Eternal life.

Posted on 3. March 2025 by Peter Prochac

Target: to point out the reality of eternal life

God’s word

„But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people destined for possession, to proclaim the glorious deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his admirable light. Once you were not even a people, and now you are God’s people; you who have not achieved mercy have now achieved mercy.“ (1 Pt 2,7-10)

„Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love him.“ (1Cor 2,9)

„There are many dwellings in my Father’s house. If it wasn’t for that, would I have told you that I was going to prepare a place for you?! When I leave and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself so that you too can be where I am. And you know the way I’m going.“ (Jn 14,2-4)

„Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God! Verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth not the kingdom of God as a child shall not enter into it.“ (Lk 18,16-17)

„Verily, I say unto you, There is none that for the kingdom of God shall leave house or wife or brothers or parents or children, lest he receive much more in this time and in the age to come eternal life.“ (Lk 18,29-30)

„And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. After all, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not judged. But whoever does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God.“ (Jn 3,14-18)

„For it is the will of my Father that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.“ (Jn 6,40)

„He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me and I live from the Father, even he who is me will live from me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, and not what the fathers ate and died. Whoever this bread is will live forever.“ (Jn 6,54-58)

„And eternal life is in knowing you, the only true God, and the one you sent, Jesus Christ.“ (Jn 17.3)

„Father, I want those whom you have given me to be with me where I am, to see my glory which you have given me, for you loved me before the creation of the world.“ (Jn 17,24)

„Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Consider: If the householder knew at what hour of the night the thief would come, he would surely be awake and would not allow him to enter his house. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour of which you do not know. Who then is the faithful and wise servant whom the master has appointed over his family to give them food in due time? Blessed is the servant whom the master finds doing so upon his arrival. Verily, I say unto you, He shall appoint him over all his possessions. But if the evil servant said in his heart: „My master does not go“ in any way and starts beating his fellow servants, eating and drinking with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on the day, when he least expects it, and at an hour he does not think, he will separate him and give him a portion among the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.“ (Mt 24,42-51)

„Then the kingdom of heaven will resemble ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were unreasonable and five were wise. Unreasonable, they took their lamps, but they did not take the oil with them. Wisely, they also took oil in containers with lamps. When the groom was not coming, everyone started to doze off and fell asleep. At midnight, a scream broke out: „The groom is coming, meet him!“ All the virgins woke up and were preparing their lamps. Here the foolish virgins said to the wise: „ Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.“ But the wise replied: „ So that maybe neither we nor you are short, go to the sellers and buy!“ But while they were going to buy oil, the groom came and those who were ready entered the wedding with him and the door closed. Finally, the other virgins also came and said: „Lord, Lord, open to us!“ But he said to them: „Veru, I say to you: I don’t know you.“  Therefore watch, because you know neither the day nor the hour.“ (Mt 25,1-13)

„For you are saved by grace through faith; and it is not of you, it is God’s gift: not of works, so that no one should stand. After all, we are his work, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared for us to do.“ (Ef 2,8-10)

„He who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that not a single murderer has eternal life in him“ (1Jn 3,14-15)

„For the wage of sin is death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“ (Rom 6,23)

„For life has appeared and we have seen, testify and proclaim to you eternal life, which was with the Father and was revealed to us.“ (1Jn 1,2)

„He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow; there will be no more lamentation or pain, for the first has passed away“ (Rev. 21,4)

„ Six days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother John with him and led them into solitude as a high murderer. There, he was transformed before them: his face shone like the sun, and his clothes turned white like light. Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them and talked with them. Then Peter said to Jesus: „Lord, we are well here. If you want, I will make three booths here: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.“ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: „ This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to him.“ When the disciples heard this, they were afraid and fell on their faces. But Jesus approached them, touched them, and said to them: „ Get up and don’t be scared!“ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus. As they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them: „ Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man rises from the dead.“ (Mt 17,1-9)

„ However, their mother is unusually rare and worthy of admiration, as well as a famous monument. After all, she saw seven of her sons die in a single day! But she endured it evenly because her mind was strengthened by hope in the Lord. Filled with a noble mindset, she encouraged each of them in their mother tongue. She strengthened her female mind with male courage and said to them: „ I do not know how you rose in my womb; I gave you neither breath nor life; I didn’t even arrange the members of the artist to create each of you. Therefore, the Creator of the world, who causes man to arise and makes the being of all things, will again give you breath and life out of his mercy, as you do not value yourself now because of his laws.“ (2Mach 7,20-23)

„He was a specific rich person. He dressed in purple and linen and feasted sumptuously day by day. At his gate lay a kind of beggar named Lazarus, full of ulcers. He longed to be satisfied with what was falling from the rich man’s table, and only the dogs came and licked his sores. When the beggar died, the angels carried him to Abraham’s womb. The rich man also died and was buried. And when he lifted up his eyes in hell in torment, he saw Abraham and Lazarus in his bosom from afar. And he exclaimed: „Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus, let him at least dip the end of his finger in water and moisten my tongue, because I am troubled in this flame!“ But Abraham said: „Son, remember that you received all the good in your lifetime and Lazarus only the bad. Now he’s happy here, and you’re worried. And besides, there is a significant gap between us and you so that no one – what they would like – can cross from here to you or cross from there to us.“ He said, “I beg you, Father, send him to my father’s house. For I have five brothers; let him swear to them so that they, too, do not get to this place of torment.“ Abraham answered him: „ They have Moses, and let the Prophets listen to them.“ But he said: „No, Father Abraham. If someone from the dead comes to them, they will repent.“ He answered him. If they don’t listen to Moses and don’t believe the Prophets, even if someone rises from the dead.“ (Lk 16, 19-31)

„Watch, therefore, for you do not know when your Lord will come. Consider: If the householder knew at what night the thief would come, he would surely be awake and would not allow him to enter his house. Therefore, be ready, for the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not know. Who then is the faithful and wise servant the master has appointed over his family to give them food in due time? Blessed is the servant whom the master finds doing so upon his arrival. Verily, I say unto you, He shall appoint him over all his possessions. But if the evil servant said in his heart: „My master does not go“ in any way and starts beating his fellow servants, eating and drinking with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on the day when he least expects it, and at an hour he does not think, he will separate him and give him a portion among the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Mt 24,42-51)

„ When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on the throne of his glory. Then all the nations will gather before him, and he will separate one from the other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He builds sheep on the right and goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right: „ Come, blessed of my Father, occupy the kingdom that has been prepared for you since the world’s creation. For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a traveler, and you snuggled 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, snuggle or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?“ The king will answer them: „Veru, I say to you: Whatever you did to one of my least brothers, you did to me.“ Then he will also say to those who will be from the left: „ Depart from me, cursed, into the eternal fire that is prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink; I was a traveler, and you did not snuggle me; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.“ Then they also will say to him: „Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or as a traveler or naked or sick or in prison and not serve you?“ Then he will answer them: „Veru, I say to you: Whatever you did not do to one of the least of these, you did not do to me.“ And these will go into eternal torment, while the righteous into eternal life.“ (Mt 25, 31-46)

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Conversion of the heart – inner repentance.

Posted on 2. March 2025 by Peter Prochac

We often hear priests call for conversion and repentance. Many may ask themselves: What does it mean to turn and repent?

The call to repentance is one of the essential elements of the biblical reference. The concept of repentance was formed simultaneously with the concept of sin. Originally, sin was understood together. All misfortunes were considered punishment for the chosen people’s infidelity to the covenant. They understood repentance as a means of alleviating God’s wrath and limited it mainly to external actions (weeping, lamentation, dressing, marking the head with ashes, confessing sins).

The New Testament sees repentance as a means of inner transformation. St. John the Baptist calls for people to confess their sins and change their actions. He urged the listeners: „Bring fruit worth repentance“ (Lk 3,8). The first message that Jesus told people was a call to conversion. Jesus admonished: „ If you do not repent, you will all perish similarly“ (Lk 13.5). From this call to conversion, the apostles began the proclamation of the Gospel. (Acts 2,37)

The fathers of spiritual life say that one of the causes of a person’s spiritual stagnation is the lack of courage to turn away from sin and cling to the Truth and Light, which is Christ. Although we love God, know His will, and try to fulfill it, something in us distances us from God, and we rebel against Him. As a result, we act and choose on our own. A free decision against the order of nature that God gave weakens our love for God and, consequently, begets sin. Through sin, we lose the beauty of the soul, wound the heart of the Savior, move away from God, and, above all, expose ourselves to the loss of eternal life. That is why God calls us to conversion and repentance.

The catechism teaches that „ Jesus’ call to conversion and repentance does not apply primarily to external actions, to „bag and ash“, to posts and mortifications, but to the conversion of the heart, to internal repentance. Without him, acts of repentance remain fruitless and deceitful. Inner conversion encourages this attitude to manifest itself in visible signs, acts, and acts of repentance“ (KKC 1430)

God does not ask us to put on a sack as the inhabitants of Nineveh. He wants us to end sin, confess it at confession, and fulfill spiritual and physical acts of mercy. Working on oneself involves examining all areas of one’s life and making order about a goal such as God. Man alone cannot do this. He needs God’s help. „Conversion is above all the work of the grace of God, who causes our hearts to return to him“ (KKC 1432) A person who repents must wholeheartedly desire to do good, otherwise live, and change his actions, because „Inner repentance is a radical reorientation of the whole life, a return, turning to God with all your heart, leaving sin behind, turning away from evil, associated with resistance to evil deeds“ (KKC 1431).

Let’s remember: Conversion is the decision to completely cling to God and accept a new life path. By cooperating with God’s grace, man experiences inner transformation. When he turns away from evil, he tries God’s mercy and forgiveness. Outward ones should come from inner conversion.




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Why did God create me?

Posted on 28. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

On the sixth day of creation, God did something He had not done before. When He created the world and everything in it, He merely spoke it all into existence (Genesis 1). But on the sixth day, He reached into the clay and formed a man. He then “breathed into man’s nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The breath of God created an eternal soul in man. God made mankind in His image; Adam and Eve were more like Him than anything else He had created (Genesis 1:27). Humans would live forever, just as God will. He told the first couple to be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it (verse 28). He had created them for a purpose, and all the people who came after them were created for a purpose, too.

Scattered throughout the Bible are hints about the reasons God made us. Our first hint is in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:15 says that God took the man He had created and put him in the garden to tend it. God had made a caretaker for His earth. He gave man dominion over everything else, and a job to do (Genesis 1:28). Man’s first job was naming all the animals (Genesis 2:19–20). God could have called the animals Himself, but He enjoyed working with Adam the way a loving parent enjoys watching her preschooler learn a skill. So we were created for work, but not work in the way we usually define it. Work was designed to be a fulfilling way to experience God by working harmoniously with Him to accomplish His goals.

We know from Psalm 139:13–16 that God formed us while inside our mothers. We are His masterpieces, created by Him for unique purposes (Ephesians 2:10). God is intimately involved in our creation: “The word of the LORD came to me, saying: ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you a prophet to the nations’” (Jeremiah 1:4–5). That statement alone should overwhelm us with wonder. The God Almighty, Creator of the universe, chooses us individually and creates us exactly as He wants us to be. Scripture clearly states that God created every human being for His pleasure and purpose (Colossians 1:16).

If we are going to fulfill our purpose, we need to consult the Bible. The Bible tells us about who God is, who we are, and how we should live our lives. Many people try to find purpose in happiness, fun, or popularity because they are unaware that God has a greater purpose for their lives. Sadly, they end up empty and frustrated. But they don’t need to. God has given us His Word (the Bible) so that we can learn who He is and who we are. When we consult it for direction, we have opened the roadmap that leads to our purpose.

One thing we learn is that God loves us and proved that love by sending His Son, Jesus, to show us what He is like (John 14:9). Although God loves us, our sins have separated us from Him (Romans 3:23; 6:23). Jesus came to earth and offered Himself in our place. He took the punishment our sin deserves (2 Corinthians 5:21). God raised Him from the dead three days later, proving that Jesus is Lord over everything, including death (Romans 10:9–10). Then God decreed that everyone who trusts Jesus will be forgiven and enter a relationship with Him (John 3:16–18). So God’s first desire for every human being is that we come to know Him through faith in His Son. When we understand who He is, we can discover who we are.

God’s goal for each of His children is that we take on a family resemblance. He wants us to be like Jesus (Romans 8:29). He gives us spiritual gifts that enable us to serve Him in supernatural ways (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11). We live our purpose as we learn to walk in harmony with God and use our gifts to serve others.

God created us for a purpose, but that purpose will look different for every person because we are each unique. To be made in the image of God means that we were created to be mirrors of God’s glory—one-of-a-kind mirrors that reflect the diverse aspects of His nature. A mirror serves no other purpose than to reflect something else. A mirror is useless when covered in mud; likewise, when we are covered in sin and turned away from God, we are not living out the purpose for which we were created. But when we respond to God’s offer of salvation and allow His Holy Spirit to clean us up, we turn toward our Creator, and His glory is reflected in our lives. It is not our light or beauty the world needs to see, but His (John 8:12; 9:5).

Micah 6:8 tells us what God expects from us: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” God created us to walk with Him, talk with Him, discover His attributes, and bless the world from that perspective. To act justly is to hold ourselves to a higher standard than our old sinful natures (1 Corinthians 10:31). We seek to learn God’s commands to obey them. To love mercy is to become channels of the same compassion and grace that rescued us (Titus 3:5). We offer forgiveness to those who offend us and leave final judgment to God (1 Corinthians 4:5). We walk humbly with our God when we stay close to Him in good times and bad, thanking Him for every good gift and running to Him when we feel threatened (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Proverbs 18:10). When we walk humbly with our God, we store up treasure in heaven as we seek to know and follow His will. By living our lives on earth for His glory, we can one day step into His presence, knowing that we have fulfilled the purpose for which He created us (1 Timothy 6:18–19; Matthew 6:20; Luke 19:17).

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Best practice for having a good marriage and family

Posted on 27. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

Dear brothers and sisters, this prayer that the Church puts in St. mass, teaches us on the one hand about the great humility of God and on the other hand the great dignity of the human family. Our Lord chose the family as the place in which he wanted to be born. He wanted to have an earthly mother and he wanted this one to have an earthly bridegroom, St. Josephs. The Lord wanted to live a hidden life in this family for thirty years and voluntarily wanted to be nourished and educated in his most holy humanity so that he would be as similar as possible to us humans.

What was the meaning of this time? It wasn’t because Christ needed it. He himself is the one who gave all the meaning and all the virtues of the home of Mary and Joseph – could not really learn anything from them because he possesses the highest perfection. He chose family life to show us the importance of family, because family is the place where children are born and where they prepare for their mission in life, similarly, how Jesus himself was preparing.

Let’s notice what order reigned in the holy Family. At its center stood Christ, who gave the family its own meaning. Virgin Mary and St. Joseph lived in a true marriage, it was completely penetrated by a supernatural spirit, but it existed because of the child Jesus. Both led a family life, worked, took care of the household – because of the divine child Jesus. God’s word about marriage is beautifully fulfilled on them: „And there will be two in one body.“ This only „telom“ was the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. He connected them.

If we consider each and every one of the members of St. Families, neither was equal to the other. Christ – God, Virgin Mary – without original sin chosen as the mother of God, St. Joseph – righteous, attentive, perfectly subject to God and his mother. Nevertheless, she ruled in St. The family’s wonderful unity, harmony, overflowed with the fullness of love, immense tact and attention to each other. Because it was important to all that he loved in the other what was Divine.

This is also proven by today’s gospel, in which we hear that the boy Jesus disappeared from Mary and Joseph’s sight and they could not find him for three days. How much anxiety did both holy parents experience? They lost Jesus. What could be worse? When they found him sitting among the scholars, they themselves will receive divine instruction: „Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I should be where my Father is concerned?“ And the evangelist adds: „But they did not understand the answer he gave them.“ But still „im was obedient“ and his mother „nad thought about all this.“

This is a wonderful example of humility and love. No one accuses anyone, loves and seeks, thinks to see in another what is Divine. This is a true example. Although the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph possessed special graces and gifts, they were not detached from life, and therefore it is not right for us to romanticize them, as if they were living a fairy-tale life, different from ours. They were like us in everything – except sin. And that is a fundamental truth. If people want to live in families, similar to St. To the family, it is important for them that each and every member of the family draws from the sacraments, lives constantly in sanctifying grace. Because it is sin that destroys the hearts of individuals until it finally destroys entire families. Especially the sin of pride – reluctance to admit failure, weakness, constant ranting about this or that.

The basis is the crisis of marriage. Many young people join the family as individualists, longing for the fulfillment of their own dreams. They often look at their spouse as the „ filler of my happiness“. They do not accept the fact that they do not become spouses for themselves, but for others. St. Thomas teaches that the first goal of marriage is openness to life – to bring children into the world. The second goal is mutual conjugal love and help in worrying about children and each other. Both spouses should live virtuously – build good habits – and raise children in this way as well. That’s the meaning of marriage.

Conjugal love is a specific kind of friendly love and this love grows when both „everything together share“, but especially what is difficult. But what does it mean to truly love another? St. Tomáš says that in true love it is about „to love in the other what is Divine (…) to love the other in God.“ In this sense, it is necessary to love in the other what is good, virtuous. Not one of the spouses can love in the other what is bad, what is vice-like, or downright sinful, as well as bad habits and mistakes. Here they are both helping each other. Vices, mistakes and sins should help to reveal, tactfully and lovingly name and help to eliminate them.

However, Christian spouses know that their marriage, which alone is the framework of the common life of a man and a woman – no other cohabitation, no other forms, all of them are not virtuous, they are sinful and therefore do not lead to true happiness – that this Christian marriage is deeply connected with the most holy sacrifice of our Lord. Therefore, both must return to the sacrifice of St. mass, regularly confess your sins with humility in St. confession. In this way, it is actually as if their marriage vows and obligations are renewed, they get help and strength for family life. Only through the help of the grace of God can they properly raise children. They are a joyful gift from the Lord, not a burden. Parents should have their children baptized as soon as possible, not wait for a suitable moment, for a family celebration. Supernatural life is more than worldly joys. Parents then teach children prayer first and foremost, they are the first heralds of the faith.

Dear parents, are you telling your children about God? Do you pray with them? Now that children spend a lot of time at home, are you investigating whether they also know the truths of faith? Do you have many conversations, this also includes conversations about our holy faith, spiritual life, sacraments, the person of the divine Savior? You are the first teachers of religion. That is your serious duty. This will one day be required of you in the last judgment. From this springs virtuous education. Teaching children virtues means teaching them magnanimity, not egoism, teaching them to admit a mistake, because it is bad, not to be happy that the child cleverly hid the mistake and no one revealed it. Teaching children responsibility, not superficiality. Parents should not smile at children’s „malých“ or „zlatých“ mistakes. They should correct them with love, because they should also love what is God’s in them.

It should not be forgotten to draw children’s attention to the choice of profession – even for this clergyman. Parents can and should consciously lead children to choose the priesthood or consecrated life. Finally, there are families over whom, despite their good will, dark clouds of difficulties, disagreements, malice, personal mistakes and injuries spread. Here the divine medicine of the sacraments and the closeness of friendly families are most needed. To him who sincerely wants and asks, the Lord will never refuse help and the necessary grace.

Today, especially, dear brothers and sisters, let’s ask for families – for our own, for families in trouble, and for young families. So that they always look at St. Family as your role model. Virgin Mary, queen of the family, pray for us. St. Joseph, protector of St. Churches and families, pray for us.

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Eight Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Lk 6,39-45

Posted on 26. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

What is my speech?

Dear brothers and sisters, the tongue is a dangerous weapon that can hurt immensely. But we also know that language is a beautiful tool that can heal. So, let’s accept the inspiration offered by today’s word of God and think about how we use our language.

In a reading from the book of Sirach’s son, we heard a warning: „Praise no one until he speaks because speech is a touchstone for people“. Yes, speech will reveal us. However, focusing on the speech when we check ourselves is not essential. It tells us when we are in our natural environment with those closest to us. It often happens that we are careful in society. On the visit, we will praise the hosts and not spare compliments on the housekeeper’s food and hospitality; please, we will thank you. But at home, we demand, expect, and never ask or thank each other. We take things as each other’s duty because this is how it should be. Now, let’s look at three everyday situations in our lives. We often don’t even see them as a problem, but at the same time, they are the root of many evils.

Silence. It is not easy to distinguish when to be silent and when to speak. We know that the Evil One wants to confuse us. He wants to convince us to be quiet when we are supposed to speak and to speak when we are supposed to be silent. Since it is not easy to distinguish, we usually choose one extreme: silence. We only talk when the glass has overflowed, and we can no longer keep our tongue in check. Unfortunately, we use a method we are later ashamed of but will not return the said word. That’s why we prefer to keep quiet as long as possible. After all, it won’t hurt anyone. But can’t you get hurt silently? Yes, and how? I heard a sigh more than once: If he said what he thought, if we fought, it would always be better than the silence. Namely, uncertainty is an immense burden. Knowing what I’m up to is usually a better situation than uncertainty. A person who does not know what he is up to experiences trauma. It is not pleasant to be in a position all his life when it is necessary to guess which solution he will like. Namely, silence does not cover non-verbal communication. Although the language is silent or even says “god”, the whole body says something else with its non-verbal communication. Expressing disagreement allows the other to think things through, argue, seek a better solution, or at least confront him with the truth. Silence leaves uncertainty.

Why are we silent? The reasons can be different. We are afraid of conflict because we consider it a sin. We don’t want to argue, and we want peace. Furthermore, we are so scared to speak our minds or have no opinion. We consider it useless to say something because the other person will do his thing anyway, and he only needs our opinion to shut us down with arguments, making it impossible. We are afraid that we will not succeed in the conflict, and we will not be able to answer the question: „So tell me why you don’t like it?“

So, let’s ask ourselves a few questions: If I’m silent, why? Do I realize that my silence also hurts me? Do I have my own opinion? Can I present it appropriately? What am I afraid of? If the silence of the other hurts me, let’s ask ourselves first: If the other person speaks his opinion, do I respect him? Don’t I tend to judge others for my views? Am I giving him no reason to be afraid? Do I give enough space for him to express himself freely?

Another area I want to stop at is the rumble. I don’t know what to call it, whether it’s a bad habit or a lifestyle. We tend to react negatively to things. Someone will say something, I won’t even think about it yet, and I will reject it; I will write it off because it disturbs my comfort, and I will have to change something, do it, accept it, and the like. We often don’t even mean our comment, but the other person doesn’t. He perceives only rejection, which robs him of strength, enthusiasm, and the desire to do something. Over time, such communication poisons life and makes it depressed, without joy or hope. Just as he knows how to motivate acceptance and appreciation, that’s exactly how he knows how to disgust grumbling. Of course, you can also look at things from different angles here. If I were the one who had one hundred, couldn’t it be limited? Couldn’t I try to be somewhat encouraging and appreciative? Although occasionally a hundred, on the other hand, could it not be compensated by encouragement? If I have to listen to the rant, am I not contributing to the other rant in my way of acting? Couldn’t you somehow tune in to its wavelength and look for what applies to it? Do I have to take his grumbling seriously and be influenced by it? Can I gain the strength to act somewhere else?

The third thing I want to look at with you today is callousness. Speaking without realizing what my words can evoke in others. We often hide behind the truth and can bring it very hard to the other. I have heard more than once that we should be honest in marriage. So, I told my husband/wife outright that I no longer feel anything for him/her. It’s true, so then what… Yes, it’s true. But do I have to hurt with the truth? Is marriage just about feelings? And can’t those feelings be worked on again by deciding again for the other person? Isn’t looking for a solution to a problem better than hurting another?

Again, things can be viewed from two sides – if I hurt, Am I aware of the consequences of my speeches? Couldn’t I try to put myself in his situation? How would I feel in his place? And does the other person necessarily have to be like me? The fact that it wouldn’t hurt me necessarily means that it doesn’t hurt him either. Couldn’t an acceptable atmosphere be created to communicate complex things? Couldn’t find a suitable moment? If I am the one who is hurt: Did the other mean it the way he said it? Wasn’t he wounded himself? After all, we know that a wounded person hurts. Could it not be raised above the manner of his speech? Haven’t I already said hurtful words in a difficult moment? I didn’t feel well when the other one wasn’t offended, but he said: I know you don’t mean it that way?

Lent will begin on Wednesday. Let’s try to think about some specific resolution. Let’s think of ways to improve in these areas: silence, grumbling, and callousness. Let’s try to find a particular resolution. It is not enough to say: I want to be good. That is impracticable. I have to name what I want to improve. For example, I want to thank, I want to encourage, I want to praise, I want to perceive the experience of another. This can be precisely measured, checked. Then, the resolution must be attractive – something that attracts me. I have a hard time realizing something I resent. Well, it has to be accurate. So, it depends on me and does not require enormous effort. Aiming for big things is nice, but we won’t be able to do them in the end. A person progresses faster if he sets small goals.

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The existence of God is witnessed by human reason and the heart and the revelations of God.

Posted on 26. February 2025 by Peter Prochac
(Eccles. 13.5)

When I walk around a foreign world or travel to a city, I will be the first to visit the church there. I don’t know a more glorious feeling than when a person is in a magnificent temple admiring the work of the human mind before God is churning. Every altar of the temple, every pillar of it, all its decoration calls me: sursum corda,—up hearts! Aware of my nothingness, I fell before Almighty God; to worship him, they set up the magnificent temple.

Lie this almighty God has an even stranger, more glorious, more dignified temple than all the churches of the whole world are together; its foundation is the earth, the pillars are the mountains, the vault is the blue sky of heaven, its decoration is the stars in the sky, the organ thunder: such a beautiful, glorious temple of the Lord God is this created great world. What even faith would not command me and what my heart would not inspire me, but the sight of this created great world tells me that there is one master, one creator, above us, whom we are not even able to name in our fragility, only in our most profound obeisance will we dare to proclaim his holy name: God. Even the wise men of the most significant reason could not understand the essence of the Lord God, and even the heavenly seraphim could not explain that: well, I dust and ashes, as I could explain it to you so that you can understand the highest, invisible spiritual being?

So, when God is an invisible, incomprehensible spirit, could you ask me how I learned to know this Lord God so much that I can preach about him without ceasing? This created world teaches me to know God; a living conscience in my heart evidences his existence; and his most holy Son told us his perfection. Reason, heart, and the word of God are the teachers of my faith.

1. This world is like one big open book, completely described by God’s finger. The sun, the moon, and the stars are letters that announce aloud: God created heaven and earth, and he made us, too. The view of this world teaches me that it is God, as from the steps in the sand, I know that either man or animal walked on it.

A few years ago, a particular scholar traveled to Asia. In the sandy desert of Arabia, he met an Arab boy kneeling to pray. The scholar asked the boy what he was doing. The young Arab rebuked him: I pray! The scholar began questioning him further: And to whom are you praying? – To the one to whom you are praying, to God. How do you know that he is God and that you should pray to him? The Arab’s blood had already boiled over this; he jumped out of the ground and fell on the stupid curious: „And you are who, you beast, you had to come here from among some wild animals, that you dare ask me such a question. How do I know he is God? Look at these steps in the sand; don’t you know from them that a whole caravan of camels passed through here? And look at the sky, look at the nature around you, see if you see that God walked here. And you, the creature of this God, you still dare to ask whether he is God, whether we should pray to God?“

This unlearned pagan will shame many arrogant scholars who do not want to acknowledge God. A simple little schoolboy surpasses many famous sages who say everything just happened to be formed by itself.

I will tell them a parable. Hey, a hen lays the egg, and a chick hatches from the egg. Let’s say that everything in nature is created by itself; let those scholars tell me what happened first: a hen or an egg. And they answered me: first, she had to be a hen. So, the first hen didn’t hatch from the egg, so where did it come from? I will answer you, my dear gentlemen, so you do not worry. The first hen was created by God, who also created the whole world.

Furthermore, we see that every creature has its law. Autumn is followed by winter, and spring is followed by summer; however, it has never happened before. – Who taught a swallow how to make a nest and a bee fold those strange cells in combs? – Who gave fertility to the earth and fragrance to flowers? Where does the rainwater that drives the wings of the wind get into the clouds in the sky? Where does the thunder get that terrible power? Who put those millions of stars in the sky? Only the one who believes that a house can be built by itself without a builder, only the one can believe that nature and the world were created without a creator. Only he can say that there is no God who does not have reason. He who does not find God in the world will not see him even in Heaven.

2. God is. God himself instilled this faith in our hearts. As a farmer sows grain in the ground, and that grain comes up as soon as he receives moisture and is warmed by the sun, the Creator puts in our hearts the faith that he is God. As soon as a person begins to think and be aware of himself, the idea that he is one supreme being arises. What would we do all over the world, we would find nations that cannot write, read, that do not live in houses, lie in simple dwellings or caves, unworn people wander naked: but we will not find such a nation that does not believe in God anywhere. When Christopher Columbus discovered America five hundred years ago, people lived there like cattle; they believed in God and the wild American nations. – When the French nation, gripped by the foolish fever of the revolution, wanted to demolish the royal palace, they cut down the large gate on this palace with axes and chicanes, broke in until the chapel itself, in front of which stood an iron statue of Christ the Lord. Suddenly, someone exclaimed: „Down with hats in front of the holiest!“ And the enraged multitude quieted themselves before the statue of Christ, and the voice of God, the voice of conscience, came to him and took off his hat. One of them approached the altar with the greatest reverence; he chose the Sacrament, and the crowd, accompanied by burning torches, carried the Lord Jesus in the Sacrament to the nearest church.

The fool says: There is no God (Ps 14,1). Why wouldn’t there be God? Where, then, is it that every human language, from the innermost conviction of the heart, mentions God? Would so many and so many millions of people lie when they say he is God? Would only a fool be right? Oh my God, he who does not see You is a pitiful blind man who does not feel You, he has never felt anything! – At the same time, the view of this created world and the voice of the conscience echoing in us teach us: that he is God. Either you are in a field in the open air. You see above your head those millions of stars that God manages; you either see worms teeming in the dust of the earth that God feeds, be at home, you break your daily bread, the gift of God: always and everywhere glorify his holy name, pray religiously: „ I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.“

3. Perhaps reason and conscience lead us to the knowledge of God: people have gone wrong, pride has made reason swollen, sin has oppressed the voice of conscience, and people have become so lost over time that they did not even know if it was God. God sent His Son among men to enlighten their mental darkness with His divine teaching. The Son of God taught people for three years, taught them that there is only one God. Three persons are in one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Father is a righteous judge who punishes or rewards according to merit. God the Son became man to redeem the repentant with his death from damnation. The human soul is immortal. With the help of God the Holy Spirit, we can save our souls. Even the school child already knows all these religious truths, which even the greatest sages suspected before the birth of Jesus.

One would think that when Jesus Christ taught so clearly, and surely, there would no longer be such a stupid blind man who would dare to deny the existence of God; and yet I have already heard such blasphemous talk: „Then I will believe that he is God when I talk to him.“ Such people treat God like certain pagans, to whom the priest and missionary explained that God is not an idol carved from stone or wood, as you believe, lie he is a pure spirit that knows and sees everything, even what we do in secret.

Well, keep that almighty God, – the Gentiles replied, – we don’t need such a God because we do all kinds of things that we would not like to do so that God can see it. Robbers, fornicators and drunkards think alike, they would like to deny God so that they can do their iniquities more peacefully. Their effort is in vain; how bitterly these will feel when, at the hour of their death, they will have to stand before God, whom they previously denied in their lives. God will show himself to them there, but their eyes will be open with fear.

The French scholar and ignorant Voltaire was a famous man. During his stay in Berlin, he fell into a serious illness, and he thought that his end had come; his conscience troubled him, and he began to think of God, whom he had dishonored so many times before in his writings. You had the priest called.

The priest fearfully approached the bed of that scholar-ungod; the sick man himself emboldened him: only boldly, my dear spiritual father, do not now see in me the ungod Voltaire, the lowly penitent; I lived paganly, I want to die in Christian. Bárs Voltaire recovered from that illness and finally died in unrepentance, yet with this example, he convinced us that even in the soul of a hardened sinner, the voice of the Lord God will be heard.

For almost two years now, I have been announcing and explaining to you, according to the catechism, God’s revelation. Oh, if I had achieved that, you, dear believers, would be strengthened in faith the stronger you cling to God, to him always the more faithfully you served, then you will get there, where you will no longer know from a human explanation but from your own experience who that God is.

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Wisdom.

Posted on 25. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

What is wisdom? Wisdom is not learning – it does not need to know the answer to all questions. Wisdom is special knowledge that requires a particular experience, and its subject is not only temporal things but rather God himself and things related to man’s eternal destination. But it is not only a love for God, a love to do something for God and eternity, but also for good in earthly life. Wisdom is the choice of not prioritizing anyone or anything before God. Let us pray that amid this world’s earthly things, our hearts will be fixed on heaven, where we will find true joy. In the light of Christian experience, a wise man preserves the primacy of God and spirit in all circumstances and does not prefer the transitory to the eternal. 

When the glass is full, nothing can be poured into it. Whoever lives for money, power, and glory, the desire for God will no longer fit there. He who is full of passion for alcohol, sex, drugs, and games cannot be filled with God’s presence. Jesus emphasizes: „ If you do not renounce all that you have, you cannot be my disciples” (Lk 14, 33). What I am filled with is what I am: an alcoholic with alcohol, a miser with money, a lazy person with comfort, a sensualist with unbelief… We receive tutorials on „true wisdom” from various „thinkers.” However, only God gives true wisdom. The most incredible wisdom is knowing the goal and meaning of your life here on earth and in the future and taking a stance on values that are not subject to any devaluation.

Every day, we make deposits to our „spiritual account.” Life connected with God encourages us to do so, and the saints encourage us. It „can ” does not collect euros or securities but requires a state of love and sanctifying grace so that we have the right to deposits, such as St. Francis discovered in poverty, St. Ignatius of Loyola in allegiance to the Pope, St. Vincent de Paul in Charity, Vol—Monika in prayer for her son or St. Gianna Brett-Moll in giving life to her child. A new school year begins. I ask students and everyone for the gift of the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

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The Praise of Wisdom. Sir 2,1-11

Posted on 24. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

The Praise of Wisdom – that’s how we could define the Book of Sirach, from which we read for continuation. Emphasizes the need to „be smart. “ But, be wise when we do stupid things many times. And that is often entirely unexpected. The first reading also gives us a recipe: …push God and don’t let him make you wise. The apostles were stuck with Jesus, and yet they acted very stupidly. The Lord says: The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and the apostles argued among themselves on the way as to which of them was more remarkable. Foolish attitude. What will help with wisdom?

Let’s analyze ourselves first: We often encounter problems with easy solutions. E.g., recognize when thrift goes into stinginess. When is loneliness, and when is society an escape from the will of God? The problem is distinguishing whether the motive for the activity is good zeal, or whether it is a well-disguised ambition, whether to pray, or whether it is necessary to do something, whether something only serves our hobbies, and whether we need it for the family… Whoever wants to fulfill God’s appointed task must solve various dilemmas daily. To do this, it is not enough to rule. You also need to know. That is why it is said in the Scriptures: “Wisdom is better than strength. (Eccl. 9,16).

Let’s ask ourselves: What wise have I seen in others? We might remember how someone cleverly came to the money, got an inheritance, and got cut out of something… Is it wisdom? Everyone is this wise for themselves. Even a tiny child can trample or “cry” his! That’s not wisdom, that’s selfishness! So, we can almost say that wise is what is not selfish. And here we come to what St. Paul calls folly (see 1. Cor 1,18-21). Yes, St. Paul considers wisdom to be different from what we imagine. Let’s compare what he writes about it next: Let no one lie to himself! If any of you think he is wise at this age, let him become a fool to be wise.

Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God, it is written: „On catches the wise in their cleverness” (1 Cor 3, 18-19). He who does not think he is wise seems to be wise. It isn’t easy to live with little mental ability. The worst thing is if someone is so limited that they overlook their limitations. He desperately wants to prove superiority over others. And when reason is not enough, it reaches for other means. That is the field for intrigue and violence.

An example can be the stoning of St. Stefan. Those who could not resist his wisdom (Sk 6,10) argued with rocks. As soon as we get upset, for example, we lack wisdom.

 An able person has less chance of adequately solving the dilemmas we mentioned initially. And like every poor person, he is mainly subject to envy. But he can also falsely humbly retreat, not dare to do the desired tasks. However, he should follow the advice of St. James: „ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and he will receive it. But let him ask with faith and without doubt“ (Jam. 10,19). The Lord’s assurance that „ will be given to us at that moment“ (Mt 10,19) is undoubtedly not meant to promote convenience. It applies in situations that, through no fault of ours, exceed our capabilities.

V The book of Proverbs says: „U of those who take advice is wisdom (Proverbs 13:10). However, this requires a piece of humility that everyone needs equally. Perhaps even more capable ones. The dangers of high IQ and extensive knowledge are mainly prided, conceit, superiority, and contempt. „Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and reasonable in front of themselves! (Isaiah 5, 21).

 Can we develop mental abilities? A person can and should develop cognitive skills within a genetically given limit. The irony is that although a high IQ enables knowledge of a high degree, it is enough for few to know the most prominent and eye-catching truth, that God is the owner and giver of all intelligence. Before his intelligence, we are all equally pathetic. IQ 70, 100, and 140 seem very different from our point of view, but there are negligible differences between them, like a height difference of a few hundred meters concerning the sun. The feeling of superiority of the more capable over the less capable is not justified, yet it often occurs in all forms.

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St. Matthew Joh 15,0-17

Posted on 23. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

Matthew is always on the twelve chosen by Jesus (com. Mt 10.3; Mk 3.18; Lk 6.15; Sk 1.13). Its Hebrew name means “gift Yahveh “. The first canonical Gospel that bears his name presents us with an exact designation: “mythic “(Mt 10,3). In this way, he is identified with a person who sits at the toll booth and whom Jesus invites to follow him: “When Jesus left there, he saw a person named Matthew sitting on the toll booth and said to him: “Come see me!” He got up and followed him “(Mt 9.9). Also, Marek (com. 2,13-17) and Luke (com. 5, 27-30) mention the profession of the publican but call it “Levi “. “From this memory, a certain doubt was born in the identification of the apostle Matthew with the publican Levi. This identification is specific to the first Gospel because it attaches the name “Matthew “to the designation “mythic. “To imagine the scene described in the ninth chapter and the ninth verse of Matthew’s Gospel, it is enough to recall the beautiful image of Caravaggio, which is kept here in Rome in the Church of St. Louis of France.

We find another biographical feature in the Gospels: the narrative of Matthew’s calling is preceded by a scene about the miracle of Jesus performed in Capernaum (com. Mt 9.1-8; Mk 2.1-12) and the proximity of the Sea of Galilee, i.e. Lake Tiberias (com, is mentioned. Mk 2,13-14). We can conclude that Matthew was a tax collector in Capernaum, located” by the coast “(Mt 4,13), where Jesus was a constant guest in Peter’s house. Based on these simple findings, we can continue our thinking. The first is that Jesus accepted into the group of his closest people, who, according to the Jewish traditional understanding at that time, were considered a public sinner. Matthew not only managed money that was considered impure because of its origin from people alien to God’s people but also worked with foreign representatives, the ones who were hated because of their greed and whose contributions could also be fixed arbitrarily.

For these reasons, the Gospels speak unanimously several times about “mythnics and sinners “(Mt 9.10; Lk 15.1) and “mythnics and prostitutes “(Mt 21.31). In addition, they see an example of pettiness in tollbooths (por. Mt 5.46: they love only those who love them) and mention one of them, Zacchaeus, as the “chief publican, very rich “(Lk 19.2), while popular opinion called them “blackmailers, unjust and adulterers “(Lk 18,11). Based on these allusions, the first fact that appears before our eyes is that Jesus does not exclude anyone from his friendship. On the contrary, when he is at the table in the house of Matthew-Lévi, whoever spoke about the scandal that he is meeting unsuitable people responds with this significant statement: “The healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners “(Mk 2,17).

The Gospel’s correct proclamation involves offering God’s grace to the sinner! In the famous parable of the Pharisee and the publican who came to pray in the temple, Jesus even refers to the anonymous publican as a valuable example of humiliated trust in God’s mercy. Meanwhile, the Pharisee boasts of his moral perfection. “The mythical man stood at the very back and did not even dare to raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breasts and said: God, be merciful to me sinful mu. “And Jesus comments like this: “I tell you: This one went home justified, and not that one. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted “(Lk 18,13-14). In the person of Matthew, the Gospels, therefore, offer us a fundamental paradox: those who are outwardly far from holiness can even become a model of accepting God’s mercy and thus show its effect on their own lives.

In this context, St. John Chrysostom draws attention to one crucial fact: he notes that in the narratives about the vocation of the apostles, only some mention the work that the persons in question performed. Peter, Ondrej, Jakub, and Ján are called when fishing, and Matthew when he collects taxes. These are jobs that don’t carry much weight – states Chrysostom – “because there is no more disgusting job than collecting tolls and nothing more ordinary than catching fish “(In Matth. Hom.: PL 57, 363). Therefore, Jesus’ call is also intended for people in the lower ranks of the social ladder while waiting for daily work. Another idea from the Gospel narrative is that Matthew immediately answered Jesus’ call: “he got up and followed him “. The shortness of the phrase highlights Matthew’s readiness to answer the call.

For him, this means abandoning everything, especially what guaranteed him a safe income, even if he was often undeserved and dishonest. Matthew understood that intimacy with Jesus did not allow him to maintain an activity God disagreed with. It is very easy to apply this closure to the present. Even today, clinging to things that do not combine with following Jesus is not permissible, as is the case with dishonest wealth. He once bluntly said: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me! “(Mt 19,21) This is precisely what Matthew did: he got up and followed him! We can understand the word “vital “as moving away from sin and, at the same time, consciously clinging to a new existence. It was not by chance that the evangelist used the Greek verb anastás. The same verb expresses Jesus’ resurrection in another place in the New Testament!

Finally, let us recall that the tradition of the ancient Church agrees that it attributes authorship of the first Gospel to Matthew. We already find it with Bishop Papiah of Gerapoli in Frigia, who wrote around 130: “Matthew collected the words (Lord) in the Hebrew language and translated each as ved “(in Eusebio di Cesarea, Hist. Eccle. III,39,16). Historian Eusebius adds this message: “When Matthew, who first preached among the Jews, decided to go to other nations, he wrote the Gospel in his native language, which he also proclaimed; so he tried to replace in writing those he left with what they were losing with his departure “(ibid., III, 24.6). We no longer have the Gospel that Matthew wrote in Hebrew or Aramaic, but in the Greek Gospel that we have, we can, in a certain way, hear the convincing voice of the publican Matthew, who, when he became an apostle, continued to proclaim God’s saving mercy. Let us listen to this message of Saint Matthew and meditate on it constantly so that we too may learn to rise and follow Jesus firmly”.

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Kathedra Petri, Mt 16, 13-20

Posted on 21. February 2025 by Peter Prochac

What does God think of us? … ↔ „A FOR WHOM do you think I am?“ (Mt 16,15) Jesus addresses these words to his disciples and in them to each of us. He wants to know the image we have created about him, our thoughts, and our feelings because they will be necessary for our lives. „ The Christian life does not lead us to identify with any idea, but with a person: Jesus Christ. So that faith illuminates our steps, except we will ask: who is Jesus Christ for me? Let us think: who am I for Jesus Christ? This is how we discover the gifts the Lord has given us that are directly related to our mission.

It is the same question that Saint Peter heard from the mouth of Christ. The apostles, who shared the Master’s mission, understood how much he counted on them. „Let people see from it,“ says St. Bernard, „how great is God’s care for them; let them know what God thinks and feels about them. Please do not ask, you who are human, what you suffered, but what he suffered. From everything he has suffered for you, deduce how much he respects you so you will be shown his goodness. There is no risk of exaggeration when dreaming about what God feels and thinks about us. We will always be inadequate. The words of St. Paul will probably come to mind: „Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered the human heart“ (1 Cor 2, 9).

The visible basis of unity in the Church … ↔ PETER ALWAYS, he comes to the disciples’ aid. This time, he reveals the divinity of Jesus with such clarity that the Lord praises him after hearing it: „ Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for flesh and blood, did not reveal it to you, but my Father, which is in heaven“ (Mt 16, 17). We celebrate the feast of St. Peter’s Department; it may be a good time to thank God for caring for his Church and for establishing the visible foundation of its unity, the rock on which it is to stand: „And I say to you: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it“ (Mt 16, 18).

„The Roman High Priest as Peter’s successor is a constant and visible principle and basis of the unity of bishops and the multitude of believers“. Jesus tells Peter who he is for God. And the moment he makes this statement, the Lord knows his apostle perfectly: he knows what he is like, how he reacts, how he thinks, how he loves him. He chose it even before the creation of the world. „ Where did it come from that these twelve men, uneducated, living by lakes, rivers and deserts, undertook a work of such grand proportions and stood up to the whole world? They, who have certainly never been to the city and never appeared in public?“, asks Saint John Chrysostom. „And all the more so when we realize that they were timid and fearful, as we know from the description of the evangelist, who did not want to hide their mistakes. The exact help of God that made Peter a rock continues to affect his successors and the whole Church.

Helping the Pope of Rome with prayer … ↔ ROMAN POPE counts on our prayers for his person and intentions. „ You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God“ (Mt 16, 6) were the words of Saint Peter on this day. Our faith rests on Jesus, who leads us to the Father. Remarkably, God has called us to participate with him in the mission of the Church. He counts on us; no one is useless.

In a letter to a cardinal, Saint Josemaría confessed his belief that his prayer could help the Pope and the Church: „Praying is the only thing I can do. My poor service to the Church is limited to this. And whenever I realize my limitations, I feel full of strength because I know and feel that God does everything“. „A mighty weapon“, the founder of Opus Dei also regularly used to help the Church, is the Holy Rosary. „For years on the street,“ said, „ I pray every day and continue to pray part of the rosary for the noble person and intentions of the Roman Pope. “

In addition to praying for his person and intentions, Saint Josemaría followed the teachings of the Roman Pope throughout his life and always looked for ways to show him his love. Likewise, all of us Christians try to be very close to Peter, even if sometimes we do not understand something, either in his words or deeds. And if the latter should happen – that we do not understand him in anything – we, the children of the Church, owe „religious consent of understanding and will“‚ to his teaching, and that is why we do not express ourselves negatively about him, as it can hurt the unity of Christ’s body.

We can turn to Mary, the mother of the Church, to protect the Pope, take care of him, and make him very happy: „Mary constantly builds the Church, unites it, keeps it cohesive. Hardly anyone can have true respect for the Virgin Mary if at the same time, he does not feel more firmly bound to the other members of this Mystical Body, more closely united with its visible head, the Pope. That’s why I like to repeat: omnes cum Petro ad Iesum per Mariam! – all with Peter to Jesus through Mary!“.

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