We Are Called to be Signs of God s Mercy to Others

Transcription

1 ISSUE 77 AUGUST 2016 Ý CẦU NGUYỆN - PRAYER INTENTIONS - Cầu cho các Tuyên Úy, Trợ Úy, Huynh Trưởng, Trợ Tá, Đoàn Sinh trở nên Dấu Chỉ Của Lòng Chúa Thương Xót trong Năm Thánh này. - Pray that all Chaplains, Chaplain s Assistants, Youth Leaders, and Youth Members become a symbol of God s Divine Mercy this Jubilee Year. L.M. Giuse Nguyễn Tuấn Linh Tuyên Úy TNTT Miền Đồng Bắc - Pray that sports may be an opportunity for friendly encounters between peoples and may contribute to peace in the world. - Cầu cho các môn thể thao, là cơ hội gặp gỡ thân tình giữa các dân tộc và mang lại nền hoà bình cho thế giới. - Pray that Christians may live the Gospel, giving witness to faith, honesty, and love of neighbor. - Cầu cho các Kitô Hữu biết sống theo Tin Mừng, để mang lại chứng tá về niềm tin, lòng ngay chính và tình yêu thương tha nhân. Đức Thánh Cha Phanxicô Đức Giáo Hoàng Giáo Hội Công Giáo CHIA SẼ TUYÊN ÚY REFLECTION OF OUR CHAPLAIN We Are Called to be Signs of God s Mercy to Others by Thầy Phó Tế Phaolô Chu Trọng Phước, SDB, Trợ Úy Miền Đồng Bắc A picture is worth a thousand words. In this Holy Jubilee Year of Mercy, our Catholic Church has provided for us just that, a logo depicting the Mercy of God for humanity. This logo is the sign that each of us Christians is called to live every day. Perhaps what strikes me the most is the three eyes in the logo. The middle eye depicts how God and humanity shares the same eye. This means that not only should our eyes look to God, but that we should look with the eye of God. The three eyes represent the Holy Trinity. The second/middle eye is that of Jesus Christ who is divine but shares in our humanity so that each of us may share in his divinity. Through the eye of Jesus, God look with compassion on the pains, sufferings, and sins of our humanity. Ý CẦU NGUYỆN - PRAYER INTENTIONS - Xin cho các sinh hoạt của Phong Trào ngày thêm vững mạnh, nhờ các Tuyên Úy, Trợ Úy, Huynh Trưởng, Trợ Tá và Đoàn Sinh đã qua đời tiếp tục cầu nguyện cho Phong Trào. Please send prayers to tntt.mdb@gmail.com Our modern society is more and more a visual society. We are bombarded by so many images day in, day out. Our eyes hunger and thirst for new sensations through viral images and videos, yet after we

2 TIN TRONG MIỀN - REGIONAL NEWS - Sa Mạc Huấn Luyện HT cấp 1 & 2, Damas XVII & XVIII Aug , 2016 Duffield Camp 1178 Worden Rd., Delevan, NY Hành Hương Tôn Vinh Lòng Chúa Thương Xót Aug. 27, 2016, 9:00am 5:30pm National Shrine of the Divine Mercy 2 Prospect Hill Rd., Stockbridge, MA Hành Hương Fatima Sept. 2-3, 2016 Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima 1023 Swann Rd., Lewiston, NY Họp Mặt Trợ Tá MĐB Sept. 17, 2016 St. Paul the Apostle Church & Social Hall, 235 Dwight Rd., Springfield, MA Họp Mặt XĐT MĐB và BCHM Oct , 2016 St. Scholastica Priory/St. Mary s Monastery, 271 N Main St, Petersham, MA HOAN HÔ - SHOUT OUT Hoan hô quý Trưởng sau đây thuộc đoàn Lê Bảo Tịnh đã được vào hàng ngũ Huynh Trưởng cấp 1 và 2: - Gioan Baotixita Nguyễn Kevin, cấp 1 - Đominico Cao Brian, cấp 2 AN - Cecilia Cao Lynn, cấp 2 NS Nguyện xin Thiên Chúa dìu dắt và chúc lành cho quý HT trên con đường phục vụ!! have consumed them, our visual appetite is still not satisfied. We constantly look at the screens of our phones, computers, and television. We read the news, Facebook posts, Twitter feeds, Snapchat, and Instagram voraciously. We almost never fail to take pictures of everything, especially selfies, so to let the world know that we were there, did that, with these people. We see the real world as a virtual world and find it more interesting than the real world because it satisfies our visual cravings and allows us to live out our fantasies. We reason it is even healthy because we can get out and walk for miles each day to collect Pokémon in the real world just like many of our fellow players of Pokémon Go. Not only seeing is pleasurable, but what we see can lead us to sinful things and experiences. In our visual distractions and pleasurable moments, we can fail to see the reality in front of us. We can become mesmerized by what we want to see and what we like to see that we do not see what we ought to see. What ought we to see? We ought to see God present in ourselves, other people, events, experiences, and things. When we recognize the presence of God in ourselves and other people, we begin to see the Mercy of God at work within us and others. But often time we do not see this. For this reason, we must learn how to see. This is where the second eye can teach us how to see correctly and clearly. Jesus teaches us how to see with the eye of mercy in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25 37). In this parable, Jesus tells us that a priest and a Levite saw a man who was robbed and beaten and left halfdead lying on the side of the road, but they walked on by on the other side. Then a Samaritan came, he saw the half-dead man, had compassion and stopped to take care of him. We may ask, why did the priest and Levite not have compassion when they saw the wounded man? Maybe it was because they only saw what they wanted/liked to see, not what they ought to see. They saw this man as a Samaritan whom they did not like, and so they did not want to be near him. How often do we ignore someone who is not to our liking? How often in working together we try to avoid certain people who are in the way because we think they prevent us from getting what we want? Do we ever stop to think about their feelings and needs? Can we see ourselves in their shoes? Our own likings and wants can blind us to others needs for compassion and love. Perhaps our own likings and wants can blind us to our own need for compassion and love. When we lack love in our life, we tend to fill up the void with pleasurable things thinking that they will satisfy the longing of the heart. Perhaps we have been wounded by others words and actions, and no one has stopped to heal our wounds. In this condition, we are even more wounded by bitterness, anger, and abandonment. We become ourselves the halfdead man lying on the side of the road. In this bitterness, we can become blinded to other people s needs and fail to have compassion on those who need it the most. 2

3 Jesus is the Good Samaritan. He sees us in our wounded condition and He had compassion on us. We were beaten up by those who robbed our emotions and took away our innocence and left us halfdead on the side of the road, but Jesus carried us home and healed us of our wounds. We were half-dead and He restored us to life abundantly. Jesus is also the Good Shepherd. We were lost and He found us. We might have been abandoned by others who were supposed to be our shepherds, but Jesus never abandoned us. He pulled us out of the abyss of our miseries and comforted us on His shoulders. Jesus looks at us with eyes of compassion and He invites us to do the same. He calls us to see the world with His eyes of love and mercy. The Good Shepherd, by Del Parson (cropped) Artwork by Hàn Tiêu (cropped) As Huynh Trưởng, we are signs of God s mercy to our younger Thiếu Nhi and fellow Huynh Trưởng. We are called to imitate Jesus the Good Samaritan and the Good Shepherd. As good Samaritans, we look with compassion on the young people entrusted to us. We keep an eye out for their needs and lend them an ear as they share with us the difficulties they face at home, at school, among their peers and even in their work places. Among fellow Huynh Trưởng, how can we see their daily challenges and understand them? How can we better appreciate their sacrifices in coming to Thiếu Nhi? As good shepherds, we are called to lead and guide young people to be good Christians and honest citizens. How can we shepherd the young to live this holy ideal? The Good Shepherd goes after the lost sheep, so how can we go after and find the lost kids? How can we better understand their situations? Once we have found these lost kids, how can we work together to bring them back? The Good Shepherd is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. How can we learn to put up with inconveniences in our life so that Thiếu Nhi may have a good time and even the best time? How can we more effectively prepare well for our Thiếu Nhi lessons? How can we be good examples of our Christian faith to the young? In working with fellow Huynh Trưởng, how can we be supportive of one another and work well together? How can we deepen our relationships with one another and go beyond just business? What can we do to improve the quality of our sacrificial service to ensure a level of professionalism? Since we call each other anh, chị, and trưởng, how can we keep the family spirit and allow ourselves to grow as one family of Anh Cả Giêsu? Let us reflect on these questions and together find the answers. In doing so, we learn to truly become signs of God s Mercy to all. 3

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5 HÌNH ẢNH ĐÓ ĐÂY PICTURES HERE AND THERE Chúc mừng Tr. Lynn và Tr. Brian thuộc Đoàn Lê Bảo Tịnh đã vào hàng ngũ HT cấp 2, và Tr. Kevin vào hàng ngũ HT cấp 1! Sa Mạc Tình Yêu VI của đoàn Lê Bảo Tịnh Sa Mạc Tình Yêu VI của đoàn Lê Bảo Tịnh Sa Mạc Tình Yêu VI của đoàn Lê Bảo Tịnh 5

6 HÌNH ẢNH ĐÓ ĐÂY PICTURES HERE AND THERE 6

7 HÌNH ẢNH ĐÓ ĐÂY PICTURES HERE AND THERE Sa Mạc Ánh Lửa XV của đoàn Saviô Sa Mạc Ánh Lửa XV của đoàn Saviô 7