Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Mình và Máu Thánh Chuá

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Mình và Máu Thánh Chuá
Phong tục Việt Nam chúng ta khi có những dịp mừng kỷ niệm vui mừng hay những sự kiện quan trọng trong cuộc sống, chúng ta thường mời những người thân quen và bạn bè đến dự tiệc vui. Ăn uống với nhau là một trong nhữnh sinh hoạt sống động quan trọng của con người.
            Trong bài đọc thứ nhất, ông Môi-sen đã đóng ấn giao ước giữa dân Israel với Yavê Thiên Chúa bằng những cùa lễ hiến dâng hy sinh : "Tất cả những điều mà Ðức Yavê đã phán chúng ta phải vâng lời phục tùng."
 Trong bài đọc thứ hai, chúng ta được nhắc nhở rằng sự hy sinh bằng giá máu của Chúa Kitô trên thập giá mang lại ơn cứu chuộc và sự cứu rỗi cho tất cả mọi người.
            Trong bữa ăn tối mừng ngày lễ vượt qua ‘Passover’ hàng năm, người Do Thái đã ăn mừng ngày họ được  giải thoát khỏi cảnh nô lệ, tôi đòi nơi xứ Ai Cập. Trong bữa tiệc mừng Lễ Vượt qua cuối cùng với các môn đệ  thân thiết của mình,  Chúa Giêsu đã ban hành bí tích Thánh Thể khi Ngài nói với các môn đệ: "Hãy lấy cầm lấy mà ăn, vì này là mình Ta." Sau đó Ngài lại nói: "Đây là máu của ta, Máu Giao ước đã được đổ ra cho nhiều người. Các con hãy làm việc này để nhớ đến ta"  
Mỗi lần chúng ta tham dự Thánh Thể, chúng ta nhận được Mình và Máu Chúa Kitô. Ngài đã để lại chính NGÀI cho chúng ta trong Thánh Thể như là một bí tích của sự hiệp nhất giữa chính Ngài và tất cả chúng ta và tất cả những ai đã tin vào ngài, và đó là dấu chỉ  của sự hiệp nhất giữa tất cả những ai đã tin và theo Ngài.
            Trong bài bài giảng về bánh hằng sống, Chúa Jêsus đã Phán, “Ta là bánh sống từ trời xuống, ai ăn bánh này sẽ được sống đời đời. Và bánh Ta sẽ ban, ấy là thịt mình Ta vì sự sống thế gian". (Ga 6:51).Ngài cũng đã nhắc lại, " Quả thật quả thật, Ta bảo các ngươi: nếu các ngươi không ăn thịt Con Người và uống máu Ngài, các ngươi không có sự sống nơi mình các ngươi. Ai ăn thịt và uống máu Ta thì có sự sống đời đời. và Ta sẽ cho nó sống lại trong ngày sau hết. " (Ga 6: 53- 54)
 Chúng ta hãy cảm tạ ơn Chúa Jêsus Kitô vì món quà vô giá của là Ngài ban cho chúng ta chính Ngài qua phép Thánh Thể, và sự hiện diện liên tục của Ngài ở giữa chúng ta như là của ăn lương thực cho cho sự sống đời đời cùa chúng ta.
 
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
 We celebrate important occasions and   events in life by inviting relatives and friends to a meal. Eating together is an important human activity.  In the first reading Moses seals the covenant between Yahweh and Israel with sacrificial offerings: "All that Yahweh said we shall do and obey."  In the second reading we are reminded how the bloody sacrifice of Christ on the cross brought redemption and salvation to all.
            At the annual celebration of the Paschal meal, the Jewish people celebrated their liberation from their Egyptian captivity. Jesus uses this occasion, his Last Supper with his close disciples, to institute the sacrament of the Eucharist: "Take this, it is my body." "This is my blood, the blood of the Covenant, which is to be poured out for many."
 Every time we join a Eucharistic celebration we receive the body and blood of Christ. He left us himself in the Eucharist as a sacrament of unity between himself and all his believers and followers and as a sign of unity among all who believe and follow him.
            At his discourse on the bread of life, Jesus had said, "I am the living bread which has come down from heaven: whoever eats of this bread will live forever. The bread I shall give is my flesh and I will give it for the life of the world." (Jn 6:51).
 When many questioned him, he reiterated, "Truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will live with eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day." (Jn 6: 53- 54)
 
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
 We thank the Lord Jesus for the priceless gift of himself in the Eucharist, his continuing real presence in our midst as our food and drink for eternal life. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” Mark 14:22–24 (Year B Gospel)
At the holy Mass, as soon as the priest pronounces the words of the consecration, transforming the bread and wine into the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ our Lord, he genuflects, rises, and then says, “The mystery of faith.” What is “the mystery of faith?” Oftentimes, when we say that something is a mystery, we mean that the conclusion is hidden but that there are certain clues to help solve the mystery. And once the mystery is solved, everything is clear and it is no longer a mystery.
“The mystery of faith” is much different. Those words are spoken at Mass immediately after the consecration as a way of drawing the faithful into a holy awe and amazement of what just took place. But this mystery can only produce wonder and awe if the reality of what just took place is understood through the gift of faith. Faith is knowing and believing without perceiving the reality before us with our five senses or through logical deduction. In other words, faith produces true knowledge of a spiritual reality that can only be known, understood and believed through spiritual insight. Therefore, if we attend the Mass and have been gifted with the knowledge of faith, then as soon as the consecration of the bread and wine takes place, we will cry out interiorly, “My Lord and my God!” We will know that God the Son is present before us in a veiled way. Our eyes do not perceive, nor do any of our senses reveal to us the great reality before us. We cannot rationally deduce what just took place. Instead, we come to know and believe that the Son of God, the Savior of the World, is now present before us in His fullness, under the veil of mere bread and wine.
In addition to the divine presence of our Lord and our God, the entire Mystery of our Redemption is made present. Saint Pope John Paul II tells us that in this moment there is a “oneness in time” that links the Paschal Mystery, that is, the Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, to every moment that the Eucharist is celebrated and made present through the words of consecration. And that unity between each Mass and the Paschal Mystery “leads us to profound amazement and gratitude” (Ecclesia de Eucharistia, #5). Do you sense and experience this profound amazement and gratitude each time you attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass? Do you realize as you attend the Mass and as the words of consecration are spoken that the entire Mystery of your redemption is made present before you, hidden from your eyes but visible to your soul by faith? Do you understand that it is God the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity Who descends to us to dwell with us in that moment of time in this glorious Sacrament?
Reflect, today, upon the hidden but real Mystery of Faith. Allow yourself to be drawn into a wonder and awe at what you are privileged to attend. Let your faith in the Most Holy Eucharist grow by being open to a deepening of this gift of faith through spiritual insight and belief. Behold this great Gift of the Eucharist with the eyes of faith and you will be drawn into the wonder and awe that God wants to bestow upon you.
My ever-glorious Eucharistic Lord, I do believe that You are here, made present in our world under the form of bread and wine, every time the Holy Mass is celebrated. Fill me with a deeper faith in this Holy Gift, dear Lord, so that I may be drawn into wonder and a
 
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Opening Prayer: Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of the Eucharist. It is the memorial of your Son’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. It is the foretaste of the heavenly banquet and food for eternal life. May I always welcome this gift!
Encountering the Word of God
1. Five Sacrifices: In the Old Testament, in the Book of Leviticus 1:1-7:28, laws for five different types of sacrifices were established. The Burnt Offering, or Holocaust, consisted of the offering of the entire animal, except for its blood and hide. The entire animal is given to God. This represented the offerer’s own self-donation to the Lord. The Cereal Offering, or Grain Offering, was an unbloody sacrifice consisting of some form of grain, whether baked as a cake or not. The Hebrew name means ‘gift’ or ‘tribute’ to the Lord and expresses the communion between the offerer and God in the form of a kind of meal. Only a portion of the cereal offering was burned on the altar; the rest was consumed by the priests. The Peace Offering signified the state of communion between God and the worshipper. It was a communal meal with God and his priestly servants, and always followed any other offerings (burnt, sin, or guilt). “While the sin and guilt offerings serve to restore peace or shalom, with God, the peace offering both recognizes and celebrates it. It is a sacrifice of joy and thanksgiving” (Bergsma and Pitre, A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, 209). The purpose of the sin offering or purification offering was to restore communion with God through the forgiveness of sin – it literally “de-sins” or purifies a person or object. It cleanses the worshipper from ritual uncleanness. The guilt offering also serves to restore communion with God. While the sin offering restores the relationship with God, the guilt offering makes reparation or restitution for the damage done by sin. Forgiveness of sin and reparation for sin are not the same thing (see Bergsma and Pitre, A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, 209).
2. Eucharistic Fulfillment of the Burnt Offerings, Cereal Offerings, and Peace Offerings: On this Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus, we can reflect on how Jesus fulfills these five sacrificial offerings in the Eucharist. Israel offered the daily burnt offering, the tamid, of a lamb every morning and evening. “Jesus’ death on the cross was a ‘holocaust’ in that he was entirely consumed by his self-offering; he gave himself so completely that he had nothing left to give” (Healy, Hebrews, 152). The Eucharist is the memorial of Jesus’ holocaust and complete self-giving. “Jesus’ passion was a ‘grain offering’ in that through it he becomes the bread of life for us (John 6:35; see John 12:25). By partaking of this bread in the Eucharist (see Heb 13:10), we share in his own divine life” (Healy, Hebrews, 152). The Peace offering or communion sacrifice was the only sacrifice in which some of the meat and bread was eaten by the worshipper and his household. When it was celebrated to thank God for a particular favor, such as saving one from death, it was called the “thanksgiving sacrifice” (see Psalm 107:21-22; 116:17). Jesus’ passion and the sacred banquet of the Eucharist fulfilled the Passover memorial and the peace offering. It establishes the ultimate communion between God and man; thus, the name of the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is Eucharist, which means “thanksgiving” (see Healy, Hebrews, 153).
3. Eucharistic Fulfillment of the Sin Offerings and Guilt Offerings: The offering on the Day of Atonement was seen as the great national purification of the people of Israel. The Letter to the Hebrews sees Jesus’ passion, death, resurrection, and ascension as the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. “Hebrews 13:11-12 suggests that Jesus’ passion was a purification offering, since he ‘suffered outside the gate to sanctify the people with his own blood’ (New Jerusalem Bible). His blood purifies the living temple, the Church, of all sin for all time” (Healy, Hebrews, 153). In the Eucharist, we celebrate the shedding of Christ’s purifying blood. Finally, the reparation or guilt offering sought to make atonement. Isaiah foretold that the Suffering Servant of the Lord would give himself as a reparation offering” (Isaiah 53:10), “a prophecy fulfilled by Christ, whose sacrifice was the all-sufficient restitution to God of the human love, trust, and obedience that had been withheld due to sin” (Healy, Hebrews, 153). The Catechism teaches that, “As a sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God” (CCC, 1414).  
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you shed your blood to save and redeem me. You poured out your blood on the Cross to wash away my sins. You are the pleasing and acceptable sacrifice. Help me today to unite my sacrifice to yours and offer it to the Father out of love.

Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Bẩy Tuần 11 Thường Niên

Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Bẩy Tuần 11 Thường Niên    
Trong các Tin Mừng Chúa Giêsu thường hay khuyến khích chúng ta siêng năng và chịu khó làm việc, và Ngài ca ngợi những kế hoạch khôn ngoan và sắc sảo liên quan đến tương lai của con người. Tuy nhiên, điểm chính của Chúa Giêsu muốn dạy chúng ta trong bài dụ ngôn hôm nay, là "đừng lo lắng." Ngài nhắc tới câu này bốn lần để nhắc nhở chúng ta và muốn chúng ta chắc chắc là không bỏ lỡ cơ hội. Thay vì lo lắng, Ngài muốn chúng ta đặt niềm tin vào Thiên Chúa, Hãy tìm kiếm Nước Trời của Ngài trước hết và đạt niềm tin tưởng vào Ngài nhiều hơn.
            Chúa Giêsu muốn chúng ta làm việc, nhưng không muốn chúng quên đi sự hiện diện Thiên Chúa và sự quan tâm của Thiên Chúa. Chúa Giêsu cũng muốn chúng ta bồi đắp xây dựng cho tương lai, nhưng không phải vì thế mà chúng phải dành hết sức quan tâm hay quá mức lo lắng vì các việc thế gian này.
Một điểm chính được biểu lộ một cách sống động trong dụ ngôn này là ý nghĩa hoàn toàn về sự chết. Thiên Chúa là một Thiên Chúa nhân từ dù Ngài luôn ban nguồn lương thực cho các loài chim nhưng một số chim vẫn phải chết cóng. Một Thiên Chúa chăm sóc cho màu sắc nơi các loài hoa lộng lẫy ngoài đồng nội, nhưng những bông hoa sau cùng rồi cũng tàn héo và chết đi. Vì thế, Thiên Chúa cũng là một người Cha yêu thương biết tất cả các nhu cầu cần thiết của con người và sẽ ban cho chúng ta tất cả, nhưng chúng ta cũng phải chịu những khổ đau, và đương đầu với cái chết, nhu các loài thụ tạo khác.
            Có phải đây là những mâu thuẫn? Không phải tất cả như thế! Tất cả đó là một lời mời gọi chúng ta đến với đức tin, một niềm tin vào một Thiên Chúa và Ngài sẽ cho chúng ta nhiều hơn những gì chúng ta có thể đang thấy bây giờ. Đó là một lời mời gọi đến với niềm tin vào một Thiên Chúa, và cuối cùng chúng ta sẽ được khôi phục nhiều hơn là những gì chúng ta đã đánh mất. Đó chính là một cuộc mởi gọi đến với niềm tin vào một Thiên Chúa, để rồi cuối cùng, chúng ta sẽ giành lại những chiến thắng trong sự chiến thắng hoàn toàn của chúng ta khi Chúa Kitô đã sống lại từ cõi chết.
            Lạy Chúa Giêsu, xin giải phóng chúng con khỏi những sự lo lắng không cần thiết và giúp chúng con biết đặt niềm tin vào Chúa để chúng con có thể biết quan tâm việc đầu tiên và duy nhất của chúng con là  vinh danh sự an bình và sự công lý trong Nước Trời của Chúa. Xin giúp chúng con biết sống mỗi à ngày và mỗi thời điểm trong sự tin tưởng và lòng biết ơn đối với sự thương yêu chăm sóc của Chúa đã dành cho chúng con.
 
Reflection
In the Gospel reading Jesus teaches us about the necessary "balancing act" in our lives, a very hard, if not among the most difficult, act in our lives.  You may want to call it by other names, e.g. my "choices," "my priorities," or "whom shall I serve?" or "what shall I do?"
  Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs.  Big Mac, anyone?  A weekend in Macau or HongKong perhaps?  He forbids that they become objects of severe anxiety, making us their slaves.  
"Set your heart first on the kingdom and justice of God and all these things will also be given to you. Does not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself?"    Plainly stated, focus not on the gift s, but solely on the Giver, and why?, Because the Lord will provide all our needs, especially if we trust in him.  
 
Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24
Mammon is another word for money. Jesus is clear that you must choose to serve either God or money, but not both. A divided heart does not suffice. Saint John of the Cross, in His spiritual classic “Ascent to Mount Carmel,” explains something similar. He says that our desires must become completely purified to the point that all we desire is God and His holy will. Every other desire in life must be purged away so that we are singularly devoted to God. Does this mean that God and God alone should be the object of all of our love? Yes, indeed. But that truth must be properly understood.
When we consider the calling we have been given from God to love, it is true that we must love not only God but also many other things in life. We must love family, friends, neighbors, and even our enemies. Hopefully we also love other aspects of our lives, such as our vocation, our job, our home, a certain pastime, etc. So how do we love God with singular devotion when we also have many other things we must love?
The answer is quite simple. The love of God is such that when we make God the singular object of our love and devotion, the love we have for God will supernaturally overflow. This is the nature of the love of God. As we love God, we will find that God calls us to love Him by loving other people and even various aspects of our lives. As we love what God wills us to love and as we express our love for all that is contained in the will of God, we are still loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
But back to our Scripture above. Why is it that we cannot love God and money? “Mammon” in this passage must be understood as a love that becomes an unhealthy attachment and desire. Money is such that we can “love” it by allowing our desires for it to become disordered and, thus, exclude the will of God from that “love.” Money is not evil when it is used solely in accord with the will of God. In that case, the money we use will give God great glory. But when money, or any other object of our desire, begins to take on a life of its own, so to speak, then that desire will be at odds with our love of God. To love God and God alone means we love God and all that He wills us to love in life.
Reflect, today, upon the necessity of being singularly devoted to God. As you commit yourself to this exclusive love, consider also whom and what God calls you to love in and through Him. Where does His perfect will lead you, and how are you called to show your love of God through the love of others? Consider, also, any ways in which you have allowed an unhealthy attachment to money or anything else in life to distract you from the one and ultimate purpose of your life. Allow God to purge those unhealthy desires and false “loves” from your heart so that you will be free to love as you were made to love.
My Lord and God, You are worthy of all of my love. You and You alone must become the single focus of all of my love. As I love You, dear Lord, help me to discover all that Your will directs me to love more and all that Your will calls me to detach from. May I choose only You and that which is contained in Your holy and perfect will. Jesus, I trust in You.
 
Saturday 11th in Ordinary Time 2025
Opening Prayer: Lord God, my heavenly Father, you know what I need even before I ask you. You provide me with earthly food and drink and with heavenly food and drink. You clothe me with the robe of righteousness and shelter me under your wing. Help me to trust in you more fully each day and abandon myself to your loving care.
Encountering the Word of God
1. Pleasure and Possessions? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus hints at the question of the meaning of life. He asks his listeners, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” In this way, he eliminates two responses to the question about the meaning of life. In Ecclesiastes, the author pondered whether pleasure could satisfy us (Ecclesiastes 2:1-11) or whether working for possessions was what life was about (Ecclesiastes 2:18-26). Both are judged as vanity. Solomon, in Ecclesiastes, finds these approaches to life to be hebel, meaningless, because all men die and whatever temporal goods they gained – pleasures or possessions - is ultimately for naught, for it all passes away (see Bergsma and Pitre, A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, 625). Like Solomon of old, Jesus, the New Solomon, reiterates that life is much more than the pleasure of food or the vanity of possessions.
2. Fame? In the Gospel passage, Jesus does not directly address whether or not human glory or fame, or our legacy, is the meaning of life. This is an interesting possibility. Maybe the meaning of life is to prolong our lives through fame, celebrity, human glory, or some other achievement? While our physical life is short, almost always under 120 years, we can prolong it by doing something noteworthy. But even this is short-lived. You could win an Olympic gold medal and be forgotten in a few years. Mark Spitz won 7 gold medals and set 7 world records at the Munich Summer Olympics in 1972, and most young people today have no clue who he is or was. This means that you can win 7 gold medals in a single Olympiad and yet be largely forgotten within two generations. Earthly fame, here today and gone tomorrow, does not last and cannot be the ultimate meaning of life.
3. Love? In his Sermon, Jesus does hint at the answer to the question about the meaning of life: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” What does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness? Seeking the Kingdom of God means seeking to have God reign in our hearts, our families, our community, and our world. It means that the decades of earthly life we have been given are marked by a task: building up the Kingdom of God’s love. We do this by loving God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. We love God through humbly praying, worshipping him, heeding his word and commands, and serving our brothers and sisters. When we die, we will see our beloved face to face. Death, then, is not the end of life, but rather the mysterious doorway to the glory of eternal life. Earthly life has meaning in the light of heavenly life. It is a journey through the wilderness to the waters of eternal life. It is a struggle up the mountain into God’s glorious presence. It is a wandering through the cloud, guided by the Spirit, into the eternal embrace that awaits us.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your Word contains examples of sinners who foolishly chose the path to death and of saints who wisely chose the path to life. I choose life today and ask that you guide my steps always.
 
Saturday 11 Ordinary Time
Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I praise you and I adore you. Forgive me for being so concerned about worldly things. Thank you for the greatest gift of your Holy Spirit. Help me to place all my needs and worries into the loving hands of our heavenly Father. Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen.
Encountering Christ:
God and Mammon: “No one can serve two masters.” To those whom Jesus preached, being a slave, the property of another, was easily understood. For centuries the Jewish people had been enslaved by many powerful nations. For most of us today, being a slave is not a possibility—or is it? Jesus states that it is not a matter of if we serve but who we serve, either God or mammon (Aramaic word meaning wealth or property). Where we put our hearts, minds, and efforts—that’s who we serve. Slaves to mammon serve wealth, social status, and power. This service may bring worldly privileges and prestige; our cages may be velvet and our shackles made of silk, but we are trapped nonetheless, by the burdens of “keeping it up” or fears that we will lose everything. 
Worry: “Do not worry about your life.” Worry can come from within: “to torment oneself with disturbing thoughts.” Worry can come from without: “to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.,” which is how the evil one places troubling thoughts into our minds. Whether we bring worry upon ourselves, or we suffer temptations, worrying brings us no good. As Jesus said, “Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?” Instead, chronic worry reduces the length of our life. At every Mass, we are blessed so as to reduce our worry: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” These are not just words; they contain the power of what they say. It is up to us to receive the peace that God offers us. 
The Importance of Man: “Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?” The Catechism states, “We believe that God needs no preexistent thing or any help in order to create, nor is creation any sort of necessary emanation from divine substance. God creates freely ‘out of nothing’” (CCC 296). It continues, “The universe, created in and by the eternal Word, the ‘image of the invisible God,’ is destined for and addressed to man, himself created in the ‘image of God,’ and called to a personal relationship with God… for God willed creation as a gift addressed to man, an inheritance destined for and entrusted to him” (CCC 299). With this understanding, we are called to praise God for the great gift of creation, trust him to provide for all we need and serve him confidently and unafraid as stewards of creation. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, you entrusted Adam and Eve to serve you in the Garden of Eden by tending it and having dominion over it. They forfeited this privilege. But through you, our care of the Father’s creation is restored. Help me, Jesus, to be a good steward of your creation, over which you gave me dominion. May I confidently serve you. 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pay attention to how I treat your physical creation and do my part to be a good steward. 
 
Saturday 11 Ordinary Time - Scripture: Matthew 6:24-34
Opening Prayer: Lord, your teaching is clear in this passage, yet it can be very hard not to worry. Please help me to receive the peace you intend to give me as I contemplate your promises in Scripture today.
Encountering Christ:
No Worries: “If I did not simply live from one moment to another, it would be impossible for me to be patient," St. Therese of Lisieux said, "but I only look at the present, I forget the past, and I take good care not to second-guess the future.” Even in a quiet convent, this saint struggled not to worry about what was going to happen, so it's understandable that you and I would battle the temptation to be anxious even more than she did. But maybe humans haven't changed that much. People in Jesus's time also worried about having enough food, clothing, or money to provide for the future. To those around him two thousand years ago and to us now, Jesus says, "Do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?' … Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself." God wants us to be prudent, to plan, and to pay our bills. But Jesus never guaranteed that we would be well-fed, well-dressed, or well-provided for. In fact, he promised blessings to "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." His disciples preached wearing just one ragged tunic and were told by Jesus not to "bring a second tunic.” He said, "Blessed are the poor." Many saints grew in holiness when they suffered hunger, disgrace, or poverty. Although he didn’t promise us all the material goods we could ask for, Jesus did promise that we would be fed with the Bread of Heaven. He promised that our robes would one day be washed white in his blood. He promised that we would never be tested beyond our strength, that we would be provided with enough grace to overcome whatever temptation came. What more do we need?
Who Is Our Master?: Today's Gospel challenges us to ask ourselves, “Who is our master: God or mammon?” If we worry too much about money, we will miss out on God’s action in our lives. If we concern ourselves with God, we may lack money, but we will never lack the graces we need. Wealth is not a measure of our spiritual standing. There are poor people who lived for money or popularity. And there are wealthy people for whom God was their one love, their joy, and their trust. Detachment from mammon is a matter of the heart. 
Putting God First: If you're reading this, it's easy to assume that God comes first in your life, not a mammon of material worries. However, putting God first is not a “one and done” proposition, even for the holiest among us. Putting God first in our lives is the highest form of spiritual combat. But what do we do if we find we just can’t abandon ourselves to God? Jacques Phillippe, quoting Marthe Robbins, says, “Abandon yourself anyway!” He adds, “Abandonment is not natural. It’s a grace to be asked of God” (Searching for and Maintaining Peace, p. 40). 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, it is a giant struggle within me to try to detach from material goods and put you first in all things. I can do this only with your grace. Please protect me from self-sufficiency and help me to rely only on you to provide what really matters in life.
 
Saturday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Introductory Prayer:
Lord, as I begin this day, I trust in your unfailing providence. You are the deepest desire of my heart. In this moment of prayer I want to please you alone. Even though I might be tired or uninspired, even though I might only experience dryness, may this be my prayer: I offer you all I am and all I have.
Why Worry?
What can be added to Christ’s beautiful images in the Gospel, urging us to trust in the loving providence of our heavenly Father? All that is necessary is to ponder how God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field and to let the reality of his fatherly care for these ephemeral creatures sink deeply into our soul. How much more will he not care for us, the crowning work of his hand, his sons and daughters, for whom he is willing to send his only begotten Son to die on the Cross? Christ penetrates to the real cause of our worries and anxieties, our anxious concern that often overwhelms us in life: we have little faith. Little faith and even less trust in the goodness of our heavenly Father. Let us thank him for his patience and allow his fatherly goodness to penetrate to the depths of our spirit.
Stay Focused:
Our worries and concerns about the material needs of our daily life make us lose sight of the one thing that is truly necessary: striving for holiness, for the establishment of Christ’s kingdom in our own lives and the lives of those around us. If only we would allow Christ to set our hearts on fire with the consuming passion of zeal for souls, how our lives would change! We would become driven by the mission, constantly urged on by it — and all of our former worries and anxieties would fade into insignificance. Then we, too, could exclaim with Christ, “I have come to light a fire on the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!” (Luke 12:49)
Simplicity of Heart:
One virtue that helps us trust God more and grow in apostolic zeal is simplicity of heart. When you grow in simplicity of heart, you will never demand of God that he explain your vocation or your sufferings. Thanks to simplicity of heart, you will always see God’s holy will in everything, and everything, even pain, becomes wells and rivers of peace and joy. Thanks to simplicity of heart, you will be able to understand people and their misery and give them a helping hand. Thanks to simplicity of heart, you will never harbor hate, an evil wish, a grudge, or an evil thought in your heart. Everything brings you to God.
Conversation with Christ:
 Lord, help me through this prayer to grow in simplicity of heart, to recognize everything in my life as coming from your loving hand.

Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 11 Thường Niên

Suy niệm Tin Mừng thứ Sáu Tuần 11 Thường Niên
Con người chúng ta ở trên đời thích làm giàu và thích đặt những thế lực, của cải vật chất làm ưu tiên hàng đầu trong cuộc sống của chúng ta thay vì những của cải thiêng liêng. Chúng ta chết cho niềm vui, cho sự hài lòng trong sự vị kỷ và sự hạnh phúc giả tạo. 
            Khi chúng ta cống hiến tất cả thời giờ và năng lực để theo đuổi sự ích kỷ, thì cái chết mới tiết lộ cho chúng ta biết đó những cơ hội mà chúng ta đã lãng phí vì sự nghèo đói trong những việc lành phúc đức. Nếu chúng ta muốn thực sự được sống mãi mãi trong Chúa, thì bây giờ là thời gian để chúng ta dùng những tài nguyên Chúa ban cho một cách khôn ngoan chứ không phải là sự để dành, tồn trữ một cách thật là ngu ngốc.   Bây giờ là thời gian để chúng ta thực hiện sự quản lý chặt chẽ những ân sũng và hồng ân mà Thiên Chúa đã ban cho chúng ta.
Chúng ta không những chỉ phải biết tàng trữ những ân sũng này như những món quà quý trọng. mà chúng ta cần phải làm tồn giữ cho an toàn, hay để lại cho con cháu, hay là quỹ hưu trí của chúng ta. Nhưng điều mà Chúa Giêsu đề cập đến hôm nay là việc làm giàu quá mức sẽ phản ánh đến sự thiếu lòng tin tưởng vào Thiên Chúa. Sự tham lam cơ bản trong thái độ của chúng ta đối với sự giàu có và một tâm hồn, một trái tim không biết quan tâm đến sự nghèo khổ của nggười khác.
Trong Bí Tích Thánh Thể chúng ta chứng kiến được một ví dụ cụ thể cho việc bố thí và việc chia sẻ. Chúa Kitô đã không thành lập bí tích Thánh Thể để lưu trữ và để dành mãi “Mình Thánh Chúa” trong nhà tạm của chúng ta. Nhưng Ngài đã ban cho chúng ta Thánh Thể như là của ăn được phân phối và chia sẻ với mọi người như một cộng đồng Kitô Giáo từ lúc ban đầu. Chúa Giêsu thách thức chúng ta phải kiểm tra và xét lại những ưu tiên của chúng ta và cách mà chúng ta sử dụng tài sản, những ân sủng mà Chúa ban cho chúng ta. Thay vì phát triển làm giàu cho chính mình, Chúa Giêsu muốn mời gọi chúng ta trở nên giàu có trước mặt Thiên Chúa.
 
Reflection Friday 11^th week of Ordinary 2016
What do you value most at present?  It could become an obstacle to follow Christ.  Affection binds us to people and not to God. 
            Many vocations to religious life are put aside because of familial ties.  Fornication becomes part of the relationship of unmarried couples because there is fear of losing the partner if either one opts for chastity.  Peer pressure obliges one to accede even if it is against his or her conscience.  Absolute pursuit of wealth and security can make us relentless and indifferent to the needs of others.
            What does it mean to "store up treasure for yourself with God?" You can make a money transfer not only to your local bank, but to the bank in heaven through serious donations to help the poor and the afflicted.  
Offer your barkada time to be with the family and bond with siblings and parents.  Chaste relationships are a good investment for a better marriage, because they entail sacrifice.  
            These are treasures that do not get destroyed or eaten up by moths and woodworms.  Why do so many people live as if there is no afterlife and so they live only to enjoy the things of this world?  Heaven exists, brothers and sister.  It is a place full of light, happiness and unending joy.  So look for the things of heaven.  They are what can truly satisfy and give lasting peace and joy.
 
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.
 
Reflection Friday 11^th week of Ordinary 2025
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.
Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are my treasure. There is nothing more that I want. With you, all is right and bathed in divine light. Without you, chaos and darkness reign. I choose you and your Kingdom today.
 
Reflection Friday 11^th week of Ordinary 2016
Opening Prayer: To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. I trust you. Those who hope in you shall not be disappointed. Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior (excerpts from Psalm 25).
Encountering Christ:
Earthly Treasure: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.” God created man for greatness, so it is true to our nature to seek greatness. In the world, greatness often means financial prosperity and its usual accompaniment of earthly possessions. It is not immoral to be wealthy, as long as it is accrued ethically and its use includes the good of others. But if earthly possessions become the ultimate goal of our happiness, then we miss out on the treasure God desires for us. This treasure is God himself. We are called to trust, not in our wealth or comforts, but in God’s providence. St. Paul explains, “I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need. I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me” (Philippians 4:12-13).
Heavenly Treasure: “But store up treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.” The heavenly treasure Jesus spoke of is a reward for those who have lived their lives virtuously as a preparation for eternity. And we can experience a taste of these treasures here and now, as we grow in our relationship with God. The Catechism explains, “The human virtues (Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance) are rooted in the theological virtues (Faith, Hope, Charity), which adapt man’s faculties for participation in the divine nature: for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object (CCC 1812).” Simply put, “The goal of the virtuous life is to become like God” (St. Gregory of Nyssa).
Where Is Your Heart?: “For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” Consider that our hearts are like bank vaults where we keep our treasure. To adequately discern how much value we put on our treasure, both earthly and heavenly, we ponder what it is we love and what we would do if we lost it. If wealth was taken away, would we keep our faith in God’s providence? If we lost our health or the health of a loved one, would we continue to hope in God’s goodness? If any of our less tangible earthly treasures (reputation, relationships, social standing) were compromised, would we walk in justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance as God’s trusting child, forgiving and giving to those who oppose us? Our Lord is presenting very sobering teaching to help us discern if we are on the narrow road that leads to life (see Matthew 7:13-14). Jesus, the light of the world, leads the way to all treasures, both earthly and heavenly. Are we following him? 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I love many things, but I want to love you above them all. I know I am to love the Giver more than the many temporal and spiritual gifts you have given me. Come Holy Spirit and show me what I am to do to remain in your light. 
 
Friday 11^th Ordinary Time: Scripture: Matthew 6:19-23
Opening Prayer: Lord you are my treasure. As I reflect on your words today, enlighten my mind to contemplate my eternal destiny. May this reflection deepen my desire to spend eternity with you. 
Encountering Christ:
Where Is Your Treasure? Human beings were made to worship. Everyone worships either the true God or a “god.” As Our Lord pointed out, wherever our treasure is, wherever our heart is, that is our God—or our false god. Some people worship fame, honor, or wealth. They may go to church on Sunday, but their thoughts dwell on other things and, in their free time, they rush to do what they really love above all else. The concept of false gods is as old as human nature. False gods don't just fail to save their followers; they destroy them. The Old Testament, especially the book of Judges, tells of the stories of many people who left God for some other idol and found themselves enslaved rather than saved. The idols of old required human sacrifice to be satisfied, but modern idols (addictions, materialism, etc.) just drain the idol-worshippers' life slowly. So when God commanded, "You will have no other gods before me," he wasn’t motivated by petty jealousy. He was proposing a life-saving intervention. By adoring God, we adore him who said, "I am the Life," and he gives us life everlasting. 
Heavenly Treasures: Both thieves and stock markets can take our money. Both moths and ever-changing fashions can make our clothing obsolete and worthless. The more we invest in these kinds of things, the poorer we will ultimately become. When we turn our minds to heaven and strive to see our lives with an eternal perspective, we reap eternal dividends—a place one day in heaven with God. Sister Faustina offers us this encouragement about heaven: “Today I was in heaven, in spirit, and I saw its inconceivable beauties and the happiness that awaits us after death. I saw how all creatures give ceaseless praise and glory to God. I saw how great is happiness in God, which spreads to all creatures, making them happy; and then all the glory and praise which springs from this happiness returns to its source; and they enter into the depths of God, contemplating the inner life of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whom they will never comprehend or fathom. This source of happiness is unchanging in its essence, but it is always new, gushing forth happiness for all creatures.” 
Smallest of Idols: We love Jesus and strive to do his will at all times, but we still fall prey to smaller idols periodically. These seemingly insignificant idols can grow in our hearts unchecked, like dust bunnies growing under a bed. Maybe we treasure watching too much TV; or we treasure some idealistic “perfect family” and want our family to conform to that ideal; or maybe we spend too much time at work, on our hobbies, or on sports. These “goods” can corrupt us if we’re not diligent. Jesus and his saints recommend briefly examining our conscience before we go to bed. St. Ignatius suggests following these simple steps: 1. Become aware of God’s presence. 2. Review the day with gratitude. 3. Pay attention to your emotions. 4. Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. 5. Look toward tomorrow. 
Conversing with Christ: Lord, my heart is full of gratitude for the spiritual and temporal gifts that you give me each day. By your grace, may I never make an idol of your gifts. Help me to remember that the Giver is so much more than the sum of all the gifts I have received!
 
Friday 11th in Ordinary Time
In the Gospel reading we hear Jesus saying to us that we need to make good choices in life: between God and material possessions. The contrast between “treasures in heaven” and “treasures on earth.” (6:19-21); between God and the ungodly (6:24) and between the cares and anxieties about material possessions and seeking the Kingdom of God (6: 25-34).
 Jesus’ teachings focussed on true riches and we, as followers of Christ have to decide on our priority between earthly treasures and heavenly ones with God.  In the materialistic and consumeristic society, we live in now, we are called to be alert and discerning in making our daily choices.
  In the first reading we see how different groups of people made their choices especially those made by Athaliah. She wanted to secure the throne of Judah for herself, chose to destroy the whole of the royal family. She attempted to destroy completely the house of David i.e. God’s redemptive plan, in order to achieve her aim, but she didn’t succeed! She went against God’s will!
  Today we are constantly reminded to live discernment as a way of life.  So, the basic questions we ask ourselves in this process would be: “What am I and God are for each other, that is, our relationship? “How and what does God want me to respond to a situation?”   Let us learn the art of discernment in order to help ourselves and others to find God’s will. Lord grant me the grace to know Your will for us every day of our lives.”