(…) The question is, who wrote this sheet, or can we even say this excerpt that we read today? The answer to this question is significant for understanding the whole text. Sure, it was written in Colossians, but who were these Colossians? First of all, they were Greeks; this aspect plays a big role there, it is of great importance, and then they were Christians, who had converted from paganism. When a person “turns” or starts doing something new, such as attending a school or joining a club, or learning a foreign language, they are excited about it. However, as a rule, how does it typically go? Most people start to slow down after a while. He discovers that there are some problems, some obstacles, and that it’s not all as he imagined; maybe the teacher is not quite right, or his classmates, or there are problems with the thing itself. The Christians in Colossae also discovered that there are problems in the church as well, that it is not all as 100 percent as they thought, and they, too, began to falter in their enthusiasm.

Paul, because he saw it, because he knew them, wanted to confirm their initial enthusiasm, tried to encourage them again, to bring them to it again, so that they don’t just become some average or below average Christians, but are as zealous as they were at the beginning, and that’s why he writes this text to them. It is a text intended for encouragement. As I said, the Colossians were Greek. Here is one such essential aspect of Greek thought. This aspect was formulated by the philosopher Plato, and it was not precisely a happy division; namely, Plato divided the world into the visible world and the invisible world, and he also assigned labels to each. He said that the visible world is evil; on the contrary, the invisible world is the real thing. In other words, Plato said: „A human soul that is invisible and cannot be touched, this soul is trapped in the human body and looks forward to the moment when it gets rid of that body.“ So Plato introduced a kind of division, but it was incorrect. The apostle Paul writes to the Colossians and says to them: „This division is bad, the world forms unity. Just as God made him visible and invisible ( we say it in prayer, I believe in God every Sunday), so this world forms unity, and you can’t say: therefore, that something is visible and can be touched is bad, and because something is invisible and cannot be touched, it is good. Not like this at all, you can’t divide it like this.“

Plato’s reflection continued that it is necessary to stay away from material things, from visible things, so that man has within himself the true wealth of invisible things. Apostle Paul wants to say to the Colossians: „No. A Christian, one who believed in Jesus Christ, will not withdraw from the visible world, but will have a different attitude towards it. Like all travelers, they look to the cardinal points, they look to the sky, and in the sky they look for a polar bear that shows them the north and derives from it where they will go, so the Christian will look at Christ.“ Or let’s say it a little differently. As a person who goes on a journey somewhere, he looks at the timetable when something is going for him, and accordingly sets out on that journey and prepares himself, thus the Christian will look at Christ and from Christ he will then derive his attitude towards all things, towards all realities – whether to those that are seen or to those, which are not visible.

Every person has one ability that only we humans have, which is to think about ourselves. Paul writes about it to the Colossians: „Cloth a new man who renews himself to the right knowledge.“ Only a person can stop, think about what was (we call it „, do a reflection of one’s own life“), and say: „This was done, thank you,“ or also say: „I messed this up, this failed, and I have to do otherwise.“ It takes a lot of force to admit a mistake in such a self-critical way; it’s not easy at all. It takes a lot of inner strength, a lot of bravery, and then it takes a lot of courage to change it to correct it somehow. But it is the mission of us Christians to look at Christ, to look at Him as an indicator of the way, an indicator of direction, and, according to Christ, to take a position on things that are around us, whether material things or intangible things.

We, too, have certainly experienced the fact that everything in the church is not just enough, that it is not all as we would like, as we would imagine. We must have also experienced the fact that those we thought would be our role models somehow disappointed us. It would be a mistake if, because of these difficulties, we put aside our faith and put aside our view of Christ because of these problems. On the contrary, if we all try to live according to the gospel, if we all try to look at Christ, then we can say, there will be fewer and fewer disappointments. So may we be able, according to Paul’s instructions, at this time, which is the time of vacation, the time of rest, to make time for ourselves too – to stop, think, and check our life direction and ask: „ Am I really following Christ?“

Brothers and sisters. We know that when building a church, a house, or any other building, the architect plays an important role. The architect is responsible for designing and drawing up plans for the building. Ultimately, his role is twofold: to create the building so that it is aesthetically pleasing and functional.

We could say that in the history of salvation, there is the most critical architect, who is God himself. When we read the Holy Scriptures, we can see how God beautifully and wisely directs the different periods and how carefully he selects the individuals who shape these events. In this sense, we can reflect on the event of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and her arrival in the world. As a skilled architect, God fulfilled both essential aspects in the birth and life of the Virgin Mary: Mary was born as a beautiful temple of God, untouched by the stain of original sin. At the same time, Mary received her mission from God. This mission is expressed in the presidential prayer at the liturgy of the feast of her birth; namely, that Mary’s birth announced the birth of the light of the world — Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary is presented here as the most important of God’s creations – her spiritual beauty and her mission to give birth to the Savior of mankind make her the greatest of all.    

Perhaps non-Catholics could criticize us for celebrating the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, as this event is not directly referenced in Scripture. Indeed, although it is an ancient festival that has been celebrated since around the 5th century, the events surrounding the birth of the Virgin Mary are mainly drawn from the apocryphal gospels, which were not accepted by the Church as inspired Scripture, as well as from the Church’s tradition. However, when we take a closer look at the Holy Scriptures, we see that God prepared for the coming of the Virgin Mary from eternity. After the first people sinned, he announced the arrival of a woman in paradise who would be beyond the Devil’s power. At the same time, biblical scholars have identified several figures in the Old Testament as being images of Mary, who would become the sanctuary of God. One of the most beautiful is the comparison of the Virgin Mary to the Ark of the Covenant. We know that God instructed Moses to make the Ark of the Covenant exactly as He instructed. It was intended to be a sign that the holy God was present among his people. It was a beautifully decorated box in which essential items were stored: the two tablets of God’s law, manna as miraculous food, and a testimony to God’s care for his people in the form of Aaron’s staff, which blossomed. We can certainly compare the Virgin Mary to this Ark of God. Through her birth, God began to create a sanctuary within her for Jesus, who was born from her. The Holy Spirit also descended upon her, and she conceived and gave birth to her child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary, the new Ark, was watched over by angels, through whom God often spoke to her. Therefore, Mary’s birth was no coincidence. On the contrary, every step in history was directed towards this, as evidenced by the long genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel. Many biblical personalities came first to fulfil their destiny with the name of Mary.

Brothers and sisters, it is essential for us to to discover the legacy of this holiday. What can we learn from Mary’s birth? Firstly, that every person’s life should come from the union of man, his prayers, and God’s promise. Joachim and Anna were unable to conceive for many years, despite being very devout, and they undoubtedly suffered when others wrongly judged them to be unloved and unblessed by God. However, they did not give up; instead, they sought God’s will. They kept praying, and their prayers were answered. I recently experienced this myself when I approached my husband. After several years of not being able to conceive, their prayers were answered. They were not tempted by the various possibilities of artificial insemination, but trusted that God would hear them. The moment they surrendered to God, accepting His will, God’s purpose began to be fulfilled. God blessed them with a new life. This is a lesson for us all: we should not try to control everything, but surrender ourselves to God. Therefore, a person’s birth does not depend solely on our desires or circumstances. I knew cases where husbands prioritized housing, careers, security, and certain material comforts, as well as a life without moral inhibitions; and years later, they told each other, ‘Now is the time to have a child’. ‘Now is the time to have a child’. But the child did not come. It’s as if it all depended on our decision alone, as if God’s will didn’t matter. The second implication of the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Virgin Mary is that our difficulties, crosses, and sufferings also have meaning on our journey to God. Mary’s birth was not without its unexpected twists and turns. After all, Mary was engaged to Joseph, and they certainly had a vision of how they wanted to live. However, God intervened and changed their plans. He certainly encouraged Mary and Joseph not to be afraid of the various trials that would come.

We all know how long we live now. For a long time, there was less division, sin, malice, and tension. But let’s keep in mind that today’s complex situation can also be an opportunity for us to realize that God still cares for us and will not abandon us, even when we suffer. Let this cross not break us, but lead us to greater humility. Let us continue to shape our conscience through prayer, adoration, and receiving the Eucharist, and through acts of love for others, remembering not to think only of ourselves. The important thing is to think mainly of others, especially at such a difficult time. May God help us in this, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary. 

 How did Paul, the “servant of the persecution,» become Paul, the servant of the Gospel? This is how he began to change, surprisingly, thanks to a fascinating encounter with the resurrected Lord on the way to Damascus. Jesus told Paul, who hastened to imprison Christians, that he would become his “chosen tool’ to spread the Gospel among the Gentiles – and at no small personal cost! This encounter changed Paul’s life dramatically. And precisely what Jesus promised happened – Paul focused all his energy on spreading the good news about Christ to everyone around him. Would you also be able to repeat Paul’s words and talk about the Gospel as something that you also serve? Sure knew. It is the vocation of every Christian, not only a priest, missionary, or religious. Jesus wants each of us to become a herald of his glad tidings. He wants each of us to tell a story about God’s love for man. Paul himself provides us with some support points on how to do it as effectively as possible. See Chapters 22 and 26 in the Acts of the Apostles, where Paul, this great theologian, discusses his conversion. This is not speculative theology. Paul briefly summarizes how he met the Lord Jesus and how this meeting changed his life. Simply, directly, convincingly. Anyone can do this! What’s more, each of us is called to do so. Try to write down what you could talk about first. For example, it could be about how prayer brings you God’s peace. Or about how you get closer and closer to Jesus with each Holy Mass and how it fills you with gratitude for saving you from sin. Then pray with faith, expecting God to open the door for you. And finally, be careful about every opportunity that Jesus gives you to share your faith experience with someone you may invite to pray with you. Harvest is near! Let us ask the Lord for the grace and courage to become workers in his harvest.

 Apart from wonder, what else can Paul’s words about Jesus evoke in our hearts? Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the firstborn of all creation. Everything in heaven and on earth was created for him. He himself is the perfect image of the invisible God, and nothing in the entire universe can be compared to him.

Paul did not portray Jesus as a distant, inaccessible deity who is not interested in us mere mortals. No, Paul spoke of the magnificence of Jesus to be sure of the life we received in him. If Jesus is really the one in whom God’s fullness dwells, then he can give us without any doubt “participation in the share of the saints in the light” (Kol 1, 12). When we recognize Jesus as the Son of God, we can have security and peace in every situation we find ourselves in.

What do you see when you imagine Jesus? Do you imagine the eternal Son of God, filled with power, who paved the way for you with His death on the cross? Do you see him through whom all things were created, who sacrifices himself to the Father for covenantal love for you? Everything is kept in Christ, and he is always with you when you need him. For example, the person you love is seriously ill or has died. Go to Jesus, knowing that he has you both hidden in his hands. The one who first defeats death will give you the strength and peace you need. Even if you are experiencing a complicated relationship with a family member or a colleague, follow Jesus, through whom God reconciled all things to himself, to lead you to pity and reconciliation. If you feel abandoned by God or distant from him, follow Jesus. Remember that God gave you peace through his blood on the cross. He will answer you!

As a result of a forced agreement between the Catholic bishops and the communist government, the Church came under complete state control.

Archbishop József Grősz. Photo: wikipedia.org

In Hungary, even decades after the fall of communism in 1989, the Catholic Church suffers from the consequences of more than 40 years of ideological oppression. The pressure exerted by the party at the harshest stage of Stalinism was enormous. Exactly 75 years ago, the Church experienced an extremely black day.

The course was set by the general secretary of the Communist Party, Mátyás Rákosi, in October 1948: “We end the tactic of lenient treatment of traitors – even if they are wrapped in the robes of priests and cardinals. ” 

Actions soon followed the words. And so on August 30, 1950, 75 years ago, Salinization in Hungary reached a new peak, and the Church survived the black day. By a forced agreement between the Catholic bishops and the communist government, the Church in Hungary came under complete state control for decades.

The destruction of church independence began immediately after the arrival of the Red Army in the fall of 1944. As a result of the land reform following the Soviet model, the Catholic Church lost all its land holdings – five percent of Hungary’s total cultivated area in March 1945. A strict separation of Church and state was enshrined in the constitution of August 1949.

The secret police managed to recruit priests and thus infiltrate church offices. The gradual improvement of this system of informants created an atmosphere of constant mistrust. The internal division was further deepened by the so-called peace movement of priests, which the state forced in August 1950. The movement was supposed to ensure “active cooperation of churches on building socialism “and gradually infiltrated all church structures.

Symbolic figure of resistance

Those who resisted often had to pay a high price for it. Among the mass arrests of priests, religious and lay people, the staged trials of Cardinal József Mindszenty and Archbishop József Grősz stand out. Primate Mindszenty, a symbolic figure in the resistance against Nazism and Communism, was arrested and tortured after a series of closely watched lecture tours to the West in 1948. In February 1949, the communists sentenced him to life imprisonment for treason, espionage, and foreign exchange offenses.

The totalitarian regime actually wanted to silence the critic who said about Hungary: “Lack of truth has become a system. “The Kaloc archbishop and chairman of the episcopal conference, Grősz, opposed the priestly oath of loyalty to the “people’s democracy, which was introduced in 1949. After the arrest of Mindszenty, Grősz was the head of the Hungarian Church. When Grősz was also convicted in 1951, all still vacant bishops took the oath of office.

According to the statement of church historian Gabriel Adriányi, who died in 2024, the entire Stalinist control of the churches was “aimed at their liquidation “. When nationalized in June 1948, the Church lost more than 3,300 schools, resulting in the loss of around 600,000 pupils – nearly half of all educational institutions in the country. Compulsory religious education became voluntary in 1950.

Massive pressure on parents

As a result of the massive pressure on parents, until 1965, only one in seven primary school students participated in religious education, and even only one in 300 in secondary schools. With the introduction of the numerous clausus and state authorization before ordination, the number of future priests was reduced from 1,779 in 1948 to 300. All religious orders and monasteries with more than 11,500 members were abolished.

After the arrest of more than 3,800 religious in the summer of 1950, the bishops had to back down and agreed to negotiations. The tone of the representatives of the communist government was getting sharper. Resistance was futile. 

On August 30, 1950, Archbishop Grősz and Minister of Culture József Darvas signed an agreement that, like the agreement of the Polish bishops four months earlier, was essentially a dictation and adaptation. She obliged the clergy to help in “building socialism “.

As a reward, the state guaranteed, as already stipulated in the 1949 constitution, freedom of religion, and again permitted eight church gymnasiums as a consolation. However, nothing was written about the religious education or fate of the spiritual there. As compensation for the nationalization of church property, only gradually decreasing support was guaranteed to the Church for 18 years. Maladaptive priests were denied a state salary supplement without giving a reason.

Church and Propaganda

Due to its significantly limited scope in the field of worship and religious education, the Church submitted to full state control. In the 1950s, she was even involved in communist propaganda. The collectivization of agriculture and five-year plans were supported in the pastoral letters of the bishops, which were created at the State Office for Churches.

Bishops and vicars general were regularly summoned, interrogated, and humiliated. “A complex and elaborate network of countless regulations, informants and collaborators ensured the maintenance of supervision “, writes historian Adriányi. In reality, however, this agreement helped the Church little: the Catholic Church, the Vatican, and Pope Pius XII. They were increasingly attacked and labeled as “imperialist “on the radio and in the press.

It was only after the regime change that the new Law on Religion in 1990 opened the way to a new regulation of relations between the State and the Church. Cardinal Primate László Paskai and then Prime Minister Miklós Németh canceled the agreement of August 30, 1950.

Position: Pope and teacher of the Church.

Deaths: 604

Patron: down; singers, musicians, choral and choral singing students, masons; invoked against the bottom and against the plague

Attributes: dove, poor, book, Christ (z at whose side a stream of blood rises into the chalice), liturgy, pen, veil, tiara; also depicted with a figure emerging from purgatory

BIOGRAPHY

He came from a Roman patrician family. He became a prefect, but gave up the advantageous office and great possessions to follow Christ as a monk. However, he was called to the See of Peter, and from it, he very successfully managed the Church despite numerous difficulties. Plague, hunger, Lombard troops raged, discipline fell, the Gospel had to be spread to new missions, and his body was plagued by disease. With all this Gregory I, servant of the servants, and above all the Holy Spirit, with whose help he fought and won. He left many letters and writings, including numerous liturgical texts that featured a reform of church singing, of which the most famous is the “Gregorian chant.” His most important work is for priests, “Pastoral Rules. “

POPE OF GREAT HEART

He was born around 540 in Rome to the important patrician family of Gordian, of the House of Alicia and Sylvia, who owned a large estate in Sicily. However, this family is a testimony that even the rich have a difficult path to God’s kingdom (see Mt 19:23), but it is possible for them too. The martyrology mentions the memory of Sylvia, mother of Gregory I, on November 3.

Gregory had extraordinary talents and unusual abilities. After his university studies, which also included law, he was offered a promising future. Education, although it was Christian, led him down a worldly path. He worked in the civil administration and, at about 30 years of age, became prefect of the city of Rome (“prefects Urbis “), holding the highest civic position. In this regard, as well as in worldly pleasures, he did not revel, and already in 573-4 (after his father’s death), he exchanged his office for the path of spiritual life, as prescribed in the Gospel.

He transformed his father’s house on Monte Coelia into a monastery dedicated to St. Andrew. He founded seven monasteries, including one devoted to St. Andrew, on his extensive Sicilian estates. Likewise, he sold and gave away many of the inherited properties to people experiencing poverty. Two of my father’s sisters had previously lived a rigorous life in their own house, and even Gregory’s mother, Sylvie, chose a monastic life after her husband’s death.

It is assumed that Gregory became a Benedictine monk, although there are only indirect documents, such as information on the adoption of Benedictine principles and cooperation with the Benedictines. After a relatively short monastic life, under the leadership of Abbot Hilario and Valentin, Gregory was called by the Pope to serve as his assistant. He was ordained as a deacon by him. Pope Pelagius II, as his apocrisiary (ambassador), was sent (already in 580) to Constantinople, where he remained in service until. 586. He established many friendships, met the emperor’s family and numerous bishops, and gained experience. After returning to Rome, he also lived in his monastery as the Pope’s secretary. Although it took a three-year truce with the Lombards, Rome howled. After a terrible flood, a famine ensued, and subsequently, a plague broke out, similar to the spotted typhus (luesinguinária). Among the first victims was Pope Pelagius II, born in 590. They say that everyone immediately thought about Řehoř as his successor, but he didn’t. To be sure, he wrote to the emperor not to confirm his choice. However, the city prefect seized the letter and altered its contents, thereby securing imperial confirmation of the election. Gregory also attempted to escape, but eventually recognized his place.

We can already see how much the good of the Church and the country lay at Gregory’s heart from the fact that, at the end of August 590, he organized supplication processions to avert the plague and issued regulations in connection with them, which fell exclusively within the Pope’s competence. At the same time, during the interregnum, such decision-making was the responsibility of the Roman archpriest, along with two other representatives. Gregory issued guidelines for individual districts, of which under the leadership of parish priests, groups of designated estates (opaths with religious, abbess with religious women, men with young men, widows with virgins, all children..) in processions singing penitent psalms and calling “Kyrie Ellison” came from the designated churches in seven streams to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Snows. During the procession that turned on the bridge in front of Hadrian’s monument to St. Peter, the archangel Michael was allegedly seen hiding a sword as a sign of the end of the plague. The name Angel Castle was created as a memorial. The second monument was the annual holding of supplication processions on the feast of St. Mark.

Another amicable act, which, after St. Gregory, has survived, is the so-called Gregorian masses. Gregory, when he learned that several ducats had been found in the possession of a Monk Just of his monastery, making the monk gravely guilty of violating the vow of poverty and the principles of the monastery, he had thirty Masses of St. celebrated for him for thirty consecutive days. For the last time, the soul of Just, who could not be buried in a sacred place for wrongdoing, appeared in the heavenly glow. By doing so, he allegedly announced his release from purgatory to his native brother Kapis. The way to help the soul in purgatory during the 30 days of sacrifices, involving the same number of Holy Masses, was later recognized by the Church (S. congr. Indulge. Of March 15, 1884). Gregorian masses can only be for one soul without including another intention for another.