Invitation. How do we respond to Jesus’ invitation?

You must have an invitation to an important celebration. Sometimes we wait impatiently for it. Jesus says to us: “Blessed is everyone who will partake of the feast in the kingdom of God.” (Lk 14:15). We cannot easily express God’s fellowship with his people with human words. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures emphasize the value of salvation, the fullness of happiness and joy that flows from this fellowship using the image of a feast. The kingdom of God is likened to a feast to which many refuse to come so that the host must invite questionable guests to fill the wedding hall.

The parable of the wedding feast has two parts: the invitation (22:1-10) and the rejection (22:11-13).
In Jewish and early Christian literature, the kingdom of God is often compared to a feast. Jesus’ dining with publicans and sinners, especially the last supper with his disciples, symbolizes what life will be like in God’s kingdom. Using the image of a wedding feast to teach about the kingdom of God is part of the tradition. The prominent motif of the parable we heard is the invitation. Some accept the king’s invitation; others do not. God, through his servants, Jesus and his disciples, utters his invitation. Those for whom it was most suitable – the Jewish leaders – rejected him and even violently treated the messengers. Therefore, the invitation was offered to the people outside on the roads, and they accepted it. This group represented the fringes of society in Israel (tax collectors and sinners who took Jesus’ message). This parable outlines the history of salvation from a Christian perspective. It is not enough to be called – baptized; it is not enough to accept an invitation to the wedding feast. Much more depends on how we will appear before God in the end. The parable tells us that God wanted to establish a society that would live with his son Jesus Christ in the same relationship as a bride with her bridegroom. 

The Lord offers us unimaginable goods, and we reject them and often do not adequately appreciate them. Those invited to the wedding are, e.g., those who are absorbed in their activity as if they do not need God. God repeatedly repeats his desire to engage in a loving dialogue with creatures that will take a definitive form in heaven. Rejection of God’s invitation, a way of life as if God were not crucial in it. The people’s excuses in the parable are basically the same as those used by some people today. But the Lord wants his house to be filled. He never resigns from his saving efforts. No one is left out of God’s plan of salvation. But the person who chooses to ignore the invitations the Lord offers excludes himself.

The wedding feast from the Gospel awaits all the invitees even today. Jesus, under the form of bread and in his self-giving love, repeats his invitation. He does not force us but waits for our answer. God is always looking for a way to get close to everyone. The Eucharist and its frequent reception are the assurance for us that we are walking the right path to the eternal wedding feast.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

He who stands, let him be careful not to fall—the power of forgiveness.

Can you imagine your life without forgiveness? What would it look like if we were immediately condemned for every sin we committed…?

We heard the admonition for the Pharisees: “When you prepare a feast, invite the poor… and you will be rewarded” (Lk 14 21:13-14). The feast has always been considered something extra. Wishes… Even today’s world is not without Pharisees, and there are also modern “poor, crippled, lame or blind” in it. No one in this world is perfect. No one can say they have nothing to improve on. Modern Pharisees also claim this. You will agree that many of us have already been judged or condemned, either because of the appearance of our face, our attitude to life, or just at first glance. Mahatma Gandhi,  on one occasion, when asked why he did not become a Christian, said: “If there were no Christians, I would have been a Christian long ago.” …instead, they preach a doctrine of condemnation and judgment. A friend tells a friend, don’t mess with that one talk because she’s like this or like that. Husbands complain about each other in front of their friends; he’s like this, she’s like that. When some of these people meet a homeless person on the street in the city, they say to themselves, he needs you. He is to blame for that. Even in the church, some look at each other and ask themselves, how dare this man step into the church? What audacity? He has done so much evil; he does not belong here. I expect a reward from God. For what? For words? For attitudes?  St. Paul writes in his letter: “Therefore whoever thinks he is standing, let him be careful not to fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). The Father is very pleased with these sinners.

You can list the names of the world’s most remarkable criminals, the names of the tyrants who wallowed in blood, the executioners of millions of Christian martyrs of the first centuries, and ask the Catholic Church: “Were they rejected?” And the answer: “That is in God’s hands.” You know the old Slovak proverb: “Better to inhibit than to ban.” This also applies when making judgments about our neighbors.

The life story of a particular Roman priest, whom the people called a “saint” and who performed miracles, can serve as an illustration. He once tried to convert a specific criminal who was sentenced to death. Everything was in vain. For three days, he begged him; he used all his abilities just so that he would not die without care but in vain. The criminal continued to curse and cynically refused to confess. The priest followed him to the gallows. He rejected him here, too. The priest finally lost patience and cried out: “People, come here and see how the sinner dies”! What were the consequences of this cry? After 40 years, the process of declaring this priest blessed was renewed. The miracles he performed were proven, and yet he was not declared a saint because of the words he uttered at that time, because these words were not worthy of a saint, as well as of our holy faith.

Let us be worthy of our faith. Let us rejoice every day that we can give back again and again what we have received from God.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

God as Eternity.

Lord, remember me when you come to your kingdom. Luke 23:4 2
To all souls who love God, to all the faithful Christians should make the first month of the year. The month of April is the time of the resurrection. Homilies of St. Makari, and when Father Zacharias was dying, Father Moses asked him: “What do you see?” And Father Zacharias answered him, “There is no better to say nothing, Father?” “Yes, my child,” said Father. “It is better to say nothing.” From the Stories of the Desert, Father’s Speech is an instrument of this world. Silence is the secret of the world to come. St. Isaac the Syrian

“…I look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come…” Thus, oriented towards the future, it ends the profession of faith in faith, which means expectation. Or perhaps, somehow, the last thing to influence our actions in this earth’s earthly life, we cannot speak in detail about the realities of the coming age. “Beloved,” writes St. John, “we are now the children of God, but what we shall be had not yet come to light.” (1 John 3:2). It is through our faith in Christ that we have entered from the present into a living, personal relationship with God, and we know, it is not merely a supposition but an experience that this relationship contains within it the germs of eternity. But what is the form between life in linear time (chronos) and eternal”now”? Not in the conditions of the fall but in the universe, where God is “all in all.” I have only a partial knowledge of this vague idea. Why should we talk about using caution and respecting the need for silence?
But there are at least three things that we can say with absolute clarity: that Christ will come again in all glory, that at his coming we will rise from the dead and be judged, and that “his kingdom will be from the end.” ( Luke 1:33). Scripture and Tradition first speak to us repeatedly of the second coming. However, this is not emphasized because it suggests that, thanks to the constant evolution of the “civil
civilization, humanity will gradually come to the proclamation of the kingdom of God on earth. The Christian conception of world history is
…the complete opposite of this type of evolutionary optimism. What we have to expect are natural disasters, increasing destructive human conflicts, confusion, and waste – and misery among those who call themselves Christians (read, in particular, Matthew 24:3-27). This time of trouble culminates in the appearance of  “man and iniquity” (2 Thess 2:3-4), or “son of perdition,” Antichrist, who, according to the traditional interpretation of the Orthodox Church, is not Satan himself, but a human being, a real man, in whom all the forces of evil will be concentrated and who will, in turn, control the whole world. Short Anti Christ’s reign will be decisively interrupted by the second coming of the Lord, who will not be hidden, as at the birth in Bethlehem, but will be seen sitting at the right hand of the Almighty and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). This will be
history is brought to an abrupt and dramatic end at the by the intervention of God. The exact time of this second coming remains to us: “You do not know the time or the period which the Father will take after..has kept in his power.” (Acts 1:7). The Lord will come “as a thief (1 Thess 5:2). It is appropriate to speculate about the exact date; we should always be full of expectation. “When you say to you all: Watch out!” (Mr 13:37) Let the horse come. I must already feel in our hearts and minds. According to the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete, which we use in every Lent:
My soul, O my soul, awake! Why are you asleep? The end is near, and the tribulation will soon come. Watch, for then Christ your God can spare you. For He is everywhere and fills everything. As Christians, we also believe in the immortality of the soul but in the resurrection of the body. According to God’s command, we are in creation; the human body and soul are interdependent and cannot exist in isolation. By bodily death, but this separation is not final and permanent. At Christ’s second coming, we will be torn from our death with soul and body, and so, reunited with body and soul, we will stand before our Lord on the Day of the Last Judgment.
The judgment, as St. John’s Gospel emphasizes, will accompany ..our earthly existence. Whenever we are conscious of not, we choose the good; we enter it before eternal life; whenever we choose evil, we experience the preciousness of hell. I can better understand the Last Judgment as  “the moment of truth” when everything is brought to light when all our deeds are revealed to us in full consequences, when we experience with absolute clarity what we are and the most profound meaning and purpose of our lives. And so, going through this final purification, I will enter – with soul and body reunited – into heaven or hell, into eternal life or eternal death. Christ is the Judge; nevertheless, in a certain sense, it is we who are judged. If there is ever in hell, it is not because God has cast him there but because he chose it. He who has wandered into hell, from…he torments himself, he enslaves himself; it has been clearly stated that the gates of hell are “locked from within”. How can the God of love accept that some of those whom he created will remain in hell for eternity? This is a mystery that, from the perspective of this present life, we are unable to understand. The best we can do is to balance two contradictory but not mutually contradictory truths. First, it is said that God has given man freedom of will, so man and God can reject it. At the same time, I must also point out that compassion is typical of lasciviousness. And so, if someone is eternally in hell, he is there with him in some way; God is with him. This is written in Psalm 139, 8: “If I go up to heaven, you are there, and if I make my bed. It is a false idea that sinners in hell are cut off from God’s love, are everywhere, and reject no one. We, for our part, are free to reject God’s love, But we condemn ourselves to pain. The more committed is, the more persistent our rejection, the more painful our suffering. “In Resurrection,” stated in the Homilies of St. Macarius, “all the body members will be exalted: not a hair will be lost.” (cf. L 21, 18) At the same time, the resurrected body is spoken of as a “spiritual body” (1 Cor 15:35-46). This does not mean does not mean that at the resurrection, our bodies will be dematerialized. However, we should not forget that matter if it is in this fallen world, in all its immobility
and opaque, it is not in all respects identical to the original. Free from the weight of corruption, the resurrection of the same quality as the human body of Christ in the resurrection. Moment of the “Transfiguration” and after the Resurrection. However transfigured,
our resurrection body will be identical to that body that I have now: there will be continuity between them. In the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem: “It is the same body that is resurrected, but no longer in a state of corruption as now, for it must put on in corruption (1 Cor 15:53), and then we will no longer need to be transformed… the grass which we now eat to preserve our life, nor the stairs we climb, because we will be spiritually we shall be transformed and become something beautiful that we are not. And St. Irenaeus affirms, “None of the structures nor the floor It is only the outward form of this Of the world (1 Cor 7:31) that passes away – so to speak, that which is the result of the fall. And when this external form passes away, it will be
a man restored and blossoming into a pure, imperishable after the time of living so that he becomes immortal. There will be a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1), and in this new heaven and the new man will be forever young, forever immortal, ever talking with God.” “In the new heaven and new earth,” man is not saved from his body, but in it, not apart from the material world, but together with it. Because man is a microcosm and a medium for creation, it includes his salvation and reconciliation and transformation of all living and non-living things – liberation “from the bonds of transience” and the ascent “to the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Rom 8:21). In the “new earth” of the coming age, there is a place not only for man but through man and in man for the creatures; they, too, will share in the immortality, and so do the rocks, trees, and plants, fire and water.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

1st place.

Some people love to be invited to various events, so they spend a lot of time sweeping various parties, receptions, lunches, and dinners. They live off the fact that it increases their prestige in the eyes of other people, and so they directly or indirectly climb the social or political ladder. Today, we also see Jesus at the banquet. As a missionary constantly going from one place to another and often had nowhere to lay his head, he gladly accepted the invitation. But, as we have noticed, he was not only concerned with food or rest but took advantage of this moment to tell a parable in which he used the image of a feast. He observed how many chose the leading seats at the table, which, on the other hand, could be very risky because the host could properly ridicule the given guest if he sat him as far away from him as possible. Jesus certainly wasn’t concerned with the rule of decent dining, but he wanted to teach the guests, as well as us, a lesson in false overestimation.

The desire for first place is as old as humanity and today it directly determines the rhythm of life. Life is a constant rush, and I fight for first place, not only in sports but also in my personal life. Today, the first place is prestige, popularity, promotion, success, promotion, career… Some people conquer it with broad elbows, others with hard work, others with a big mouth, and it falls into the lap of some… But no one has a guarantee because the first place can be lost today or tomorrow, and everything in the process.

It is typical for a person to want to progress, to go higher, and to be honored. This effort is reasonable, but it must be controlled by reason and will so it goes smoothly. However, there is also an area where this struggle is missing, and there is no interest. They are seats in our churches, unoccupied seats, and usually those in the first pews. Even in the last ones and near the exit, someone sits down. If these people do it out of modesty, Jesus would take them by the sleeve and lead them forward. And there needs to be more interest in one more leading place. It is a banqueting place in the kingdom of heaven, although Jesus Christ himself is seated there. How little do people do for heaven, and how much do they care about earthly achievements, although temporary and unstable?! We certainly remember how the mother of Zebedee’s sons begged Jesus: Say that these two sons of mine sit in your kingdom, one on your right and the other on your left. And what was Jesus’ reaction? What are you asking for? It is not mine to make someone sit on my right or left; those for whom my Father has prepared it will receive it.

Duke Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) once came inconspicuously to a banquet and took a seat at the end of the table. The hostess observed this with horror, apologized, and begged him to sit at the top of the table. The chancellor answered confidently: Where I sit, dear lady, there is always the top of the table! By these words, he indicated that it is not the chair, the throne, the garment, or the canopy that determines the first place but the personality. And personality will be decisive even before God. We will not be “settled” by tailcoats, dresses, rings, gold chains with crosses, earrings, awards, or acquaintances. But we will be “settled” according to how we have been attentive to the small, the oppressed, the weak, the sick, to people from whom we cannot expect reward or honor.

He formulated it clearly: When you prepare a feast, invite the poor, the disabled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed because they have nothing to repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. And if we follow his words in dividing the places in his kingdom, he will tell us: I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a traveler, and you embraced me; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will say to him: Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you as a traveler and embrace you or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you? The king will answer them: Truly, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers, you did for me.

The Lord would grant that each of us hear this answer of his once as a reward for entering the kingdom of heaven.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Thirty-first Sunday Year A

In today’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus thoroughly warns against the scribes and Pharisees. Who were the scribes and Pharisees? Initially, the Pharisees wanted to strengthen their faith in the Jewish people. The intention was undoubtedly godly, but the means they used were evil. The Pharisees were strict about keeping all the old customs down to the last letter. But in doing so, they gradually lost sight of their meaning and goal of faith in God. Still, clinging to forms alone cannot restore faith because faith is much more than the sum of all kinds of pious actions.

During the time of Christ the Lord, the Pharisees represented the leaders of orthodox Jews. Because of their precise knowledge of the Law, they were honored by the people and considered its spokespersons. And yet, the Lord Jesus did not speak so harshly against anyone as he did against the Pharisees. He calls them the blind leaders of the blind because they no longer saw the core of God’s message but cared above all about their leadership position among the people, often by hypocritical means. But the worst thing was that the knowledge of the Law did not lead them to deep humility before God, but on the contrary, to pride in their knowledge. Instead of gratefully thanking God, they admired themselves. They paraded themselves before the people with their professional fulfillment of the details of the Law. The Lord Jesus told them that they cling to small things, and the very essence of faith escapes them. They considered themselves more pious than others and, therefore, personified the right to judge, rebuke, and criticize others. Yes – pride, ambition, hard heart inside, but outwardly a pretense of righteousness. They faked it so well that they believed it themselves.

That’s how the Pharisees were during the time of Christ the Lord. But why are we discussing it so extensively today, at the beginning of the 3rd millennium? Because pharisaism threatens both us and today’s church. pharisaism remains a problem even for today’s preachers of God’s word, that is, for priests. One wise old priest summed it up precisely: “What about sinners – it’s okay with them, I can help and convert them. But with the so-called “righteous” it’s bad. I’m powerless there because they’d rather convert me.” And we can ask: How does a person become such a “righteous” person, such a contemporary Pharisee? It begins with a person basing his righteousness on the careful observance of non-essentials, customs, and orders. And self-confidence gradually grows from this: How pious I am! And from this, arrogance grows: Look, so-and-so is not as consistent as I am in keeping holy actions! And a new Pharisee has already been born, who rebukes others and admires himself. The Pharisee seems to want to appropriate God only for himself: What the Pharisee wants, he proclaims as God’s will. The personal interests of the Pharisees are passed off as the interests of God.

And now let each of us put our hand on our heart: And what in me, in you, in him – ​​in each of us? And we will find that a little or a prominent Pharisee is in each of us. It is not so easy for us to stop seeking our glory from men but to seek it from God. It is not so easy to stop being ambitious but to be humble. And now, we have come to the correct word that expresses the opposite pole of Pharisaic: humility and modesty. Humility is the proper knowledge of my wretchedness before the majesty and greatness of God. Humility is getting rid of the false illusion that I must always and in everything be correct in order not to lose face in front of people. Humility will protect me from the hypocritical concern of what people will say or if I will jeopardize my good reputation.

And how does the Lord Jesus guide us, so we don’t fall into Pharisaic? As the most critical task, he does not impose on us to follow religious regulations and prohibitions but to follow him, Christ. We should build on something other than the quantity of pious acts and prayers but their quality. A small example for comparison: A beautifully cut diamond is much more valuable than a wagon load of black coal – and both are carbon in their chemical essence. It depends on our love – that is the measure of our purity and quality. There is one sure mark that not the zeal of the Pharisees, but the zeal of love, is at our work. That sign is the joy that shines through our efforts in the form of kind and warm humor, far from the eternal worry of the Pharisee. So, let’s ask the Lord to give us a sense of humor and absolute joy, which we can share with everyone around us.

Posted in sermons | Leave a comment

To motivate believers to find time for God on Sunday

Today’s Gospel tells us about how Jesus accepted an invitation to the house of a prominent Pharisee. Jesus took the invitation to the Pharisee’s house. He avoided no one and knew how to get everyone, even the Pharisees. Thus, he showed his feelings and kindness towards man. But suddenly, a sick person appeared among those present. Whether he was invited as a guest or came alone, the Gospel does not say. He had dropsy, which was a sign of severe heart and kidney disease. The Gospel says that the Pharisees and scribes present were watching Jesus all the time since he came, what he would say and do. They were incredibly attentive now that a sick person had arrived. Indeed, many were surprised by the thought: “It is the Sabbath; perhaps he will heal him.” It seems that Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them: “Is it free to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (Luke 14:3). There were different opinions among the Jews on this question. There was a general opinion that it is not allowed to heal on the Sabbath unless there is a danger of death. The Pharisees present also held this opinion, but perhaps they were embarrassed to say it out loud in this situation. Maybe that is why it is said: “But they kept silent” (Luke 14:4a). The strict Pharisees forbade rescuing an animal that had fallen into a cistern or well on the Sabbath. It was only permitted to feed it and wait for the end of the Sabbath, i.e., at six o’clock in the evening. More moderate, the Pharisees allowed the animal to be saved immediately. Jesus told them, “If one of you has a son or an ox fall into a well, will he not immediately pull him out, even on the Sabbath?” (Luke 14:5).

In this question, Jesus approved that if such a thing happens, the animal can be saved. And if this happens to a person, no one doubts that he needs to be held all the more. Even more so when it’s your child, should a sick person be denied rescue? But they did not know how to answer him (cf. Lk 14:6). Jesus gave them a clear answer by taking the sick man, “healing him and letting him go” (Lk 14:4b). Jesus had previously asked: “If one of you has a son who falls into the well…” That is if he falls into the well ` your son.

God accepted us as his children. We have become sons and daughters of God because of his love. And so God shows that he cares about every person. He is figuratively speaking – `restless’ if one of his sons or daughters falls into a well. And that’s why she comes to get him out of her because she loves him very much. In this case, he pulls the person out of the well by healing him. He doesn’t care that it’s Saturday. It is a sacred time in which such things must not be done. The Pharisees forbade healing on the Sabbath. And so they caused man to be here for the Sabbath and not the Sabbath for man. Even worse. They drove that God was not here on the Sabbath for man. And suddenly, here comes Jesus, who answers that clearly. The purpose and fulfillment of the law is love. That’s why he healed a man on Saturday. He healed him not only as a sign to answer the Pharisees. He healed a man as a sign that God had come among his people.

And she is with him, especially on Saturdays, when he believes and belongs to God. God himself wanted to be with man. The proof of this is that Jesus healed a man. That was a sign that God is among us. The one who is expected has already arrived. It’s him – Jesus. However, he was in the flesh as a man, which was an obstacle for the Pharisees to believe in him as the Son of God. He was, so he could afford to interpret the law “in his way”. That is why he could heal a person even on Saturday because he was the giver of this Saturday. Thus, Saturday Day becomes a sign, the day of the Lord – God’s mercy. The Jews celebrated the Lord’s day on Saturday, that is, on the seventh day of the week. After the resurrection of Jesus, this day became Sunday for us Christians because, on Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead. Therefore, the content of Sunday is the resurrection of Christ, his new life that reigned in the whole creation. God wants us to seek him more intensively than ever at this time. It is the time when he wants to be with us, and he wants us to want to be with him.

Together, we pray: Lord, let us seek you for your love for us. Let us seek and find you. Let us know you. Let us experience the power of your presence, for you are always near.  

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Christ is the right way that will lead us to the eternal homeland. Every person has to search for the right direction of their journey.

Brothers and sisters! On this day, our steps are directed to cemeteries. We stand over the graves of our closest loved ones, spouses, parents, children, friends, acquaintances… Over many graves, we can read the inscription: Here he rests in peace… All of us believers know that our homeland is not here but in heaven. At the grave, we often remember the moments we spent with him. However, Jesus gives us hope in today’s Gospel: Do not let your hearts be troubled! You believe in God; believe in me too. In my Father’s house are many mansions.” (Jn 14.1)

With these words, Jesus wants to encourage us to believe him firmly. That our faith may be like that of the centurion’s servant when he prayed for the healing of his servant. Faith was given to us as a gift in the sacrament of baptism. Only through Jesus will each person reach the goal of their journey. Jesus wants to show us the correct destination of the journey and how a person should get safely to heaven. Jesus goes to heaven earlier, after his resurrection. In the Gospel, we also heard about Thomas, who said to him: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus then answered him: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:5-6).

Jesus is the way that should lead us to God. Many people today do not want to know the right way that Jesus Christ offers. This path requires an inevitable sacrifice, suffering, tribulation, and self-denial. The second reading of the holy apostle Paul also wants to encourage us: “Therefore we do not slack off; and though our outer man withers away, our inner man is renewed day by day. Our present light tribulation will bring us an exceedingly great weight of eternal glory if we look not to the things seen but to the things not seen, for the visible is for time, but the invisible is forever. After all, we know that when this tabernacle – our earthly house falls apart, we have a dwelling from God, not made with hands. Still, an eternal house in heaven.” with our Lord at his second coming, what is now experienced as a burden of graces will appear as “exceedingly great glory.” Here, he talks about our second home, eternity – eternal life. The path that today’s world is on is false values: possessions, money, fame. This path can hardly lead to our heavenly Father, as man is addicted to earthly things. If a person wants to be on the path that is Christ, he must be able to renounce unnecessary things. God will never judge a person based on how many possessions, money, or titles they have. God will look for our deeds out of love for him. We will only bring those deeds before him.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also reminds us: “Even the smallest of our actions, if we do them out of love, resonates in this solidarity of all, the living and the dead, for the benefit of all, and it is based on the communion of saints.” This communion damages every sin.” Christ wants to be our true goal and way. His love for us was shown by his sacrifice on the cross. His open heart allows us to draw from him many graces and mercy. Only in him will we find our hope for eternity – our eternal home: heaven.

 And which path I am on. Is it a path that leads to Christ, filled with good deeds such as sacrifice service to our brothers and sisters? Or is it a path that leads to the false values ​​of today’s world, which are marked by property, fame, and money? God gives us the freedom to decide the path we want to walk. God does not force anyone to follow him. Jesus offers himself to us as hope for meeting the Father.

The 100th paramedic recalls: We were instructed to transport a seriously ill patient to the hospital. When they entered his apartment, we learned he was a former Olympic champion and a successful athlete. He looked evil. It was evident that he understood his numbered days and hours. We put him on a stretcher and walked around the living room. Medals, cups, wreaths, and gifts that testified to his fame were displayed in the showcases. He looked at it carefully and remarked: “I can’t take any of this with me. Worldly glory, grass of the field.!” I can only take with me the good deeds I have done for my fellow brothers and sisters during my life.” He added before leaving for the ambulance.

It is a hard fact. Neither beauty nor luxurious clothes nor cars will weigh anything in eternity. In the finale of our life, only acts of love that are precisely registered and marked with God, in his heart, will help us: “What you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.” (Mt 25:10) Lord Jesus Christ, we beg, you let us long not for an earthly homeland but for a heavenly homeland. Let us always search every day for the right way by which we can come to you in eternity. Lord, give us the strength and perseverance to remember this daily when meeting with our neighbors.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Solemnity of All Saints. Mt 5,1-12

A great community of love
Today, we remember all the saints and saints of God. At the same time, today begins the Soul Octave, when we pray for all the faithful departed. How are the feast of All Saints and the memory of the faithful departed related? You must have heard that sometimes we divide the Church into three parts: the wandering, suffering, and triumphant. The wandering church – we are the ones who are still living in this world and traveling to the heavenly homeland. The suffering church is the souls in purgatory, affectionately called “souls,” who still have to serve the temporal punishments for their sins to enter into heavenly glory. And finally, the Church is victorious – those who are already in heaven looking at God face to face; these are all the saints.

One Christian song sings: “Let’s remember the little souls, help them from purgatory.” They will remember us when we die.” Seeing the interrelationship between the wandering, suffering, and victorious Church is beautiful. Let’s remember the souls – we, the wandering Church, think in our prayers about those who are in the suffering Church, all the “souls.” Let us help them from purgatory – thanks to our memories and prayers, the souls in purgatory leave purified to the Church victorious, among the saints in heaven. They will remember us when we are dying – the saints in heaven, in the Church triumphant, will intercede for us who are wandering on this earth when we are preparing for eternity. So we are interconnected and form one great community of love – one great community of Christ’s Church.

We especially want to consider the Church victorious at today’s celebration. Today is a holiday for all who are in heaven. That is, not only those saints who have a holiday during the year but also those whose names only God knows. And there are many, many more! And their wish is for us to be among them one day. They do everything for it. It is also up to us to do everything in our power and possibilities. When we do something, God will help us. There is a place in heaven for everyone. It is up to us not to leave our place empty.

Today, we should rejoice and thank our brothers and sisters who have already reached the goal. Their life is completed in God. They are experiencing what no eye has ever seen, what no ear has ever heard, what no human has ever thought of. They share what God has prepared for those who love him. At Holy Mass, we sing: “You alone are holy.” God alone is perfect; alone has all goodness in himself. The saints have everything they are and have from him. However, they show how God’s love can transform a person when he opens himself up to this love and lives in it. Therefore, God’s love shines in the saints and from the saints.

We know and believe that we are already somehow connected with them. After all, we confess that we believe in the communion of saints. If relationships of love, gratitude, and help can be formed between people here on earth, why can’t it be between us and the saints in heaven? The threshold of eternity that separates us cannot be an obstacle for God. Saints are our friends who intercede for us; they help us on the way to God and beg us that we, too, reach God, our goal, and that everyone will meet in Him.

Every age and every nation has these; they are of different statuses, inclinations, and naturesIt is not only those whom we have during the year in the church calendar and who are worshiped in various places of the world, but also much larger groups of those who have their feast today as unknown saints – even those who were not perfect in this world, but they have achieved forgiveness After all, sooner or later there will also be among them those whom we will remember tomorrow, who are still purifying themselves. So we are not alone! Saints are very close to us, perhaps much more intimate than those around us. We already belong to their glory, and their brightness shines for us as hope so that we, too, will not be discouraged.

And today’s celebration reminds us of something else: Our life will be completed one day. We are not heading into the “empty nothingness” but into the marvelous light of God’s goodness and beauty. Even our life has its direction, goal, and meaning. And even if we don’t know what awaits us in earthly life, God knows our entire life path well. Therefore, under the protection of the saints, we can confide in God’s love with complete trust. All saints and saints of God pray for us from this time to age.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

The desire to obtain the kingdom of God.

We live in the desire that when we are sick and perhaps elderly, dying, we will receive with faith the sacrament of the sick, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the Eucharist. We believers await the kingdom of God after our life on earth. Lord Jesus spoke about his kingdom to the crowd in a parable: …about a mustard seed and leaven (13.18.21).

In addition to these parables, Jesus points out the value of God’s kingdom with the words about the “precious pearl” about the “householder” who brings out of his treasure things new and old. The parables of Jesus have a deep meaning and point to the fact that a person should do everything to obtain the kingdom of God.

The “treasure” hidden in the field teaches that each person is to see the treasure in God’s kingdom, which is to become his life’s effort to obtain it. The parable of the “pearl” teaches that anyone who wants to get the kingdom of God must mobilize his strength, reason, and other gifts to obtain the kingdom of God. Another parable of the “net” teaches that all who have chosen the kingdom of God as their goal and highest value have chosen the best. Parables reveal the greatness of God and the value of his kingdom. A person should realize that he undertakes everything to participate in the kingdom of God in gratitude. In the parable, a person’s life is compared to a field. Like a farmer working in the field from the beginning, when he prepares the ground, when he sows the seed, he is already enjoying the harvest; he already sees the meaning of his work, the calluses, and the sweat of his face in a rich harvest. And so a person in his life, in all his events, should not lose sight of the kingdom of God. A person, and especially a believer, should not forget that life on earth does not end with death. Every person owns a soul. For her, he should use everything to be rich in graces merits: “Lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys them, and where thieves do not break through and steal” (Mt 6:20). The kingdom of God is a value for which it is worthwhile to bear the shame, misery, fear, sickness, pain and lose a life on earth. Also, do not be afraid to win over yourself when the temptation of sin comes.

A Christian and every person, when he discovers the treasure mentioned by Jesus in his life, is willing to hide and protect the treasure. Every day, he realizes the value of his treasure. He does not forget its value. He is constantly drawing strength and courage not to lose the treasure. He lives in the thought: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). We need to know and confirm the hierarchy of values ​​in our lives. Not everything that seems valuable is worth gold because not everything that glitters is gold. And treasure, at a superficial glance, does not look like treasure. The farmer from Jesus’ parable plows his field so that the treasure is not stolen from him so that he does not destroy it.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

The desire to obtain the kingdom of God.

We live in the desire that when we are sick and perhaps elderly, dying, we will receive with faith the sacrament of the sick, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the Eucharist. We believers await the kingdom of God after our life on earth. Lord Jesus spoke about his kingdom to the crowd in a parable: …about a mustard seed and leaven (13.18.21).

In addition to these parables, Jesus points out the value of God’s kingdom with the words about the “precious pearl” about the “householder” who brings out of his treasure things new and old. The parables of Jesus have a deep meaning and point to the fact that a person should do everything to obtain the kingdom of God.

The “treasure” hidden in the field teaches that each person is to see the treasure in God’s kingdom, which is to become his life’s effort to obtain it. The parable of the “pearl” teaches that anyone who wants to get the kingdom of God must mobilize his strength, reason, and other gifts to obtain the kingdom of God. Another parable of the “net” teaches that all who have chosen the kingdom of God as their goal and highest value have chosen the best. Parables reveal the greatness of God and the value of his kingdom. A person should realize that he undertakes everything to participate in the kingdom of God in gratitude. In the parable, a person’s life is compared to a field. Like a farmer working in the field from the beginning, when he prepares the ground, when he sows the seed, he is already enjoying the harvest; he already sees the meaning of his work, the calluses, and the sweat of his face in a rich harvest. And so a person in his life, in all his events, should not lose sight of the kingdom of God. A person, and especially a believer, should not forget that life on earth does not end with death. Every person owns a soul. For her, he should use everything to be rich in graces merits: “Lay up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys them, and where thieves do not break through and steal” (Mt 6:20). The kingdom of God is a value for which it is worthwhile to bear shame, misery, fear, sickness, pain and lose life on earth. Also, do not be afraid to win over yourself when the temptation of sin comes.

A Christian and every person, when he discovers the treasure mentioned by Jesus in his life, is willing to hide and protect the treasure. Every day, he realizes the value of his treasure. He remembers its value. He is constantly drawing strength and courage to keep the treasure. He lives in the thought: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Mt 6:33). We need to know and confirm the hierarchy of values ​​in our lives. Not everything that seems valuable is worth gold because not everything that glitters is gold. And treasure, at a superficial glance, does not look like treasure. The farmer from Jesus’ parable plows his field so that the treasure is not stolen from him so that he does not destroy it.

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment