Feast of Saint Stephen, First Martyr Matthew 10, 17-22

Posted on 24. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

Many church celebrations are decorated with some lovely ideas. For example, in the First Holy Communion, the following is written on the cloth in churches: “Let the little ones come to me.” When there are primogeniture, for example, it is written: “You are a priest forever.” For confirmation, for example, “Send your Spirit, Lord.” During the Christmas holidays, the words of angels are most often written: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.” What would you say if today, on the feast of St. Stephen, we at least mentally wrote a banner with the words: “Beware Christmas! Dangerous to life!?” What kind of meaningless slogan is this? How can Christmas be dangerous to life? After all, they are the most beautiful days of the year. We are comfortable at home. We have received gifts. We have something to eat and drink. We have had or will go to visit. Christmas trees are lit everywhere, and Christmas songs are sung.

The Church is very nice, and the nativity scene was delicious. On TV, all the politicians who bombard us with hate throughout the year wish us good health and peace, while we light a Christmas tree and a candle and make resolutions that they will stop hating. So, what kind of stupidity is it that Christmas is life-threatening? You are right. If we look at Christmas from the perspective of our five senses, we could instead write on the screen: “Stop for a moment, how beautiful you are.” But if we look at Christmas from the perspective of faith or the perspective of the life of our saint today, then Christmas is genuinely life-threatening. After all, if Jesus had not been born, St. Stephen would not be standing before us today as a hero and martyr, as a model of a new life.

So what is it really about? We often say in life: this is my life, these are my affairs, these are my rights, this is my thing, this is my opinion, this is my speech. Behind these general concepts, there is often sad content. Hatred. Meanness. Pride. Falsehood. Envy. Infidelity. Comfort. Careerism. And this is our life, which we protect, love, and are even proud of. And such a life is exposed to the danger of death at Christmas because Jesus was born to give us a different, new, and more beautiful life. A life that St. Stephen also accepted. This happened when, as an adult young man, he received the sacrament of baptism. He accepted not only the sacrament but also the entire teaching of Jesus. He was determined to serve Jesus with his whole life. Therefore, his life shone with the ideal of Christian perfection. He bore witness with his thoughts, words, deeds, and entire personality. Anyone who could see him had to say he was a faithful disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.

 

His love for others was also manifested in an extraordinary way. Therefore, we cannot be surprised that the apostles also noticed this. Stephen was the first to be chosen when the need arose to serve at tables. He thus became the first deacon of the Church. He could thus bear even greater witness to the new life. He did this by setting an example of service in everyday life and by proclaiming the Gospel. He explained to his fellow countrymen the prophecies of the Old Testament, which were fulfilled in the person of Jesus. He convinced them that the crucified Jesus was the true Messiah, whom every pious Israelite had been waiting for. However, his Master expected another testimony from him.

The most beautiful and difficult testimony – martyrdom. Stephen decided to accept this testimony as well. And at the very moment when they were throwing stones at him to kill him, all his virtues shone in a whole light. He has Jesus on the cross before his eyes and longs to imitate his manner of dying. He sees the open heaven and looks forward to meeting him. That is why he prays for his tormentors, that is why he forgives them and asks Jesus to do the same. And we all know that the first visible fruit of his testimony was the conversion of one of his tormentors, Saul. He also buried the old life within himself and accepted a new life, the life of Jesus, and a new name – Paul.

Do we now understand what kind of life Christmas is dangerous for? It is hazardous for a life in which there is nothing of the life of Jesus and his witnesses. If our senses are happy during these days, then our hearts, reason, and faith should also be happy after Christmas. The heart is because we have decided to give it a new quality of life. After all, we have uprooted all evil from it and planted the seeds of new virtues, and we want them to germinate and bear fruit in us gradually. And reason rejoices because its ability will finally be used.

It will no longer have to work only at a tenth of its capacity as before, when it was only at the service of our senses. It will be filled with the service of love and faith, and help us constantly discover the beauties of new life. And faith will rejoice because it will be anchored entirely in God, as in the source of new life that Jesus gives us and sustains, the Holy Spirit. The heart, reason, and faith will constantly help us bear witness to what we live and believe, even in the most significant difficulty. If we have correctly understood the thought: “Beware of Christmas! Dangerous to life!” We can replace it with a new one: “Beware of Christmas! A chance for a new life!”

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Christmas.

Posted on 23. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

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The Nativity of the Lord, Luke 2,15-20

Posted on 23. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

And so we can truly forgive ourselves and not just put on a show during those days that everything is perfectly fine between us. If we want love, we must first give it away and spread it entirely selflessly, without any expectations. It will not fall from the sky on its own. And if we want tolerance and consideration, we must also first and foremost commit ourselves to it. That is, to behave tolerantly and considerately.

And when we count on the whole family getting together, it’s nice because not all families are together today. But Christmas is also experienced by lonely people today, abandoned by their families and forgotten by society. How do they experience a time of joy and cheerfulness? If we count only on the fact that we have enough of everything – both to eat and to drink – let’s thank God for that, too, that we are not in need! That we have a roof over our heads. We have those who care about us, and we care about them. These are not things that are self-evident or automatic. But let’s also think of those who are not allowed this! Let’s think of the seriously ill, for whom this Christmas may be the last in their lives! Let’s think of people who are going through difficult trials. Let’s remember children in hospitals or children’s homes! Let’s think of the unemployed and the needy, who must be modest. How will all of them experience the “Silent and Holy Night”?

Dear believers, why should we ask ourselves such serious questions at the beginning of the holidays? Because we are no longer children, we look at this time differently than we did x years ago. We have to ask ourselves these unpleasant questions because it is reality. Today, the spirit of the times leads us to a material view of these holidays. We are bombarded with challenges about what else we need for a peaceful and wonderful Christmas, or rather, without which we will not survive it happily. We will still be missing some excellent products for a peaceful Christmas…

But let’s not forget that the magic of these days lies in other content. If we do not fill Christmas with spiritual content, if we remain only on a material level, we will enjoy some gifts for a while, but even the best surprise will become commonplace. What I mean is that unless the holidays of the birth of Jesus Christ change us internally and in the long term, unless this time leads us to reflect on life and the values ​​for which we live, unless this time brings us closer to God, to the originator and source of love, peace, tranquility, forgiveness, tolerance, willingness or consideration – then it will not be a time well and entirely spent. As I have already indicated, even during this Christmas, quite a few people are fighting. I am not thinking so much of military conflicts. I am thinking more of the internal struggles of specific people. Seriously ill, abandoned, etc.

Of course, even that first Christmas was anything but ideal. It must have been tough to walk in labor pains crisscrossing Bethlehem and not be accepted with everything taken. It must have been an inner struggle to bring a child into the world among the animals in a stable – in the stench, the dirt, and the harsh conditions of a stone cave. And yet. Neither Mary nor Joseph gave up then. Mary did not protest when she learned she would become Jesus’s mother. Joseph did not protest taking his pregnant fiancée as his wife. They did not protest even against Emperor Augustus’s decree; in the end, in humility, they accepted the manger for animals as a cradle for the newborn baby. All this is in the joy of being at God’s intervention in history, which they could be a part of and participate in, and that they had the grace to bring into the world and continue to raise the future Savior of the whole world.

You are correct that Christmas is still a struggle for many today. For a sick person, this struggle may lie in a decision – will I accept my fate in silence, humility, and at the same time in hope? Jesus also came to carry me through death and give me eternal life in his kingdom… For a person without a job, this struggle may lie in a decision – will I accept into my life that even though I do not work, my life has meaning and value? Even so great that the little boy who was born later laid down his life for me? For a well-off person, the Christmas struggle may lie in a decision – will I think more about and support those who found themselves in need through no fault of their own? God has blessed me incredibly… For our children, this struggle may lie in a decision – will I accept into my young life, in the born Jesus, a model of how to be obedient to parents and authorities, or will I continue to pretend that everything always and every time must revolve only around me? And for parents, the Christmas struggle lies in the decision – will I tell my children about this Jesus more than once a year at Christmas? Will I come to church with them so that from a young age, they will recognize that they, as baptized people, are part of a large family – the church, and will I fulfill the promise I made to God at the baptism of my child? Well, and we could continue like this.

Brothers and sisters, this time is a time of inner struggle for one common cause: whether I will accept the newborn Jesus and the message he brings into my life. Let us, therefore, all open our lives to the One who came so that we may have life in abundance. To the One who came with love, peace, tranquility, reconciliation, forgiveness, and self-sacrifice, He wants to fill this Christmas and the following year with us and our families.

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The Nativity of the Lord-Vigil Mass, Mt. 1, 1-25

Posted on 22. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

I welcome you to our (…) church for this midnight service. We can only contemplate the mystery of Christmas when we can stop and contemplate in silence the message that is proclaimed to us anew year after year. The wonder and attitude of a child are essential means for us to receive the good news of this night. The reason for this joy is straightforward: it is the birth of a child, the Savior of the whole world; it instills new hope in all people who long for peace, justice, and Love. What sign does this child bring us? Vulnerability, poverty, weakness and humility. The Son of God appropriates what the world has categorically rejected. We will only experience the miracle of Christmas peace when we accept the gifts that Jesus brought us. As Pope Paul VI said, Jesus’ peace is the foundation of the “civilization of love.” 

The Evangelist Luke speaks of the birth of Jesus Christ. In a simple and yet evocative narrative, he applies the established structure of the missionary proclamation, in which we find three levels: the chronological-historical description of the event, the transmission of the message to the shepherds, the finding of Jesus and the reception of the message of salvation with the subsequent transmission of one’s experience to others. Let us first focus and reflect on the genuinely detailed description of the event based on historical facts: “In those days, a decree went out… And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David…” (cf. Lk 2:1-4). God promised that “the one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from the days of eternity,” will come out of Bethlehem (cf. Mic 5:1). Paradoxical as the course of history is, God will keep his promise. Why? Because Love is patient with details!

Although the description of Jesus’ birth is brief, it nevertheless foreshadows his entire Paschal mystery in detail. “And she gave birth to her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Lk 2:7). She wrapped him in swaddling clothes. – Jesus takes upon himself Adam’s nakedness (“I was afraid because I was naked” Gen 3:10) and needs to be wrapped in swaddling clothes by the loving hands of his mother. Just as he later dies naked and needs Joseph of Arimathea to “wrap him in linen cloths and lay him in a tomb” (cf. Lk 23:53).

In She laid him in a manger. We are accustomed to the manager being an integral part of the Christmas idyll. However, initially, it was a place where food was stored for the animals. In the manger lies the one who will later say: “Take and eat: this is my body” (Mt 24:26) and will offer himself defenselessly as food to those who stand before this mystery like animals before a handful of hay. In this way, she satisfies Adam’s hunger for the fruit “good for eating, beautiful to the sight, and delightful to know,” which the Woman gave him (cf. Gen 3:6). At the same time, she wants it to be the Woman again who will give this new food to every Adam who “in the sweat of his brow” (Gen 3:19) eats bread that is unable to satisfy his hunger. However, one should not reach for the manger as if for the fruit “good for eating, beautiful to the sight, and delightful to know.” On the contrary, one must stoop to the manager. The food placed in the manger is thus available to anyone willing to stoop. 

There is no room for them in the inn. – Jesus already takes upon himself the human loneliness caused by sin, to later carry it on his shoulders “to the place called the Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is Golgotha” (Jn 19:17). Thus, he takes upon himself Adam’s expulsion from Paradise (cf. Gen 3:23), to welcome him there again himself. Love is patient with the details! How can we reciprocate this Love? This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes – “All of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal 3:27). There was no room for them – “Do not sit in the first place, but in the last place” (cf. Lk 14:7-11). Laid in a manger – “You give them to eat!” (Lk 9:14). In Luke’s passage, we also notice that two motifs complement each other here: the visible poverty of Jesus’ human life and the mysteriously hidden glory of God with which Jesus comes among people. Only a few humble and poor shepherds recognize in Jesus the promised Messiah: This is a unique sign of God, with which a new era in human history and each of us begins. And what about us? Do we recognize him?! Do we worship him?! Do we rejoice that he has come among us again? The reality cannot be denied: “Do not be afraid! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10-11). He is truly Emmanuel – God with us.

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Sermon on Isaiah 62,1-5

Posted on 22. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

Dear congregation, today I would like to reflect with you  on a passage from the book of Isaiah that can provide us  with  comfort and  hope in times of  uncertainty and change.  For Zion’s sake   I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake  I will not rest..

God does not remain silent for Zion. The text begins  with a powerful  statement. God will not remain silent. In a world where we often feel forgotten by God, this verse reminds us that He actively engages  with  His  people. He  is not passive. He hears the cries of  the oppressed  and sees  the suffering of   the forsaken. This should  encourage us  to trust in God even in difficult   times.

The promise of righteousness and salvation. Isaiah speaks of righteousness shining forth like a light. This righteousness is not only for Israel but  for all nations. God desires His  salvation to be  visible to all. In a world  often marked by  injustice, we  are  called to  be  light and hope. We  should   advocate for justice  and  carry God’s love into  the world.

  ,,A new  name. God gives His people a new name. Forsaken becomes ,, Hephzibah”  meaning  . My delight is in her. This name change signifies identity and belonging, We too can know that  in Christ we have  a new identity. We are  lowed  and valuable in God’s  eyes.  This  understanding should shape  our lives  and encourage us   to live out  our identity.

The joy of God. The passage concludes with a wonderful  promise. God  rejoices over us. Just  as a bridegroom rejoices   over  his bride, so does  our God  rejoice  over  us.  This  joy  is not dependent on our  performance or behavior, but rather is an expression of His  unconditional love. Isaiah is a  powerful message of  hope. It reminds  us  that God  is  actively  for us, that He desires righteousness  and salvation for all  people, and  that  we  may  live in His love and joy.Let us  carry  this message  into our daily lives and share God’s love  with the world.

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He will sit and refine and purify the silver, purify the sons of Levi Mal 3,3

Posted on 21. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

And here we are. We are at the end of Advent, reading the last prophetic book of the Old Testament and soon entering the New Testament. At this critical moment, the prophet Malachi uses the image of a craftsman working with silver to describe how God wants to purify his priests (“the sons of Levi”) so that they can “offer to the Lord sacrifices in righteousness” (3:3).

And for us now, two days before Christmas, God wants to do the same. He wants to purify us so that we can receive Jesus even more deeply this Christmas. Do you know how silver is purified? The silversmith must put it in a special crucible and then hold it in the middle of the fire, in the hottest place, so that all the impurities, all the “dross” are burned out and come to the surface. It is a meticulous and demanding job: the silversmith sits all the time by the fire, waiting for the right moment to take the silver out of the furnace.

Our heavenly Father holds us with the same watchful and caring care as we are being purified. He knows what impurities will surface, and he has a plan to remove them. Perhaps he must remove from our envy of a neighbor who can give his family generous gifts. Or the irritability we react to when we are exhausted from holiday preparations. Or our long-standing bitterness that shows during family gatherings. Or any other “impurity.” Whatever it is, God desires to cleanse you of it. So trust in his deep love for you. Imagine the joy he feels when he foresees the freedom, hope, and love you will experience after the dross has been burned out of you. Just as a silversmith knows what refined silver looks like when he sees himself in a mirror, so God knows what your refined self looks like when he sees himself in it as in a mirror. So, in these last days before Christmas, permit Him to continue His work. Let Him transform you more and more day by day into pure silver reflecting His image.

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Your voice is sweet, and your face is beautiful.

Posted on 20. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

Do you feel like you are in the middle of a romance novel with this passage? Song of Songs is a collection of love poems. And God is mentioned in them only once, and even then only indirectly (see Pies 8, 6)! Many have already asked why this book was included in the Bible. One of the answers that biblical scholars give to this question is that the passionate love between man and woman in this book symbolizes the love between God and his people. This may sound strange at first hearing, but the Scriptures often use conjugal, romantic love as an analogy to our union with God (Is 62:5; Jer 2:2; Mt 25:1-13).

We tend to think about God rather than our Father, who guides us and loves us mercifully as a parent loves his child. But using romantic love as an analogy to God’s love can open new horizons. Anyone who has been in love knows how excited and joyful he was. He wanted to be with his beloved, enjoy his beauty, and do extraordinary things for him. God’s love for you is just like that, even more incredible. It is more profound, potent, and purer than any romantic love you can ever experience. And in just a few days, we will celebrate one of the most wonderful expressions of this love: that the Son of God became man to win our love again.

When we think about the time Jesus spent among us, we tend to focus on his suffering. He endured poverty, rejection, and ridicule and suffered a painful death. Well, when you imagine Jesus as a man in love from today’s first reading, another side of this story emerges: he is like a young man jumping over hills and hills to be with you. He sees your sins and struggles, the beauty of God’s image in you, and your potential holiness. His love for you is not platonic. It brims outward like the sun rising from behind a distant mountain. It flows to the surface like a rushing river. And this love is meant for you. As Christmas approaches, remember that Jesus eagerly runs to you with a heart full of love. He will never stop looking for you.

 
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Achaz and Mary.

Posted on 19. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

King Ahaz of Judah and Mary, a poor girl from Nazareth, are separated by seven centuries, but they have something in common: both come from the dynasty of David, are heirs to God’s great promises, and must pass the test of faith and courage. King Ahaz of Judah had fallen away from God and even sacrificed his son to Moloch by burning him (2 Kings 16:3). When the armies of Syria and Ephraim invaded Judah to dethrone him, the frightened king sent a message to Tiglath-Pileser, the powerful ruler of Assyria. He handed over the treasures of the Jerusalem temple with a request that sounded like a blasphemous prayer: “I am your servant and your son. Come and save me … ”(2 Kings 16:7).

The prophet Isaiah wants to encourage Ahaz in faith, so he tells him: “Ask a sign from the Lord your God. Ask him whether in the depths of the underworld or on high.” I will not tempt the Lord, was Ahaz’s diplomatic excuse. The king does not want to listen to God. Nevertheless, the prophet announces to him: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call his name Immanuel. God’s faithfulness surpasses his unfaithfulness, and he receives a sign. The house of David will not fall. It is fulfilled: “If we are faithless, God remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).

This sign has two meanings.

The first was fulfilled with the birth of Ahaz’s son Hezekiah. For the Jews, Hezekiah became a messianic figure, a symbol of God’s affection for his people—and a call for the people to be faithful to God. This prophecy of Isaiah also foreshadows Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah. He was born of a virgin and was called Immanuel, “God with us.” He came to save people from something more significant than conquerors. He came to free us from sin and death.

Seven centuries later, the Virgin Mary is expecting a child, although she has not yet lived with her husband, Joseph, and they have not entered a relationship. Unlike Ahaz, Mary has received a sign. She answered not to a prophet but an angel: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” God has fully fulfilled what he promised. And he continues to fulfill the sign. Jesus assured us that he would be with us always, until the end of time, and through the Eucharist, he fulfilled his promise (Mt 28:20). He is faithful, always “God with us.”

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Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C Luke 1,39-45

Posted on 18. December 2024 by Peter Prochac

Preparations for Christmas are at their peak, and everyone, according to their means, procures what is needed for the Christmas table, under the tree, or in the apartment to celebrate the Lord’s birth as dignified as possible.

During this rush, the Church gives us the Gospel of how Mary visited her relative. Elizabeth lived in a small town in mountainous Judea, 130 km from Nazareth. As the evangelist writes, this journey was hurried and lasted three days. Subsequently, he describes the meeting of the two women, which contains probably the most beautiful sentences uttered by Elizabeth to Mary: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your life. What did I do to deserve the mother of my Lord coming to me? As soon as your greeting sounded in my ears, the child in my womb trembled with joy. And blessed is she who believed that what the Lord had told her would be fulfilled.

It is generally assumed that Elizabeth meant the opposite case with this statement when the angel announced to her husband Zacharias that he, too, would have a son, but he did not believe him. For this reason, he pronounced God’s punishment on him when he announced to him: I am Gabriel. I stand before God and am sent to speak to you and tell you this glad tidying. But you will be dumb and unable to speak until the day this happens because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time. Elizabeth must have been thinking of her husband’s unbelief, of the angel’s voice when he praises Mary, who reacted differently from him: Blessed is she who believed that what the Lord had told her would be fulfilled. Then Mary, filled with unspeakable joy, exclaimed: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior because he looked at the humiliation of his servant. Behold, from now on, all generations will bless me.

Just before Christmas, it is necessary to listen to the Gospel, proclaiming that the blessed is the person with faith. This is because, at that time, people’s hearts were overloaded with pre-Christmas worries when they forgot the most important thing: to prepare them for the birth of the Lord and renew their faith. A look at Mary shows us how. She believed in God. Attention! Not that she just believed in him, but believed in him! She believed long ago that God exists, Zacharias also believed in it, because otherwise he would not have prayed so fervently. Believing in God is not difficult. Too many people believe it exists because if they think with common sense, they know that the vast universe, called cosmos – order, must have been planned, realized, and organized by someone wise, infinite, and omnipotent. They call him God and believe in his existence. However, our point is not to renew our faith in God before Christmas, but to do what Zacharias and Mary could not do – to believe in him.

Trusting God is much more difficult because it requires believing that everything He has announced to us will come true. Mary thought that the Son of God would become a man in her virgin womb because he needed a human body: a mouth to speak about his Father; he needed human hands so that he could help heal and open the eyes of the blind, touch the ears of the deaf, the tongue of the dumb and raise the dead. He requires a human back to be whipped by people and a human head to have a crown of thorns stuck into it. He requires a human body to be nailed to the cross, and he also needs a human heart to be pierced with a spear and thus shed the last drop of blood. The team proves obedience to the Father even unto death and elevates people to be sons and daughters of God.

This is what we should be trying to do before Christmas so that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we believe that the heavenly Father loves us so much that he gave his Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. Blessed is everyone who believes in God, like Mary, and unhappy will be everyone who does not believe in him, like Zechariah.

In Lermontov’s poem Demon, the devil promised the beautiful girl Tamara that she would get better if she kissed him, that she would no longer seduce people and lead them to destruction. Tamara believes she wants to save a lot of people like this, but she dies because the devil’s embrace is deadly. Nevertheless, she is saved because she had a good intention. The devil deceives a person, but when he has a good intention, he has a love of goodness that sanctifies his actions.

Before Christmas, let’s ask Mary, with a request that is dearest to her, that we love only God, and we ask her to help us believe in him as she does. In this faith, let us expect the joyful birth of His Son in our hearts.

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The announcement of the birth of Samson.

Posted on 18. December 2024 by Peter Prochac


The command to cut one’s hair meant the renunciation of pagan cults. The surrounding pagan nations practiced hairstyling and cutting in their religious services. God’s messenger imposed the duties of the initiate and his mother: she was not allowed to touch wine or anything impure. When Samson grew up, he began to liberate his people, who had suffered forty years under the rule of the Philistines.

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