“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to cancel them, but to fulfill them.”

With a new teacher, director, or headmaster, questions and expectations are always associated with what he will keep from the old, what he will cancel or change, and whether it is in our favor. Perhaps Jesus could read similar expectations in the hearts of his disciples. Yes, in many ways, it was new, unconventional, perhaps even revolutionary, and yet, as far as God’s law is concerned, it did not destroy anything but complemented it.

Until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter or one title will pass from the Law until all is fulfilled.

There are many things in motion in the world, there are many unstable things, there must be something solid, certain, on which you can always lean, in every uncertainty, in every hesitation. God’s word is fulfilled in time, regardless of whether we accept it or not, whether we accept it whole, undiluted, or interpret it our way, with many theories that usually end with little or no commitment. The Lord Jesus in Nazareth confirmed the part of Scripture from the prophet Isaiah: “Today, the Scripture that you just heard has been fulfilled.” I wish we could notice something similar in our lives more often and be personally involved.

Therefore, whoever breaks one of these commandments, even the smallest one, and thus teaches people will be the least in the kingdom of heaven.

God’s word cannot be arbitrarily adapted according to one’s taste or dislike or the majority’s opinion. Not even according to those whom we love so much, but they do not know how to live according to God’s word, and we will not make them enemies because of it… In life, there are many opportunities to discount the requirements of God’s word, yet only a sincere effort as much as possible to adapt leads to the holiness of life.

But he who keeps them and teaches in this way will be great in the kingdom of heaven.

We have relatively enough teachers, but fewer are witnesses of what they teach. However, having teachers of God’s life who are also his witnesses is crucial. It is impossible to become such without a constant effort to remain a humble disciple of our Lord.

Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God ▪ Mt 5, 8.

B. Häring in the book Our stagnation in the new world writes: “Not external success, not economic and technical progress, but a pure heart (Mt 5, 8), a heart filled with selfless love for God and neighbor, he carries the hope that he will see God. God is love, and only those who truly love can know him here on earth and see him face to face one day (1 Cor 13:12)”. That is why only people with a pure heart are promised to see God. Only such “will look upon his face” (Revelation 22:4).

To St. John Vianey, an intelligent man, came to the parish priest in Ars and wanted to talk to him about his various difficulties with faith in God. The saint said to him: “Your confessor, kneel.” No, Father, understand me; I did not come to confess but to debate about faith.” But the saint again: “Kneel.” Okay father, but I’m not ready.”I’ll help you,” And he confessed. He confessed at length. He received absolution, and then the saint invited him to sit down and discuss all the difficulties. The guest, full of peace and spiritual joy, responded: “It is strange and strange, I no longer have any difficulties with the message of Jesus.” the saint replied: “Encase, you already have a pure heart. “” Jesus’‘ path to G d requires a pure heart more than wise reasoning. Whoever has a heart overflowing with crazy passions and earthly ambitions will never see God face to face nor drown in his blissful majesty.
“The Lord loves The pure in heart, and the unbroken are dear to him. The king is a friend to a man of lovely feathers” Proverbs 22, 11).

Today, we celebrate the memory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary—a heart filled with God, willing to listen and obey. In biblical language, the heart refers to the deepest essence of a person, from where all thoughts, words, and deeds come. What comes from the heart of the Virgin Mary? It is faith, obedience, tenderness, disposition, spirit of service, bravery, humility, simplicity, gratitude, and countless other virtues.

Why is this so? The answer lies in Jesus’ words: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6, 21). Mary’s treasure is her Son; her heart is wholly devoted to him. Therefore, Mary’s thoughts, words, and actions are rooted in Jesus’ contemplation; her heart is filled with the Lord.

Today’s Gospel provides a vivid illustration of this. After the episode of the lost and found Jesus in the temple, it is written: “And his mother kept all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51). Saint Gregory of Nyasa reflects on this: “God reveals himself to those with a pure heart”. What does Mary hold in her heart? From the moment of Jesus’ incarnation to the agonizing moments on Calvary and His ascension, her heart is a repository of numerous contemplative and profound experiences: The joy of the angel Gabriel’s visit, who revealed God’s plans for her, the first touch and the first embrace of the newborn child, the first steps of her Son on this earth , the observation of his growth in wisdom and grace, her “participation” in the wedding in Cana, Jesus’ teachings during his ministry, the pain of the cross, and the hope of the resurrection’s victory…

Let us ask God today to give us the grace to love him more fully every day, with all our hearts. We also have the opportunity to meet Him, listen to Him, and keep all His Words in our hearts, just like the Virgin Mary.

Respect for the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a result of the cult of the Eucharist, is a two-fold object of our devotion. It first presents us with the bodily Heart of the Lord Jesus, a symbol of respect and adoration. Secondly, it reveals the infinite love, the very essence of the Heart of the Lord, which burned for us and continues to be consumed for us in the Sacrament of the Altar. This respect is the soul of our entire religion, its center, as religion is nothing but the law of love, the virtue of love, and perfect love. The Sacred Heart, a source of grace and a model of life, provides us with the means to embody this love.

When we worship the Divine Heart of Jesus, we are immersed in Divine love, for this heart is not merely a symbol of love but the very seat of love. The Blessed Sacrament, a visible and permanent guarantee of love, is where we should seek and find the Heart of the Lord that loved us so much. It is here that we should nourish our love. In the Sacrament, Jesus protects us: present in a small host, he seems to be sleeping helplessly, but his heart is awake, ever vigilant. He watches over us, whether we think of him or not, and sends sighs to the Father for the forgiveness of our sins. He covers us with his heart as a protective shield against God’s wrath, which our sins still provoke.

His heart is open here as on the cross, and streams of grace and love pour out from it to us. The holy evangelist John notes: “Streams of living water will flow from within him… If anyone is thirsty and believes in me, let him come to me and drink” (Jn 7, 38, 37). In the Eucharist, Jesus brings his heart into our hearts. Thus, the Eucharist, Holy Communion, becomes a daily gift of his Divine Heart. His constant invitation is: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you strength.” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your soul” (Mt 11, 28-29).

On August 23, 1886, Pius X established the Sacred Heart of Jesus feast for the entire Church by decree and ordered that the Sacrament of the Altar should be presented and consecration to the Divine Heart should be publicly performed. Pope Pius XI. Concluded the Jubilee year oof itf 1925 with the establishment of the Feast of Christ the King and ordered that on this feast in all parish churches in front of the unfolded Sacrament of the altar, the renewal of the consecration of the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus took place.

The reasons for which the Feast of the Divine Heart and First Fridays were introduced and the manner and circumstances under which the Lord Jesus revealed his heart teach us even more strongly that we should worship him and seek his love right here, in the Blessed Sacrament. After all, it was during the exposition of the Eucharist that Lord Jesus revealed St. Margita Maria Alacoque’s Heart. In the holy host, he appeared to her holding his heart in his hand and told her those most holy words containing evidence of his presence in her: “See that Heart that loved people so much!” So the purpose of the first Fridays is a more emotional reverence and devotion to Jesus for his love with which he suffered for us and that he instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood for us.

So that we thank the Lord Jesus for all that he suffered for us, and thus give him compensation for all the ingratitude that he now receives in the Sacrament of the Altar day by day; because at no moment of Jesus’ suffering did he receive so much humility as in his Sacrament: the earth became for him the second humiliating Calvary since its establishment. Let’s not allow the world to push our only treasure – Christ in the Eucharist – out of our lives, somewhere aside. Let us always remember Jesus’ words: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Mt 6, 21). So, let our hearts rest in the Divine Heart of Jesus. So that others can genuinely and truthfully talk about us and think that in our parishes, the Eucharist is not only celebrated but also lived.

Born:673

June 5, memorial

Position: archbishop and martyr OSB

Death: 754

Patron: Germany, especially the Diocese of Fulda and Thuringia; brewers, tailors, and booksellers

Attributes: bishop, rebuke, raven, book, fox, sword, spring, axe, tree

CURRICULUM VITAE

After entering the monastery, he desired to become a missionary among the pagans. He became the spreader of the true faith among the Germanic peoples. He founded monasteries and centers of Christian education and religion. He succeeded because he combined his knowledge with deep piety, love for souls, obedience, and devotion to the papal see. He also became Legate for Germany and Metropolitan of Cologne. When he was about to administer the sacrament of confirmation in the territory of Northern Holland, he was killed with 52 companions by a crowd of armed pagans.

BIOGRAPHY FOR MEDITATION

THE GREAT APOSTLE OF GERMANY

He was born around 673 in Kirkton, near Exeter, in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex in today’s southern England. Winfried was baptized. In his youth, he loved solitude and, according to his wish, was brought up in a Benedictine monastery at Exeter. He spent 13 years there and then moved to the monastery at Nursling in Southampton shire, where he took the Benedictine habit after taking his vows. He began studying theology simultaneously and focused on science until age 40. He mastered Latin and also excelled in the art of poetry. He ran a monastery school for some time. He compiled a grammar textbook and a poetry manual. When he was about 30 years old, he received the sacrament of priesthood. He became zealous in the pulpit and the confessional.

Three loves stood out in his life—characteristic features of Benedictines: love for writing, missionary activity, and the Roman successor of St. Peter.

According to some reports, he got the name Boniface only from Pope Gregory II. In 716, after he was forty, he set out with three companions on the European mainland to preach the Gospel in pagan Frisia. He came to the Germanic tribe in today’s Holland and northwestern Germany. The Franks there ruled the Frisians, who rebelled against them, and in such a situation, missionary work seemed impossible.

Winfried returned to Nursling and was elected abbot. However, he soon renounced the rank and obtained from the bishop of Winchester the appointment of Stephen and permission to go to Rome. He longed for the Pope’s blessing to evangelize the Germans. Gregory II kept him with him for about a year, and in mid-May 719, he entrusted him with preaching the Gospel among the Germans and gave him the name of the martyr Boniface.

Boniface came to the Frisians through Thuringia and with his native Wilford (pam. 7. 11.), and they were relatively successful. Then, Boniface was sent by the Pope to Hesse in the middle Rhineland. He saw that winning the ruling circles and installing a bishop was necessary there. He therefore turned to the Pope, who invited him to Rome to consecrate him as a bishop for the Germanic regions in the territory of present-day Germany. This happened on November 30, 722. The Pope also gave Boniface letters of recommendation for the critical Frankish butler Karl Martel and the princes of Thuringia and Saxony. With the help of Anglo-Saxon clergy members, Boniface began to find monasteries as bastions of Christianity. He went again to Hesse, where many Christians again turned to superstitions, witchcraft, and making sacrifices to idols.

The villagers of Frizzled near Geismar had a massive oak tree dedicated to the thunder lord Thor as their front deity. Boniface decided to cut him down and cut him down. The people waited in horror to see what would happen, and when Thor proved powerless against Boniface, the people went over to Boniface’s side. He also built the chapel of St. From the wood of the felled tree. Peter. Then, in Thuringia, he solved the problems of priests’ insufficient education and shortcomings in faith. In Oar, he founded two monasteries for the education of youth. In 725, he begged for more priests and expanded the number of his collaborators.

Pope Gregory III. In 732, Boniface was appointed as archbishop with the authority to consecrate other bishops. Six years later, Boniface visited Rome for the third time, and before returning to the mission, the Pope appointed him his legate for a wide mission area. His task included reforming the Frankish clergy and building church organizations in Bavaria, Hesse, and Thuringia. This was needed because the local feudal lords wanted to appoint their people to church ranks. Karel Martel was only partially inclined towards him and did not want to have an understanding of a church organization subject to Rome. Only after 741, when his sons took over, did they manage to change the situation. In 743, they began to convene church synods, which prepared the pastoral renewal of the Frankish Empire. It was decided to establish the ecclesiastical metropolis in Cologne, and Boniface became the first metropolitan. In 744, an important monastery was founded in Fulda, which later contributed to the continuation of Boniface’s work. In 747, Carlo, a man who ruled the eastern regions, gave up his rule in favor of his brother Pippin the Short, who then ruled the entire Frankish Empire and is said to have behaved with restraint towards Boniface. By now, he was approaching eighty and had handed over the archbishopric to Lull. However, his missionary zeal did not leave him, and he visited the first regions of his work. He was preparing confirmation at Dokum and was ambushed by a group of militant pagans, who murdered not only him but also the entire group of his 52 companions.

The Christians transported him to Utrecht in the territory of today’s Holland, where they buried him in the cathedral there. However, his remains were eventually transferred to the monastery in Fulda by Abbot Sturm (17.12.).

RESOLUTION, PRAYER

I will ask for blessings from others around me today and get used to blessing at least my loved ones.

God, You strengthened the holy bishop Boniface to proclaim the truths of the Gospel and did not hesitate to seal his faith with his blood; through his intercession, help us to keep the faith we have accepted and to live according to it. Through Your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord, for He lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever.

Hypocrisy is not the language of Jesus, and it must not be the language of Christians either, because a hypocrite is capable of killing a community. Christianity and hypocrisy are incompatible. Hypocrites, Jesus uses so many times in referring to the scribes. They are hypocrites, because outwardly they show one thing, but they think something else, as the very etymology of the word shows” (Gr. Hypocrisies). These scribes speak, judge, but think otherwise. And this is hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is not the language of Jesus. Hypocrisy is not the language of Christians. A Christian cannot be a hypocrite, and a hypocrite is not a Christian. This is very clear. It’s the word Jesus uses the most of these people: hypocrite. Let us see how they proceed: a hypocrite is always a sycophant, more or less, but he is a flatterer.

Hypocrites always begin their speech with flattery. The scribes tried to flatter Jesus. Condescension also means not telling the truth, it means exaggerating, allowing vanity to grow. Jesus’ answer to the hypocrites always points to reality. Flattery begins with bad intentions. And that is exactly the case with the scribes, as today’s Gospel from St. Mark (Mk 12,13-17). Scripture tells how the scribes tempted Jesus, beginning with flattery, and then asking an insidious question, waiting for him to fall into their trap: «Is it free to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?» (v. 14)

The hypocrite has this double face. But Jesus knew their hypocrisy and said clearly: “Why are you tempting me?!” Bring me a denarius, let me look at it!’ Jesus always answers hypocrites and ideologues as it really is. The reality is, everything else is either hypocrisy or ideology. But this is the fact: bring me a denarius. And he shows what the reality is, he answers with this wisdom of the Lord: ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s – the fact was that the diners had the image of Caesar – and what is God’s to God’.

Hypocrisy is killing Christian communities. The third aspect is that the language of hypocrisy is the language of deceit, it is the same language that the serpent used on Eve, the same. It begins with flattery in order to destroy people, even to tear the personality and soul out of a person; it’s killing the community’. If there are hypocrites in the community, there is great danger, there is a terrible danger. The Lord Jesus told us: “Let your yes be yes, [and your] no, no.” All excess comes from evil”. How much harm does hypocrisy cause the Church. 

Hypocrisy is capable of killing a community.He speaks sweetly, but he judges people harshly. A hypocrite is a murderer. Let’s say it again: [when someone] starts flattering, the answer is just to point out the fact: ‘Don’t come here with these words, the reality is this’. And the same with the ideology: ‘This is the reality’. And finally, it is the same tongue of the devil that sows, this double-edged tongue in communities to destroy them. Let us ask the Lord to protect us from falling into this bad habit of hypocrisy, pretending in an attitude, behind which, however, evil intentions are hidden. May the Lord give us this grace: ‘Lord, may I never be a hypocrite, may I be able to speak the truth, and if I cannot speak it, may I be silent, but never, never, never a hypocrite’.

No good father, no good mother, spares admonition when he sees his child hurtling towards misfortune. There is always hope that he may come to his senses and convert. Jesus acts similarly. He reminds the leaders of the nation of Israel of the actions of the unjust vinedressers so that they realize the consequences of their enmity and repent (Mk 12:1-11).

The analogy was evident and understandable. After all, for every Jew, the vineyard was a sign of the nation of Israel, with whom God made his covenant. In the history of salvation, God sent his servants – prophets, so that, with their faithfulness and undaunted proclamation of God’s will, they would return the chosen nation from the errant path on which it had so often set out. The typical fate of these prophets was persecution, even death. Finally, God sent his beloved Son. In the parable, Jesus foretold his coming suffering and death. But it is through her that God’s plans of salvation will be realized. The despised, condemned, martyred, but ultimately resurrected Christ becomes the foundation stone of the new nation, God’s church. The high priests and scribes oppose repentance, the call to conversion. Their hearts become even more hardened and ripe for judgment.

The parable of the unjust vinedressers is a warning even for today. The Church is the new steward of God’s vineyard. God’s messengers are holy confessors and martyrs. However, the most important thing is the voice of God’s Son, who asks us to convert like the vineyard’s fruit as a payment for God’s gifts. The words of the Son of God are a binding call to decision and action. Indifference is the same rejection as any conscious opposition to God’s service. (According to HRBATA, J., Perly a chleb, Č. Těšín, Katolícke nakladatelství COR JESU, 1991, 222.1.)

We must admit that indifference, or even conscious resistance to serving God in our ranks, causes insufficient understanding of Jesus’ teaching. Partial knowledge retained from childhood or religious classes does not have the power to drive us directly to conversion. After all, children rarely understand the depth of a certain truth of faith in the same way an adult can when he puts this truth into his world, which he knows ideally and already has experience with. It is, therefore, no shame to pick up a catechism or other religious literature in middle age or at an age that assumes a slow end to life.

We must allow ourselves to get to know God more deeply. The life experience of the former Marxist and materialist Ignác Lepp also confirms this. In a spiritual crisis, he returned to his apartment early in the morning after a night spent drinking wine and empty debates about fashionable figures of French culture. He couldn’t fall asleep, so he started reading a novel that his family’s daughter had left behind in the living room. He was so interested in the story that he did not close it until he had read it. Only after reading the novel did he notice its title and author. It was Sienkiewicz’s novel Quo vadis.

Even the gnome Lepp confessed that this novel would not have impressed him so strongly if his ignorance of Christianity had not been so complete. In the following weeks, he delved into studying the first centuries of Christianity, familiarizing himself with the biographies of great personalities and saints. He eagerly devoured everything that could bring Jesus’ teaching and the Church closer to him. All this impressed him so strongly that he wished to become a Christian and a religious first. (Spiritual Shepherd 1994, p. 61.) The scribes and high priests hardened their hearts before God’s rebuke. Let us not follow their exam.