On the first day.

Posted on 17. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

The story of Noah and the Flood ends with a new beginning. It is a repetition of the start of the Book of Genesis. The earth is again covered with waters, and God allows land to emerge from them. As the new Adam again „on the first day, “Noah begins a new era of human history by worshiping the Lord and sacrificing to him (Gn 8, 13). However, even if this story looks back towards the story of creation, so to speak, it also looks forward – to the moment when God reveals through the work of his Son what the new Adam will be like.

God did not just want to save us; he wanted to transform us into new creatures, just as he began a new creation through Noah after the flood. However, this time, God established a new creation through the death and resurrection of his Son and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In other words, he saved us from sin and death and saved us for a new life in Jesus Christ, for becoming a new creation. Like Noah’s family, we emerged from the water at baptism and entered a new life.

We have received the Spirit who „unanimously transforms us“ into God’s children and uses us in „restoring the formability of the earth“ (Ž 104, 30). Moreover, God promises us a new life of blessings and his constant presence. God makes a covenant with us in which He promises never to destroy us because of our sin and our weakness. He blesses us again, entrusts us with the rule of the earth, and makes us his people. It is a new day! 

You come out of the ark as a new creation and have all the grace necessary to live as a child of God. Moreover, it is not just you who is new. God’s mercy and compassion are also new – and so is every morning (see Gen. 3, 22-23). Every day, God pours new grace on you. Every day, he promises to let good fruit come from you, give you power over sin, and transform you into his image. He declares daily: „Behold, I make everything new“ (Revel. 21, 5). Yes, you do.

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Former Jesuit Gymnasium student: „Jesuits have completely destroyed my faith, they are atheists and enemies of the Church. “

Posted on 15. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

„Enemies of the Church“

Only after many years did the Virgin Mary „ finally bring him to the Catholic faith againdiscovering tradition“, confides in the video.

„Jesuits are a real problem of the Church, they are enemies of the Church,“ the man in the video says. He obviously knows what he’s talking about: according to his own words, not only did he attend Jesuit high school, but also his uncle, his own son, nephews, and nieces. „Up to a total of one hundred members of our extended family attended their schools,“ confides a YouTuber.

He mentions that in the 18th century, the Jesuits were a perfect order, unjustly persecuted and banned only because „he defended the faith and the papacy“. However, much has changed since then: „ Today they spend their faith, they spend the papacy.“

The spiritual father of today’s Jesuits

„Jesuits do not believe in Catholicism, they are modernist heretics,“ their former student continues to speak. According to him, their real „hero“– is a man – and himself a Jesuit ( named Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ) d. 1955„ who was <TAG1>apparently obsessed at one point, he promotes view of Darwinian evolution“.

According to Catholic Esquire was Chardin „truly diabolical“, taught about some „evolutionary trajectory“, whose goal is for man to become God himself. „At the end of this evolution is the cosmic Christ, “says YouTuber and continues:

„It’s bizarre, it’s crazy, it’s not a bit Catholic, it’s anti-Catholic, but this is a person that the Jesuits follow and admire pretty sincerely. If you’ve ever attended a Jesuit school, then you know they’re not talking about anyone but Chardin.“

We also published several articles about this important Jesuit on the Christianity.sk portal. Author Radomír Tomeček, in your article, for example, interestingly states:

„The Holy See refused to give imprimatur (press permission) to his book Le Milieu Divin (Divine Environment) in 1927. In 1939, the Holy Office included his book L’Energie Humaine (Human Energia) on the Index of Prohibited Books, and even his most important book, Le Phénomène Humain (Humanity as a Phenomenon did not receive church approval for publication), containing interpretation of his evolutionary doctrine.

In a decree of 15 November 1957, the Holy Office prohibited the holding of works by de Chardin in libraries, including those of religious institutes, and the sale of these books in Catholic bookshops. At the same time, the translation of these books into other languages was prohibited.

On June 30, 1962, the Holy See issued a minimum (variance) in which bishops, superiors of religious orders, and rectors of seminaries and universities were called upon to protect the entrusted people from dangers resulting from the books of de Chardin. These books were disseminated even after his death and became very popular. The Holy See confirmed the immutability of its position, expressed in 1962, also in the communique of July 20, 1981.“

Gradually, however, his „ spiritual children“ – Jesuits – were able to carefully rehabilitate him to such an extent that this „a modernist fascinated by communism“ (ako de Chardina R. Tomeček called) mal „destructive influence on II. Vatican Council“. And through the council, the entire Catholic Church is affected by its delusions to this day.

„After all, Jesus did not perform any miracles. “

But let’s go back to the gentleman with the nickname Catholic Esquire. He mentions what the Jesuits taught him in high school. They denied all the miracles of Jesus described in the Bible, saying that „nich never happened“. They also called creationism – the belief that God is a human being falsely created and not that we evolved from rats.

„They undermined your faith in every possible way,“ says the man on video. „Not only did they discourage you from believing the Bible, they encouraged you to become materialistic. Women encouraged scientific careers; they never promoted family, said nothing about staying at home and raising their children.“

Likewise, he has never heard anything about it from their mouths: „Spread the kingdom of God“ or „proclaim God to this world.„ Everything the Jesuits instilled in their students’ heads was materialistic, like making a lot of money, self-development, and humanism.

„Their tricks are very deceptive,“ continues. „You never understand what they are talking about because they are constantly changing their definitions.“ He believes they do this entirely consciously and intentionally to deceive young souls, perhaps longing for God.

They constantly talked only about helping the needy and marginalized, because „this is what the Gospel tells us that Jesus did“. The man acknowledges that there is some truth in this. However, he points out that, according to Jesuit professors, we should not help the needy and marginalized out of love for God but out of love for ourselves – from the effort of self-improvement through helping others. Continues:

„Why do the Jesuits teach it this way? Because they are materialists to the core, proponents of evolution, they don’t really believe in God, they believe in themselves, they believe in man, they believe that man can become God. But that’s from the antichrist, from Satan, it’s completely demonic.“

Catholic Esquire says that such testimonies as his must not be spoken in public because „no one would believe you, “ and such a person would be called an enemy of the Church.

What is a „cool jesuit“?

The man goes on to say that the modernist teaching that the Jesuits are pushing is pure delusion and that „works“:

„They tricked me to the point where I almost lost my faith. I came out of the Jesuit gymnasium without any faith, I considered myself an agnostic at best, but I was probably an atheist. I didn’t believe that God existed, I thought that this world was all that existed. You live your life the best you can, earn as much as you can, maybe help some poor guy, because then you will feel better on your own – and then you will die. And what happens then? Nothing. Your soul is gone, it’s disappeared. This is what I thought.“

Youtuber admits that he finally turned thanks to Our Lady – but up to „many years after I left my high school“. He even thought about becoming a priest, „but all that was finally destroyed because of these people“. „ My son was also taught that there is no such thing as original sin, “said an angry man in the video, and „ certainly don’t teach anything like it is Peclo or O. O.purifier. “ Angrily continues:

„They mislead, deceive and destroy the faith of thousands upon thousands of students who attend their schools and whose parents spend tens of thousands of dollars to educate their children!“

„Beware of the Jesuits!“ continues no less sharply. „Let us pray for their prohibition, they are the scourge of the Church, they are the enemies of the Church. We must love our enemies and they are our enemies – so we should pray for them.“ It also calls for prayer for the Pope – also Jesuit – as well as Jesuits active on social networks who only „they pretend“ that they are academics and Catholics in general, but in reality only „attack good Catholics and good traditionalists“.. “ „Do you know how remarkable the Jesuits are? These are the ones who listen to rock music and like the song „Imagine“.

„Imagine“ is a famous song by John Lennon, also referred to as „hymna (hedonistic) boomer generation“ ( born after II. world war) in which Lennon sings about us imagining, how beautiful would the world be without religion, „without heaven and hell“.

New father introduced

Also Anthony Stein, who has a YouTube channel called „Return to Tradition“ (Return to tradition) is of opinion, that the order of Jesuits is responsible for most of the crises crushing the post-conciliar Church, since „they hold strong positions of power“. In Stein’s opinion, it is not about some failures of individuals, but a kind of well-thought-out implemented strategy to change the Church from within. He perceives the Jesuits as the center of power – and also the historical counter-center of the papacy –, from where poison penetrates the rest of Christ’s institution. „I am not at all surprised that the Church is in such a state with the Jesuit Pope at the head,“ says in her video Stein.

He wrote a whole book about the Jesuits called The Jesuits.s. a well-known Catholic priest and exorcist, based on whose life a legendary film was allegedly shot The Exorcist) Malachy Martin ( d. 1999). The author thinks that until the 1960s, the Jesuits were an order devoted to Catholicism, the Church, and the Pope. But then something happened. Martin writes:

„In 1965, II ended. the Vatican Council its last session aPedro Arrupe he was elected for 28. father superior of the Jesuits. Under Arrupe’s leadership and under the strong expectation of change caused by the council itself, society identified itself with a new outlook that has quietly flourished for more than a century – anti-papal, sociopolitical in nature. It was a furious and complete turning point in the company’s mission and reason for existence, and it was no accident. It was a deliberate act for which Father Arrupe, as Father Superior, ensured an inciting leadership full of enthusiasm.“

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Where are you? Where is your brother?

Posted on 15. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

The inconvenient question, „Where is your brother?”Jesus puts to everyone. Sometimes a person gives evasive answers to it or knocks it off as something smelling of the „communist party“. However, if we do not respond in the spirit of the call from the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel about acts of love for our neighbor, then „we will lead an obscure life not sticking to what Jesus taught us”. Then, „which lurks at our door (Compare. Gn 4.7) and waits for an opportunity to get in and destroy us. Am I my brother’s keeper? With this compromise answer, Cain tries to escape God’s uncomfortable question. This is how Cain tries to flee from God’s gaze. Jesus often asks such inconvenient questions: „ Do you love me?“ – asked Peter. „What are people saying about me? … And what do you say?“ – he asked the disciples.

Jesus’ uncomfortable questions do not allow for compromise.

An evasive answer cannot be given to the inconvenient question Jesus asks us. «„Where is your brother?“- „I don’t know.“ – „But your brother is hungry!“ – „Yes, but he is having lunch in the parish Charity; they will feed him there.“ And with such a compromise answer I save my skin. – „No, the other, the one who is sick…” – „He is safely in the hospital!“ – „But there is no place in the hospital! And does he have medication?“ – „Well, that’s his business; I can’t interfere with others in their lives… After all, he probably has relatives who will give him the medicine.“ And this is how I wash my hands. „Where’s your brother, the convict?“ – „Well, he’s paying for what he deserved. Let him serve what he did. We are tired of so many delinquents on the streets. Let him cry.“ – But perhaps you will never hear this answer, which is intended for you from the Lord’s mouth: „Where is your brother? Where is your brother who is used, who works black, nine months a year, and then after three months, he starts again for another year? And this is how he is without insurance, without vacation.“ – „ After all, today, there is no work, and a person takes what he can.“ Another compromise answer.»

Where is your brother in your heart?

The question the Lord asks us must be answered personally, and those he talks about in the Gospel must be seen behind it (. « Let’s bring here those whom the Lord names in Matthew chapter 25: the one who is sick, the thirsty one, the one who does not have clothes, the little brother who cannot go to school, the one who takes drugs, the one who is in prison… Where’s? Where is your brother in your heart? Is there a place for these people in our hearts? Or, no doubt, do we talk about these people and lighten our conscience with some alms?»

Let us answer the Lord with joy.

After sin, Adam tries to hide from another unpleasant question from God: „Adam, where are you?“ (Compare. Gn 3,9-10). However, it is not free to hide from reality. «Adam hid from shame, out of fear. May we feel this shame. Where’s your brother? Where are you? What kind of world do you live in that you don’t notice these things, these sufferings, these pains? Where’s your brother? … Where are you? Don’t hide from reality. Answer these two questions of the Lord openly, devotedly, and joyfully.»

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How to live properly?

Posted on 14. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

To live rightly and without remorse. Perfection is the fruit of freedom when nothing is in the way. Freedom means putting aside the Ego. Then we can live rightly. Live right. When honestly and sincerely, “our hearts no longer reproach us” (1Jn 3:21), because only simply and without hindrance do, live, say what is right, what is right here and now to be lived, said, done. Get used to it: to live rightly and without reproach. Without always having to justify ourselves or live with a sense of failure and failure. It can be done. It can be done. Furthermore, it can be done with this freedom.

“We know that no one who is born of God sins, but he who is born of God protects him, and the Evil One will not touch him.” (1Jn 5:18). Why do we claim and repeat and believe the opposite? Is it not because we serve the Evil One and accept him? In the silence and peace of hesychia, in its freedom to do what is right here and now. “Let not your heart be troubled and troubled.” (John 14:27). That is all. In this freedom, no desire drives away, and no fear hinders. It is indeed like an awakening,g like a resurrection-to know that good and joy and peace and bliss are not hiding somewhere else and some other time and in another, but are here, waiting here, all here in the one thing that we feel and know in our hearts to be correct. When we do this, we will see for ourselves with all our heart and presence and in this freedom. We don’t want to be different; we don’t want to be elsewhere; we don’t want different, and we don’t want anything from ourselves, as Eckhart writes about perfect conversion. In deep communion with God and God, we do; we live the one moment, the one act that ought to be. The right act is not according to some external law but in this profound unity in the Spirit, in harmony with God Himself, the whole creation, the whole Universe, and Eternity. When we no longer seek neither this nor that but perfection in what just is, it is our joy and delight.

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Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Lk 6,17- 18, 20-26

Posted on 13. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

With your feet, you probably know the feeling when you come home from work in the evening, tired and sometimes angry, make coffee, open a beer, put your feet out comfortably, and say to yourself: Well, finally, well-being! Some students must have experienced the feeling of victory when they received an A after writing a hefty paper, and the teacher praised them in front of everyone. It was a feeling of bliss. But is it true bliss? In today’s Gospel, Jesus also speaks of bliss: Blessed are the poor, blessed are hungry, blessed are weeping, blessed are persecuted and dulled. Many of us are now confused and ask ourselves again: What exactly is bliss? It was a kalogathie for the ancient Greeks – to live well and blissfully. For many people, it’s beer, a cigarette, number one in school. For Jesus, bliss is poverty, hunger, crying, persecution, numbness… And now choose from it. Who is right? What is true bliss?

Saint Thomas Aquinas says that bliss is the ultimate perfection of man. The Holy Scriptures claim that the bliss of man lies in God, the last goal of all creation. If we put together the claims of the Bible and Thomas, what will we get? Blessed are all who died in sanctifying grace and have come to see God in heaven. However, the one who lives here on earth in union with God, i.e., unencumbered by grave sin, is already blessed. Bliss as a state means the fullness of all natural and supernatural goods and is promised to all people who believe in God. So Jesus himself said: Let not your heart tremble! Believe in God, believe in me too. There are many dwellings in my Father’s house. And St. Paul writes to the Romans: No one who believes in him will be disappointed.

You might tell yourself that it’s good for the spirit; after all, we are believers, and that’s why we also go to church to have a great chance to be blessed. Sure. But this is also clear in the letter of St. James: What will it help, my brothers if someone says that he has faith but no works? Can such faith save him? Just as a body without a spirit is dead, faith without works is dead. This is the second condition for obtaining bliss – we must confirm faith by fulfilling God’s will. God’s will is contained in the Ten Commandments. And now, say for yourself: Do I have a clear conscience? Can you see that I am a believer? Do I live my faith? Let us not forget the words of Jesus: Not everyone who says to me: „Lord, Lord!“will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my heavenly Father. And Paul again adds to the Romans: Those who hear the law are not righteous before God; those who fulfill it by their actions will be justified. And so we figured out that a life filled with good deeds is needed to gain bliss and faith and live according to it.

But does he mean to flash the argument about why Jesus talks about poverty, hunger, crying, and persecution? Indeed, he has a reason for that. He wants to say that there is one more condition for gaining bliss – persistent enduring life trials, suffering, and hardships. Jesus’ words were correctly understood by Saint James when he wrote: Blessed is the man who stands the test; when he proves himself, he will receive the laurel of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James confirms Jesus’ will to gain bliss; it is necessary to strive to acquire virtues, especially those that Jesus recommends in today’s Gospel. He speaks of humility, silence, meekness, patience, purity of heart, and mercy.

So, is he right? Ancient Greeks, the world we live in, or Jesus? The ancient Greeks and the world we live in recommend a path to bliss that is the opposite of Jesus’ path. He recommends the path of pride, egoism, well-being, immoderateness, and sensuality. Therefore, perhaps in the confusion that this situation, when the world and Jesus Christ give us a recipe for bliss, causes us, let us not be afraid to exclaim together with Peter: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! Suddenly, we solved the questions we had asked ourselves in the introduction. To be blessed is to possess God. Already in this life, thanks to the living faith that is supposed to hold us even in the difficulties and sufferings of life. But the pinnacle of bliss is To possess God in eternity, to which we all come. In the reputation of the ancient Norse family in the novel trilogy of the Norwegian writer Trove Gulbranssen, the old Dag appears as the main character, who adhered more to the principles of the world in his life than to God’s commands. Although he gained power and property, he gradually lost the love of people and the joy of life. Only the blows of fate will lead him to understand that the most important thing is victory over his own egoism, over himself. As he lay on his deathbed and felt the end coming, he called his bride to him and said to her: What we are trying to do, that is bliss in this life and not in eternity.

There is only one way to eternal bliss. A journey into the interior, through the goodness of the heart. The path to the meaning of life leads through reason and thoughts to God’s commandments. There is no other way besides Christ. There is no true and eternal bliss but Christ, his teaching, his commandments. You see, evaluating his life, even old Dag figured out that there is no other bliss besides God. Let us believe it and submit our thoughts, words, and deeds to this fact. In this spirit, let’s also live the coming week – and all the days of our lives that we still get as a gift from God.

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Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk: Methodius, Bishoop Lk 10,1-9

Posted on 13. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

St. Cyril and Methodius, bishop

Cyrillus et Methodius

5 July, celebration
Position: Missionaries and co-patrons of Europe
Deaths: 869 and 885
Patron: Europe; invoked as a shield in a storm

Attributes:

Cyril: book, monk, painting by P. Mary, box with remains; Methodius: angel, bishop with a crutch in the shape of the Greek letter Tau, ending in a cross, usually double, cloud, image of the last judgment or P. Mary carried with her brother, with him is most often depicted together, table

BIOGRAPHY

Both Thessaloniki native brothers worked for some time as missionaries to the Khazars in Crimea before they came to Great Moravia at the invitation of Prince Rostislav. From there, they returned with the remains of St. Pope Clement I, who they took to Moravia and later to Rome. Constantine compiled the Old Slavic script to evangelize Moravia and translated the liturgical books and the Holy Scriptures into the Slavic language. They took care of the education of their disciples and then, to solve three matters, went to Rome. There, 10-12 years younger, the brothers fell ill, took the name Cyril in the monastery, and died. Methodius returned as archbishop and experienced many difficulties, including prison and another accusation, which forced him to Rome again. He established a Moravian ecclesiastical province with a Slavic service. He died in Moravia.

BIOGRAPHY FOR MEDITATION

APOSTLES SLAVS

Birth brothers Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki (Thessalonica) to Maria and Leo, who were of noble birth and senior military officials of the province. Cyril’s name was Konstantin, and Methodius’s was Michal. They only changed their original names when they joined the order. Constantine was the youngest in the family, born in 827 as the seventh child.

His extraordinary talent for study soon became apparent, and at his father’s request, he went to Constantinople to study. He learned languages quickly, such as Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Slavic, Old Turkish, Arabic, and Gothic. From literature, he liked the writings of St. Gregory Naziansky. After his father’s death, the imperial administrator Theoktistos, the minister of Empress Theodora, showed interest in supporting his education. Among other knowledge, Constantine mastered theology and rhetorical readiness. He later became a professor of Christian philosophy and received the title of Philosopher for his achieved wisdom.

He could have a great career ahead of him, but he chose a spiritual state. As a deacon, he was a bibliographer and secretary to Patriarch Ignatius. He was ordained a priest in about 847.

When the Byzantine emperor Theophilus died in 842, his son and successor, Michael III, were only two years old. The widowed Theodora and Theoktistos, therefore, took over the regency government as executors of state policy.

According to his father’s wishes, Konstantin’s older brother Michal should have chosen a military career, but it was not the right path for him. At first, he was said to be in the civil administrative service for Slavs residing in the Byzantine Empire, but then he preferred religious life. About 840, he became a monk at the foot of Olympus in the Greek monastery of St. Basila vol. Polychron in Bithynia and took the name Methodius.

Constantine participated in a message to Arabia at the age of 24, advocating the teachings of the Christian faith, especially on the Holy Trinity, among the Saracens. He was probably in Baghdad. It is further stated that he went into seclusion in the monastery with his brother Methodius. With him, in 860, he was called on a missionary expedition to the Khazars in Crimea. He knew from the books that the body of Pope Clement I, who was drowned in the sea with an anchor around his neck, found and buried by the faithful, was to be buried near Kherson, but in turbulent times, his grave became unknown. The brothers saw him in the ruins of an old shrine on an island, picked up the remains, and took them with them.

So far, the Moravian prince Rostislav resisted raids from the East Franconian side, which were justified by efforts to spread Christianity. He was determined to get missionaries from somewhere other than the East Franconian empire. He wanted them to speak to the people in an understandable language. Therefore, around 861, he turned to the Pope in Rome and, in 862, to Emperor Michael III. He entrusted Constantine and Methodius with the task. The brothers prepared very responsibly.

Methodius, perhaps more spiritually, and Constantine for practical evangelization. He compiled an alphabet of 38 letters derived from Greek letters for the Slavs, which he called the Glagolitic script. He immediately translated the most important parts of the Holy Scriptures and the books of worship into Old Slavic speech. Regarding the compilation of Hadrian II, he later wrote that Cyril invented it through God’s grace and the intercession of St. Clement. Indeed, it was highly admirable how short a period it was possible to carry out the demanding preparatory work for the mission’s success. The synergy of work with prayer and blessing, for which we owe God, can be seen here.

At the Synod of Constantinople, Constantine simultaneously requested permission to elevate the Slavic language to a liturgical one. Thus, Slavic speech found itself among the languages that were considered sacred: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

In 863, Constantine and Methodius and their retinue came to Great Moravia. In addition to the treasure of faith and cultural values, they also brought the remains of St. Clement I, recalling the belonging and importance of communion with the victorious church.

Rostislav welcomed them with great joy, and they were very eager to introduce our ancestors to the basics of faith and to the glad tidings of God’s great love for us, sinful people. We do not know for sure where the primary residence of the Moravian princes was.

The Old Town in the Morava basin near Uherské Hradiště or Hradiště near Mikulčice is considered the most likely seat.

In Moravia, superstitions were widespread, pagan sacrifices were made, the sanctity of marriage was lacking, and infidelity was rampant. The Thessalonian heralds kindly addressed the people and showed them a reasonable path to God and mutual respect.

Raising house priests was also very important, but they could not yet be ordained. After three years of intensive activity, the brothers also had to solve other ecclesiastical-legal issues and decided to go to Rome to see the Pope. They embarked on the journey at the beginning of 867 or already in autumn, including the remains. They made a nice stop in Pannonia at the court of Pribin’s son Prince Kocel, who was enthusiastic about their evangelization program and asked that the best of the 50 young men be taken with them to Rome.

Pope Hadrian II came out to meet them with a procession. The remains of Clement were then kept in the basilica dedicated to him. Our heralds dealt with three main matters: the confirmation of Old Slavic speech in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, the ordination of disciples as deacons and priests, and the establishment of a separate hierarchy for Great Moravia, which would depend directly on the Pope.

Apparently, at Christmas 867, the Old Slavic Gospel was laid by the Pope in the basilica of (today’s ) Santa Maria Maggiore near the manger, and in this speech, Constantine celebrated the Holy Mass. There were new consecrations of clergy for Great Moravia, and the Pope decided to restore the Archbishopric of Sriemia with expansion into the territory of Pannonia and Moravia.

Constantine became seriously ill at the time and felt that he was at the end of his strength and unable to return. Therefore, he entered a Greek monastery, took religious vows, and took the name Cyril. He lived there until his death on 14. 2.869 and was then buried in the Basilica of St. Clement.

Methodius received priestly and eventually episcopal ordination in 868, with promotion to archbishop and papal legate for the Slavic peoples. On his return, he received from the Pope both a decree on spiritual function and letters for princes Rostislav, Svatopluk, and Kocel.

Along the way, however, he was captured on the instructions of the East Frankish bishops and taken to Bavaria with an escort. He was tried as an intruder, operating in a territory to which the East Franconian bishops had an exclusive right. However, Methodius defended himself that if it were such a right, he would immediately submit, but the decision-making belongs to the Apostolic Roman See, with whose consent he comes. Nevertheless, he was convicted and imprisoned in the Ellvangen monastery in Swabia for less than three years. Only then was he involved in the intervention of Pope John VIII. released and returned to Great Moravia in 873.

So far, Svatopluk has become the new ruler instead of Rostislav. He is reported to have had his uncle Rostislav blinded. Although he welcomed Methodius, he did not want to live according to his advice and committed moral lapses, for which Methodius admonished him. It was at the time of Methodius’ very successful missionary work in the mother tongue of the Slavs. In retaliation for the admonition, Svatopluk allowed the Frankish clergy to return and made Viching his advisor.

For the fact that Methodius did not submit to the prohibition of Slavic worship, handed down to him by Bishop Paul, he was accused in Rome at Viching’s instigation in 879 of covering up Greek delusion in incomprehensible language that his teachings were incorrect and that he worships in the Slavic language. Methodius arrived again in Rome, proved his orthodoxy there in the question of “coming out of the Holy Spirit,” even with the Greek formula “from the Father through the Son,” and gave the reasons for Slavic celebration. John VIII then established a Moravian ecclesiastical province with a Slavic service and reaffirmed Methodius as a valid archbishop. However, at Svatopluk’s request, he consecrated Methodius’ opponent, Viching, as bishop of Nitra.

After returning to Great Moravia, Methodius spread Christianity among the Czechs and Poles zealously, but he had enough difficulties. He also continued to translate the Bible and worship books in his last years. He died in Moravia on the 6th. 4. 885 Holy Mass was celebrated for him in three languages (Latin, Greek, and Slavic). He was buried in the main Moravian temple on the left side of the wall behind the altar of the Mother of God Mary, and the people cried during the funeral: “He was a leader for salvation to everyone!”

It is not yet known where this Marian temple stood. In 1970, an article was published in a Slovak archaeological magazine about the discovery of a skeleton in the masonry of the Great Moravian church in Uherské Hradiště – Sady. The buried person must have been more critical, but no more can be claimed.

After being expelled from Moravia, the Heralds’ students went to work in Bulgaria and Croatia, Pope Stephen VI banned the use of the Slavic language in the service 11 years after Methodius’ death.

Cyril and Methodius became our spiritual fathers, to whom we owe the Christian faith and culture, the acceptance of which placed us among the civilized nations. With the liturgy in the national language, they preceded the time by 11 centuries. After that, until II. The Vatican Council in 1962-65 proved to them that praising God in all local languages is appropriate during the liturgy.

In Moravia, both heralds were worshiped as patrons in the 14th century. The Cistercian church in Velehrad, consecrated in, became the center of respect. 1228. The official canonization took place in. 1880. Their memory was originally on the 20th. 3. In 1863, it was changed for the Czech lands and Slovakia by Pius IX. to celebrate 5. 7., while in the martyrology, the date of remembrance is 14 for the whole other church. 2. In 1863, Cyril and Methodius were declared patrons of all Slavic nations, and Pope John Paul II was 31. On 12 December 1980, he declared as co-patrons of Europe because, in addition to meriting culture, they fought for the unity of the Eastern and Western churches and showed the right way to the unification of Europe.

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Woman brings harmony to the world.

Posted on 12. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

 Without women, there would be no harmony in the world. Man and woman are not the same; neither is superior to the other, but it is a woman and not the man who brings harmony and beauty to the world. The story of the creation of man in the first book of the Old Testament says that the Lord created every kind of beast, but man did not find a companion in them, „feel himself“. God put Adam to sleep and formed a woman from his rib, whom the man recognized. However, before he saw her, he dreamed about her: to understand a woman first, it is necessary to dream about her. When we often talk about women, we talk about them from the point of view of their function: a woman’s role is to do this or that. On the contrary, a woman brings wealth that a man does not have: a woman brings harmony to creation. There is no woman, and there is no harmony. We say: it’s a company where a man has a strong position… However, a woman is missing. , Yes, yes: a woman is there to wash dishes, to do that…’ No, no, no: a woman’s job is to bring harmony. Without a woman, there is no harmony. [S men] are not the same; one is not superior to the other, and it is not. It’s just that a man doesn’t bring harmony: it’s her. It is she who brings harmony, who teaches us to caress, to love with tenderness, and who makes the world something beautiful. Three key moments result from the creation of man: they are the loneliness of man, the dream, and thirdly, the predestination of both: to be „one team . “

I will pass on the married couple he met here during the general audience and who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. I asked them: „Which of you had more patience?“They looked at me, into each other’s eyes – I’ll never forget those eyes – then looked back and told me, both at once: We’re in love. After sixty years, that means one body. And that’s what a woman brings: the ability to fall in love—harmony to the world. So many times we hear: , No, in this society, in this institution, a woman must be here to do that, to do that…’. No, no, no: functionality is not a woman’s goal. It is true that a woman has to do certain things and does them, just like all of us. However, the goal of a woman is to create harmony. Without a woman, there is no harmony in the world. Exploiting people is a crime of hurting humanity; that is true. However, exploiting women is much more: it means destroying the harmony that God wanted to give to the world. It means destroying. Exploiting a woman is not only „a crime“but also „destroying harmony.

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Homosexuals and the priesthood Francis is also against their ordinations. Some in the church consider it unfair

Posted on 11. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

What arguments does the Catholic Church use when it states in its documents that a homosexual should not be ordained as a priest?Thank you, together we are the strongest. And we have more to do! 💪 

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Although one can encounter the portrayal of Pope Francis as liberal, there are topics where he clearly prevents such an image. Such is the question of ordaining homosexuals as priests, which the Argentine pontifex has repeatedly spoken out against. The ban on consecrating gays came out during the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

Francis is repeatedly against it.

Pope Francis last May said members of the Italian bishops’ Conference not to allow homosexual men to enter the seminary and prepare for the priesthood. The Italian bishops considered accepting homosexuals into seminaries who commit to living celibacy in the same way as heterosexual candidates for the priesthood.

The Italian agency ANSA reported that the Pope did not take this path during the hour-and-a-half meeting with the bishops.

He allegedly expressed himself in such a sense that it is necessary to respect the homosexual who knocks on the door of the seminary, but at the same time, set boundaries and prevent the risk that a homosexual who chooses the priesthood could live a double life later.

According to the media, the Pope also complained about the excess of homosexuality in some Italian seminaries, allegedly using the term „frociaggine“, which has a derogatory meaning in Italian. The Vatican later apologized for these words.

Francis took the same position in the book Occupational Strength, where he expressed dissatisfaction that there was homosexuality among priests and consecrated persons and affirmed the position that homosexuals were not to be admitted to seminaries and monasteries.

František expressed his rejection of homosexuals in priestly seminaries, the media writes
Pope with Italian bishopsFrantišek expressed his rejection of homosexuals in priestly seminaries, the media writes.

The document also clearly speaks against the ordination of homosexuals. The Congregation for Clerics published the gift of vocation to the priesthood in 2016.

It says that the „ Church, although it profoundly respects the persons concerned, cannot admit to the seminary and ordinations those who practice homosexuality, show deep-rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called—homosexual culture.

The mentioned persons are in a situation that seriously prevents them from establishing proper relationships with men and women. The negative consequences that can result from the ordination of persons with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies cannot be overlooked.“

Priesthood requires maturity

Polish priest and psychologist Marek Dziewiecki, who was in charge of the pastoral care of vocations within Poland, in his text Candidates for the Priesthood and Homosexuality, which was published back in 2006, writes that it was under Benedict XVI that it was explicitly forbidden to ordain men with deep-rooted homosexual tendencies.

Dziewiecki describes this as a real revolution brought about by a special instruction of the Holy See. According to Dziewiecki, for two thousand years, there was no formal prohibition in the Catholic Church to ordain a homosexual as a priest.

The turning point occurred in 2005 when not only homosexual acts were officially recognized as an obstacle to priestly ordination but also the homosexual tendency of candidates for the priesthood and their connection with the so-called gay culture.

In November 2005, by order of Benedict XVI., she published Congregation for Catholic Education Instruction on the criteria for distinguishing the profession of persons with homosexual tendencies, about their admission to the seminary and admission to the sacred state. 

„ The Church, although it deeply respects the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary and ordinations those who practice homosexuality, show deep-rooted homosexual tendencies or support the so-called homosexual culture,“ writes the document.

Priestly service is a mission, not an occupation. Self-denial must also be taken into account
Sacrament of the sacred statePriestly service is a mission, not an occupation. Self-denial must also be taken into account.
Julia Kubic

The aforementioned Polish priest claims that the „emotional and sexual sphere is closely connected with other spheres of a person, especially with the sphere of relationships and values. These two spheres are like a mirror in which the entire history of human development and upbringing is reflected, as well as his current situation, especially relationships and values. Weakness or immaturity in any area of life inevitably leads to difficulties in the sexual area as well. Sexual problems are mostly secondary, which is why sexuality is the sixth, not the first commandment“.

Marek Dziewiecki says that homosexuality, for example, can block mature relationships with women and also prevent priests from having mature relationships with men. If a seminarian experiences difficulties in coping with his sex life, he has to honestly draw the attention of the confessor or spiritual guide to this problem in conversations.

„This is a strict moral obligation when the problems are very serious ( for example sexual intercourse or homosexual tendencies and even more actions). As a rule, such situations are a clear sign that the candidate should leave the seminary,“ claims the Polish priest.

According to Priest Dziewiecki, the opportunity to continue seminary formation can be given to those who understand that sexual problems mean that they struggle to some extent in other areas of their lives as well when they cooperate with the formators in the seminar, and when you see the positive development in the sexual sphere associated with a change in behavior in this area.

According to church documents, if homosexuality is deeply rooted in a candidate for the priesthood, his spiritual leader and confessor have a duty in conscience to dissuade him from ordination. Suppose homosexual tendencies are only a manifestation of a temporary problem, such as an unfinished process of adolescence and the like. In that case, such tendencies must be overcome at least three years before ordination.

Cardinal Mueller sees a correlation between pedophilia and homosexuality

The prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, also declared in 2018 that if someone has clear and persistent homosexual tendencies, he cannot become a priest, and it is an irreparable obstacle to ordination.

In the book Christ is Always Modern with the Polish author Pal Lisickýthey also talked about homosexuality. The prefect emeritus sees a strong correlation between homosexual tendencies and pedophilia, although he emphasizes that it is not the same thing.

„You can’t argue with the facts. They say that in eighty percent the sexual victims of priests were young men and boys. This means that the vast number of cases of pedophilia is supported by a homosexual tendency.“ However, the cardinal added in one breath that this does not mean that all homosexuals have pedophile tendencies.

„This solution is fully justified by the current situation. It follows directly from the fact that the priest must be a spiritual father,“ argued the cardinal.

Homosexuality is only one of the obstacles.

In discussed Instructions, it is also reported from 2005 that the obstacle to priestly ordination is not only actions and/or deep homosexual tendencies but also the spread of so-called gay „culture. “

The rector of the priestly seminary in Nitra, Marián Dragúň, states that a man with the qualities required by the church, which are publicly known from church documents, can enter the seminary.

Homosexuality is thus only one of several obstacles to the priesthood. Marek Dziewiecki reminds us that the norms of the church do not only deal with sexual orientation. The church does not even accept people who have not passed the high school diploma, have serious health problems, or have issues with drugs and alcohol.

„ No one has the right to the priesthood, it is a gift and a secret that is verified in the community of the church,“ emphasizes the rector of the Nitra seminary, where they also follow the mentioned documents during the formation of priests.

Will they ordain homosexuals in Italy? Bishops correct media reports on new rules
New guidelines for Italian seminars: will they ordain homosexuals in Italy? Bishops correct media reports on new rules.

We also asked the rector from Nitra, Marián Dragúň, and the rector of the Košice seminary, Štefan Novotný, whether the sexual orientation of the candidates is somehow determined when entering the seminary.

„Seminarists during the formation period are led to clearly distinguish their prerequisites for performing priestly service. They also address the issue of their sexual identity and ability to live their lives celibate in face-to-face conversations with formators on both the internal and external forums. For seminarians, sincerity in formation conversations and openness to truth are assumed, without which the entire formation would lose its importance. Seminarians use the opportunity to consult their problems with a psychologist,“ says Dragúň.

He adds that the specific application of the guidance of church documents in this area is very delicate and requires a personal approach to the candidate in the discernment process.

Štefan Novotný says that the issue of orientation is part of an oral interview, as well as the testimonies they give about the candidate, for example, in the parish or the community in which he lives.

„Psychological tests do not distinguish sexual orientation, they can only diagnose symptoms of problems, for example, suppression, avoidance, etc. A prerequisite for good preparation for priestly service is the candidate’s sincerity towards himself and others, the Lord God in the first place, self-knowledge and self-acceptance,“ explains Rector Novotný with that, that if there is a deficit of sincerity in formation, sooner or later it will take revenge.

„ The first victim will be the candidate himself and then another in his vicinity. Man is an intelligent creature, and the more intelligent he is, the sooner he will deceive others and himself. The lie has short legs, so great emphasis is placed on sincerity in the formation. I don’t know anything better and more effective in formation,“he says.

The world of Christianity also approached some psychologists who work in priestly seminaries with the question of whether they can find out homosexual orientation and how it is detected.

However, they did not want to talk about the topic so as not to provide details about the creation of assessments publicly.

However, the psychologist primarily assesses the emotional and personal maturity of the candidate, and admission or non-admission to the seminary is decided by the leaders of the seminary, respectively the diocesan bishop, based on the results.

All priests must observe celibacy, say opponents of the ban on gay ordination

However, there are also opinions in the church that homosexual orientation should not be an obstacle to ordination if such a priest observes celibacy.

The Czech Salesian priest Michal Martinek also thinks about the meaning of this ban. In the text on your website, he admits that this ban has a kind of logic in the original motivation, which was that sexual scandals were committed in the church mainly by such oriented priests. „ However, heterosexual priests also commit abuse,“ Martinek points out with concrete examples.

He adds that most priests from both groups do not abuse anyone but try to observe the commitment to celibacy faithfully.

Martinek admits that there are more homosexuals in percentage among priests than in the general population because orientation may be one of the reasons that lead a young man to the priesthood. „He knows he would never marry, and in a celibate priesthood he sees a natural way to fulfill life.“

According to Martinek, the order of the church only leads to the fact that if a homosexual wants to become a priest, he must remain silent about it, which leads to hypocrisy, and it is not suitable for the church either.

Polish priest Dziewiecki even doubts that ordination is valid in such a case.

Martinek also disagrees with the argument that homosexuality prevents mature relationships with both men and women. He says that he also knows heterosexual priests who fear women for celibacy and fight for power in male society.

„ These are all reasons why I find Pope Benedict’s order unfortunate. It would seem much better to me if future priests could reflect on their orientation responsibly and, in the case of homosexual orientation, also freely and publicly admit it. In this way, they would then be accepted by their bishop and their parishioners; the obligation of celibacy would apply to them in the same way as to a heterosexual priest. With all the struggles and crises associated with it,“ concludes Martinek.

Sexual orientation as a stop sign to the priesthood is not correct, even according to the interviewed psychologist, who did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the topic. She has experience with the psychological assessments of seminarians.

„ Rather, it is good to consider how negatively the identity crisis of a given person affects the ability to lead a consecrated life,“he says. He points out that the priest is committed to celibacy anyway, and every priest has the same temptations.

„What should probably weigh in order to enter the priesthood, in my opinion, is really the degree of maturity of the man in question, or to what extent a possible identity crisis enables or, on the contrary, indisposes a person to the priestly state,“ adds the psychologist.

On the contrary, the rector of the priestly seminary in Košice, Štefan Novotný, when asked why a homosexual-sentient man could not be a priest, answers that „church documents are created on the basis of long-term experience from dioceses, which is comprehensively reflected. And it seems that the experience collected from all over the world does not confirm the suitability or sustainability of such a solution“.

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We must seek God, comfortable peace is false.

Posted on 10. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

If we want to meet God, we have to take risks and go on a journey because a comfortable Christian will never know God’s face. Based on today’s reading from the Book of Genesis (Gn 1,20-2,4), which talks about the creation of man in God’s image, we think about the right and wrong path for a Christian who wants to know his identity. He cannot sit in a comfortable chair and flip through a book because no encyclopedia contains a „ God“ image. He will not find God’s image even in a computer. Nor is it reflected in comfortable obedience to rules that have nothing to do with God, said the Holy Father.

Kit will not set out on a journey, it will never recognize the form of God, it will never find God’s face. Sitting Christians, comfortably idle Christians, do not recognize God’s face. They don’t know him. They say: ‚God is so, so…‘ But they don’t know him. Furthermore, they are comfortable. For walking, the restlessness that God himself has placed in our hearts and that drives us forward to seek him is necessary. Let us consider the right and wrong image of God. Embark on a journey where God or life will test us. Risking, overcoming dangers, and feeling infirmity and small-mindedness from fatigue, great men like the prophet Elijah, Jeremiah, and Job also struggled in this way.

Then there is another way: to remain in comfortable peace and, therefore, to falsify the search for God. Based on the Gospel episode (Mk 7.1-13), in which the scribes and Pharisees accuse Jesus of why his disciples eat without observing ritual purification: In the Gospel, Jesus meets people who are afraid to go on a journey who come to terms with a particular caricature of God. It’s a fake ID. These unsettling silenced the restlessness of the heart, painted God with commandments, and forgot God. ‚ Neglecting God’s commandments, you follow human traditions.‘ And so they turn away from God, do not walk towards God, and invent or do another commandment when they have some uncertainty.

People who behave like this are on the road only in quotation marks; it is a road on which they are not moving anywhere. Today, the liturgy forces us to think about these two texts, two identity cards. About the one we all have, because the Lord created us that way, and who tells us: ‚ Get up, and you will know your identity, because you are God’s image, you are made in the likeness of God. Get up and seek God.‘ And about the latter: ‚No, stay satisfied. Fulfill all these commands, this is God, this is God’s face.‘ – May the Lord give us all the grace of courage to always go on the path to seek the Lord’s face, that face that one day we will see, but that we have to look for here on Earth.

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A Priest Who Struggled with Inner EmptinessI Seeked Fulfillment in Work, Movies, and Alcohol. It Was Only an Intervention from Above That Helped Me.

Posted on 9. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

He fasted from bad habits for nine months because that’s how long human life develops in the mother’s womb. He repeated it three times until he decided to end them altogether. Jesuit Matej Kasan describes his journey to living a whole

I sought fulfillment in work, movies, and alcohol. It was only through intervention from above that I was helped.
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 Thank you, together we are the strongest. And we can do even more! 💪 

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Thanks to you, we can continue our mission – to do quality journalistic work and defend a conservative view of the world and the pro-Western direction of Slovakia.

 It is not enough to just be against it, we must do more today, because it is also about the future of Slovakia, where we and our children will live well.

It’s not an uncommon experience. A person feels something is missing but can’t name it. They can’t solve it yet. So they start filling the feeling of emptiness or incompleteness with some superficial substitute – for example, excessive work performance or alcohol.

Matej Kasan, a 44-year-old priest from the Society of Jesus, also went through a similar experience. Although it is a sensitive topic, encouraged by those around him, he decided to speak publicly.

He believes his story is proof that God does not leave anyone alone in their problems, and his testimony can be helpful to those who are going through a similarly tricky path.

Help from a psychologist.

Father Matej comes from the Orava village of Vavrečka. There is no shortage of spiritual vocations in the extended family: in addition to him, three uncles became priests (the late Jozef Kasan, Benedictine Vladimír Kasan, and Anton Kasan, who works in Moravia), two cousins ​​(Dávid Sklárčik, chaplain in the parish of Vysoké Tatry, and Marek Poláčik, who works in the Hradec Králové diocese), and cousin Mária Cecília joined the cloistered Dominicans in Rome.

From childhood, he had the example of a large Catholic family and a devoted priestly life before him. He was attracted to both life paths, but gradually, the priestly one increasingly prevailed.

The turning point was the people’s missions led by the Jesuits in their parish. The searching young man was invited to spiritual exercises on vocational discernment with Father Ladislav Šofrank, who would become his spiritual guide in the following period.

After graduating from secondary vocational school in Nižná and a year of employment, during which his spiritual vocation matured, Matej finally joined the Jesuits in 1999. During his religious formation, he spent two years on missions in Kazakhstan and later completed his so-called third probation in Chile.

In 2010, he was ordained a priest; he spent most of his time as a spiritual administrator and later as the director of the Family Assistance Center in Trnava. He is currently serving as the rector of the Church of the Holy Savior in Bratislava for the third year.

“Although I always did everything the way I was taught and to the best of my ability, I constantly experienced a certain incompleteness, disharmony on the physical, spiritual and mental levels. I had no remorse for not doing what I should or for doing too little, I just didn’t do it comprehensively and with ease,” Father Matej reflects on himself years later.

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When people with similar feelings about life came to him, he didn’t know what to advise them because he wasn’t clear on how to live a qualitatively better life. Over time, he realized that he lacked a deeper connection with himself, ultimately affecting his relationship with God and his religious mission.

He sees his inability to name and express the emotions he was experiencing inside as one of his main problems. “I didn’t know where and in what form to do it. I functioned the way I was raised – I have to fulfill my duties, because I will be rewarded for good deeds and punished for bad ones. That drove me to perform for the sake of merit. But no one was interested in what I was experiencing inside, how I felt, what my needs were, what I enjoyed. And I didn’t know how to express and implement it myself.”

He had struggled with these feelings during his religious formation and spoke openly about them with his superiors. “When they saw that they couldn’t help me on their own, I decided to go to a psychologist, which wasn’t exactly common at the time. I appreciated it all the more that they allowed me to do so.”

A psychologist advised him to work with his emotions based on what he liked and what fulfilled him. So, he started dancing and writing poems.

When asked how the superiors reacted to his request for permission to sign up for a dance course and whether they saw it as the first step towards leaving the monastery, he answers: “The late Father Viliam Karľa told me then: We trust you, we will not prevent you. After all, if you are going to leave, you will leave anyway. But if it is supposed to help you find yourself and stay, and we are going to prevent you from doing so, we will achieve the exact opposite.”

However, Matej not only did not leave, but after a short time, he realized that he felt much better, lived in greater harmony, and could cope with daily duties more efficiently, which his superiors noticed and appreciated. “After all, I still felt that God was touching me with the assurance that He wanted me here and was serious about me, I just needed to find some inner balance,” he explains.

However, anyone thinking this will solve their problems once and for all would be mistaken. Life is too complex and fragile to have simple and permanent solutions.

Getting in touch with yourself

Even though Matej learned to process and express his emotions better over the years, he still felt a sense of incompleteness. “Something was missing and I didn’t know what it was exactly. With one foot I was in a monastery and fulfilling my mission, but with the other I felt like I was somewhere in a family that I had renounced out of love for God, but something still drew me to it. I couldn’t deal with it, it bothered me for years,” he admits.

Gradually, these rituals became an integral part of every evening. He realized that it did not make him free or happy and that it would be best to stop drinking. “But at the same time, I told myself that alcohol was part of life, because so many people drink, that it was a gift from God that should not be rejected, but only used wisely. Although I myself was not able to do that at all.”

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He finally got to the point where he looked up tests online to see if he was still an alcoholic. “I realized I had this addiction and that I needed to do something about it. But I didn’t know how.”

But again, God’s guidance – and psychology – helped him. “Since I worked at the Family Assistance Center and our Jesuit permanent formation includes continuous education, I did two three-year therapeutic trainings. Both were focused on personal growth in the family and relationships within it. This is where my eyes began to open in a deeper self-knowledge and in getting to know my family and its broader background.”

Matej realized two critical things. The first concerned his father, who had died at a relatively young age before his priestly ordination, which he had been looking forward to. From childhood, he had observed a deeply rooted pattern of behavior in which the reward for a full day’s work was alcohol and television.

The second thing that concerned the mother was the missing relationship bond.

“The Lord God entered this awareness of my previously unknown connections completely, directly and openly. During a pilgrimage in Rome, I felt God’s invitation in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to fast from alcohol and tobacco. At first, I thought about forty days, but God wanted nine months from me. I realized that this is exactly how long human life develops in the mother’s womb and that God also wants to create something new in me during the nine months. It was so strong that I stopped drinking and smoking from one day to the next,” Matej describes an essential moment in his life.

In addition to fasting, he read a professional publication about the developmental stages of pregnancy, which described the gradual development of the conceived child, as well as the transformations of the mother.

“I started talking to my mother about it, although it was more difficult at first, because we weren’t used to such mutual emotional openness. After all, our parents’ generation was taught only to work hard, they were grateful when their children were healthy and had the basic things for life, there was no talk of any emotional experience and mental health at that time. During this fasting period, mothers with problems during pregnancy also started to approach me to accompany them spiritually, which also strengthened me a lot in my attitude.”

During this time of mutual rapprochement, Matej’s mother was diagnosed with a rapidly progressing cancer – she died just a few days after her son’s nine-month fast ended. “I saw that time together as a huge gift from God for both of us. This experience moved me forward a lot, but it was not yet complete.”

Either – or

After a short time, everything went back to normal – Matej was drinking and smoking in front of the TV every day. “But God visited me again and I repeated this type of fasting again. And then again, three times in total, each time with an interval of two years. I went through a seven-year process, during which I discovered that I have phases when I can go without drinking for a long time, but that when I do drink, I can’t drink in moderation.”

Based on the knowledge gained during therapeutic training, he repeatedly tried to “recode” his inherited relationship with alcohol into a different kind of experience – he went to nature, rode a horse, shot a bow, swam, shared his emotional world with close friends… It was all fine; it helped him maintain inner harmony, but it did not solve his alcohol habit.

“I became increasingly aware that I had a crucial choice: either – or. Either I would continue to drink, even though it no longer pleased me at all, but, on the contrary, was killing me, or I would quit for good and not drink at all.”

As many times before, God stepped into this situation with his invitation. “But this time it’s completely different,” emphasizes Matej, who every year draws a patron saint on the website of the Sisters of Mercy. This was also the case in 2022 when Our Lady of Guadalupe accompanied him.

“On her feast day, December 12, I woke up and gained a strong conviction that she loved me like a mother and longed for my love. This thrilled me so much that I finally stopped drinking and smoking because of her. More than two years have passed since then and I am happy, internally free, I don’t miss it at all.”

Really? I tempt Father Matej with my question. He admits that sometimes he smells good tobacco or quality cognac on the street, which someone opens at a celebration, but he is no longer tempted to taste it. “What would I get from that? A momentary pleasure that would disrupt the harmony that I have been experiencing for two years?” he answers with rhetorical counter-questions.

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Despite this victory, he does not feel at the finish line. “I am still only on the road. I am currently experiencing God’s invitation to deeply internalize my relationship with him in the form of silent prayer of listening. So that my prayer is not just a performance or a pendant separated from the spirit. Saint Teresa of Avila is a good guide for me,” Matej explains.

But he also listens to other holy guides. “Saint Catherine of Siena inspired me to start going to pediatric oncology to accompany young patients and their parents. Saint Veronica, in turn, leads me to reflect more on the face of Christ and to find it in others.”

But she still keeps her feet firmly on the ground – she continues to swim, go to nature, ride horses, and dance. And she tries to face new challenges. “Lately, I’ve become more aware of the subconscious pride inside me. I’m also trying to find a way to be true to myself and to others – to be able to tell them the truth, even if it’s unpleasant, but in a way that doesn’t hurt them.”

After quitting alcohol and tobacco a few months ago, he also quit coffee. “I try to listen to my body more – when I’m tired, I’d rather rest than get high on coffee, which may boost my short-term performance, but eventually I’ll feel exhausted. I think this approach also helps me be more open and free of spirit.”

Thanks to repeated ups and downs, Father Matej Kasan does not give the impression of a man who has once and for all found the right guide to life. On the contrary, he constantly thinks about how to live correctly. He is all too aware of how winding the paths of life are. “But I walk much better now that I don’t have that pesky stone in my shoe anymore,” he concluded.

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