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Mankind is beginning to understand each other not because it has learned a foreign language, but because all people are talking about the same thing.

Places where we’ve felt uncomfortable or associated with bad experiences (theft, accident, pain), we like to skirt around. For us, they are monuments to evil. It’s so human…

If Jesus were only human, he would certainly have avoided the apostles who did not stay by his side, except for John. After the resurrection, he would have fled to the Father in heaven as soon as possible to complain to Him about what we had done to him. But He is not merely a man, so as the Risen One, He would spend forty days in a glorified body among His own. He is in no hurry to go anywhere and today, without a hint of remorse, He will visit those who have failed.

Quite simply, the magic of God’s love transcends the limits of our reasoning. Jesus does not want to come before the Father alone. This is the logic of the heaven from which he came and where the love of the community of persons is lived out. That is why he wants to come to the Father with those whom his blood has won. He comes out of communion and will gladly reveal himself in it.

Jesus will present his wounds to men as healed, filled with the glory of God. These wounds were touched by God the Father in the Resurrection (a theme dear to Pope Francis), so Easter morning does not belong to reproaches and the bringing up of old grievances. In this way, even today, we can identify the presence of God. As the theologian Thomas Halík says, God is there where, together with the Apostle Thomas, we touch the wounds of the world, the wounds of the people with whom Jesus identifies.

This is what Chiara Amirante has been doing in Rome for several decades. She has immersed herself in the underground Termini railway station, where she touches the wounds of the world. At night, she encounters a world of drugs, prostitution, and human wreckage. What led her to do this?

The descent of Jesus into the depths of the earth after death. In one of her poems, she describes her mission this way, “My home is the world, my earth is heaven, my homeland is the heart of every man. And in every man I meet is my treasure; in the endless darkness is my light; in the anguish of suffering humanity crying out is my heart.”

Before we get to the connection of Chiara and the Spirit, let’s look at the opposite of Pentecost, the building of the Tower of Babel. It is the condition of humanity that no longer understands each other, even though they speak one language. One of the Jewish interpretations of the Tower of Babel connects this to the history of the possession of the land.

People after Adam was greedy, trying to grab more and more land, to expand their possessions. As they acquired more and more land to add to their land, they began to move away from their home. Sometimes they happened to get lost on the way home, so they decided to build a tall tower near their home. Even from a distance, it could be seen, and they were able to return.

To build the tower, bricks were needed in large quantities. The people agreed that whoever provided the most bricks would get more land. The different clans invented a language among themselves by which they argued so that the competition would not find out how many bricks they had brought. Thus, new dialects were created. And that’s when God decided, “Okay, that’s the way you wanted it, that’s the way it’s going to stay.” This midrash captures that behind human misunderstanding is a desire to possess that clouds reason.

During Pentecost, the exact opposite happens. The twelve nations are present. They each have their language and yet they understand each other because they are united not in the possession of possessions and the description of their achievements, but in the glorification of God. Mankind begins to understand each other, not because they have learned a foreign language, but because all the nations are speaking the same thing – praising God for his works.

This is how the true unity of people all over the world comes about. This is the Catholicity that unites people of different nations, languages, and periods of history. This is the universality of the Church that we experience when St. Augustine, Francis de Sales, Therese of Lisieux, or Faustina Kowalska speak to us with their spiritual experience.

When the Holy Spirit enters the heart of a person, his tongues teach us a new, universal language. What happens then? What does he tell us then? The result of some football match? Or what the weather will be like on vacation? These are unimportant things. The Holy Spirit is always guiding us and telling us about God’s work, telling us about God. It is the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of Christ, that connects us to God. We receive the Spirit to see how God is working in our lives.

“It illuminates the lived, the suffered, the studied, the experienced, but in a new light. In emptiness, he has nothing to illuminate.”
Let us return to the man of the Spirit, to Chiara Amirante. In her book, Only Love Remains, she describes how the Holy Spirit stands by every work to serve all. The first members of the community, gathered at Rome’s Termini station, were approached by her courage to encounter in the Roman underworld people who lived as if without a soul. She suggested that together they turn to the Holy Spirit, who makes it possible to be born from above, to pass from death to life.

After nine days of preparation, the young people asked many questions about the existence of God, about his love, asking why they had to experience so much suffering to discover this joy. In the meantime, they were attending the chapel with the Eucharist, but it was not doing them any good. It was as if the young people were entering a gas chamber. After a while, they had to run out of there.

They began the day of Pentecost with simple singing, invoking the Holy Spirit. “I explained to them that it was important to turn this song into a prayer… After a few spontaneous prayers, we sang again. Then the Lord surprised us, and we experienced the special effects of His action – the experience of Pentecost was so palpable that none of us could hold back our tears.

The strange thing was that these were people who had not shed a tear for many years. As a matter of principle, they could not let themselves cry, because, in the streets and prison, it would be considered a sign of extreme weakness,” Chiara, founder of the New Horizons movement, describes Pentecost in the community.

This community has imitated the disciples of Jesus who chose to be together today, even though they could have used the time differently. Chiara and her group were ready, and the Holy Spirit came with a ministry of enlightenment.

Illuminating the lived, the suffered, the rehearsed, the experienced, but in a new light. In the void, he has nothing to illuminate. Then we would be like the blonde who was reproached with a vacuum in her head and she concluded that it was better to have a vacuum in her head than nothing…

“The Savior knows and respects human needs and concerns; however, it gives things not only the right value but also the right place in the order of values. First, in the Lord’s Prayer, he teaches us three petitions that relate to the worship of God and the fulfillment of God’s order, and only then does he present the petition for earthly needs. At the same time, the Lord teaches us to pray for “today’s bread”, i.e. for the necessary things for today, never for luxury, much less for securing the entire future. The Christian puts his earthly concerns in God’s hands with confidence. Man will still have the obligation to work and plan, but the fear of the future, despair, and bitter profiteering of the economic struggle will cease. Efforts, worries, and work that can be placed in God’s hands cannot break a person – on the contrary, they have the sign of eternity. In the spirit of this request, material interests are a secondary concern and are therefore a peaceful matter…” states J.

An old legend was recorded in old reading books about how God wanted to help a man who lived by hunting and therefore often went hungry. He showered him with wheat from the sky. But before the man could understand God’s gift, the devil pounced on him. He furiously ground the grain between the stones, and what he did not grind, he buried in the ground and poured water over everything. Let it be destroyed and let it rot in the ground. But the man began to dry the white mass – the dough – on a stone under the hot sun and baked the first bread. The buried wheat came up and man learned to sow and reap. And so the devil, who wanted to destroy God’s gift, actually helped God’s plan.

The legend expresses an idea known to our ancestors: faith in God’s providence. No one will destroy or thwart God’s plans. But if we turn to God with trust, he will repay our trust many times over. And that’s even if it’s our daily bread, everything we need to live. Heavenly Father is still at the helm of the ship of our spiritual life; he will also take care of our other needs in his wisdom, love, and omnipotence.

What can we do to make people admire us? We are not ashamed, we are not afraid, people don’t care … and they will do everything to be pretty, famous, powerful, “celebrities”, what if others laugh at them.

The Lord Jesus advises: “Be careful and do not do your good deeds in front of people so that they will admire you…” (Mt 6:1). Jesus addresses that those who truly want to belong to him must focus their piety on the inside of their lives, to the sincerity of their actions and the selflessness with which they do them. The Gospels often talk about the Lord Jesus’ criticism of the Pharisees. Yes, they were pious, and they did a lot of good, and yet he criticizes them. We must notice that the Lord Jesus fundamentally does not criticize good deeds, but the evil intention of those who do them. Their pride. Thus, he points out that the Pharisees are not concerned with the glorification of God but with their glorification. They did well so that people would praise them for it. They acted so that people would notice them. He also says to our address: “… don’t blow your trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth: They have already received their reward” (Mt 6:2).

And that is enough for us to understand that for such deeds they have already received their reward, and therefore they will not receive another one from God. However, we receive instruction on how a good disciple of Christ should behave properly: “But when you give alms, let your left hand not know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms will remain hidden. And your Father will reward you because he sees even in secret” (Mt 6,3-4). God wants us to act without witnesses because God is present everywhere and is our greatest witness of love. God wants us to they also acted out of selfless love, and that means we don’t expect anything here on earth, but only in eternity, and already here on earth, we want to praise God. By God. Because the words of the Lord Jesus are being fulfilled: “And your Father will reward you, for he sees even in secret” (Mt 6:4).

For example, prayer only makes sense when it comes from within. Fasting is effective for our salvation only when it washes away our sins, and that means when a person does it sincerely when he acknowledges his sinfulness, error, and fall… After all, no one needs to know about this, and it is also more beneficial when people don’t notice us, and it’s not noticeable. Yes, we realize that a pious person does not perform the prescribed deeds and does it only for self-gratification and the favor of people. However, the pious is the one who does good deeds to glorify God and at the same time leaves the reward to God, whether he accepts this manifestation of piety from him or not, and that means whether he receives and what kind of reward he receives.

Let’s ask our conscience – how is it with our piety, prayers, and sacraments – is it always aimed at my sanctification, enrichment, or for people to see me? How much do I try to devote myself to God in secret at home, for example in prayer, and acts of love without claim to reward? Don’t I want to be pious only to myself?

We choose meals in the restaurant. We decide our culture… We choose our friends… Jesus says: “…be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect”! (Mt 5:48). Love simply embraces all professions, embraces all times and places, and is eternal. We are to show mercy to our neighbors. Jesus tells us this very clearly in today’s Gospel. Our Lord goes even further and asks us to show love and do good deeds, especially to those who have no way to repay us. We are even to love and to pray even for our enemies. Such perfection can be achieved only when we look to Christ nailed to the cross and draw strength from him.

A man named Dapozzo spent eight years in a Nazi concentration camp. When he returned home to his family, he confided all that he had to fight there, saying: “I used to be of a strong frame, but then I did not weigh more than 45 kg, and my whole body bore the marks of the wounds I had received. I had a broken right shoulder without treatment. On the evening of Christmas 1943, the commander called me. I stood in front of him half naked and barefoot. He was at a table decorated with the choicest delicacies. I was to assist the starving women at his royal dinner. And yet I tried my best, as a Christian, to like him. After the meal, the second lieutenant brought coffee and cookies. The commander liked them, he looked at me and said: “Your wife is an excellent cook, Dapozzo!” I did not understand what he meant. He explained it to me himself: “For years my wife has been sending you cakes, which I have always enjoyed immensely.” The temptation to hate him was unbearable. My wife and my four children saved from their small allowances of flour, butter, and sugar to send me those cakes, … and this man always ate them. I asked the commander to at least let me smell the cakes to remind me of home. He refused, yelling, “Raus! Out!” After the war, I found a trace of this commander. He changed his name and led a simple life, trying not to attract attention. In 1953, I went to visit him with a friend. He didn’t recognize me. So I introduced myself: “I’m number 17531. Do you remember Christmas 1943?” Horror seized him. “Have you come to take revenge on me?”, he asked in an expressionless voice. Instead of answering, I opened a large package in front of him. It had delicious cakes. I asked his wife if would she be so kind as to make us coffee. Then we shared the cakes and the four of us drank coffee. We were quiet the whole time. The commander wept and said: “How could you forgive me?” I answered him: “For the love of Christ.”

Yes, we are to forgive. It is right, Christian, that for the love of Jesus, we want to love even our enemies… Let’s take these words of Jesus into our lives.

When we were still small children, we had the experience of taking our first steps, when they called to us: “Come to me!” And we gladly stepped towards our father or mother, because we loved them and were sure that the way to them would be completely safe. Jesus addresses us: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). And perfection is when Jesus expects from us “.give to whoever asks you…” (Mt 5:42)

Saint Paul calls and addresses the members of the first Christian communities to whom he addresses his letters as “saints”. The Second Vatican Council reminds the Christians of today that their first and fundamental vocation is: the vocation to holiness. This vocation was given by God to everyone. Holiness is not only the task of priests and religious, but it is a commitment for every Christian. Where does our call to holiness come from? The source of our holiness is Jesus Christ. The soul of holiness is love. Love of God and neighbor. Just as Jesus tells us when he answers the question, “Which commandment is the greatest?” His answer is: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…” (Mt 22:36).

Faith and hope will disappear, we will no longer need them in eternity. However, love reaches heaven, and heaven is the goal of holiness. Saint Thérèse of Lisieux understood the same thing. He considers that if the Church forms one body, composed of many members, there must not be one member missing. That member is the most necessary and noblest, and that is the heart; a heart that burns with love. If the Church did not have this love, the apostles would not proclaim the Gospel, the martyrs would refuse to shed their blood. Love simply embraces all professions, embraces all times and places – it is eternal. We are even to love and pray for our enemies. Such perfection can only be achieved when we look to Christ nailed to the cross and draw strength from him. This power is hidden in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. The path of Jesus’ holiness is also our path. Let us trust the Lord on the path of our holiness. He is Emmanuel, God with us, and therefore there is never a reason to lose hope.

It is right, Christian, that for the love of Jesus, we want to love even our enemies… Let’s take these words of Jesus into our lives… St. Paul compares the Church Community to a magnificent building. Every believer is one stone in the wall of this work. And we know that for the safety of a large structure, it is essential that every stone is reliable. In the same way, the holiness of the Church is divided among its members. Dear saints, let us remain faithful to this noble vocation – holiness, which Jesus gave us because we are his friends and he loved us to the point of death.

It is interesting how our technical maturity manifests itself in our speech and thinking. If they escort a child out of the house, they don’t tell him: I love you, may the angel protect you, come back to me healthy… Rather, they say on the run: Do you have the keys?; you have it ready for lunch…; didn’t you forget anything?; I’m running… If we add economic thinking to it, we also put the question in relationships: What do I get out of it? This is especially so in extramarital relationships. Or even in them? We are not surprised that this also resonates in our relationship with God. What is our religious, catechism, and especially theological speech?! In today’s first reading, we heard: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love has not known God, because God is love.

It says that we are born of God. However, we speak of baptism, in which we are born of God, as a sacrament – you see – as a thing. With her, we received: Sanctifying grace, cleansing from original sin, the light of Jesus, the name Christian… It sounds like these are things – albeit spiritual. It’s all true. But! Isn’t this about something more? I am glad that recently it is emphasized: We have become children of God, we are brothers, we form one family – the Church… We go from things to relationships. John said it nicely: We are born of God. And it reminds me why. Because: God’s love for us was manifested in the fact that God sent his only-begotten Son into the world so that through him, we might have life.
And Jesus behaved like that. He had time for people. He devoted himself to them, he thought about them: When Jesus saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. When he told them about the kingdom of God, he did not tell them that they would have a blessed vision through sanctifying grace at death… But he told them that it would be like a royal wedding – a feast. He didn’t even tell them that much about it, but he prepared a feast for them. So, what is our relationship with God? Let’s call him Heavenly Father. Doesn’t it happen that we just ask something from him, do we find time to pray because it is an obligation, or do we build a relationship with him? Yes, we are children of this time. Technical, economic, or whatever you want to call it. But let’s create relationships. Both to the Heavenly Father and to people. Let’s find time for them.

​​It helps everyone to navigate life’s paths in a way that will benefit them for eternity. If children fall away from God, they cause pain to their parents. Today, it is not uncommon for a child from a good Christian family to choose a different path than he was led at home. Even in Christian families, children are exposed to the plague of our time, such as drugs, computer games, and sects, but also to the difficulties of mixed marriages. They conclude marriages outside the church. God respects the reason and will of every person. God can do everything, but not against the reason and will of man. Despite prayers, tears, and other sacrifices, parents witness that their child is deaf and dumb to what they raised him to do. It often takes a long time. It is necessary that parents do not lose hope despite the long time. Knees often win this battle.

Each they keep in mind that God will not forsake. Mary and Joseph searched for Jesus for three days, and Jesus was the Son of God after all. Mary and Joseph did not understand why Jesus acted like that. Despite this, they faithfully fulfilled their parents’ mission. Let this be an encouragement to those parents whose children have found a different way or philosophy of life. In the same way, our families suffer from the separation of spouses. Today, infidelity and illicit married life are mainly promoted by the mass media and presented as something harmless. Where the spiritual life is weaker, the divorce rate increases. Not only in the beginnings of life together, in the first crises, but also when the spouses are in years. Likewise, parents are pressured by material and housing difficulties, and contraception is also related to this. Today’s world does not want to call abortion a sin. Even many Christian spouses do not consider illicit married life to be a sin.

Today more than ever in the past it is true that it is not enough to just lay the foundation of a family, but to build it more and more carefully. The Gospel tells about two men who were building their houses. Only he was “wise” and built on the rock. What he cared about was the foundation. What was in no hurry to quickly finish the house. He reckoned with the difficulties that might arise. And marriages today? We have to take it, instead of: we are already mature. Better, parents, tell yourselves that you will help your daughter raise her grandchild, but not advise her where to take him. But also, young women and young men, remember that words are quick to say but hard to put into practice. Once said “yes” before God, it applies “until your death and mine, and in any adversity” it does not stop when all the conditions for the valid and permissible conclusion of the sacrament of marriage are fulfilled at the beginning.

Maria points to the obligation to work on the sanctity of our families. Life is often very short and eternity does not pass anyone by. Prayer for the family, for its members, and joint prayer at least once a week are strength, encouragement, and strengthening for our families. Mother, father, son, or daughter are also very significant and multifaceted for us in connection with the words my or mine. Let’s pray for them and ourselves at Holy Mass.