5 phút cho Chúa _ monday of 4th week OT

IN ONE MAN WE FIND HOPE
One Man shows us where to find hope! However tormented we may be by past mistakes or present failings, one Man stands as a reminder that life can be renewed. Saint Paul wrote this message in his letter to the Romans, Chapter 8: "Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus."  
Jesus takes on all the powers that try to separate us from God. Jesus defeats these powers, and shows us that anyone who suffers from secret sin, and doesn't turn to Him will begin to be possessed by them. The man from today's Gospel is tormented beyond bearing, and Jesus heals, renews, restores him, and shows us by this example where to find hope. "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  St. Paul asks this question, knowing full well that the answer is "no one." Our Master, Savior, our sweet Jesus, heals, renews, forgives, and restores God's beloved children. Then this man shows us what to do next: we go to our families and those around us, and we proclaim the Good News of all that Jesus Christ has done, to the amazement of all.
In the present age, we continue to witness crimes and the mass destruction of those who are possessed by greed and power over peoples and nations. But what is more remarkable in the event in today's Gospel, the destructive force of this driven and possessed man, or the bended knee of the man at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release? Our heavenly Father's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep any one of us from the peace and safety that He offers in our souls. The peace and safety is there for those of us who seek His help. Let us remember that God is our loving Parent.
In today's responsorial psalm, we acclaim, "Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord" (Ps 31). Jesus took pity on the man who was overtaken by a legion of evil spirits. Jesus is ready to free us from anything that binds us and keeps us from the love of our heavenly Father, if only we are willing.
I would like to end this reflection with a quotation from Abraham Lincoln: "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."