Today, on the Feast of the Epiphany, the great light that shines from the cave of Bethlehem through the Magi of the East floods humanity. The first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah and an excerpt from the Gospel of Matthew, which we have just heard, juxtapose the promise and its fulfillment. A particular tension emerges when we read excerpts from the Old and New Testaments in sequence. Behold, the marvelous vision of the prophet Isaiah appears before us, who, after the humiliations suffered by the people of Israel at the hands of the powerful of this world, sees the moment when the marvelous light of God, who, seemingly helpless and unable to protect his people, will rise above the whole earth, so the kings of the nations will kneel before him. They will come from the ends of the world and lay their most precious treasures at his feet. And the hearts of the people will tremble with joy.

Compared to the vision above, the one presented by the evangelist Matthew seems poor and small: it seems impossible for us to recognize the fulfillment of the words of the prophet Isaiah in it. Namely, it is not the rulers and kings of the earth who come to Bethlehem, but the wise men, strangers who were probably viewed with suspicion. In any case, they were not worthy of any special attention. The people of Jerusalem were informed of what had happened, but did not consider it necessary to take any action. Nor did anyone in Bethlehem seem to be paying any attention to the birth of this child, whom the wise men called the King of the Jews, or to these men who had come from the east to visit him. Shortly afterward, when King Herod shows who is practically in power, he forces the Holy Family to flee to Egypt, offering proof of his cruelty through the bloodshed of the innocents (cf. Mt 2:13-18). The event with the Magi seems to have been erased and forgotten. It is therefore understandable that the heart and soul of the faithful of all centuries are more attracted by the vision of the prophet than by the moderate account of the evangelist. This is also confirmed by the depictions of this visit in our nativity scenes. In them, we find camels, dromedaries, and mighty kings of this world kneeling before the child and laying their gifts in precious cabinets at his feet. But we must pay more attention to what both texts want to tell us.

What did Isaiah see with his prophetic eye? In a single moment, a reality revealed itself to him that would shape the whole of history. But even the event that Matthew tells us about is not a negligible episode that ends with the sudden return of the wise men to their own country. On the contrary, it is a beginning. These figures from the East are not the last, but the first in a long procession of those who, throughout history, can recognize the message of the star and follow the paths indicated in the Holy Scriptures. And so they can find the one who appears weak, but who has the power to give the greatest and deepest joy to a person’s heart. Because it manifests the wonderful reality that God knows us and is close to us, that his greatness and strength are not expressed in the logic of the world, but in the logic of the defenseless child, of the one whose strength lies only in the love that is entrusted to us. Throughout history, there are always people who are illuminated by the light of the star, who find their way and come to it. Each person experiences, in their way, the experience of the Magi themselves.

They brought gold, frankincense,, and myrrh. These are certainly not gifts that meet basic or everyday needs. At that moment, the Holy Family would surely need something other than incense or myrrh, and even gold it could not immediately serve. However, these gifts have their deeper meaning. They are an act of right. In fact, according to the oriental mentality of the time, they represented the recognition of a man as God and King. They are therefore a sign that shows submission. They express that from that moment on, those who bring gifts belong to the ruler and recognize his authority. The consequence is immediate.

The Magi can no longer continue their journey, they can no longer return to Herod, and they can no longer be allies of this powerful and cruel ruler. They have been permanently placed on the path of the child. On this path, which will teach them to disregard the great and powerful of this world and to lead them to Him who awaits us among the poor. On the path of love, which alone can change the world. The wise men did not just go on a journey, but something new began with their act. A new path was laid out, a new light came into the world that would not go out. The vision of the prophet is being realized: this light can no longer be unknown in the world. People will turn to the child and be irradiated by the joy that only he can give. The light of Bethlehem continues to shine throughout the world. And for those who have received it, St. Augustine reminds us: ‘Even we, when we recognized Christ as our King and priest who died for us, honored him in the same way as if we had given gold, incense,, and myrrh. All we need do is bear witness to him by choosing a different path from the one we have found (Sermon 202, In Epiphany Domini, 3,4).

So, if we read Isaiah’s promise and its fulfillment in the Gospel of Matthew together against the great backdrop of all history, it seems obvious that what we are told here and what we are trying to imitate with the manager, is not a dream and an empty game of sensations and emotions that have no strength and are unrealistic. But that it is the truth that shines in the world, even when Herod still seems to be stronger, and it seems that the child can be pushed away among them, are insignificant, or can be trampled on directly. But it is only in this child that God’s power manifests itself, gathering people of all centuries to walk the path of love that transforms the world under his rule. Yet, even though the few who were in Bethlehem became many, there still seem to be few believers in Jesus Christ. Many have seen the star, but few have understood its message. Scribes of the time of Jesus knew God’s word perfectly. They could easily list everything that could be found in the Holy Scripture about the place where the Messiah would be born, but as St. Augustine says, ‘it turned out with them as stone milestones – while they provided information to travelers, they remained idle and motionless’ (Sermon 199. In Epiphany Domini, 1,2).

We can ask: What is the reason some see and find and others do not? What opens eyes and hearts? What is missing in those who remain indifferent, those who point the way but remain motionless? We can answer: Their excessive self-confidence, their claim to perfect knowledge of reality, and their belief that they have already expressed a final judgment on things – this makes their hearts closed and insensitive to God’s newness. They are sure that they have a complete overview of the world and are no longer inwardly shaken by the courageous action of such a God who wants to encounter them. They put their trust in themselves more than in him and do not consider it possible that God would be so great that he could become small – that he could come closer to us. What is missing here is the authentic humility that can submit to the greater, but also the authentic courage that allows the truly great to be believed, even though it is manifested in a defenseless child. What is missing here is the evangelical ability to be a child at heart, the ability to be amazed and to come out of ourselves and to follow the path shown by the star, on God’s path. However, the Lord has the power to see us, and he has the power to save us. So let us ask him to give us a wise and innocent heart that allows us to see the star of his mercy and embark on his journey, so that we may find him and be flooded with that great light and true joy that he has brought into this world. Today, on the Feast of the Epiphany, the great light that shines from the cave of Bethlehem through the Magi of the East floods all of humanity. The first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah and an excerpt from the Gospel of Matthew, which we have just heard, juxtapose the promise and its fulfillment. There is a particular tension that emerges when we read excerpts from the Old and New Testaments in sequence. Behold, the marvelous vision of the prophet Isaiah appears before us, who, after the humiliations suffered by the people of Israel at the hands of the powerful of this world, sees the moment when the great light of God, who, seemingly helpless and unable to protect his people, will rise above the whole earth, so the kings of the nations will kneel before him. They will come from the ends of the earth and lay their most precious treasures at his feet. And the hearts of the people will tremble with joy.

We know 4 theories about how the world came into being.

1. Orthodox biblical, It admits the creation of the world only according to the text of the book of Genesis. He considers any speculation to be a betrayal of God’s revelation.
2. Moderate biblical theory. He does not admit evolution, but says that we do not know exactly how God created His work. The Book of Genesis only hints at this. and informs about it.
3. Evolutionary-creator theory. Admits evolution as a magnificent, long-term creative program of God, which God directs, has directed
4. The theory of evolution does not admit of God’s direction, although the initial impulse and laws may come from God. However, the whole development takes place only on the basis of universal laws of nature, mathematical probability, the principle of necessity and chance.

Composition of the universe

The first moments of the big bang – the day without yesterday

We begin the New Year with a look at the Mother of God.

Although sincere and benevolent, our mutual New Year’s wishes for “happiness and health” still have their shadow: that the years of our lives—even if we live them in health and happiness—will be shortened by another year in the new year. The fulfillment of time means for us the shortening of our lives. What fulfillment in the new year can compensate us for the loss of time? What exceptional event would it have to be?

St. Paul writes that God sent his Son when the time was fulfilled (cf. Gal 4:4). What can it mean that time was fulfilled then, when nothing has changed over time in the change of seasons, in wars, crises, births, and deaths? When Jesus was born, time and events were still passing similarly. After all – as St. Paul writes Paul – also in this fullness of time the Son of God was born of a woman and according to the law (cf. Gal 4:4). Nothing extraordinary happened outwardly. And yet, it was a turning point in history. Who knew about it? When the shepherds told them what had been said about this child, all who heard it marveled. But Mary kept all these words in her heart and pondered them. After eight days they gave him the name Jesus, which the angel had given him before he was conceived in his Mother’s womb (cf. Lk 2:17-19,21).

Our era is generally referred to as the time “after Christ.” In the new year, it will be another year older. We know how “old” this time is, but we do not know our place in this process for the duration of time. We do not know when this time will be fulfilled towards its end. Is Christianity also aging with time instead of being fulfilled? Our ancestors did not call years “after Christ” but “years of the Lord.” And this is precisely what we forget: that time, understood in a Christian way, does not age if fulfilled in Christ. How we forget this is evident from our mutual wishes, that we wish for many things, starting with health, but we do not wish for the fullness of life in Christ, and yet we say that we are Christians.

Jesus Christ was born and submitted to everything that the time law determined. With his coming into the world, time was fulfilled. For us, this means that we, too, are not deprived of our humanity and snatched away to another world, but are incorporated into the one who did not become superhuman. However, in this time, this world suffered for us and died to save us. Christ does not live among us only for extraordinary situations, Sundays, and holidays but for a completely ordinary mortal life. The time has come for us in Bethlehem to be fulfilled in that Christ will stand by our side in this coming year, that we will not be dependent on ourselves, on our piety, on our anxiety and weakness, on the conditions of the world, but that we can turn to him because, through faith in Christ Jesus, we are all children of God (cf. Gal 3:26).

Let us begin the new civil year by looking at Mary, the Mother of God, under her protection. She was the first confirmation of the hope that God placed in his creation. She also reinforces our hope, which we need as we look into the unknown of the new year. Let us also remember our Slavic apostles, St. Cyril and Methodius, the holy fathers Basil the Great, John Chrysostom, the patron of our diocese, St. John the Baptist, and our patrons. All of these fulfilled earthly time and preceded us into eternity, but they form one community of the Church of Christ with us. In them, we have our intercessors with God. When we realize all this well, we will find that we do not have to be so helpless and sad in this world, even when we must carry our cross.

In God is our hope. Our concern must be to eliminate everything that erodes this hope. These are sins. The beginning of all evil temptations lies in the instability of the spirit and a small trust in God. Therefore, we must not despair but ask God to help us in all our sufferings. He certainly – according to the words of St. Paul – will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength, but with the test will also give us the ability to endure (1 Cor 10:13). I wish you and ask for unwavering hope and faith in him who became man for us to redeem us in the coming year.

You will agree that this night differs from the others during the year. Many people look forward to this night: even you, your children, and you, those born earlier. The explanation is simple. New Year’s Eve is the only one of the year. The old year is ending …. and we want to welcome the New Year …. This night traditionally includes entertainment, wishes, shaking hands, kisses, champagne, fireworks … indeed, this night in the last days of the year is also preceded by something serious, often raising question marks, seriousness in the face. These are accounting, evaluation, control, revisions, but also statistics. This night also includes thanking God for all the graces, gifts, and blessings … we believers should indeed reflect on our relationships, attitudes, and opinions about ourselves and others and evaluate the things and events of the past year.

St. invites us to these thoughts. John the Apostle said: “I have not written to you as if you did not know the truth, but because you do know it, and because no lie is of the truth.” (1 John 2:21) We know that out of the 27 books of the New Testament, John wrote three more letters in addition to the fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse. These words are from the first book of John. He addresses them to all who have believed in Christ as God. With an instructive preaching style, he wants to lead everyone to reflect, to consider, and even to warn about the message of salvation. When John wrote these words, he was already old. Not senile. From the moment he met Jesus, his life changed. He believed in the divinity of the Teacher, Jesus Christ. After his ascension to heaven, he writes words for himself and others, thinks, ponders, and becomes convinced that it is necessary to build on the goal that Jesus sat with his teachings. His brothers from the school of Jesus, the apostles, had all already died a martyr’s death for the words of their Teacher. He sees the difficulties caused by heretics who do not understand the teachings of Christ and teach incorrectly, spreading errors, mistakes, and delusions. Peter’s successor must struggle with false teachings that distort the meaning of faith in Jesus Christ, even denying the incarnation of the Son of God, his redemptive work, and death while boasting of special knowledge about God. They imagine that they are stronger than sin, and therefore they indulge in a life of freedom and fundamentally refuse to keep God’s commandments. Against those who, in fact, already exclude themselves from the community of believers through sin, he writes a letter in which the Apostle John emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to this world in human flesh and brought actual knowledge of God, as well as the possibility of overcoming sin, keeping God’s commandments, and living a life of active love.

We realize that the life of a Christian is a consequence of his communion with God. The criteria of a true Christian life are doctrinal and moral. It is up to us to observe the doctrinal criteria, which include observing the teachings that Jesus taught, listening to the Magisterium of the Church, and believing and confessing that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God. It is also necessary to respect the moral criteria: avoiding sin, walking in the light of Christ’s words, acting justly, and keeping the commandments, especially love. The Christian then builds communion with God, brothers and sisters, overcomes sin and the world, protects himself from sin, and lives in the joy of union with God.

John’s words highlight the basic principles of Christian life, especially the inner relationship with God and love for neighbor. We realize that by fulfilling God’s commandments and our authentic life of faith and love, especially in everyday life, we have hope for eternal life in the Kingdom of God. We are not attached to anything that would hinder us and ultimately prevent us from reaching the goal offered by Jesus.

What happened to a group of tourists who were vacationing on the shore of a lake? In the afternoon, they decided to go to the other side to have fun in a restaurant. They quickly and easily crossed to the other side in a boat. The fun was a success. When they decided to return, it was already dark. In a good mood, they got into the boat and started rowing. There was no shortage of laughter, jokes, and songs; they even had a drink. They rowed and rowed, but they could not see the other side. They were shocked at how this was possible. Dawn slowly began to break. They discovered why they were not yet on the other side of the lake at dawn after several hours of hard rowing. Someone had tied their boat to a long rope on the ramp on the shore.

Our lives can be compared to the people in the boat. It is time to work and have fun. It is also necessary to rest. The end of the civil year is when we realize our relationship to ourselves and God. It is right to know the truth about ourselves, how we live, the meaning and goal of our lives, attitudes, views, relationships, opinions, and how to express our inner and outer reactions.  Life is like a boat. From birth to death, we have specific values from one shore to the other. What if we are stuck in place through our fault or the merit of others? The health of the soul and body cannot be underestimated. One cannot decide what belongs only to God, such as coming into the world or leaving it. It is also necessary to realize that the consequences of original sin cannot be underestimated. God indeed allows trials to come upon us out of love, but God does not stop loving us.

This hour is also a manifestation of God’s love. Now is the time to know how to give thanks, ask for forgiveness, and seek new graces for the new year. Jesus’ words, “Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice” (John 18:37), were not only actual before Pilate. Today, we realize the relevance of the words of St. John: “No lie is of the truth” (1 John 2:21).  We are entering a new year and starting it in a frenzy of alcohol and noise, or convincing ourselves that everything is fine, is at least irresponsible, stupid and naive. It is right that we not only declare ourselves to God, but we are also his friends, brothers, and sisters. Someone also called this night a test of truth. There is only one truth, and it is unchangeable. With prayer, let us remember this at the end of 2024

Let us pray: God, Lord of times, through the intercession of Saint Pope Sylvester, help us to follow your will in earthly life and achieve immortal bliss in eternity. 

The messenger of God speaks to Joseph in his time of doubt before receiving Mary in a blessed state. He similarly speaks to him and warns him against Herod. He could have spoken to Mary, but Joseph’s central paternal role was to be confirmed in this newly emerging family union, to protect and lead the family. God said to Joseph through an angel. Let us examine and be open to how the Lord most often speaks to us!

He got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt.

The flight into Egypt took place under dramatic circumstances when there was no time to explain much, and yet we do not observe in Mary that she has any reservations about Joseph’s decision. Still, she cooperates with him and lets herself be guided by him. She knows that Joseph has considered his choices before God. If only we could accept the decisions and guidelines of our superiors in a similar atmosphere, especially so that we ourselves can consistently recognize God’s will for ourselves and for others.

Our lives, like Joseph’s, are integrated into God’s plans, and often, even ordinary, seemingly insignificant events have an important place and meaning. Estimating one event and overestimating another is inappropriate; each situation deserves special attention and appropriate responsibility. 

So, what the Lord said through the prophet might be fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious and had all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity killed from two years old and under…

The deceitful Herod was tricked by those wiser than he. His weakness expresses his fear of power. And where there is weakness without trust in God, it turns into fear that has “big eyes.” Can a defenseless child threaten the ruler of the world? “What are you afraid of, Herod?” He who offers the kingdom of heaven does not seize the kingdom of earth! Herod’s fear and mind, darkened by the lust for power, produce senseless violence. The innocent girls of Bethlehem are similar to Jesus only in their age, and they are already in disgrace. But even this is enough to teach us that anyone who wants to be like Jesus will suffer. Children become martyrs. Those of today, martyred, unwanted in the world, are deprived of life for the lack of our martyrdom, for the lack of sacrifice.

Let us look at least a little into the tradition and what ancient testimonies tell us about St. John. St. John the Evangelist was the son of Father Zebedee and mother Salome and the brother of St. James the Elder, the apostle. Together with the apostles Peter and James, they formed a kind of most intimate community around the Lord Jesus. They were witnesses of the Transfiguration on the mountain, but they also saw the bloody sweat in Gethsemane. The Lord Jesus gave them the nickname “sons of thunder.” The old tradition preserved in the letter of Polycarp of Ephesus to Pope Victor (189-198) speaks of St. John the Evangelist. Still, it also applies to his brother James, “John, who rested on the Lord’s chest, was by birth a priest and wore a petalon. He was a witness and a teacher. He rests in Ephesus”. According to this testimony, both brothers, James and John, came from the High Priestly family. The petal was the headdress of the high priests. Only the high priests had the right to wear the petal. 

Among the Jews, every priest who was not currently in the office of high priest had to earn his living by craft. We see this, for example, in St. Paul, who, in addition to studying at the feet of Gamaliel, nevertheless appears to master the making of tents. Perhaps from these facts, we can better understand the special request of their mother that they occupy more prominent places in the kingdom of God. In a certain sense, this request had its justification. Finally, with Peter the Apostle, who represents the New Testament priesthood, they form a unique, most confidential group around the Lord Jesus. It was known that the Jewish high priest was obliged to watch in prayer in the company of the younger priests the night before the Feast of Atonement. The Lord Jesus does the same on the Mount of Olives. From what we have said, we can understand both the truly theological talent that is manifested in the Gospel of St. John and the unique position that the Apostle James had among Christians of Jewish origin, as well as why St. James the Elder had to be the first of the apostles to die a martyr’s death.

The feast of St. John has been celebrated in the East since the 4th century. It was initially associated with the memory of his brother, James the Elder. According to tradition, St. John worked in Ephesus, was exiled to the island of Patmos under Emperor Domitian, where he wrote the Apocalypse, and after returning to Ephesus, where he wrote his Gospel, died at an advanced age (under Emperor Trajan). A legend also contributed to his veneration in the Middle Ages, according to which, to convert a certain pagan priest in Ephesus, he drank poisoned wine, and nothing happened to him. Another legend says that he was thrown into a vat of boiling oil before the Latin Gate in Rome without being harmed. On this saint’s feast day, wine is blessed in many places. This blessing, influenced by the aforementioned legend, developed from an ancient custom rooted in the ancient Greeks and Romans.

The liturgy of this feast presents St. John as the great herald of the mystery of the eternal and incarnate Word. In the first reading, we hear: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, this we proclaim: the Word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us” (Jn 1:12). In the prayer of the day, we again ask that we may understand the mystery of the eternal Word, which God revealed to us through St. John, with an enlightened mind and a loving heart. St. John was captivated by the Word, who became flesh and could be looked at with human eyes and touched with human hands. Let us ask through this apostle for respect for the human body, which became the dwelling place of the Word.