ໜຶ່ງ ຕີນໃນສະຫວັນ

ປະຈຸບັນນີ້ ຄຳ ເວົ້າກ່ຽວກັບການອ່ານ
ສຳ ລັບວັນທີ 7 ມີນາ 2014
ວັນສຸກຫລັງຈາກວັນພຸດ Ash

HEAVEN, ບໍ່ແມ່ນແຜ່ນດິນໂລກ, ແມ່ນເຮືອນຂອງພວກເຮົາ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ, ເຊນໂປໂລຂຽນວ່າ:

ອັນເປັນທີ່ຮັກ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າຂໍອ້ອນວອນທ່ານທັງຫຼາຍໃນຖານະເປັນຄົນຕ່າງດ້າວແລະຄົນຕ່າງຊາດທີ່ງົດເວັ້ນຈາກການກະ ທຳ ຂອງເນື້ອ ໜັງ ທີ່ເຮັດສົງຄາມກັບຈິດວິນຍານຂອງທ່ານ. (1 ເປໂຕ 2:11)

ພວກເຮົາທຸກຄົນຮູ້ວ່າມີການຕໍ່ສູ້ປະ ຈຳ ວັນຂອງຊີວິດຂອງພວກເຮົາລະຫວ່າງ ເນື້ອຫນັງ ແລະ ນ​້​ໍ​າ​ໃຈ. ເຖິງແມ່ນວ່າ, ຜ່ານການບັບຕິສະມາ, ພຣະເຈົ້າໃຫ້ພວກເຮົາມີຫົວໃຈໃຫມ່ແລະຈິດໃຈໃຫມ່, ເນື້ອຫນັງຂອງພວກເຮົາຍັງຄົງຢູ່ພາຍໃຕ້ຄວາມຮ້າຍແຮງຂອງຄວາມບາບ - ຄວາມຢາກອາຫານທີ່ບໍ່ຕ້ອງການທີ່ຢາກດຶງພວກເຮົາອອກຈາກວົງໂຄຈອນແຫ່ງຄວາມບໍລິສຸດເຂົ້າໄປໃນຂີ້ຝຸ່ນຂອງໂລກ. ແລະມັນແມ່ນການສູ້ຮົບແທ້ໆ!

I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 7:23-25)

Thanks be to God because, when I have lost a battle, I can begin again through Jesus Christ. When I have gone soft on sin, I can turn to His Mercy that puts me back into the orbit of grace.

ການເສຍສະລະຂອງຂ້າພະເຈົ້າ, ໂອ້ພະເຈົ້າ, ແມ່ນວິນຍານທີ່ ສຳ ນຶກຜິດ; ຫົວໃຈທີ່ຈິງໃຈແລະຖ່ອມຕົນ, ໂອ້ພຣະເຈົ້າ, ທ່ານຈະບໍ່ຫວັ່ນໄຫວ. (ເພງສັນລະເສີນມື້ນີ້)

But I still have this problem: the overpowering gravity of my flesh. Yes, we will always have temptation in this life, but if we avail ourselves of God’s grace, we can conquer it. “For freedom Christ set us free” ກ່າວວ່າ St. Paul, “so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” ^[1]cf. ຄາລາເຕ 5: 1

There are three ways to loosen the yoke of slavery in our lives:

…fasting, prayer, ແລະ ການໃຫ້ທານ, ເຊິ່ງສະແດງການປ່ຽນໃຈເຫລື້ອມໃສທີ່ກ່ຽວຂ້ອງກັບຕົວເອງ, ຕໍ່ພຣະເຈົ້າ, ແລະຄົນອື່ນ. -ຄຳ ສອນຂອງສາດສະ ໜາ ກາໂຕລິກ, ນ. . 1434

If we are going to take the spiritual life seriously, if we want to make any serious gains in virtue, if we want to avoid falling back into the pit of sin, then these three aspects have to be present in one way or another in one’s life. ການກິນອາຫານ orientates my body to the spirit and spiritual goods; ການອະທິຖານ orientates my spirit to God; and ການໃຫ້ທານ orientates my body and spirit to love of neighbour.

Fasting keeps one foot in Heaven, so to speak, because it helps me to remember that I am not here to make my own kingdom, but His. That I cannot make food and comfort an idol; that my neighbour is hungry and I have to meet his needs; that I need to always keep a spiritual hunger for God alive in my heart.

Fasting creates a space in the heart for God. So tell me friends, is a cup of coffee, an extra helping of food, or turning off the TV such a bad exchange? Remember our Lord’s words…

…ເວັ້ນເສຍແຕ່ວ່າເມັດເຂົ້າສາລີຕົກລົງສູ່ພື້ນດິນແລະຕາຍ, ມັນຍັງເຫລືອພຽງເມັດເຂົ້າສາລີ; ແຕ່ຖ້າມັນຕາຍມັນຈະເກີດຜົນຫລາຍ. (ໂຢຮັນ 12:24)

This little act of dying, when it is done in love, always produces fruit, and in more ways than we realize. When we join our fasting to Christ’s sacrifice (by a simple little prayer and act of the will), it gains an infinite value in reparation for sin, intercession, and even exorcism.

And of course, fasting helps subordinate the flesh to the spirit.

ຂ້າ​ພະ​ເຈົ້າ​ຂັບ​ໄລ່​ຮ່າງ​ກາຍ​ຂອງ​ຂ້າ​ພະ​ເຈົ້າ​ແລະ​ຝຶກ​ອົບ​ຮົມ​ມັນ, ເພາະ​ຢ້ານ​ວ່າ, ຫຼັງ​ຈາກ​ທີ່​ໄດ້​ປະ​ກາດ​ໃຫ້​ຄົນ​ອື່ນ, ຂ້າ​ພະ​ເຈົ້າ​ເອງ​ຄວນ​ຈະ​ຖືກ​ຕັດ​ສິດ. (1 ໂກລິນໂທ 9:27)

Fasting is a sliver of the Cross. And the Cross always leads to the Resurrection. Jesus says in today’s Gospel that, after He is gone, “they will fast.” And so, we should fast. But we walk before we run. So start small, but enough to pinch the flesh—to let that sliver penetrate the passions.

And you’ll be keeping one foot in Heaven while you walk this earth.