Brébery blinds the eyes and stifles faith.

“If I serve God, I can accept his will. In the case of a bribe, however, I am willing to replace God’s intervention with money, which is supposed to speed something up, to make a shortcut,” says PETER HALUŠŤOK (50), co-author of the Bible and finance project.

PETER HALUŠŤOK (1974) lives in Košice, is married, has three children. For years he worked in the financial sphere, today he deals with commercial and investment activities in the field of real estate. He is dedicated to spreading the teachings of the Holy Scriptures on the issue of money and property, and is the co-founder of the Bible and Finances project. 

Where to look for passages in the Holy Scriptures that talk about corruption?

In the Book of Exodus it is stated: “Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds even those whose eyes are open, and perverts the words of the righteous” (Ex 23, 8). In the Catholic translation of the Bible, the word gift is used in the given verse, in the latest ecumenical translation the word bribe. But the meaning is the same because it defines what happens if we are willing to violate Christian principles for money.

Will the New Testament also help us with orientation?

Yes, just mention the story of the soldiers who guarded the tomb of Jesus. When it remained empty, the high priests, after consulting with the elders, gave them a lot of money to say that while they were sleeping, Jesus’ disciples had stolen the body. So the soldiers gave false testimony for money. We know that bearing false witness is not right, and we also know from the Old Testament that money blinds the eyes. Under their influence, we suddenly begin to doubt whether it is necessary to always be honest, and we do something that we would not do otherwise. Judas also loved Jesus, but he betrayed him for thirty pieces of silver. It is important to realize Jesus’ words that we cannot serve both God and mammon.

How to apply it to the topic of corruption?

If I serve God, I can accept his will in my life. However, in the case of a bribe, I am willing to replace God’s intervention with money, which is supposed to speed something up, to make a shortcut. If we choose a form that is against the criminal law, the word of God or the morals of a Christian, then I think it is not correct.

Can you give a specific example?

The child was not admitted to the school, but I have contact with the representative of the school, who indicated that if a donation was found, the child would be admitted. And now it’s about whether I will figure out in prayer whether it is even God’s will for my child to go to that school, and whether I will hand it over to his holy hands. I can only do this if I truly believe that God is with me in my life. The second option is to take it into your own hands and give the money in an attempt to secure the child’s future, which rationally makes sense to me, because I think about his good. But I’m getting to the point where my heart has decided to go to safety instead of accepting God’s action.

It’s easier said than done…

That’s right. However, we are to bring glory to God in everything we do in our lives, and I don’t think using monetary or material bribes is the way God wants us to honor him. Even my own son did not get into the school we had chosen as a family. How did it turn out? Today I hear only negative things about her. On the contrary, in the school that we had second in line and accepted him there, he feels happy, blessed with friendships and a good team. If I had decided it for God, I would blame myself for it in retrospect. God does not want us to blame ourselves and feel uneasy, and in order for God to bless us, we should avoid sin. A Christian is supposed to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth, so he should obey the law.

The use of “observable” is justified by the fact that everyone does it, and otherwise we would not have accomplished anything. What do you say to such a view?

Again, I recommend reading in the Holy Scriptures, in the twelfth chapter of the Letter to the Romans, it is written that we should not be conformed to this world. So when someone else does something, it doesn’t mean we have to too. When we had a debate with entrepreneurs about honesty, their reaction was that if we have to do it this way, then we won’t even go into business, because it won’t pay off for us. I’ll tell you the truth, we left shocked.

You yourself run a business and move in these circles. Is it really possible to make a living here without bribes and acquaintances?

Yes, but sometimes it goes slower. God defines in the Book of Proverbs that the desire to get rich quickly is against his plans. This desire often leads us astray, and we are willing to sacrifice morals, health, and family relationships. Mammon breaks while God sanctifies.

Have you ever abused the fact that money allowed you to afford a lot?

When I was young and foolish, I felt that bribes made me untouchable on the road. There were no modern recording devices yet, there were only the eyes and ears of me and the policeman who stopped me for a traffic violation. It was just about how much he would ask. It’s sad, and I certainly wouldn’t do it again now. Everyone should bear the consequences of their actions and thus learn to be a better person.

In the ranking of corruption, Slovakia regularly ranks among the highest in the European Union. How does big corruption in politics, business, and justice affect small ones?

Very much. There are countries where there are big penalties for corruption. After all, if we use corruption in high places to justify our little one, then the whole world around us is going in the wrong direction. And when we consciously sin, our relationship with God deteriorates. It is difficult for us to say: God, I do my own thing, but you heal my daughter. As for politicians, today it is very difficult to remain firm in the faith in the face of the pitfalls that high politics offers. This also applies to large-scale business.

Do you have personal experience with this?

I worked in real estate, and when we were selling certain properties, the clients wanted us to keep some money out of the contract. I didn’t agree with that which I lost the whole business. Furthermore, I believe that sometimes we have to be prepared to lose something in order to maintain our integrity. I need money, but do I want to risk that God will stop blessing me? As I mentioned, we are to do everything for God’s glory. So God can ask: How do you glorify me with your business when you act like this? How can you set an example for others? When we build wealth through fraud, then we cannot say that God built it, for he is honest and just. We humans will never be perfect, but we can make choices. I refused the offer then, and I think I gained much more than I lost, firstly peace of mind. Otherwise, I would live in fear of what would happen if the detectives called me. I have already experienced being called to testify, and I could go there with peace of mind.

However, when we hear about million-dollar bribes in high places, are you surprised that the common man relativizes his guilt if he “only” gives, say, a bottle of alcohol?

We can go back to the Bible verse that a bribe blinds. The result is a dulling of the conscience, and there is a danger that a person will gradually get used to these things, just as he might get used to infidelity and other matters. We Christians have to take up the cross of Jesus and do things honestly. Either you believe in God or your own strength, I don’t see a third option. When we give a bribe, we usually feel less guilt than if we accept it. But what if the person to whom we gave it received them in large quantities, they will find out and call us to court? Are we going to lie that we didn’t bribe him? If we use a lie, that is again a sin, and this is how we get more and more entangled in it. Of course, the situation when we give the bottle or the dessert after the fact should be viewed differently as a thank-you. However, not out of the calculation that in two weeks we will need this person again. It is necessary to distinguish the circumstances and whether I really have a clear conscience.

Can we take a situation where we can help ourselves with bribes as a certain test?

It is a test of our character. If we pass through it, we gain in God’s eyes. A person should perceive that God is standing somewhere near him and watching how he behaves. What if these are all trials and God wants to bless us more if we endure? However, when we use bribes, a verse from the Bible may apply to us: He who is dishonest in a little is dishonest also in much.

However, we perceive serious illness or other misfortune as a test of faith.

We often exclude the area of ​​money from the Christian life. We tell ourselves that faith is one thing and managing our finances is another. In reality, however, it is closely related, which is why even Jesus taught a lot through stories and parables related to possessions. As the seeds sown in the ground were choked with thorns and thistles, so having riches can choke our faith. Last but not least, we also set an example for our children.

How to leave these trails of small and large bribes trampled in our society?

First, you need to pray for it. Then look in the Holy Scriptures for what the wisdom of God’s word says. And also when we are tempted to bribe, it helps to tell someone who we assume will be against it, such as a wife or a priest. In this way, we do not create a path in our head in order to find approval for our actions, but quite the opposite.

 
 
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The word of the priest.

With those two coins that the poor widow threw into the temple treasury, no one would have made a hole in the world. Let’s face it. And yet Christ remained enchanted at the sight of the anonymous lady with her minuscule contribution. I like that Christ did not look at her gift bound by human standards of performance. God has other criteria. I like that the judgments of my God are different from those of men. I like the fact that two quiet sixes can be more likeable to him than a clanging and glowing pile of metal. I love God’s Holy Spirit. I like the fact that there is much for the Lord, even what is little, that it is much for him, if it is all due to circumstances.

Oh, how I am impressed by such sacred relativism and Divine subjectivism! I can already feel them grabbing me by the shoulders and pulling me away, they want to install me, the outrageous heretic of relativity, on a burning border, but how can my heart stop burning and, how can I tear my gaze away from Christ, who cannot tear it away from the widow moved by the beauty of her attitude? Oh, I like it, I really do think that God is not driving us humans through a rough Little River, a relentless Objectives rut. So many times we would inevitably fall through it when, for a thousand reasons, we do not provide sufficient performance according to predetermined standards. Even a widow with all her Good Will and all her, uh, two coins would fall through it. I like the fact that it is different, that God captures everything minutely through a fine personalized filter and evaluates it according to other tables. I like that it is different, that God captures everything minutely through a fine personalized filter and evaluates it according to other tables.

I am therefore glad that the fruit I bring does not have to go to scrap, even if it does not fit into the criteria of perfect malice – my little sample products are perhaps the best I am now capable of, and that counts. I am glad that trifles can be pleasing to the Master and that in fact they are something great, if that is all I can do now. I’m glad that it’s okay to manage only to drink water when I have a migraine, although I originally wanted to solve all the problems of the Earth’s surface, and I do not have to condemn myself on the basis of objectively low work efficiency. I rejoice that the Gospel is our salvation from the constant pressure that we are never enough and that what we do is never good enough. I rejoice that the Gospel is the redemption from the Egyptian slavery of heartlessness and that God is our advocate against narcissistic abusers. There are a lot of them. Good God, protect us from them.

I want today’s gospel to reach those who are worse than bad, because more is still required of them than anything. I wish that Jesus could free them from the pressure that nothing they do or everything they give is ever enough. I wish they could hear that it is okay to do only as much as we can: to do as much as we can and not someone else, because we may have less power than someone else, and to do only as much as we can today and not we yesterday, because today we may have less power than we had yesterday. Let us not place on ourselves burdens that cannot be borne, let us not evaluate our performances according to the abilities of others, nor according to our abilities once.

I wish this message could reach children who can’t pass the A – level – maybe even the B-level, even with all their might-but parents are still pushing them into the A’s and comparing them to brilliant preschoolers. I wish they could hear that it’s okay to get a three if they can only learn to get a three, that they don’t have to be all units, but do their best to get a three and not a four or a ball. Jesus, in a crowd of people you were attracted to a poor widow who threw into the Treasury an alms worth three grams of bronze and offered everything she had. It’s good to be motivated, to compete and to be happy after a relentless effort, but it’s dangerous to be under constant pressure. Let’s stretch the bow so that the Arrow will fly as far as possible, but do not strain it so that it will break, and the Arrow will not fly anywhere. Jesus, in a crowd of people you were attracted to a poor widow who threw into the Treasury an alms worth three grams of bronze and offered everything she had. Did she touch you because she reminded you of your father? Could you not look at her and think of the father who gave the most precious thing he had, who gave everything, who gave you? Are you not the true quadrangle that the father offered as a gift to the world, a gift unnoticed and seemingly insignificant by human standards, but whose value exceeded all the heaps of gold, incense, flour, streams of wine, oil and herds of sacrificial animals? Perhaps the anonymous widow moved you because you saw a heart so similar to yours beating in her chest and her sacrifice reminded you of the sacrifice you were about to make. Let your sacrifice also be inconspicuous! I will not subject it to predetermined criteria of effectiveness, and in you, a grain of wheat that has fallen into the ground and died, I will see a blessing for a great harvest, for a life that lasts forever and is forever our home.
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Anniversary of the consecration of the Lateran Basilica.

The Lateran Basilica is one of the four main basilicas of the Church. It is located in the Lateran Square in Rome, next to the Lateran Palace. The origin of the name Lateran goes back to the time around the birth of Christ. At that time, the Lateran Palace belonged to the Lateran family. Her last offspring was murdered by Emperor Nero. The palace then became the property of the emperor. When Constantine the Great ascended the imperial throne, he donated the entire palace to Pope Sylvester I. It then became the residence of the popes and remained so for almost a thousand years. But in 1308 it burned down, so the Pope moved to the Vatican Palace. The ruins of the burnt palace were removed by Pope Sixtus V in 1586. After the removal of the ruins, they built a new, current palace, but it is much smaller. But the popes have already stayed in the Vatican. By order of Pope John XXIII. there they established a Roman vicariate; The Lateran Palace thus became the seat of the Roman bishopric. The bishop (cardinal) who represents St. Father in charge of the Diocese of Rome.

The Lateran Basilica is the first of all Roman basilicas. Sometimes it is also called the “mother of all churches”. Other basilicas are: Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, Basilica of St. Paul on the Ostia Way (fuori le mura – behind the city walls) and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore . The Lateran Basilica was originally dedicated to the Most Holy Savior. Only later did they. St. to this patronage. John, the apostle  , and St. John the  Baptist. It was originally a five-nave church that was built during the time of Pope Miltiades in 310-314. But this temple was destroyed several times – by Vandals in the 5th century, by an earthquake in the 9th century and by a fire in the 17th century. The current church dates from the 17th century. At that time, Pope Innocent X commissioned the famous architect Borromini to restore the basilica from the ground up. The facade of the temple dates from 1735 and the apse from 1885. The main facade was built from travertine by Alexander Galilei. On the upper railing there are fifteen statues representing Christ, St. John, the apostle, St. John the Baptist and church teachers. Five gates lead to the basilica, one of which is the so-called Porta sancta (Holy Gate), which is opened only during grace (jubilee) years. The basilica is 130 meters long and currently has five naves. It should be noted, however, that Borromini’s reconstruction took away its basilicas style, since every two columns were connected by walls, and he inserted chapels between several double columns. The interior furnishings and decoration are very rich, as they were created over the centuries.

In front of the basilica, there is a statue of St. Francis of Assisi(from 1927), who raises his hands to the Lateran. This gesture recalls the meeting of Francis with Pope Innocent III, who had previously seen him in a dream saving the bursting Lateran Basilica, which was then still the papal temple and represented the entire Church in the dream. Many synods and five general church assemblies (councils) have been held in the basilica over the course of history. In 1929, the so-called Lateran Treaty – agreement between the Vatican State and Italy.

The Lateran Basilica is therefore deeply inscribed in the history of the Church as the venue for many events connected with church and secular life. The anniversary of her consecration was at first a matter only for the Roman Diocese, only later it was extended to the whole Church.

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About silence.

Abbot Arsenius said that he often regretted because he spoke, but never because he was silent. By this, he meant that silence is an internal discipline that must be heeded. “If someone does not make mistakes in his speech, he is already perfect, able to keep his whole self under control. When we put a bridle in the horse’s mouth so that they obey us, we also control their whole body. And look at the ships: they are so large, and driven by strong winds, yet they allow themselves to be steered by a tiny rudder where the helmsman wills. So even the tongue is a small member, but it can boast of great things. See how a small fire, and how big a forest it ignites! Even the tongue is fire, it can cause any evil. It is the tongue between our members that can defile the whole person, it sets our whole life on fire because it is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of beasts, birds, reptiles, and sea animals can be and are tamed by men, but no man can tame the tongue. It is an evil that will not rest, full of deadly poison. With it we glorify the Lord and the Father, and with it we curse people, created in the image of God. From the same mouth comes blessing and cursing” (James 3:2-10).

St. Teresa says: “It is a great offense if a sister makes a habit of not keeping silence.” The Desert Fathers laid great stress on this point. For example: “Every work will be a source of abundance, but talking is a frequent source of poverty.” “He who talks many harms his soul”. “A fool acts like an ignoramus. The wise speak sparingly. Much talk is a sign of stupidity. The voice of a fool multiplies words and arguments”. “What you are really doing, do in silence and in prayer.” – He bases all these statements on the verse from Scripture: “There is no lack of guilt in verbiage” (Prov. 10:19). Too much talking always reveals a certain lack of work, idleness. St. Paul reminds us of this in connection with young widows: “They go about idly from house to house, but not only are they idle, but they are also slanderous, worrying about things they have nothing to do” (1 Tim 5:13).

We’re bombarded with a “flood of words” through mass media. I question whether I can survive without the radio – and for how long. Our culture has become consumed by an endless array of words, each vying for our attention: sweet and alluring, matter-of-fact or angry. Yet, despite the creative power of the Word that formed the world, our own words have lost their potency. This is evident in our innate distrust of the words we hear; we dismiss them as empty phrases, unrelated to truth. Paradoxically, we continue to indulge in them. When trying to express a genuine emotion, we often struggle to find the right words, as they’ve grown stale. In an attempt to overcome this, we resort to artifices like formalities, provocative language, and overly sentimental words that masquerade as intimacy.

But the feeling remains trapped inside. We do not know how to express it in truth and how to express it alone. This is the heart of the problem: if there is no solitude, there is no silence. If both are missing, the truth is missing. Silence is the highest expression of solitude of the heart. Silence turns solitude into reality. And if we do not succumb to the temptation to listen to ourselves, that is, to the complacency of anti-silence, we avoid those countless ways of formalism, provocation, optimism and magnification. All those words that do not give life and are not born in a heart that has withstood the test of the fire of solitude in constancy and feeling. It is not born of a fertile heart.

True words are born in silence. Even more: the very core of the word must be tacit. If the word is true, silence nestles in its core. And when the word is spoken, it returns to the abysmal and fertile silence from which it arose. The Word dies to make way for the love, beauty, and truth it brought. St. Augustine expressed it penetratingly: “John was the voice, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word.” John with a voice in a limited time, Christ with a Word, from the beginning eternal… A voice without a word beats in the ears, but it does not educate the heart… The Word that the sound of the voice brought to you is already in your heart, without leaving mine. Does it not seem to you, then, that the sound itself, when it has conveyed the word to you, says: He must grow, and then I must shrink? The sound of a voice rose to perform its service, and disappeared as if to say, Thus my joy is complete. Let’s keep the word, let’s not lose the word born in the very heart” (Sermo 293,3).

Our word, our speaking, which is born of silence, must be content with death as it returns to the silence from which it arose. Silence teaches us to speak, it gives strength to the word, which, thanks to the silence it contains, is not just noise (cf. 1 Cor 13:1). Silence teaches us to speak, because it preserves in our interior a pious enthusiasm, attention to the Holy Spirit. Silence cultivates the life of the Holy Spirit. The Diadoch of Photica says in this connection: “If the door to the bathroom is left open, the inner warmth disappears just as the soul succumbs to the desire to speak too much, even if what it says is good, and its inner presence disappears through the door of the voice.” Deprived of right thoughts, she impetuously acquaints anyone nearby with her train of thought because she no longer has the Holy Spirit to protect her from dissolving into thoughts devoid of sense imagery. Dobro runs away from talkativeness and is alien to wild fantasizing.

Great is silence at the right time, it becomes the father of penetrating thoughts.” And elsewhere he says that the heart that wants to keep the divine life within itself “eagerly strives for silence.” However, it is a “silence that does not bother the other”, as St. Teresa. The desert fathers associated their life as pilgrims with silence. They said: Peregrinatio est tacere – Pilgrimage consists in silence. This journey “seeks the true homeland” (cf. Hebrews 11:14) and does not allow itself to be confused by the earthly one. Speaking engages us in the affairs of the world. Our apostolic mission compels us to speak. However, if the silent core that makes us pilgrims is missing in this speaking, we succumb to corruption by the spirit of this world, we pitch a tent in this world. Then we experience that visceral sense of failure that an excess of words leaves in the heart. Words distract us and make us forget that we are pilgrims. It is silence that has the ability to keep us in the state of pilgrims. “I will take heed of my conduct, lest I sin with my tongue; I will put a bridle in my mouth, if the wicked be before me” (Ps 39:2), because I am a pilgrim.

St. Ignatius, when he reports on silence, likes to speak of “tranquility” and “modesty” of the soul. It is significant that he applies all the features of silence to the image of the coadjutor brothers. As if they were supposed to form a silent bastion of the community, so that it would be good to talk to people. There are also Rules of Modesty. However, I rather want to emphasize that St. Ignatius does not mention silence only as a means of spiritual life, prayer, spiritual exercises, etc., but rather aims at the concept of silence, which gives wholeness to the life of a Jesuit. The “quiet,” “modest,” and “silent” Jesuit is not a naive person who excludes from his understanding the voices and noises that reach him. On the contrary, he must be fully aware of all the sounds that knock at the door of his heart, as well as the sounds that come from the same heart, so that he accepts the good ones and rejects the bad ones.

The apostle James speaks of silence when he writes: “If you have bitter enmity and selfishness in your heart, do not boast and do not falsify the truth” (James 3:14). When there is no silence in your heart, but noise, do not show it with a thousand forms of boasting: sarcasm, self-satisfaction, optimism, conceit, slander, feigning annoyance and distress, the need to always talk about something. Bitterness, disordered feelings, resentment, self-centeredness… these are all defects of inner silence and corrupt the truth. And finally: silence is the highest and most common expression of dignity. All the more so in moments of trial and crucifixion, when the body would like to make excuses and avoid the cross. At the moment of greatest injustice, “Jesus was silent” (Mt 26:63; cf. also Is 53:7; Acts 8:32).

The humbled Christ revealed the patience of God and the ageless Trinity in his silence on the cross, as he withstood the call to come down. This silence was a manifestation of the Word, transformed in the face of oppression and injustice. Jesus’ wordless endurance embodied the eternal communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which entered human history. This silent Word, as recounted in John’s Gospel, also found expression in the Mother’s womb, where tenderness dwelled. In Mary’s heart, where memories and reflections were treasured, the Church’s memory resided. In the darkest hour, this incarnate silence declared the dignity of Jesus, and by extension, our own.

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

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.

 …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

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?

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?

  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

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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