predication.net

In this lecture, we will try to answer theoretically and at least partially
the question of the cause of human suffering; in the conclusion we shall find that the answer is not so simple as it appears to us after the first two paragraphs. This question is sufficiently well known, and it is the usual beginning of the discussion between atheists and Christians. It reads as follows: If there is a God , how come, that there is so much suffering in the world? The dialogue goes like this: Is God good? The atheist asks. Surely yes, replies the Catholic. Does God love man? Of course. Is God omnipotent? Certainly. Then why doesn’t he do something about the wars!!!
The atheist triumphs. The main point is obvious: If God is omnipotent
and merciful, why does he let innocent people suffer? Why are there gulags in Siberia, Terezin, Dacha u or Auschwitz? If God is omnipotent and merciful, why did He allow rape in Croatia, war in Kosovo, genocide in Chechnya, killing in Rwanda, hatred in Ireland, the attacks in Palestine and the slaughter in Somalia? God is in the position of a father, before whose eyes his own child is being abused and tortured, can he prevent it, and he will do nothing at all. Yet he claims to love his child. The conclusion is clear: either God is merciful but not omnipotent, or he is almighty but not merciful, or he does not exist at all.
So we come to the problem of suffering. We partly know the answer to this question, and partly we do not. Relatively easier to more easily explained by pointing to the freedom of man: God loves and desires to be loved. Man is created for love. He is loved by love, and he loves and the capacity to love. For love to be possible, there must be freedom. Freedom and love are two sides of the same coin; if I do not have freedom, I cannot love. In this sense I cannot love, for example, an animal. Love is a very voluntary thing, and you cannot force someone into it. If I as a human being (or an angel) have the freedom to love, I must necessarily also have the freedom to not love, to deny love. If I could not to choose between loving and not loving, it would not be possible to speak of love. It is a kind of cosmic law. So I can decide either to love, or to hate, or to be indifferent to . God gives us freedom ; and what he gives, he never takes back. If I choose evil, God respects my decision. Because man has freedom (and reason), he has, of course, responsibility. Gulags Someone had to invent them, someone had to build the camps, and someone had to someone had to kill them. It was men, not God. Wars are the responsibility of the people who invented and implemented them. Because these architects of wars are free, they are responsible for what they caused. The only reproach we can address to God is why God created man so ineptly.

Thus, we can explain the suffering caused by humans by pointing to the man’s freedom and the responsibility that results. What we cannot explain, however, is suffering not caused by man. Earthquakes in Turkey and India, volcanic eruptions and lava and mudslides in Central America, floods in Bangladesh and hurricanes in Cuba, cancer, AID Sand polio : who is responsible?
The ancient Israelites, in the early days of their history, saw things much more simply: whoever is godly and righteous, the Lord blesses. Yes , numerous family and wealth are a sure sign of God’s blessing. On the contrary, sickness, barrenness and poverty are seen as signs of God’s adversity, as punishment for sins. Yet in the New Testament, Christ’s disciples ask in the story of the blind man: “Rabbi, who sinned – he or his parents – that he was born blind? ” and Jesus has to laboriously explain that this is how it is not , that sickness is not a punishment for a person’s sins. Even the Israelites themselves in the course of their history begin to realize that the original theory has serious cracks: there are so many wicked and rich around us and so many godly and poor. The Psalms therefore often say: O God, where is your righteousness? How is it that the godly are doing badly and, conversely, the wicked do well?
The problem of the meaning of human suffering is the subject of an entire Old Testament Book of Job. Since there are a number of very good commentaries on this book, we will try to reflect only on the main idea and leave aside the bulk of the book, which is the dialogue of Job and with his friends. J o b is a righteous and godly man, and therefore it is no wonder that the Lord blesses him. J o b has seven sons, a prosperous farm, and numerous flocks. But the devil comes to the Lord, and the Lord boasts before him Job’s piety. The devil replies, “Is Job free to fear God? And hast thou not thyself made a hedge as it were about him, about his house, and about all his goods? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his flocks have flooded the wide land. But stretch forth thine hand, and smite all his goods, lest he curse thee to thy face. Then the Lord arranges with the devil that they will make a trial. The devil may do anything, but he must not touch Job’s health. And so come the familiar rumors of Job; one by one messengers come to Job with bad news: the enemies have driven away the flocks and have slain.
The house where Job’s children were feasting has collapsed, and they are all dead, other enemies have driven away other flocks, and so on. In a matter of minutes, the wealthy shepherd becomes a poor man without a family. Job, however, does not sin against God in any way and says: The Lord has given, The Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord! The devil therefore agrees with the Lord that he will now reach out for Job’s health, and he receives permission from God that he can do anything, but he must spare Job’s life. And so he does. Satan moves away from before the Lord’s face and strikes Job with a cruel boil from the heel of his feet to the crown of his head. So Job took a shard to give him something to scrape off, and he retreated to a garbage dump. The whole book then continues with a visit from Job’s friends, who try to somehow justify to him his suffering.

Please note that Job has not actually done anything wrong, it is only the reader sees behind the scenes to heaven and earth and hears from above the Lord’s dialogue with the devil and from below Job’s conversation with his friends. Job doesn’t know what’s going on in heaven has happened, he sees only his misfortune, and throughout the entire book – over forty for  chapters – he only cries out to God : “Why? ” – and his question remains unanswered.
J o b finally comes out of the ordeal successfully. It turns out that his piety was conditioned neither by wealth, nor by health, nor by joy of the family. In the conclusion of the book of Pc7″ he blessed the end of Job’s life more than his beginning, so that he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of horned farm animals, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters,  and after that Job lived another hundred and forty years and saw his children and his children’s children to the fourth generation. And Job died, old and full (of his) days. Yes , Job died old and full of his days, but his suffering remained unexplained. On Job’s o ‘why? ” God and even the book does not answer. Nor do we hear the answer in the New Testament, for even Christ himself did not take away the suffering of man. It is true that where Jesus comes, there he heals, cures, revives, gives sight to the blind and speech to the dumb. But not permanently. All whom Christ heals will eventually die, as other people die. Neither Lazarus of Bethany nor the young man of Naima are not excluded from the lot of other men. Jesus did not even explain the suffering. The problem of human suffering remains unanswered to this day and has resisted the consideration of theologians throughout the ages. Can I therefore make this chapter conclude with Blaise Pascal, who says that Jesus did not eliminate or explain suffering, but carried it with us.

You know people around you who often grumble about their lives. You know about their troubles that weigh them down… And actually we don’t even have to go far, because each of us has our own cross. Crosses are different, just like people’s attitudes towards their sufferings. We often hear from our non-believing brothers: “How can you believe today, at a time of such progress?” And some will even say: “If God shows me a miracle, I will believe too.”

Today we heard words that invite a slightly different way of thinking when Jesus says that the crowd will not be heard. “He (representation) asks for a sign, but he does not receive a sign other than the sign of Jonah” (Lk 11:29). God offers a miracle, a sign to the one who believes in him. God‘s word as it is offered to us by St. Luke presents us with Jesus, who is on his way to Jerusalem. This journey takes him a very long time, it stretches almost through the entire Gospel. Not because Jesus did not know how to find the way, but because of his love for people, especially when he saw all the misery of people. One of the events that happened during the journey is a dispute that arose between the listeners and the Teacher himself. When the crowd began to gather, Jesus declared the generation evil. Why? Because he is asking for a sign. What kind of sign it was, follows from the event before, but also from the character of the whole Gospel. The crowds wanted to see a miracle as proof of Jesus’ Divinity. However, Jesus gives an answer that does not lose its authenticity even today. He offers them a sign through the figure of the prophet Jonah. This “man of penance” was cast into the underworld through a great fish. But God kept him there for three days. And he delivered him again. Christ suffered for us on the cross, died, was buried in the grave. But God resurrected him after three days to live and overcome death.

Doesn’t the message of faith from God Himself sound to us today? “Believe and you will see miracles”, not: “here is a miracle and believe” . Let’s look at Jesus’ contemporaries. Were all those who saw signs and wonders converted? Has God won all his listeners? Not.

In the world today, there is an opinion that evil is winning in the world. Let’s look at those parts of the world where Christians are persecuted by Muslims. Inhuman treatment, abuse and cruel humiliation, even killing. What miracle do these Christians see that they continue to be Christians? They believe that Jesus is the one who has the last word in the world . Their hope is the cross, this sign of hope even in such a sea of ​​pain. We do not have to face such a threat. Well, let’s notice the example of trust, which in itself – if it is sincere, is a miracle. Whoever wants to experience miracles in his life, should not be afraid to open to Christ. He takes nothing away, but perfects everything in us.

Let us pray: Almighty God, we thank you for creating us. Teach us to trust you. In the time of trials, especially help us to believe and thus receive a sign. After all, you have already given us the greatest sign: yourself for us

We have certainly experienced many moments in our lives when we don’t want anything, and we don’t succeed in anything! Then we take everything, even with prayer, as a burden, something we “have to” and not what we want! Jesus said to the apostles: “You will pray like this:” (Mt 61,9).

He speaks to prayer! And not just any prayer, but about the prayer of Jesus. If we read carefully not only today’s Gospel, but all four Gospels where the life of Jesus is described, we see Jesus in them praying often. He prays with them, in front of them. He prays not because he wants to teach them how to pray, not because he wants to give them a “good example.” It is a spontaneous, ever-present expression of his union with the Father because it is his own.

And this inner devotion, and warmth shine through his entire external actions, attitude, and style, and he is always an example. It is the same when praying alone, with disciples, or among crowds. But his prayer excites the disciples. After all, they were men of prayer, but they did not yet know how to pray and beg and did not hear. That’s why they beg him: “Lord, teach us to pray as you do!” Jesus says: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”(Matthew 6:8). He teaches them the “Our Father” prayer, which consists of one address and six petitions. The first expresses our interest in God’s kingdom, which will be among us if we do God’s will. The others express our desire for bread, forgiveness, and protection from sin, that is the desire for what we require daily to be able to fulfill God’s wishes and thereby bring God’s kingdom closer.

This text is shorter in Luke than in Matthew, but it does not change the fact that even though we have it in two variations, God is here for us as a Father, a representative of justice and love, gratitude and mercy. With this prayer of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus indicated that the requests we present to God should be humble like the requests of subjects when they stand before the king, trusting like the requests of children when they stand before their father, and benevolent like the requests of those who have decided to help as many of them as possible, and they should also be persistent.

How is my prayer? Do I pray at all? And when I pray, what do I experience? Isn’t there a kind of superficiality or mendacity? Of course, we all know how to “recite” this prayer by heart from a young age, but how many times have we tried to address our Father with it in sincerity, humility, trust, and the silence of our hearts? Let us never forget and remember that if we say the words of the prayer to our Father, we open the way to his heart! Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us pray with joy in our hearts, religiously, sincerely, persistently, and with the most significant trust and then so that we can look forward to meetings with Him! Let’s start today!

How far am I from God? How do I live my faith? Am I a Christian only in church? At the end of time, Jesus will separate, “He will put the sheep on the right and the goats on the left!”

The Indian philosopher Rabindranath Tagore brought back not-very pleasant impressions from his travels in Europe. He claims that in Europe he encountered Christianity on Sundays and holidays and paganism on other days of the week. He did not see the connection between religion and life in Europe. In many ways, the Church is perceived more or less as something decorative, an ornament for life. He, therefore, acquired the conviction that faith becomes only a memory of the past, of the cult of ancestors, it is not actively accepted today, it is not approached in time, and what is said about it is not drawn from it. He did not have the feeling, from meetings with Christians, that faith is something that enriches. All this is because even though people say they are religious, they don’t live according to it. They also believe in God and serve mammon.

The experience of this philosopher is a challenge for us to make a transformation in our spiritual life during Lent. Lent is a time to reanalyze your life as a Christian and give yourself an answer to questions of such content: How far am I from God? How do I live my faith? Am I a Christian only in church? A sincere return, an inner transformation during these Lenten days of renewal, may it lead us to the mountain of Transfiguration to experience our inner transformation. We get to know the experience of prayer, reception of the sacrament, and other values ​​offered by the Church when we find enough time for them. The inner experience of faith cannot be gained by running, hurrying, calculating a limited time, calculating… The event from the mountain reminds us that neither the natural nor the supernatural plane should be underestimated when experiencing a transformation. The experience of transformation must presuppose two worlds: human and divine.

The world needs a different experience than the conclusion of the last decade of the twentieth century. Between 1990 and 2000, wars killed up to 2 million children, 27 million ad, and cults and 35 million people had to flee their homes. The study further states that in the 1990s, they registered 56 wars (armed conflicts with more than 1,000 casualties) in 44 countries.

Who is on one side, and who is on the other side? Who is the sheep, and who is the goat? Wars are not just about killing with guns. Who is he murdering spiritually? Where do we want to go after the trial? We decide for ourselves today. Isn’t Lent my war with me? We certainly remember such facts that should cause pain. God in human flesh, Jesus Christ, came for a different life and different experiences. It is time to contribute to other experiences in our lives during Lent. 

It can be said about Lent that we experience it more and most in the spirit of faith. From the sprinkling of ashes to Easter ceremonies, even those who practice less faith are more receptive, at least to some practices of faith. More attention is paid to the Church in mass media, and interviews, but also the idea of ​​self-denial or sin. Those who feel more Christian will find time for the Stations of the Cross, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, whether they will engage in acts of penance, Fridays without meat, denying themselves something, renouncing something permitted and plea, sent, and thinking more about their salvation. They are certain experiences.

Jesus, when he says: “The healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick… I did not come…” (Lk 5:32), speaks to us when we feel our illness – sin. Faith is also grounded in experiences. Believing also means to meet God and making ourselves available to him. Therefore, meeting God has the power that a person can change. During Lent, especially believers, we feel and realize the need to change our lives, to leave the path of sin, and to make amends. Therefore, the event of the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus on the mountain, in fasting is a significant help, an inspiration, to give God what belongs to God. The transfiguration of the Lord is a call to return to God. We get the opportunity to prove that we want to live in eternity with God.

Ernest Psichari, the grandson of the famous Renan, as commander of the French Foreign Legion, survived the desert storm. Shaken within by this experience, when the storm ceased, he fell on his knees, surrounded by his soldiers, and cried out with a loud voice: “Lord, there is a God!” I believe in His existence.” Then he traveled to Paris and was baptized in the church of the Dominican fathers. Jakub Maritain was his godfather. The storm in the desert was an experience for him, a manifestation of God’s love, which touched the depths of his inner life and caused a change in his life. Not only the return but other things subsequently that speak of his true living Christianity. He was healed of the diseases of sin. He became, as he says, happy.

Lent also invites us to think about ourselves. To allow God to touch our insides with a certain experience. It is also necessary and important for us to have our eyes, ears, and hearts open, to be receptive, and  sensitive to inspirations, meetings, things, and events. Hopefully have time for a serious study about God, man, missi, on and purpose or meaning of life. To extinguish the desire for happiness that burns his heart, he must direct his steps to Christ. Jesus is always nearby. Our life is a constant encounter with Jesus. That is why it is significant to realize the significance of the event of the transformation on the mountain.

Lent is a time to reanalyze your life as a Christian and give yourself an answer to questions of such content:
How far am I from God?
How do I live my faith?
Am I a Christian only in church?

A sincere return, an inner transformation during these Lenten days of renewal, may it lead us to the mountain of Transfiguration to experience our inner transformation.

Before we get to the election of Matthew, let’s stop at the person of Judas, as Luke presents him in the Gospel and Acts. Jesus himself chose him from among his many disciples into the group of the Twelve, whom he called apostles (Lk 5:13f). In the Passion narrative, we read that Judas, into whom Satan entered (Lk 22:3), led those who came to capture Jesus and betrayed him with a kiss (Lk 22, 47-48). Of the Gospels, only Matthew speaks of Judas’ death (Mt 27, 3-10).

Marek and John are silent about his tragic end. Lukáš mentions him for the last time in the Acts in today’s reading. However, the lectionary omits the mention of death, which is a shame, because we would see that church tradition actually preserved two versions. According to the Acts, he died by falling head down. More important than the manner of death is the iniquity (Acts 1:18) that he committed. More importantly, God can correct the consequences of even the greatest betrayal.

WITH Peter, who now initiates the filling of Judas’ place in the congregation of the Twelve, knows about this. His place was about to be replaced because he betrayed Jesus. He was weak, even the weakest, he made a big mistake, but he was forgiven. Therefore, he can testify to others that Jesus is faithful, even if we are unfaithful (Fausti, 64-65). Peter argues with the words of Scripture: “Let another take over his office.” (Psalm 109:8).

It is necessary to restore the number of the Twelve because it is through them that God wants to address the message of salvation to the twelve tribes of Israel, which will gather at Pentecost in Jerusalem (Fitzmyer, 221). Who is a more suitable candidate to witness Jesus’ resurrection (v. 22)? Perhaps we would choose Joseph, who was called Barsabas (son of the Sabbath) and had the surname Justus (just). But God pointed to the unknown Matthew (God’s gift).

It is a joy to decide between good and good. The community prays and then lots are drawn. The prayer is short but deep and inspiring. It begins with the address Lord, you know the hearts of all people (v. 24). The lord is Jesus; he restores the community of his apostles. When the Lord looks into our heart today, let him find good in it. And together with the apostle Matthew, let’s try to be a gift from God to others.

Lent is a time to establish peace in your heart. An opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, correction, and reevaluation of opinions, attitudes, and opinions that destroy inner peace and joy. And that is why the words of Jesus apply: “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself…” (Luke 9:23).

Sprinkling the head with ashes is a symbolic gesture of a new beginning. Ashes are created by burning something, not just last year’s branches blessed on Palm Sunday. Fire destroys, but at the same time, it allows a new life to begin. During combustion, the activity of fire produces heat and light. It is possible to deduce from them what people and God expect from us. Christ does not want our destruction, but our life. Ash is actually dust. Faith teaches us that our natural life will end in dust. The body succumbs to corruption, only the soul passes through death to a new life, when the glorified body will follow it in the resurrection. Lent and the thought of the cemetery, death, and what will follow for each of us, are not unnecessary. Vice versa. Christ’s suffering and death for us end with the Easter hallelujah, the resurrection when Christ conquered death so that we may have eternal life.

New life is also associated with ashes. It is being built again on the burn site. A new, more beautiful, more beneficial one emerges when a person understands that life must go on.  Let’s also recall another image: During Lent, gardeners make the final preparations so that the harvest will be rich. However, they are not immune to frost. That’s why they breed new varieties of trees, more resistant to frost so that the harvest is more certain. However, when the gardener expects frost, by setting fire and using smoke in the garden, he can at least partially protect the crop as long as the frost is not too strong.

This is precisely why a Christian does everything, thinks, acts, is not satisfied with less, but longs for great ideals. Lent is the time to prove that we will not be influenced by disgust, but will be open to the needs of the soul and the salvation of ourselves and our neighbors. We realize that a living desire for God will protect us from mediocrity and conformity. Frequent meetings with Christ during Lent in prayer, fasting, and almsgiving will enrich our spiritual life with new light and guide us on the way to follow Christ, as his witnesses. Lent is also a challenge to show the world that it is wrong when it underestimates, ironizes, and recognizes the practices of fasting. Yes, by fasting in the spirit of losing weight, a person can survive illnesses at another time. During the liturgical fast, however, many of us come together and united spiritually and physically in prayer, we can overcome ourselves and encourage and inspire others to change as well.

Let’s remember something from Lent in our life that can serve us for specific deeds. Let’s experience Lent together. For example, we strengthen the fraternal community that we are to experience fully in heaven. Let’s protect ourselves from bad examples, offense, and sin.