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Reevaluate your responsibility to Jesus.

We all know that Holy Week begins today. We want to live the events that we will remember, as Christians should…? It can be assumed that we could live them only as a memory, aurally, as an annual tradition… And such an approach would be wrong, dishonest, and irresponsible on our part. One event can tell us something.

At the end of his life, the Permian emperor Chores called his advisers and asked them: “Do you think I was a good emperor?” Don’t be afraid to tell me the truth. As a reward, I will give each a jewel.” One by one, the counselors came before the emperor and flattered him with nice words. When it was the turn of the wise Elaim, he said: “Please, my lord, let me be silent, because the truth cannot be bought.” The emperor replied to these words: “Good. Then I won’t give you anything. Then you may tell me your opinion directly.” Elaim continued: “My lord, I think you are a man with weaknesses and faults like us. But your faults are much heavier, for the whole nation groans under the burden of taxes. You should lead fewer wars and you shouldn’t live so luxuriously at the expense of the nation.” The emperor thought. Then he gave each counselor the promised gem. However, he appointed Elaim as his chancellor. The next day the councilors came and said to the emperor: “Our Lord, order that the merchant who sold you the gems with which you gifted us be justly punished because he sold you fake gems.” “I know that,” answered the emperor. “They are as false as your words are.”

We know that God does not like our falsehood. On the contrary, God rightly demands from us our responsibility towards his souls. A memento for us is the inscription on the cross: “This is the king of the Jews” (Luke 23:38).

We long for heroes, we want to have role models and idols… It was like that even in the time of Jesus. However, we cannot look at Jesus as a hero. Jesus did not desire human glory, power, or titles. When people wanted to make Jesus king, after the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, Jesus retreated alone into silence. To Pilate’s question: “Are you the king of the Jews?” He answered: “You say so yourself” (Luke 22:3). A true and correct explanation is given by St. Paul in the letter to the Philippians: “Jesus Christ, although he has a divine nature, did not hold to his equality with God, but denied himself, took the nature of a servant, became like men, and according to external appearance was considered a man. He humbled himself, became obedient even to death, even to death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). Jesus faithfully fulfilled his mission.

The Gospel, which we also call the “passion”, is the culmination of the three-year mission of Jesus on earth. We are assured that everyone who will follow him will fulfill his words, and will share in the fact that Jesus has overcome the power of sin. Jesus underwent everything that today’s Gospel tells about so that every person who joins him would share with him in his kingdom. The evangelists, therefore, remind us of Jesus’ words: “I have longed to eat this Passover lamb with you before I suffer. For I say to you: I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15-16). Jesus goes through all this so that everyone who joins him may share with him in his life. Jesus does not promise what He cannot give. However, Jesus requires everyone who wants to share with him in his kingdom to faithfully and responsibly fulfill everything he taught.

The events of Palm Sunday are not just memories, but a call to a radical following of Christ. Jesus, in connection with Judas, reminds us: “Woe to the man who betrays him” (Lk 22:22). The memento of betrayal is not lost even today. On the contrary. We are all aware of our responsibility for the salvation of our souls. We are obliged to live in the truth of Jesus’ words. A lie – a sin, cannot and must not be rewarded by participation in his kingdom. Even if we find ourselves in the situation of St. Peter, that we too deny Jesus, we are obliged to continue to act like him: “He went out and wept bitterly” (Lk 22,62) The pain of the soul over-committed sins belongs to Holy Week, that is, regret.. This week, we have to relive the greatest drama in history. We want to consciously and voluntarily be with the suffering and crucifixion and the resurrected Jesus. We feel our responsibility for the salvation of our soul, but also the souls of the brothers and sisters entrusted to us. This serious matter will not allow us to survive this week superficially, habitually, without personal participation. Being responsible for the salvation of souls is the most necessary thing to which we want to subordinate everything else.

The mother of her ten-year-old daughter, with whom they started having problems, is also aware of this. It was during the big week. The girl came to her mother saying she wanted to go to the movies with her friends. “All the girls go and I can’t? Why? Why can’t I?” Just then, mom was preparing a cake. The mother turned to her daughter with a request. “Where are the rotten eggs I found on the top shelf today?” “In the trash can. Why?” “Bring them to me, please.” “What do you want to do with them?” “I’ll put them in a cake.” “Rotten eggs? You’ll spoil a good cake!” “When I spoil a cake,” continued the mother in her dialogue with her daughter, “I can always throw it away. But if you don’t know how to deny yourself one movie in Holy Week, aren’t you doing even more damage to your soul?” The daughter understood her mother.

It is right that none of us wants to miss this week of gaining new graces and powers for our life. Our Christian honor includes something more than just surviving the week during which we remember the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. We realize that we have a time of grace and salvation ahead of us. We want to help each other by example. We want to live our church and social life in such a way that we give the best testimony of our faith.

The fake diamonds did not appease the councilors. We are convinced that even a false approach to the events of this week cannot satisfy anyone. Vice versa. May the Truth, Jesus Christ, prevail in our lives. He invites us, not only today to the procession with the branches, to his table on Thursday – the Eucharist, Friday to the cross, and Saturday and Sunday to the empty tomb. Today’s “Hosanna”, after Good Friday’s “Crucify Him”, will sound much more joyful and convincing on Sunday morning with the singing of “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah”. Let’s pray for each other’s strength until this week. 

What do we mean by decision-making? How many times a day do we have to deal with things quickly; what to do first, what to pay more attention to, who to pay more respect to… This dispute takes place in the polemic about the sonship of Abraham. Jesus points out that he has priority over Abraham. “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing. But my Father glorifies me, of whom you say: “He is our God” and you do not know him. But I know him” (Jn 8:54-55).

Jesus proves that he was given priority by God over Abraham, who was a man and was born in time. However, Jesus is the incarnate Word who is eternal and who was with God before all ages, even before the creation of the world. Jesus proves to them that he was earlier than Abraham: “Your father Abraham prayed that he would see my day, and he saw and rejoiced” (Jn 8:56). The Jews see only a young man in front of them. Jesus was 33 years old, so they say to him: “You are not yet fifty years old and have you seen Abraham?” (John 8:57).

They do not understand that Jesus is the Son of God, equal to God the Father, who does not know the concept of time, that is, he was first like Abraham, whom Jesus’ Father-God calls from Chaldean Ur to an unknown land: the land of Canaan and promises him that redemption will come from his descendants. … Jesus teaches that he is equal with God the Father. So Jesus was God and man in one person. He became like us in everything, took the body of the Virgin Mary, was born, lived among us, died. However, He was always and always God, and He did not cease to be God even for a moment, even when He took upon Himself the form of a man. We will understand everything only in the overall context of the teaching about love. No one could love more than Jesus, because he gave his own life for us. He wanted to propitiate his Father for the sins of all mankind. This had to be done by one who was equal to God the Father and at the same time was close to people. Therefore, this could only be accomplished in such a way that from eternity God the Son, the second divine person, the true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, took upon himself the form of a man to do what no man could ever do, nor all men together, to atone the offense committed by the creature in offending God-the-Father by transgressing his command.

Today, we don’t just see the physical form of Jesus Christ, but we see the true God in Jesus. The one before whom we will one day come, whom, according to his own words, if we persevere to the end, we will see face to face. This obliges us to honor Jesus Christ as God. That is why our knees bend before the cross, before the images that represent Jesus Christ. In this way, we pay respect and tribute to the God whom we love, to whom we want to belong completely and whole, to whom we beg, to whom we beg, to whom we give thanks.

Even though the Jews did not accept the truth of Jesus and wanted to stone him; nothing came into being before he was, for he is from eternity. We believe that heaven and earth will pass away, but his existence knows no end.

Am I a disciple of the Lord Jesus? Who belongs to Jesus? Who is a true disciple of Jesus? The one who perseveres in his words, who knows the truth and gains freedom from evil, who understands suffering, knows how to rise above the pettiness that confronts us in life. Who before God is a true disciple? Jesus says this: “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:31-32). posterity, and we have never enslaved anyone” (John 8:33).

We see that they do not want to give up their right to the election because they come from Abraham’s seed. Jesus wants to show them what their mistake is. They are to realize that although they feel themselves to be sons of Abraham, they are to realize even more that they are sons of God. This means that they must place the sonship of God above the sonship of Abraham. It follows that if they recognized God as their Father as they claim, they would love Jesus as the Son of God and would persevere in his word. Thus, they would become true disciples of Jesus Christ. Then they would know the truth and the truth would set them free from sin. But they don’t want this. That is why Jesus tells them: “…you want to kill me because my word does not take hold in you. I speak of what I have seen with the Father” (Jn 8:37-38).

This problem continued even after the sending of the Holy Spirit, when it happened that the Jewish Christians, that is, the Jews who accepted the teachings of Christ, did not want the Gentiles who accepted the teachings of Christ to accept circumcision as well. They still looked at their election only according to the fleshly origin, that is, they came from the family of Abraham. With this, Jesus tells them to accept his teaching, the teaching of “truth”, and thus become a new person.

Today, we do not base ourselves on any bodily origin. The door to the teachings of Jesus Christ is open to everyone and is not closed to anyone. The condition is that we not only believe Jesus’ words but also implement them in our lives. If we live according to the truth, that is, without sin, we will gain freedom and the right to a new, eternal life. As long as we live here on earth, we must always be aware of the fight against evil, so we cannot always want Jesus to protect us from suffering. On the contrary, in the crosses that are placed on us, we are to prove that we are true children of God.

We know from the lives of the saints that when they gave themselves whole and completely to Christ when they truly lived Paul’s words: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me,” they recognized that Jesus’ teaching made them free. Even today, many believe that when they faith, the teaching of Christ forbids something because it takes away their freedom. The life of a believing Christian is worthy of reward or punishment. Therefore, above everything, why we work, what we want, what we own, above everything, let us set one goal, ultimate and true, and that is the fulfillment of God’s will in everything. A life lived in this way, when we are faithful to Christ even in little things, will say that we belong to Christ

It is known that we think little about death. We also witness that when we know that our relative is lying on his deathbed, the doctor gives up and science does not help, there are also cases where we deceive ourselves and those who should prepare to meet God as believers. However, our faith teaches us that our coming into the world was not an accident and that the end, the death of a person, is not a definitive end, but a transition to a new life.

To the Jews who did not want to accept the teachings of Christ, when Jesus knew that the fulfillment of his mission on earth was near, he said: “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world” (Jn 8:23). From the events, the words of the Lord Jesus, it is known that the Jews cannot accept and understand two things: they do not know where Jesus comes from and where he is returning. This they do not understand, even though he keeps telling them that he came from the Father and is returning to him again. Jesus knows that his departure to the Father will be accomplished by his death and suffering. It seems that this departure of his is understood by the Jews as the death of suicide and they, on this path of his, they do not want and cannot follow, but whoever wants to really follow, find and understand the Lord Jesus must believe that his death is the ransom price for the world.This means that when Jesus is lifted on the cross, he will be able to heal and heal all people who are bitten by the sin of the serpent. With the help of faith, people can understand that Jesus is the Son of God, who by his death on the cross reconciled the Father for our sins, and thus showed us the way to his Father, that is, he became a “way” for us.

For us believers, these words are not a path to pessimism and hopelessness, but on the contrary, they are hope and optimism for us. A person of faith, even if it is difficult when saying goodbye to his loved ones at the moment of death, knows that it is not the final end, and therefore we must not take death tragically. Remembrance of her is not the reason for us to break in our attitude. Lord Jesus is our model and example. We see that for Jesus, his death by going to the Father was a victorious ending of life.

It is necessary for us believers to adopt this attitude of Jesus and learn to live with the thought of death. It is wonderful when a person does not have to fear that death can meet him anywhere and at any moment, that he is always ready to appear before this Christ in whom he believed, according to whose words he tried to live and whose reward he hoped and believed. It is amazingly beautiful and valuable to live in the presence of God and to be able to accept his will, be it at midnight or in the morning.

For us, today’s Gospel is a lesson that the suffering and death predicted by Jesus are a guarantee of new life. Michael Quist in the poetry collection Your eyes writes in the poem “Lord, I don’t have time…” and after recognizing the meaning and value of Jesus’ words, he exclaims in the end: “Lord, I already have time!” This should find a response We should not only realize that we have to find time, but we should also say to Jesus more often: “Lord, I already have time!

Let us imagine God as mercy. “I don’t judge you, either. Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

The Gospel shows us, sinners, when we accuse other sinners before Jesus. We can have more perspectives on the passage about the woman caught in sin, the behavior of those who brought her before Jesus, and the behavior of Jesus. It is necessary to realize that the gospel leads us to humble behavior and acknowledge our sinfulness, as well as the fact that the forgiveness of sins comes from Jesus. The recipients of the gospel are us, each of us. The Pharisees are satisfied with their pseudo-righteousness and will not receive the mercy that was given to the woman they brought to Jesus. The woman is aware of her situation. According to the Law of Moses, for her weakness, of which she was caught and is now accused, she was sentenced to death by stoning. It is true that in the time of Christ, such punishments were rarely carried out. However, the Pharisees are not so much concerned with the woman as they are with attacking Jesus, whom they hated, because he thought differently from them, reproached them for their hypocrisy, and drew people behind him.

They tempted Jesus so they could accuse him. According to them, the answer they expected from Jesus should be either strict rightist or lax. And one answer or another was to be used against Jesus. Jesus found himself in a situation where he had to take a stand on the fate of a person drawn into responsibility through the authority of power. However, Jesus does not reject law and justice, and he also did not reject mercy but gave justice and mercy a true meaning. The Pharisees did not expect such a masterly answer. Jesus told them: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (Jn 8:7). In these words, the Pharisees understood that they are not without sin either. There are other sins, such as adultery. They, too, have their sins. Jesus gave them a moral lesson in just a few words. Can anyone immediately ask: “And where was the accomplice, the accomplices…?” John writes: “When they heard this, one by one – starting with the elders – they disappeared until he (Jesus) remained alone with the woman who was standing in the middle” (John 8:9). They left, but their shame had nothing to do with humility.

A serious reminder to each of us – regret? The proverb says: “A crow sits with a crow, and equal seeks equal.” Or: “Wolf with wolves.” They easily destroy their conscience and others as well. We are weak people. However, when we humbly confess our sins and awaken in our hearts pain over our sins and those of others, we can expect mercy from our God. He is our God. We know that when we renounce sin again and again, we are strengthened in our love for Christ. We realize the significance of Christ’s suffering for our sins. God is a just Judge, but he is also merciful. We want to live in Christ and Christ to live in us

The Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord stands at the beginning of spring… This annunciation also stands at the beginning of the Gospel of St. Luke. This divine truth that God will send a Redeemer to the world, interpreted by an angel to the poor girl Mary, is the first Gospel, the first joyful news of the New Testament… The Virgin Mary is the first human being who received this joyful news. That is why we honor and praise her – as the Mother of our Redeemer.

Every year, we witness the fact that in many country competitions are held for the title of a beauty queen, or a ranking of the world’s best athletes is compiled. However, who will remember in a few years the names of those who briefly shone with glory today? New names will come and old ones will fade away… However, Marian’s veneration has been already two thousand years old! Her prophetic words: “From now on, all generations will bless me” (Luke 1:48), are really coming true.

How did she get such respect and fame? She was not an artist, she did not display her beauty or her clothes for admiration. She was not even a powerful ruler of the world… At first glance, it would seem that there were many more examples of virtues in the history of the Church. There were great martyrs, preachers, penitents, and mystics. Maria’s life is mundane and simple in contrast. That is why it is a constant admonition for us not to be deceived by external splendor. In Mary’s life, we ​​admire the basic and solid features of the Christian ideal, unadorned, in their original beauty. We admire the beauty of her soul: “You are all beautiful Mary, there is no spot in you…”, we sing about her. That’s what the angel called her during the annunciation: Merciful (Lk 1, 28). Elizabeth: Blessed among women (Luke 1:42). We call Myja the Queen of Heaven. Queen of all saints… Temples are dedicated to her,

Her glory and honor grew from the fact that she gave human life to the Redeemer of the world. God honored her with many spiritual gifts. She is full of grace, a Mother and a Virgin, but he did not free her from anything that belongs to human life. Already on the fortieth day after the birth of Jesus Christ, she learned that a sword will pierce her soul. We see her traveling with the Child into Egyptian exile, looking for her son in the temple and standing under the cross on Golgotha ​​in immense pain.

Alone without original sin, she suffered more than any sinner, than any mother. Her pain is great, but unbroken… Stabat Mater dolorosa… Steady Mother painful…, we sing about her. Nevertheless, she decided to give great consent to the angel’s announcement. All this – joy and pain, also fills the life of today’s woman, mother. That is why everyone rightfully runs to her to find strength in her moments of suffering and worry. Therefore, let’s try to maintain and strengthen our respect for our heavenly Mother. She is the mother of our Savior, our heavenly mother, and our Orodovnica. This respect for her will help us more easily overcome the pains and crosses of everyday life that weigh on us.

The saints experience “that to those who love God, all things work together for good” {Rom 8:28}. But not all have such faith. “If there were a God, certain things could never happen!”, unbelievers often argue. One of them argued his atheism: “There are wars and horrible crimes. And what does God do? Either he doesn’t want to prevent them, and then he’s no good, or he’s not able to prevent them, but then he’s not omnipotent!” However, the existence of evil is also a temptation not to believe in God the Father. Objections of this kind are ancient. That is why the Church Fathers wrote treatises entitled God is not the cause

The Providence of God of various kinds of evil (cf. the writings of St. Basil). Because God is infinitely good, he can only act in the world of good. And yet there are earthquakes, floods, natural disasters, and also crimes committed by wicked people. So where does evil come from? From the sin of the first and the sins of all mankind. St. John Chrysostom says that God permits them, not prevents them. But why? It seems the answer is not easy, and therefore Chrysostom reacts decisively against those who take offense at God’s strange indifference, reminding us that divine providence radically exceeds divine intelligence. We must firmly believe that even evil must be used for good. God acts like a physician who heals the sick even as he makes the sick suffer, when at his cures for them. These words were explained at length by St. John Chrysostom, who was persecuted and died in exile. Among the saints who have lived recently, let us mention
Blessed Frederic Ozanam, who writes: “If you would have me confined to my bed these days that I have left to live, it would be too short a time to thank you for the days I have lived. And my last words would be a hymn of praise to your goodness.” It’s a faith-based response, but it’s universal. Can it apply to all evils? They are so varied.

Lent is a serious time. We meditate on the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus. It is right that we accept Jesus as God the Son. Jesus did a lot for us to believe in his mission, and yet we see that many cannot make up their minds. That is why he said the words to them: “You know me, and you know where I am from.” And I did not come of myself, but he who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him because I am from him and he sent me” (John 7:28-29).

They heard his sermons and saw the life of Jesus many. Accepting his teachings means radically changing your life. On the other hand, they saw their indifference, and convenience, and did not have the strength to get rid of these weaknesses. They felt fear, so they preferred to settle for a neutral position. Yes, a lot is said and thought about God, faith, and Jesus Christ today. We see both negative and positive attitudes around us. Each side and decision has its reasons. We come to Holy Mass to be strengthened by Jesus’ word and Body in the Eucharist. This reminds us of the death on the cross, that is, our redemption, our liberation from sin. We come to strengthen our relationship with Jesus, which our Church teaches us about. We often realize in our lives that we must not be Christians only in church, or when we pray privately at home. Before the shrine, let’s draw strength and resolve to persevere on the way to Jesus. Yes, we sometimes feel that it is very difficult, and it hurts when we want to follow Jesus whole and whole.

We know from our own lives that even though this decision was painful and difficult, it was still the right and beautiful decision. As a priest, I can say from my own life that I have never regretted my decision to become a priest. After all, Jesus said: “And everyone who leaves houses or brothers and sisters or father and mother or children or fields for my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). Today, after several years of priesthood I know that the profession of a priest is difficult, but I can say that if I had to decide about my profession again, I would not hesitate for a minute. However, I also know from your life’s journeys that more than one of you had and must make difficult decisions in your faith and Many of you have also become convinced that when you put Jesus’ words into practice in your practical life: “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23), that Jesus will not owe anything to his faithful.

If we have once decided on Jesus, we must not think that it only hurts once in our life. We certainly don’t want Jesus’ words from the Gospel to apply to us: “You know me, and you know where I come from. And I did not come of myself, but he who sent me is true…” (John 7:28). We believe that Jesus is our God, eternal Love, who loves us above all. We do not want to be among those about whom John wrote that they wanted to seize him and kill him when Jesus told them who he was and why he had come.

There are three kinds of egoism. The first is personal, which is condemned; the second is familial, which is justified; and the third is national, which is celebrated. Among the apostles, egoism was between the family, (collective and national/. Envy is the daughter of egoism and the mother of superiority.

Love of God and neighbor is the pinnacle of perfection, the foundation of all virtues. It is therefore easy to say that the opposite, love of self, is the source of all evil. So at least the French authors of the 17th and 18th centuries, including Bossuet, were fond of saying. La Rochefoucauld argues that all virtues dissolve in self-love like salt in water. Love is only true if it is selfless. And yet Aristotle already points out that reality never corresponds to the lofty talk of disinterested love. Would that be correct? What’s wrong with having to love ourselves? After all, we wouldn’t live any other way! What use would others benefit if we meant ourselves ill? The great philosopher of antiquity even dared to say that there is no but that we love ourselves. A mother loves her children because she considers them part of her person. We love a friend because he is our “second self.” This doctrine, to be sure, seems a little noble. Life does is not corrected by denying reality for the sake of some ideal motives. Aristotle’s doctrine needs to be supplemented, namely not by preaching and false encouragement, but by pointing out new facts, and new realities. The only way out of egoism, Aristotle, sees in true friendship. With a friend, we share interests, ideas, and a part of life. Those who do not have a friend are ultimately harming themselves. Christianity this fellowship between people has been strengthened in a strange supernatural way. In Christ, we are all one, as limbs of one body (cf. 1 Cor 12:12 .). To love our neighbor. Him, then, means to love oneself. On the contrary, even true love for oneself is for the benefit of others. The Gospel does not say that we are to love our neighbor and not ourselves. We are to love him as ourselves (cf. Mt 19:19).

Why, then, is selfishness the source of evil? “Selfishness” we usually refer to a love of self that is disordered, unreasonable, that does not reckon with the fact that neighbors belong to us. According to St. Paul’s simile, this is probably the case, as if the eye said to the hand, “I don’t need that one! Or as if the head said to the feet: I don’t need it. you!” (1 Cor. 12:21).
Egoism, then, harms itself. It thinks it likes itself, and yet it destroys itself. It deprives itself of everything that makes it beautiful, great, and strong: the union of grace with all men and with God. In that sense, of course, he is right St. Maximilian the Confessor, declared that the source of all virtues is the love of God, while the source of all vices is “self-love.” The egoist artificially isolates himself. Hell is then eternal loneliness.

Who belongs to the Church? Those who have been baptized. Many of them have left the Church, but they have no part in the life of the Church, but they belong to it. Children, always remain daughters or sons of their parents, even if they quarrel with them or leave home. However, those who have not been baptized but live according to conscience, doing good, also belong to the Church. Jesus said by their fruits, you will know them. Of course, by lasting fruit.

What does scandal mean? Becoming a stumbling block to someone’s faith, a stumbling block. Someone is following Christ, and we stumble at his feet. Either by bad example or bad counsel. We stop him in his tracks. Something may be a stumbling block to someone that is not a stumbling block to another. How do we find that measure of when something is an offense? When the apostles were asked. Does the master not pay your taxes? Jesus said to Peter. Go catch a fish, take the money out of it, and pay for yourself and for me so that, we are not a stumbling block to them. The principle applies here. Be careful.  Even if something doesn’t offend me, the other person is sensitive so I’d rather not say something, even though there may be nothing wrong with it. But some people want to be offended by everything. They see offense in everything, We are not to blame for such offense.
Who and when can be damned? The state of hell. The Bible has 6 or 7 different degrees. St. Thomas Aquinas takes them up. They are different states and not cauldron, fire devils. Jesus was talking about Gehenna. Gehenna was specifically a place outside the walls of Jerusalem, in the valley of the brook Gijón, where there was a so-called dung gate where garbage was taken out of the city as well as sacrificed animals, and it all burned there. We can imagine what the smell was like. Figuratively, it brings out the state of the soul. This image of fire is used by the prophet Isaiah in chapter 64. Those. who oppose God will be burned with unquenchable fire.