predication.net

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!“.

 Some words or challenges sound absurd, and we cannot even imagine how they can be implemented. We also find such words and challenges in the Holy Scriptures. Today’s gospel also offers us one such challenge: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who humiliate you! Maybe many will be darkened in front of their eyes at this moment. Love enemies? Should I repay the one who hates me with good? Is it normal? The first who did not understand it at all were Jesus’ disciples. The Pharisees and scribes followed opposite principles, and it was these that Jesus tried to refute.

We must forget that the term neighbor was understood in the Old Testament as a member of the chosen nation. Ceremonial distance had to be maintained towards the Gentiles, while curses or destruction of the enemy nation with everything that belonged to it were not rare. Therefore, we cannot even be surprised that Jesus encounters so much misunderstanding because his words alone sounded scandalous to many. But let’s be honest: even if we do not listen to Jesus’ words about forgiving enemies with enthusiasm, we can apply them in life much less. We encounter anger and hatred in contact with unknown people and, unfortunately, among those closest to us. We see this in irreconcilable married couples who separate a few months after marriage, as well as in divorced parents with children or siblings, often moved to life and death.

Blood vengeance had its roots not only among primitive nations but even today, after two thousand years of Christianity, it flourishes in more sophisticated forms to the chagrin of believers and non-believers. Let’s mention different mafia groups, nationalism, class hatred… Even life, a neighbor’s good name, and respect for people of a different skin, religion, or race mean nothing to these people. Jesus’ words about love, about loving those who do us harm, those who hate and persecute us, must sound disturbing to them. Have we noticed the reasons Jesus gives for this form of love? So your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High because he is good even to the ungrateful and the wicked. Because with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you. And he trampled on these words in the prayer that he taught us, and we pray it several times every day: Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive our trespassers.

Since we listen to these words, it seems unbelievable that one day, they will find an echo in all human hearts, and all people will start acting on them. However, for us believers, it should not be a utopia but an ideal for which we should decide because Jesus did not remain only with words when proclaiming the law of love. Still, on the cross, he sealed him with a prayer for those who hated him: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do—according to this example of Jesus, Saint Stephen, the apostles, and thousands of other men, women, and children, whose blood became the seed of the new Christians, died with forgiveness on their lips.

The Russian World War was coming to an end. American pilot William flew a reconnaissance plane over a small island in the Pacific Ocean, where he searched for American soldiers who the Japanese had captured. However, he got into an air vortex, so the plane became uncontrollable, so he strove for at least the softest possible impact. He managed to soften the effect with a glide motion, but it threw him out of the cabin. He was hurt and knocked unconscious.

Furthermore, he didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. Suddenly, he heard footsteps, opened his eyes, and saw a Japanese soldier bending over him. He closed his eyes and waited for a shot. However, he did not come, and he felt a pleasant cold on his forehead, which was a wet scarf, and he smelled a water bottle in his mouth. He opened his eyes wide and saw that something had fallen to the ground from the Japanese’s pocket. When he looked better, he saw the rosary. He thought: He’s Catholic and has a cross chain around his neck that his mom gave him. They smiled at each other, and William knew he was protected. Although they had different uniforms and human malice pitted them against each other to kill each other, they were sons of the same Father and brothers of Jesus Christ. They shook hands, and all traces of hatred disappeared from their hearts.

We, instructed by this true story, let us realize that now it is our turn to be able to forgive and give the day of love to the generations that will come after us. When shaking hands during this Holy Mass, let’s be aware that the person sitting next to me is my brother or sister.

In one of your works, he notices the people around him and what they believe—what indeed they believe in their hearts and minds—and divides them into four characteristic groups. One is Christianity, and the remaining three are subgroups of atheism, from ultra-right to ultra-left „religions, “ as Lynch describes them.

Lynch has long been convinced that the Western world today is at the level of the fall of the Roman Empire. „After the fall of Rome, it flooded The Middle East is an ocean of religions and mystical teachings, but Christianity has crushed them all,“ says a sociologist.

Today, the same applies – the modern world is flooded with an ocean of religions and pseudo-religious views. Still, there are only four tremendous and important religious directions, of which „winner he finally marries everything. “ The world will continue to go in whichever direction it can take to defeat the rest.

Darwinists

According to Rudyard Lynch, the first religious group in our society consisted of the so-called „Darwinisti “. In society, they make up about 10 percent of the population, and their name somewhat indicates what they are. „ They are social outsiders,“ says Lynch. They are people who believe that „a more vigorous civilization will finally absorb a weaker one here, “ and mass extermination, even on a large scale, would not burden their souls too much, but rather the opposite. „Why not be a Nazi?“ this group talks to each other, saying that the world is so-or-so „brutale.e. loc“.

They are primarily young, vital people, mostly visitors to fitness centers and various physical activities, who try to „ in their minds and conversations rationalize the possibility of killing“.

„They are the least Christian people from all groups,“ explains Lynch. They are pure atheists. „And when they do not believe in the existence of the soul, mass killing is rational for themou optionouch.“ They are people who will always mock those who are not like them.

However, Darwinists also have their progressivist part. Lynch refers to this group of individuals as a „suicidal nihilistic death cult. “ So apparently it’s a quasi-death metaller waiting for some apocalyptic event where they could „rage“ (understand: kill)<TAG1> until someone stabs them with something – and that would be the perfect end to their still meaningless and aimless life ( perhaps something like Breivika).

A Nazi lordly empire is probably a good idea of what such a world would look like if all their most secret dreams were fulfilled for Darwinists.

Machine worshippers

According to Lynch, another prominent religious group in Western society is the so-called „worshippers of machines“ (machine worshippers). These „techno utopisti“ make up about 15 percent of the population and are the only group that still believes in the idea that advanced. “ „They think that we are before a new beginning in human history – call it „singularity, “literally „new dawn. “ Slovak Wikipedia describes this focal point of machine worshipers as follows:

„Technological singularity in futurology, cybernetics, modern mythology and scientific-fantastic literature, it is the designation of a hypothetical state when, usually with the help of artificial intelligence or by connecting the human brain with a computer, entities with intelligence exceeding human intelligence are created, which will rapidly accelerate technological progress far beyond the ability of people to participate meaningfully.“

In other words, powerful machines will produce even more powerful machines.

According to this group of people, this is a great idea. „ They laugh at religion and at the same time have fallen into their own,“ alerts Rudyard Lynch. They expect a more perfect world through technology and – now beware! – „they see it as a new stage of evolution“ (!).

That’s right: machine worshipers, like Darwinists, fully believe in evolution. However, unlike the first religious group, this second perceives that „evolution advances“ and its next level will be „fusion of man and machine“.

One such „pioneer“ (vo own oči) is also Yuval Harari, a henchman of Klaus Schwab from the World Economic Forum (WEF), which we are already about they wrote several times about his crazy thoughts. Harari commented in a 2021 interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper that „we’ll soon be able to remake our bodies and brains, either by genetic engineering or by connecting the brain directly to the computer…, these technologies are evolving at an enormous rate.“

Truly amazing.

„Nothing for them it is not sacred; human nature they consider for nothing. “ The sociologist further points out that people from this group are highly innovative and creative but also arrogant – „and that’s why everyone hates them “.

„Their god is false,“ continues Lynch. „Everything they do, they do only to gain more power.“

You can stand by that proverbial „innovativeness and creativity“ of these people, who are 10 moves ahead of others, and ask if they result from certain (same) occult practices as they begin to indicate various testimonies to us.

The world these individuals would create if they won the war of four religions would be pure techno horror. Conservative author John Davidson, who wrote a book about techno utopians, states of their resulting product:

„You can dress paganism in the guise of Silicon Valley to achieve a gilded semblance of plausibility and technological maturity, but pagan society will ultimately bring only what it always does: oppression, exploitation and slavery on a mass scale. They will call it anything other than posthumanism or transhumanism. But the suffering that such a world will bring to humanity will be old familiar – and 100 percent human.“

Marxists

Roughly a quarter of people in Western society believe in their hearts and minds in Karl Marx’s old well-known pseudo-religion, Marxism. Marxism „ brought more people to death than all other religions combined,“ summarizes this belief, Lynch. It’s called „a long march through the institutions, “ and it is one of those „conspirations“ that turned out to be 100 percent true. Na English Wikipedia, we will read:

„The long march of the institution amid (nem. der lange Marsch durch die Institutionen) is a slogan coined by socialist student activist Rudi Dutschke around 1967 to describe his strategy to achieve radical change in government by (idea marxism) it will become part of it.“

Today, it is even starting to appear that even the „hon on witches“ ( hidden communist infiltrators inside the American government) Senator McCarthy from the 1950s was justified. The fact that the USSR obtained plans for the atomic bomb precisely from communist „sympathizers“ and informants involved directly in the top secret project of its development is also considered proven. When Marxists could infiltrate there, they had to be infiltrated everywhere.

According to Rudyard Lynch, today’s society is „absolutely dominated by Marxists. They have everything – Hollywood, television, education…“ Modern Marxists go about it philosophically and, in this way, can sell practically any idea to the masses. Just use the magic word „oppressed“: it used to be workers, then it was women, followed by immigrants, and most recently, it’s homosexuals along with transgender. They are people who (mainly from the position of the government or other authority) come up with passwords of type „Diversity is our strength“ or rainbow slogan „Laska is love“.

These people are according to Lynch „absolutely rotting“ because „they twist everything and constantly change definitions“. „They can produce an excuse for every depravity,“ continues to anger the young man. Most recently, in his opinion, Marxists are obsessed with „auction M. M.nature’s attics“.

 Lynch does not find a reliable explanation for this except that their goal is „own suicide“. „They can rationalize every suicidal thought,“ argues a sociologist. „In their essence, they are fanatics ready to lay down their lives at any time for the „ right thing“.“

Of course, they cannot inherently create any meaningful project of the state except the Soviet Union, Maoist China, and their shades. And ordinary people either go with them or end up with a bullet in their head. Because their fight is always the „just“.

Christians

The last – and still the most significant – group „ of the four great religions“ are Christians. They make up half of the population. Of course, we are talking primarily about the USA (, but it can also be said about Slovakia), while most of Europe is already „agnostic“. „However, many only disguise themselves as Christians,“ further warns Lynch.

According to him, Christians have „strong positions“ in the company, are „most balanced“ and „they passed the time test“.

However, contemporary Christianity is characterized as a „big empire on weak foundations.” According to him, Christianity made the mistake of allowing a „brain drain,” so it has not been enough for increasingly furious and insolent atheists and agnostics in the intellectual sphere for several centuries. In short, withdrawing only into the shell of faith and neglecting the intellectual part was a huge mistake.

He also notices that the Church „constantly someone forguile“ and „always deceives“, and that, in his opinion, „jammed in pre-industrial times“ (s which we do not necessarily agree with).

However, he perceives the fact that „ as an even bigger problem most people find it difficult to believe in Christian teachings.“This again has to do with the fact that Christianity deeply neglected to rationalize its attitudes and required too much „immediately to believe“ without deeper explanation. Why? There is something like that and that.

„Enemies give Christians their qualities,“ further points out to Lynch that this way, we can constantly be effectively defamed and disparaged by those who should instead be quiet. He also says that Christians are the only group that stands in opposition to the previous three – Darwinists, Marxists, and worshipers of machines, so they always cooperate on a certain level and actively fight against Christianity, Christian principles, and Christian order. They let each other in once they destroy their arch-enemy (as they dream).

„If Christianity doesn’t do something, it will decline,“ the young man warns, but immediately adds that „christianity still has the best chances of winning.“

In other words, Christianity has a solid chance to emerge victorious from the current chaos, and the future may belong to it again. After all, a strong Christian counteroffensive against atheistic pseudo-beliefs can be seen in contemporary Trumpian America.

„But it is possible that in the end no one will win and some new religion will arise,“ the sociologist thinks.

Lynch finally notices that Christianity is „historically incredibly adaptive“, and therefore has good cards for it, to successfully adapt to the new conditions of the second half of the 21st century.

So Christianity can once again get a chance to defeat all its (nov)pagan enemies and create new pro-family, humane states that would take the good of the past and adapt it to the future. We should also contribute to this because certainly, no one wants to live in the new Nazi empire, the restored Soviet Union, or some futuristic techno-horror. Christianity has saved our civilization several times – and can save it again. It should only be an honor for us to be there.

„Enemies of the Church“

Only after many years did the Virgin Mary „ finally bring him to the Catholic faith againdiscovering tradition“, confides in the video.

„Jesuits are a real problem of the Church, they are enemies of the Church,“ the man in the video says. He obviously knows what he’s talking about: according to his own words, not only did he attend Jesuit high school, but also his uncle, his own son, nephews, and nieces. „Up to a total of one hundred members of our extended family attended their schools,“ confides a YouTuber.

He mentions that in the 18th century, the Jesuits were a perfect order, unjustly persecuted and banned only because „he defended the faith and the papacy“. However, much has changed since then: „ Today they spend their faith, they spend the papacy.“

The spiritual father of today’s Jesuits

„Jesuits do not believe in Catholicism, they are modernist heretics,“ their former student continues to speak. According to him, their real „hero“– is a man – and himself a Jesuit ( named Pierre Teilhard de Chardin ) d. 1955„ who was <TAG1>apparently obsessed at one point, he promotes view of Darwinian evolution“.

According to Catholic Esquire was Chardin „truly diabolical“, taught about some „evolutionary trajectory“, whose goal is for man to become God himself. „At the end of this evolution is the cosmic Christ, “says YouTuber and continues:

„It’s bizarre, it’s crazy, it’s not a bit Catholic, it’s anti-Catholic, but this is a person that the Jesuits follow and admire pretty sincerely. If you’ve ever attended a Jesuit school, then you know they’re not talking about anyone but Chardin.“

We also published several articles about this important Jesuit on the Christianity.sk portal. Author Radomír Tomeček, in your article, for example, interestingly states:

„The Holy See refused to give imprimatur (press permission) to his book Le Milieu Divin (Divine Environment) in 1927. In 1939, the Holy Office included his book L’Energie Humaine (Human Energia) on the Index of Prohibited Books, and even his most important book, Le Phénomène Humain (Humanity as a Phenomenon did not receive church approval for publication), containing interpretation of his evolutionary doctrine.

In a decree of 15 November 1957, the Holy Office prohibited the holding of works by de Chardin in libraries, including those of religious institutes, and the sale of these books in Catholic bookshops. At the same time, the translation of these books into other languages was prohibited.

On June 30, 1962, the Holy See issued a minimum (variance) in which bishops, superiors of religious orders, and rectors of seminaries and universities were called upon to protect the entrusted people from dangers resulting from the books of de Chardin. These books were disseminated even after his death and became very popular. The Holy See confirmed the immutability of its position, expressed in 1962, also in the communique of July 20, 1981.“

Gradually, however, his „ spiritual children“ – Jesuits – were able to carefully rehabilitate him to such an extent that this „a modernist fascinated by communism“ (ako de Chardina R. Tomeček called) mal „destructive influence on II. Vatican Council“. And through the council, the entire Catholic Church is affected by its delusions to this day.

„After all, Jesus did not perform any miracles. “

But let’s go back to the gentleman with the nickname Catholic Esquire. He mentions what the Jesuits taught him in high school. They denied all the miracles of Jesus described in the Bible, saying that „nich never happened“. They also called creationism – the belief that God is a human being falsely created and not that we evolved from rats.

„They undermined your faith in every possible way,“ says the man on video. „Not only did they discourage you from believing the Bible, they encouraged you to become materialistic. Women encouraged scientific careers; they never promoted family, said nothing about staying at home and raising their children.“

Likewise, he has never heard anything about it from their mouths: „Spread the kingdom of God“ or „proclaim God to this world.„ Everything the Jesuits instilled in their students’ heads was materialistic, like making a lot of money, self-development, and humanism.

„Their tricks are very deceptive,“ continues. „You never understand what they are talking about because they are constantly changing their definitions.“ He believes they do this entirely consciously and intentionally to deceive young souls, perhaps longing for God.

They constantly talked only about helping the needy and marginalized, because „this is what the Gospel tells us that Jesus did“. The man acknowledges that there is some truth in this. However, he points out that, according to Jesuit professors, we should not help the needy and marginalized out of love for God but out of love for ourselves – from the effort of self-improvement through helping others. Continues:

„Why do the Jesuits teach it this way? Because they are materialists to the core, proponents of evolution, they don’t really believe in God, they believe in themselves, they believe in man, they believe that man can become God. But that’s from the antichrist, from Satan, it’s completely demonic.“

Catholic Esquire says that such testimonies as his must not be spoken in public because „no one would believe you, “ and such a person would be called an enemy of the Church.

What is a „cool jesuit“?

The man goes on to say that the modernist teaching that the Jesuits are pushing is pure delusion and that „works“:

„They tricked me to the point where I almost lost my faith. I came out of the Jesuit gymnasium without any faith, I considered myself an agnostic at best, but I was probably an atheist. I didn’t believe that God existed, I thought that this world was all that existed. You live your life the best you can, earn as much as you can, maybe help some poor guy, because then you will feel better on your own – and then you will die. And what happens then? Nothing. Your soul is gone, it’s disappeared. This is what I thought.“

Youtuber admits that he finally turned thanks to Our Lady – but up to „many years after I left my high school“. He even thought about becoming a priest, „but all that was finally destroyed because of these people“. „ My son was also taught that there is no such thing as original sin, “said an angry man in the video, and „ certainly don’t teach anything like it is Peclo or O. O.purifier. “ Angrily continues:

„They mislead, deceive and destroy the faith of thousands upon thousands of students who attend their schools and whose parents spend tens of thousands of dollars to educate their children!“

„Beware of the Jesuits!“ continues no less sharply. „Let us pray for their prohibition, they are the scourge of the Church, they are the enemies of the Church. We must love our enemies and they are our enemies – so we should pray for them.“ It also calls for prayer for the Pope – also Jesuit – as well as Jesuits active on social networks who only „they pretend“ that they are academics and Catholics in general, but in reality only „attack good Catholics and good traditionalists“.. “ „Do you know how remarkable the Jesuits are? These are the ones who listen to rock music and like the song „Imagine“.

„Imagine“ is a famous song by John Lennon, also referred to as „hymna (hedonistic) boomer generation“ ( born after II. world war) in which Lennon sings about us imagining, how beautiful would the world be without religion, „without heaven and hell“.

New father introduced

Also Anthony Stein, who has a YouTube channel called „Return to Tradition“ (Return to tradition) is of opinion, that the order of Jesuits is responsible for most of the crises crushing the post-conciliar Church, since „they hold strong positions of power“. In Stein’s opinion, it is not about some failures of individuals, but a kind of well-thought-out implemented strategy to change the Church from within. He perceives the Jesuits as the center of power – and also the historical counter-center of the papacy –, from where poison penetrates the rest of Christ’s institution. „I am not at all surprised that the Church is in such a state with the Jesuit Pope at the head,“ says in her video Stein.

He wrote a whole book about the Jesuits called The Jesuits.s. a well-known Catholic priest and exorcist, based on whose life a legendary film was allegedly shot The Exorcist) Malachy Martin ( d. 1999). The author thinks that until the 1960s, the Jesuits were an order devoted to Catholicism, the Church, and the Pope. But then something happened. Martin writes:

„In 1965, II ended. the Vatican Council its last session aPedro Arrupe he was elected for 28. father superior of the Jesuits. Under Arrupe’s leadership and under the strong expectation of change caused by the council itself, society identified itself with a new outlook that has quietly flourished for more than a century – anti-papal, sociopolitical in nature. It was a furious and complete turning point in the company’s mission and reason for existence, and it was no accident. It was a deliberate act for which Father Arrupe, as Father Superior, ensured an inciting leadership full of enthusiasm.“

To live rightly and without remorse. Perfection is the fruit of freedom when nothing is in the way. Freedom means putting aside the Ego. Then we can live rightly. Live right. When honestly and sincerely, “our hearts no longer reproach us” (1Jn 3:21), because only simply and without hindrance do, live, say what is right, what is right here and now to be lived, said, done. Get used to it: to live rightly and without reproach. Without always having to justify ourselves or live with a sense of failure and failure. It can be done. It can be done. Furthermore, it can be done with this freedom.

“We know that no one who is born of God sins, but he who is born of God protects him, and the Evil One will not touch him.” (1Jn 5:18). Why do we claim and repeat and believe the opposite? Is it not because we serve the Evil One and accept him? In the silence and peace of hesychia, in its freedom to do what is right here and now. “Let not your heart be troubled and troubled.” (John 14:27). That is all. In this freedom, no desire drives away, and no fear hinders. It is indeed like an awakening,g like a resurrection-to know that good and joy and peace and bliss are not hiding somewhere else and some other time and in another, but are here, waiting here, all here in the one thing that we feel and know in our hearts to be correct. When we do this, we will see for ourselves with all our heart and presence and in this freedom. We don’t want to be different; we don’t want to be elsewhere; we don’t want different, and we don’t want anything from ourselves, as Eckhart writes about perfect conversion. In deep communion with God and God, we do; we live the one moment, the one act that ought to be. The right act is not according to some external law but in this profound unity in the Spirit, in harmony with God Himself, the whole creation, the whole Universe, and Eternity. When we no longer seek neither this nor that but perfection in what just is, it is our joy and delight.

With your feet, you probably know the feeling when you come home from work in the evening, tired and sometimes angry, make coffee, open a beer, put your feet out comfortably, and say to yourself: Well, finally, well-being! Some students must have experienced the feeling of victory when they received an A after writing a hefty paper, and the teacher praised them in front of everyone. It was a feeling of bliss. But is it true bliss? In today’s Gospel, Jesus also speaks of bliss: Blessed are the poor, blessed are hungry, blessed are weeping, blessed are persecuted and dulled. Many of us are now confused and ask ourselves again: What exactly is bliss? It was a kalogathie for the ancient Greeks – to live well and blissfully. For many people, it’s beer, a cigarette, number one in school. For Jesus, bliss is poverty, hunger, crying, persecution, numbness… And now choose from it. Who is right? What is true bliss?

Saint Thomas Aquinas says that bliss is the ultimate perfection of man. The Holy Scriptures claim that the bliss of man lies in God, the last goal of all creation. If we put together the claims of the Bible and Thomas, what will we get? Blessed are all who died in sanctifying grace and have come to see God in heaven. However, the one who lives here on earth in union with God, i.e., unencumbered by grave sin, is already blessed. Bliss as a state means the fullness of all natural and supernatural goods and is promised to all people who believe in God. So Jesus himself said: Let not your heart tremble! Believe in God, believe in me too. There are many dwellings in my Father’s house. And St. Paul writes to the Romans: No one who believes in him will be disappointed.

You might tell yourself that it’s good for the spirit; after all, we are believers, and that’s why we also go to church to have a great chance to be blessed. Sure. But this is also clear in the letter of St. James: What will it help, my brothers if someone says that he has faith but no works? Can such faith save him? Just as a body without a spirit is dead, faith without works is dead. This is the second condition for obtaining bliss – we must confirm faith by fulfilling God’s will. God’s will is contained in the Ten Commandments. And now, say for yourself: Do I have a clear conscience? Can you see that I am a believer? Do I live my faith? Let us not forget the words of Jesus: Not everyone who says to me: „Lord, Lord!“will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my heavenly Father. And Paul again adds to the Romans: Those who hear the law are not righteous before God; those who fulfill it by their actions will be justified. And so we figured out that a life filled with good deeds is needed to gain bliss and faith and live according to it.

But does he mean to flash the argument about why Jesus talks about poverty, hunger, crying, and persecution? Indeed, he has a reason for that. He wants to say that there is one more condition for gaining bliss – persistent enduring life trials, suffering, and hardships. Jesus’ words were correctly understood by Saint James when he wrote: Blessed is the man who stands the test; when he proves himself, he will receive the laurel of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James confirms Jesus’ will to gain bliss; it is necessary to strive to acquire virtues, especially those that Jesus recommends in today’s Gospel. He speaks of humility, silence, meekness, patience, purity of heart, and mercy.

So, is he right? Ancient Greeks, the world we live in, or Jesus? The ancient Greeks and the world we live in recommend a path to bliss that is the opposite of Jesus’ path. He recommends the path of pride, egoism, well-being, immoderateness, and sensuality. Therefore, perhaps in the confusion that this situation, when the world and Jesus Christ give us a recipe for bliss, causes us, let us not be afraid to exclaim together with Peter: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life! Suddenly, we solved the questions we had asked ourselves in the introduction. To be blessed is to possess God. Already in this life, thanks to the living faith that is supposed to hold us even in the difficulties and sufferings of life. But the pinnacle of bliss is To possess God in eternity, to which we all come. In the reputation of the ancient Norse family in the novel trilogy of the Norwegian writer Trove Gulbranssen, the old Dag appears as the main character, who adhered more to the principles of the world in his life than to God’s commands. Although he gained power and property, he gradually lost the love of people and the joy of life. Only the blows of fate will lead him to understand that the most important thing is victory over his own egoism, over himself. As he lay on his deathbed and felt the end coming, he called his bride to him and said to her: What we are trying to do, that is bliss in this life and not in eternity.

There is only one way to eternal bliss. A journey into the interior, through the goodness of the heart. The path to the meaning of life leads through reason and thoughts to God’s commandments. There is no other way besides Christ. There is no true and eternal bliss but Christ, his teaching, his commandments. You see, evaluating his life, even old Dag figured out that there is no other bliss besides God. Let us believe it and submit our thoughts, words, and deeds to this fact. In this spirit, let’s also live the coming week – and all the days of our lives that we still get as a gift from God.

St. Cyril and Methodius, bishop

Cyrillus et Methodius

BIOGRAPHY

Both Thessaloniki native brothers worked for some time as missionaries to the Khazars in Crimea before they came to Great Moravia at the invitation of Prince Rostislav. From there, they returned with the remains of St. Pope Clement I, who they took to Moravia and later to Rome. Constantine compiled the Old Slavic script to evangelize Moravia and translated the liturgical books and the Holy Scriptures into the Slavic language. They took care of the education of their disciples and then, to solve three matters, went to Rome. There, 10-12 years younger, the brothers fell ill, took the name Cyril in the monastery, and died. Methodius returned as archbishop and experienced many difficulties, including prison and another accusation, which forced him to Rome again. He established a Moravian ecclesiastical province with a Slavic service. He died in Moravia.

BIOGRAPHY FOR MEDITATION

APOSTLES SLAVS

Birth brothers Cyril and Methodius were born in Thessaloniki (Thessalonica) to Maria and Leo, who were of noble birth and senior military officials of the province. Cyril’s name was Konstantin, and Methodius’s was Michal. They only changed their original names when they joined the order. Constantine was the youngest in the family, born in 827 as the seventh child.

His extraordinary talent for study soon became apparent, and at his father’s request, he went to Constantinople to study. He learned languages quickly, such as Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Slavic, Old Turkish, Arabic, and Gothic. From literature, he liked the writings of St. Gregory Naziansky. After his father’s death, the imperial administrator Theoktistos, the minister of Empress Theodora, showed interest in supporting his education. Among other knowledge, Constantine mastered theology and rhetorical readiness. He later became a professor of Christian philosophy and received the title of Philosopher for his achieved wisdom.

He could have a great career ahead of him, but he chose a spiritual state. As a deacon, he was a bibliographer and secretary to Patriarch Ignatius. He was ordained a priest in about 847.

When the Byzantine emperor Theophilus died in 842, his son and successor, Michael III, were only two years old. The widowed Theodora and Theoktistos, therefore, took over the regency government as executors of state policy.

According to his father’s wishes, Konstantin’s older brother Michal should have chosen a military career, but it was not the right path for him. At first, he was said to be in the civil administrative service for Slavs residing in the Byzantine Empire, but then he preferred religious life. About 840, he became a monk at the foot of Olympus in the Greek monastery of St. Basila vol. Polychron in Bithynia and took the name Methodius.

Constantine participated in a message to Arabia at the age of 24, advocating the teachings of the Christian faith, especially on the Holy Trinity, among the Saracens. He was probably in Baghdad. It is further stated that he went into seclusion in the monastery with his brother Methodius. With him, in 860, he was called on a missionary expedition to the Khazars in Crimea. He knew from the books that the body of Pope Clement I, who was drowned in the sea with an anchor around his neck, found and buried by the faithful, was to be buried near Kherson, but in turbulent times, his grave became unknown. The brothers saw him in the ruins of an old shrine on an island, picked up the remains, and took them with them.

So far, the Moravian prince Rostislav resisted raids from the East Franconian side, which were justified by efforts to spread Christianity. He was determined to get missionaries from somewhere other than the East Franconian empire. He wanted them to speak to the people in an understandable language. Therefore, around 861, he turned to the Pope in Rome and, in 862, to Emperor Michael III. He entrusted Constantine and Methodius with the task. The brothers prepared very responsibly.

Methodius, perhaps more spiritually, and Constantine for practical evangelization. He compiled an alphabet of 38 letters derived from Greek letters for the Slavs, which he called the Glagolitic script. He immediately translated the most important parts of the Holy Scriptures and the books of worship into Old Slavic speech. Regarding the compilation of Hadrian II, he later wrote that Cyril invented it through God’s grace and the intercession of St. Clement. Indeed, it was highly admirable how short a period it was possible to carry out the demanding preparatory work for the mission’s success. The synergy of work with prayer and blessing, for which we owe God, can be seen here.

At the Synod of Constantinople, Constantine simultaneously requested permission to elevate the Slavic language to a liturgical one. Thus, Slavic speech found itself among the languages that were considered sacred: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

In 863, Constantine and Methodius and their retinue came to Great Moravia. In addition to the treasure of faith and cultural values, they also brought the remains of St. Clement I, recalling the belonging and importance of communion with the victorious church.

Rostislav welcomed them with great joy, and they were very eager to introduce our ancestors to the basics of faith and to the glad tidings of God’s great love for us, sinful people. We do not know for sure where the primary residence of the Moravian princes was.

The Old Town in the Morava basin near Uherské Hradiště or Hradiště near Mikulčice is considered the most likely seat.

In Moravia, superstitions were widespread, pagan sacrifices were made, the sanctity of marriage was lacking, and infidelity was rampant. The Thessalonian heralds kindly addressed the people and showed them a reasonable path to God and mutual respect.

Raising house priests was also very important, but they could not yet be ordained. After three years of intensive activity, the brothers also had to solve other ecclesiastical-legal issues and decided to go to Rome to see the Pope. They embarked on the journey at the beginning of 867 or already in autumn, including the remains. They made a nice stop in Pannonia at the court of Pribin’s son Prince Kocel, who was enthusiastic about their evangelization program and asked that the best of the 50 young men be taken with them to Rome.

Pope Hadrian II came out to meet them with a procession. The remains of Clement were then kept in the basilica dedicated to him. Our heralds dealt with three main matters: the confirmation of Old Slavic speech in the liturgy of the Roman Rite, the ordination of disciples as deacons and priests, and the establishment of a separate hierarchy for Great Moravia, which would depend directly on the Pope.

Apparently, at Christmas 867, the Old Slavic Gospel was laid by the Pope in the basilica of (today’s ) Santa Maria Maggiore near the manger, and in this speech, Constantine celebrated the Holy Mass. There were new consecrations of clergy for Great Moravia, and the Pope decided to restore the Archbishopric of Sriemia with expansion into the territory of Pannonia and Moravia.

Constantine became seriously ill at the time and felt that he was at the end of his strength and unable to return. Therefore, he entered a Greek monastery, took religious vows, and took the name Cyril. He lived there until his death on 14. 2.869 and was then buried in the Basilica of St. Clement.

Methodius received priestly and eventually episcopal ordination in 868, with promotion to archbishop and papal legate for the Slavic peoples. On his return, he received from the Pope both a decree on spiritual function and letters for princes Rostislav, Svatopluk, and Kocel.

Along the way, however, he was captured on the instructions of the East Frankish bishops and taken to Bavaria with an escort. He was tried as an intruder, operating in a territory to which the East Franconian bishops had an exclusive right. However, Methodius defended himself that if it were such a right, he would immediately submit, but the decision-making belongs to the Apostolic Roman See, with whose consent he comes. Nevertheless, he was convicted and imprisoned in the Ellvangen monastery in Swabia for less than three years. Only then was he involved in the intervention of Pope John VIII. released and returned to Great Moravia in 873.

So far, Svatopluk has become the new ruler instead of Rostislav. He is reported to have had his uncle Rostislav blinded. Although he welcomed Methodius, he did not want to live according to his advice and committed moral lapses, for which Methodius admonished him. It was at the time of Methodius’ very successful missionary work in the mother tongue of the Slavs. In retaliation for the admonition, Svatopluk allowed the Frankish clergy to return and made Viching his advisor.

For the fact that Methodius did not submit to the prohibition of Slavic worship, handed down to him by Bishop Paul, he was accused in Rome at Viching’s instigation in 879 of covering up Greek delusion in incomprehensible language that his teachings were incorrect and that he worships in the Slavic language. Methodius arrived again in Rome, proved his orthodoxy there in the question of “coming out of the Holy Spirit,” even with the Greek formula “from the Father through the Son,” and gave the reasons for Slavic celebration. John VIII then established a Moravian ecclesiastical province with a Slavic service and reaffirmed Methodius as a valid archbishop. However, at Svatopluk’s request, he consecrated Methodius’ opponent, Viching, as bishop of Nitra.

After returning to Great Moravia, Methodius spread Christianity among the Czechs and Poles zealously, but he had enough difficulties. He also continued to translate the Bible and worship books in his last years. He died in Moravia on the 6th. 4. 885 Holy Mass was celebrated for him in three languages (Latin, Greek, and Slavic). He was buried in the main Moravian temple on the left side of the wall behind the altar of the Mother of God Mary, and the people cried during the funeral: “He was a leader for salvation to everyone!”

It is not yet known where this Marian temple stood. In 1970, an article was published in a Slovak archaeological magazine about the discovery of a skeleton in the masonry of the Great Moravian church in Uherské Hradiště – Sady. The buried person must have been more critical, but no more can be claimed.

After being expelled from Moravia, the Heralds’ students went to work in Bulgaria and Croatia, Pope Stephen VI banned the use of the Slavic language in the service 11 years after Methodius’ death.

Cyril and Methodius became our spiritual fathers, to whom we owe the Christian faith and culture, the acceptance of which placed us among the civilized nations. With the liturgy in the national language, they preceded the time by 11 centuries. After that, until II. The Vatican Council in 1962-65 proved to them that praising God in all local languages is appropriate during the liturgy.

In Moravia, both heralds were worshiped as patrons in the 14th century. The Cistercian church in Velehrad, consecrated in, became the center of respect. 1228. The official canonization took place in. 1880. Their memory was originally on the 20th. 3. In 1863, it was changed for the Czech lands and Slovakia by Pius IX. to celebrate 5. 7., while in the martyrology, the date of remembrance is 14 for the whole other church. 2. In 1863, Cyril and Methodius were declared patrons of all Slavic nations, and Pope John Paul II was 31. On 12 December 1980, he declared as co-patrons of Europe because, in addition to meriting culture, they fought for the unity of the Eastern and Western churches and showed the right way to the unification of Europe.