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What do I see the meaning of life in, and what do I do to ensure I’m not wrong?

Introduction.

Many will also use the time of holidays and vacations to answer questions and reevaluate their lifestyle, which they don’t have time for during the rush and duties, or forget to realize. For example, what can a person do with his body? At least a few records. It jumps to a distance of almost 9 meters and a height of nearly 2.5 meters. He runs a hundred meters in less than ten seconds. Marathon in two hours.
It is said that someone who trains can, for example, swim tens of kilometers without resting, lift twice as much as he weighs… In Quinens’ book of records, we read that a person kills an ox with a blow of his hand, pulls an airplane or a train set several meters with a rope in his teeth… And yet this miracle, the human body, is composed of elements that cost about twenty crowns together.
The politician announces that he will eat, drink, r, relax and tramuch lot in retirement. Others sell their honor, name, and body to be famous, rich, to prove something, to mean something.

When the multi-millionaire industrialist Filberto Guala sold and gave away his property and joined the strictest Trappist order, it caused various reactions in Italy. Likewise, when Georg Mayr Melnhof, the son of a well-known noble family, a trained economist from a billionaire family, where he was supposed to be the administrator of the most extensive Austrian forestry in 1995, entered the seminary.

Behind that and other values, names, decisions, and attitudes, we talk about the meaning of life. Positive and negative actions and behavior cause various questions, surprises, disappointments, hope, joy, peace of mind, and certainty of a new life. The meaning of life affects us too.

The parables about the treasure hidden in the field, the merchant looking for precious pearls, and the net that catches all kinds of fish want to say what Jesus wants to remind us about the kingdom of God.

The parable of the treasure hidden in the field and the buyer looking for precious pearls in connection with the kingdom of heaven speaks of the high price of heavenly values. Each person walks their path in life, and all galleries are the same. They have one mission, one goal. God enters the course of each person appropriately. God enters a person’s life on a specific day during a particular event. What was is not decisive. It doesn’t matter if someone was looking for God or drowning in sin. The treasure in the field was discovered by accident. No one was looking for him.

On the other hand, the buyer was looking for a rare pearl. Both cases say that the finders came to the treasure only by God’s grace. A person discovers God even when he is not looking for God when he is not looking for him,m and possibly, when he is looking, he finally finds him. First gives himself and reveals himself, and then faith grows out of man’s free choice. Always and in all cases, heavenly values ​​are of great value. How many people walked across the field where the treasure was hidden? Jesus walks among us, and how many people do not notice him?
The buyer searches for and receives the coveted pearl. The search was not in vain. He was looking for the centurion Cornelius (Acts 10:1-43) and Lydia (Acts 16:14). To follow them means to seek God with all seriousness and to hold fast to him with all faithfulness. For whom the cause of God is not worthy of every sacrifice, he will never understand the preciousness of the pearl. The precious pearl is indestructible, it cannot be lost, and we will get it here on earth to pull our hearts to heaven. Even the evangelist Matthew left everything when he recognized Jesus’ wealth. The treasure hidden in the field and the pearl are Jesus himself.
Our life and roles hide the meaning of life. A peasant, a day laborer who loves the part, works, the amount is not his, but when he finds a treasure on the field, he will do everything to make the glory his. The peasant is an example in that he gives up everything to get the treasure. Man likes to live on earth. When he recognizes Christ, his prize, he does everything to make Jesus the center, the meaning, the goal of his life. Jesus is the pearl in which all the glory of the Father is hidden. When a person gets to know God, he realizes that the kingdom of God is not a property but a value like different values. Man acts radically. He wants God no matter what. He wants nothing that is not essentially connected with God.
Both parables agree that the find will sell everything to get what is trecognizeized as treasure. It is something very valuable that they are willing to sacrifice everything else for it. The difference between the parables is that in the case of the treasure in the field,d, it is a matter of chance; I; in the case of the pear,l, it is a targeted search.
The kingdom of God is the greatest gift. The search and the performance do not give the reality of this gift. However, its existence is given only to those who seek, desire and strive for heaven’s kingdom. Knowing God leads to what the rich young man did not understand. He did not do everything God wanted from him because he left sa; he gave priority to possessions before God.
Abraham is a model of a farmer and a merchant because when God asks of him, even as an only son, he is willing to sacrifice him.
The nation of Israel behaves the opposite of Abraham. Jesus – the Messia,h came, and they did not accept him. The treasure was offered to them, and they preferred their will. And God wants everything. God does not bargain. God does not go below the price. God wants the heart. A pearl is worth a heart. The treasure is worth the heart. In this way, the words about who is looking for his life, that he will lose it, and who loses his life, that he will find it, can also be understood.

The parable of the net and the fish of all kinds points to God’s grace of calling, which God offers to all. God loves everyone. The sea, the world belong to God. God casts a net, the Church preaches, catechizes, and evangelizes; the catch is for everyone. The hunt takes place based on Jesus’ mission command: “Go into all the world…” (Mk 16:15). Jesus wants everyone to be written in BookbookLifelife at the end of time.

And for that,t God needs our cooperation. Let us repeatedly ask: What are we in the world for? It affects us essentially. We give ourselves the answer to the questions posed by life. And we can answer these life questions only by answering our everyday existence. In other words: don’t look for what life can give you, but look for what you can give life. Don’t ask how much joy you find in others, but how much you see yourself and give to others. Ask not only about the goal of life but also about the path to it.
Ask a small child which three wishes he wishes. The answers are childish: perhaps some candy, a computer, a bicycle… When you ask the same question to an adult, the solutions will be appropriate according to intelligence, such as health success… And ask the dying. Human life’s meaning and fulfillment can be compared to a container for liquid. Why would a container be beautiful at first gl but without a bo? Tom. And what would be the use of a containing has a bo that cannot be opened or filled? Human life needs both “space and bottom” simultaneously, meaning and fulfillment, i.e., Content and goal. One without the other is of no use. The devil tempted Christ three times. He promised glory and,d eventually, power. He submitted the Content to him three times. But not once did he offer him a life goal. Man today is in a similar situation. The tempter comes three times in a lifetime and hundreds of times a day.

We realize that the joy of the human soul inevitably includes finding quality content and the goal of life at the same time. Then we will understand the two commandments on which the entire Law and the Prophets rest (M. Kašparů: On the joys of the human soul).
The kingdom of God is a treasure and, therefore, the only catch, the superior real value. To the extent that whoever has it has everything and wants nothing more. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul” (Mt 16:26)?! For such a treasure, it is worth doing business, giving up, working ng, and living.
A Christian is a person who has let himself be found by Jesus. All false values fade along with the joy of this discovery, but the true ones begin to shine with a new luster. Joy was the essential experience of early Christianity.
Wealth on earth, no matter how valuable it is, whether it is sports glory, medals, wreaths, diplomas, or other awards, fades quickly, disappears, is forgotten, and is destroyed. However, the treasure of God’s kingdom will not be destroyed by rust, moth, or thief.

When a student asked his teacher Plato how much earthly wealth he could have, he received the answer: “Enough so that it is not an obstacle to achieving your goal.”

Even a Christian can only have enough wealth so that it is not an obstacle to achieving his eternal goal. No wealth, power, or fame must become an obstacle for a Christia to forget the meaning of life.

One of the wealthiest people is multi-billionaire Morgan. It is guarded daily by a security guard. He asked the journalist: “Are you satisfied with your fate?” He answered: “My spokesman will answer this question for you. Or ask about my garden; you will find out how I manage it. But you can believe me that any of my employees are happier than I am.”

We are not surprised to hear from time to time that someone has radically changed their way of life. And it’s not just those who go to monasteries, like this or that beauty star. The change of life is the discovery of something of more excellent value.

On September 26, 1660, St. died. Vincent de Paul, of whom it is said that more money passed through his hands than all the banks of that time in France put together. However, he died poor for this world but rich for the kingdom of God. After serving the sacrament of the dying, he blessed his spiritual sons and daughters. At the words: “God, come to my help…” Vincent’s lips moved gently and never closed again… He gave his noble soul into the hands of the Lord… He lived for others. He had people with low incomes as his treasure. He helped them materially and spiritually. God owed him nothing.

Let’s each ask for a happy hour of death for ourselves. Even today, let us consider God’s kingdom as the most valuable treasure, for which we want to work, to seek and which we want to acquire like a precious pearl.

Now thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your actions! » Ag 1, 5.

Our life is constantly rained: work, children we have to put in school and their classes, checks we have to pay, distances we have to cover. Even if we do everything we can, we have to admit that we are not keeping up, which is why it seems strange that the Holy Scriptures call us in several places to stop and think. Why do we strain so much? What are our desires and goals? How do we want to achieve them? Do we even think about God, his requirements, and his will? God wants us to work. Do we work and live to honor him and help others? What hierarchy of values ​​do we profess? Let’s look at ourselves objectively. We are not just looking for excuses and alibis. Is it in our interest and for our good?

In previous decades, during the era of building socialism, ideological materialism was enforced. Pragmatic materialism is voluntary. Respects civil liberties. He doesn’t impose anything on our actions; he doesn’t argue with us. He offers enticingly. Once we ask what is the meaning of our life, today we ask what is our standard of living. An ethic based on self-sacrifice seems to have died out. Man will no longer give up his interests for a supra-personal ideal or the common good.

Let’s take seriously the warning of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, who pointed out that the world that man has created for himself surrounds him from all sides and becomes a prison for him, thus leading him to cry out for freedom and something completely different. Silence must be learned if work and life are to retain meaning because science without values ​​becomes a nightmare and the main defendant of all development. Ideology is the trump card where the desire for wisdom, for contemplation, and for inner freedom does not even shy away. If we realize we are acting unwisely, let us have the courage to change.

If we stop for a moment at the picture that hangs on our main altar, it is a picture that does not express any real scene from the life of St. James because St. James was a bishop in Jerusalem, that is, in the place where the Lord Jesus died and rose from the dead. He didn’t go far. He cared for those who were in that city. And here is the depiction as we see it is just so symbolic. He is wearing a cloak, a water container, and he is carrying seashells and a staff. All this was a pilgrim’s equipment in the Middle Ages. And actually, for about a thousand years, people have been going to the tomb of St. James in Composted, Spain. On the way, which takes quite a long time from us, they have the opportunity to think, to remember the events from the life of St. James and to think about what it meant for James, to think about what it means for the people who are on the way.

I actually know that Shell petrol company also chose this seashell as its emblem, it is from the Jacobean seashell, and it reminds us that for every journey, you need to be well-equipped so that you don’t faint on the way, that you don’t run out of strength, that you don’t run out of energy.

As we see in the picture, the muscle was used for collecting water in the Middle Ages. But for the first time, we encounter the depiction of a shell in the catacombs, i.e., in the burial places of the first Christians. On the one hand, it was a marker for relatives to recognize where their relative was buried because it was dark in those catacombs, but the seashell symbolized the grave. When it is closed, then to the closed tomb, when it is open, then to the tomb that was opened on Easter Sunday, when Jesus rose from the dead. So a reminder that death will not have the last place, the last word, but that on the contrary, it will be life and reunion.

Let’s go back to that pilgrimage, to those thoughts, how we should look at the life of Saint James and compare it with our own life. We know he came from Galilee; he was a fisherman. His brother was John, the apostle John, who stood under the cross. Their father’s name was Zebedee, and their mother’s was Salome; here is the woman who asks for those honors. And they did not follow Jesus alone. Jesus had to challenge them. Some disciples came alone. They came, for example, because John the Baptist sent them. But James and John were washing their nets when they returned from fishing, and Jesus called them. So they were not the ones to flock to Jesus from the beginning, but when they were called, they went. And apparently, it took them longer before they somehow clung to Jesus, before they added to him internally. The truth is that together with the apostle Peter, he forms a trinity that is present at all important events, at all important moments. So Jesus takes the three with him even to places others must stay outside. It is at the moment when he goes to resurrect Jairus’ daughter, it is at the moment when they are on Mount Tabor, but it is also at the moment actually in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus struggles to accept the task of savior by way of the cross.

So Jakub was there for all of this. James was the person who was then put in charge of the first church community in a place where it was not easy; where on the one hand, there were several thousand disciples; on the other hand, there were Pharisees, Sadducees, enemies of Jesus. And these enemies kept trying to denigrate the disciples of Jesus in some way; they tried to provoke various conflicts and frictions, and they were responsible for the fact that the deacon Stephen was killed. Deacon Stephen is the first martyr, and the death of Saint James right after him is documented.

Within happened sometime around the year 42, and he was executed by the grandson of Herod the Great, Heroes Agrippa, a man who grew up in Rome and was labeled a playboy in Rome. And he tried to please the Jews, precisely those Pharisees and Sadducees. And from how it is described, it appears that they accused James of conspiring against the Romans because he was killed in the Roman manner. Of course, it was made up, none of it was true at all, but he could see that she liked it.

Herodes Agrippa was a man who did what he saw he liked. It’s called acting for effect. Sometimes it is called opportunism or pragmatism in a foreign word, simply what is convenient, from which I will benefit in some way. That Herod Agrippa was somehow not religious. On the one hand, he behaved like a Roman, like a pagan, but he tried to please the Sadducees and Pharisees.

And we heard in the Gospel how the mother of Zebedee’s sons Jacob and John also takes advantage of the situation. Jesus is somewhere near Jericho, and he is going to Jerusalem, and she thinks to herself, “Now would be a good time to get something for my sons. Jesus often takes them with him, so why not use it so that everyone can see them and that everyone admires them.” It’s also acting for effect, an attempt to show off in some way at the expense of others. And Jesus doesn’t accept this; Jesus says: “I’m not about showing off, I’m not about showing off, it’s about something else. It’s about who deserves those places, who gets them with their attitude. Every person can get a place at Jesus’ left and at Jesus’ right. Jesus proved this by having two criminals crucified on his left and right on Good Friday. Humans can have one on the left and the other on the right. But right here in this religious logic, each of us can be there if we stand for it, if we strive for it, if we somehow deserve it.

Jesus asks them and says: “Can you follow me even in the difficult, to drink the cup that I will drink?” These are difficulties; these are efforts. And they a little hastily, without thinking about what they are saying, say: “We can,” because they believe and say to themselves: “This will move us higher, so we promise him something, and he will honor us all the more.” And Jesus says: “Okay.” He knows very well that they do not know what they are talking about and are promising something that is probably not in their power at the moment. But they both grew up for it. James was the first to die a violent death, while John was the last of Jesus’ apostles and died in exile on the island of Patumos. So he did not die a violent death, but throughout his long life, he bore witness to the gospel, to the fact that he belonged to Jesus Christ.

And I would sum it all up in some way, end it. Saint James grew like this when he was with the Lord Jesus. He grew primarily; we would say, spiritually. He was a man who, as I said at the beginning, was not used to changing principles, his cloak was not where the wind was. When he somehow stuck to Jesus, I remind you again, at the beginning, he was invited, he did not rush anywhere, but when he joined Jesus’ disciples, he took it as his own. Then it was he who was relied upon, and then he persisted in it, in what he recognized as right and good, so he persisted in it even at the moment when it actually cost him his life.

Brothers and sisters, we live in a time when people often change their minds. May the constancy of the apostle James be a model and strength in our lives.

More people seek fortune-tellers or psychics. Why? They want to know what they are not entitled to from God. What will happen, and how will it turn out…? It also stinks of crime. Jesus teaches about faith in truth and love, which is good for man. In the Gospel, “some scribes and Pharisees” asked Jesus: “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you” (Mt 12:38).

The prophet Jonah was sent to Nineveh with a clear mission. He disobeyed and ended up in the middle of stormy events – in the belly of a whale. He was in it for three days. Here Jesus says what will happen to him. His death will last three days in the bowels of the earth. They didn’t understand him. Today we know that this happened. Jesus died on Friday and rose from the grave on Saturday. Jesus became a sign until the end of time. To believe in Christ’s rapture is the greatest sign of the times. That is the only unique sign that will enrich every person. It is greater than the case of Jonah and greater than the actions of the queen of the south, who came to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. Jesus is “greater than Solomon” (Mt 12:42).

Believing in the divinity, in the power of Christ, is the most accurate and valuable sign of all time. The other, greater, more valuable, without sin, a person cannot receive from God. Everything else can be attributed to chance, other circumstances, or a connection with the devil. Some people reach out not just for fun, to play with others. It’s not fair. In big things, it is against the teaching of Jesus, that is, sinful. Only God knows what will happen and how. God can announce something to certain people because of their love for God – holiness. The saint never has it to earn money or another honorarium. God’s love is a sign that the dreamer surrenders to God’s will: “God’s will be done” Christians pray and thus accept Jesus as the Father’s gift to people.

What is seducing us? Our desire to know something in the future is stimulated, which man is not supposed to know, which God himself will reveal at the right time. We must learn to accept God as our Lord with all our surrender. Jesus cannot be compared to Jonah. Jesus is God, and Jonah is a man. In the same way, Solomon and the queen from the south were human. Our faith is also manifested by our understanding of the Holy Spirit, who supplements today what we need for the salvation of our souls.  No one has seen God; only the Son came to tell us everything we require for salvation.

Jesus told us everything necessary for our salvation. He would have told us if we were to know what we are looking for in fortune-tellers or other people with the alleged power of a clairvoyant. 

Do you have an enemy, a hater, a person who can’t stand you? What about him, what about them? Don’t we treat someone the same way? Jesus is the Son of God and had, has and will have not only friends, but also enemies. Some of them even took his life. We read: “The Pharisees went out and consulted about Jesus, how to kill him” (Mt 12:14).

It was not only Herod, Pilate Annas… but also the Pharisees, scribes and others. Jesus became their remorse, competition… And so it is today. Who did Jesus want or want bad…? To nobody! Some scourged him, others crucified him, and today many do not and do know him, and take his name in vain. They make fun of Jesus and they don’t know why, for what reason, he simply gets in the way. The personality of the Lord Jesus is significant. As a personality, Lord Jesus – the future Messiah, was significant even before his birth. The Lord Jesus himself confirms this in the Gospel with the words when he quotes the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen…” (Mt 12:18).

The Gospel explains why he applied these words to himself: “Many followed him and he healed them all, only threatening them not to betray him.” Thus was fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah said” (Mt 12:15-17). Isaiah’s words are part of a song in which the Old Testament singer sings about the future servant of the Lord. Catholic exegetes, but also many other religious scholars, still hold the opinion that the servant The Lord who is spoken of in these songs is the Messiah – Jesus Christ. The ancient Jews also interpreted the Messiah. This is how the Chaldean Targum, the Talmud, and many others interpret them. We can say that everything that the songs say about the Servant of the Lord, it was fulfilled in detail in Jesus Christ. The similarity between the Servant of the Lord and Jesus Christ is so great that it cannot be ignored. And besides the Lord Jesus there is no one who can embody a person,

The person of the Messiah is known to Isaiah and he often presents it to us in his prophecies. The Pharisees want to kill Jesus. That is why Jesus retreats to the background, and at the same time orders those whom he healed to be silent. They do the opposite. That is why the Lord Jesus gets into difficulties, and this is also the reason why later they ask for the death sentence for him from Pilate. It is strange that such an unenviable life, which the Lord Jesus had to lead, became the center of attention and the meaning of life for people until the end of time. This is the gospel penetrated – the glad tidings. We will understand the actions of the enemies of Christ when we understand the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus in the light of God’s revelation.

The words about Jesus are true: “He will not groan or cry out… He will not break a broken reed, He will not extinguish a burning wick…” (Mt 12:19-20). We feel that this also belongs to us. What is our humility? We can see in Is there anything good in the behavior and actions of others? Do we not extinguish by contempt, by rejecting the other’s attempts at good? Are we really disciples of the Lord Jesus? Can we be still and silent? 

Can we believers talk about uncomfortable faith? Can faith make us uncomfortable? Jesus would not change his teaching, retract his words, ask us for an opinion or opinion to improve, perfect, or omit something in his teaching. Even today, the words: “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Mt 11:30).

We notice the pronoun “my.” Jesus requires one to “take the yoke upon oneself”, which cannot be compared with the requirements that the Law imposes on a person. This imperative completely grows out of the indicative of the previous words, “Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you I will strengthen” (Mt 11:28). It can be seen that Jesus does not ask without first giving. He gives so that a person can fulfill the requirement that follows from the strength of the gifted. And in the request itself, there is promise and power again.

Notice the word “yoke”. It is a tool that allows animals to pull loads. This picture reveals more truths. The yoke is designed for work. Jesus requires work from his disciple. A disciple is only a disciple when he does not live only for himself. The student has to endure everything that the teacher has determined for him.Yoke is a tool that makes work easier. Can we imagine the work of an animal without a yoke? The yoke helps. And the yoke that Jesus points to makes the believer’s work easier, and only he – Jesus – makes a person capable of carrying out his mission. The yoke clearly sets the goal for the one who carries it. An animal without a yoke would not reach its destination. But the one who guides the animal with the yoke will lead the animal to its destination. With the help of the yoke, God leads the Christian to a clear and correct goal. One can imagine a double yoke. Two animals in one yoke pull the load more easily. It is possible to explain this comparison that Jesus walks with us and helps us bear the burden. He teaches us to be his followers with a “quiet and lowly heart”. Gentleness and humility in the life of the Lord Jesus become all who decide to take the yoke of evangelization – reinforcement. Whoever accepts the imperative of Christ will find peace in his heart. That peace is not always immediately apparent on the outside because even a disciple in his time, marked by the signs of the times, does not always have to defend himself against pressure. When he perseveres with Jesus, he receives peace of mind. The gift of Christ helps him bear the yoke of life.

The yoke is not a superfluous thing, nor a thing that gets in the way, but it is very useful. Useful for the wearer because it gives him support, help, purpose, and meaning. However, it is also useful for the cause of Christ the Lord, who is building his kingdom with these “yoke people”. This is also the gift that Jesus gives us. This is why we know the word “grace” in today’s Gospel. What can we do without God’s grace? In the life of a Christian, we cannot understand the yoke as something enslaving. On the contrary! Christianity brings to man what the world cannot give.

Many have not forgotten that the people around them are not just strangers. They are not silent. They include paramedics, paramedics, various uniformed brothers and sisters. Jesus reminds us: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little ones” (Mt 11:25); he asks for us to learn his words in our lives: ” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).

The message he brought to the world that we should adopt and follow in our Christian life. He calls those who adopt his little ones. Jesus is not against wisdom and reason, but he is against pride and conceited wisdom, often just plain stupidity. Several times Jesus encountered this kind of behavior of people who, with their indifference, stubbornness, and inattention, not only hurt his heart but also misled and scandalized others around him. They were the ones who saw and managed the nation. He did not reproach them for their science and learning but for their pride, which prevented them from accepting the truth. Pascal writes: “The heart has reasons that reason does not know”. Jesus does not despise courage, learning, wisdom, and diligence, but what is connected with pride, such as arrogance, exalting oneself, underestimating others, and recognition. Pride closes a person’s path to the truth. A person can be wise like Solomon, but if he does not have the simplicity and innocence of a child’s heart, he closes himself from the truth, and in the end, he can be worse for the house than a simple person without education, but who is honest, humble, and open to the truth. Jesus declared himself to be the Truth (cf. Jn 14:6).

It doesn’t take much, and we understand the words “learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart” (Mt 11:29), because they are a sign of God. As Jesus sees the Father, so when we see Jesus act, we should learn to act according to him; that means that when we are toiled and overburdened and act in his spirit, quietly and humbly, our yoke will become easy, and our burden light because he will be with us. Our earthly and eternal happiness is tied to whether we follow Jesus’s example. That is why he addresses us with the words: “Learn from me” (Mt 11:29). It is the wish of Jesus that humility and quietness of heart should also become our virtues. St. Bernard sees humility as the foundation of every Christian virtue. He says: ” There is no other virtue in the spiritual life without humility.”.” It is not enough for us to know the theory but to implement the words of Jesus about humility and silence in practice. In a world of haste, tension, and material burden, human qualities such as humility and silence lose their value and are relegated to the past; they have their place and justification. Some personalities do not gain admiration, respect, and seriousness by broad elbows, verbosity, violence, and the like but by their heart, manifested by qualities rooted in silence and humility.