Thirty-second Sunday in ordinary Time, Year B Mk 12,38-44

Posted on 6. November 2024 by Peter Prochac

Last Sunday, we heard the guidance – do not forget the love of God and neighbor, and today, Jesus tells us about fully surrendering ourselves into God’s hands, into the hands of the one to whom our love is directed. “For all gave out of their abundance, but she, in her poverty, gave all that she had her whole living.” The Jerusalem Temple was a vast, beautiful structure that was artistically decorated. Such a building must be permanently repaired and maintained. There were 13 coffers in the arcade by the beautiful gate, into which pilgrims deposited their contributions. The rich threw in their large sums, and the priest announced them loudly. Poor people threw in their small donations without being noticed. Lord Jesus sat down and watched the long crowd approach the treasury. He sees a woman there tossing her last two coins. And when you give a gift, don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing. This is how a poor widow sacrifices. He gives everything he has. We need to stop and think about this. She gave everything. Unfathomable! We could say unbelievable – it is impossible to trust God like this. Perhaps the supervising priest just smiled. Such a gift will not help the temple. But Jesus, observing this scene, said to the disciples: “She gave the most.”

Others give from their surplus, and the woman does not think of herself. Holy Father John XXIII received a large amount from the American bishop for the church’s needs. He praised him: “You certainly have generous and self-sacrificing believers.” “Yes, but I have to keep encouraging them. I tell them that I prefer to listen to the rustling of banknotes during the collection than the tinkling of change”. The Pope, who came from a low-income family, remarked: “I prefer to hear the tinkling of the poor widow’s bells. God’s blessing rests on them.“ The way we give can sometimes be more important than the gift itself. When a mother receives a house, a sun, and a piece of blue sky drawn on a piece of paper from her little son for a holiday – or when her child brings her a small flower – it is a tremendous gift for her because she thinks of only one thing. How to show love. The world still knows pious people in a double form, as demonstrated by Jesus himself: One of them is a frightening form of righteousness, the pious pretensions of the Pharisees of all centuries. They abuse religion for their selfish goals, and then the bad side is cast on the account of a religious person. Nothing is sacred to such people. They are quick mask changers; they have their mask for every occasion. In other words, they know how to “fool“ everyone they meet. The second form of righteousness is the purity of the two widows from today’s word of God: the widow of Sarepta and the piety of the window at the temple treasury. Both calmly share the last because they know that God will not abandon the one who gives in love – they have the experience we discussed last time. She gave him everything she had! She gave herself to him. Perhaps a person would like to give God something remarkable but wants to keep himself. But he offers nothing to God unless he gives him himself. It means not giving only the amount of something inferior, but the most important thing. We should let ourselves be fully poured out, as we pour out a cup, and let ourselves be filled with God in this way. Finally, remove the plug that prevents filling. A bottle that is closed and, although under a stream of water, remains empty. As soon as we become humble, God enters. As we deprive ourselves, God fills us. And it is about the coming of God. Believing does not mean simply accepting something as true, but believing means allowing yourself to be enlightened by God. The Gospel speaks not about social feelings, but about surrendering (trusting) one’s life to God. God wants the heart of man. God wants a man. Whoever surrenders himself completely to God makes room for love between God and man.

A man fell into a deep chasm, and as he fell, he caught hold of a tree branch that grew there. He didn’t know what to do, he was desperate, so he started asking Jesus for help. Jesus, help me. I trust you fully and that you can get me out of this. Jesus comes to him, and what do you want? How can I help you? Help me not to fall and kill myself. I know you can do it, I believe you. Jesus said to him, so let go of that branch. But what a fool I am to kill myself. Various attractions came to the town for the pilgrimage. Among them is a rope climber. They built two tall poles and stretched a rope high between them. He climbed up and walked the rope back and forth. People were gathering below and clapping. When there were more and more of them, the artist had a wheelbarrow pulled up and went back and forth with it. The number of people kept increasing, and their admiration for the rope climber grew.

The artist had two sacks of potatoes on his wheelbarrow and walked high between the pillars. Sure and safe. When the applause of the spectators below the rope died down, he called out to them: “Do you believe that I would carry each of you safely to the other end?“ Everyone below shouted, “We believe!“ transport from one end to another.“ There needed to be one to follow the challenge. How easy it is to stand and call. But how difficult it is to enter into the arms of Jesus and let yourself be transferred from the old to the new life, how easy it is to call but not act. That is not the faith and devotion of a poor widow. Let’s take the example of the poor widow home today, surrender ourselves completely and unconditionally to God, and start trusting him.

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Why does the good Shepherd look for the lost sheep.

Posted on 6. November 2024 by Peter Prochac

 …If any of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he finds it, he takes it on his shoulders with joy, and as soon as he comes home, he calls his friends and neighbors and says to them: “Rejoice with me because I have found my sheep that was lost › Lk 15, 4-6. Have you ever thought about this relatively banal question, why does the Shepherd in the Lord’s parable leave his 99 sheep alone in the desert and search for the one lost sheep? There are popular interpretations of this story that emphasize the fact that the Shepherd, who is the Lord Jesus, loves the lost sheep, that is, those who have wandered away from their flock. And because he loves them, he does not leave them alone, he goes after them and looks for them so that the dear lost sheep do not feel bad – for the Lord in his infinite love accepts them as they are, and in every situation that they have gotten into through their stupidity or disobedience, will save them. While these explanations are largely true, they focus on the lost sheep, not the Lord. However, the Bible and Christianity are not like that, the center of Scripture and the Christian lifestyle is not man, but Christ. If we do not understand this, we will easily fall into the traps set for us by modern humanism. Let us now look at the parable of the lost sheep from the Shepherd’s point of view. Yes, the Shepherd loves his sheep, every one of them. Together, these sheep make up the flock that the Shepherd cares for. When the Shepherd leads his sheep to the pasture and the waterhole, he takes care of them all at once as a whole, just as God took care of his people, Israel, throughout history and later also of the church called from the Gentile nations, which are “sheep from another fold,” which the Lord speaks of in John 10,16. Sheep are, therefore, collective creatures, living in a herd.

Similarly, man is a social creature who needs meaningful relationships with others. People live their lives in different groups, and from the point of view of salvation, the most important group is the community of Christians, i.e. the church, God’s people, which the Bible likens to a flock of sheep (Ps 100.3; Jn 10). The Shepherd is not looking for the sheep to comfort it in its loneliness and abandonment but to bring it back to the flock as quickly as possible.

From this point of view, it is important to realize that the Shepherd is not looking for the sheep to comfort it in its loneliness and abandonment but to bring it back to the flock as quickly as possible. The problem of the lost sheep is not that it is alone but that it is outside the flock, missing the other sheep and exposed to threats from various predatory beasts. In other words, her needs cannot be met outside the herd, and she is not protected. That is why sheep need a flock and Christians a church in the form of a living, functioning local congregation. It is safe when the flock is together, even if the Shepherd is gone for a while. The bigger, stronger, and healthier the herd is, the more valuable it is to the Shepherd. It is not without interest that in biblical times, a person’s success and wealth were measured by the amount of cattle he owned (Gn 13:2; 26:12-14). A good shepherd wants a big flock, just as the Lord wants a big church.

The problem of today is too strong individualism. This can be seen, for example, in the following modern phenomenon: People live as so-called singles, and it is difficult for them to commit to life even in the most elementary cell of human society, in marriage. People want to have fun and enjoy themselves, but sacrificing something for someone else or the group is foreign. It would be foolish to assume that an overemphasis on individualism is not also a issue in modern Christianity. After all, today, it is popular to emphasize what someone experiences with the Lord and what the Lord shows to whom. But we must never forget that God is not the servant of men, but men are God’s servants.

A personal relationship with God is certainly an extremely important value, which is an essential feature of an authentic Christian life, but we must remember that this personal relationship we have with Christ is realized in the context of the church. Elevating individual piety above the importance of the common worship of God and service to the Lord within the local church is wrong and very dangerous. This phenomenon sometimes leads to the fact that a sheep can wander away from the herd and put its life in danger. It is excellent that we can have wonderful experiences with God. Still, we must realize that the essence of the Christian life does not lie in beautiful experiences with God but in faithfully following Christ, developing our relationship with Him, and serving God in the local church. Therefore, let’s have a quality personal relationship with the Good Shepherd and find our firm place in the church. We will experience true blessing and happiness (bliss) if we dethrone our selfish SELF from the throne of our lives and place Christ there. Our future is in Christ, our future is in the church.

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Let’s remember the souls in Purgatory

Posted on 5. November 2024 by Peter Prochac

Day and night, the pleading voice of poor souls is heard from the depths of purgatory fire: “Have mercy on us, at least you, our friends, have mercy on us, because the hand of the Lord has touched us!” Look at our sorrow; great is our misery! Don’t wait, help us – because we are suffering unspeakable torments, unspeakable pains!” So the souls in Purgatory are begging, so fervently sighing for help, because they cannot help themselves. So is it not our duty to help these souls? They may be our parents, brothers, sisters, relatives, friends, and benefactors. Perhaps they are souls whose pain we are complicit in; they are souls who, as members of the suffering Church, have the right to our merciful love.

Our help to the souls in Purgatory will be richly rewarded, both in this life and in the next. The souls in Purgatory are the brothers of Jesus Christ, who said: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40) and “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). So, a great reward awaits us for help and love!

And maybe you too will become a poor soul in need of help in Purgatory! It will be a great happiness for us if we hear the statement: “Come, you blessed of my Father, take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world” (Mt 25:34). But when instead we hear the terrible statement: “Depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire” (Mt 25:41). Then the time will come when we too will cry for help from this prison. But will we then find mercy when we did not help the poor souls and could help? Didn’t the Lord Jesus say emphatically: “Give, and it will be given to you… For with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you.” (Lk 6:38)

So let’s be generous towards the souls in Purgatory, let’s help them through the sacrifice of St. mass, prayer, almsgiving, and other God-loving deeds! Many throw up their hands and say: Purgatory is not! With this, let the Florentine Church Council answer, which issued: “With all determination, we determine that truly penitent souls, who died in love, before they had made sufficient satisfaction for sins, transgressions, and abandonment of good, will be purified after death through the torments of purgatory, and that the help of living believers contributes to the payment of these fines, especially the sacrifice of St. masses, prayers, and almsgiving and other acts of piety.’

It is therefore a teaching of the infallible Church, and thus of the Catholic faith: that there is Purgatory, i.e. one place of punishment and purification, where those who have died in the grace of God but have not yet fully atoned for their sins, must suffer for a while, and they will be there until they are cleansed of all stains and thus become worthy to look at God.

Believers on earth can help the souls in Purgatory to be delivered as soon as possible. Therefore, let us not forget the souls in Purgatory in our prayers this month. Let’s not forget to pray to the Queen of Heaven and Earth and offer all our good deeds to the Virgin Mary for the release of souls from Purgatory. Let us remind our dear Virgin that she is the Mother in Purgatory of suffering souls, and she is also the Mother of mercy. Let him speak a good word for those souls, and let him come to the aid of his servants. And so, with her powerful intercession, the infinitely merciful God accepts even our weak requests and indulgences that we give to the souls in Purgatory and frees them, leading them to eternal bliss.

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Can we ask really important questions?

Posted on 4. November 2024 by Peter Prochac

Love is wholeness. Not only to God, but also to people. Not only to people, but also to God

Can we ask (ourselves) really important questions?
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From a very young age, my parents read books and fairy tales to me. I remember children’s “leporelas”, where there were beautiful pictures or photos of all kinds of animals. That was when I was at home. Well, I used to go to my grandparents on weekends. There weren’t that many nice books, but my grandparents always read three books to me before going to sleep, when I was already covered with a giant duvet, through which I could see nothing but the ceiling. 

Later, as a student, I started going to the library in our town. It was not big, but there were many beautiful books in it. I may have gone through all the works of the Three Searchers , as well as all the Winnetouvka or the collection of Sons of the Great Bear books . And many others. Even there, I was worried and interested in how it would turn out. How will the solution of the mystery turn out, how will the battle between good and evil turn out, what will happen. 

In my childhood fantasy, I imagined that I was one of the participants in the action and how I would probably react. Could I handle it? Did he experience dramatic moments? Did he not disappoint? Those were really important questions. Most important! Almost existential at this stage of my life.

Not to mention that I hid my first dagger, wooden axe, bow, arrows and similar important instruments that a good hunter or warrior should have with him. I got yelled at more than once for that, but I told myself that when I needed to use them, only then would everyone appreciate that I had them ready to use night after night.

Only gymnasium brought change. I realized that I would not be a searcher in an abandoned haunted castle or an Indian somewhere on the American prairie. And I started doing something serious. Later I understood that I was not the first, and the pilot in  The Little Prince had already experienced something similar : “The adults advised me to stop drawing open or closed riddles and to be more interested in geography, history, numbers, and grammar.” 

And indeed, the months and years with my grandfather made me interested in history. And also thanks to the Slovak woman, whose name is preferred not to be spoken among our classmates even after decades (and who, even years after the “tender” one, kept repeating to us that everything was good and right under communism and that the students were smarter and better), I then he learned that in the next town they have a library that is much bigger.

On my first visit, I found that there were indeed a lot of books, so I started going there. Regularly once, sometimes even twice a month, I went to the next town and borrowed four, five, sometimes even six books, and on the way home on the train I started reading one of them. I was curious what new things I would learn. I knew a lot from my conversations with my grandfather, but the more I knew, the more questions I had. And they weren’t just childish anymore, I wanted to know a lot and truthfully. It just made sense. I didn’t want to read fables, I wanted facts – or at least authentic memories.

In today’s Sunday’s Gospel, one of the scribes comes to Jesus and asks him the question: “Which commandment is the first of all?” We can assume that he wanted to tempt him. Maybe he wanted to, because he was a scholar of the law, and so he knew which of the commandments was the most important. And who else should “test” others, if not the coder.

But perhaps with this question he wanted to verify whether Jesus would point to himself as a “leader” or confirm that he comes as God’s servant, the Father’s Son, who testifies to the Father’s love and to the Father’s love. This possibility is also real. And maybe, just maybe, he was convinced that Jesus was the Son of God and wanted confirmation from God himself that what the scribe wrote in the “Law” was real truth worth living by.

“Which commandment is (then) the first of all?” – I need to know the answer to this question, because if I don’t know it, I won’t know how to live a real life. This is no longer about fables, made-up stories, science fiction or romance. This is about life – and the lawgiver certainly knew that it was about eternal life.

It sounds pessimistic, but it seems that nowadays, unfortunately, not so many people go to libraries. And maybe many don’t even read. The first can be explained and understood in the way that, thanks to the Internet and the online world, we can read many good books and learn interesting knowledge immediately and at any time. Directly from the room or the train and without a reader’s card.

I also listened to Martin Kukučín’s audiobook Rysavá jalovica in the car today . An imperfect audiobook of a perfect book. The second, not reading, cannot be understood in any way, and it also has its consequences, and not only on our grammar and vocabulary, but also on knowledge, intellect, wisdom. And actually one more thing – and the unknown coder also knew this very well – and that is whether we can ask really important questions, or even what is really important to us.

There are many questions that echo into the airwaves of today’s world. And even more answers. As if we wanted to cover quality with quantity. But it’s exactly as if we want to replace five liters of sour and disgusting “wine” with the enjoyment of the taste of really delicious, high-quality and smile-helping real wine. Whoever has tasted real wine cannot get drunk with hectoliters of vinegar.

Therefore, when we ask ourselves questions today and look for answers, let the merit of our lives be the answer of Jesus Christ: “He is the only one, and besides him there is no other; and to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength’ and ‘to love your neighbor as yourself’ is more than all burnt offerings and other sacrifices.”

Let us ask whether the love of God and neighbor is the “study” of one’s own blood “under a microscope from a dragon”, whether the love of God and brothers and sisters are such changes in the laws that release criminals and allow them to laugh in the face of honest people .

Is it a life of love for God and neighbor, if I distort the past and make a virtuous citizen out of a collaborator of the regime that killed tens of millions of people around the world and thousands in Slovakia, or cynicism towards the victim and exalting the aggressor. For “whatsoever ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me.”

Love is wholeness. Not only to God, but also to people. Not only to people, but also to God. If we are not whole and consistent, we can be well-educated, influential, rich, and prophets of our time, but we will 

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What is death?

Posted on 2. November 2024 by Peter Prochac

  1. We often hear and read about many ideas about death. Death is the demise of the organism as a whole. Medicine distinguishes between two stages: Clinical death, which we define as the cessation of vital body functions – breathing and heart activity, but at this stage there is no irreversible damage to the brain tissue. And Biological death, as permanent and life-incompatible damage to brain tissue – at the same time, it is a final and irreversible state. Some say that the death of a person is the end of communication between the psyche and the organism, and many of us imagine death as the moment when consciousness leaves the human body…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 1012) says that the Christian view of death is expressed in an excellent way in the liturgy To the Church: “For those who believe in you, God, life does not take away, it only changes; and when we finish living in a mortal body, we have an eternal abode prepared in the heavens.” Even if we look at history, we see that many civilizations believed that human life does not end with death, but continues in the afterlife. We could talk about death for a long time and find many opinions. We also heard about the death of the son in today’s Gospel. Christ at the gates of the city into which he enters is met by a funeral procession. They carried a boy to the grave, the only child of a certain widow (compare: Lk. 7, 12). The Evangelist Luke does not say anything about the boy’s death. Why did he die? How did he die? Was he sick? We do not learn this information. All we know is that the young man is dead

In one publication I read, there was an article about “small heaven”, where the inhabitants of a small village in southern China chased a starving leper girl out of her home with sticks and stones. A missionary saw a crowd of people, went to the child, took him in his arms and carried him away. People shouted, “Leprosy! Leprosy!” The crying little girl asks her savior: “Why did you take me in?” “Because God created us both. So you’re my sister and I’m your brother. You will no longer be hungry and homeless.” “And how will I repay you?” “Gift people with the same love!” For three whole years until her death, this girl bandaged the wounds of other lepers, fed them, but above all, loved them. After the death of this eleven-year-old child, the sick said: “Our little sky has returned to heaven.” How much love have we given in life? As much as the little girl in this story? If not, we still have time. While we live Me too, you too. When we die, we can’t do anything, even if we really want to.

Brothers and sisters, what is death? So today we started thinking about today’s gospel text. It is an encounter with God – love, which can resurrect us and give us eternal life. 

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Solemnity of All Saint Mt 5,1-12

Posted on 30. October 2024 by Peter Prochac

Most of us keep wishing our close friends health and happiness for the New Year or on personal holidays (name-day, birthday). However, we probably haven’t considered wishing something similar to our friends today, on All Saints’ Day. After all, in our churches today, we read the words of Jesus, which are a blessing or a blessing of something good. When Jesus told some people they were blessed, he wished them well-being, goodness, blessings… We read these wishes and blessings of Jesus in our church today to show ourselves and wish for what should be the greatest in life – holiness, friendship with God, and a righteous life according to God’s will. These goals are achieved by the people we call saints – whether they are Christians like in ancient Rome who preferred to die rather than deny their hope in Christ, or they are Christians of later times who heroically served their fellowmen, prayed sincerely, or performed exceptionally your profession. Today’s All Saints’ Day is a joint celebration of all these people who made it and who deserve not to be forgotten. Today, we also remember them by wishing to achieve something similar. 

In addition, he knows the words of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew, he notices that they are strange twice. First, they wish well-being and good even to people from whom we would not expect any great good since they are poor, thirsty, or even persecuted. We do not have to ask whether we would like to belong to people with low incomes or the persecuted. None of us desires such a thing. But it is also true that sometimes we find ourselves in such situations, or many other people find themselves in them, and then it is essential to ask how to manage these situations. Jesus’ answer is: It can be done if you do not desire power and wealth but the kingdom of heaven. Then, if you are poor, you will become rich through the kingdom of heaven. If you are a weeper, you will rejoice through the kingdom of heaven. If you are trampled, you will gain influence through the kingdom of heaven. If you hunger for righteousness, you will be filled through the kingdom of heaven. If you are merciful, you will receive mercy. If you have a sincere mind, God himself can be known to you. If you spread peace, God himself will accept you as his own. If you are persecuted for the right cause, you will win through the kingdom of heaven. So, all this can be managed if we desire the kingdom of heaven. However, this is the second thing about Jesus’ words, which seems strange to us – that he wishes us something as big as the kingdom of heaven. Why not expect the poor to get rich and the one down to get up? 

The answer is simple, although only apparent to some. Poverty is not balanced by wealth or persecution balanced by power, but only by the kingdom of heaven. Especially when, like Jesus, we do not mean by the kingdom of heaven some fairy-tale chamber of God, but a situation of understanding with God, people, and ourselves, a state of faith, hope, and love, to which we have reached as a gift from God. It was enough to open this gift. It is similar to when, after 20 years since the democratic revolution, people compare what they have gained or lost. We know that some people, unlike the situation under the so-called socialism, became incredibly rich. So that not only a few become rich but the whole country is lifted. For this, it was necessary not to exchange poverty for wealth but for the poor to obtain the kingdom of heaven, just as Jesus said, so that we strive for wisdom and humanity and a sense of justice and respect for honest people. That we strive to live with trust in God, not in people. One can only hope that if we have succeeded in something so far and are doing well, it is thanks to the efforts of at least some of us.  On All Saints’ Day,

Our church remembers God’s saints from the Roman martyrs until today. The church still has martyrs today. I knew some personally. We also know other good people who live perhaps modestly but honestly and with great love. Some are known by the entire town, others only by the closest few. But they are here among us. It is enough to walk through our cemeteries and notice. At the grave of someone we know, we might think that he died early, at another, that he was a freak, and at another, that the person had an ordinary life. Indeed, while walking through the cemetery, we will also find many such acquaintances and friends with whom we will feel peace, strength, and gratitude. Then we say to ourselves: He was a good person. We are not afraid to say that even a saint. Thanks to the prayers of Jesus and our responses to them, thank God, holiness is not as rare as some think. So, I wish us all well-being, goodness, and blessings. I want to for the kingdom of heaven, lived and realized every day here, among us.

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Bishop Robert Barron is neither a progressive nor a traditionalist.

Posted on 30. October 2024 by Peter Prochac

This week, the American bishop Robert Barron, who is described as the “Bishop of the Internet,” is in Prague. Where should we place him in opinion?

Bishop Robert Barron in a video discussion where actor Shia LaBeouf talks about his conversion in August 2022.

The controversy before the World Youth Days in Lisbon, surrounding the opening ceremony at the Olympics in Paris, and the revelation of an ordinary day at the synod in Rome. 

These are just some of the last few months’ events where we could meet his name. Of course, in addition to regular videos, reflections, articles, essays, and the like.

American Bishop Robert Barron leads a minor diocese in the American Midwest. Still, his media project Word on Fire and millions of social network followers have earned him the label “Internet Bishop” or “the new Fulton Sheen.”.” 

In any case, the bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota is one of the most influential representatives of the Catholic Church. 

Bishop Robert Barron currently has 3.1 million fans on his Facebook, 1.67 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, 501 thousand followers on Instagram, and 305 thousand people following him on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

This media star of the Catholic Church is in Prague these days (October 28-30), where the Czech Bishops’ Conference invited him. On Tuesday, October 29, at 5:30 p.m., Barron will lecture on Ipsum Esse and the Social Teaching of the Church at Charles University.

The capacity of the Blue Lecture Hall of the Charles University Rectorate has long been fully occupied. However, the organizers have ensured a live broadcast, which will be available on the Facebook page cirqueb. cz

Robert Barron stopped in the capital of the Czech Republic on his way back from Rome, where the meeting of the Synod on Synodality ended over the weekend. 

According to the cirque.cz website, the 64-year-old American bishop wanted to address students and the academic community, among other things, during his visit to the Czech Republic. 

In this spirit, Tomáš Sixta, a doctoral student at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the UK and a member of the editorial board of the review for Theology and Spiritual Life Salva, points out the dimension of the visit. He wrote on the Christnet portal that Robert Barron will not come to Prague as a bishop – because the Prague Archdiocese has a bishop – but as a lecturer, as a theologian. “Even his popular social media posts have a concrete theological basis,“ Sixta wrote.

The new Fulton Sheen?

The Czech Bishops’ Conference website is promoting Bishop Barron’s visit with enthusiasm, hailing him as the “greatest media bishop of the United States” since Fulton Sheen. The founder of Word on Fire, an organization producing Catholic-themed audiovisual programs, Bishop Barron is also a prolific author of books, essays, and articles on theology and spirituality. His media appearances include CNN, EWTN, and NBC, and he has lectured at prestigious institutions such as Harvard and tech giants Google, Facebook, and Amazon. According to Bishop Stanislav Pribyl, secretary general of the Czech Bishops’ Conference, securing this visit was a significant accomplishment, given Bishop Barron’s reputation as a world-renowned figure with valuable insights for secularized societies.

Bishop Barron was ordained in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1986. He also held visiting professorships at the University of Notre Dame and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He earned a master’s degree in philosophy from the Catholic University of America (1982) and a doctorate in theology from the Institut Catholique de Paris (1992), where his dissertation compared the theologies of Paul Tillich and Thomas Aquinas. Barron served as rector of Mundelein Seminary in Illinois from 2012 to 2015. Pope Francis then appointed him auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a role he held from 2015 until he was appointed the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, in June 2022.

According to Word on Fire, Bishop Barron is also the creator and host of the groundbreaking and award-winning documentary series Catholicism. Following its success, Barron and Word on Fire released a follow-up documentary, Catholicism: The Pivotal Players, about mystics, scholars, artists, and saints. Bishop Barron is also a bestselling author, and his latest book, This Is My Body, sells over a million copies.

The team around Robert Barron is also behind the book New Apologetic, which is published these days by our publishing house, Postoj Media. Featuring over forty essays from many of the leading Catholic apologists, theologians, and philosophers, it charts a new direction for the future of apologetics: an intelligent, joyful, and beautiful defense of the faith that appeals to both the head and the heart.

He has critics from both camps.

Evaluating Bishop Barron from a theological perspective yields varying opinions, depending on one’s viewpoint. While some Catholics see him as too conservative, others view him as too modernist. This divergence of opinions may suggest that Barron occupies a middle ground between progressive and traditionalist camps, indicating his integrity and commitment to a balanced stance. This assessment is supported by two in-depth analyses of Barron’s work, one praising and the other criticizing him. As author Peter Laffin notes, “In the Catholic media bubble, Bishop Robert Barron is defined more often by what he is not than by what he is. He is not progressive,” highlighting how Barron’s associations, such as with Jordan Peterson, and his critiques of ‘woke’ culture have elicited criticism from the left.

Bishop Barron’s views have drawn criticism from some corners of progressive Catholicism, particularly his stance that abortion is the central moral issue of the time and his lamentation of the Protestantization of liturgy and church architecture. Laffin notes that despite these criticisms, Barron is not a traditionalist, as evidenced by his agreement with Hans Urs von Balthasar’s assertion that we can hope for a hell devoid of occupants. From the right, some have criticized Barron for emphasizing God’s mercy, which they see as coddling “petty-bourgeois Catholics.” His media organization, Word on Fire, has also been perceived as overly polished and accommodating.

Bishop Robert Barron has faced conservative backlash for endorsing a book on prayer by Jesuit James Martin, a vocal advocate for LGBT rights who was featured in The New York Times alongside a photo of a same-sex couple. Czech author Tomáš Sixta has written about Barron, describing him as a proponent of post-liberal theology, which posits that the secular world has nothing to enrich Christianity.

“The American bishop coming to Prague can charm us with the confidence with which he speaks about Christ and the Catholic identity, who this time no longer bows to the secular world, and the sovereignty with which he knows theology and postmodern philosophy. The greater this enchantment, the greater the caution of the listeners must be, whether along with this self-assurance comes an inconspicuous spirit of triumphalism, identitarianism, reluctance to listen to others, a belief in the fullness of one’s truth, which closes our eyes to the truth in others,“ writes Sixta. 

According to him, Barron can be a true role model in his academic work and theological erudition, as well as in the persuasiveness of his preaching. Sixta acknowledges many inspiring thoughts of the American bishop but ends his article with provocative words – that personally, given the theology that Barron draws from, he would recommend another, “one of the most prominent and most watched personalities of the Catholic world,“ namely the current bishop of Rome.

From Lisbon to Paris

Bishop Barron’s stance is best demonstrated through his actions and public engagement. He regularly participates in pastoral and evangelistic content, addressing current events and confronting controversy head-on. A notable example is a bishop from Minnesota who drew attention to a problematic scene from the Olympic Games opening ceremony, posting a video on social media where he expressed his distaste for a “disgusting mockery” of the Last Supper, despite initially being excited to watch the ceremony which was held in Paris, a city he loves and where he completed his doctorate.

The American bishop also engages in intra-church debates. Before the World Youth Days in Lisbon last summer, he responded to comments made by Lisbon’s auxiliary bishop, América Aguiar, who was the event’s main organizer. Aguiar stated that the aim was not to convert young people to faith in Christ or the Catholic Church, but rather for young Catholics to bear witness to their faith while respecting the diversity of others. He emphasized that understanding and embracing differences as a valuable asset is key to creating a better world for all young people.

At the time, Robert Barron may even have written the following words: “The great Polish Pope was pleased that so many young people from all over the world, in all their diversity, were coming to these meetings, but if you had told him that the real purpose of the event was to celebrate diversity, to give everyone feeling that he feels good the way he is and that you are not interested in converting anyone to Christ, he would pierce you with a look that would stop a train.“

Robert Barron will give five presentations on World Youth Day, each focusing on evangelization. His views are also evident in the Synod on Synodality, where he participated as a US delegate. In discussing the church’s approach to the LGBT community, he argues that there is no inherent tension between love and truth. Love, Barron notes, is not a feeling but a selfless act that seeks the good of another; therefore, authentic love requires a genuine understanding of what is truly beneficial for the other person. Barron concedes that tension can exist between helpfulness and truth, but not between true love and truth.

A recent text by the “Bishop of the Internet” on the link between liturgy and charity offers valuable insight, particularly amidst the intensifying divide between traditionalists and liberals. Barron articulates a key principle: the more elevated the liturgy, the deeper one’s commitment to serving the poor should be. “The danger is a one-sided emphasis on liturgy or a one-sided emphasis on service, while the former leads to anxiety and the latter reduces the church to an organization of social services,“ he stated.  Perhaps this is Bishop Robert Barron’s most vital point. Despite the polarization, which does not bypass the church, it can shed light on the essence of the problems. And what’s more, it doesn’t make it boring.

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Slavery and Christianity. What was their relationship like?

Posted on 28. October 2024 by Peter Prochac
slavery

Related Post The following lines are from the book Life After Death by author Dinesh D’Shouza:

What does the Novus ordo seclorum rely on when it proclaims the doctrine of human dignity and rights? This doctrine was not new; its implementation was new. In American and British history, the idea of ​​rights can be traced back to the philosopher John Locke, but even Locke was only a great summarizer and synthesizer of ideas that others had come up with before him. The idea of ​​rights and dignity first appears in the West at the beginning of the sixteenth century. A few decades after the Spanish discovered the New World, several very important debates erupted in Spain, which not only gave rights intellectual justification but also brought the first political recognition that these rights should apply to all people.

It has been debated whether Indians have souls. That’s really up for debate. Today, atheists would probably say, “Of course they don’t, and neither do we.” If you value your rights and dignity today, be glad that like-minded atheists had no influence in the sixteenth century. The reason for the Spanish discussions were differences of opinion between the conquistadors and the Christian missionaries. Almost immediately after the establishment of the colonies on the American continent, the conquistadors and their successors began to enslave the local Indians. The missionaries complained to the Spanish crown and the Roman Church that this enslavement was immoral and unjust.

Slaveholders resorted to the usual arguments: Indians are not like us, they are not Christians, they are not even civilized. The slavers had on their side Juan Ginés de Sepúlvedo, a famous scholar of Aristotle’s work. The latter borrowed Aristotle’s term and referred to the Indians as “slaves by nature”. However, Francisco de Vitoria, a Dominican theologian from the University of Salamanca, disagreed. He declared that it did not matter at all that the slaves were not civilized. It doesn’t even matter that they are not Christians! This is because God created all people, Christians and non-Christians, in his own image. Since God is immortal, humans have immortal souls that express man’s likeness to God. And because God created us, only God, not man, can make claims on us.

According to Vitoria, enslaving the Indians meant degrading the immortal soul to a tool for material gain. Vitoria said that to make this practice more self-serving and self-beneficial for Spain and the Spanish crown, it should be outlawed because it is an insult to God. The Pope agreed with Vitoria and published the encyclical Sublimis Deus in 1536, in which he declared that “Indians, as well as other nations that Christians may discover, must in no way be deprived of their freedom and property, although they do not belong to the faith of Jesus Christ”. A few years later, the Spanish emperor Charles V canceled all further expeditions to America. Never before, writes historian Lewis Hanke, had a powerful empire “suspended conquest until it had been decided,whether they are fair’. It was on this topic – the moral legitimacy of the Spanish conquest – that the emperor convened a great debate in the monastery in Valladolid in 1550. Sepúlveda defended colonial interests. He argued that the Indians were soulless barbarians who should be ruled by the Spanish for their own good. He was opposed by the Spanish monk Bartolomé de Las Casas, a passionate supporter of the Indians. Las Casas argued that Indians, like all other people, have immortal souls that give them special dignity. He also dramatically depicted the abuses that Indians had to endure “for their good.”

Although the Spanish crown sided with Las Casas and passed several laws to protect the rights of the Indians, these laws were largely ignored in the Americas because Spain was so far away that they were almost unenforceable. Nevertheless, the Valladolid debates represent a historical landmark. Free-thinking intellectuals and politicians, such as John Locke in England and the Founding Fathers in Philadelphia, drew on their ideas to formulate the enduring foundations of human dignity and human rights. What emerges from the Valladolid debates is that whether or not we ascribe to others an immortal soul is important—our belief affects how we treat them in the here and now.

slavery_Christianity

The Abolition Movement

Another clear example of otherworldly views having consequences in this world is the abolitionist movement. In my previous book, Christianity and Atheism, I wrote quite differently that slavery was a common practice and the only group that opposed it was the Church. Fundamental opposition to slavery was an exclusively Christian idea, and therefore all anti-slavery movements were organized by Christians. Moreover, all the states that abolished slavery by their own decision were Christian. These states granted freedom to slaves who could not win it themselves. “Other revolutions have been the insurrection of the oppressed,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson, “but this was the repentance of the tyrant.”

Atheists, of course, question the centrality of Christianity, blame the belief in an afterlife for encouraging slavery, and argue that the abolition of slavery was largely a secular agenda. For example, Michael Shermer points out that the Bible contains no objections to slavery and that some passages call for slaves to obey their masters. Other atheists say that this biblical approval of slavery deepened the agony of slaves, especially in America, where the majority of slaves were Christians. Moreover, Christians kept slaves for centuries and discouraged them from rebellion by assuring them of happiness in the next life. Even in the period just prior to the war between the North and the South, Christians stood on both sides of the barricade, with Southern Christians vigorously defending slavery and Northern Christians condemning it.

Atheists point out that real opposition to slavery did not arise in Europe and America until the eighteenth century, which coincides precisely with the historical epoch known as the Enlightenment. Opposition to slavery is therefore a secular and Enlightenment idea rather than a Christian one. What to answer to this criticism of atheists? That the New Testament calls slaves to listen to masters and masters to be kind to slaves must be understood in the context of the life of Christians in the Roman Empire. The apostle Paul accepted the institution of slavery for the same reason as the Roman tax code and the rules of service in the Roman army: because he had no choice. However, it is clear from the book of Acts that Christians are not to enslave their fellow believers. The best way to test any social philosophy is to find out how its followers interpret and implement it.
Christian authorities, such as the church father Gregory of Nyssa, preached to Christians not to own slaves, and as their message spread through Europe, Christians did obey him.

It is widely believed that Christians took over slavery from the Greeks and Romans and practiced it until modern times, but this is not true. Christianity rose to power in the fourth century, and between the fourth and tenth centuries slavery was more or less abolished in Europe. According to historian Rodney Starte, there were virtually no slaves in Christian Europe in the second half of the Middle Ages.

Slavery was replaced by serfdom, which was not exactly a benign institution, but at least it was based on mutual rights and obligations between masters and serfs. Serfs paid rent and kept part of the harvest for themselves. They could marry and marry as they pleased, and they decided for themselves when they would work, how they would raise their families, and how they would spend their free time. In short, they were not property or “human tools”. If you ever have to decide whether you want to be a serf or a slave, be a serf.

Slavery spread in the American South for one reason: there was a lot of hard, grueling work in the New World, and there were plenty of men and women to do it in the African slave market. Marxist historian Eugene Genovese wrote in Roll, Jordan, Roll, widely regarded as the best study of American slavery, that the planter class had a strong existential interest in slavery. It was solely this selfish interest that led Southerners to defend slavery. Although they referred to biblical theology, they only justified why the plantation class forced blacks against their will into unpaid labor. Today, most of these justifications, such as the curse of Ham, are considered complete nonsense. Nowhere in the Bible does it even indicate that Ham was black! It may surprise some that Southerners advocated slavery even though they called themselves Christians, but it can only really surprise someone who does not know the depths of human selfishness.

When Genovese began work on his study, he thought he would find that Christianity reconciled slaves to their lot, urging them to wait for eternal salvation and not desire freedom in this world. That’s exactly what atheists say. Genovese found that in the darkness of slavery, many slaves did cling to the belief of an eternal reward. However, he was surprised that the slaves, under the influence of these heavenly expectations, did not reconcile and were not satisfied with their lot. On the contrary, they developed a strong liberal ethos in which the desire for salvation in the next world was inextricably linked with the demand for freedom in this world.

Genovese, who later converted to Catholicism, shows in his book that this ethos among slaves was born from reading the Bible. Remember the text of the famous spiritual: “Go down, Moses, into the land of Egypt and say to Pharaoh: let my people go.” The slaves found in the book of Exodus a parallel between their fate and the situation of the Israelites in Egyptian captivity. Thus Moses became not only the leader of the captive Jews, but also of the black slaves in America. Later, many freed slaves named their sons “Moses”. Slaves drew a strong free-spirited message from the Bible, although atheistic criticism claims the opposite.

In the early eighteenth century, groups of American Quakers and evangelicals began the first organized campaigns against slavery. They were motivated by a simple idea that the Bible proclaims: We are all equal in the eyes of God. This idea was understood until that time as a spiritual truth that only concerns the future life. Quakers and evangelicals, however, were convinced that it had fundamental consequences for this life as well. From the theological statement about the equality of people before God, they derived the political lesson that no man has the right to rule over others without their consent. From this revolutionary idea arose not only the abolition of slavery, but also American democracy. The principle of modern representative democracy is actually the same – no one has the right to rule others without their consent.

It should also be mentioned that, for example, in 1537, Pope Paul III spoke out against slavery with the Bull Sublimis Deus.

The benefit of Christianity and missionaries.

Many atheists object to Christianity’s contribution to society. An extensive discussion could be conducted about this, but for all the statements, let’s mention at least one eloquent comment. When I debated Christopher Hitchens in New York – it was an exciting encounter with a resourceful atheist opponent on a topic called “Is Christianity the Problem?”. Probably the most interesting question was asked by a man from the island nation of Tonga. He said Tonga had been mired in horrific blood feuds, tribal wars and even cannibalism for centuries. Then came the missionaries with their doctrine of God, the brotherhood of all men, and the afterlife. Today life in Tonga is much calmer and happier. The man turned to Hitchens and asked him: You have presented some interesting theories, but what can you offer us? Hitchens was momentarily speechless. The incredibly simple question caught him and the audience by surprise.

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Greek Catholic priest on Instagram.

Posted on 28. October 2024 by Peter Prochac

People moved elsewhere, only we priests remained in the same place

 

In September, he became active on Instagram and after a few weeks, he already had ten thousand followers. Many young people can also receive the sacrament from the Greeks.

  Catholic’s small village of Staškovce near Stropkovo. With short, funny videos, he destroys prejudices about priests and brings people closer to the Greek Catholic faith.

Miroslav Hamarčák (31) talks about what it’s like to work on his Instagram Eastpriest with his wife, about his daughter Majka, who was born with Down syndrome, but also about whether priests should talk about their failures.

We also talked about why priests should evangelize differently nowadays, whether they should go to people outside the temples as well, and what he would ask Jesus if he could ask him just one question.

He and his wife Mária are raising three children.

You published your first post on your Instagram in mid-September, in October you already have more than 10,000 followers, i.e. those who follow you. Did it surprise you?

We did not expect that. When we decided to give the introduction video, we wanted to test whether it all worked.

And paradoxically, about three thousand followers came through the first video. At that moment, we thought there was probably no going back.

As it is written in God’s word: when you put your hand to the plow, don’t look back. So we experienced this with an influx of followers really in an extremely short time.

It happens in our life that God invites us to different things, and as soon as we step into them, that’s when the blessing comes. Many things then fit together like a puzzle. This is what we experienced – one day we didn’t know how the next day we decided and it worked.

If you had told me a month ago that we would be sitting here solving Instagram, I would have laughed. It’s still a huge shock to me.

You create Instagram with your wife. How do you work together?

I think that in this creation we experience it as in married life. Two people who form a couple in a marriage bond may look at the world with different views but with the goal of walking in the same direction.

This also happens on my profile – I have a completely different view of the world, I often perceive things through the lens of the priesthood or theological school. It takes away from the simplicity of my speech.

My wife loves simple speech. In this, he encourages me to make the content more understandable and contemporary.
I’ve experienced a crisis more than once that I didn’t want to make a video or answer questions. I asked if it all made sense.

At that time, the wife often came up with a huge idea, with enthusiasm. She urged me again to go, to evangelize further.

It was not for nothing that God sent the apostles two at a time. A person can be blown in different directions by himself, he can suddenly believe a fiction, a delusion. But if he has a person who adjusts the mirror for him, the probability that he would fly away is lower.


The impetus for creating an Instagram account came from my theological days as part of the gospel group Anastasis. I was introduced to the concept of “new evangelization” through events like the Ways of the Cross, concerts, and paths of light, which offered alternative ways to share the message of God. This desire to spread the word in innovative ways remained with me and eventually evolved into my service as a priest and chaplain.

The birth of our daughter Majka, who has Down syndrome, reignited our desire to share the Gospel. Around that time, my wife also discovered the potential of social media and video production, which many non-profits use to spread their message.

We started making videos from a family perspective, and over time, I’ve seen how God has used these videos to shape and equip my wife and me for evangelism. Do you know who follows you? Who would you like to reach on Instagram? I joke that my target audience is anyone who comes across our profile and shows interest. It’s not limited to Christians or young people but includes all who seek God.

Our audience is diverse, encompassing people of various faiths, nationalities, and age groups, including those unfamiliar with the Greek Catholic Church. Our goal is to approach faith with a critical eye, seeking truth rather than mere criticism. Many Roman Catholics are also unaware that Greek Catholics are part of the Catholic Church and that they can receive sacraments from Greek Catholics and attend their temples. Many are surprised that I have a ring on my finger, that I have a wife and children.

For believers in eastern Slovakia, the coexistence of Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic churches in their villages often leads to attending both masses and liturgies. However, what may surprise me is that Bratislava, a region unfamiliar with the term Greek Catholic, has the highest following, according to Instagram statistics.

Should modern priests also act as influencers, sharing their message beyond the temple? Historically, authority figures such as mayors, doctors, teachers, and priests influenced public opinion. In this sense, priests have always been influencers, shaping the lives of their parishioners through positive guidance

.Authority figures like mayors, doctors, and teachers are no longer held in the same esteem as they were in the past. Their authority is now more frequently questioned. The relative anonymity of social media allows people to express opinions that might not have been voiced previously.

Resistance and disagreement with my actions should be constructive, not destructive, evoking thoughtful responses, whether positive or negative. Critical thinking is essential in today’s world, as we often accept information uncritically. While it’s necessary to approach faith with a critical eye, this doesn’t mean criticizing everything, but rather seeking truth.

What do you think people expect from a priest today?

The people I meet expect only one thing from a priest – that he be human.

So that he is not just someone distant on a pedestal, at the altar, far from them, or in the pulpit, but is a person who experiences the struggles and pains that life brings. To be someone who walks with the people.

This is what the synod wants to direct us to, Pope Francis directs us priests in his letters to not be someone who walks away from the people, in front or to the side, but someone who is part of the flock.

Should a priest speak openly about his own failures? You have one video, that concerns your daughter Majka with Down syndrome and you called it The Biggest Fall.

Certainly yes. By often pretending to be perfect people in the church, we do not present our weaknesses, so then we move away from the word of God, in which the apostle Paul also says: In what else should I boast, if not in my weaknesses.

As priests, we often forget that seeking fame and recognition contradicts our true purpose. We strive to shine brightly, convincing ourselves we’ll never fail. However, the Bible tells us that true greatness comes from acknowledging our failures and vulnerabilities, allowing God’s grace to shine through our weaknesses.

With daughter Majka. 

Do you think tackling sensitive topics on Instagram is a good idea? I’m considering a post about priests’ salaries, a topic often shrouded in misconception. Many assume priests earn a fortune, but the reality is far from it. 

Do you follow priests or Christians who share their faith on social media? I follow some priests from our Greek Catholic Church, but I also draw inspiration from more mainstream profiles to stay relatable to a younger audience. Your video about not spitting for good luck caught my attention. This superstition is still prevalent, particularly among older generations. Do you encounter this often?

I have to say that as a priest they also spit on children. I actually experience it. (smile)

How do you react to that?

When possible and if the person is receptive, I try to guide them. Otherwise, I pray that God sees my good intentions. I often tell people that they likely haven’t seen my video. Interestingly, many young people share my videos with their grandmothers. Recently, I was preaching at an event when a lady exclaimed, “It’s that TikToker!” I couldn’t help but laugh. Even the elderly, who you might not expect to be on social media, can be reached through Instagram.

Roma do not feel comfortable in churches. We would like to integrate them into the Gadžov church, but that is not very possible
Priest Martin Mekel from the Greek Catholic Roma Mission Romas does not feel comfortable in churches. We would like to integrate them into the Gadžov church, but that is not very possible
 

Which question from your followers has most interested or surprised you so far?

What would I ask Jesus if I had the chance to ask him just one question? I thought about it for a very long time, since God revealed many things to us through God’s word and the tradition of the church.

I’m still thinking about it.

It’s a question I’ve pondered – why my daughter was born with Down syndrome? I’d love a straightforward answer. But if someone told me to ask Jesus now, I’d feel even more pressure. As a person of faith, I know why she’s the way she is. Her diagnosis opened doors that would’ve otherwise remained closed for us, like our Instagram profile. But when I first learned of her diagnosis, did I process it as a priest or just as a regular person?A person always knows how to think like a priest, he knows how to separate it in himself.

On the one hand, a person experiences a personality crisis, some kind of pain that permeates and interferes with the priestly vocation.

On the other hand, in principle we can say what we should do. What is God’s plan in this? What we often tell people as priests, I had the opportunity to experience myself.

Many times we try to support other people who are going through some kind of pain, for example from the loss of a loved one or from not being able to have children, or from having a disabled child, or from being abandoned by a spouse.

As a priest, I’ve found that offering unsolicited advice can be misguided. What people often need most is not guidance, but someone to walk alongside them and listen. Even I didn’t know how to navigate my own struggles. What I needed was someone to share the burden, not offer solutions. Sometimes, our eagerness to help can lead us to give unwanted advice. In those moments, it’s essential to remember that being present can be the greatest help of all.

You said in the video that you prayed for your daughter’s miraculous recovery. Should a Christian have in his equipment to pray and believe that his prayers will always be answered? So what if it doesn’t happen, as in your case?

The problem is our attitude towards prayer as people of faith. We often look at prayer as something to change God’s will.

If we want to change God’s will with our prayer, then we are indirectly insulting God, since we are saying that as a loving father, he does not want the best for us.

At the same time, we have the idea that what we think and what we ask for is better than what God gives us. This means that we actually doubt his will.

As a result, our prayer is not what it should be, i.e. in full dedication. Therein lies the whole key.

Sometimes we actually experience praying for something for years and not seeing any result. Not because God doesn’t want to give it to us, but because it’s not the best for us.

When I project this into my relationship with my children, as a father I see that the child craves candy. And I try to give it to him, but maybe at a different time than he wants.

God knows best what we need and when.

So how to look at the events that will meet us? If a person is affected by a serious illness, the death of a loved one, infertility, loneliness… Is it a cross, as Christians often understand it, or, on the contrary, a blessing?

I wouldn’t look at it that way.

If we have a loving father and we imagine that the loving father will give us cancer, then that is actually a terrifying view of that loving father.
God does not want to raise us this way.

Jesus did not wait, he went to meet. 
And this is what we as priests should do.

Diseases, hunger, or wars are just a natural consequence of the fact that we live in a world where God, through the gift of free will he entrusted to us, does not have full control over how we will choose things.

Many times it is sin that is here in the world, and in this sinful state, diseases, weaknesses, imperfections, falls, wars, and failures are completely natural.

What did Mother give you personally? As a father and a priest?

To be honest, this topic deserves a separate conversation. The impact she had on our lives is immense.Before meeting her, both my wife and I had limited interactions with people with disabilities. We had unknowingly built walls around ourselves, unsure of how to approach or react to them. As a priest, I’m ashamed to admit I was guilty of this as well.

It’s a realistic concern that someone who gains success on Instagram might eventually let pride take over, making their self-presentation all about their ego. How can one avoid this trap? It’s essential to distinguish between self-presentation and ego.

Self-presentation is essential if one goes to any social network, Instagram. My goal is to show myself, and my family in the context of being normal people. That we are an ordinary married couple, an ordinary family, and at the same time we carry a priestly vocation.

What is the difference between evangelizing in a church and on a social network?

The other day, four grandmothers were at our church in Staškovce on Saturday morning. I’m like, well, it’s not a big village, maybe 200 people live here, but where is everyone?

As priests, we’re often stuck in the past, reminiscing about a time when people were genuinely interested in the church and its ceremonies. Although some still attend today, the numbers are dwindling drastically.

People moved elsewhere, but we priests stayed in the same place. I am not saying that we should stop serving the liturgy, but in my opinion, we should go to the people.

Jesus did not wait, he went to meet. And this is what we as priests should do.

At the same time, if I already have them in the church for the sermon on Sunday, I won’t miss them there, but on Instagram, they are just a flick of the thumb away. The whole idea may be brilliant, but if it is not presented in the language of today, then the word of God is completely lost.

I preach briefly, but four minutes, for example, on Instagram is a terrible massacre. We priests can’t seem to realize that the language is completely different. Instagram teaches me that and I am very grateful for it.

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The word of the priest’s connections.

Posted on 27. October 2024 by Peter Prochac

We are always looking for a golden thread to grasp the world in which we live. We want and need to trust someone, but we especially need to see.

Philosopher and theologian Ladislav Hanus once said aptly that we should confess not only the sins we committed with thoughts, words, and deeds but also by misunderstanding the context. I understand him well. We can have the best ideas, but we harm ourselves with ideas if we use them at the wrong moment and in the wrong context.

Context is a very important context. This question is especially important in our time filled with hoaxes and misinformation. We already remember from Slovak lessons that the literary meaning of a text cannot be deciphered without knowing the circumstances when the text was written and cannot ignore the events that preceded it in the work. 

Context is essential to knowing who we are. Moral theology teaches that circumstances can turn even a small matter into a big problem, whether you steal five euros from a millionaire or a person receiving a living wage.

Today, we are witnessing how people distinguish themselves in various social topics. Exclusion largely depends on the context in which some information is provided. We perceive polarization, for example, in the evaluation of mandatory vaccination during the covid pandemic; in search of the culprit in the war beyond our eastern borders. We could go on.

Seeing the connections that Hanus talks about correctly is not only a question of intelligence but also of attributing (dis)credibility to specific sources. If we choose a dubious information source, we will likely be aware. No one wants to be lied to or live in error, yet we face a considerable risk of making the wrong choice or betting on the wrong horse.

The Gospels describe several cases where a blind man saw again under the influence of Jesus’ divine power. This is also the case with Bartimaeus, as Mark’s Gospel describes. This desperate man begs Jesus to restore his sight. Because he is persistent and has faith, Jesus will grant him.

“Many times we are so disoriented and disappointed that we end up either trusting no one or trusting everything.”

The problem of today’s man, who wanders for hours in the virtual world, lies in the illusion of self-assurance of knowledge. We know exactly how it is, how it should be, or what the problem is. 

We will not even admit that it could be otherwise or that we could be deceived. At the same time, we are often so disoriented and disappointed that we either don’t trust anyone or we trust everything.

However, neither is correct. When Jesus restored Bartimaeus’ sight, he discovered reality. He no longer had to dream and imagine the real world; he did not have to misunderstand him, as if he saw a slice of him. He saw him whole because his sight returned, and he saw the reality of life as it was. That saved him. 

Even if a blind person can live, it is much more difficult for him in practical matters. It is possible to function even with imperfect eyesight, but without glasses, we see things dimly and vaguely, and we can hurt ourselves and others.

Seeing reality means understanding connections, seeing things in context, or, as teachers say, reading with understanding. It can be learned, but only with one condition. If we find humility in ourselves, we will not be too self-confident and admit that we can be wrong even in serious matters and that someone could mislead or deceive us.

I understand that it is sometimes difficult to navigate this complicated world. So many have disappointed or deceived us. We are always looking for a golden thread to grasp the world in which we live. We want and need to trust someone, but especially, we need to see. Perhaps we should, like blind Bartimaeus, say to Jesus, “Let me see!” 

My physical sight is fine, Lord. But I am asking you for the gift of wisdom so I can honestly see myself and the world around me. And where I am still unclear, give me the courage to seek the truth, even if it takes time and may be difficult and painful. 

If I live in a lie and an illusion, if I let myself be deceived, I will not move anywhere and gain nothing, I can only harm myself. Let me see; grant me the ability to understand the connections even in complex social topics, express myself carefully, act wisely, and make the right decisions in every election. 

It’s not just about me; it’s just about my eternal salvation. I want to survive in this world so that I can contribute my life to building God’s kingdom. If I understand the connections and make wise decisions, it will be easier, and it will benefit the whole community.

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