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Today’s monument of the Passion of St. John the Baptist is one of the strongest testimonies that the Bible offers us. It serves as a reminder of how high a price of faithfulness to the truth can be, and how truth can irritate and unsettle those who live in sin. The Gospel of St. Mark shows us a dramatic scene. Herod suspects in his conscience that John is a „righteous and holy man“. Nevertheless, under pressure from Herodias and out of false pride, he issues an execution order in front of his guests, and John the Baptist’s head ends up in a bowl. 

It is an eloquent image of a world that hates the truth because it takes away the illusion of comfort. John the Baptist does not retreat. Says things as they are: „You are not allowed to have your brother’s wife“. He knew he was taking a risk, but he didn’t budge. Like the prophet Jeremiah, of whom we hear in the first reading, John was sent to „speak all that the Lord commands him“ regardless of the consequences. And that is a challenge for us too. In today’s world, where truth is often relativized and replaced by convenient „proper opinions“, the testimony of John the Baptist is uncomfortable but necessary. We need prophets who will remind us that not everything lawful is morally right. That truth is not a matter for the majority. John the Baptist was not afraid to be a voice calling in the desert, even though it was a spiritual, inhospitable, sinful, and selfish desert. 

It is good to ask myself today: what would I be willing to sacrifice my life for? Is there anything so solid and accurate about me that I would pay the highest price for it? Or will I, like Herod, be seduced by the pressure of the environment, the image before others, the fear of ridicule? 

There was a priest in a communist country who refused to erase the name of Christ from his sermon, even though he was threatened with prison for it. People advised him: „Say it differently, use a metaphor, be wise“. He replied: „ If I remain silent, they will call stones“. He was arrested, imprisoned, but became a conscience for thousands of people. His words bore fruit years later, as did John’s testimony. 

Brothers and sisters, John the Baptist is a role model for anyone who tries to live truthfully. His death was not in vain; it was a sown seed of truth that cannot die. And his reward? Not in the recognition of men, but in the eternal glory in heaven. Let us ask today that our mouths also „ tell of God’s justice“ (Ps 71), that our conscience remains sensitive, that we dare to be true – with love, but adamantly. Because where there is truth, there is Christ. And where Christ is, there is eternal life. 

You created us for yourselves, and restless is our heart until it rests in You. (Confession, I,1,1). With these, later-famous words, St. Augustine turns to God in the book of Confessions, and they contain a synthesis of his entire life.”. This word touches me mightily and makes me think. I will start with the question: What fundamental restlessness does St. Augustine experience in his life? Or rather, what kinds of restlessness does this great and holy man encourage us to discover and cultivate in our lives? I suggest three: the restlessness of spiritual search, the restlessness of meeting God, and the restlessness of love.
The first is the restlessness of spiritual search. Augustine experiences an experience that is quite common among today’s youth. He was raised by his mother, Monica, in the Christian faith, although he was not baptized into it. However, with age, he moves away from it; he no longer finds in it the answers to his questions and the desires of his heart, and he is drawn to other offers. He becomes a member of a group of Manicheans, devotes himself diligently to his studies, and refrains from mindless entertainment, period spectacles, and intense friendships. He learns intense love and begins a brilliant career as a rhetoric teacher, which brings him to the imperial court in Milan. Augustine is a “successful “man; he has everything, but in his heart remains the restlessness of searching for the deep meaning of life; his heart has not fallen asleep.

I would say success, things, and power have not anesthetized it. Augustine does not close in on himself, does not let up, and is always looking for the truth, the meaning of life, and the face of God. He is surely making mistakes, taking the wrong paths, and committing sins. He is a sinner, but he does not lose the restlessness of his spiritual search. And so he discovers that God was waiting for him, even though he never stopped looking for him first. I want to say to everyone who feels indifference towards God, towards faith, and to those who are far from God or have left Him, but also to us, who in our daily life we commit perhaps smaller “distance “and “efuge “from God: look deep in your heart, look inside you and ask: you have a heart, who longs for something big or a heart that is sleepy with things? Has your heart retained the restlessness of searching, or have you let it be suffocated by things that have led it to stunting? God is waiting for you, looking for you: what will you answer? Have you noticed this situation in your soul? Or rather? Do you believe that God is waiting for you, or are these truths just “slova “for you? Augustine has his own restlessness of heart, which leads him to a personal encounter with Christ, and in turn, he understands that the God he sought far away is a God close to every person, one who is close to our heart and is nearer to us than we are to ourselves. However, even with this discovery and when meeting God, Augustine does not stop, does not let up, does not close himself off as someone who has already reached his goal, but continues on his way. The restlessness of searching for truth and God becomes the restlessness of seeking even greater knowledge and stepping out of oneself to make Him known to others. It’s a restlessness of love. He would like a peaceful life of study and prayer, but God calls him to be the Shepherd of Hippo in the midst of a divided community and with war at his doorstep.

And Augustine allows himself to be disturbed by God, tirelessly proclaims Him, courageously evangelizes Him, fearlessly tries to be the image of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who knows his sheep ( John 10,14), and even, as I like to say, “he feels his sheep “and goes out to find the lost ones. Augustine lives what St. Paul asks of Timothy and each of us: proclaim the word, whether it is appropriate or inappropriate, proclaim the gospel ( 2 Tim 4,2) with the magnanimous heart of the Shepherd who is restless because of his sheep. Augustine’s treasure is precisely this attitude of constantly going out to God, of continually going out to sheep…

He is a man caught between these two realities. Never “privatize “love, but always be on the way! Still restless! And that is a room of restlessness. We may ask: Am I restless because of God to proclaim Him and make Him known? Or am I fascinated by that worldly spirituality that invites you to do everything for self-love? We insiders often consider personal interests, the functionality of work, careers, and many other factors. Have I not become comfortable in my Christian life, in my priesthood, in my religious life, but also in my community life? Or do I retain the power of restlessness towards God, His Word, which leads me to go out to others?

Let’s approach the last restlessness, the restlessness of love. I can’t help but see Mother Monica here. How many tears did this holy woman shed for the conversion of her son! And how many mothers still shed tears today so that their children return to Christ! Do not lose hope in the grace of God! In the Confessions, we read the sentence that a particular bishop said to Saint Monica, who begged for her son to find the way of faith: “It is not possible for the son of so many tears to perish “(III,12,21). Augustine himself turns to God after his conversion by saying: “z love for me cried before You my mother filled with faith and shed more tears, than how many mothers spill over the physical death of their children “(ibid., III,11,19).

And this restless woman could finally utter wonderful words: cumulatius hoc mihi Deus praestitit! God has abundantly made up for her for what she mourned! And Augustine is the heir of Monica, from whom he received that germ of restlessness. It is the restlessness of love: to seek always and without ceasing the good of the other, the loved one, with that intensity that brings to tears. I remember Jesus weeping at the tomb of friend Lazarus; Peter, who, after denying Jesus, met His gaze flowing with mercy and love and wept bitterly; father, who looks forward to the return of his son and when he sees him in the distance runs towards him; I remember the Virgin Mary, who lovingly follows the Son of Jesus to the bottom of the cross. How are we doing with the restlessness of love? Do we believe in love for God and others? Or are we nominalists at this point? Not abstractly, not just words, but a specific brother we meet, a brother who is next to us.

Are we being disturbed by his need, or are we staying locked in ourselves, in our communities, which are often “communities of comfort for us “? Somewhere you can live in the same house and not know who was next door, or you can live in a community and not know your fellow brother: I think with pain of religious people who lack fertility and are old bachelors. The restlessness of love constantly forces one to meet another and not wait for the other to come out and say what he needs. The restlessness of love gives us pastoral fruitfulness, and we must – each of us – ask: what is my spiritual and pastoral fruitfulness? We ask the Lord for you, dear Augustinians, who begin your general chapter, and for all of us, to keep in our hearts the spiritual restlessness to seek Him constantly, restlessness to boldly proclaim Him, and restlessness of love towards every brother and sister. Let it happen.

The most famous Spanish transvestite, Pedro Almodóvar’s partner and symbol of the LGBT movement, found the meaning of life in Christianity.

The name tells you something , La Movida Madrilena? All Spaniards know what it is. This term refers to the Madrid countercultural movement that emerged in public after the death of General Franco. These were belated echoes of the 1968 revolution that only appeared after the fall of Francoism. Only then was it finally possible to reach for the forbidden fruit with a sticker sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Prim artists from the so-called alternative scene, who declared their apolitical nature, at the same time demanded moral freedom, breaking taboos, and the possibility of exceeding all norms in art. Their weapons were irony, ridicule, and satire. The name of the movement was already a mocking word movida, related to Movimiento Nacional, which was General Franco’s main political institution.

Over time, underground musicians, painters, cartoonists, directors, photographers, poets and fashion designers began to enter the mainstream. The movement was losing its subcultural character and had become part of the commercial market of mass culture. Other artists achieved successful careers in Spain and abroad. The most famous face of this company today is the world-famous director Pedro Almodóvar, who immortalized the atmosphere La Movida Madrilena in his first two films: Pepi, Luci, Bom and other girls from the party a Labyrinth of passions.

All the sins of this world

The second most famous character of the movement was Fabio de Miguel, better known under the artistic pseudonym Fanny McNamara – singer, model, performer and actor. This eccentric transvestite, who was one of the key figures of Madrid’s gay underworld, was also an iconic figure La Movida Madrilena. In the aforementioned film Pepi, Luci, Bom and other girls from the party, played under the influence of transvestite drugs. In the next production Labyrinth of passions he played the role of a star of pornographic films.

Before his conversion, what was said about St. Augustine was that there was no sin that he did not commit. However, it is highly likely to say that the Spanish dandy and decadent was definitely „better“ than the author of the Kingdom of God in this competition.

Participants in drug orgies in Madrid nightclubs could say something about it. Of course, those who did not die of AIDS or overdose.

Fabio McNamara used to be described as a postmodernist because he did not recognize any hierarchies in art, constantly experimented, played with form, juggled styles and broke conventions. He also did not recognize any truth – in this sense was a representative of radical cognitive and moral relativism. His life was a constant search for emotional experiences, perceptions and impressions.

Sometimes postmodernism is referred to as a culture of exhaustion because it is based on the assumption that everything has already been and that nothing new can be invented. However, in the case of McNamara, the term takes on even further meaning. This culture exhausted all the possibilities it could offer him. He tried everything, and yet it did not bring him luck. Nothing satisfied the deepest desires of his heart. He fed his affects, satisfied his senses, but he had no joy in anything. The constant change of partners was a never-ending pursuit of happiness. However, other relationships did not bring happiness, because happiness cannot be found in opposition to nature.

And then there was conversion.

Humans are curious creatures. He likes to find out about the circumstances of famous people’s success or various events. This is wise, because it enables him to learn and improve the quality of his life. The evangelization mission in Thessaloniki was highly successful. In fact, those who believed became a model for all people in Macedonia and Achaea, according to Paul. What was the reason for this success? Of course, it was God’s grace, but it was also down to the commitment of the evangelizers. Paul characterizes this commitment as follows: ‘We loved you so much that we wanted to give you not only God’s gospel, but our lives too. You have become so dear to us.’

We can say that the cause of success in Thessaloniki was the evangelizers’ great love. A preacher of the gospel who does not love those to whom he preaches will never succeed. No one will accept his message. Paul and his co-workers were filled with love. Their love was genuine and sincere. They spoke not to please men, but God. This means that they were not afraid to speak the truth, even if it was difficult. However, it was their love that led to them being accepted as words that lead to true life.

During a Lenten sermon in Notre Dame, Paris, French Jesuit Michel Rickets said something interesting: ‘Love that is needed for everything is not enough for everything…’ By this, he meant that, in order to do its constructive work in this world and effectively improve a person, love must move all human abilities, He Gave Us an Example, 10th edition, p. 62). The world expects us to preach Christ’s gospel to it, which can remedy many of the problems that plague it. If we learn from the cause of evangelistic success in Thessaloniki and begin to love with a love that stirs up all our abilities, then we will surely fulfil the hope that the world places in us.

St. Louis /1214 ?– 1270 /, was the most important king of France. His mother was also St. Bianca of Castile, who ruled for her son as regent after the untimely death of her husband King Louis VIII. Louis IX. he began to rule independently at the age of ten. In 1234, he married Margita of Provense, with whom he had 10 children. He led his first crusade in 1248. He wanted to strike at the weakest protected city of Damietta, which he managed to occupy. With this attack on the Egyptian cities, he wanted to force the Sultan to give up the Christian cities in St. Earth. At Kahir, however, Ľudovít suffered a cruel defeat, and was himself captured. In 1254 he returned to France. There was a thirteen-year period of a golden age for France. It was mainly from a judicial, administrative point of view. He also paid a lot of attention to the poor and oppressed. He undertook his second crusade in 1270. This time his target was Tunis. Unfortunately, Louis died near Carthage of a plague that broke out in his army. Louis was canonized in 1297.

What did St.Louis  and Richard the lion’s heart in common?
Henry II. Plantageneth married his daughter Eleonora to the King of Castile. Eleonora gave the Castilian king about 10 children, among them St. Biancu, mother of St. Louis.
Richard the Lionheart at the end of his life began peace negotiations with King Philip Augustus of France /St. John’s grandfather. Louis/. It was Philip Augustus’ son Louis VIII who was to marry some of King Richard’s nieces. This marriage was to confirm a more lasting peace between France and England. This proposal was temporarily averted by the tragic death of King Richard in 1199. Richard’s mother, the famous Eleonora of Aquitaine, took up this intention. Despite her 82, she went to Castile to bring her granddaughter from there. Originally, it was not supposed to be Bianca, but her older sister Uracca. Queen Eleónora decided that Bianca would be a more suitable bride for Louis VIII. In the end, her decision was crowned with success when Bianca of Castile and her son Louis were declared saints after their death.
St. Ľudovít was called a monk by historians, a king and knight in one person. I highlighted the word knight because this most connected him to poor Richard the Lionheart, who died 15 years before the birth of his great-nephew. Louis respected his ancestor and took an example from him. In the Middle Ages, the knight had the duty – to protect the weak and oppressed. King Louis undertook a crusade as King Richard. Even at the end of Queen Berengaria’s life – wife Richard the Lionheart granted her the city of Le Manche as a duchy. Richard the Lionheart and St. Louis was considered a model of European chivalry.

Louis ruled his country for 45 long years, six of which were in St. Earth. He tried to avoid the outbreak of wars. He made peace with neighboring rulers. In 1242, he defeated the English in a war. Finally, in 1258, he made a lasting compromise peace with them. To introduce a fair system in the judiciary, the Parliament of Paris introduced it as an independent judicial institution. Louis’s sense of justice became known throughout today’s Europe. Many nobles trust him when they had a dispute. And Louis solved it for everyone’s satisfaction.
Richard – ruled England for ten years, barely a single year of which was spent in the country in which he ruled. He participated in the Third Crusade in 1189 – 1192. Returning to England, he spent the next five years fighting against King Philip Augustus of France to defend his lands in France.

Louis’s crusades, which he led, were certainly not cheap fun for his country. But compared to how burdened his country Richard the lion’s heart is nothing. In the ten years that Richard ruled England, he inadvertently drained his countries financially. His crusade, then the capture in Germany, and the war against France. His capture alone cost his countries 150,000 guilders, which was twice the annual income of his countries.
Richard introduced several laws to protect Jews. He stabilized weights and measures, supported trade.

Today I think differently and, I believe, more maturely. I think now the invitation of God is being perfected.

What does that mean?

The initial thoughts about the priesthood were appropriate to the age and condition from which I was based. After all, when I applied to the seminary, I was eighteen years old. Now I begin to perceive differently what God is calling me to do. His invitation goes more in depth, and therefore a more mature answer is also expected from me.
If I had to say how I would improve Jož Kozák from 24 years ago, it would describe it: fewer words and more personal experience. I would try harder to show what the priesthood is. If I had to put it in one word, I would say „ESO“ – Eucharist, communion and forgiveness.

I realize more and more that it is about the Eucharist. At first I thought the priesthood was about sermon and activity. I grew up in such an environment. Now I realize that the first place is to be before Jesus, although, of course, I am not a monk. I perceive that Jesus is calling me to go to a more intense time with him.

The second S is like a community. What do you mean by that?

I sometimes perceived that differently. Now I really want real community. It is different to create a community somewhere in a seminary with classmates, and then it is different to live directly in the priesthood. We also saw this in the life of Pope Francis, who was very contactive. Even the current pope comes from the community. I myself consider myself a contact person.

Some priests meet once a week, pray, have dinner together, go on a trip together. There are also parishes where the priest feels part of a family that will offer him both a human and spiritual dimension. Not long ago, there was a sister from Mother Teresa’s order. She said that they always cooperate with a community in the place where they operate. A living community can supplement the priest with what is needed.

And forgiveness?

The longer I am a priest, the more I realize that it is an undeserved gift, I realize my fragility and that I need to forgive myself and others. And in the same breath I add that I myself need others to forgive me. And I also want to bring the gift of forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation, so that this service is a service to God.

However, believers often perceive the priest through the sermon and through what he does in the parish. The parish priest is supposed to make a camp, a trip, animate meetings, make a nice adoration, drag life in the parish. No?

It is exactly what we sometimes do not understand or call clericalism. This is how we usually perceive it, that the parish priest orders and others listen. We managed to accept it somewhere as a fact that we expect the parish priest to be the driving force.

When the priest is not on the rosary, no one comes, when the priest does not make the camp, no one does it. If the priest does not seek subsidies and solve projects, no one will do it. It can’t just be about the priest. I remember a conversation with my curators (farska council, note.) in one parish. They wanted me to take care of this and that.

Then I asked one: Please, your father was a curator. Did the parish priest or your father do it then? He fell silent and said: My father, the parish priest, devoted himself to spiritual things. We need to go back to delegating things in the parish and realize that the priesthood is not just about external material and social things. Somewhere they accepted that „klerikalism“, because it suits the laity that they transferred the burden of parish life and care for buildings and finances to the priest.

Didn’t the priests of the faithful teach that they will do everything? Often the priests did not even want to let the laity do some things.

Let’s look at it in the context of the whole time. Even in some families, it works in such a way that parents can do their best and the child should learn and not get in the way. Other parents managed to pass on practicality and skill in their families. Similarly, some priests managed to build a parish and community. And of course, we also succeeded in the opposist.

How have believers changed in the east of Slovakia in the quarter of a century during which you are a priest?

It’s hard to say in general, I would have to live in one parish for twenty-five years. In general, however, we can say that we are marked by the times we live in. Especially in the east, our young people left and are leaving for work. It is aging and dying out in the parish community.

The second unmissable feature is individualism, which is also manifested in parish life. People feel like they can do it themselves. I think it’s a societal phenomenon. I believe we will hit a tipping point and come back to looking for each other.

What does individualism mean in the life of the parish?

I remember the period after 1989. Back then, it was „in“ to be in a parish congregation, in a community, to be around a priest, to serve as a lecturer, or not at all in a parish. Today, the priest has to go out and win people over. At the same time, it is more difficult to get active lay people or lay people for active access in the parish.

However, due to the demographic curve, it will not be easier. I used to be able to have thirty ministers, because there were sixty baptisms a year in the parish. Today I am happy to baptize five or six children in a year. This is also why the community is more difficult to create.

You say that the parish community is no longer so „in“. But didn’t it also cause the number of offers we have today? Today, even children have many circles, families travel, everything no longer revolves around the rectory and the church.

Not only children have more offers. But it reminds me of the life of St. Ignatius and his dilemma in reading books when he jumped from one genre to another. Over time, he distinguished where he is filled with peace. We experience the same in parishes.

In the summer, we have a parish camp here. Last year, a mother asked her daughter, who was in the three camps where it was best. The girl replied that the one the parish was doing. Mom laughed that the one who was the cheapest gave the child the most. There is still a desire to fill the heart. The fact that today we can deceive the hunger of the heart with something else is a fact. But it won’t fill us for long.

As priests, can you respond pastorally to the rapid changes of the times? Many things have changed more in a few years than in decades.

There are young priests who stopped somewhere. And they are older in age, still bringing a spark into life. I liked Petr Krištofovič’s statement that we are the average of the five people we meet. If I meet inspiring or spiritual people who motivate me to live, for example, a priestly vocation as best as possible, then I think we can answer the current challenge of the time.

I will return again to 1989, when as priests we sometimes had a deceptive patent for everything. We thought we would be great for people if we offered answers to all the questions in the world. Later we noticed that lay people started working on their talents and we can learn from them and complement each other.

As a priest, what are the biggest challenges in pastoral care for you?

In the film about Pope John XXIII. there is a scene when he worked in Turkey. He was asked how many people he converted, how many he gained and how he filled the statistics. He quieted down and said: „ It seems to me that I understood them.“

This is a challenge for us too. Leaving statistics to statistics and going among people so that we understand them and live with them. Maybe like Don Bosco, who said that you must first like what they like, so that they can like what you like.

People may occasionally knock on the door of the rectory or church, but Jesus sends the apostles to the environment where they live. Pope Francis also told us to go to the peripheries, to places where there is no one. Better said, go to the places where those people are and meet them.

When you come to the periphery as a priest, don’t people immediately have prejudices.

And what are the peripherals in the place where you operate?

 He is every single person who still lives a relationship with God – in Gospel – as a servant. The servant does what the Lord commands him and waits for a reward from the Lord. A friend works with joy for the Lord, and his reward is the joy of the Lord. So anyone who has a servant’s attitude for various reasons is on the periphery.

We need to get him for friendship and personal relationship with Jesus. Every person who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus is a periphery. Apparently, the servant’s attitude prevails.

Many of us go to church on Sundays because the church wants it, and we confess once a month, if by chance, and we also do other religious acts, because it belongs.

I think we have gradually accepted that we do not have a patent for everything, and that we have entered into humility and truth about ourselves. If we want to live what we have, then only in cooperation and dialogue with the laity and in the community.

The savior is one. But the savior syndrome somehow embraced us. Praise God that we are starting to sober up. Jesus does not send disciples one by one.

Can the fruits of synodality be seen in parishes in the east?

First of all, we need to define what we expect from it. If it’s about having a dialogue and being willing to change our mindset, I think we’ve set out on a good path. If we are going to chase some statistics and performances, then it is wrong.

Everyone has to tell themselves where the Pope disturbed him and where he touched him. When I read his last autobiography on vacation a few days before his death, I said to myself at one point that it was a shame I didn’t read it at the beginning, I would understand him more.

I was also on the maturation journey. For me, his attitude towards migrants was strong. When a person reads his story, understands that he told his story, knows exactly how those people lived and are experiencing it. I was approached by his attitude towards prostitutes and people on the outskirts, he lived there.

He has a different experience than we have in Slovakia, where we managed to keep the church in „inkubátore“ for a longer time, and therefore the normal things of this world are sometimes shocking for us.

He also said on the issue of wars and armaments that no goods are made for storage, goods are made to be used. In this regard, I firmly stand by the Pope’s words that increasing the cost of armaments certainly leads to the fact that „products“ are really used.

You said that some things are shocking for the church in Slovakia. What do you mean?

It takes us longer to accept something „nov“. The so-called the eleventh commandment that „ has always been so, never been so“, and the twelfth commandment that „what people say“. We have seen this, for example, in accepting and understanding the permanent diaconate, when married men become deacons. We saw how difficult it was for us that, in addition to the priest, a layman also gives Holy Communion.

Why do we find it so difficult to accept changes in the church?

We saw the world in black and white until 1989 and we continue to do so. Why is there such polarization in our country? Because there is no other than black or white among Slovaks, either you are for or you are against. We cannot accept that my friend, priest, layman may have a different opinion on the matter. And in a moment we take it as an attack or a transition to the other side of our thinking and the world.

Do you also perceive other things in the church that are normal in the West and we cannot accept them at home?

There is more, I will mention the sacramental life. Those differences in the approach to holy confession and communion are noticeable. But not everything „vonku“ is better. I will mention the sacrament of confirmation as an inspiration. In our country, the Burmese is a huge celebration, a full church where the whole family will come. I was recently at my niece’s Burmese in England. There was a Burmese on Saturday evening in the church, where there was a participation like here in a better Holy Mass during the week.

The attitude and closeness of the Archbishop of Birmingham, his presence and, after Mass, the personal meeting were amazing, however. After the celebration, he stood there for a long time, took pictures and had a dialogue with everyone who came to him for a few minutes, the others were waiting. He was interested and asked. I told myself that this is something that certainly awaits us priests and bishops. We can’t just do a big party, but we need to meet.

Isn’t the archbishop in Slovakia after the confirmation with the people?

When the bishop has his first Burmese at half past nine in the morning and his second at eleven, he is also with the priest in question for a short time, let alone with the Burmese. And there is a difference between eighty young and twelve. The question is whether it should be only about the Burmese and that whether only then the bishop should appear in the parish when there is a great celebration and everything „nablyskané“. In the church, we managed to create bubbles around the bishops and then cover up the reality. It’s a shame for both parties.

And what is his role?

This is what the Code of Canon Law names. (Laughter.) Of course, it is also about the number and size of the diocese.

As I said, the priest must be present in the life of his believers, I also think that the church today must be present in the life of this community. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a theologian, a religious sister, a parish priest, a dean or a bishop. We are invited to look for the form and method of meeting. We also saw it in the life of Pope Francis, who was very creative and often shocked who and how he met.

Next to the rectory you have a monastery where the Sisters of Divine Mercy live. How does this help the parish?

Very. Their very presence is a great blessing for this parish.

In what?

I will mention Sister Hedwig. When she came here, she brought fervor, fire, beautiful human closeness and so simply passed on God’s things by being part of the congregation. She also talked to women. She also did the service of a churchwarden, welcomed the women who came to clean the church, worked with them, and they could thus experience the gentleness of God’s touch.

We have Sister Elizabeth here, who helps me with the pastoral care of my children. For her parents, she became the woman they love and who makes God’s goodness present to them. Sisters go to visit the sick and also help them or carry the Eucharist. I confess those people once a month and they often tell me how good it is to have them here.

We have focused on great things in our society, but we do not appreciate that what we do with great love is great, and these sisters do it.

Can we appreciate the religious sisters in the church?

It probably also happens that people come to the parish office and want everything right away. What are people speculating about?

They are looking for possible exceptions for themselves.  Fortunately, there are other stories. A young lady recently came that she wanted to be a godmother, but she didn’t have a Burmese. They wanted to baptize in three weeks. I explained to her that it wasn’t about her asking for something and I’d give her a price list and a stamp.

I invited her on the road to preparing for Burmese. And she really went through the preparation for the Burmese and the family, who wanted her as a godmother, waited with the baptism. Because this woman met her quality requirements for a godparent and did not want it to be someone just like that. She accepted the time to do her Burmese and waited for her.

Of course, we also have those who are looking for what could be arranged more easily and better. Sometimes even we priests do not notice that it is speculative. But the grace of God works anyway, I believe.

What crises does a priest face after twenty-five years? Have you ever wanted to leave the priesthood?

It didn’t. I personally see the crisis as a crossroads where I have to decide which way to go and what to leave behind. Of course, in almost twenty-five years there have been times when I had to make a decision, and I admit that it was not always easy.

Priestly life will always be about three great temptations – power, money and woman. Today I might add, although it was before – loneliness. The priest is not as in demand today as he once was. The status of the priest has decreased significantly and there is a temptation to feel that somewhere else I would be something more. It is not the temptation of power, but the temptation of other self-realization.

Even in the east of Slovakia, is it true that the priest is no longer in such demand?

Everywhere. I read a book where it was written that if someone wants to change something in society, they first make a film so that people get different thought processes. Then it’s easier to enforce something.

Have you noticed that in recent years in the films that are offered for our country, the priest was often portrayed as such a freak and even a fool who doesn’t run out of something? For example, Horná Dolná, Babovresky and the like. Then we can’t be surprised that the term priest is no longer what it used to be…

In what sense did the status of the priest decrease?

The parish priest no longer has his first chair and greeting on the streets. (Laughter.) Even on the basis of the mentioned films, people have a certain image of the priest.

Let’s look at it in another example: notice the gay question. Have you ever seen a gay movie where it was portrayed negatively? I haven’t yet. Although, of course, I haven’t seen all the movies in the world. In those I have seen, he is a person who is close to the main character and will help him to be successful at the end of the day. He is a beautiful person inside. Such that you want him as a friend and to have him around.

When someone manages to create such an attitude in this way, I wonder why the priest is portrayed negatively? Under communism, it was said that priests and the church are regressive, and it seems to me that such an image

You said it was important for a priest to have fellowship. But then comes the moment when the bishop translates it. I have already heard the opinion of the chaplain, who said that even so, every year or every two years, the bishop translates it, so he no longer has the motivation to build relationships or do something in the parish. Because he knows that he will go elsewhere in a moment. Then it’s hard for him to leave. But it can be very difficult even for a priest who has been somewhere fifteen years old and the bishop sends him elsewhere. What are you going through then?

As who and how when. Sometimes you enjoy a new challenge, a living community. Other times it is difficult. We priests also live relationships. We need a home – not only the parental one. It is not easy to say to yourself – from now on I will be home here and these relationships are the ones I need and want to live.

We are also people who like stability and our places. Therefore, it is natural that sadness, emptiness, trial with superficiality or indifference embrace you as a person. All the more so because you do not choose a new home and place according to your criteria. It’s always a big challenge. Personally, Jana Kirschner’s song In a Foreign City always resonates with me then.

The young chaplain probably expects the bishop to translate it at the beginning.

When I studied in the seminary, after ordination, the priests were chaplains for three years and then went to the rectory. When I was ordained, I went to be a parish priest after eleven years. And today priests have been chaplains for fifteen or sixteen years. And they will obviously be even longer. It is again a new phenomenon to which we are still looking for an answer in the church. However, we have not found it yet.

It may be that whoever is a parish priest there has himself, as chaplain, experienced such an approach by the parish priest and then copies it. But beware! He had been a chaplain for three or four years, and when someone came out of the seminary at the age of 24 or 25, he might need some guidance or advice from time to time. But today the chaplain is also forty years old and he is a mature man who, if he were not a priest, would have a family, run a company, have responsibility, career growth. Too bad it’s

However, there are also parish priests who are in their seventies and may not even have the energy and vigor at some point, and priests of prime age with ideas and tastes are still chaplains.

This is more of a question for bishops, how they perceive it and what vision they have. But I will also say another thing: it is something new that we do not remember. Sometimes all the old pastors lived somewhere in the parish. Today we have a new phenomenon that we have a 65-year-old guy who can retire under state law. He retires under church law at the age of 75. And I ask: when I served in the church for forty years, where should I go at the age of 65? Where should I buy a house or apartment and when?

Should I return to my native village after forty or fifty years, where few people know me anymore? As an older person, I also want to have some background, relationships, so that someone comes to me and we have coffee or beer.

If the old priest stayed in the parish or at least in the deanery, it would be easier for him. Why don’t we priests have the right to grow old and live in a community where we feel at home?

When you have been a parish priest somewhere for fifteen years, where you feel at home, and at the age of fifty-five he tells you that you are going elsewhere, from Šariš to Zemplín, it is probably difficult.

Ecclesiastical law says that the parish priest enjoys stability, it is important that the ordinary, i.e. the bishop, communicates with him. If the priest goes to his last place of work, he should have a vision that he will grow old there and possibly live to see. As a priest, I have to do something in the parish, build a relationship with Jesus, so that people perceive that I love them.

Telling someone that you love these people today and tomorrow you will love others even more is also a process. In our country, it is difficult for a priest to work for eight to fifteen years. The ordinary works with this number. So we know that when we are already above the eight and approaching fifteen, something can come every year.

If I like people and feel part of their families and their hearts, translating will always be difficult. A priest is and always will be human and needs classic relationships to act.

And, of course, we must not forget one more thing. Both the priest and the bishop can work with information that may not be the same, and therefore the decision of the priest or bishop can sometimes bring some pain or misunderstanding. Behind every priest and his translation is a story.

TODAY’S HOLIDAY , he invites us to lift our eyes and meditate on the Queen of all creation: the Virgin Mary. On this day, we can meditate on the words of St. Jose maria: “May God, our Lord, grant that the same faith may burn in our hearts and from our lips a song of thanksgiving, because by, that the Holy Trinity chose Mary as the mother of Christ – she entrusted each of us under her protective cloak, like all of us. She is therefore the Mother of God and our Mother “[1]. The feeling of being protected under her cloak fills us with confidence in adversity and joy in success. We can expect from Mary the Queen her attentive intercession in difficulties and we happily offer her the first fruits of our struggles and love.

However, celebrating Mary’s reign in our lives can also bring us some restlessness. We usually emphasize our freedom and independence rather than emphasize the rule that someone else can have over our lives. Therefore, we can come to believe that in order to maintain a good relationship with our Mother, it is necessary to give up oneself. However, if we think a little deeper, we can realize that just as there is a kind of domination that takes away our freedom, there is another kind of domination that, on the contrary, takes us, it makes us happy and releases the energies that lead us to our best version. It is the dominion of love, with which we open ourselves to the will of another person and which leads us to our own fulfillment.

“We joyfully share the beauty of having Jesus as our king; his lordship of love turns sin into grace, death into resurrection, fear into trust “[2]. The kingdom of Christ means the transformation of our lives: it lifts us up and makes us God’s children. In a sense, it also happened to the Virgin Mary. By accepting to be the Lord’s servant, her existence was completely changed. She did not become smaller, but quite the opposite: with her yes to God’s will, she became God’s Mother and will eventually be the Mother of all Christians. We can ask her to help us say yes to God’s plans, which are much bigger and more ambitious than we can imagine. As Saint Josemaría wrote: “You have never felt as absolutely free as you do now that your freedom is woven out of love and detachment, out of certainty and uncertainty: because you don’t rely on yourself in anything, but on God” in everything.

TO BE IN OUR LIFE it showed Mary’s reign, it is necessary to first cleanse ourselves of everything that could separate us from her. “I will sprinkle clean water on you to cleanse yourself, “announces the prophet Ezekiel, “from all your spots and from all your idols I will cleanse you “(Ez 36, 25). To approach Mary and the dominion of her love means to open ourselves to inner purification so that we are able to receive the graces of her Son without any obstacles.

The term “purification “in terms of worship and liturgy means to purify a person or object so that they are worthy of God. Therefore, the first act of purification in our life is the water of baptism, which brings us from a state of separation from God to God’s son ship. It is beautiful to think that one of the tasks of the Virgin Mary is to purify us so that we are able to maintain our original connection with the Holy Trinity. Sometimes it will be her tears that cleanse us from the wounds of our sins, other times she will pour into our souls the balm of her tenderness when we are most despondent; and in moments of joy she will cleanse us with a mixture of her scents, which give our soul the deep presence of God.

This task of purification requires a daily effort to purify our soul in order to be able to perceive God’s reign. Saint Josemaría once asked one of his sons: “You have a desire to correct yourself, to purify yourself, to mortify yourself, to treat our Lord more, to increase your piety, without theatricality and external things, naturally? “[4]. “Pros the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and your heavenly Mother to allow you to know yourself and cry over the many impure things that have passed through you and left such a big mark behind… – And without closing your eyes to your wretchedness, say to him: Jesus, give me love, which will be like a purifying fire, where my poor body, my poor heart and my poor soul will burn and cleanse themselves of all earthly miseries… And when I am emptied of myself, fill me with yourself: let me cling no more to anything down here; may only Love ” hold me forever.

PURIFICATION it is the first step to be able to enjoy the freedom that the Virgin Mary wants to give us with her reign. When Jesus gave her to us as Mother, he entrusted her with a very specific task: to forge in us a new heart that is able to have the same feelings as her Son. This is how Mary helps us fulfill the prophetic words of Ezekiel in each of us: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my ordinances, keep my sayings, and fulfill them “(Ez 36, 26-27). Isn’t the main task of a good mother to gradually cultivate the sensitivity of her children to enjoy this world and give glory to God?

The reign of the Virgin Mary therefore consists in the fact that she spreads the infinite Love of her Son on the cross all over the world. She learned from him that the true kingdom is not based on privileges or honors. “There is a general, common idea of a king or queen: it would be a person with power and wealth. However, this is not a kind of kingdom of Jesus and Mary. Let us think of the Lord: Christ’s kingdom and royalty is interwoven with humility, service, love: it is above all service, help, love. It is precisely love for us, help in all our needs “[6]. Mary exercises her reign by watching over us and offering us her maternal protection. But in order to receive this love and pass it on to those closest to us, we need a new heart that pulsates with service. The Virgin Mary wants to break the shell of our selfishness, which leads us to close ourselves in, so that we can open ourselves to the graces of her Son and the needs of all people. Like the servants in the parable at the wedding of the king’s son, our Mother never tires of inviting all men and women to discover that only when we try to do God’s will, our existence becomes a great celebration. “I have already prepared the feast, the oxen and fodder cattle are being slaughtered and everything is ready; come to the wedding! “(Mt 22, 4).

We can end this time of prayer by addressing our Mother with a few words of Saint Jose maria: “Saint Mary, Regina apostolorum, Queen of the Apostles, Queen of all those who desire to proclaim the love of your Son: you, who have so much understanding for our wretches, ask forgiveness for our lives; for what could have been fire in us and was only ashes; for the light that stopped enlightening; for salt that has lost its taste “. Mother, help us to have a heart as free and pure as yours.

„ The kingdom of heaven resembles a king who arranged a wedding for his son.“ The effort to experience the Eucharist as heaven on earth will gradually open the gates of eternity for us. Jesus’ parables are immensely rich, and we cannot feel exempt from any of them. No one can say: ,, this parable does not concern me“. Each of them is a direct invitation from the Lord to reevaluate the state of our souls. What we find in today’s Gospel admits many levels of reading, but this time we can focus on one detail: the fact that the king is preparing a feast to celebrate his son’s wedding. Who is this king? God the Father. Who is the son? Of course, Jesus Christ. Who is the bride? Church.

So what is the feast? Holy Mass. 

Every day, just before Holy Communion, we hear from the mouth of the priest: „Behold, the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are invited to the feast of the Lamb“. These words are a combination of what Saint John the Baptist says to his disciples ( John 1, 29), and what is announced at the end of the Apocalypse: „Blessed are those who are invited to the Lamb’s wedding feast“.

Let us not forget that the Lord tells this parable to the high priests and elders of the people, that is, to people considered pious. Therefore, it is imperative that those of us who try to live the Eucharist daily feel the challenge of these words of Jesus. At each Mass, the Lord expects us to participate in it with the proper dispositions. For if we carry out a sincere examination of conscience, we realize that sometimes we are present in Mass with the body, but our heads are elsewhere: „oni did not heed and went: one to his field, another behind your store“. While the Lamb’s wedding is taking place, we often find ourselves preoccupied with our trivial concerns.

Or we can also be that person who hasn’t put on a wedding garment, either because our outward appearance seems to reveal that we don’t give him the importance he deserves, or because we did not pay enough attention to distant and close preparation of the soul, through frequent confession and daily prayer. In any case, today’s Gospel is an excellent opportunity to rediscover that the Eucharist is a pignuts vitae eternal: the promise of (which is synonymous with the guarantee) of eternal life. Experiencing Mass as it is, like heaven on earth, will be what opens the gates of eternity for us.

A lot could be said about St. Bernard. We could mention his influence on the reform of religious life and, by extension, the reform of the whole Church; we could mention his extensive theological work and the strengthening of Marian veneration in the faithful; we could also say his organizational skills, which he used well. We still draw on Bernard’s work today. At this moment, let’s look at one less critical, but now current area of his life: St. Bernard was a great peacemaker and appeaser of many hostile parties. Yet we know he supported one just war. And so we can remember how it is with tolerating a reasonable just war, or with tolerating evil in general. In these contexts, some people talk about the so-called choice of the lesser evil. You can’t talk like that. We can never vote for any evil, not even the “lesser”one. We can only tolerate and admit evil under certain circumstances.

These are the cases where 1) is the only option, and 2) to prevent even more evil or damage that would most certainly occur without this tolerance. This can be seen well in the example of side effects of drugs: Let’s imagine, for example, some fatal disease that can only be treated with a particular drug, after which a rash develops. We must tolerate this and accept the medicine; otherwise, death would occur as a result of the disease. And so it is also in other cases where we tolerate some evil. This is not a “choice of lesser evil (adverse effects) “. This is only an admission of these side effects.

In no case must it be a tolerance of personal sin as a conscious and voluntary violation of God’s commandment. Instead, it is a tolerance of mere external evils. One should always examine whether there is another third option so that evil does not have to be tolerated at all. It often exists, but it is not immediately obvious or may be uncomfortable. If it exists, it must be used.

Only through confronting oneself with God is it possible to decide on change.

We humans often claim that one person can accomplish nothing. Yes, we sometimes leave each other this way, too. Sometimes it’s resignation, and other times we want to cover up our reluctance or cowardice to do something worth more and necessary, but unpleasant. 

But above all, we can see from the significant and negative figures of the ancient or less ancient past that this is not the case. Lenin. Hitler. Stalin. Gottwald. Mao Zedong. Hussein. Putin. These have brought and are bringing destruction to hundreds of thousands and millions of people. And in a sense, it is about one person. One person can change history.

Today’s Sunday’s first reading is about Jeremiah. Jeremiah, a righteous man and prophet of God, suddenly finds himself in a real mess. This is also why he is sometimes referred to in biblical theology as a type of Christ – persecuted, abandoned, falsely accused, condemned to death, “running deep “– but saved by God. 

However, before he was saved, he, the only one, began to change something with his courage. And he changed history. And not only him, but as we read in the first reading, also Abdelmelech, who was not afraid to stand up for Jeremiah and was receptive to what is just. God is and demands justice!

Today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews no longer tells us about the foreshadowing of Christ, but is about Christ himself. He is the originator and finisher. He is the “archégos “, that is, the one who runs out on the road first, the line for the first time, the one who opens and shows the path of faith – the originator. And there is also “teleiotés “, the finisher, that is, the one who alone can lead to perfection. 

Without Christ, perfection is not. However, the path of the originator and finisher of everything to eternal glory led through the “disgraceful cross”he took upon himself, through pain and rejection. The winner’s wreath cost him a lot, but it was worth it just for him and only for him, “run “, sacrifice.

While events “turn out well “in the first and second readings, the Gospel may not seem like it at all at first. After all, Jesus says in it that he came to throw “fire on the ground “and brought “division “. It is strange that Jesus, the Lord and the giver of peace, as angels announce it to people after his birth, brings fire and division to the world. 

Someone could say that today’s Gospel is like an elephant in porcelain. It creates a mess, confusion, and destroys everything that was once beautiful. That’s a human view. And what is God’s?

Although fire destroys (for example, Sodom and Gomorrah), it also beautifully cleanses and is even a sign of God’s presence as the Holy Spirit. In this context, Jesus says that where there is God’s light and God’s justice, there will undoubtedly be a confrontation of good with the world of evil, justice with injustice, and love with unloved. 

“The Gospel divides and brings restlessness. Well, not by its aggressiveness, but by requiring us to make a clear decision…

Only through confronting oneself with God is it possible to decide on change. Only through looking at love can I discover and admit my dislike as a person, and only through looking at perfection can I admit that I am imperfect and sinful. And that’s when the scorching fire comes that destroys “Sodom and Gomorrah “in me, purifies and makes me open to God. It is possible to reject this fire. It is possible to give it up in advance. Furthermore, it is possible to despise the cross and say that it does not exist. But then I give up the truth, God, and eternity.

Jesus, in words of division, shocking the readers of Scripture for two millennia, clearly says that the Gospel divides and brings unrest. Yes, it divides! Well, not with my aggression, but by requiring a clear decision from us people: am I for Jesus or am I against him? 

And yes, it also brings restlessness, because peace is not peace at any cost or compromise with evil, but peace is always the fruit of truth and justice. And where there is no truth, where there is no justice, there is no peace.

Today’s liturgical readings open two lines for us to think. The first is the realization that the Gospel, justice, and truth should “divide “, not me. But in social, political, family life, and community life, we see that we are people of division. We divide precisely through lies, aggression, injustice, our malice, and our interests. And often quite obviously, making others puppets and tools of their desires and ideas.

The second point is that, even in the context of a meeting in Alaska, the vision is “measure at any price.” Just let there be peace. Just let the war end. Just let the guns die down. If Napoleon had borne the consequences of his political and military actions fairly, the “stodgy empire” and the deaths of several tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians would have been avoided. 

If the powers in Munich did not negotiate “o us without us “and would not give in to one of the greatest mass murderers bit by bit until “netbook “part of Europe, the Second World War did not have to be or could have had a different course. 

If Soviet Russia had not had the same fascist tendencies as Nazi Germany, and Poland had not been divided in the Molotov–Ribbentrop pact, it could have looked different in 1939. 

Suppose in 2014, the world powers had not given in to an aggressive Russia that stole part of the territory of Ukraine and left Crimea to it despite the blatant injustice. In that case, February 24, 2022, would not have been. For peace is where truth and justice are, not where evil recedes in the vision of the false ” “. And we humans still cannot learn from history, and we go through injustice in silence. We couldn’t even do it from the Scriptures.

As long as humans cross borders, convinced that they can, and do not engrave in their hearts the law of love based on truth and justice, which they also follow, it remains necessary for Jesus to bring division in the spirit of today’s Gospel.