies God and transforms us. No prayer is more perfect or more consequential in our lives than to give praise to the Father in union with the Son. The cause for Jesus’ praise is also significant. His thanksgiving is directed at the Father’s wisdom in both hiding and revealing “these things.” In the Greek, the verbs for hiding and revealing are strong and deliberate, emphasizing the dramatic contrast between these two actions. From the “wise and learned,” the Father hides these mysteries. The wise and learned, in this context, are not necessarily those who possess education or intelligence, but those who are self-reliant, proud in their intellectual strength, and closed to divine mystery.
To the “childlike,” however, the Father reveals these things. The word translated as “childlike” is literally “infants” or “babes” in Greek, referring to those who are humble, open, and trusting—those who recognize their absolute dependence on God. To be childlike is not to be unintelligent; in fact, it implies a higher wisdom. True intelligence is found in the comprehension of divine Wisdom, not merely in worldly knowledge or human learning.
This divine wisdom stems from the gift of faith, which opens the soul to deeper understanding. Saint Augustine captures this beautifully when he says, “Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.” Humble, open, and trusting faith comes first. From there, the gifts of Wisdom and Understanding are granted.
This, then, is what Jesus refers to as “these things”: the sacred mysteries of Divine Wisdom and Understanding. They are not accessible to the proud or the self-sufficient, but are freely given to those who approach the Father with the simplicity and trust of spiritual childhood. And when they are granted, this is the cause for Jesus to praise the Father and for us to join in that praise.
Reflect today on your own disposition before God. Are you tempted to approach Him with self-reliance, pride in your accomplishments, or a desire to understand everything before believing? Or do you come as a child—humble, trusting, and open to receive the mysteries of grace? Seek the Wisdom and Understanding given to the childlike. When they are bestowed, unite your voice to Jesus’ in offering perfect praise to the Father. In that united praise, you will not only glorify God but also be transformed by the very Wisdom you adore.
Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, make me humble, simple, and open to all that You wish to reveal. With Jesus, Your Son, help me to recognize the bestowal of Your blessings—in my life and in the lives of others. United with the one voice of Your beloved Son, may I forever give You praise and thanksgiving. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Wednesday 15^th Ordinary Time 2026
Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the Lord of history and direct all things. I trust in your loving care to guide me to a good end. Enlighten my mind today to know your will and the path I need to take. Guide my decisions so that I may extend your reign in the world.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Responding to the Kingdom: In the Gospel, we begin reading from the two chapters in the Gospel of Matthew that lead up to the seven Parables about the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:1-53). The narrative of Matthew 11-12 highlights the division between those who follow Jesus and those who reject his teaching. The latter group includes those who refuse to repent (Matthew 11:20-24) and the Pharisees, who have hardened their hearts and even begun to plot Jesus’ death (Matthew 12:14). The Kingdom of God, inaugurated by Jesus, is mysterious. The humble understand Jesus’ parables and welcome his word so that it bears fruit. The prideful and arrogant, by contrast, are scandalized by the Kingdom's humility and by how it welcomes repentant sinners and God-fearing Gentiles.
2. Galilean Cities and Gentile Cities: In the Gospel, Jesus mentions three cities in Galilee – Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum – which have all experienced and seen his mighty deeds. These deeds include healings, exorcisms, and restorations of people to life. Jesus also mentions two Gentile cities outside of Galilee that were not privileged to witness his mighty deeds – Tyre and Sidon. These were Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel. “From a Jewish perspective these were not only strongholds of Gentile corruption but, according to several Old Testament oracles, both cities were already under the Lord’s judgement (see Isaiah 23:1-17; Jeremiah 25:22; Ezekiel 26-28; Joel 4:4)” (Mitch and Sri, The Gospel of Matthew, 157). What Jesus says next must have been shocking to his audience: If the Gentile cities had seen what the Galilean cities had seen, they would have repented from their sins. At the judgment, cities like Tyre and Sidon will fare better than the Galilean towns. All of this speaks to us: How are we receiving the message of Jesus to repent? How are we reacting to the mighty deeds of Jesus accomplished in our lives through the sacraments? Are we no better than the people of the Galilean towns?
3. The Day of Judgment: The Galilean towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and the ancient city of Sodom all lay in ruins. This is a powerful image of the day of judgment. We will be judged at the moment of our death – this is our “particular judgment” – and at the end of time – this is the “universal judgment.” The resurrection of the dead of both the just and unjust will precede the Last Judgment. “This will be ‘the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of Man’s] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.’ Then Christ will come ‘in his glory, and all the angels with him .... Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.... and they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life’” (CCC, 1038). “In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life” (CCC, 1039). The message of the Last Judgment calls us to conversion while God is still offering us time to welcome his salvation (see CCC, 1041).