predication.net

Who gave the power to Jesus?
We know that with every office, rank, and position, there are strictly limited duties, tasks, and other things that come with the work. Exceeding one’s authority is not allowed; it is forbidden and punishable. Even the chief priests and elders of the people know this, so they ask Jesus, “By what authority are you doing this? And who gave you this power?” (Mt. 21:23).

Jesus knew he was being closely watched. His every word, his every miracle, is under the stern gaze of the informers, not only the secular power of the Roman Pontius Pilate but also the religious messengers sent after Jesus by Annas and Caiaphas as by other groups of elders from the people. Jesus, however, acts with all the obviousness of one who has power, and not, as the leaders of the nation do, with the power that comes from their position.

Jesus teaches even though they have never and nowhere seen him study. We had known this since the time he was lost in the Jerusalem temple, as a 12-year-old, when many learned men asked: “What kind of wisdom has he received…?” (Mk. 6:2). They would have understood his actions if they had listened more carefully to Jesus’ words. More than once, Jesus said to them: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30). Even when they heard these words and others like them from the mouth of Jesus, they judged them as words of blasphemy that He considered Himself to be the Son of God. Yes, Jesus is the Son of God. He is a faithful God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. We know this from the Mount of Transfiguration, where the apostles heard the words: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!” (Mt 17:5). We know similar comments from the Jordan River after the baptism by John the Baptist. These and other evidences-where Jesus got his power, why he did what he did-did not satisfy the leaders of the nation.

We see this in today’s Gospel as well. But Jesus puts them in a strange situation and gives them an answer they don’t want to accept with a wittily constructed counter-question. John the Baptist was held in high esteem by many. They took John’s baptism at the Jordan River and spoke of him as a man of God and a prophet. John was a respected man, a revered man, yet they did not receive his preaching as they should have. That is why the Gospel today asks those present, “Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or men?” And we see that they were thinking and saying to themselves: “If we say, – From heaven, – he will say to us, – Why then did you not believe him? – But if we say – From men – we have much to fear from the multitude, for John is regarded by all as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus: “We do not know.” And he answered them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mt. 21:24-27). A telling counter-question. Jesus proved to them their dishonesty, their partiality toward Him.

What does this mean for us? Many times our thoughts, words speak against us. We want to oppose Christ, his teachings, and we see that his instructions are: the way, the truth, and the life. What is the cause of our often so wrong attitude? It is our weakness to give ourselves entirely into the hands of Jesus. He calls us to himself. But we know that we would have to renounce certain goods that we consider essential in our lives. Even though we know that Jesus wants to give us his good things, we acknowledge them, we know they are more valuable, yet human weakness speaks of us.

This Gospel wants to awaken in us, in the time of preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ, the desire to give ourselves entirely to Jesus, open the back chamber of our hearts to him, and close the door that we wanted to keep ajar in case… Today, we want to accept the words of Jesus: “Whoever wishes to come after me, let him deny himself…”(Mt 16:24). Because we know that Jesus has a power that surpasses our knowledge, any human power because he is God. Such a course of action in our lives will only ever work out to our benefit and advantage. Though difficult for some, our life will surely be rich in the graces that flow from our works. It is a strange feeling that I may lose everything here on earth. They can take away my power, destroy my career, and lose my savings and health, yet everything is gained when connected to God. He has a power that far exceeds our knowledge. Even the highest-ranking dignitary, functionary, the officer knows that he is not the master of everything.

A rational person knows that this will end one day, and we will be held accountable for everything. That is why we always and everywhere want to do the will of God and remain faithful to Him.

Advent teaches us to live in reality with Christ
(Luke 3: 10-18)
Enjoy life.

Advent also includes the pre-Christmas sacrament of Reconciliation. It happens that in preparation for the reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation, we realize the reality of our lives. We no longer claim that we are better or different from the people we live with, the people we work with, the people we meet. Many times in preparation for confession, we realize that we did not live as we wished to live, that true joy cannot be lived outside of God, with sin in the soul. And so, after the sacramental forgiveness, we often realize that if we want to be happy, to experience true joy, we have to ask ourselves more often than the crowds of John the Baptist.

“What shall we do then” (Lk 3:10)?

John answers those who want to start a new life. Whether they are toll booths, soldiers, or other people, the answer for every state is to see true Love. He will tell the public, “Do not execute more than they have appointed you” (Lk 3:13). To the soldiers: “Do not bother anyone, do not wrong anyone, and be satisfied with your salary” (Lk 3:14). And another said He that hath two clothes let him give to him that hath nothing. He that hath meat, let him do likewise “(Lk 3:11). From the text, one can deduce the radical observance of the commandment of love, as the Old Testament and Christ taught: “… I did not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them” (Mt 5:17). Love manifests itself in active coexistence. John’s actions make it clear that the Messiah is not expected. John bows before Christ: “I am not worthy to lose his shoelaces” (Lk 3:16). John represents the Messiah, who will manifest his power in a completely different way. He points to the Holy Spirit in power and light, the power of which we know. “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Lk 3:16). Only in the Holy Spirit can he experience spiritual joy. John points to the activity of repentance. In other words, you can put it this way: Change your mind. Change your life. Change. What did they think in the words of St. John the Baptist? John did not want them to wear a robe of camel’s hair, to eat only field honey and drink only milk. That would be very little. John calls on them to radically change their way of life. Yes, you can go to confession, yet life does not change after confession. Jesus will clearly and decisively what needs to change, what to leave, what to give up, what to despise. It can be deduced from the Gospel that Jesus wants something more but in our favor. Advent is a time to think, a time to compare your life with the life of a year, two or three … Real joy is the one that enriches not only outside, but especially inside us, which perhaps hurts, but then heals, heals, and is the beginning of new life. And this is pointed out by today’s Sunday, which has the adjective “Laetare” – “Rejoice.”

It is necessary to live true joy. A joy that cannot be bribed that is enough in itself, and that is and shines with its light, that comes where it likes and stays as long as it wants, that makes life suddenly transparent, fills it with happiness at one point. We cannot buy this joy. This is because it has an essential and inseparable relationship to the good. Only good has that weight of being that can be the ground for a fragile flower of joy. The human good is the space in which joy lives well. Good calls her, attracts her, attracts her, so strongly that when satisfaction is frightened and recedes, it is necessary to ask where the enemy, evil, has entered immediately. Joy is born of good, lives and blooms well, but good also works because it is good itself, even the highest; it encourages, calls, and gives strength to interest. Joy without good and good without pleasure are like a smile without Love and Love without a smile. We know great happiness, but tiny, barely perceptible charms are also. But each of them shines with the same bright light. Yes, they are good and small, and each good gives pleasure to its transparency, unmistakably identified grandeur.

There are many great joys, but their role is to be a milestone, mark a new direction in life, and tell the human soul with absolute certainty that the whole astronomy is beating them on the astronomical clock. Great joy floods the soul like a flood and cannot be resisted. Later, when the waters fall, the skeptic can understand, ask about the possibility of mistakes, convince himself of coincidences and misunderstandings, and come to believe that the moment when joy has given itself and fulfilled his life is what he calls an unreal dream.
The mission of small joys is to bring us to encouraging words. The pleasure is not small, because it would be only half. Little joys exist because life has its minor events. After all, living is heroism and generosity and simple attention, unexpected tenderness, a word of appreciation, and the chance that will help. Life is not and cannot be based on such joys. They are like butterflies in a flowering garden. If they fly away at the time, the meadow is no longer so beautiful, but it still blooms. If butterflies flew out permanently, would it be so lovely without them? Certainly not! Likewise, small joys do not make the axis of life, but they cannot be given up definitively or with impunity. In this mean Advent time, we realize that man lives in time and the hand of time is icy and relentless, and there are very few whose inner fire is strong enough not to go out when touched.

Every and the minor joy is in itself a victory, a victory of the forces of good over evil, a victory of life. But happiness can also triumph over life itself and fill it all within. Although it may sound unacceptable, it is still possible to rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord continually! I repeat Rejoice” (Philippians 4: 4)! Even in such a situation, when the difficulties and crosses of life, the death of a neighbor, and the like come upon us, love is more robust, and joy is true. Happiness can be accepted, and good and his own life can be taken. Accept but not submit to your power. Only a free decision for good is in our power. It is only in our ability to open the door of joy behind which it stands and knocks so that we can open it.

We are all called to live and to bring joy to others. Whoever has failed to do this, has not wanted it, and so on, can ask God for a reward of fun in the kingdom of God?
Anthony de Melo wrote of the good news: “I imagine I have not many days left to live … I can choose only one person or at most two to be my companions in these last days. I’ll make this painful choice … and talk to this man, explain to him why I decided to him. I imagine that I am allowed to have a three-minute telephone conversation with the people I have decided, or that I can send someone a letter … Who will I choose? … What will I write? … What will each of them tell me? .. I’m also given one last chance to meet people I don’t like or ignore. If I take this opportunity, what will I say to each of them now that I am standing on the threshold of eternity? … People ask me if I have any last wishes. Do I also have a desire? 

Advent is a relatively short period, and therefore there is nothing to delay. If we want to survive the feasts of the Nativity in joy and peace, we should respond to the voice of the Adventist preacher John the Baptist, as he advised by those who came to him, especially the toll booths and soldiers. After all, we want everyone to experience as much joy as possible during these days. To make the most of these days for our souls. It is good to think of others or have put them in order, contrary to justice in our lives, so that we do not act like a lion from Aesop’s fable.
It is said that they hunted lions, donkeys, foxes, and wolves together. Together, they caught a deer, dividing it into four parts. When they were about to do so, the lion said, “Wait a minute. I want to note that two elements belong to me for my courage; I cannot give up the third. Acknowledge, for my family’s appetite, and who among you wants to challenge my right to the fourth part, please let him out. After these left words, the three companions left. As can be seen from the behavior of the lion, the amount can also be four quarters, that is, everything.

Let us ask ourselves: What is justice? Someone can rejoice in different circumstances. You can also delight in sin. But you can also die while sinning. God came into the world to redeem and save us. God wants our eternal joy. And that is why we should live our lives worthy of our unadulterated, lasting pleasure. For this joy, we are willing and capable of everything. This is a souvenir for our conscience questioning in the pre-Christmas preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

It will be an unpleasant procedure for many of us, customary, mechanical, or traditional! And joy? Often none. And that is why it is time to take a decisive step, a decision … Today, now, so that joy is an enrichment for each of us.

An ancient man came to God through the existence of the prairie. Today we come to God instead of through the presence of ourselves through the existence of man. Ancient thinkers asked: what is the meaning of the world. They asked about the ultimate cause of the world. The modern man asks how to take possession of the world. Modern man controls the world. He is surrounded not so much by nature itself in life and work but lives mainly amid a world of his own making. In cities, technology, and civilization, he discovers around him not so vividly the traces of God but rather the traces of man’s activity. The sight of this world of ours does not bring man directly to God as living nature once did but brings us to man, the creator of this world. Our questions, therefore, stop primarily at atman. `What is the life of man? And what is beyond this life? There are, it is true, people who pretend not to care. But some people are searching for the meaning of life. Without this meaning, it isn’t easy to live.
Man needs orientation. He requires a goal to work towards. The need to seek the meaning of life is universal in humanity. Caveman sought the meaning of life differently from a later man in Babylon or Egypt. or a thousand years later in Europe. He responded according to the degree of his capacities. We come to God’s existence not because we do not yet know something, not because we cannot yet explain something, but because we know something, and we know it as a necessity. Both need and the desire for fullness lead man to God. Whether man has prospered or failed, he has always felt that he is not closed in himself, that he is open to the world of the spirit.

Man will not change his place in the universe. The need to ask questions and questions about God will not dry up in him. The animal can reach the fulfillment of his desires every day—a handful of grass. Man will never. The animal is satisfied with his sensual life. It is free from problems and free from insecurity. Man as spirit transcends the senses and sensual satisfaction. Man is a seeking being. There is not a single desire in man that is not, beneath the surface, a desire for God. As the stomach wants to be filled with food, the eye with light, the ear with harmony, so the spirit of man reaches out for God. Man is therefore focused on infinity. That cannot be denied. Man wants to overcome every state, every situation. If development has taken place, why should everything end in nothing?
The truth is we always pursue something. We can’t stop at anything. We go from knowledge to knowledge, from message to message, from book to book, from one television program to another, and we go through everything quickly. Nothing satisfies us permanently. As soon as we have achieved something, we are already looking for other possibilities. One goes further and further. Where? In addition, man experiences the uncertainty of his life and, after all, the threat of death. And death is over. Why is there a desire for infinity in a man? But man can secure infinity, eternity. No, not with your abilities. He needs someone to do that. Who? He who is eternal Almighty. And that is only God.

How do we know people? From the direct knowledge that I will meet them, I talk, see them with my own eyes, and so on. We can also know a person by not completing him directly. For example, he lives far away or has already died. Nowadays, film, cameras, etc., can help us. When it comes to the distant past, such as the time two thousand years ago, it can help us in the specific case of John the Baptist, the Scriptures, and the tradition of the Church.

Why are we so interested in the person of John the Baptist even today? These are the words of the Gospel where we read, “Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist” (Mt 17:13). This happened after the transformation on the mountain, where Peter, James, and John saw him talking to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah, and Peter exclaimed, “Lord, we are well here. If you want, I’ll make three stalls here … ”(Mt 17: 4). And as they came down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” (Mt 17:10). The Jews were convinced that Elijah would be born before the Messiah. Although the Lord Jesus confirms this opinion, he declares John the Baptist to be Elijah, who has fulfilled Elijah’s mission for the time being. We know about John the Baptist, what the angel Gabriel said to Zacharias when he offered the sacrifice in the temple: He will go before him with the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the sons and to bring the unbelievers to the wisdom of the righteous and to prepare the perfect people for the Lord ”(Lk 1: 15-17).

The words “in the spirit of Elijah” mean that John will speak with the same determination against the sins of the people and especially against the evils of their leaders, as Elijah once did when he said against the pagan queen Jezebel and her pagan priests. With the same zealous spirit, John will encourage the people to repent. And John fulfilled this prediction of the angel. Herod Antipas was one of the sons of Herod the Great. From his father’s inheritance, he received Galileo and Transport, Peru. He lured Her brother Philip’s wife, Herodias, and lived with her. She could not listen to what John the Baptist had allowed her to say when he accused her of not living with her husband’s brother. John was more afraid of God than she was, so he acted like a prophet. Herodias used her power at the first opportunity to control Herod, and when her daughter, who liked Herod and his guests, performed, she showed to ask Herod’s head of John the Baptist. This completes John’s mission. John honestly fulfilled his mission as the announcer of the expected Messiah.

It is genuinely his humility, his devotion to the cause of God, when he declared, “A mighty man than I am coming after me” (Lk 3:16). When asked if he was the one to come or wait for another, John did not deny and confessed, “I am not the Messiah” (Jn 1:20).

At this time of Advent preparation for the feasts of the Nativity of Jesus Christ, we should know the person of John the Baptist as best we can. Not as he looked physically, but we should look at the content of his words, which he proclaimed as the forerunner of the Lord Jesus. These words are timely even today. They remind us of what is essential in preparation for the feasts of the Nativity and which we should not overlook. When we realize all this, we are to adjust our lives accordingly, which John likens to the path: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight” (Mark 1: 3b). John’s words sound to us as an announcement of the Messiah’s salvation – Jesus Christ will bring us.

The answer to this short gospel should not belong in coming. We must not think long, make decisions. Time is fast approaching, the birth of the Son of God is at hand. Let us ask for the strength to profess our faith, to fulfill our religious duties with all faithfulness to God. Behold, our God is coming! John’s words are important to us. Let’s not despise John! When we learn to know John, if we keep his words in the practice of the lives of believing Christians, then the world will know us not only by name, that we are believers, but above all by our words and deeds. The world thus learns that living with faith is a source even today.

Indeed, you have already experienced disappointment. When you were in the right, and the untruth won. It often hurts to state: “I have no acquaintance, no protection, no money to notice, and therefore those who have this, there is nothing missing.”

But one will not disappoint us. It is Jesus who does not promise benefits here on earth, does not promise paradise on earth, but when we are tired, let us repeat the words of the Gospel: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavily laden, and I will strengthen you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. My yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light” (Mt 11: 28-30). Jesus’ words sound strange. The burden – and allegedly light? Sure. After all, Jesus said of himself, “I am the truth.” Jesus cannot lie. When we believe in Jesus’ words, we quickly become convinced of their truthfulness. If we were fully committed to Christ, we could whisper the name of God as a prayer instead of insults in misery, unhappiness, and sorrow. And even the body seems to receive the strength that was the reward for our faithfulness to Jesus’ words.

Every disease and suffering from any kind is a consequence of inherited sin and our sins. Therefore, we should pay special attention to the advice given to us by the great worshipper of the crucified Jesus Christ – St. John of the Cross, in the book Lovers of the Cross, where he writes that we desire a purgatory for our sins here on earth because we cannot imagine the pain after death when we will be prevented from seeing God face to face for our sins. Many of you know some of his words in part from the practice of life. To understand how to accept the cross without grumbling, grumbling, asking, “Why me ?! What should I suffer for?” To learn to live without remorse that he who does not go to church, who does not pray, is better …. Let us know to whisper the words that the Lord Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Well, not mine, but you will !” (Lk 22:42). And these words will give us a boost in suffering. Paul the Apostle experienced many afflictions, difficulties for the name of Jesus, and therefore, to our encouragement in such moments, he wrote to us: “I know whom I have believed, and I am sure” (2 Tim 1:12). What is Paul sure about? Indeed, what he does in connection with Christ is not done in vain. It will be his reward one day. This is how we understand his last words: “I fought a good fight, I kept my faith, a wreath is ready for me”… I know a single young woman. She could not marry because of her illness. Whoever sees her for the first time and knows about her illness would like to regret her, but this is only a moment because this young woman can masterfully spread a special power of joy, satisfaction around her. He can grit his teeth when he suffers; he does not complain; he can distribute, from his suffering, not the fruit of joy. Many people, therefore, entrust their difficulties to her; they ask for prayer. These are lived words in practice, which Christ said in the Gospel: “For my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light” (Mt 11: 28-30).

At our crosses, let us realize that we are offered great graces at the same time. Let us also try to understand our proverb, which we must correctly explain: “Whom the Lord God loves, he visits him with a cross.” Let us not always understand suffering and crosses as punishment for our sins. We will surely realize that what was often unpleasant, demanding, saved us from many sins, falls, perhaps even from eternal damnation. How many conversions, returns to God did suffering and understanding bring? One typically forgets when one is young, healthy, prosper, but what if illness comes? Only faith can give the correct answer to the question – “Why should the sick suffer their whole lives? What kind of life is it to be strapped to the bed for years?” Even such a life is not useless. Such a life also has value. Faith speaks of life after the truth. I believe in eternal life; this is how we pray in prayer. I believe in God. And this is what we must learn to accept, live, and do God’s will. He who understands suffering in this way will never be disappointed. However, one who does not understand the meaning of life in connection with God will be disappointed. “But he that denied me before men, even I will deny before my Father, which is in heaven” (Mt 10:33).

Mary, our model of a sinless life
(Luke 1: 26-38)
Is life without sin possible?

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Imagine someone asking you to answer the question: -Is life possible without sin? After the personal experience, the answer would be that a life without sin is impossible. Yes, our lives are marked by corruption. Let’s also think like this: Can we imagine clean and dirty things? For example clothes, flat, hands, cutlery or plates, car … Sure. Consequences mark our life after the sin of our grandparents. Today we commemorate the Church’s teaching that the Virgin Mary was “saved” and not “freed” from any evil. This is a challenge, a memento, an encouragement for each of us to make a more significant effort to protect each sin. Today’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception is an opportunity to reflect on your life as a way to preserve every sin. Let the words of the Virgin Mary remind us especially:

KEY
“Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to thy word” (Lk 1:38).

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These words will be spoken freely by the Virgin Mary at the angel’s proclamation. First, she listens to the announcement that her angel Gabriel is interpreting. It is a strange message that cannot be compared to history. Mary is to conceive a child. Mary is a woman and is no different from other women. There is a correct remark in the Gospel that he asks the angel, “For this, I will not know the man” (Luke 1:34). God acts in His love to save the world through one woman. Already in Paradise, words related to the Annunciation event were heard. At that time, in the so-called “protoevanjelije” of the first good news, God said to the devil: “I have set enmity between you and the woman, between your descendants and her descendants; Here is the beginning of the truth about the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which we know from the symbol of Mary standing with her feet on the serpent’s head. Mary does not do so of her power but the grace of her Son. This text of Scripture points to the unique significance of the holiness of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary is the only woman from the human race who has been freed from any sin, including hereditary, so that she can fulfill the words that God has already said in Paradise.

Pope Pius XII In the encyclical “Fulgens corona” in 1953, to commemorate the centenary of the definition of the truth of the faith of the Immaculate Conception, he argues: If the Blessed Virgin Mary were deprived of God’s grace at some point because it was no longer an eternal enmity between her and the serpent, at least at this time, albeit as brief as the one in the original tradition, until the solemn proclamation of the Immaculate Conception, but somewhat inevitable enslavement (cf. AAS 45/1953/579).

Therefore, the absolute hostility that God has determined between the woman and the devil requires an immaculate conception in the Virgin Mary, that is, complete sinlessness from the beginning of her life. The Son of the Virgin Mary was defined as a victor over the devil, and his Mother had rejoiced before saving her from sin. Her son gave her the power to overcome the devil, and so in the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, he realized the most significant consequence of his redemptive work. The angel gives Mary the title “full of grace.” Paradise proves that the devil has no power over her because God has given her this privilege, which is the beginning of a new order, the fruit of friendship with God, and involves a deep enmity between the snake and humans.

In the book of the Revelation of St. John, there is a biblical testimony favoring the Immaculate Virgin Mary, where John writes of her as a woman clothed with the sun (cf. Rev 12: 1). John writes that the woman was pregnant and screamed in pain because she gave birth (cf. Rev 12: 2). This note points to the Mother of the Lord Jesus under the cross (cf. Jn 19:25), where she suffers from her son and where the Son gives her in the Apostle John as brothers and sisters of all people. For all her sufferings, John sees her “clothed in the sun,” an expression that says that the Virgin Mary is adorned with divine radiance, which indicates the most beautiful relationship between God and his people. Although these images do not directly point to the prerogative of the Immaculate Conception, they can be understood as an expression of the loving care of God the Father, which includes the Virgin Mary by the grace and radiance of the Spirit.

For us, it is a remembrance. Because the Book of Revelation addresses us to recognize the ecclesial dimension of the personality of the Virgin Mary uniquely, the woman clothed with the sun represents the holiness of the Church, which is fully realized in the Virgin Mary according to special grace.

St. Irenaeus represents the Virgin Mary as the new Eve who, by her faith and obedience, counterbalanced the unbelief and disobedience of the first Eve. We realize that in this economy of salvation, it is required that there be no room for sin in this role. We understand that both Christ, the new Adam, and Mary, the new Eve, knew no sin, that she was thus able to cooperate in redemption.

Sin, which overwhelms like flood humanity, stopped before the Redeemer and His most faithful co-worker. There is an essential difference between the two. The Lord Jesus is holy in the power of grace which in his human nature springs from the divine Person, and the Virgin Mary is sacred in the power of grace which she received because of the merits of her Son, the Saviour of the world (cf. General Audience of John Paul II, 29.IV.1996). Our Lady is our Mother. And it is here that we realize the power of her intercession. Her heart has not changed. She is the perfect image of the merciful God. So we know that we can and do receive many new graces through her.

She was responsible for this with her apparition at Lourdes when she presented herself to the little girl Bernadette on March 25, 1858: “I am the Immaculately Conceived.” It was only four years later that Pope Pius IX, with the Bull “Ineffability Deus,” proclaimed what the Church had realized, taught, and believed from the earliest times, that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the moment of her conception, was uniquely preserved from every stain of sin.

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Although today’s world does not seem interested in the purity of heart, innocence, and sinlessness, we cannot say that the world is only evil or sinful. Today’s feast is a challenge to every person, just as we will hear at Midnight Mass when the angels magnify God and say to the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of goodwill.” (Lk 2:14). In today’s words about people of goodwill, it is fitting that we, people who realize that in Mary Immaculately Conceived, we have a great intercessor, also want to be.

Those who have experienced the atmosphere of the pilgrimage to Lourdes in France and have opened their hearts to the Immaculate Conception have certainly felt and experienced the words of Our Lady in their souls.

I did not travel to Lourdes to ask for a miracle. Many say. But to ask for perseverance in good. A father also traveled to Lourdes in 1998 in a pilgrimage of the Immaculate Family at the express request of his son, who had been ill since birth. When his son was born, as the father publicly declared, – “I cursed God, and since then have not come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation for several decades. He decided to travel with his son as an escort at his son’s request. What he saw, what he experienced, the organization of the event, the relationships between people, the almost one hundred people as affected as his son, their smile, their satisfaction, the father not only cried for a long time, he said goodbye to Our Lady, but he made a holy confession. He said of his change of life: – “I thank all those who helped me to overcome my many sins and to convince myself that God is “Love” and Our Lady has not forgotten the promise that she will listen to everyone who takes refuge in her with trust.”

It would not be suitable if we expected a miracle in changing our lives or that we would be freed from all temptations and struggles for the purity of our souls. However, it is correct that we consciously and willingly cooperate with all the graces the Church offers us. Even today, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we realize that God also loves us, and in the same way, Our Lady accepts us all as sons and daughters.

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Yes, a life without sin is possible. A plate, a car, dress hands get dirty when we use them for the activity they are made for. But God the Father created man in His image. God the Son redeemed us, and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus taught us. Apart from original sin, which every person comes into the world with but is forgiven in baptism without merit, we should guard against all personal evil.

Let us pray for fidelity and love of God through the intercession of our Immaculate Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Religion is man’s relationship to God, our goal, the ideal of perfection. Therefore, all virtues belong and all good deeds to piety. So why should it be said still about the particular goodness of purity, religion? After all, however, we also know this concept from the general conversation. We say that someone is more or less pious. We understand that this includes many different responsibilities. But he goes here even an essential, inner attitude that can’t be easily guessed.
After all, we have three words in Slovak that have different colors of meaning: pious, pious, the piety of the disciples. Christianity is a religion of spirit and truth. Therefore Christian piety is above all internal property. If it is strongly external, we are talking more about faith, holiness. God willing, people often go to Church, bow before the cross. However, “Pious,” “bigoted,” is already an ugly sound. The external manifestations of piety are exaggerated, disproportionate, ridiculous, even if they are well thought out.
St. Thomas Aquinas defines righteousness according to his inner attitude as “affection for the will to all good man.” So it is not about individual deeds but the whole perspective. If someone is an avid athlete, we are sure that we can count on it whenever there is a sporting event. A music lover will not miss an excellent concert.
We assume a godly man to follow him we can turn whenever it’s about something good. If it supports the poor, to work in a Catholic association, 0 liturgical celebrations, a genuinely pious man is willing to help where he can. He takes it for granted. Because the highest good is God, a holy man, he is inclined to contact him as often as possible.
Prayer comes first in piety. Thus, piety is an important virtue. St. Thomas advises her for this right after the “divine” virtues before the so-called moral virtues.

External and internal piety
Godliness is an inner quality of the soul that is not externally visible. And yet, it manifests itself in some way. If she didn’t show up, she would even be very doubtful. Certain external forms are common in the Catholic Church piety. To what extent are they necessary and valuable? The lead to this question is different. Reform movements have always opposed extravagance. Richly decorated churches, gold ornaments, ceremonies, processions, incense all seem unnecessary to some people and even harmful. It is said to divert attention from sincere, inner piety in spirit and truth. We will not return to the old, long overdue dispute over external and internal purity. The main rule
is apparent. The whole man who composes must serve God from the soul and the body. Thus, in righteousness, the manifestations are internal One outdoor. Jesus Christ, the invisible God, was born visibly on earth and founded the Church, which is hidden and visible, cares for the souls of individuals and the transformation. Human coexistence. Therefore, its actions have a social character. In one moral handbook, we read the correct one, though a complex definition of righteousness: “It is a supernatural virtue. Here one expresses the obligatory respect for God, the originator, and the goal of the whole supernatural order. This man experiences his relationship with God in Christ in a symbolic expression. » For we cannot imagine the invisible God except in figurative terms: Father, Creator, etc. We can’t contact him directly yet. Therefore, we express our feelings and decisions with a symbol, an external image of inner thinking: in words, lifting or clapping hands, bowing, kneeling, etc.
This need for symbols has always been closely linked to religion and art. In the history of nations, we observe how art is created in the ceremonies of various cults. So they apply for ceremonies similar rules as for artists: outdoor the statement must be genuine, dignified, and proportionate to the internal content. We talk about oratory, where a slight inner feeling accompanies the outer gesture. Arne Novák called the opposite by strangulation, expressive immaturity. The idea should be strong enough to get a reasonable outside force to the statement. Western and Eastern Catholic administration contains a lot of forms of external piety. The Church kept them in a skeletal way. We do not deny that there is a danger of superficial forgiveness. Those who perform the ceremonies no longer need the spirit that animated their creators. It seems better to leave the external forms after that. Russian clergyman Theophane Zatvornik replies with great emphasis on this objection: “Do not abandon, but revive!” Poor is a view of the so-called modern Christians who cross themselves under the coat so that they will not see who will kneel in the Church steals and so clumsily that it arouses a smile. Who wrote about prayer, of course, as much as possible focused on emphasizing inner attitude and feelings man. The so-called ceremonies, ceremonies are left to experts in the liturgy. This division is practical, but the two that belong together must not be forgotten. The one who he prays with all his heart, he bears, as Origenes says, «on your body a picture of what is happening in the soul.» ” Notice,” writes St. Basil, “how the power of the soul affects the body, but also that how inner-thinking depends on the body! »
The beautiful liturgy elevates the soul. Genuine, honest, dignified behavior in the church is an effective apostolate that does not force it. It’s like saying, “Come on to see how we are serious about our relationship with God and faith! ” It is, therefore, essential to take care when raising children to behave appropriately in prayer, to shake hands, standing or kneeling. He argues that the child does not pray but plays in an outdoor theater. Indeed, it cannot end education for prayer by teaching about external forms. However, the path to the soul leads from the outside world.

The period of Advent also includes the visit of a priest to the sick who cannot visit the church due to their illness or old age, thus accepting the sacrament of reconciliation and the anointing of the sick. However, there are also cases where the son or daughter does not care about his soul, neglects his grandparents, and does not allow them to receive these sacraments. However, we have brothers and sisters among us who, although family ties do not bind them, often only neighbourly relations and will take care of the sacrament for these old and sick. I look forward to their dedication, love, and willingness to help these elderly believers.

This relationship reminds us of an event from this gospel. Jesus taught in one house surrounded by Pharisees and scribes who thought they were the most exemplary sons of Abraham, Isaac, and James. And yet, what happened then says something else. It is not enough to say, “Lord, Lord,” said the Lord Jesus, for faith without works is dead. And this is what the actions of the men who brought the paralysed man and tried to get him inside and put him in front of Jesus. But when they found no passage for the crowd, they brought him up to the roof, and let him down on the bed, and led him down straight before Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven” (Lk 5:20). These words raised questions among the “perfect” attendees: “Who is it? After all, who is cursing! Who can forgive sins besides God?” They listened to Jesus’ words but did not receive them. Their hearts were far from Jesus, though physically so close. But Jesus perceived their thoughts and said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts? Which is easier – to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Arise and walk?” (Lk 5:23). And then he will give them proof that he is indeed the expected Messiah when he says, “But that you may know that the Son of man has the power to forgive sins on earth,” he said to the paralysed, “I say to you: Arise, get up your bed and go home!” (Lk 5.24).

However, the evangelist also wrote down the reaction of those who believed in the deity of Jesus Christ when he wrote: All were amazed and glorified, and they said, “We have seen admirable things today” (Lk 5:26). A believing Christian who arranges for a longing brother or sister to meet God on the sacraments knows how they rejoice and rejoice. Often the priest is pleased about such meetings because these are often incomprehensible things in which to see the joy and power of the Holy Spirit. However, it depends on how we are disposed of, that is, how we prepare, open up to the Lord Jesus, find time for him, or give our whole hearts to him. This is necessary when we meet the Lord Jesus—doing it out of conviction and realizing that it is not an everyday event.

Let us also remember the words of the centurion, whom Jesus praised for the words, “Lord, do not be weary, for I am not worthy to enter under my roof” (Lk 7: 6). that the Lord Jesus also looks at them with love and wants to bless them for it, to reward their efforts, care, and love. If one of you mediated reconciliation with God and died, he knows what an incredible joy it is for a believer. Still, At the same time, the strength that the one to whom we mediated the atonement with God begs for us is interceding so that we too may meet with the reconciliation of Jesus Christ. many times it does not cost so much, perhaps a little goodwill and time, and although the sick will not return to the health of the body, the health of the soul will return, which we lose consciously and voluntarily committed sin.