Life wisdom teaches us all that prevention is better than cure. We know how complicated the healing process can be. 

Today’s celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is the most striking example of God’s extraordinary preventive help, as the angel said: “Full of grace.”

On December 8, the entire Western Church celebrates the feast of the Virgin Mary c, received without the stain of original /today t, the term original/ sin is more commonly used. Many believers believe the Immaculate Conception refers to how the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus. However, this is a mistake – this is how the Virgin Mary herself was conceived. That is why the Immaculate Conception is also celebrated precisely 9 months before the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which is commemorated every year on September 8. The Church’s teaching on the Immaculate Conception results from many centuries of prayer and theological development, during which the understanding of the Virgin Mary’s role in the history of salvation has continued to grow. 

Already, the Fathers of the first century were developing the theology of Mary as the new Eve. It begins around the beginning of the fifth century, mainly thanks to St. Augustine, to more precisely formulate the doctrine of hereditary /original/ sin. Of course, the theologians immediately began to ask themselves how it was with the original sin in Mary. Was she subjected to him, too? The Franciscan Bl also asked this question. John Duns Scotus. He taught that, according to him, Mary, due to her natural origin, was subject to the law of sin like any other person. She, too, needed redemption, just like all humans. However, by God’s special preventive intervention, she was saved from the stains of any sin, so she entered earthly life already in a state of grace. Therefore full of grace. She, too, was redeemed by Christ, but in a more perfect way than other people, because she was freed from sin in advance, that is, preventive, while others are freed from the injury of the already existing one. This way of redemption is a unique privilege that God granted as an undeserved gift only to Mary because she was to become the mother of the Redeemer. 

To understand this secret, let’s use an analogy: Imagine a person who falls into a bottomless pit. Someone else walks by and pulls him out of the pit. He will free him. That man was saved from the pit. Let’s imagine then that another woman is walking around. She, too, is about to fall into the pit, but just then, someone else catches her so she doesn’t fall into the pit. She was also saved from the pit, but obviously in a better – preventive way: she was not only subsequently pulled out of the pit, but someone prevented her from falling into it and getting injured by the fall. Christians have used this simile for centuries to explain how Christ saved Mary. By receiving Christ’s grace at her conception, she received this grace before it could be defiled by original sin and guilt. So, even here, prevention is better than subsequent treatment and strenuous recovery.

On this day, we also remember that life has been sacred from conception. That is why we Christian believers are against abortion. This well-known example from history also strengthens our conviction.

 A professor at a well-known medical school presented an ethical problem to the students: “The father suffers from a venereal disease, and the mother has tuberculosis. Four children were born to them – the first was visually impaired, the second died, the third became deaf, and the fourth inherited tuberculosis. However, the mother became pregnant again and together with the father, she would come to you for advice. If they were considering an abortion, what advice would you give them?” Students formed consultation groups and consulted. Finally, they all decided to recommend abortion. “Congratulations,” said the professor. “You just killed Beethoven.” Even if someone objected that this is a popularized and exaggerated story, the fact remains that Beethoven’s mother was very poor and sickly, worked as an ordinary maid, and his father – although a musician – was a notorious alcoholic, an obscene and cruel person. Nevertheless, the mother accepted each child, and thanks to this, we can listen to many of his musical works. Life is sacred because it comes from God.

Only one thing really destroys a person’s life—sin. Even today’s holiday shows us that God wants to help us in every possible way to break free from the slavery of sin. It’s hard work. He gives us his whole life. He gives us all the means for this, including the intercession of the spiritual mother, Mary. Let’s use these means to save ourselves. 

Beloved,today we gather  to  reflect  on a profound  passage from the  book of  Isaiah, specifically ,  This  scripture offers  chapter 25 verses 6-10 This  scripture offers a vision of hope and  divibe promise in  the face  of human despair. As we  delve into these verses, let  us  open our  hearts  to  the  message, of God*s grace  and  the  celebration of His  eternal kinngdom.

Isaiah begins  with a vivid metaphor, a feast prepared by  the Lord  on  His  holy mountain. This ist  no ordinary banquet.It  is  a gathering for  all  peoples, symbolizing inactivity in God’s kingdom. Imagine the  richness of  the food, the  aged wine,  and  the  best of  meats- elements of  joy , celebration, and  abudance. This  imagery invites us to envision a future where God’s  presence brings nourishment, satisfaction. and unity.

In verses  7 and 8 we see the promise of  God’s  transformative power. He will destroy  the  shroud that covers  all nations a metaphor for the  sorrow, death and  despair that weigh heaavily  on humanity. The  promise  that  Go  will ,, swallow up death forever” offers profound  hope. It  reminds us  that through Christ, death is  the  end  but  a passage to  eternal  life. The  tears we  shed  in grief and  the shame  we  carry  will be  wiped  away  by  our  loving God. This  is  the heart of  the Gospel the  assurance  that  is  intimately  involved  in our suffering  a  committed to our healing.

Verse 9 invites  us  into an active response. Surely this  is  our  God. WE trusted  in him, and  he  saved  us. Trust  is  a fundamental  aspect of  our  relationship with  God. In a world filled  with  uncertainty   and  fear. God calls  us  to  place our faith in Him. This  trust is not passive. It is  a declaration  of  our  belief  in His   promises. When  we  acknowledge God’s  sovereignty  and  faitfulness we  are  empowerd to rejoice in  His salvation,

Exactly a week ago, on November 24, someone told me, “Oh, one more month, and it will be Christmas. We will celebrate, we will celebrate, we will not go to work, and you will not go to school. It will finally be fine.” I didn’t even realize it that day. 

But after a while, it shook me. Wait, is this what Christmas is all about? Not going to work? Don’t go to school? Is this what Christmas is all about? And it’s already here. The first Sunday of Advent is a reality. The second, third, and fourth will come, and before we know it, the tree, food, presents, midnight mass, and… New Year. 

And work, school, and responsibilities. But where is the real Christmas in all this? Where is the celebration of the birth of the Lord in all this, apart from the rush of “writing a letter to Jesus” or the obligatory visit to the family? Where? And, after all, Advent is preparation for it. To celebrate! On the birth of the Lord! Not just by stating that Christmas is just around the corner.

Today’s gospel pulls us out of the Advent rush —not pre-Christmas, but Advent—and all the “important” responsibilities: “There will be signs in the sun and the moon, and in the stars, and on earth, the nations will be full of anxiety and confusion from the roar of the sea and the waves. People will be reconciled from the fear and expectation of what is coming into the world because the heavenly powers will tremble. 

These words of Jesus are miles away from the Christmas comfort many are preparing for today. We want comfort, not a forecast of disaster. We want pleasant moments, not anxiety—even if we somehow associate confusion with the holidays—confusion in shops, at work, and also at home. Likewise, we get scared if we don’t have time to buy the right gift. Well, it’s still only Advent. No Christmas!

We can imagine that beautiful and romantic moment, but we don’t even have to imagine it because we experience it if we want to watch the night sky. And with bated breath, they looked at the stars. Indeed, it is somehow more natural in the summer than in the winter, but even now, it is possible. 

Even though it is more difficult, we can still sometimes look at the sun and enjoy its warm rays—even in winter. In fact, they will please many even more than in the summer. But we can also imagine something else—that the sun will be veiled, covered, suddenly and out of the blue. We can also imagine a beautiful night show in the sky at a time when we can observe “falling stars,” i.e., a meteor shower.

All the above-mentioned “events” will please each of us. But can we also imagine that we would exchange its brightness for an anti-aircraft cover at the time of beautiful noon when the sun is wintry and jagged but pleasing? Instead of the “meteor shower theater,” would we watch flying and falling rockets? None of us wants even to imagine this, let alone admit it. Every romance ends with this idea.

This is the right challenge for the Advent season – so our hearts are not heavy. And if by chance they have become heavy, to get rid of this “overweight” that prevents the heart from flying and seeing “from God’s perspective”. 

What, then, should our hearts not be heavy? But still, that “selfish” fear for ourselves, in which we close the door and the heart of our life against the pain and misery of others. Are you saying that you don’t see the poor around you? I guess not only your heart, but also your eyes have become heavy, and you are blind. Blindness does not only have to be physical but also mental-selective. Still can’t see?

Gluttony is, figuratively speaking, also a desire to have – but only for oneself. And those who are proud of the slogan: “We don’t want other people’s, we don’t take our own” suffer from “gluttony.” Because, in reality, it is difficult to share a piece of bread or the next room. It is impossible to accept, to accept. And just to be sure, I will talk my neighbor and friend out of it, so I don’t feel embarrassed that someone has a more excellent heart than me.

Drunkenness is, figuratively speaking, the belief in a lie or falsehood that everyone is the mastermind of their happiness. If it were so, Christ would not have come into this world. However, he came because without him, we would not know what it means to love truly and selflessly – so that we too love like this.

And worries? Well, that is, figuratively, each of our introspection. When we are looking forward, I only look in the mirror—and see only myself. And I still tell myself, like in the fairy tale about Snow White, that I am the most beautiful person on earth.

“Take heed that your hearts are not heavy…” says Jesus on the First Sunday of Advent. So, let Advent be a time of changing mindsets and attitudes toward those who suffer in a way that we would never want to suffer. 

It is time to change the paradigm of love, which does not count how much it gives and how much it receives but constantly shares and does not worry about the future. Let the following days and weeks be a struggle against self-pity and self-centeredness, which we will overcome if God’s word enters our hearts and frees us to fulfill with love and without fear the words of today’s first reading from the prophet Jeremiah: “In those days and at that time a righteous shoot will sprout from David, who will do justice and righteousness on earth.”

  We should use our time for our sanctification, obtaining the necessary graces and merits, so that we are worthy to hear the words of God-Judge, as invited to the Kingdom of Heaven. The text of the Gospel reminds us of this. Jesus says: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). Jesus addresses these words to two fishermen from the Sea of ​​Galilee, the brothers Simon and Peter. Andrew was with John Zebedee, the brother of James, a disciple of John the Baptist. John introduced them Jesus with the words: “Behold, the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:36). It was then that Andrew met Jesus for the first time, he talked with him, but he was not yet a disciple of Jesus. He probably continued his fishing (cf. Luke 5:1-5). In today’s Gospel, Jesus wants them to leave their craft. The words: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19) better describe the situation as follows: It’s here! I need you now. That’s why I want you to follow me!

This challenge of Jesus is blunt, but he asks a lot, but he also promises a lot. Jesus calls two brothers from Bethesda, east of the Jordan River (cf. Jn 1:44). The second pair were Zebedee’s sons. According to Mark, the mother’s name was Salome (cf. Mk 15:40), who is always named together. He was apparently the elder and John the younger. Together with Peter, they formed a close circle of Jesus’ confidants. This is how they are mentioned several times (cf. Mt 10:2; 17:1). Jesus’ call does not belong only to the aforementioned apostles. Jesus’ Gospel is not just a description of a one-time event. Jesus ‘ Gospel is a book that has its mission until the end of time . for three years of his public activity. Jesus’ challenge touches us too. Jesus walks around us. He addresses us on the street, in church, but also at school and at home. He invites us behind in the sense that we leave the superficial life we ​​have lived so far, or leave the sin in our life. For one, it may be a sinful acquaintance, for another a wrong approach to material things, another may have neglected the commandment of love in some form. Thus, an unhealthy non-Christian way of life can turn into an example of a convert. We were sinners. Let’s be a role model and an example. 

At the end of the world, there will be a general resurrection of our bodies. The characteristics of the bodies of the glorified will be different, and the characteristics of the bodies of the damned will be different. And behold, I will open your graves and bring you out of your coffins, says God through the mouth of the prophet Ezekiel. When the almighty voice shall sound, which shall be heard from east to west from north to south, the lying bodies, dried bones, and ashes shall be moved on the earth where they were deposited. All nature will begin to move. The sea, the land of the abyss, will be ready to give up the dead whom they thought they had swallowed up as their prey. They only cherished them so that one day, they could return them on demand.
Let us not marvel at the significant effect of the divine power that sustains the whole universe. The entire universe is like a speck in the eyes of God. God is omnipotent. It will be no problem for him to resurrect our bodies. Soul and body together form but one being. Man can achieve his goal only by preserving his natural constitution. But how can he preserve this natural constitution if he needs something that constitutes it? If they do not compose themselves in the order they were before. The nature of man necessarily requires the resurrection of the body. The whole creation passes from death to life. All you see has already been that nothing has been so lost that it will not reappear one day. Everything that once ceased, begins again. Everything ceases, only to be reborn. The soul has sinned using the body, therefore it is just that it should be justly punished. However, the soul also uses the body to do good works; thus, it must share in typical glorification. Also, the completeness of Christ’s victory over sin requires the resurrection, and his victory may be destroyed, even the power and kingdom of death. It must be remembered that as long as sin remains in the world, death will not cease to lie and exercise its cruel dominion over the human race. At the end of the ages, if the kingdom of sin is destroyed, the last enemy, death, will also be defeated. God will deliver His children from the power of death

The end of the world and one day the end of each of us is the theme presented to us by this week’s liturgy. Today’s reading from the book In the Revelation of St. John, the fall of Babylon symbolizes the downfall of worldliness, prosperity, and self-sufficiency. This apocalyptic scene is mirrored in today’s Gospel reading from Luke, where Jesus foretells the desolation of Jerusalem and his eventual return. Babylon, compared to “the great harlot,” is a city of deceit, where corruption and unclean spirits lie beneath its façade of magnificence and festivities. Ultimately, its destruction will be swift and total, leaving no trace..

“The sound of harpists, singers, pipers, and trumpeters will no longer be heard in you” – there will be no more beautiful celebrations. »No master of any craft will appear in you again« – because you are not a city of work, but of corruption. »The knocking of the mill will no longer be heard in you. The light of the lamp will no longer shine in you.« – it may be a city illuminated, but it will not shine. This is a corrupt civilization, »the voice of the bridegroom and the bride will no longer be heard in you«. There were many couples, many people, but no love. Desolation starts from within and ends when the Lord says “enough”. There will come a day when the Lord will say: »Enough of the pretense of this world«. This is the crisis of a civilization that considers itself proud and self-sufficient but is dictatorial and will end up like this.

Jerusalem will see another kind of destruction, namely the destruction of unfaithful love. It failed to recognize the love of God in His Son. Gentiles will trample the Holy City, the Lord will punish it because it has opened the gates of its heart to the Gentiles. Life – in our case the Christian life – becomes pagan. Are we living as Christians? It seems so, but in reality our life is pagan when these things happen and are subject to the seduction of Babylon. And Jerusalem lives like Babylon. He wants to make a synthesis that cannot be made. And both will disappear. Are you a Christian? Are you a Christian? Live like a Christian. You cannot mix water with oil. They will always remain separate. This is the end of a civilization that is self-contradictory, calling itself Christian and living like a heathen.

After the fall of both cities, the cry of the Lord will be heard. After destruction comes salvation. The angel will say, »Blessed are those who are invited to the Lamb’s wedding feast!«. It will be a grand, real celebration. Tragedies also exist in our lives, but if we find ourselves in front of them, let us look to the horizon because we are redeemed and the Lord will come to save us. We thus learn to undergo the trials of this world not in agreement with worldliness or paganism, which leads us to destruction, but in hope, detaching ourselves from these worldly and pagan temptations, looking to the horizon, hoping in Christ the Lord. Hope is our strength: we go forward. But we must plead with the Holy Spirit.

Think of the Babylons of our time. Consider, for example, the powerful empires of the last century that collapsed. And so will the great cities of today also end, and so will our life and if we follow the path of paganism. Only those who put their hope in the Lord will remain. With hope, therefore, let us open our hearts and turn away from the heathen life.