The current coalition headed by the ex-communist Fico would not have won the government without the help of several misguided conservatives and believers, including the clergy. Some of them are satisfied with it today, despite everything the government does against justice, peace, culture, democracy, and the standard of living of the majority. They do not understand or ignore that the government, of which President Pellegrini is a de facto part, is also acting against what the social teaching of the Church teaches about government and politics.

The coalition of Fico’s Smer, Pellegrini’s Hlas, and Dank’s SNS canceled the status of the plenipotentiary for the protection of freedom of religion or belief during the year of the government. She bullies and punishes the police officers who dealt with their corruption, and she gives high state positions to several of the accused. She abolished the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which dealt with organized crime and major corruption cases. By changing the criminal law, she released several defendants and severely limited the possibility of prosecuting and punishing others. It has significantly limited critical political discussion in the media. She doubled her salary and is now preparing “consolidation” measures to lower the standard of living for the majority, especially for the poor, families with children, pensioners, and small business owners.  Fico promised lower prices but is acting to make them higher. Charitable organizations will lose tens of thousands of euros. Even the outgoing health minister said this “consolidation” will devastate the health sector. and the 23% VAT on energy will hit pensioners hard. 

From the Pope to Fico et al.

In September 2021, the Slovak Church emotionally welcomed the visit of Pope Francis. She helped the current government coalition win the parliamentary and presidential elections two years later. Indirectly by failing to teach and motivate people, with rare exceptions, to act and vote according to justice and what the Popes teach about government and politics, and some clergy also directly supporting the current governing parties.  ) Support continues despite how this government has been acting against what it preaches and does for a year, the Pope, which harms Slovakia.

Prime Minister Fico on St. Cyril and Methodius spoke of a bulwark against liberalism and progressivism. Still, in 2024 alone, his government repeatedly refused to use the opportunity to take a critical stance against the activism of some EU institutions promoting the “rainbow” agenda even though KDH urged them to do so. For example, when the EP voted on the right to abortion or when the Court of Justice of the EU decided that member states had an obligation to recognize the official change of biological sex confirmed in any way in another EU state. (  ) 10/3/2024 The National Assembly of the Slovak Republic did not approve a resolution critical of the European Parliament’s efforts to include the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Together with the Progressives, the parties of the government coalition deserved it. 

The Misery of Christian Slovakia

At the end of September 2024, a well-known priest – religious wrote to me: “In the last few days, I had several trips to Slovak parishes, I met several well-known people, and I am appalled at the catastrophic state of Catholics in Slovakia. The clergy, led by their bishops, are to a great extent responsible for this. TaraboFicoid sentiments and their glorification are crowned by a Slovak Catholic who is perfectly at ease by calling thanks to God for Putin and the Russians, who will protect us from the Gender ideology. There is no end to the glorification of Fico and his criminal policy, not only among Catholics but also among priests and bishops. They are completely blind and tell Fic about his LEP that he will prevent Gender ideology, which is equivalent to exchanging the morality and character of Slovakia for a bowl of dirty lentils. I believe that you can write an article about this and point out the Malignancy of the machinery that allows hyenas to rule and drags Slovakia into a black hole, into the period of Bolshevism and sinister communism. It would be necessary to call on the bishops to rise and fight for life, Christian culture, and morals, above all by applying justice and not by cheap shouts and knitting the masses with stupid phrases at which Cháska only laughs dumbly around Fic…”

Controversial policy of the Slovak Church

These words make two important facts visible: 1. The Slovak church is divided, at least in its attitude towards the government and socio-political reality, in a similar way to civil society. 

2. In the Catholic Church, the influence and spirit of members of Pacem in Terris and nationalists, who are closer to ex-communists than real democrats, are far from what the popes teach in the socio-political field. In the first free years after November 1989, such and such supported a group of ex-communists and nationalists under the leadership of V. Mečiar, and now their followers under the leadership of R. Fico. They are complicit in the fact that in the area of ​​justice, the construction of which was marked by Benedict XVI. for the essential role of every generation, formally Christian Slovakia belongs to the worst in Europe. (more here:  

I don’t want to discuss the various reasons why they do it now, but it must be said that they bear joint responsibility for the moral, economic, social, and cultural consequences of these politicians’ rule. I will mention their main arguments.

Ideals and ideology

Many of them sincerely care about better-protecting life and families. However, their ideal turned into an ideology. Just like Marxists when dealing with social justice or genderists when striving for women’s equality, they misidentified the cause of the problem they wanted to solve. They often used the wrong means and, therefore, brought more harm than good.

They are justifiably annoyed by the artificial race, the breakdown of “traditional” families, the intolerant promotion of gender ideology, the poor moral level of many people, or the reduction of the influence of the Church. They mistakenly point to the vaguely defined “liberalism” as the cause. They talk about Christian and traditional values ​​without clearly defining them and considering their relationships and hierarchy. When it comes to political activities, they deal only with the protection of life, practically reduced to the ban on abortion, and the fight for the family is essentially reduced to the fight against genderism and the Istanbul Convention. Moreover, perhaps the worst is that they do not use the same yardstick for all politicians and parties.

In promoting selected values, they support politicians who grossly violate other, at least equally essential, values ​​or commandments of the Ten Commandments. And sometimes the same ones. For example, M. Kuffa, on 5/30/2018, the day after he demonstrated for Kotleb’s bill to ban abortions, in an interview for Parlamné Listy, praised Fico for rejecting the Istanbul Convention. Even though five days earlier, Fico supported the preservation of the abortion law, which his native Communist Party adopted Even though the SMER government, in 2015, approved the State Strategy of Human Rights, prepared under the leadership of Rainbow activists. 

Even though SMER deputies in the European Parliament repeatedly supported rainbow-liberal proposals before the 2023/24 elections, Fico, his Smer, and the presidential candidate were also actively supported by several priests. Many Christians are satisfied with this today, even though the government canceled some pro-family measures and approved some that will make life worse, especially for the poor, including families.

Chaos in concepts, thinking, and deeds

In discussions and polemics, Thomas Aquinas often began by explaining basic concepts. G. Orwell, in the dystopian work 1984, showed how the demagogues of dubious regimes and ideologies use the confusion of ideas and changing the meaning of words to control the crowd. 

The leading cause of the “non-Christian” attitudes that bother us is not liberalism or progressives, as our anti-liberals proclaim, but practical materialism and moral relativism. The label “liberalism” is misleading; it creates chaos in concepts, thinking, and morality. This was done, for example, by the pro-life activist A. Ch. when he labeled all victims of abortion since 1957 as victims of liberalism. Even though the Russian communists were the first to approve free abortions, our communists also did, and after the fall of their dictatorship, the number of artificial abortions in our country dropped significantly. Today, many do so, while in addition, they only criticize the supposedly liberal KDH or the Democrats, but not Smer, the Hlas emanating from it, or nationalist extremists.

When we evaluate politicians not according to vague “liberalism” but according to the criteria of the Ten Commandments, freedom, justice, and moral relativism, we see that communism is much worse than liberal democracy and communist-corrupt politicians worse than liberals. They are the same when it comes to family and abortion but worse when it comes to corruption and justice.

In addition – in all “liberal” Western democracies, the Church and Christians have freedom, unlike any communist or Marxist-socialist government and dictatorship. From 1917 to the present, from Russia to Slovakia, Asia to Venezuela.

Life born and unborn

Rejection of anti-corruption protests and support for corrupt politicians brandishing anti-liberal slogans is justified by some with the argument that killing someone (by abortion) is worse than robbing. They don’t understand or don’t want to acknowledge that life can also be destroyed by taking away someone’s housing, food, or health care. That corruption is not only a “noticeable” hundred for a doctor or an official but also thousands, which will result in fewer roads being built, which will make it impossible for people with low incomes to study. Or when someone dies needlessly because an expensive medical device was bought in Slovakia for the price that would buy two in the Czech Republic.

They ignore the words of Pope Francis that both born and unborn life must be protected and that the worst destroyer of life is war and corruption. “If we are talking about corrupt politicians or economic agents, who pays for it? They pay hospitals without medicine, the sick without care, and children without education. They are the modern-day idiots who pay for the corruption of others. And who pays for the corruption of some church official? Children who do not even know how to bless themselves, who do not know the catechism, who are not guided, pay for it. It is paid for by the sick, whom no one visits. The poor pay. The poor pay for corruption, the poor materially and spiritually.” (Francis) This was exactly what Bishop Lach’s statement in January 2016 was about, which upset Prime Minister Fico so much. (full text here:  

If the Church and Christians strived more for justice and solved how corrupt politics and state management destroy born life, it would be more credible for many, even if it talks about unborn life.

Values ​​of Putin’s Russia

From the point of view of common sense, natural justice, democracy, and the social teaching of the Catholic Church, perhaps the worst thing is that these Christian anti-liberals label Putin’s Russia as the savior of our Christian or traditional culture and values. Even Putin and his minister (in the words of the Pope) Kirill use it as part of propaganda to ideologically justify their own power and imperialist war of conquest because, like Fico, he knows that many Christians will fall for it.

The fundamental mistake or misleading of those who claim this is that they use a diametrically different yardstick for Russia and the democratic West. The only concrete fact with which they prove it is that they have banned the spread of LGBTI propaganda in Russia. At the same time, they ignore or conceal the fact that in almost all Christian, democratic, or conservative values, Russia is much worse off.

In Russia, compared to the EU, there are many more abortions, murders, suicides, divorces, fatal traffic accidents, and tolerated domestic violence. Not to mention the standard of living of most people. Social differences are greater there than in the “capitalist” EU, social security is worse. Of course, corruption and law enforcement are much worse. President, ex-communist, and KGB officer billionaire Putin has a super-luxurious residence worth an annual income of 180,000 Russians.  There is practically no freedom of the press there. Several critical journalists or opposition politicians were murdered, and others ended up in prison. Religious freedom is severely restricted there, at best to the level it was in our country under the communist dictatorship before November 1989. This also applies to the occupied territories of Ukraine. 

No one has said which values ​​Russia is supposed to protect or how to do it. Like now in Ukraine? In February 2022, Putin unleashed the biggest war in Europe since the end of World War II. Three times larger in territory and population, Russia is waging a war of conquest even though when Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, it contractually guaranteed its freedom, independence, and territorial integrity. (Budapest memorandum, 1994) Words of the Pope about the cause of the war.

About 10 million Ukrainians left their homes, and about 600,000, primarily young and qualified Russians, left Russia. Of course, the majority for the democratic West. In this way, they broke many times more families than genderism can.

Multibillion-dollar damage to destroyed infrastructure razed cities and villages. In addition to schools and hospitals, the Russians killed or looted over 600 temples and church buildings and abolished religious freedom. (Statement of the IRFBA Chair on two years of Russian aggression against Ukraine accompanied by abuse, killing of priests, and destruction of places of worship here:   

As a result of the Russian war, spending on armaments rose to a record level worldwide. In Russia, almost 20,000 people have already been arrested for anti-war protests, in February 2024, 848 were prosecuted, and 267 were imprisoned. For example, the nurse Olga Menšichová faces eight years in a penal colony. 

Tragic consequences

It is tragic that in Slovakia, which experienced decades of communist dictatorship, including the persecution of the Church, as well as the Russian-Soviet occupation, after 33 years of freedom, so many people, including several clergy, believe the ex-communists Putin and Fico, their partner and propagandist.

Formally, Christian Slovakia ranks among the worst in Europe in supporting such Russian and undemocratic policies. Christians, including the clergy who support it, are thus acting like the Pacem in Terris movement established by the communists during the “normalization” before November 1989. In the name of reduced partial value – then social upliftment, now anti-genderism, they support a government and policies that harm freedom, democracy, justice, the common good, and genuine Christian morality and culture. And in the end, also to what it proclaims. The communist dictatorship ended up giving workers a much lower standard of living than free democratic countries. 

The Pacem in Terris also harmed the Church’s good name, and Christian dissidents who were united with the Pope benefited in particular. Today, these Christian anti-liberals supporting the current Slovak government coalition and Putin’s Russia, acting in politics against the teachings of the popes, in addition to this government, also contribute to the fact that several normal people with a sense of justice end up with the progressives. They discourage more people from the Church and its values ​​or teachings than they bring them to it.

Adam and Eve had intimate fellowship in the presence of God before the fall (Genesis 3:8). Since that time, sin has prevented our ability to be in the physical presence of God (Exodus 33:20). Now only the holy, sinless angels are in the physical presence of God (Luke 1:19). But Christians have the presence of God within us by His indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:23; 15:4), and that indwelling presence comes only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

We are aware of the reality of this presence from our obedience to His Word. “We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praise of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). Note that Peter says that “we are chosen people . . . belonging to God.” If we belong to Him, will He not be present among us? We never lose the reality of God’s presence, no matter how badly we fail; we never sin so much as to lose our salvation; we never sink so far as to banish the Holy Spirit. We can anger God because of our sin, but true believers never lose the presence of the Holy Spirit. While we will never lose the reality of God’s presence, we might lose the “sense” of His presence.

Every child of God invariably goes through this feeling of losing God’s presence from time to time, like a landlord who has left his house and gone away on business for a while. He has not left the house completely empty, for, if he had, he would have taken all his belongings with him. But because he has left all his furniture and belongings in that house, does it not mean that he will return once again? Any believer knows that there are times of spiritual leanness when perhaps the Lord determines to test our faith. Does He not push us through the winnowing flames of affliction that we might be all the more pure (Job 23:10; 1 Peter 1:7)?

But the practical result of being in God’s presence is joy! Many Christians seem gloomy and dejected because they lack this sense of God’s presence. The fellowship is sweet for those who walk with the Lord in obedience and faith. But the sweet fellowship that comes from obedience and trust in the Lord is not a passing feeling. It sustains us, especially during trials, for “the joy of the Lord shall be your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). James, the Lord’s brother, writes, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2) because trials produce faith and develop perseverance. When we persevere through trials, proving to ourselves and to others that our faith is real, our sense of God’s presence increases, as does our joy.

David speaks of a joy that only the righteous can know (Psalm 16:11)—a joy that is but a foretaste of a far greater and everlasting joy when we see the Lord’s face in the glory to come.

It doesn’t happen often, that a person’s birthday is celebrated all year round. But Teresa of Avila was not an ordinary person! She was one of the giants of Spanish literature, a religious reformer, a mystic, and a pioneer in spiritual life. As a small but strong woman, Teresa significantly influenced the Church of her time, and it only grew over time. Together with Katarína Sienska, she was declared a teacher of the Church in 1970 – they were the first two women to receive this honor. Her writings are still in demand and have been translated into dozens of languages. Her spiritual advice has helped countless people to experience Christ’s love and presence more deeply.

For these and many other reasons, on October 15, 2014, the Church began the year-long celebration of Teresa of Avila’s 500th birthday. So, let’s look at this great woman’s life, times, and teachings.

 Period background.

When Teresa was born in March 1515, Spain was just entering its golden age. The royal wedding between Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon occurred in 1469, uniting the Spanish kingdoms under one rule. Together, these monarchs drove out the last Moorish rulers in 1492. From that moment on, they worked to realize a vision of an entirely Christian, intensely religious kingdom based on evangelical principles. Still, they intensely focused on “cleansing” the country of all Muslim and Jewish spiritual practices.

The same year, Columbus proved it possible to sail to America and return safely with enormously rich treasures. Within a few years, Spain had become rich and powerful, and the rest of Europe envied him.

Bloody struggles for status and influence between noble families characterized Spanish society. For example, Teresa’s grandfather moved from Toledo to Ávila to hide the stigma of Jewish ancestry and that he had only recently become a noble. Thus, Teresa’s family had to live with a dark secret that did not allow them to live in their new social position. As a young girl, she had to deal with feelings of inferiority and the need to prove her worth. Later, this determined, combative personality served her well as she pursued religious reforms and seemingly unorthodox methods of prayer.

 From a martyr to a nun.

Considering the intense religiosity in Spain and her family’s desire to appear “Catholic,” it is unsurprising that Teresa grew up with a very active conscience and a strong sense of belonging to the Church. When she was only seven years old, she and her brother decided that they wanted to be martyrs. They went to the land of the Moors to shed their blood. Fortunately, they did not get too far because the uncle stopped the young zealots and brought them home. Then came the period when they played as hermits, separated from the imperfect world, and engaged in constant prayer and solitude.

When Terézia was about 14 years old, her mother died, ending her carefree childhood. A short period at the school of the Augustinian nuns sparked her interest in religious life, but her fragile health limited her further plans. It wasn’t until she was 20 that she decided to join the Carmelite convent of the Incarnation in her birthplace.

The Convention of the Incarnation was huge. There were too many nuns for the funds available. Although it was not immoral, the quality of prayer and observance varied, and many women had no trace of a religious vocation. In a few cases, unmarried women from noble families were “deposed” to the spiritual community, along with a large donation to the convent. These women continued to enjoy a comfortable life. They had their maids, cooks, and social circle of friends. It was hardly a good environment for sincere prayer and contemplation.

Despite these shortcomings, Teresa survived the next 20 years as an obedient religious. She studied and accepted the Carmelite ideals of silence and solitude, as well as the aim of the first hermits: “meditate day and night on the Lord’s law.” Although her health continued to complicate her inner peace, other community members found her level-headed and reliable.

 A spiritual earthquake.

Everything changed for Teresa in 1557 when she had an overwhelming experience with Jesus’ suffering, which he underwent for her. The unusually vivid statue of the wounded Christ urged her to repent for her previous half-hearted life. In addition to the flood of tears, she was also overwhelmed by the loneliness and abandonment that Jesus had to endure during his suffering. Seeing Jesus like this moved her to offer him personal friendship. From that moment on, Teresa experienced a deep communion with God, manifested in the form of constant, conversational prayer, which was interrupted by experiences of deep, mystical ecstasy.

This new relationship with Jesus was the impetus for Thérèse to work on reforming the Carmelite order. This relationship was her comfort when she felt abandoned, misunderstood, or rejected. It became the core of all her writings and spiritual guidance. What she experienced was so remarkable that she could not keep it to herself. She knew it wasn’t just for her. Theresa was convinced that everyone could know Jesus as she did. Anyone could have the same conversational prayer she learned.

After this spiritual earthquake, Teresa began thinking creatively about improving life in her convent. She concentrated on the Carmelite rule’s essential elements and started thinking about new and more fruitful ways to live it. She devised ​​an experimental community that would be small enough to foster loving relationships between sisters. Aware of the poisonous effects of titles and status, she proposed that surnames replace religious names and that each sister should adopt simplicity in dress and shoes. Daily activities were to be disciplined and straightforward, focusing primarily on prayer. And above all, the community was supposed to be a happy place if the sisters did everything as they should.

With the permission of the Carmelite provincial, Teresa opened a small convent of St. Joseph in 1562. She still had a little work to do in her new home, but in general; she was glad to have an environment where she could cultivate the same kind of prayer she had experienced. Many previous reforms failed because they focused more on compliance than essential spirituality. Teresa was successful because she insisted that worship must take precedence over all other activities. And it worked! Other nuns asked her to join the happy community, and enthusiastic new vocations came. There were so many of them that Teresa always had candidates for the new communities she wanted to find.

In 1567, the Carmelite Superior Giovanni Battista Rossi visited Avila and was very pleased with what he saw. He told Teresa that she could start convents if she found sisters to live in them. As chaplains and spiritual advisors were needed, he commissioned her to establish religious communities that would follow her reformed directives. Over the next 15 years, Teresa founded 16 reformed convents for women and several others for men.

 Fruitful tension.

It is said that the most dangerous time for any human institution is when it wants to reform itself. In the case of the Spanish Carmelites, some had a natural reluctance to devote themselves to a more austere way of life. This dynamic was complicated by outsiders who had good intentions and ideas on restructuring existing communities, although they needed to understand the Carmelite way of life fully. These people included King Philip II, bishops, papal envoys, and three popes. As a result, human pettiness, pride, and political infighting marred much of Teresa’s excellent restoration.

Teresa finally understood that the two approaches to the Carmelite rule couldn’t live together. Bickering and the hardness of opinions did not allow for real harmony. She had to unite her communities into a separate province called the Discalced Carmelites.

After a particularly bitter dispute in 1575, the Rossies and the General Council advised Theresa to suspend her reformation ways and be in one convent for a time. It was not an easy decision for a very active person, but Terésia used this time to write her best books in the heat of creativity. She has already completed the Autobiography and the Path of Perfection. It was a textbook on prayer. She was now writing her masterpiece, The Inner Castle and the Book of Foundations, in which she described the details of her reformation work.

 A good woman.

After about four peaceful years, Terezia traveled again. She felt she was no longer in control but did not want to stop. Finally, exhaustion and illness caught up with her. She died on the night of October 4, 1582. Ironically, Pope Gregory XIII announced a reform of the calendar on the same day, so the next day was October 15, which we now celebrate as Teresa’s holiday. Even in death, this respectable woman was ahead of her time!

So far, we have talked about faith and hope in the New Testament and the beginnings of Christianity. However, it was still clear that we were not just talking about the past. The whole consideration concerns the life and death of a person in general and thus interests us here and now. Therefore, we must now explicitly ask: Is the Christian faith still hope for us today that transforms and sustains our lives? Is it “performative” for us – is it a message that reshapes life in a new way? Or is it just “information” that we have put aside in the meantime and seems to us to be surpassed by more current information? In searching for an answer, I would like to start with the classical form of dialogue, which was used in the baptism ceremony to express the acceptance of the newborn into the community of believers and his rebirth in Christ. First, the priest asked what name the parents had chosen for the child, and then he continued with the question: “What do you ask from the Church?” Answer: “Faith.” “What does faith give you?” – “Eternal life.” In this dialogue, the parents sought for the child access to faith and fellowship with believers because they saw in faith the key to “eternal life.” Today, as yesterday, this is precisely what baptism is about, by which we become Christians: it is not only an act of socialization within the community, not only by being accepted into the Church. Parents expect something more from a child receiving baptism: they expect that faith, which also includes the materiality of the Church and its sacraments, will give him life, eternal life. Faith is the essence of hope. But here the question arises: Do we want it – to live forever? Today, perhaps many reject faith simply because they do not desire eternal life. They do not wish for eternal life but present life, and the belief in eternal life appears to them rather as an obstacle to this goal. To go on living forever—without end—seems more like a condemnation than a gift. Of course, death should be delayed as much as possible. But to live all the time, without end, can only be boring, even unbearable. This is exactly what Ambrose, one of the church fathers, says in his funeral speech for his late brother Satyr: “Indeed, death was not a part of nature, but it became a natural reality. For God did not establish death from the beginning, but gave a remedy for it (…) As a result of guilt, people’s lives began to be miserable amid daily toils and unbearable crying. Evil had to be put to an end, so death had to make up for what life had lost. Immortality is a burden rather than an advantage unless it is enlightened by grace.” 6 Even earlier, Ambrose said: “We should not weep over death, because it is the cause of salvation…

 Whatever exactly St. Ambrose meant by these words, the truth is that death’s elimination, or almost indefinite delay, would throw the earth and humanity into an intolerable situation and would bring no benefit to the individual himself. Of course, there is a contradiction in our attitude, which points to the inner contradiction of our very existence. On the one hand, we don’t want to die, especially the one who loves us doesn’t want us to die. On the other hand, however, we do not desire to continue life indefinitely, even if the earth was not created with this perspective in mind. So what do we want? This paradox of our attitude raises a deeper question: What, in essence, is “life”? And what does “eternity” actually mean? There are moments when we suddenly realize: Yes, it should be exactly like this, real life should be exactly like this.

On the contrary, what we call “life” in everyday life is not life. In his long letter on prayer, addressed to Probe, a well-to-do Roman widow and mother of three consuls, Augustine once wrote: We want only one thing – a “blessed life,” a life that is simply life, simply “happiness.” And after all, we do not ask for anything else, not even in prayer. We are not moving towards anything else and are only concerned with this. But then Augustín adds: When we look closer, we don’t know what we desire or want. We do not see this fact, and even when we think we are touching it, we are not reaching it. ” We don’t even know what to pray for, ” he confesses in the words of St. Paul (Rom, 8,26). All we know is that it’s not that. Yet, in our ignorance, we know that this fact must exist. “There is, so to speak, learned ignorance ( docta ignorantia ) in us,” he writes. We don’t know what we want. We do not know this “true life,” yet we know that there must be something we do not know, yet we are drawn to it.

I think that Augustine here very precisely and always validly describes the basic situation of man, the situation from which all his contradictions and hopes come. In some way, we long for life itself, for that right which even death cannot touch; at the same time, we do not know what we feel attracted to. We cannot stop moving towards it, yet we know that everything we can experience or realize is not what we desire. This unknown “thing” is the true “hope” that prompts us, and the very fact that it is unknown is simultaneously the cause of all disappointments and positive or destructive stimuli about the authentic world and authentic man. The expression “eternal life” tries to name this known-unknown fact. It is necessarily an inadequate term that causes confusion. “Eternal” evokes the idea of ​​”never-ending,” which makes us afraid. The word “life” leads us to think of the kind of life we ​​now know, love, and don’t want to lose, which is nevertheless often more of a struggle than satisfaction, and so while we long for it on the one hand, we don’t want it on the other. We can only try to get out of the temporality to which we are prisoners with our thinking and somehow experience a foretaste of the fact that eternity is not an endless succession of days on the calendar but something like a moment of satisfaction in which the totality of being embraces us and we embrace it. This means immersing yourself in an ocean of infinite love, in which time – understood as “before and after” – no longer exists. We can do our best to think that this moment is life to the fullest, an ever-new plunge into the breadth of being, while we are simply permeated with joy. This is how Jesus expresses it in the Gospel of John: ” But I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice.” And no one will take away your joy ” ( 16,22 ). We must think in this direction to understand where Christian hope is headed, what we expect from faith, and our being with Christ.

The Gospels record several instances of Jesus offering words of caution. One notable example is his response to a woman who exclaimed, “Blessed is the life that bore you and the breasts that you enjoyed” (Lk 11, 27-28), to which he countered, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it.”

Saint Josemaría said, “Fraternal admonition is part of God’s vision, of his loving Providence”. Jesus admonishes the woman on this occasion because he wants to bring her to the fullness of the truth. “Brotherly admonition is born of love,” says Fernando Ocáriz, “it shows that we want others to be ever happier”. For this reason, our interest in others does not consist only in judging whether they follow a rule but in trying to look at them as Jesus looked at them: his look does not stop at trivial details but is full of hope, with great horizons. Christ’s warning is driven by personal love for the other, his desire to make us happy, and not to maintain some external order.

“There is always a need for a loving and admonishing, knowing and recognizing, discriminating and forgiving perspective (cf. Lk 22:61), as God did and did with each of us”. The brotherly admonition is not administered from above, as one who has something to teach the other; rather, it is about reaching out to the other to understand and accompany him in his desire for holiness. With brotherly admonition, people around us do not feel alone in their struggle but know they can count on our support.

“WHEN YOU GIVE fraternal admonition, you must love the faults of your brothers”, said Saint Josemaría. A heart that loves can overlook what we see as faults in others. Logically, as far as we can, we will try to help him overcome it; however, this will not always be possible, or it will not happen overnight. Therefore, learning to love even these shortcomings in a certain way introduces us to the logic of God’s love. Jesus accepts our qualities and weaknesses, he does not attach any conditions to his love.

The highest rule of fraternal admonition is love: to want the good of our brothers and sisters. And often it also bears the problems of others, the mistakes of others in silence, in prayer, and then finding the right way to correct them “. This means respecting each of them’s freedom because our love will be more like God’s love for us. Helping one of our brothers or sisters on the path of holiness is more like a patient and warm, sleepless night in which we wait for God’s action than cold supervision. The one who wants to help is not only interested in external phenomena but looks at events in the light of the other’s desire for holiness, and takes off his sandals because it is in the depth of his soul (cf. Ex 3, 5).

Before correcting the people around us, it might be good to remember Christ’s words: “First cast out the log from your eye!” Then you will see and be able to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Mt 7:5). While we always try to help others, perhaps the best way to encourage them to holiness is through our holiness. Perceiving in the second bonus the odor Christi, the fragrance of Christ, attracts us to live in friendship with God and provides an environment favorable for us to admonish or be admonished with the confidence of the children of the same Father.

The Fruit of Friendship …

FOR brotherly admonition to be authentic and fruitful, it is usually necessary first to establish a context of closeness and genuine interest in the other’s life. Reprimanding someone we don’t know is typically not the best course of action and can often be unfair. In other words, it is good to have a mutual and authentic friendship relationship where love is experienced and manifested in various ways: details of service, shared moments, and shared worries… And simply as another manifestation of this friendship, the desire to help the other in his path to holiness. In this way, we can gently enter their heart without interfering with their intimacy and always try to take responsibility for their situation. This context also leads us to understand the reactions of others when they are reprimanded. There are dispositions of temperament that make us very different from each other, which St. Josemaría considered the central part of that “most diverse counter” in people in Opus Dei and the Church. For some, even the gentlest words can easily sound reproachful. On the other hand, if the words are unclear, others may perceive a lack of interest. In any case, if there is a close and friendly relationship between us in advance, we all discover a gesture of loyalty in brotherly admonition.

The founder of Opus Dei said that “we will never tolerate criticism behind his back” regarding the brother. And we say unpleasant things kindly to correct them”. We can ask Mary to help us see our brothers and sisters with her motherly eyes so we can talk to each other with love, tenderness, and fidelity.