predication.net

Man is sinful innately. It is, in a way, to put it unnaturally and harshly. Hereditary sin has wrought this disaster in man. Its consequence is that every man is bound to sin, from which God’s grace frees us. Our Heavenly Father loves us infinitely and does not want even one of His little ones to perish. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

Many terms are used in the dictionary to describe the term grace, but surely among the most familiar is the word mercy. Thus, we can say that our Heavenly Father has compassion on us so that we may be able to attain salvation. Against the weakness of human nature, the only remedy is the grace of God. Man can do nothing by himself, and therefore he is compelled to depend upon the Lord if he wishes to be saved. Freedom was sufficient for a man to sin, but to return to the sphere of righteousness, he needs the help of grace, which he receives from the mercy of God. In His infinite love, God gives us two principal graces in the struggle against sin: a helping grace and a sanctifying grace. All of us know St. Augustine, the zealous teacher of the doctrine of grace. He often stressed the nature of grace, saying: “Grace is free; it does not depend on our merits; it was already before our merits. And it is even when it is offered to us as a consequence of our actions.” Nevertheless, you will surely grant me that grace is a gift of God, for we do our actions at God’s prompting. It is not only God’s gift to man, but it is God’s undeserved gift to man, who does not value it so much. Grace itself, helping or sanctifying, is meant to perfect man. To build up in him a more excellent resistance to sin. Enabling grace comes from the very act of man. It consists of God allowing a man to enlighten his reason for the knowledge of his supernatural focus. Simply put, God will enable man to know his direction for eternity. Sanctifying grace rests on participation in God’s wisdom and love. Simply put, God reveals His perfection and mercy.

Man has his full significance only in the Creator. He creates man for Himself so that man may find in his Creator his perfection in the image of God. God’s love for us is great to offer us His grace out of God’s motive. We are sinful, and sinfulness closes our perception of God. Man’s sinfulness is his essential tragedy. Why? In such a condition, man finds most often a substitute in temporality. Only God can lift man to Himself. Lift him from the dust of his wretchedness and sinfulness so that that man may be an active child of God. What makes a child? Indeed, you will grant me that it is undoubtedly innocence. Innocence consists in trusting in God to the utmost. A man in no way earns the status of a child of God. Why? By his sin, he has lost God’s affection. We can say that man in the position of a child of God is from the side of God. God is infinitely gracious and merciful. He has no interest in a man being outside his heavenly homeland. All supernatural good is a gift of God’s grace. St. Augustine says: “The first parents, before they acted against the will of God, pleased God, and God pleased them.” Even though our first parents had an animal body, they did not feel anything in it against themselves that would disobey them. Despite this human perfection, the man sold himself to sin. This selling out to sin has far-reaching consequences for humanity. Man has forfeited the graces that come from the Heavenly Father. But the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has won all graces back for us. He has redeemed us and secured the plan of our salvation, which is already half fulfilled. It is up to us how we handle our sinfulness. It is just that we deserve God’s just punishment for sin. Thanks to God’s grace, we humans will only gain righteousness by overcoming sin. St. Augustine sacrificed his whole life for the doctrine of grace and its defense. He was concerned that men should not fall into error and begin to justify their mistaken actions. Every Christian must ask God for grace. Only a person who is no stranger to mercy is entitled to ask God for graces.

At the end of the civil war of the North against the South in America, the fate of South America was being decided. President Abraham Lincoln’s advisors urged him to punish the Southerners for all the bloodshed they had caused and suggested various punishments. The President listened attentively to them, and when they had finished speaking, he said in a modest voice: “Is it possible to annihilate my enemies when I intend to make them my friends?” The President replied, who made a generous reconstruction plan instead of revenge.

Indeed, this example has its flaws, but it seeks to point to an unconventional way of getting rid of enemies. Every child of God should naturally go around dispensing grace lovingly and selflessly. No one is entitled to ask grace and mercy from the Heavenly Father, who cannot be gracious himself. Let us strive to conform our lives to God’s will. God’s will represents living according to the Gospel. We have reason and free will at our disposal. But we must also consider our weakness, which manifests itself in our sinfulness. Our God offers us weapons against sin, despite our ingratitude. A very effective weapon is resistance to evil. Resistance must be nourished by prayer and honesty with God. God’s grace is needed to enable us to have resistance to sin. After all, we all want to attain salvation. I wish you to be open to the action of God’s grace and to have sufficient resistance to sin cultivated in you.

It is often said in the world of matter: Something for something. Although this would seem to be true in the realm of faith at first glance, this is not the case. One speaks of love in the realm of faith, and one speaks of egoism in the realm of matter.

Let us judge this for ourselves, thanks to the Gospel. After the Lord Jesus’ thrice-repeated question to Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” After confessing three times, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you, “… he challenged him: “Follow me!” (Jn. 21:15-19).
The Easter season is coming to an end. For several days, we have been paying attention to Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, which is his testamentary discourse, and today we have heard how the Lord Jesus appoints Peter as the head of the Church, as the supreme shepherd – the Pope.

Jesus first pointed out to his apostles the unity in faith and charity, and this is because this is to become the focal point in the person of Peter, to whom the Lord Jesus wants to entrust his Church, his flock, his sheep, that is to say, his faithful. Therefore, it is self-evident because the Lord Jesus does not examine Peter’s aptitude for this office, organizational talent, theological knowledge, or legal talent but asks him about his love for Him. Earlier, more often than not, the Lord Jesus emphasized in His teaching that the first among the apostles can only be the one who has the most courage to serve and the most love. He asks Peter, “.. do you love me?” (Jn 21:15). And he even repeats it three times, not because the old legal norm demanded validity of the threefold testimony of the witnesses, and not to emphasize the importance of the moment, but to point out to Peter that he had denied him three times. And he did this not to humble him but to show that he forgave him and, at the same time to warn him that in his responsible mission of leading the Church, he must not rely on himself alone, for that might lead to a new fall, as Peter could have been convinced, but to rely on God alone. That Peter understood the reproach of the Lord Jesus is felt after the third time the Lord Jesus asks him, when Peter answers, “Lord, you know all things, you know well that I love you!” (Jn. 21:17). We see that Peter no longer relies on himself but calls the Lord Jesus Himself as the witness of his love. This becomes a comfort to Peter but also to the other apostles. The Lord Jesus knows their weaknesses, but He also knows their passion. This also means that no one in the Church will be able to blame the faults of another after the event when Jesus Christ has forgiven these faults, that is, after the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The question: “Do you love me?” does not only concern Peter or the leaders in the Church but also concerns all of us. The Lord Jesus wants to bind us all together in love. We sense this from the words of Peter: “When you were younger, you girded yourself to go wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you stretch out your hands; another girds you and leads you where you do not want to go” (Jn 21:18). Simon Peter was a man of fierce temper, yet the love of Jesus bound him.
When a man is born, he forces things on his parents. When a man is young, he also goes wherever he pleases, forgives much, pardons much, and tolerates much. But the day will come that we will all have to go where we don’t much want to go. However, man has free will; he can refuse, even say no to God. Although, if we have true love, we will never say this. Even today, Jesus asks each one of us: do you love me? May we answer like Peter! “Lord, you know everything, you know very well that I love you!” (Jn 21:17).

Our love thus confessed binds our hands, hearts, and lives, and we only want to go where God wants us to go and what his will is. We know that our heavenly Father’s will is for us to go and proclaim the Gospel and live by it. Today, we should also be more conscious that we should unite ourselves as firmly as possible with the visible head of the Church, the Pope, with our bishops and priests to establish the true unity in love that the Lord Jesus taught us so strongly. All the faithful united to Rome pray for the Holy Father that, as the successor of Peter the Apostle, he may lead us happily to the harbor of eternity. Our devotion and prayers are a powerful weapon against evil and a sure victory!

We do not expect a reward for it here on earth, as unbelievers expect in heaven. We await the reward in love, which we will contain completely only after meeting God in eternity.

In each of the four Gospels, Jesus is mentioned as the one who came to baptize with the Holy Spirit. He poured out the Spirit of God on God’s people as the fulfillment of prophecy. At the end of his life, Jesus began to speak more about the gift of the Spirit, whom he came to send. At that time, for the first time, he spoke openly about the Father, love, and unity that would characterize his disciples. The connection between these three things is obvious. Jesus even told his disciples that it was better if he departed from them bodily, that they might have the Spirit. After crucifixion and resurrection were his last words: …but in a few days, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost …the Holy Ghost shall come upon your Spirit, you will receive power and be witnesses to me… (Acts 1:8)

They waited and prayed. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon them in force. They spoke in tongues, praising God and proclaiming the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins, as Jesus had commanded them. What Jesus said to them, they experienced for themselves. They shared a new relationship with Jesus and unique
knowledge of the Father. It resulted from the Father and the Son indwelling through the Spirit Holy Spirit in their hearts. They were working in and through them in the proclamation of the gospel and confirming it by the signs which the Son had promised. The disciples experienced the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit in great abundance. They possessed great peace, joy, and confidence. They knew until they were and who was working through them.
In his sermon that day, the apostle Peter, recorded in Acts 2, clarifies that anyone can achieve what the disciples have gained. It’s supposed to be the regular part of Christianity, part of the everyday conversion experience. Consequently, this outpouring of the Spirit becomes Christianity’s standard expectation and understanding. Twenty-five years later, the Apostle Paul meets a group of disciples from Ephesus.
He asks them just one question to ascertain if they are Christians: Have you also received the Holy Spirit when you believed? (Acts 19:2). When he finds out that they did not, he tells them that Jesus had them baptized, laying his hands on them, and “the Holy Spirit came upon them,  spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6).
The teaching of Jesus and the experience of the early Church point to a prominent and influential reception of the Holy Spirit as the key to understanding and experiencing Jesus and the Father. They point to a person’s clear and concrete experience who acts concretely to work, bringing tangible results. Christians who have this experience have not had this experience; they have been taught. Those who have had this experience have been prayed to receive them. The Word and Spirit of God have been actively manifested throughout all stages of salvation history. Their relationship to the Father, however, was revealed gradually. At Taurica, God completed the revelation of Himself as Father, as Son, and as Spirit. The mystery concealed for ages was told, and this mystery’s power has spread to the ends of the earth. How is this revelation related to God in our times today?

Among the approximately one billion people who belong to the various Christian churches, many millions do not experience what should be expected of the Christian life. They are baptized as babies and often grow up in an environment that is not. Christian. Few of them come to adulthood to affirm the baptismal fact—a personal decision for Christ and adequate reception of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The rite of Confirmation, which in many churches is such a confirmation decision in adulthood, is often celebrated after inadequate preparation and with little expectations. The consequence is that many Christians are unaware that the work of the Spirit Holy Spirit has only a vague knowledge of Jesus and the Father. If their apostle Paul had asked: “Did you also receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They would have answered like the disciples of Ephesus: “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
I would now like to share a conversation with Mary Trapp, a well-known character from the film With a Song Around the World. Translation of her autobiographical novel sings in after she had experienced the outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit in her life. This will enlighten us about many things that we consider.

When we walk through nature these May days, we see many a beautiful sight of meadows in bloom. Although there is not just one kind of flower in the field, not just one color, we feel a fantastic beauty when we look at the flowers. From that sight, one can take away an experience that will strengthen him in his life. And in such an experience, looking at a meadow in bloom, we have the feeling that all this together forms unity. There is nothing there for itself, and our reason quietly recognizes that in that beauty, in the power that flows from it, in that unity of color, we feel one goal: to love God and glorify, to worship Him. When the beauty of nature brings us to these thoughts, all the more should we reflect today on the words of the Gospel?

Jesus prayed, “But I pray not only for them, but also for those who through their word will believe in me, that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you…” (Jn 17:20-21).

These are the final words of the Lord Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper, addressed to His Father and our Father. The Lord Jesus turned to His Father in a beautiful prayer at the end of the Last Supper for the Apostles when He left them the lavish gifts, namely: the Holy Mass, the Sacrament of the Altar, and the Sacrament of the Priesthood. He is going to the Mount of Olives. What is hidden in these words? What is so dear to the heart of Christ shortly before his death?
They are words in which we can find a value that cannot be replaced. We learn of the great love that Jesus has for all people, of his plea to the Father to allow him to carry out his plan of love with which he has enriched the whole world. Right at the beginning of his prayer, we hear that Jesus is not only praying for his apostles who were present at the Last Supper but equally for all who will believe the words of the apostles and thus believe in him. The Lord Jesus prays for all people who, by the end of the world, will believe that he is the Son of God, under the influence of hearing the word of God. He was thinking of us at that time. This is what He prayed for in that difficult moment: “…that they may all be one…” (Jn 17:21). As if to say that the greater the danger for believers, the more alive and firm their faith would be.

Jesus knew of the difficulties awaiting his faithful. In a few words, the Lord Jesus gives a pattern, an action guide to preserving unity still sought and never perfectly attained. The unity that is to come about among us is to be like the unity found between the Father and the Son of God: “…as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee…” (Jn 17:21).
Can we imagine a more perfect union, a harmony, than that between the Father and the Son? Unity is the essence of Jesus’ prayer request that there be a similar unity between us, the Son and the Father.

In the next part of the prayer, the Lord Jesus asks, “… that the world may know that you sent me and that you love them as you love me” (Jn 17:23). With this prayer, the Lord Jesus first wanted to tell us how much He loves us, that it is the kind of love with which The Father loves him. Further, we know from Jesus’ words that the Father will hear his petition: “… that they may all be one…” (Jn 17:21). At the same time, Jesus tells how this will happen. It will be in the expression of love for one another. “I have declared your name to them, and I will declare that the love with which you love me may be in them and that I may be in them” (Jn 17:26).
Thus we understand that unity is a consequence of our faith in Christ and that man could not achieve it by his efforts. Unity is a gift from God, which we are to ask for through the Holy Spirit. Then, the world and we will find it worthwhile to cooperate with God. This prayer does not enclose only the elect in its value, for Jesus is interested in all people being enriched in union with him. Jesus desires that all will one day reach that place, “… be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me…” (Jn 17:24).
We see these words realized in St. Stephen when, at the stoning, he cries out: “I see heaven open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”
The will of the Lord Jesus was fulfilled on Stephen. He is filled with the Holy Spirit, through whom he sees and understands something. He is already happy; he knows that Jesus is waiting for him. And in this love, Stephen also wishes for and thus expresses the unity of which Jesus’ prayer speaks: “Lord, do not impute this sin to them” (Acts 7:60). These are the words with which Stephen wishes even his murderers, even though they hate him, that love and unity may prevail and that they too may one day come to the place that is the reward of those who strive for unity in love. The end of Jesus’ prayer says that the world does not yet know the Father. Jesus has yet to introduce him to the world, which he will do after his resurrection.
Stephen’s prayer is similar to the blessing of the Lord Jesus. He asks for unity permeated with love: Lord, do not impute this sin to them. Is there a better way to express Stephen’s love for Christ when he prays for his murderers?

Stephen’s behavior is a tremendous outreach and example to us. Stephen not only knew the purpose of Jesus’ prayer for unity and love among us, but he put it into practice at the most challenging moment of his life. He prayed for unity. We today feel that this is a great strength for us, and we see something beautiful in it when a man loves even in the hour of death his murderers and wishes that they too may one day dwell with Him in eternity.

When we observe humanity today, we find that it has never longed for unity and peace as much as it does today. Even though the bacillus of callousness, hatred, indifference, and others want to take hold of the world. But goodwill is also growing.
We see it in sports where racial discrimination is eliminated and other actions where the nation tries to help the country out of terrible cataclysms. Think of Armenia, the drought in Africa… The world seems to be maturing spiritually, even if it is slow-going. The world seems to be awakening its conscience and the dignity of man. The Church is also constantly striving, through the words of the Holy Father and the prayers of the faithful, to fulfill Christ’s prayer, “… that all may be one…” (Jn 17:21).

After the last war, in the Italian town of Cella di Varci, a church was built to mourn the destruction of churches worldwide. In 1952, the local parish priest appealed to mayors, bishops, and priests worldwide to send materials for this church. He received 60 replies. There was material from Poland and Japan. The church had a name: Church of the Brethren. The altar was from the demolished church in Hiroshima. It is decorated with a cross made of guns, bayonets, and knives. There is a crown of thorns made from the wire of the Auschwitz concentration camp, and the halo is a kind of ring used for torture in the Congo. The church speaks in plain language: Unity must prevail among us! Because only unity brings love, and love is a force with a goal, and that goal is stunning: eternal bliss, life without end, life eternal…

For us, it means to be able to forgive, forget, learn to forgive, to be able to open our fists, refrain from saying a word, and fill our minds with love.

Even the sight of us human beings is like a meadow in bloom. We are all different; in color, nature, education, ideology, age, and gender, but we should all be filled with the idea of unity because there is strength in unity, and from unity, beauty is born.

We live in a time characterized by fear. The present age is not only about space flight, the scientific and technological revolution, which makes the world frown, but also a whole series of troubles about the future course of humanity. We often hear about the struggle for a more beautiful tomorrow, a happier life for ourselves, and the need to look after ourselves and not look at the other person because nobody is looking after me. We begin to hate everyone better off, slowly we begin to see the other person as just a murderer who is lying in wait for us, and so we close ourselves off from the world; we don’t want to give anything to it, and we don’t want anything from anyone. We begin to subscribe to the principle that everybody is against everybody because there is much that divides us. There are too many difficulties among us, and therefore everybody has to make his way in this world.

We might ask, in the words of the poet:
People who are in haste, blind, behold how wretched you are! Why? You are slumbering; you are suffocating, tormented; for what endeavor are you doing this? Do you not feel that such a life is heading for self-destruction?

A little while ago, we heard the words of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel, and it was a prayer for unity.

But we can rightly ask whether the kind of unity that Jesus says is to be among us is even possible when we convince ourselves otherwise in our lives when intrigue and animosity reign supreme. Can we speak of unity in our great family of Christians when we see no agreement, even in small groups, in families?
St. John writes: “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

Love is the force that unites and unites people with one another. If the Spirit of God is among us, then we will begin to live a different life, and ours will be fundamentally different from the lives of other people who are possessed by the spirit of this world. The difference is that we change our mindsets. Until then, we could have different desires and goals; for example, we could see our interest and enrichment as our gain and pursue things corresponding to our logic and egoism.
Now we see the matter differently. Our goal, towards which everything is directed, must become what we express by the slogan: “That all may be one!” This takes place because we have accepted the teaching of Christ, which leads us also to another wisdom of life, to faithfulness to the teaching of Christ. The words of the Lord Jesus gradually become the food of man, who slowly begins to practice the love taught by Christ. These words are to be manifested in our lives through interpersonal unity. And this is not easy.

The Lord Jesus knew this, so he gave us a personal example, offering us his help. His prayer, which we heard in the Gospel today, began by mentioning his imminent departure and the loneliness in which those closest to him would find themselves, and that is why he prays for them and us. Here we also understand the gift he has left us – the Sacrament of the Altar, which is meant to unite us. His Body is the food in which we are to draw strength, the pattern, and He has made us worthy by entrusting Himself into our human hands.
The fundamental duty of each of us who has believed in His love is: To strive for unity in the family, among neighbors, in the workplace, in the nation, in the Church, and the community of people. For us, the Eucharist is the source of this unity. In Communion, we are to learn this love.

What would you say to the question: When should we feel happy? You would answer: When I am healthy, when I am successful, when on vacation… But I think the best answer should be: I am happy when the people around me are happy too! True happiness can only be where there is love. True happiness is for those who remain in God and when God remains in them.

What Christian joy is, I will give the example of St. Francis of Assisi. One day Francis was running with Brother Leo in the cold and wind to the locked gate of the monastery. There Francis said to his brother: “Brother Leo, it would be beautiful if the brothers were an example of virtue and godliness, but remember that this is not a perfect joy.” Leo, therefore, asked Francis what true joy consisted of. And to this, Francis tells him: “Let us now knock at the monastery’s door. We are drenched, ruined, and hungry. And if upon our plea to be admitted to the monastery, the gatekeeper doesn’t believe we are brothers and tells us we are lying or throws us out, we won’t be admitted; we will stay out in the cold, rain, wind, and hunger. If we endure this patiently and do not get angry, but endure it patiently, it will be as if God Himself knew us and spoke to us through His mouth. Remember, Leon, this is true perfection!”

He who can patiently endure hardship is more able to show love.

Let us remember years ago when we were preparing for our first Holy Communion. What joy we had! Our hearts were happy because they were uncorrupted; they did not know grave sins. We should all go back to those years and try to appreciate the Eucharist more, to approach the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar more often and with greater interest and willingness. I have convinced myself that frequent and regular access to the Sacrament of the Altar is a great strength; even if one remains a weak person, one can forgive more, forget sooner, resist evil, and sin more typically. He can forgive the illicit and the forbidden. How many have scoffed at frequent access to the fountain of love and unity, but they scoffed only until they convinced themselves otherwise, that frequent Holy Communion does not make people sanctimonious, dreamers, but people happy and contented.

I know a man who is no angel, but I have heard from his lips, “If I did not frequent the sacrament, I feel that I should be a terrible father, husband, man, because of my nature.” No, the Sacrament of the Altar, the teachings of Christ, are not reactionary. Still, it is reactionary for anyone to say that Christianity is nonsense, that it adds nothing to and enriches the modern world.

Yes, our times are hard and evil. Wars are being fought; loved ones are being sued, and there is much strife, misunderstanding, and sin. But when we start from ourselves and do not look to the other to start, but I, we present here, start, it will already mean something, and there will be more love, happiness, and peace in the world. And this effort will pay off because God will bless it, and his blessing will be like a boomerang, which will come back and make us even happier. Let us reflect on this thought. What answer shall we give ourselves?

In the introduction to La P r e g h I e r’s Encyclopaedia of Prayer (Rome 1967), Professor R. Boccassino’s recollections from Africa. A primitive woman from a hill tribe makes clay vessels. She prays to the gods as she searches for the clay, mixing and firing it. They ask her who taught her. She shrugs and says: “Who teaches children to cry? Sami. Even prayer is alone from the heart.”

The definition of what prayer is said: Prayer is man’s conversation with God. We read in the Gospel an extraordinary conversation between a man and God, a wonderful conversation between the God-man, Jesus Christ, and His Father. From every line and sentence as we read the Gospel, we feel the greatness and beauty of that connection in conversation. The Easter season is coming to an end. We are only a week away from the Feast of the Sending of the Holy Spirit, the grand celebration of the beginning of the Church. Throughout the Easter season, we have been reminded of the mystery of our redemption. The work of Jesus Christ does not end with the events of Easter, the Resurrection, and the Ascension. Jesus Christ lives and develops in the Church. This is what Jesus Christ wanted and asked for in today’s Gospel, which we also call the High Priestly Prayer. Jesus prayed this prayer at the Last Supper. In the prayer, Jesus asks the Father for himself and his disciples. Jesus knows that his mission on earth is coming to an end. He asks for himself to recover the original glory shared with him by the Father, which he had stripped himself of (cf. Phil 2:7) for that time of his life when he wanted to become like us humans in all things except sin. He asks for unbreakable faith in his person and his mission against all hostility for the apostles. Even more, he asks for unity among them.

Jesus promises his disciples: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in their midst” (Mt 18:20). He also showed them the pattern and the way to achieve this communion. Prayer is the hallmark of religious life. The believer cannot do without it. That is why our Church, following the example of Jesus Christ, attaches great importance to prayer and emphasizes cultivating both communal and personal prayer. Prayer has a firm place in the whole liturgy. Happy is a family and personal life enriched by regular prayer! In the light of this statement, it is appropriate to ask whether prayer has a proper place, seriousness, and appreciation in our lives. Let us reflect a little so that we may not be hasty in answering, but my answer is serious and responsible.

For us, the most reliable measure of the genuineness of the prayer life is Jesus Christ and his prayer-filled life. He prayed throughout his life. He was in constant, abiding communion with His heavenly Father in prayer. His real action was prayer, for he did everything in the name of the Father. He was doing his will in every act, glorifying the Father and showing help to people. In this way, he set an example for his followers to follow. Jesus’ specific prayers and examples are remarkable. He blessed in prayer (cf. Jn 6:2); he praised the Father (Mt 11:25); he prayed and gave thanks (cf. Jn 11:41); he prayed for Peter (cf. Lk 22:32); he prayed for the disciples and all believers (cf. Jn 17); he prayed for enemies (cf. Lk. 23:34); showed that one should always pray and not waver( cf. Lk. 18:1); warned against hypocrisy in prayer (cf. Mt. 6:7); promised to hear prayer offered in his name out of unwavering faith (cf. Jn. 15:7); showed and left the pattern of the Our Father prayer (cf. Mt. 6:9-13).

In prayer, Jesus found strength and consolation, which is why he always prayed at all times and in every situation: morning, day, and evening, at meals, in joy, and sorrow. In all things, he asked for the help and blessing of the Father in heaven. We see that Jesus’ emphasis in the practice of prayer is primarily on the things of God, acknowledging God’s power, respecting God’s will, appropriating and furthering God’s purposes: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God…’ (Mt 6:33). However, it is essential that Jesus did not underestimate secular values, including human bodily needs. The success of prayer will also be more accurate when it is evident to all that we are Christians, and this must radiate from our words and actions.

This means that we are to be Christian not only in church but also everywhere: at home, in the family, in the workplace, and society. Our prayers are to be guided in this direction no matter where we pray because it is not where we pray that is decisive but how we pray. This means that prayer must be a matter of the heart and not a habit, for only then can it be genuine. But this does not detract from the importance of prayer in church. Praying together in church is very important for establishing a good relationship with God and with one’s neighbor. The Jerusalem temple was close to Jesus. He often spent time praying there, but he prayed wherever he was, not disturbed by anyone or anything. He could concentrate, open his heart in complete trust to the Father, and express his petitions and thanksgiving. In this context, let us understand the words: “If thou wilt pray, enter into thy chamber, shut the door behind thee…” (Mt 6:6). This means that we are to pray everywhere, anywhere, and in all the needs of life. Jesus is our most beautiful example in this. His prayer, his conversation with the Father, represents an immense richness for us from which we can continually draw. Many before us have seen this in their own lives and have never regretted it; on the contrary, prayer has lifted them and pulled them more to the model of prayer – Jesus Christ.

On November 13, 1983, the Holy Father John Paul II declared Maria Bacardi blessed. The liturgy was celebrated in Arabic, Greek, and Latin. In a sermon focused on the life of prayer of the new Blessed, the Holy Father said: “The Arab Bacardi family from a small village near Nazareth was visited by misfortune after misfortune. Twelve children were born, and all twelve died shortly after birth. The desperate parents – Greek Catholics – travel to Bethlehem with a prayer: At least one healthy child. It happened. The child is named Mary, and two years later, both parents die. Mary reaches relatives in Alexandria. As a 13-year-old, they want to betroth her according to the local custom. Something unexpected happens. The girl disagrees. Already at this age, she would like to consecrate herself to God. When punishments don’t help, she must go to a Muslim family for re-education. More punishments follow because she does not want to accept the faith of her hosts. After many adventures, she gets a job as a maid in France and becomes Sister Mary of the Crucified Jesus in a short time. She fills her life with love and especially with prayer. She lives in India, Spain, and finally in Bethlehem. She dies in the service of love when she brings water to the workers at the construction site. He suffered an accident and died of its effects on August 26, 1878. She was only 33 years old.” The Holy Father concluded his sermon with a prayer to her, the woman of prayer, Mary, From the crucified Jesus, like Jesus in the Upper Room, “I pray for them. I ask and pray for the peace of the whole world, unity, stability of human hearts, and confession of faith. “

The primitive woman in the professor’s narrative tells us: “Let us understand prayer as a matter of the heart,” It does not matter about education, status, or age, but about the love, we reciprocate to our God.

It is a wonderfully good feeling when a person is in trouble, when hopelessness, fear, and even despair begin to grip him, and he can lean on someone beside him. It is beautiful when it gives him hope and infuses him with strength when he hears the necessary words from his mouth: “Hope!”

The words of Jesus are a great strength to the person who believes, and we can feel this in the Gospel when Jesus says to the apostles, “In the world you have tribulation, but hope, I have overcome the world!” (Jn 16:33).

Jesus gave many explanations only to the apostles. In this way, he was preparing them so that they would go out into the world and administer his teachings to others one day. He explained many things to the apostles, and although they did not immediately understand them, they nevertheless noted that He was speaking to them not only in parables, that is, in examples from life that were familiar to them, for example, the good shepherd, the lost sheep, but He was also speaking to them. He told them about the relationship between himself and the Father, who had already decided to fulfill here on earth. He also told them about the suffering that awaits him and his departure from this world. The apostles could see that Jesus could see into their hearts. For example, he did not need to question what they had talked about on the way. He is, after all, the all-knowing God. Even today, in the Gospel, they say to Jesus: “Now we know that you know all things, and do not need anyone to question you” (Jn 16:30).
Gradually, the apostles reflected on what Jesus was teaching them, dissecting everything that was happening around Jesus. And so, they were able to conclude that Jesus had indeed gone forth from the Father and would return to the Father again. When Jesus asked Peter, “Who do you say I am?” Peter replied: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15-16). This was Peter’s cooperation with the Holy Spirit, through whom God the Father revealed this to him. Thus, there is a progressive faith in the apostles. But this faith of theirs is not yet final. We know that they have believed in Christ, and when the test comes upon them, they will fail. Peter will deny it, and the others will scatter.

When we look at it with human eyes, we say this is not unusual. After all, something similar has happened or can happen to us. Let’s not be too sure. We may think that we are good and that nothing can happen to us to make us betray Jesus, for we have the experience, the age, the position, and so we will not sin again, and it may not be long before our pride is heard – and the fall follows. Today, we are to realize that only God is faithful!

The Lord Jesus knows us better than we can know ourselves because He created man. The Lord Jesus knew of our weaknesses, but He also knew that man would betray Him, abandon Him, deny Him. And yet, God will remain faithful. In the Gospel, he offers us his love so that we may hope in him.
He stands by us. He is always ready to intervene, help, protect us, and comfort us, true when there is goodwill on our part. In other words, when we believe in Jesus and strive to live in his sign, we will overcome the world. Jesus triumphed over sin in a short-lived defeat when people thought his death on the cross was the end of all things. That was Jesus’ victory, the victory of God over the whole world. His death over all evil and sin in history.
And this is what strengthens us to hope in Christ. So that our lives never go down such a dead end in life that we think He can’t help us, can’t help us, and we don’t even want Him to help us anymore…

And yet, today, the words that we joyfully accept ring out clearly. I hope in you, Lord! We hope that He will triumph over our sin. He forgives us and returns us his friendship, his love. He loves us more than we love Him, and yet today, He wants to reinstate our resolve. It is a beautiful feeling to live in peace with God.

Thank you, Lord, for your encouragement. You have strengthened us, Lord, that when we find ourselves in despair, when fear fills us, we have nothing to fear, for you are with us. We can lean on you and overcome when we fall and feel defeated. For all of this, let God be praised today.