predication.net

Position: apostle
Death: around AD 61
Patron: weavers, coopers, of Milan and Florence; protector against disputes, falling stones, hail, and sadness
Attributes: stoning, olive branch, sometimes a book

BIOGRAPHY

He arrived in Jerusalem to study the Old Testament. There, he also came to know the law of Jesus Christ and joined his disciples. He sold his property and gave the money to the apostles to distribute to poor believers. He was full of the Holy Spirit and faith. He took Paul in after his conversion and introduced him to the apostles. He preached the Gospel in Antioch, from which he accompanied Paul on his first apostolic journey and, with him, founded Christian communities. He took part in the Council of Jerusalem around AD 50 and spoke there immediately after Peter. He then left with Mark for his native island of Cyprus, where, according to oral tradition, he was stoned by the Jews in AD 60–62 and then perhaps burned.

BIOGRAPHY FOR MEDITATION

WE MUST GO THROUGH MANY TRIALS BEFORE ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Acts 14:22).

He came from a Jewish Levitical family on the island of Cyprus, and because he worked closely with the apostles and his activity was very significant in the early church, he is given the title of apostle. His original name was Joseph, and the name Barnabas, meaning “Son of Encouragement,” was given to him by the apostles because of his character and his influence on those around him. He likely came to Jerusalem for education. According to some, he was among the 72 disciples mentioned in the Gospel, but this is nowhere documented and is regarded only as a conjecture. Besides the gift of encouragement, he is said to have had the charisma of clairvoyance.

We read about him more often in the Acts of the Apostles, which introduces him as early as chapter 4. It also says there that “he had a field, sold it, brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37). We can say that he then became one of the greatest missionaries. Acts further says of him: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a great many people were brought to the Lord” (Acts 11:24). His first place of ministry is Antioch, where believers who had fled from Jerusalem began spreading the faith, and the representatives of the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas there with confidence to that Syrian metropolis. He went to Tarsus to fetch the converted Saul, for whom he had earlier interceded with the apostles, and brought him with him. In Antioch, they proclaimed the good news and taught a great many people for a whole year, as written in Acts.

From Jerusalem, prophets came to Antioch, including Agabus, who, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, foretold a worldwide famine. Because of this, the believers in Antioch sent a collection through their two missionaries to the church leaders in Jerusalem. After completing their task, they returned with John, who called Mark. They apparently did not stay long in Antioch because Acts chapter 13 says that the Holy Spirit sent them on further missionary work to Seleucia and, from there, to Cyprus. They proclaimed the Word of God in Salamis, then traveled across the island to Paphos, where they had a conflict with a sorcerer. After defeating him, Paul took the lead, and even in Scripture, Paul’s name is thereafter placed before Barnabas’s. Perhaps in this context Barnabas’s virtue of humility is emphasized. The change in precedence bothered only Mark, who returned from Pamphylia, while the other two continued together through the Taurus Mountains to Pisidia and Iconium. It was difficult to preach the Gospel, with successes, opposition, and persecution.

In the Lycaonian city of Lystra, they also experienced a curious event: after healing a disabled person, the inhabitants began to regard Barnabas, the older and more majestic one, as the god Zeus, and Paul, the chief speaker, as Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Both had to resist this strongly, for the priest of Zeus’s temple brought them to the gate, garlanded with bulls, and wanted to offer sacrifice to the apostles together with the people. The two tore their clothes and cried out: “We too are only mortal men like you. We are bringing you good news, so that you may turn from these worthless things to the living God …” (Acts 14:15). Then the Jews arrived, having already persecuted the apostles in the previous cities, and persuaded the local people to stone Paul. After reaching Derbe, they returned from the first missionary journey through Lystra, Iconium, and Pisidian Antioch. Everywhere they encouraged the disciples and said to them: “We must go through many trials before entering the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The appointment of elders was apparently in practice the ordination of priests, or possibly bishops, who led the Christian communities after the apostles left.

They returned to Antioch around AD 48. There, the peace was disturbed by people converted from Judaism, who wanted believers to submit also to circumcision. Barnabas and Paul opposed these demands, but that was not enough. Messengers were sent with them to the apostles in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, after their arrival, the apostolic council assembled and finally decided that those converted from paganism need not be forced to observe the Mosaic law with circumcision. The council’s decision was then accepted in Antioch, and the community continued to flourish.

Paul decided to undertake a second apostolic journey through the churches of Asia Minor. He invited Barnabas again, but Barnabas wanted to go only with his cousin Mark, whom Paul rejected. They did not agree, and Barnabas left with Mark for Cyprus, while Silas went with Paul in AD 50. The apostles’ disagreement was not permanent, but it teaches us how personal reasons can disrupt even the relationship of people of character with the highest ideals.

In the prison epistles, Paul mentions Barnabas positively (cf. Col 4:10–11; Phlm 24) as his helper (2 Tim 4:11). From the mention in the First Letter to the Corinthians: “Or is it only I and Barnabas who are obliged to earn our living?” (1 Cor 9:6), it follows that before AD 57, they were again working together. Barnabas was known to the Corinthian communities.

Many details about Barnabas’s fate are missing. Historians, however, consider it certain that he preached the Gospel not only in Cyprus but also in Greece. Some later biographies also name Italy as a place of his ministry, which historians strongly doubt. Barnabas likely died a martyr’s death, according to an old tradition, by stoning and burning in Salamis near Famagusta on Cyprus, where his tomb is also located.

His relics were divided several times. They are said to be in some cities in Italy, as well as Cologne and Andechs in Germany, Prague, Toulouse, and Namur.

In ancient times, under the old regime, the only real law was the king’s will. He possessed all the power, and therefore it was said: if the king wants it, the law wants it. The current uncrowned “kings”—the powerful, the rich, the solvent— take it much more personally. They have well-paid lawyers and judges who always help them beat the system. In addition, these “self-crowned” brazenly laugh in the face of anyone normal. Normal is someone who respects rules, regulations, and laws. The current situation is even more chaotic.

Honoré de Balzac put it aptly: Laws are like spider webs; big flies fly through, but small ones get caught. This approach is what makes current legislation live at a high level. Those who should protect man and his uniqueness also do very well. The law is supposed to be the same for everyone, but in reality, its application remains highly arbitrary, especially in many democratic countries today. It is comforting to know that in Christ’s kingdom, things will be different. 

Jesus explains the relationship between God’s moral principles, the Mosaic Law, and the traditions. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. The Law and the Prophets” is a term that refers to all the teachings contained in the Old Testament. Jesus confirms the authority of Scripture and at the same time explains how to interpret and apply it now that he has come to offer the Jews the restoration of the Davidic kingdom on earth. One fairly widespread idea is that Jesus’ commandments differed from those of Moses. On the contrary, Jesus categorically affirmed his submission to all the Scriptures that existed in his time, the Old Testament. 

A contemporary exegete wrote, “Why then do we say that he came to fulfill the law? Look: the fruit does not destroy the flower. Spring awakens all nature to life. Soon, everything will be green. Seedlings will grow in the gardens, and trees will turn green. I will only mention strawberries and cherries. We do not have them in the garden only because of the beautiful flowers. We are waiting for delicious, sweet strawberries and cherries.

These delicious delicacies do not destroy the flower, but they fulfill it. It all depends on what we mean by the term “fulfillment.” It is clear that if we mean only a literal adaptation to the law, then Jesus did not come to fulfill it. However, if we mean fulfillment as bringing something to perfection, then the Messiah came to fulfill the law of Moses. And the term “fulfillment” is precisely intended to refute the misconceptions of those who might mistake this fulfillment for abrogation, denial, or betrayal. It can be paraphrased as if Jesus said, “The fruit does not destroy the flower but fills it, completes it”. Similarly, we are led to understand that the Good News of Jesus Christ does not abolish Judaism but fulfills it, perfects it, and leads to its full realization.

Therefore, according to Jesus, fulfilling the Law that commands “you shall not kill” is insufficient. We must also eliminate aggression, contempt for others, insults, and revenge from our lives. Certainly, those who do not kill fulfill the Law, but if they remain violent, God, who desires to build a more human life with us, does not yet reign in their hearts. According to some observers, a new language is spreading in today’s society that reflects increased aggression. Insulting insults, uttered with the sole aim of humiliating, belittling, or hurting, are increasingly common. These words stem from rejection, resentment, hatred, or the desire for revenge.

On the other hand, conversations are often full of unfair words that express condemnation and sow suspicion. Words spoken without love and respect poison coexistence and cause harm. Words that almost always stem from irritation, pettiness, or baseness. Such behavior is not just a social phenomenon. It is also a serious problem within the Church. Pope Francis was alarmed to see divisions, conflicts, and confrontations of “Christians at war with other Christians.” This state of affairs is so contrary to the Gospel that he felt compelled to issue an urgent appeal: “No to war among us”! In this Lenten season, let us ask for the grace to listen and do what Jesus tells us!

St. Ephrem the Syrian
Ephrem the Syrian, deacon and doctor of the Church

June 9, non-binding commemoration
Position: deacon and doctor of the church
Death: 378
Attributes: deacon, book, pillar
CURRICULUM VITAE

He came from Nisibis in Mesopotamia, where he became a deacon and a renowned teacher. From about 363, he continued his vocation in Edessa, where he founded a theological school.
Through prayer, self-denial, reading the Holy Scriptures, and spiritual education, he reached Christian perfection. He showed sinners the path of truth, as a preacher, he defended the faith against heretics, and showed them deeds of love. He was gentle, kind, and a worshipper of the Virgin Mary. He left behind many writings and hymns, all written in Syriac.

CV FOR MEDITATION

TOOL OF GOD
He was born around 306 in Nisibis, now called Nusabin, in Turkey, between the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris. His mother is said to have been a Christian, while his father was an active pagan. Reports of Ephrem’s youth vary and are unreliable, from a good upbringing by his mother through a sinful youth to his expulsion by his father after he became a Christian. Some mention his capricious youth and his innocent imprisonment. He is said to have renewed his spiritual life and strengthened his faith after learning about God’s providence, which he had doubted. His religious upbringing and education are probably due to the prayers of his mother and the Bishop of Nisibis, James, whom Ephrem later remembered with great respect. According to some accounts, he worked in Edessa from the age of 18 and then returned to his hometown to help people in need.

He was interested in Greek philosophy and focused mainly on theology. He wanted to impart theological training to ordinary people and lead them to piety. He is said to have also prepared for his work by leading a hermit’s life and meditating on the texts of Holy Scripture.

He became a deacon to preach the gospel better, and, out of humility, he remained one throughout his life. He wanted to be only an instrument. In 325, he was with his bishop at the Council of Nicaea. In Nisibis, he then became the administrator of a school. As a deacon, he taught, preached, wrote extensively, and was involved in charity. During the time of doctrinal disputes, he zealously defended the true faith. His exceptional learning led the believers and local clergy to want to make him a bishop. At that time, he is said to have begun feigning madness to avoid the rank skillfully.

When Nisibis fell under Persian rule in 363, or shortly thereafter, Ephrem and part of the population fled westward to Edessa (present-day Urfa in southeastern Turkey). This was a city with a larger church community, and Ephrem founded a theological school there, taught, continued his diaconal ministry, and lived in asceticism. He devoted much of the night to prayer and the day to zealous apostolate.

The most frequent topics of his sermons were said to be the last things of man. He also excelled as a writer. He wrote commentaries on the Holy Scriptures and on doctrinal and moral writings and composed church poems and songs. He honored and sang the praises of the Virgin Mary, through whom he hoped to reach the kingdom of heaven. He called her the Reconciliator between heaven and earth, and he himself was called the “harp of the Holy Spirit” or the “harp of God” for the hymns he wrote. Ephrem excelled as an instrument of God in his other writings and throughout his life as a deacon. He also showed us an example of fervent love and respect for the Mother of God, the Church, and all people.

During the severe famine of 372, Ephrem, as a deacon, organized aid to the affected population and treated the plague patients. His life and work overflowed with love for Christ and Mary. He died at about 67, according to the new martyrology, in 378, as Baronius also writes, and there is a reference to the same year that Valencius also died.

The year 378 mentioned in the Martyrology already appears in the Calendarium Romanum (from 1969) – see pp. 94 and 126. This is not an error, but only an uncertainty in determining the year due to a discrepancy between the breviary and other sources. The year 373 mentioned there is based on the so-called Edessa Chronicle, which has become authoritative for most believers. Other working groups prepared the post-conciliar revision of the breviary texts. In conclusion, it can be stated that there is no complete certainty whether Ephrem died in 378 or 373.

St. Ephrem was included in the Roman Missal by Benedict XV, who honored him with the title of Doctor of the Church on October 5, 1920.

The Beatitudes are the navigators of Christian life … Following and living the Beatitudes, which, like a “navigator,” show the right path in life. Christians have a clear signpost on the path of faith, so they do not get lost. Ignoring the direction indicated by the Beatitudes can mean stumbling on three steps, which are the idols of egoism, the idolatry of money, and the idolatry of vanity, that is, the satiety of a heart that enjoys its satisfaction while ignoring others. This is the new law, what we call the ‘Beatles.’ It is the new law of the Lord for us. They are a guide, a guide on the path; they are the navigators of the Christian life. It is here that we see, on this path, according to this navigator’s indicators, how we can move forward in our Christian life. In the text of the Beatitudes according to St. Luke (Luke 6:17-26), Jesus exclaims “woe” four times: woe to the rich, woe to those who are full, woe to those who laugh, and woe to those whom all men praise. Riches are beneficial. What causes evil is attachment to riches, which becomes a kind of idolatry. This is the anti-law; it is a mistaken navigator. Interestingly, these three steps lead to destruction, just as the Beatitudes lead forward in life. And these three steps that lead to destruction are attached to riches so that I lack nothing; vanity, to be praised by all: everyone speaks well of me, I feel important, too much incense… and I think of myself as righteous—not like this one or that one… Let us think of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector: ‘I thank you that I am not like this one…’. ‘But I thank you, Lord, that I am a good Catholic, not like my neighbor, my neighbor…’. It happens every day… The second was vanity, and the third is pride, which is satiety, that laughter that closes the heart. Among all the Beatitudes, there is one that may not be key but which can help us to reflect on the Christian life: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Jesus says of himself, ‘Learn from me, for I am meek in heart,’ because I am meek and humble in heart. Silence is a way of life that brings us so much closer to Jesus. On the other hand, the opposite attitude always causes hostility and war, and so many terrible things happen. But silence, the silence of the heart, which is wisdom, is something else. It is a depth of understanding of God’s greatness and adoration.

CURRICULUM VITAE

He came from the Middle Rhine. Awakened from a frivolous life, he began to live in strict austerity, prayer, and study. Devoted to the apostolate, he brought people to Christ, reconciled hostile cities, and excelled in reverence for the Blessed Sacrament. In France, in the Premontré Valley, he founded a Premonstratensian monastery. He became the Archbishop of Magdeburg, a reformer of spiritual life. His poverty, humility, zeal, and fearlessness made him enemies. He called for the spread of faith among the Slavs. When his remains were placed in Prague, he was included among the Czech patrons.

CV FOR MEDITATION

THE SAINT OF THE EUCHARIST

He was born in the German city of Xanten, near the Dutch border. He belonged to the noble family of the Lords of Gennep. His parents, Herbert and Hedwig, intended him for a spiritual career, as the family inheritance was destined for his older brother.

His father is mentioned as the administrator of Xanten Castle, the region and the property of the Cologne Archbishopric. There is talk of his activities in the archbishop’s service. At a very young age, Norbert received a canon position in the chapter of Saint Victor in Xanten, associated with a larger pension, then called a benefice in church law. He also soon ranked among the educated of his time. He had talent, excelled in public speaking, and is said to have applied it particularly in diplomacy. The path of the priesthood did not appeal to him. As a canon, he accepted subdeacon ordination but lived the secular life of the rich. He left the archbishop’s curia for the court of Emperor Henry V, who appreciated his skillful conduct and appointed him his secretary and, probably, also his chaplain. For 9 years, he traveled everywhere with the emperor. In 1111, they went to Rome. The emperor decided to force the Pope to confirm the investiture of bishops. Pope Paschal II. was captured, released, and crowned Henry according to his wishes. Norbert was displeased with the emperor’s actions and immediately begged the pope for forgiveness. The following year, the pope himself condemned his actions as an act of weakness. Norbert remained with the emperor until he was about 30 years old, although their relationship cooled because his conscience troubled him. Therefore, in 1113, he also refused the emperor’s offer of the bishopric of Cambrai. After leaving the emperor, who had been excommunicated for his actions, Norbert began to change.

In 1115, he was traveling on horseback to Wreden in Westphalia and was caught in a storm. Stunned by lightning, he fell from his horse. When he woke up, he perceived it as God’s call to complete conversion. He accepted the call, renounced comfort and worldly interests, and went to the Benedictine monastery of St. Michael in Siegburg. There, he decided to live a life of penance and priestly service. After the necessary preparation, he received priestly ordination in December and returned to the monastery for further preparation. On Holmdun 1116, he celebrated his primogeniture in Cologne. At it, he said: “What blindness to desire fame that will pass, to seek wealth that impoverishes the soul, and to love a world in which there is no joy without thorns and in which the soul finds no peace.” He also called on secular clergy to convert and was called a hypocrite. He spoke to his fellow canons, calling them to the apostolate. However, they despised him so much that they hired a cleric who spat in his face.

Norbert lived in seclusion for three more years, with deep reverence for the Eucharist, and received formation for his future apostolate. He renounced his canonry and distributed his property. Pope Gelasius II, who was in exile in France, sought approval and blessing for his work as an apostolic missionary. His annual mission was in France, Belgium, and the Rhineland. He tried to lead his listeners to reconciliation with God and with all people. He taught about the need for the sacraments, about Christian love, and about the hope of eternal salvation. Some disciples joined him, and the need for a residence became ever greater.

After the death of Gelasius II, Calixtus II ascended the throne, and during his visit to Reims, Norbert asked him to reconfirm his activities. The Pope, at the instigation of the Bishop of Laon, recommended that he work in his diocese in the north of France. Norbert therefore wanted to reform Laon Abbey, but he was unsuccessful. In the spring of 1120, he settled with his followers in the Premontré Valley and founded a new community there. He thus gave rise to a new order of religious canons, who began to be called Premonstratensians after the place of their origin. They took over the religious statutes from St. Augustine, who, according to legend, appeared to Norbert. The main focus of the order was on the most perfect pastoral service in parishes, with an emphasis on the dignified celebration of divine services and the liturgical education of the faithful. The Premonstratensian garment became a white tunic with a scapular and a cingulum.

Christmas Eve 1121, when Norbert took his famous religious vows, is often cited as the date of the order’s founding. Perhaps that is why the oldest depiction of St. Norbert shows him with the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus. The paintings in which the Virgin Mary hands over the vows to the Child Jesus do not deviate from this theme either. We find the Marian journey to Jesus and the extraordinary reverence for the Eucharist in the lives of important saints to be a clear foundation for the holiness we should follow them.

For the new church that they built in Premontré, Norbert went to Cologne to obtain the relics of the holy martyrs. There, after a night prayer, he announced where one of the companions of St. Ursula and St. Gereon, a fellow soldier of St. Maurice, was buried. The unexpectedly found relics were solemnly transferred to Premontré.

According to the oldest biography, a woman came to Norbert for advice because of infertility with her husband, from whom she would rather separate than be childless. Norbert freed her from wrong desires, encouraged her with the word of God, and predicted to her the imminent birth of a son and then other children, which came true. This story is connected to the effective invocation of St. Norbert, requesting his intercession for mothers expecting a child. The Premonstratensian sisters of Doksan also include expectant mothers in their contemporary intercessory prayers.

In 1124, the Bishop of Cambrai summoned Norbert to Antwerp, Belgium, to help combat the heretical teachings of Tanchelm, who presented himself as a zealous reformer. While criticizing the disorderly life of the clergy, he denied the church hierarchy and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. This led to painful disputes. Norbert was able to convince them of the church’s true teachings and establish peace.

Caring for the community that Norbert founded was not the goal of his life, even when he returned to Premontré from his apostolic journeys. In 1126, during a visit to Rome, he achieved confirmation of the Premonstratensian order. In the same year, he was appointed Archbishop of Magdeburg in what is now Germany. At the insistence of his superiors, he accepted the service in July, after his episcopal ordination. He entered his new cathedral, where he was solemnly welcomed, barefoot and in monastic garb. He retained his humility and ascetic lifestyle; therefore, he did not lead a court, as was customary for episcopal dignitaries. He began the renewal of spiritual life with the priests and by renovating the monasteries. To fully utilize his new position, he handed over leadership of the monastery at Premontré to Hugo de Fosses.

Norbert also reclaimed church property seized by the nobility. The unauthorized holders joined forces with rebellious priests. They incited the people against Norbert, who believed that he wanted to steal the relics of saints from the church altars for his order. He was attacked right in the cathedral, and the servant who tried to protect him was seriously wounded. The imperial administrator of the city intervened to protect Norbert, while the orthodox priests displayed the supposedly stolen relics to the rebels. The curse supposedly cooled the rebels’ heads, and they then begged for forgiveness.

Norbert also invited his spiritual sons to promote the reforms. As a zealous archbishop, he supported the spread of the Gospel in the eastern regions, where Christianity was not yet rooted. The movement he spread and his lifelong apostolic work are described as Eucharistic in nature.

In 1130-32, he advocated recognizing Pope Innocent II against the illegitimate Anacletus, especially at the court of Emperor Lothair II, whom he accompanied to Rome, where he was instrumental in resolving some delicate matters.

The hard life and excessive effort exhausted the 50-year-old archbishop, and on Maundy Thursday in 1134, he celebrated his last Holy Mass with great fervor. He then fell seriously ill, and he succumbed on June 6.

The cathedral chapter and the Premonstratensians were interested in his body, and the emperor decided in their favor. They buried him in the Church of the Virgin Mary. He was canonized by Gregory XIII in 1582. At that time, Protestantism was spreading throughout northern Europe, and Protestants occupied the Premonstratensian church. Catholic monasteries, therefore, sought the saint’s remains. After difficult negotiations, at the beginning of 1627, Abbot Questenberg managed to obtain precious relics for the Strahov Monastery in Prague.

God sees even what people do—for the youth … It is very easy to judge people, to recognize someone as bad, as unworthy. It is very easy to look down on someone because we consider ourselves better, holier, or more religious. In fact, attitudes are also criticized by Jesus in today’s Gospel.

The year is 1907. Klodzko. A young girl, Mária, gave birth to an illegitimate child. She named him Gerard. The girl is extremely brave. Mária heard disparaging remarks more than once. She felt unspeakably alone. She avoided public places for fear of being scorned. His son was his whole world, his whole strength. Hope. When Gerard was little, a neighbor stopped him in the street and said, “You will be nothing. You are the fruit of sin…” Gerard was too young to understand. When he returned home, he asked, “Mom, what does it mean that I am the fruit of sin?” The woman hugged the child and said, “All people are the fruit of God’s love. Everyone! Without exception. My little Gerard is also the fruit of God’s love. Love is the hardest of all the arts in the world. But it is the only right way. Remember! Love people. Love them despite everything…”

Years passed, and the boy developed. The people around him, consciously or unconsciously, tried to make him a second-class person. It was difficult for him to love people, but he knew and felt that his mother loved him, and he trusted her words to love above all else. He felt in his heart that God was calling him to the priesthood. He enrolled in a seminary in Wrocław. And then the terrible blow—Father Rector, a very good-hearted person, tells him that according to the then Code of Canon Law, candidates of non-marital origin cannot even be admitted to the seminary. That, according to the Law, he is actually of illegitimate origin. And then a broken Gerard asked: “According to the Law, yes. And according to God and you, Father Rector?” The rector decided to give him a chance.

Before the ordination, the Rector wrote a letter to Rome requesting that Gerard be ordained. The Apostolic See gave its consent. After his ordination, he was sent to the parish of Czermna near Kudlow Zdroj. They quickly recognized him as a sacrificial priest. The year 1933 came. Hitler came to power. Priest Gerard was banned from meeting young people. In 1939, in one sermon, he said: “He who tears faith in Christ from the hearts of the youth is a criminal”. A few hours later, he was arrested and put in prison in Kłodzko. They beat him, tortured him, and humiliated him. In prison, he wrote: “They took everything from me, all my rank, my health, but they didn’t take the fact that I’m a child of God and that I’m His priest, no one will take that away from me.” He was taken to the Dachau concentration camp. There he wrote, “The Lord God put me here as a shepherd, because the sheep are here, that’s why I’m here. It’s not by chance that I’m here. The shepherd does not leave the lost sheep in the camp”. He died of hunger and exhaustion in 1942.

And it might seem that with the end of his life, his mission has ended. We might have the impression that evil has managed to sanctify the 35-year-old priest. And yet no. During the resettlement of the civilian population from Silesia to Germany, several German mercenaries enter the house of a young woman. They want to throw her out to take up residence and resettle her in the depths of Germany. But before that, they intend to hurt her, rape her, and humiliate her. And suddenly, one of the soldiers stops, looks at the wall in amazement, and asks, “Where did you get that picture?” Frightened, she replies: “That’s our chaplain, Priest Gerard”. The German, clearly excited, says: “I saw him in the Dachau camp. I have never met such a man, such a man of such faith and such love…” Telling his colleagues to let the girl go, he takes a picture from the wall and gives it to the girl, saying, “Take it, let it guard you”. He pushes the image into the girl’s hands and says, “The good shepherd does not abandon his sheep even after death. Pack your things and run quickly from the flock.” 14. IX. In 2010, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed priest Gerhard Hirschfelder blessed.

This is the true story of a boy who was despised by others, like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. And Jesus looks at it completely differently. His vision penetrates a person to the bone; he sees what is best hidden in the heart. And actually, that boy very realistically puts the Gospel teaching of Jesus into his life: “I want mercy rather than sacrifice.” Mercy was a defining characteristic of his life and ministry as a priest. Mercy permeated everything he did. And that counted most with God.

Lord Jesus shows once again that there are no lost people for God, that there are no less important people for God. Everyone, even the smallest, invisible one, has a wonderful value to Him. That value is determined by the rank we have received from God as His children. And that rank is independent of us. She is simply in us. God always recognizes his child in us. And the second thing that determines our rank is mercy, because God wants mercy rather than sacrifice. And that mercy is already our role, which the Lord God has entrusted to us for the rest of our lives. Some nice people sometimes can’t deal with a kind of weakness, a kind of sin that brings them down again and again and makes them dirty. And suffering for that sin, they immediately do some act of mercy. The Church gives us several such deeds for the soul and the body. A few vitamins to get your fill of. That is a nice and wise attitude. After the fall, immediately perform some act of mercy, because God wants mercy rather than sacrifice.

God has inscribed in us an amazing dignity independent of how others see us. Let us add mercy to that rank, because God prefers mercy to sacrifice…

Let’s call her Kveta. She felt very distressed at work. The feeling of loneliness stemmed from being the only believer at work. She often had to defend her faith and justify her positions, which differed from the opinions of her colleagues. She slowly lost the courage and strength to face these struggles and thought about changing jobs. She met a priest. After listening to her complaints, he asked, “Mrs. Kveta, where do people usually put a lamp?” She answered, “Where it is dark”. She immediately understood the question. She understood that her workplace was “darkness,” where it was necessary to bring in, to place “light”. 

This idea strengthened her greatly. She stayed at her workplace. She prayed for strength and tried to bear witness to the Light mainly through kindness and goodness. However, she was abused and mocked. After some time, more than ten of her co-workers returned to the faith of Jesus Christ. Let us remember that “dark places” need “light,” especially through acts of love. Love. A word. It has many meanings depending on who uses it and the context in which it is used. It is a word that some people understand very well from experience, while others only have the message others have told them about it. Some have it in abundance and share it freely, others have little and keep it to themselves.

Love is often associated with romance. The Greeks used eros to describe this love. The feelings associated with it have been described in various ways. Someone wrote that love is “hearing bells ringing, feeling butterflies in your stomach, and acting as if you had bees on your bonnet.” Another joked: “Love doesn’t really move the world, it just makes people strangely strange, so it seems that way.” Another defined it as “something that makes you feel funny and act stupid,” while another added: “Love is something other than delirium, but it’s hard to tell which is which.” Many people said that love is blind, and someone added that it is also deaf and dumb. And something like this was said: “Love makes a man think about a woman almost as much as he thinks about himself.” Someone else wrote, “A dog is the only thing in the world that loves you more than himself,” and then added, “If dogs can think, how can we explain their love for humans? But love is much broader than the emotions of romance.”

Love is the glue that holds friendships together. The Greeks used philia for this kind of love. It is sunlight that kills the seeds of jealousy and hatred. It oils the gears of the household, making it run smoothly. It covers up a multitude of sins. It influences all our actions. As someone once said, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” One might agree with the one who said, “Love is the most beautiful of the flowers in God’s garden.” And one might also agree with this: One of the tragedies of the contemporary Western lifestyle is that love is defined by those who have experienced so little of it. We don’t want to be that. We want to be those who understand love and extend it to others.

St. Francis de Sales wrote, “Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.” There is no place where God’s love cannot reach.

Perhaps one of the most eloquent passages in the Creed, the profession of faith we pray every Sunday, is: “He descended into hell,” which we translate today as “he descended to the dead.” Even in hell, God’s presence and mercy can be found. And as one survivor of one of Hitler’s death camps said, “I have already been to hell.” It is the Hebrew God of Moses who sees the suffering of the people of Israel. Israel means “to wrestle with God,” and God, seeing these wrestlers in the hell of slavery, calls Moses to lead them to their liberation. For Christians, Christ is the personification of God’s loving descent into the hell of our lives, those moments when there is only a sense of extreme separation. God comes there too.

Evelyn Underhill tells the story of a holy man who, when asked if Christ could be in hell, remarked: I would rather be with Christ in hell than in heaven without Him.”

The Apostle John speaks of a constant flow of love: from the Father’s love, into Christ, through Christ to the Spirit, and from the Spirit to us. This descent is the self-emptying love of Christ for the poor, the forgotten, and the suffering. It is there, in the hell of Auschwitz, in the hell of a racist society, in the suffering of the earthquake, in the hell of famine, in the hell of violence… that love is found.

This process is a constant movement of flow and exchange, in which the power and energy of love are maintained and grow. It is this energy that Albert Einstein’s daughter shared in a letter from her father. In it, she wrote that the true spiritual energy of the universe is not E=MC2, but, in her father’s last letter to humanity, it is: E=LOVE. And it flows, it spills into the universe, a force that builds, renews, and reevaluates what it means to be human. 

Through the intercession of the Queen of May, let us ask for the grace to participate in Christ’s love here on earth and throughout eternity.  
Homily evaluation:

Eucharist—the Body of God, Holy Mass are things that are fundamentally, perfectly known to everyone and present daily in the life of the Church; they are the foundation of our faith. These are the truths that we live as Christians. If today we are celebrating the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, we would rather remind you of something that is the natural rhythm of a believer’s life. Perhaps that is why it will remind some people of things like “don’t forget to breathe if you don’t want to suffocate” or “you have to eat something so you don’t lose strength”. More or less, it seems like this.

The Eucharist should be our everyday life. Maybe that everyday life is understood in most cases as Sunday, but it should always create the fullest dimension of God’s presence, even physical presence, in our lives. There is nothing greater and more important in the Church than the Eucharist, which contains everything, the Church is built on: it makes present the passion, death and resurrection of Christ, it is the sacrament of his exaltation and mercy, a sign of unity and a paschal feast in which our human soul is filled with grace and receives a foretaste and a pledge of future glory (cf. CL 47).

On the one hand, the Eucharist is extraordinary, to be experienced with complete concentration and on one’s knees; on the other hand, it calls for an ordinary, everyday character. On the one hand, it reminds us of the festive nature of food we do not prepare daily; on the other, it speaks of the everydayness of bread, our daily food. However, if it were only festive food, it could not be festive bread. And yet we do not live by what we eat on holidays, but by what we eat daily. And therefore, the ordinariness of the Eucharist determines its exceptional character and perfectly conveys its mystery. The presence of Christ in the bread allows Him to be a daily feast in the hearts of hundreds of millions of Christians throughout the world.

During a dispute, Jesus said the words after which many left and no longer walked with Him: that whoever eats His Body and drinks His Blood abides in Him, and He in us (cf. Jn 6:56). But these were not empty words. Shortly afterward, in the Upper Room, Jesus will say very clearly: Take and eat, this is My Body… Take and drink, this is My Blood. These are the words that Christ speaks, and thanks to them, they have such power, the power to perform the miracle of the transformation of bread and wine into His true Body and Blood. Faith in the presence of Christ in the bread and wine is difficult, but for faith, there are no impossible things. It must be our effort of spirit and effort of heart to believe Christ that when He said, holding the bread in His hands, that it is His Body and His Blood – when He handed over the cup of wine, it is truly and truly so.

The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus thus introduces us to the house called the Cenacle to this day. A building which, despite being in the hands of the Mohammedans in old Jerusalem, is a place of veneration for both Christians and Jews. On the ground floor is the symbolic tomb of David, the most famous ruler of Israel, who ruled Palestine for 40 years. On the first floor of that building is a large room in which, according to tradition, the Lord Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. That place is the source and beginning of every Eucharist, which is celebrated in the most remote corner of the world, but also here, in our midst, in our sanctuary. So we do not have to look far. That is why, perhaps, we often face greater spiritual or physical effort to reach that source and to see Christ here in the Eucharist, in the same way as he sat at the table in the Cenacle with the Apostles.

Today, on this feast day, we need to remember two special attitudes that we should adopt towards the Eucharist. The first of these is the Blessed Sacrament. When we consider all the interventions that accompany parents as their children receive the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, we can rightly conclude that this is truly a great matter. It would be good if such efforts for a solemn Sunday and the Eucharist did not end with May or June, but became a good habit, so that there was no Sunday without the Eucharist. If someone regularly goes to confession, if his conscience does not reproach him with grave sin, if he is aware of his daily, everyday weaknesses and seeks strength not to succumb to evil, then he must seek help and grace in frequent reception of the Eucharist, in that celebrated every Sunday, and perhaps even in daily reception of the Blessed Sacrament. Only grave, conscious, voluntary, and serious sin closes the way to that sacrament. Receiving the Blessed Sacrament is our wonderful privilege. Let us not look at it as a gift for holidays, but as our daily bread. The purpose of the Holy Mass, and of our personal and full participation, is actually to receive the Blessed Sacrament. This cannot be done over the radio or television.

In the celebration of the Eucharist, everything is directed towards the union of the faithful in the Blessed Sacrament. It is our personal, even intimate, way of glorifying Christ, of expressing our gratitude to Christ, and of encountering Him. It is an encounter so close that God becomes the Food to be as close to us as possible. Even if we are unable to receive the Blessed Sacrament sacramentally, we still desire spiritual communion. Even those who have obstacles and cannot receive the sacraments can express a deep and sincere desire to encounter the Eucharistic Christ. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in a document from 1983, affirmed that a Christian can receive the fruits of the sacrament through the very desire for the Eucharist (see Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Sacerdotium ministeriale”, 6.VIII.1983, 4). Pope Benedict XVI expressed this desire in similar words when he recalled that even when sacramental reception of the Blessed Sacrament is not possible, participation in the Holy Mass remains necessary, important, significant, and fruitful. In this situation, it is good to nourish the desire for full union with Christ, for example, through the practice of spiritual reception of the Blessed Sacrament (Sacramentum caritatis, 55). Even those among us who live in an objective obstacle to receiving the sacraments must be aware of the interior transformation that takes place in them, even through the very desire to encounter Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Today, we must ask ourselves about our personal approach to the Blessed Sacrament. Am I not neglecting this gift, even by postponing Holy Confession, which in many cases also means renouncing the Blessed Sacrament? Is it possible that we do not have sin and do not receive the Blessed Sacrament, or are we determined to receive it only on feast days? Do parents make sure their children receive the Blessed Sacrament, even on First Fridays? The Blessed Sacrament is a gift from God. God gave Himself entirely as food in the Eucharist.

There is also a second way we glorify Christ in the Eucharist. This is adoration, that is, remaining and being present before the Blessed Sacrament, sometimes solemnly displayed in a monstrance, sometimes hidden in a tabernacle locked with a key. This form of prayer is one of the most beautiful and fruitful. Adoration shows our art of sacrificing our time to be before God, to offer Him our thoughts, our desires, our worries. Adoration is telling God that we love Him, coming to Him with what we have encountered. Ultimately, it is listening to what God says. Ten or fifteen minutes of adoration a day can make a big difference. Although it seems like a difficult form of prayer, we mustn’t get discouraged and discouraged from adoration. What will we do for 15 minutes before the tabernacle? We don’t need to do anything. Adoration is the abiding in and glorifying God, and is often the best use of 15 minutes during the day. It does not take much effort, except for the decision to sacrifice a moment for such prayer, to enter the church. One can enter, walk around, plan to go to adoration, and adore Jesus in the Eucharist during devotions when He is solemnly exposed in the monstrance. We have May and June devotions, the rosary, and increasingly “perpetual adoration,” sometimes all day and sometimes at night. Adoration can become a good religious habit. If we choose even one day a week to come to adoration, that will be a lot.

Understanding the Eucharist rests on the conviction that without the Eucharist, there is no life, for He is the Food. The physical, temporal life will continue to exist within us; no one dies without receiving the Holy Eucharist, but faith cannot be lived then. Faith will weaken and disappear until it disappears completely, and the need for God will be moved to another place, and then to another. The idea of ​​eternal life will be replaced by the idea of ​​only today. The values ​​of the commandments and the Gospel will prove unnecessary in such a world; we will have to invent our own. Everything that makes up the soul of man will die. It will die without the Eucharist.

The Eucharist gives life. It allows us to experience what is called the sense today and tomorrow, which carries us beyond death. The Eucharist is the pledge of eternal life, because in it is present the living and true God, our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Paul wrote in the Letter to the Ephesians about Christ. Who is the pledge of our inheritance for the redemption of those whom he has acquired, to the praise of his glory (Eph 1:14). A pledge is a part of what we are to receive in the future, but it is a part of what we are to receive with the guarantee that we will receive it. God guarantees us that we will have life forever and live with Christ forever. But that life of the soul must be maintained here on earth. Therefore, the Most Holy Sacrament is the food for eternal life, because without it there is no life.

Today is truly a good opportunity for us to make such a bold decision and be with Christ both in the Blessed Sacrament and in adoration. Today and throughout the week, we will magnify the Eucharist. Let us choose at least once or twice to go to the procession of the octave of Corpus Christi. Let us enter the church in the morning or afternoon for adoration. Let us take care of the state of sanctifying grace if someone has not been to confession.

May Christ be glorified in the signs of Bread and wine. May He be greeted in every tabernacle and every monstrance in the world carried out today into the streets and among the people. May He be glorified in every human heart that receives You in the Blessed Sacrament. You, in the Host – carried by the priest, I am Lord and God. There is no other. Before You – sooner or later – every knee will bow. May my knee bow today, too.