Thứ Năm, 28 tháng 2, 2013

Kỷ luật

Có một nhà phú hộ kia vận toàn gấm vóc, lụa là, ngày ngày yến tiệc linh đình.(Mt 16,19)

Creating Space for God

Discipline is the other side of discipleship.
Discipleship without discipline is like waiting to run in the marathon without ever practicing.
Discipline without discipleship is like always practicing for the marathon but never participating.
It is important, however, to realize that discipline in the spiritual life is not the same as discipline in sports.
Discipline in sports is the concentrated effort to master the body so that it can obey the mind better.
Discipline in the spiritual life is the concentrated effort to create the space and time where God can become our master and where we can respond freely to God's guidance.

Thus, discipline is the creation of boundaries that keep time and space open for God.
Solitude requires discipline, worship requires discipline, caring for others requires discipline.
They all ask us to set apart a time and a place where God's gracious presence can be acknowledged and responded to.

Ngày ngày yến tiệc linh đình là vô kỷ luật. Một môn sinh vô kỷ luật sẽ là một môn sinh thiếu lửa, thiếu nhiệt tình, thiếu yêu thương... Xin đừng để con như thế

Thứ Tư, 27 tháng 2, 2013

Phục vụ

Con Người đến không phải để được người ta phục vụ, nhưng để phục vụ và phó mạng sống làm giá chuộc cho nhiều người". (Mt 20,28)

Downward Mobility
The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record - that's what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us the rewards of money and fame.
The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is the way to the Kingdom, the way Jesus took, and the way that brings everlasting life.

Solidarity in Weakness
Joy is hidden in compassion. The word compassion literally means "to suffer with." It seems quite unlikely that suffering with another person would bring joy.
Yet being with a person in pain, offering simple presence to someone in despair, sharing with a friend times of confusion and uncertainty ... such experiences can bring us deep joy.
Not happiness, not excitement, not great satisfaction, but the quiet joy of being there for someone else and living in deep solidarity with our brothers and sisters in this human family.
Often this is a solidarity in weakness, in brokenness, in woundedness, but it leads us to the center of joy, which is sharing our humanity with others.

Xin cho con đi theo con đường của Chúa, xuống đến tận cùng để yêu thương, thông cảm, phục vụ...

Thứ Ba, 26 tháng 2, 2013

Chỗ nhất

Mọi công việc họ làm đều có ý cho người ta thấy, vì thế họ nới rộng thẻ Kinh, may dài tua áo. Họ muốn được chỗ nhất trong đám tiệc và ghế đầu trong hội đường, ưa được bái chào nơi đường phố và được người ta xưng hô là "thầy". (Mt 23,5-7)

Hidden Greatness
There is much emphasis on notoriety and fame in our society. Our newspapers and television keep giving us the message: What counts is to be known, praised, and admired, whether you are a writer, an actor, a musician, or a politician.
Still, real greatness is often hidden, humble, simple, and unobtrusive. It is not easy to trust ourselves and our actions without public affirmation. We must have strong self-confidence combined with deep humility. Some of the greatest works of art and the most important works of peace were created by people who had no need for the limelight. They knew that what they were doing was their call, and they did it with great patience, perseverance, and love.

Thứ Hai, 25 tháng 2, 2013

Giao hoà

"Hãy tha thứ, thì các con sẽ được tha thứ." (Lc 6,37)

The Task of Reconciliation
What is our task in this world as children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus? Our task is reconciliation. Wherever we go we see divisions among people - in families, communities, cities, countries, and continents. All these divisions are tragic reflections of our separation from God. The truth that all people belong together as members of one family under God is seldom visible. Our sacred task is to reveal that truth in the reality of everyday life.
Why is that our task? Because God sent Christ to reconcile us with God and to give us the task of reconciling people with one another. As people reconcile with God through Christ we have been given the ministry of reconciliation" (see: 2 Corinthians 5:18). So whatever we do the main question is, Does it lead to reconciliation among people?

Benedict XVI: A Pope for This Generation
Youth Web Site Shares Pontiff's Legacy on 'Digital Continent'
Benedict XVI has been a leading advocate of the evangelization of the "digital continent." Now, as the Pope prepares to leave the See of Peter, young people are using the "digital continent" to tell their own stories about a pope who has profoundly impacted their lives.
Throughout this year's 40 days of Lent, an online initiative called Generation Benedict is publishing 40 testimonies, one for each day, from young people who have grown in their faith during Pope Benedict's pontificate.
Bloggers Collette Power and Lisette Carr came up with the idea for Generation Benedict after receiving the news that the Holy Father would resign at the end of this month.
Speaking with ZENIT, Lisette Carr, who is currently based in Dublin, explained that the aim of Generation Benedict is to highlight the "positive impact the Holy Father has had on young Catholics from the UK and Ireland."

Chủ Nhật, 24 tháng 2, 2013

Sáng

Và đang khi cầu nguyện, diện mạo Người biến đổi khác thường và áo Người trở nên trắng tinh sáng láng. (Lc 9,29)

Enough Light for the Next Step
Often we want to be able to see into the future. We say, "How will next year be for me? Where will I be five or ten years from now?"
There are no answers to these questions. Mostly we have just enough light to see the next step: what we have to do in the coming hour or the following day.
The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark.
When we are able to take the next step with the trust that we will have enough light for the step that follows, we can walk through life with joy and be surprised at how far we go.
Let's rejoice in the little light we carry and not ask for the great beam that would take all shadows away.

Bringing Our Secrets into the Light
We all have our secrets: thoughts, memories, feelings that we keep to ourselves. Often we think, "If people knew what I feel or think, they would not love me." These carefully kept secrets can do us much harm. They can make us feel guilty or ashamed and may lead us to self-rejection, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions.
One of the most important things we can do with our secrets is to share them in a safe place, with people we trust. When we have a good way to bring our secrets into the light and can look at them with others, we will quickly discover that we are not alone with our secrets and that our trusting friends will love us more deeply and more intimately than before. Bringing our secrets into the light creates community and inner healing. As a result of sharing secrets, not only will others love us better but we will love ourselves more fully.

Thứ Hai, 18 tháng 2, 2013

Bé mọn

"Những gì các ngươi đã làm cho một trong các anh em bé mọn nhất của Ta đây, là các ngươi đã làm cho chính Ta." (Mt 25,40)

Going to the Margins of the Church
Those who are marginal in the world are central in the Church, and that is how it is supposed to be! Thus we are called as members of the Church to keep going to the margins of our society. The homeless, the starving, parentless children, people with AIDS, our emotionally disturbed brothers and sisters - they require our first attention.
We can trust that when we reach out with all our energy to the margins of our society we will discover that petty disagreements, fruitless debates, and paralysing rivalries will recede and gradually vanish. The Church will always be renewed when our attention shifts from ourselves to those who need our care. The blessing of Jesus always comes to us through the poor. The most remarkable experience of those who work with the poor is that, in the end, the poor give more than they receive. They give food to us. (Nouwen G)

Chủ Nhật, 17 tháng 2, 2013

Cám dỗ

"Được Thánh Thần đưa vào hoang địa ở đó suốt bốn mươi ngày, và chịu ma quỷ cám dỗ." (Lc 4, 2)

Seeing the Beauty and Goodness in Front of Us
We don't have to go far to find the treasure we are seeking. There is beauty and goodness right where we are. And only when we can see the beauty and goodness that are close by can we recognize beauty and goodness on our travels far and wide. There are trees and flowers to enjoy, paintings and sculptures to admire; most of all there are people who smile, play, and show kindness and gentleness. They are all around us, to be recognized as free gifts to receive in gratitude.

Our temptation is to collect all the beauty and goodness surrounding us as helpful information we can use for our projects. But then we cannot enjoy it, and we soon find that we need a vacation to restore ourselves. Let's try to see the beauty and goodness in front of us before we go elsewhere to look for it. (Nouwen G)

Thứ Năm, 14 tháng 2, 2013

Thiện & Ác

Khi ấy, Chúa Giêsu phán cùng các môn đệ rằng: "Con Người phải đau khổ nhiều, bị các vị Kỳ lão, các Thượng tế, và các Luật sĩ khai trừ và giết chết, nhưng ngày thứ ba Người sẽ sống lại". (Lc 9,22)

Mastering Evil with Good
The apostle Paul writes to the Romans: "Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them. ... Never pay back evil with evil. ... Never try to get revenge. ... If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink. ... Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good" (Romans 12:14-21).
These words cut to the heart of the spiritual life. They make it clear what it means to choose life, not death, to choose blessings not curses. But what is asked of us here goes against the grain of our human nature. We will only be able to act according to Paul's words by knowing with our whole beings that what we are asked to do for others is what God has done for us.

Thứ Tư, 13 tháng 2, 2013

Vác

Khi các con ăn chay, thì đừng làm như bọn giả hình thiểu não (Mt 6,16)

Taking Up Our Crosses
Jesus says: "If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him ... take up his cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). He does not say: "Make a cross" or "Look for a cross." Each of us has a cross to carry. There is no need to make one or look for one. The cross we have is hard enough for us! But are we willing to take it up, to accept it as our cross?
Maybe we can't study, maybe we are handicapped, maybe we suffer from depression, maybe we experience conflict in our families, maybe we are victims of violence or abuse. We didn't choose any of it, but these things are our crosses. We can ignore them, reject them, refuse them or hate them. But we can also take up these crosses and follow Jesus with them.

Thứ Hai, 11 tháng 2, 2013

Thầy bảo

Thầy bảo các con. Chớ áy náy lo lắng cho mạng sống mình: lấy gì ăn; hay cho thân xác các con: lấy gì mà mặc.

Words That Create
Words, words, words. Our society is full of words: on billboards, on television screens, in newspapers and books. Words whispered, shouted, and sung. Words that move, dance, and change in size and color. Words that say, "Taste me, smell me, eat me, drink me, sleep with me," but most of all, "buy me." With so many words around us, we quickly say: "Well, they're just words." Thus, words have lost much of their power.
Still, the word has the power to create. When God speaks, God creates. When God says, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), light is. God speaks light. For God, speaking and creating are the same. It is this creative power of the word we need to reclaim. What we say is very important. When we say, "I love you," and say it from the heart, we can give another person new life, new hope, new courage. When we say, "I hate you," we can destroy another person. Let's watch our words.

Thứ Bảy, 9 tháng 2, 2013

Lạ

"Người đã không thể làm được phép lạ nào tại đó; Người chỉ đặt tay trên một vài bệnh nhân và chữa lành họ. Người lấy làm lạ vì họ không tin."

God's Unconditional Love 
What can we say about God's love? We can say that God's love is unconditional.
God does not say, "I love you, if ..." There are no ifs in God's heart. God's love for us does not depend on what we do or say, on our looks or intelligence, on our success or popularity. God's love for us existed before we were born and will exist after we have died. God's love is from eternity to eternity and is not bound to any time-related events or circumstances.
Does that mean that God does not care what we do or say? No, because God's love wouldn't be real if God didn't care. To love without condition does not mean to love without concern. God desires to enter into relationship with us and wants us to love God in return. Let's dare to enter into an intimate relationship with God without fear, trusting that we will receive love and always more love.

Thương

Ra khỏi thuyền, Ðức Giêsu thấy một đám người rất đông thì chạnh lòng thương, vì họ như bầy chiên không người chăn dắt. Và Người bắt đầu dạy dỗ họ nhiều điều. (Mc 6,34)

Care, the Source of All Cure
Care is something other than cure.
Cure means "change." A doctor, a lawyer, a minister, a social worker-they all want to use their professional skills to bring about changes in people's lives. They get paid for whatever kind of cure they can bring about. But cure, desirable as it may be, can easily become violent, manipulative, and even destructive if it does not grow out of care.
Care is being with, crying out with, suffering with, feeling with. Care is compassion. It is claiming the truth that the other person is my brother or sister, human, mortal, vulnerable, like I am.
When care is our first concern, cure can be received as a gift. Often we are not able to cure, but we are always able to care. To care is to be human.

Thứ Sáu, 8 tháng 2, 2013

Sáng tối

Vì chính vua Hêrôđê đã sai bắt Gioan và giam ông trong ngục, nguyên do tại Hêrôđia, vợ của Philipphê anh vua mà vua đã cưới lấy. Vì Gioan đã bảo Hêrôđê: "Nhà vua không được phép chiếm lấy vợ anh mình". (Mc 6,17-18)

Light in the Darkness
We walk in a "ravine as dark as death" (Psalm 23:4), and still we have nothing to fear because God is at our side: God's staff and crook are there to soothe us (see Psalm 23:4). This is not just a consoling idea. It is an experience of the heart that we can trust.

Our lives are full of suffering, pain, disillusions, losses and grief, but they are also marked by visions of the coming of the Son of Man "like lightning striking in the east and flashing far into west" (Matthew 24:27). These moments in which we see clearly, hear loudly, and feel deeply that God is with us on the journey make us shine as a light into the darkness.

Jesus says, "You are the light of the world. Your light must shine in people's sight, so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:14-16).