predication.net

The harvest is great. We are all apostles of Jesus Christ.

Posted on 12. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

Different opinions on the issue of the quality or quantity of priests are spreading around the world. Some say that it is better to have fewer but high-quality priests, others are of the opinion that it is necessary to have more of them so that no one misses the opportunity to find their way to God. “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves” (Mt 10:16).

In addition to the Twelve, the Lord also sends seventy other disciples and sends them two at a time so that their testimony will be more credible according to the Jewish law for testimony. In any case, the disciples were distinguished from others in their missionary capacity. Jesus “designates” them, thus transferring them to an official role and preaching authority, and sends them as representatives and helpers, because the harvest is so great and the workers are few. They are to ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers. The seventy-two returned happy and said after their return about their successful mission, during which they carried out Jesus’ command to heal the sick and preach and even cast out evil spirits in Jesus’ name.

Each of us is called to holiness, through the operation of a special initiative of God, by which God chooses some to follow his Son Jesus Christ more closely and thus become his servants and witnesses. So we all have a lifelong task given by Jesus to be his apostles. Thanks to the profession, a person becomes a part of history. Vocation is not only a personal matter, but the whole Christian community participates in it. The Church encourages communities of believers to pray even more fervently for the Lord to send workers into his harvest.

I turn to all of you with a question: Why can’t we do such an initiative in our parish? So I call on all mothers, women, but also men, to “seize” the initiative and ask for new spiritual vocations for our parish as well. To your task of being today’s apostle, apart from the doubt, that God could also reveal himself through us to all the people with whom we live, work, travel, study, we can also add a prayer towards heaven that God prepares us daily for the task of witnessing to him with our lives, as Jesus did to his disciples. It can be, for example, a cry: Lord, give me the courage and perseverance to witness At the same time, let’s not forget to pray for the priests, especially for those who administered the sacraments to me and celebrate Holy Mass daily near my place of residence.

Visitors counter: 366

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Francis chose his “Ratzinger”

Posted on 12. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

They started the summer in style in the Vatican. First, on Saturday, July 1, Pope Francis appointed the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, his longtime collaborator, Argentine theologian Víctor Manuel Fernández.

A week later, the pontiff announced the apppointment of new cardinals, and as expected, Fernández was among them.

Since the name of the Argentine theologian was not very well known in our country, it might seem that he is an unknown person from the opposite side of the planet.

However, it is not quite so. Although Archbishop Fernández was in Argentina – for several years the rector of the local Catholic University and from 2018 he led the Diocese of La Plate – so he was not in the eyes of Europe, but his influence on the pontificate of the current Pope in the last ten years is greater than it might seem.

We have already covered Fernández in a large profile article. He is considered a co-author of Francis’ key works, first his “program” exhortation Evangelii gaudium , then the encyclical Laudatio si’ and also the post-synodal exhortation Amoris laetitia .

And at the same time, some people make fun of him. Although he has 350 items of publishing activity to his credit, which – by the way – the Vatican emphasized in the announcement of his appointment as prefect, the Vaticanist Sandro Magister does not see among them any that would make a “hole in the world”.

On the contrary, he ironically recalls that the theologian Fernández’s first book was about kissing. It was published in 1995 under the title Heal me with your lips. The art of kissing .

Immediately after the Vatican announced that the man would become head of one of the church’s most powerful offices, accusations surfaced that Fernández had not properly handled a sexual abuse case in his diocese. At the same time, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has this area on its agenda.

Archbishop Fernández has already responded to these reservations, but in addition to this topic, some Vaticanists in recent days have also focused on evaluating the step taken by Francis when he significantly promoted Fernández. And indeed, they also used strong words.

What do the Vaticanists say?

According to Andrea Gagliarducci, it was not such a surprise that Francis chose Fernández among the possible candidates for the post of head of the former Holy Office.

He considers the letter of Pope Francis to Archbishop Fernández, which accompanied the appointment, to be a real novelty. The Press Center of the Holy See published it in Spanish and without any translation.

“The letter is key, because in it we find all the intentions of Pope Francis to define the church’s change of course and to close the path on which he appointed Fernández as archbishop ten years ago, when he was still rector of the Catholic University of Buenos Aires,” Gagliarducci wrote on his blog .

In this letter, the Pope describes the role of the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and states that the Church “appreciates and supports the charism of theologians and their efforts in the field of theological research” ( Evangelii Gaudium , 133), as long as it “is not satisfied with the theology from the green table” (ibid. ) with a “cold and hard logic that tries to control everything” ( Gaudete et exsult

He also wrote to Archbishop Fernández to avoid using “immoral methods” in defense of the faith, but did not define exactly what he considered those methods to be.

According to the Pope, the Dicastery also pursued possible “doctrinal errors” in the past instead of “supporting theological knowledge”. “What I expect from you is definitely something completely different,” František wrote to his Argentinian colleague.

It is not clear from the letter which period František is referring to. Among the last prefects were the Spanish Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer and before him Cardinals Gerhard Ludwig Müller, William Joseph Levada and Joseph Ratzinger.

Vaticanist Gagliarducci sees the appointment of Fernández as head of the dicastery as a certain personal revenge of the Pope, who as archbishop of Buenos Aires “fought for Fernández to be rector (of the Catholic University of Argentina, note) against the opinion of the Congregation for Catholic Education, especially the secretary of Archbishop Brugués at the time.” . Pope Francis later appointed him to the position of librarian of the Holy Roman Church, and never appointed him a cardinal.

Another Vaticanist, Edward Pentin, usually critical of Francis, returned to the episode about the rector’s post these days.

Controversy surrounding the post of rector

Last week, Pentin wrote on the National Catholic Register that Cardinal Gerhard Müller confirmed to him the information that the Vatican doctrinal office had in the past a file containing theological doubts about Archbishop Fernández.

The file, the existence of which, according to Pentino, was also confirmed by a second high-ranking church source, dates from the period when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires in 2009 appointed the then Father Fernández as rector of the Pontifical Catholic University in Argentina.

Cardinal Müller, who was prefect of the Dicastery, formerly the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, from 2012 to 2017, said the document was drawn up sometime in the late 2000s by Archbishop Jean-Louis Bruguès, secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education. This happened after Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio proposed Fernández as rector.

It was about the fact that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was deciding whether to grant the so-called nihil obstat , that is, church approval for the nomination of a new rector of a Catholic university. The Congregation, then led by Cardinal William Levada, postponed the publication of the nihil obstat .

Fernández was thus only able to take the rector’s oath in May 2011, two and a half years after his unofficial appointment, because of persistent concerns raised in the file regarding some of his theological views, Pentin writes.

Archbishop Víctor Fernández celebrates mass at the cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata on Sunday, July 9, 2023. Photo: TASR/AP

Archbishop Fernández said in a statement to the NC Register on July 5 that the Vatican’s concerns “didn’t carry much weight” and that after exchanging letters with Vatican officials in which he “clarified” his “true thinking, everything was resolved peacefully.”

According to Fernández, for example, they questioned a half-page article he wrote in a small Argentinian newspaper. In the text, he explained that priests cannot bless homosexual unions because they recognize a certain concept of marriage, but they should still not condemn people.

Finally, Víctor Fernández was rector of the university until 2018.

He was afraid of the subject of abuse

Speaking of Fernández’s views, we mentioned some in the profile article , but Fernández himself also gave several media interviews after the current appointment.

The editorial director of the Vatican media, Andrea Tornielli, also spoke with the appointed prefect about the aforementioned Pope’s letter. According to Fernández, the letter offers at least six strong points that are thought-provoking.

“It calls for a theology that matures, grows, deepens in dialogue between theologians and in conversation with science and society. But all this in the service of evangelization,” said Fernández.

When asked what it means to “guard” the faith today, the Argentinian theologian answers by saying that, according to Pope Francis, the term “guard” is rich in meanings.

“It certainly does not rule out vigilance, but it does express that the teachings of the faith are preserved primarily by growing in our understanding of them. Even a situation where it is necessary to deal with a possible heresy should lead to a new theological development that matures in the understanding of doctrine, and this is the best way to guard the faith,” stated Víctor Fernández.

As reported by the Catholic News Agency , the archbishop of La Plata, Argentina, said in an interview that he wrote a letter to the members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, in which he explained that he admires the previous prefect, Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, as a theologian and his style of work. “I repeat, I tell them that I will learn from history, I will respect the processes, I will have a dialogue, but I will do it ‘my way'”.

In an interview, Fernández admitted that when Pope Francis first offered him the post of prefect, he declined. “Primarily because I did not consider myself fit to manage in a disciplinary area,” he said. “I’m not a canonist, and in fact, when I came to La Plata, I had little idea how to deal with these questions.”

The agenda of cases of sexual abuse in the church also falls under the dicastery, which he will soon lead.

According to Fernández, who himself faces accusations that he did not act properly in handling such a case in his diocese, this is a difficult area because “basically you have to believe those who make allegations of child abuse, and on the other hand, you cannot condemn a priest without due process, which requires time’.

He also said that during the leadership of the diocese, he allowed himself to be guided by the ecclesiastical lawyers and also educated himself, “but with great suffering for fear of being unjust to one or the other”.

Fernández added that he felt “more confident” when Pope Francis told him that, as prefect, he was to delegate this task to the disciplinary section and that he should personally devote himself to theology and the transmission of the faith.

Confusion should be avoided when blessing couples

When asked how the new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith wants to manage the German synodal journey, Fernández replied that now is the time for him to “catch up on this matter, listen, speak, consult”.

“For now I have to tell you that I don’t believe there is anything good in this German ‘movement,'” he said.

“Cardinal Ladaria (former prefect, note) once told me that he wished there was a heretic who would force us to deepen our faith,” added Fernández.

Delegates of the so-called of the German synodal route voted several controversial proposals in Frankfurt in March, among them the controversial practice of blessing homosexual partnerships.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued an opinion in 2021 stating that this is not allowed.

Asked if he agreed with the dicastery’s statement, Fernández said that if the blessing could be given in a way “that does not cause confusion,” it would have to be “analyzed.”

According to Fernández, marriage in the narrower sense is only one thing, and that is the stable union of two beings as different as man and woman, who in this difference are able to give birth to new life.

“There is nothing that compares to it, and using that name to mean something else is not right,” he continued. “At the same time, I think we have to avoid gestures or actions that could express something else. Therefore, I think the greatest care should be taken to avoid ceremonies or blessings that might feed this confusion.’

According to him, “if the blessing is given in such a way that it does not cause this confusion, it will have to be analyzed and confirmed.”

In an interview with a Spanish website, he also commented on his book about kissing from 1995, for which many criticize him. She says she doesn’t regret her release. “It was not a theological manual, but a pastoral attempt that I will never regret,” Fernández said, adding that he asked the publisher not to republish it.

According to his own words, the Argentine archbishop wrote the book with an interest in young people who tried to explain to their peers why they should avoid premarital sex. He added that kissing is “an example of one of those displays of affection that can happen without the need for sex.”

Ratzinger versus Fernández

Italian Vaticanist Andrea Gagliarducci believes that we are in the third phase of the Pope’s pontificate. “It is a phase in which the pontificate tries to consolidate itself before the inevitable decline. And Pope Francis carries out this consolidation precisely by appointing bishops and prefects, giving preference to the most faithful,” he stated.

Also the leading American Vaticanist John L. Allen Jr. perceives the choice of Fernández to head a key dicastery in the context of the “legacy” of Pope Francis. According to Allen, the clear mission of this decision is to “institutionalize Francis’ vision in the intellectual life of the church.”

John L. Allen Jr. in his article on Crux Now, he compares Víctor Fernández to Joseph Ratzinger, although he admits that he is not comparing the quality or intellectual performance of Ratzinger and Fernández.

“It is rather to suggest that, politically and personally, Fernández is now poised to be roughly what Ratzinger once was to John Paul II, albeit with some important differences,” he wrote.

Archbishop Víctor Fernández celebrates mass at the cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

He also noted that the relationship between Bergoglio and Fernández is even deeper than that of Ratzinger and Wojtyla.

“During the ten years of Francis’ pontificate, when the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was headed by German Cardinal Gerhard Müller, widely regarded as a conservative, and then by Spanish Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer, seen as more of a moderate, most observers considered them less influential than Fernández in shaping the papal theological positions,” Allen points out.

Now Pope Francis has pulled Fernández out of his theological “kitchen”, put him in the spotlight and is also giving him formal power and a powerful office. And as we learned last Sunday , also a cardinal’s hat.

John L. Allen Jr. notices one more interesting detail.

In the aforementioned letter to Fernández, the Pope states that “your task also implies special care in verifying whether the documents of the Dicastery itself and others have adequate theological support, whether they are in accordance with the richness of the eternal teaching of the Church and at the same time whether they accept the latest Magisterium”.

Vaticanist Allen draws attention to the phrase “and others,” which he says indicates that Fernández will now fill the role that Ratzinger filled in his heyday under John Paul II. and which consists in theological assessment of the outputs of other Vatican departments, while in fact he will act as the Pope’s “quality controller”.

And there is another similarity between the German and Argentinian theologians, although in the opposite guard.

Joseph Ratzinger was the star of the conservatives, progressives in the church had reservations about him. In the case of Fernández, it is the opposite, according to Allen. The Argentinian theologian already has his “profile” among Catholic conservatives, “and as they get to know him better, it will only grow.”

At the consistory in September, Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández will be created a cardinal, potentially giving him the opportunity to become Francis’ successor.

John Allen Jr. has one comment: “Sure, his candidacy will seem inconceivable to the Pope’s critics, who will not be able to believe that the majority of cardinals would vote for such a controversial figure – but I remind you that exactly the same was said about Joseph Ratzinger’s chances 18 years ago .”

In the cover photo, Archbishop Víctor Fernández celebrates mass at the cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

Visitors counter: 295

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Jesus calls. It is possible to serve God in every state of life.

Posted on 12. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

The Lord calls to Himself always. Jesus says to those whom he has called: “…the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt 10:7). Have we also heard God’s call? Have we responded to this invitation? How?

The Lord chose us to be with him. He wanted us as we are. He was not bothered by our mistakes and shortcomings. Even through them, he wanted to use us for his highest goal – the salvation of souls. Are we aware of this noble distinction? Are we aware of how much love God has shown us? That’s why we don’t need to worry about what we can’t change. On the contrary, we should strive to live as Jesus lived. He is our role model. He is an example for us to follow. But we must remember that Jesus does not call the able, but gives ability to the called! God in us, based on the grace of baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit, can and will do miraculous things.

One personal testimony. It was delivered at one meeting by a young man, possibly a future priest, who says: “I had the opportunity to live one of the formative years of my preparation for the priesthood in a religious order whose charisma, among others, was zeal for new priestly vocations. It was at the time of my inner rebirth. I did not know to whom and where I was going. However, I knew that I wanted to leave the previous way of life, which no longer fulfilled me. I thought I had everything I needed for life. But I was wrong. Only when I reached this place did I know that here, completely surrendered to the will of God, I could start my new life. The road to the priesthood was winding… I realized that the priesthood is a service. It is a service in which we must die completely to ourselves and live to Christ. The Lord did not choose us because we are perfect. The Lord decided us because He liked us just the way we are. Simple, often with a lot of mistakes, which we may even try to hide from the world. But the Lord knows everything about us, and yet loves us even with our faults.”

So let’s think together now, what does our life mean to us? Is it just a certain designation or privilege that sets us apart from other people or represents for us something that is foolishness in the eyes of the powerful of this world? However, it is certain that those who accepted and responded to this call of God, God gave the power to become God’s children.

Holidays, days of rest and doing nothing… Let’s leave them filled with Jesus’ call to pray and go into the world and proclaim everywhere his message of love and peace that he himself brought us. And so once, together with the psalmist, we could all exclaim: “Try and see for yourself how good the Lord is; happy is the person who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 33:9).

Visitors counter: 716

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

God of joy.

Posted on 10. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

You have girded me with joy » Ps 30, 12.

God is a God of joy. And if Christianity is a religion of joy, it is essential because it directly shares in the joy that dwells in the Holy Trinity. Joy is like the air that reigns in God. We used to say that God is mercy, love, and peace. Under certain life circumstances, a person can understand the divine attributes revealed to us with his heart. He experiences, for example, the paternal goodness of God, who takes care of his personal needs, or the mercy of Jesus Christ, who forgives his sins.

To enjoy joy, we must immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of the Holy Trinity. May God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit experience complete and perfect joy together thanks to the love with which they love each other. The perfect love in God results from the mutual self-giving of the persons of the Holy Trinity. Because as soon as there is a gift, there is potential joy. In God, this gift is complete, so his joy is complete. The Father is the joy of his Son when he gives himself entirely to him. The Son is the joy of his Father when he also gives himself entirely to him. They are each other’s joy. And to imagine it, we can say that the explosion of love between them is the person of the Holy Spirit.

Despite the noble doctrine, the Holy Scriptures do not despise the simple joys of life. He knows the joy of a rich harvest or vintage, the joy that we are among brothers and can glorify God together, the joy of the birth of a child, and the joy that springs from the admiration of creation. Perhaps we are little aware of it, which is why the statement of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is still valid: “You all seem to me to be little redeemed people.”

Christian joy presupposes a person capable of naturally rejoicing. Human joys are pleasing to God. Let’s not forget to offer them to him to purify, sanctify, and intensify them. However, the discovery of true joy presupposes that we will be able to advance higher, not stop at the horizontal level of the joys offered, but that we will find a vertical direction in them.

Because Christian joy is primarily spiritual, it is usual to radiate into all-natural and emotional joys. She makes natural joys the true joys of the human heart. He who stops at human pleasures, however uplifting, without trying to connect them with their source, only verifies their transitory character. His desire for authentic joy will not be fulfilled.

Man is a being who desires. Therefore, he can now joy. He cannot live without her and is looking for her with all his might. Very often, the desire for joy and happiness inspires his actions and life decisions. However, man is primarily a spiritual being. God created him to live in union with him. Therefore no joy can satisfy him. His heart will be filled only when he receives true joy, which the world cannot give, but God gives to those who ask for it.

Visitors counter: 271

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Saint Benedict Abbot.

Posted on 10. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

Visitors counter: 367

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Leave and follow.

Posted on 10. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

The personality of Benedict of Nursia needs no introduction. A giant who invited European people to look deep inside through prayer and work. These two dimensions of his life and preaching were to be manifested in social and political life. The situation of society and the Church at that time was not far from the current one. I would even say that, in many aspects, she was the same. Society under the pressure of new peoples, cultures, and ideas; A church distant from gospel truths and vision; a society without spirit and direction. But unlike his contemporaries, Benedict does not run away from this world – on the contrary, he realizes that it is necessary to “build a house on a rock.” The rock for him is prayer and work. They will become an aspect of the new society for future generations, preserving faith, education, and culture.

After the rich young man leaves Jesus sad because he cannot fulfill his desire for eternal life, which is conditioned for him by the last unpleasant change in life expressed by Jesus’ call: “go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow me!”; Peter asks Jesus: “Look, we have left everything and followed you. So what will we get out of it?” Jesus points out that this step is a gift because it brings freedom. Or even better, it “makes a person free” – that is, it makes a person a son or a master and not a slave of creation—those who know how to use things and are not slaves to things.

Thus, the Christian is invited to understand that pure ownership, pure pride, and pure power (let’s try to remember the three temptations of Christ in the desert) are the weapons of the Evil One and the World with which they want to rule over man. On the contrary, poverty, purity, and obedience are radical and visible testimony of freedom. That’s why the world doesn’t like them. He orders not to wear a habit and other signs of such a decision. But this is not enough; for completeness, it is necessary to fulfill one more step – to follow. That is so that the Christian does not become a wanderer who does not have his goal and fulfillment in life—leaving everything that enslaves him so that he can freely follow Christ and bring his word to his neighbors – to be the voice of Christ.

Visitors counter: 174

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Cooperation with God. The need for cooperation in the life of each of us.

Posted on 10. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

Someone said that God laughs when we plan something. If God is calling you, He has His plans for you. We can also say that we will not find peace if we oppose him. If God calls, it is right to follow his way. We must not run away. After all, there is no escape. Even though we know that God respects our freedom, when God calls us, we must not resist. If he is calling us, he has plans for us. Even in today’s Gospel, we heard how our Lord Jesus Christ said to his disciples: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38).

The activity of the world is often manifested by a lack of time and especially by a lack of workers who will selflessly care for the good of those who do not realize that they have become slaves to their activity, that they are betraying themselves, that they have degraded the meaning of life, exchanged it for fleeting values that they lose their meaning with death. It would be wrong for the Church to leave the field in which Christ commissioned her to care for those afflicted and depressed in their lives. Jesus pointed out that others, not with pure thinking, sincerity, and honesty, will be interested in these people. They will be like ravenous wolves in their methods and activities. The Church has the duty of shepherd even to those outside the Church. The world’s activity will always be more significant so that the harvest will be great, and the Church needs workers to remind the world of their purpose, goal, and mission of life. There will never be a surplus of workers in the world. The activity of workers always requires sacrifices. Many will also accept the vocation to become a worker in the harvest, but because of the worker’s sacrifices, some will resign at the beginning, others will be deceived, and others will be deceived… Those who persevere to the end will bring a rich harvest. Jesus draws attention to this situation by saying: “Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38). This means that without prayer, any apostolate cannot stand.

The names of the apostles and the power with which Jesus bestows and entrusts them indicate that the Church is apostolic because it is based on the apostles, in the sense that it is based on the apostles as witnesses, whom Jesus entrusted with a missionary mission. With the help of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the Church, the apostles will protect and pass on the teaching, entrusted treasure, and healthy words until Christ’s return. The Church is apostolic, which means that all members of the Church share in its mission, although in different ways. Through the sacrament of baptism, a Christian receives a call to apostolate. The fruitfulness of the apostolate of ordained ministers of the Church and lay people depends on their vital connection with Christ. The apostolate takes on the most diverse forms according to vocations, the times’ demands, and the Holy Spirit’s various giftst.

We could compare the whole world to such a harvest. Each of us is an ear of corn, and our earthly life is a time when our souls, like ears of corn,

Visitors counter: 156

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Life without faith. Do we realize what faith enriches us with?

Posted on 9. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

Is it easier for a believer or an unbeliever? We don’t even realize how many situations we are faced with every day. Believers and non-believers must believe. Where whom and where we believe what. The event of the gospel, which has just ended, directly introduces us to the crowd behind Jesus. We become spectators of the Gospel story, even more. We can be in the center of the action and hear Jesus’ words with our own ears: “..daughter, your faith has made you well…” (Mt 9:22).

It is impossible not to notice her supernatural faith, which Jesus points to as the reason for the healing: “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” It consisted of two actions: First, you made up your mind, and said in your spirit: “As soon as I touch his clothes, I will be healed.” (Mt 9:21). That was an act of reason. And then they will work, an act of faith, a deed. As she made her way to the center of the crowd and touched the robe. It was not banality. She did so, despite the prohibition of the law. According to him, her touch made others unclean. It could have had unpleasant consequences. This also requires faith. How is it that the healing did not take place at the moment when the woman said to herself “if I touch?…” An act of will was also necessary. And why was even the act of touching itself not healing? After all, so many touched Jesus and power did not come from him. .. Supernatural faith is always about cooperation: human reason and human will with God’s grace. And if natural faith is based on trust in experience, agreement or technique, supernatural faith is based on a much stronger foundation – on the authority of God. I believe because God said. Experience can disappoint, there is usually a malfunction in the technique, the agreement is broken. God – absolute Truth, is infallible. He cannot will, think, speak otherwise than the most perfect. In this lies the certainty of faith. Perhaps out of habit we follow Jesus in a crowd. We listen to his words almost every day. Maybe we can be excited by the singing of a crowded church or the idyllic idyll of church holidays. Is that enough for us?

Why is there no healing in so many encounters with Christ? How to heal unresolved disputes with relatives, neighbors… To heal a relationship with an angry sibling or friend. Can we take two steps to heal? So simple and challenging at the same time. When we can realize with reason: if I get closer to him, I get closer to Jesus; we have taken the first step of faith. I believe, Lord, that you are in him, in her. Let us recognize his face in a sympathetic person, even in the one who does not remind us of Jesus. Christ is also in a sinful man, and he suffers. Do I bypass him? The second step is the deed, the very touching of Christ in the neighbor. It can take a variety of forms. Love for Jesus, whom I saw in a person, can be inventive..

Visitors counter: 220

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

Sunday in the 14th week of Year A Mt 11,25-30

Posted on 7. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

Introduction.

Jesus calls us today: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will strengthen you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29).

Sermon.

In his love, Jesus reveals and glorifies his Father. These words of Jesus can be called “self-revelation”. Jesus as the Son represents his relationship to the Father in the Holy Spirit. He says how he received everything from the Father. The Father, who is the Lord of heaven and earth, reveals through Jesus the mystery that he came to announce to the world. It is known that even today most of the great scientists declare themselves to be believers. In the secrets that God has hidden from the “wise and prudent”, they recognize the obligation to be little ones, because God reveals his wisdom, greatness, and love to the little ones. Man’s pride has closed the doors of paradise. The faith of many personalities of science, both macrocosm, and microcosm, medicine, nuclear or quantum energy, physics, and chemistry, is based on humility, simplicity, perseverance… Many great people, the more they know, know, and mean, the more we know them as people not proud, but humble.
As God’s Son, Jesus received everything from the Father: knowledge of God and participation in his ruling power. Even today, the quiet and humble Jesus is not only for great people of science, art, and sports… a role model, an inspiration to work on themselves, on what they do, but the quiet and humble Jesus gives everyone the assurance that if we enter his school, which bears the seal of great love, silence and humility, each of us will find rest for his soul. No one who is proud, no one who rejects the example of Jesus and who pretends to be wise and prudent, will not understand the revolutionary message that Jesus makes known to people. Jesus teaches from the Gospel that he knows the mystery of the Father and will pass it on to those who can understand it. The mystery of God will not be understood by those who live in pride, and sin. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds us who is dear to God. Man is created in the image of God, and the human heart, as the most important organ of the human body, figuratively reminds us, to know, love, and serve God. As the human heart beats, it performs its activity day and night, whether we are aware of it or not, so we, gifted with reason and will, are to fulfill the will of God.
The world of sin has created false, temporary principles, and rules that only tough people have a chance to succeed in, for example, politics, the economy, and sports. They consider a simple and direct person to be naive, perhaps good, and use him selflessly. Jesus does not want to demonstrate the power and use violence. Jesus could not be admired either as a philosopher or a man of letters. However, his word is powerful, although he is not considered a successful person. And yet, Jesus shows the way to true values here on earth and once in eternity. He wants us to accept them, adopt them, live according to them, and only he will reward those who fulfill their mission.

Each of us is addressed by Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will strengthen you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29).

In the book; ,, Living the Gospel,, Bendiktk describes the story of a boy who suffered from a spinal disease in childhood. Since then, he suffered a lot physically and mentally. He was hidden. He especially suffered when he had to undress somewhere. The shoulders looked terrible. It went so far that he began to hate his mutilation. The class was invited for a medical examination. The boy stood in line, but he suffered a lot from having to stand in front of the doctor like that again. He was sweating, he was tense, he was ashamed. When he entered the ambulance, something strange happened. The doctor stood up, came to the boy, took the boy’s face in his hands, looked deep into his eyes, and asked, “Son, do you believe in God?” “Yes, please,” said the boy. “That’s good,” said the doctor, and after a while he said, “The more you believe in God, the sooner and easier you will accept yourself.” Then the doctor sat down at the table and wrote something. He got up and left the room. The boy approached the table and with a trembling heart read what the doctor had written. He could not believe his eyes what he read about himself: “The boy has an unusually beautifully formed face.” After a while the doctor returned and finished the examination. In parting, he smiled at the boy and remarked: “Everything is fine. You can leave.” This short episode played a huge role in the boy’s life. He never forgot the doctor’s few words and his unusual delicacy.

Jesus reminds us again and again: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you strength.” Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29). Jesus’ words are an inspiration to realize the meaning of the strength, power, and value of the gospel. It is true that the world prefers if it wants to forcefully, words: pride, tactlessness, rudeness to delicacy, humility, love, nobility. Just look around, listen to what is said, how it is said, not only during football, in the hospitality industry, but also on the way home, in families… What about you, parents? After all, children are the calling cards of parents not only in their clothes but also in their behavior, speech… Jesus represents the Father. Children, in turn, parents. But adults also represent the nation. What about politicians in public speeches? What films, actors, and public officials? Jesus speaks to each of us: “Learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:29).

Jesus does not stop at words… Let’s notice his approach to the woman caught in sin. To the woman in the Pharisee’s house. How Jesus defends these women and speaks about them. He didn’t condemn, he didn’t judge, but he showed what we all long for love. In the parable of the lost sheep, we do not read that when the good shepherd found it, he beat it, shouted at it, but that he took it on his shoulders and rejoiced. The Good Shepherd reminds us of Jesus. Jesus wants us to notice and adopt the gentle behavior of the Father in the parable of the prodigal son. That father symbolizes the Heavenly Father. Our behavior, love, that is, our Christian hearts can do and do miracles. It is right that we see Jesus as a new Teacher who desires to lead us in a new way of life, which will be based on the principles of humility, love, mutual understanding or respect, and appreciation. In this new world, Jesus offers us his help, strength, and protection. After all, we know from the mouth of Jesus what heaven means to us, eternity with the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Mary, angels, and saints.

It is worth mentioning an experiment that a religious teacher did with his students in a certain city. For three days, the class had to observe adults on the street, at home, in waiting rooms, means of transport, on the way to and from church, and at home. The children were supposed to look for what was noticeable to adults. The children concluded together: People don’t smile much. Adults are very serious. If they sometimes smile, but quickly and forcefully, and they don’t look happy and cheerful.

It is not written about Jesus in the Gospel that he laughed, smiled, joked. He teaches us to be truly happy, as he was with his and our Father.

We can imitate Jesus. We have options, our reason, the example of parents who bless and make the cross on their children’s foreheads when they leave the house. It is a manifestation of love that flows from loving hearts. The Gospel wants to draw us more and more to God, who is Love.

Visitors counter: 403

Posted in sermons | 14 Comments

Jesus has the Power to forgive my sins.

Posted on 6. July 2023 by Peter Prochac

The passage opens with opens with Jesus returning to his hometown,where a paralyzed man is brought befor him a on a stretcher. This encounter sets the stage for the profound events that follow.The paralyzed man’s physical ailment serves as a metaphor for the spiritual and emotional paralysis that can afflict us all.As we contemplate this scene,we are reminded of the various burdens we carry and the limitations they impose on us.

The faith displayed by the friends of the paralyzed man is remarkable.They believe in Jesus’ power to heal and are willing to go to great lengths to bring their friend before him. a When Jesus sees their faith,he forgives the man’s sins,recognizing the importance of addressing the root causes of suffering.This act of forgigiveness emmphasinez the interconnection between spirituel and physical healing,highlighting the transformative power of reconciliation and forgivess indeed lives.

The religious leaders present present are troubled by Jesus’ words of forgiveness,as they consider it blasphemous. Jesus,perceiving their thoughts,poses a question that challenges their understanding:”Which is easier :to say, Your sins are forgiven or the say; Get up and walk? By demonstrating his authority to forgive sins,Jesus challenges conventional beliefs and opens up a new paradigm of understanding.This episode urges us to question our own preconceived notions and be open to the transformative power of forgiveness and healing.

As we contemplate this narrative,let us strive to cultivate faith like the friends of the paralyzed man,who were unwavering in their belief in Jesus’healing power. May we also have the courage to challenge conventional thinking just as Jesus did

Visitors counter: 223

Posted in Nezaradené | Leave a comment

They started the summer in style in the Vatican. First, on Saturday, July 1, Pope Francis appointed the new prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, his longtime collaborator, Argentine theologian Víctor Manuel Fernández.

A week later, the pontiff announced the apppointment of new cardinals, and as expected, Fernández was among them.

Since the name of the Argentine theologian was not very well known in our country, it might seem that he is an unknown person from the opposite side of the planet.

We have already covered Fernández in a large profile article. He is considered a co-author of Francis’ key works, first his “program” exhortation Evangelii gaudium , then the encyclical Laudatio si’ and also the post-synodal exhortation Amoris laetitia .

On the contrary, he ironically recalls that the theologian Fernández’s first book was about kissing. It was published in 1995 under the title Heal me with your lips. The art of kissing .

Archbishop Fernández has already responded to these reservations, but in addition to this topic, some Vaticanists in recent days have also focused on evaluating the step taken by Francis when he significantly promoted Fernández. And indeed, they also used strong words.

What do the Vaticanists say?

According to Andrea Gagliarducci, it was not such a surprise that Francis chose Fernández among the possible candidates for the post of head of the former Holy Office.

He considers the letter of Pope Francis to Archbishop Fernández, which accompanied the appointment, to be a real novelty. The Press Center of the Holy See published it in Spanish and without any translation.

He also wrote to Archbishop Fernández to avoid using “immoral methods” in defense of the faith, but did not define exactly what he considered those methods to be.

According to the Pope, the Dicastery also pursued possible “doctrinal errors” in the past instead of “supporting theological knowledge”. “What I expect from you is definitely something completely different,” František wrote to his Argentinian colleague.

It is not clear from the letter which period František is referring to. Among the last prefects were the Spanish Cardinal Luis Ladaria Ferrer and before him Cardinals Gerhard Ludwig Müller, William Joseph Levada and Joseph Ratzinger.

Another Vaticanist, Edward Pentin, usually critical of Francis, returned to the episode about the rector’s post these days.

Controversy surrounding the post of rector

Last week, Pentin wrote on the National Catholic Register that Cardinal Gerhard Müller confirmed to him the information that the Vatican doctrinal office had in the past a file containing theological doubts about Archbishop Fernández.

The file, the existence of which, according to Pentino, was also confirmed by a second high-ranking church source, dates from the period when Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires in 2009 appointed the then Father Fernández as rector of the Pontifical Catholic University in Argentina.

Fernández was thus only able to take the rector’s oath in May 2011, two and a half years after his unofficial appointment, because of persistent concerns raised in the file regarding some of his theological views, Pentin writes.

Archbishop Víctor Fernández celebrates mass at the cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata on Sunday, July 9, 2023. Photo: TASR/AP

Archbishop Fernández said in a statement to the NC Register on July 5 that the Vatican’s concerns “didn’t carry much weight” and that after exchanging letters with Vatican officials in which he “clarified” his “true thinking, everything was resolved peacefully.”

According to Fernández, for example, they questioned a half-page article he wrote in a small Argentinian newspaper. In the text, he explained that priests cannot bless homosexual unions because they recognize a certain concept of marriage, but they should still not condemn people.

Finally, Víctor Fernández was rector of the university until 2018.

He was afraid of the subject of abuse

Speaking of Fernández’s views, we mentioned some in the profile article , but Fernández himself also gave several media interviews after the current appointment.

The editorial director of the Vatican media, Andrea Tornielli, also spoke with the appointed prefect about the aforementioned Pope’s letter. According to Fernández, the letter offers at least six strong points that are thought-provoking.

“It calls for a theology that matures, grows, deepens in dialogue between theologians and in conversation with science and society. But all this in the service of evangelization,” said Fernández.

When asked what it means to “guard” the faith today, the Argentinian theologian answers by saying that, according to Pope Francis, the term “guard” is rich in meanings.

The agenda of cases of sexual abuse in the church also falls under the dicastery, which he will soon lead.

He also said that during the leadership of the diocese, he allowed himself to be guided by the ecclesiastical lawyers and also educated himself, “but with great suffering for fear of being unjust to one or the other”.

Fernández added that he felt “more confident” when Pope Francis told him that, as prefect, he was to delegate this task to the disciplinary section and that he should personally devote himself to theology and the transmission of the faith.

Confusion should be avoided when blessing couples

When asked how the new head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith wants to manage the German synodal journey, Fernández replied that now is the time for him to “catch up on this matter, listen, speak, consult”.

“For now I have to tell you that I don’t believe there is anything good in this German ‘movement,'” he said.

“Cardinal Ladaria (former prefect, note) once told me that he wished there was a heretic who would force us to deepen our faith,” added Fernández.

Delegates of the so-called of the German synodal route voted several controversial proposals in Frankfurt in March, among them the controversial practice of blessing homosexual partnerships.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued an opinion in 2021 stating that this is not allowed.

Asked if he agreed with the dicastery’s statement, Fernández said that if the blessing could be given in a way “that does not cause confusion,” it would have to be “analyzed.”

According to him, “if the blessing is given in such a way that it does not cause this confusion, it will have to be analyzed and confirmed.”

According to his own words, the Argentine archbishop wrote the book with an interest in young people who tried to explain to their peers why they should avoid premarital sex. He added that kissing is “an example of one of those displays of affection that can happen without the need for sex.”

Ratzinger versus Fernández

John L. Allen Jr. in his article on Crux Now, he compares Víctor Fernández to Joseph Ratzinger, although he admits that he is not comparing the quality or intellectual performance of Ratzinger and Fernández.

“It is rather to suggest that, politically and personally, Fernández is now poised to be roughly what Ratzinger once was to John Paul II, albeit with some important differences,” he wrote.

Archbishop Víctor Fernández celebrates mass at the cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

He also noted that the relationship between Bergoglio and Fernández is even deeper than that of Ratzinger and Wojtyla.

Now Pope Francis has pulled Fernández out of his theological “kitchen”, put him in the spotlight and is also giving him formal power and a powerful office. And as we learned last Sunday , also a cardinal’s hat.

John L. Allen Jr. notices one more interesting detail.

And there is another similarity between the German and Argentinian theologians, although in the opposite guard.

At the consistory in September, Archbishop Víctor Manuel Fernández will be created a cardinal, potentially giving him the opportunity to become Francis’ successor.

In the cover photo, Archbishop Víctor Fernández celebrates mass at the cathedral in the Argentine city of La Plata on Sunday, July 9, 2023.

The Lord calls to Himself always. Jesus says to those whom he has called: “…the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt 10:7). Have we also heard God’s call? Have we responded to this invitation? How?

We could compare the whole world to such a harvest. Each of us is an ear of corn, and our earthly life is a time when our souls, like ears of corn,

Introduction.

Jesus calls us today: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will strengthen you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29).Sermon.

As we contemplate this narrative,let us strive to cultivate faith like the friends of the paralyzed man,who were unwavering in their belief in Jesus’healing power. May we also have the courage to challenge conventional thinking just as Jesus did

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Jesus calls us today: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will strengthen you. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-29).

Sermon.