ໄປຕໍ່ກັບປະຈຸບັນ

ປະຈຸບັນນີ້ ຄຳ ເວົ້າກ່ຽວກັບການອ່ານ
ສຳ ລັບວັນພະຫັດຫລັງຈາກວັນພຸດທີ່ວັນພຸດ, ວັນທີ 19 ເດືອນກຸມພາ, 2015

ບົດເລື່ອງ Liturgical ທີ່ນີ້

IT ມັນເປັນທີ່ຈະແຈ້ງດີ, ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າໂດຍການເບິ່ງພຽງແຕ່ການສາບແຊ່ງໃນຫົວຂໍ້ຂ່າວ, ວ່າໂລກ ທຳ ອິດແມ່ນຕົກຢູ່ໃນສະພາບບໍ່ມີທາງອອກສູ່ໂລກອຸບັດຕິເຫດໃນຂະນະທີ່ສ່ວນທີ່ເຫຼືອຂອງໂລກໄດ້ຖືກຂົ່ມຂູ່ແລະຖືກຂູດຮີດໂດຍຄວາມຮຸນແຮງໃນພາກພື້ນ. ດັ່ງທີ່ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ຂຽນເມື່ອສອງສາມປີກ່ອນ, ໜັງ ສື ເວລາຂອງການເຕືອນໄພ ໝົດ ກຳ ນົດແລ້ວ. ^[1]cf. ຊົ່ວໂມງສຸດທ້າຍ ຖ້າຄົນເຮົາບໍ່ສາມາດເບິ່ງເຫັນ“ ສັນຍະລັກຂອງຍຸກສະ ໄໝ” ໂດຍດຽວນີ້, ຄຳ ດຽວທີ່ເຫລືອຢູ່ແມ່ນ“ ຄຳ” ແຫ່ງຄວາມທຸກທໍລະມານ. ^[2]cf. ເພງຂອງ The Watchman

Yesterday, I wrote about the joy that awaits us in the penitential practices of Lent. But there is a bigger context that I cannot help but continually point to. And it is that the Church herself is preparing for her own Passion as her persecutors continue to hem her in—both those intent upon silencing her through a “dictatorship of relativism”, and those who would silence her by the sword—literally. But it is precisely in this context that the path of joy is opening up for us:

ເພາະເຫັນແກ່ຄວາມສຸກທີ່ວາງຢູ່ຕໍ່ ໜ້າ ເພິ່ນລາວໄດ້ອົດທົນເອົາໄມ້ກາງແຂນ. (ເຮັບເລີ 12: 2)

Never before has the opportunity to become a saint been greater. For as St. Paul wrote, “where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” ^[3]Rom 5: 20 Something has changed in my heart—as though the Storm ^[4]cf. ເຈັດແຫ່ງການປະຕິວັດ that is upon us is the last anger of a long winter helplessly pushing against the inevitable new springtime. An “era of peace” is coming, ^[5]cf. ການ Popes ແລະຍຸກ Dawning and the adversary is helpless to stop it.

ພວກເຂົາຈະ ຈຳ ຄຸກເປັນ ຈຳ ນວນຫລວງຫລາຍ, ແລະພວກເຂົາຈະມີຄວາມຜິດໃນການສັງຫານ ໝູ່ ຫລາຍຂື້ນ. ພວກເຂົາຈະພະຍາຍາມຂ້າພວກປະໂລຫິດແລະສາສະ ໜາ ທັງ ໝົດ. ແຕ່ສິ່ງນີ້ຈະບໍ່ແກ່ຍາວ. ປະຊາຊົນຈະຈິນຕະນາການວ່າທຸກສິ່ງສູນເສຍ; ແຕ່ພະເຈົ້າຜູ້ດີຈະຊ່ວຍປະຢັດທຸກຄົນ. ມັນຈະເປັນຄືກັບສັນຍານແຫ່ງການຕັດສິນສຸດທ້າຍ ... ສາດສະ ໜາ ຈະຮຸ່ງເຮືອງ ໃໝ່ ກ່ວາທີ່ເຄີຍມີມາກ່ອນ. - ຕ. ຈອນວິນນີນີ, ການ Christian Trumpet 

We must not treat this Lent as we often have in the past—paying little attention to our souls (“Oh well, there’s always next year!”). The words of today’s first reading resound like a trumpet:

I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him.

Another way to say it today is:

ບໍ່ນ້ອຍກວ່າກາໂຕລິກບຸກຄົນ ທຳ ມະດາສາມາດຢູ່ລອດໄດ້, ສະນັ້ນຄອບຄົວກາໂຕລິກ ທຳ ມະດາບໍ່ສາມາດຢູ່ລອດໄດ້. ພວກເຂົາບໍ່ມີທາງເລືອກ. ພວກມັນຕ້ອງເປັນທີ່ບໍລິສຸດ - ຊຶ່ງ ໝາຍ ຄວາມວ່າສັກສິດ - ຫລືພວກມັນຈະຫາຍໄປ. ຄອບຄົວກາໂຕລິກພຽງແຫ່ງດຽວເທົ່ານັ້ນທີ່ຈະຍັງມີຊີວິດຢູ່ແລະມີຄວາມສຸກໃນສະຕະວັດທີຊາວປີ ທຳ ອິດແມ່ນຄອບຄົວຂອງນັກຮົບ. - Servant of God, Fr. John A. Hardon, SJ, ພອນສະຫວັນແລະຄວາມບໍລິສຸດຂອງຄອບຄົວ

We cannot be the Christians who stand in line for ຫ້າສິບເງົາຂອງສີຂີ້ເຖົ່າ or secretly read the book. We cannot be the Christians who stand in line for Communion, but ignore the gnawing hunger of the spiritually and materially poor. We cannot be the Christians who tolerate everything yet stand for nothing. Such a Christian is not a grain of wheat but an empty husk who will “disappear” through the purification that is here and coming. As one commentator said, "ຜູ້ທີ່ເລືອກທີ່ຈະແຕ່ງງານກັບວິນຍານຂອງໂລກໃນຍຸກນີ້, ຈະຖືກຢ່າຮ້າງໃນອານາຄົດ." 

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (Today’s Gospel)

The secret to the joy that Jesus gives is this: to deny oneself
and take up one’s cross daily and follow Him—which today, is directly against the powerful current of the ວິນຍານຂອງ antichrist. Hence, the words of today’s Psalm carry a certain urgency and warning against compromise:

Blessed the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked nor walks in the way of sinners, nor sits in the company of the insolent, but delights in the law of the LORD…

If there ever was a Lent to turn off pagan television, avoid trashy websites, and meditate on God’s Word, it is this one. For in His Word, we will find the path of joy…

ຖ້າເຈົ້າຮັກສາຂໍ້ ຄຳ ສັ່ງຂອງເຮົາເຈົ້າຈະຮັກສາຕົວໄວ້ໃນຄວາມຮັກຂອງຂ້ອຍຄືກັນກັບທີ່ຂ້ອຍໄດ້ຮັກສາຂໍ້ ຄຳ ສັ່ງຂອງພໍ່ແລະຮັກສາຕົວໄວ້ໃນຄວາມຮັກຂອງພະອົງ. ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າໄດ້ບອກພວກທ່ານສິ່ງນີ້ເພື່ອວ່າຄວາມສຸກຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຈະຢູ່ໃນທ່ານແລະຄວາມສຸກຂອງທ່ານຈະສົມບູນ. (ໂຢຮັນ 15: 10-11)