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"Seventy times seven"

"Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?"​

Sirach 27:30-33
Dear Deacon Nguyen,

Peace—that elusive state of being that we all seek. Why does it seem so unattainable?
Maybe it's because we must first practice praying and meditating on God's Word before we can manage our anxieties. Maybe it's because we too often ask "When will they learn to live peacefully?" before searching our own hearts.

A 1981 United Nations resolution establishing a day "commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples" has brought hundreds of students to the UN in observance of Peace Day, and countless millions worldwide to commit to peace on September 21 every year. A wide array of goals is addressed through this multi-cultural gathering, not the least of which is ending poverty in all its forms. If we can commit to peace as a global community one day a year, I believe we can also do it the other 364.

Our Lord said "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you" in John's Gospel on the night before He was crucified. He also instructed Peter in Matthew's Gospel to forgive that same offending brother seventy times seven. Did our Savior mean we are to stop at 490? I think he meant we were to lose count. There should be interpersonal and international conditions of reconciliation—at home and in the world—not solely an effort to stop war.

Prayer for 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time​

I am tired, Lord, of forgiving
repeated and unrepentant insults
and countless slights and injuries.
I am weary, Lord,
of turning the other cheek
to those who only want to hurt
humiliate or ignore me.

And You, Lord God, answer:
"Yeah, me too!"

Lord, I sin so many times each day
doing evil and failing to do good
and countless times I return to you
begging Your mercy and love
and without hesitation
You bestow on me
Your gentle forgiveness.

Make me ever mindful then
of my infinite need for
Your boundless grace
and let me freely, joyfully
forgive others as many times
as You have forgiven me.

Amen.

~ Father Joseph R. Veneroso, M.M.
Dinh, if we're still harboring un-forgiveness, if we're still wearing our offenders' crimes against us like medals of war, then perhaps the third line of the "Our Father" might help convince us: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." The measure with which we forgive is in exact proportion to that which will be doled out to us someday, and He'll stop counting if we do.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Raymond J. Finch, M.M.

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Father Raymond Finch

Commemorating 9/11
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Dear Dinh,

On this day of immense sorrow, I want to take a moment to reflect and remember with great love all the innocent and brave souls who went home to be with the Lord so unexpectedly 16 years ago today.

St. Paul tells the Church in Rome that our only debt to our Lord and each other is love, and that there is a limited amount of time for us to pay that debt by doing His works of righteousness. May we be able to respond to our personal 9/11 experiences out of love.

I encourage you to reflect on and keep this prayer with you as you seek to find comfort in the day:

Prayer for 9/11​

Lord Jesus,
Set Your Holy Cross ever before my eyes
that in the midst of my own hardships and suffering
I might never forget the pain You willingly endured
for love of me and of all the world.

When darkness surrounds me
let Your cross be my unfailing light.
When the problems of life overwhelm me
May I cling to Your cross as my one,
sure life raft in a hostile sea.

When storm clouds threaten to delay or defeat me,
see! Your cross offers true shelter till the tempest passes.
And when at length I too must depart this world,
may Your cross be my blessed transport
to heavenly bliss.

Amen.

~ Father Joseph R. Veneroso, M.M.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Raymond J. Finch, M.M.

Our mailing address is:
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
PO Box 302
Maryknoll, NY 10545

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NGHE - THẤY

Tracy Nguyễn chuyển

Một cô bé vừa gầy vừa thấp bị thầy giáo loại ra khỏi dàn đồng ca. Cũng chỉ tại cô bé ấy lúc nào cũng chỉ mặc mỗi một bộ quần áo vừa bẩn, vừa cũ lại vừa rộng nữa.

Cô bé buồn tủi ngồi khóc một mình trong công viên. Cô bé nghĩ: Tại sao mình lại không được hát? Chẳng lẽ mình hát tồi đến thế sao? Cô bé nghĩ mãi rồi cô cất giọng hát khe khẽ. Cô bé cứ hát hết bài này đến bài khác cho đến khi mệt lả mới thôi.

"Cháu hát hay quá!". Một giọng nói vang lên: "Cảm ơn cháu, cháu gái bé nhỏ, cháu đã cho ta cả một buổi chiều thật vui vẻ". Cô bé ngẩn người. Người vừa khen cô bé là một ông cụ tóc bạc trắng. Ông cụ nói xong liền đứng dậy và chậm rãi bước đi.

Hôm sau, khi cô bé tới công viên đã thấy ông già ngồi ở chiếc ghế đá hôm trước, khuôn mặt hiền từ mỉm cười chào cô bé. Cô bé lại hát, cụ già vẫn chăm chú lắng nghe. Ông vỗ tay nói lớn: "Cảm ơn cháu, cháu gái bé nhỏ của ta, cháu hát hay quá!" Nói xong cụ già lại chậm rãi một mình bước đi.

Cứ như vậy nhiều năm trôi qua, cô bé giờ đây đã trở thành một ca sĩ nổi tiếng. Cô gái vẫn không quên cụ già ngồi tựa lưng vào thành ghế đá trong công viên nghe cô hát. Một buổi chiều mùa đông, cô đến công viên tìm cụ nhưng ở đó chỉ còn lại chiếc ghế đá trống không.

"Cụ già ấy đã qua đời rồi. Cụ ấy điếc đã hơn 20 năm nay" – một người trong công viên nói với cô. Cô gái sững người. Một cụ già ngày ngày vẫn chăm chú lắng nghe và khen cô hát lại là một người không có khả năng nghe?

♦♦♦

*SUY TƯ VÀ QUYẾT TÂM HÀNH ĐỘNG : Câu chuyện cảm động trên giúp tôi suy gẫm về Lời Chúa, Chúa nói với tôi " anh em thật có phúc vì được thấy, tai anh em có phúc vì được nghe", tôi thật sự hỏi mình có phúc hay lại vô phúc! vì hằng ngày mắt tôi nhìn thấy gì? tai tôi nghe gì? tôi vần nghe Lời Chúa mỗi ngày, vẫn chứng kiến phép lạ Chúa làm cho bánh hóa chính mình máu thánh Chúa nuôi sống linh hồn tôi hằng ngày. Vậy mà tôi làm như mù như điếc trước lời mời gọi nên Thánh của Chúa trong tôi, tôi làm ngơ trước anh chị em tôi đang cần 1 lời nói yêu thương, một ánh mắt cảm thông. Hình ảnh ông già bị điếc ngồi lắng nghe cô bé nghèo hát, ông điếc nhưng ông lại có con tim lắng nghe và cảm thông, Thật đẹp.

Lạy Chúa, xin thương xót con.

Duyen Sa

Nguồn : http://nguonsongmoi.blogspot. com

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Father Raymond Finch
To: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Sep 10 at 4:42 AM
"Love is not optional"

"Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."​

Romans 13:8
Dear Deacon Nguyen,

19 hijackers, four planes... 2,996 souls lost, 6,000 injured...
Commercial airplanes became weapons of war on Sept. 11, 2001, and Maryknoll priests Reverends Raymond Nobiletti, M.M. and Francis A. Diffley, M.M. were on the front lines.

Father Diffley, who has since gone to be with the Lord, counseled the bereaved at the 69th Regiment Armory on Lexington Avenue. Re-reading his MARYKNOLL® Magazine article of January 2002, I was reminded of the sinking of the Titanic: Julliard students softly played chamber music in the Armory as hundreds awaited news of their loved ones. And in a sense it was a sinking, a sinking of innocence. But even in the heaviness of despair, love triumphed. "People donated food in abundance," Father Diffley said."

Father Nobiletti witnessed uninformed and plain-clothed heroes emerging from the smoke, falling steel and debris to help those in need. He ministered to the injured and dying in a triage location near the South Tower and narrowly escaped as its top 20 floors began collapsing. "...each of us in our own way will have the opportunity to experience a 9/11 in our lives," said the priest from Transfiguration Church in New York City in his September/October 2016 MARYKNOLL® Magazine article, "when we are called to risk all we have for the good of others".

Prayer for 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time​

Lord Jesus,
Set Your Holy Cross ever before my eyes
that in the midst of my own hardships and suffering
I might never forget the pain You willingly endured
for love of me and of all the world.

When darkness surrounds me
let Your cross be my unfailing light.
When the problems of life overwhelm me
may I cling to Your cross as my one,
sure life raft in a hostile sea.

When storm clouds threaten to delay or defeat me,
see! Your cross offers true shelter till the tempest passes.
And when at length I too must depart this world,
may Your cross be my blessed transport
to heavenly bliss.

Amen.

~ Father Joseph R. Veneroso, M.M.
Dinh, we follow the way of Christ by responding with kindness and love in the face of evil. Even an act as horrific as 9/11 can take on a different meaning when we respond out of love. Paul tells the Church in Rome that our only debt to our Lord and each other is love, and that there is a limited amount of time for us to pay that debt by doing His works of righteousness. May we be able to respond to our 9/11 experience out of love.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Raymond J. Finch, M.M.

The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers go overseas and share God's Love & compassion with the poor and suffering – discover more about Maryknoll and our missions of mercy around the globe. Explore ways to support our mission.

Our mailing address is:
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
PO Box 302
Maryknoll, NY 10545

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