predication.net

How different we look at people. We judge by appearances. And we can’t see the inside. What did they say about Jesus? “Oh, a glutton and a drunkard…” (Lk 7:34). People are often like children from the Gospel. They whistle, and who dances? No one. They are playing at a funeral, and no one is dead. We will say: “They are children, let them play .” And why do their fathers and mothers judge John the Baptist and Christ? We read the Gospel several times about Christ: “A great prophet arose among us” and “God visited his people.” And about John the Baptist as the greatest prophet born of a woman…

Let’s tell a true story from the recent past. Oscar Romero (1917-1980), archbishop from El Salvador, was a shy, sensitive, needlessly non-confrontational person for most of his life. Bookworm, hesitant, man of order.  In 1977, he was appointed bishop. Some cheered, others were frustrated. Those who liked his nature cheered – he did not interfere in anything. In that country, the politicians had “side interests” and did not like to be pointed out. Those who expected the shepherd to stand up for the oppressed, the persecuted, who would notice the vices of the powerful and be on them were disappointed. To point out. He will be like Jesus – a person of compassion, courage, good vision, and apparent attitude. Despite all their respect for his person, they did not consider him such. Only three months after his ordination, a Jesuit was murdered, a priest of his diocese, a farmer, and a minister by certain partisans, and then the raid of the parish where this Jesuit worked. The soldiers desecrated the church and prevented Bishop Romero from entering when he wanted to save the Eucharist. This event he later referred to as his true “conversion.” He understood what others had pointed out to him but what he did not want to believe. It suddenly dawned on him, and he saw that they were right. This was an awakening from a dream for him. From that day on, he stopped considering who would think what of him and what weapon to use against him. When he was 60 years old, he changed. He got out of the rut. He began to see the suffering of the Salvadoran people and became unusually courageous. When he wanted to save the Eucharist. This event he later referred to as his true “conversion.” He understood what others had pointed out to him but what he did not want to believe. It suddenly dawned on him, and he saw that they were right. This was an awakening from a dream for him. From that day on, he stopped considering who would think what of him and what weapon to use against him. When he was 60 years old, he changed. He got out of the rut. He began to see the suffering of the Salvadoran people and became unusually courageous. When he wanted to save the Eucharist. This event he later referred to as his true “conversion.” He understood what others had pointed out to him but what he did not want to believe. It suddenly dawned on him, and he saw that they were right. This was an awakening from a dream for him. From that day on, he stopped considering who would think what of him and what weapon to use against him. When he was 60 years old, he changed. He got out of the rut. He began to see the suffering of the Salvadoran people and became unusually courageous. Christians must be “courageous people”.He started preaching over the radio. All radio stations in the country were turned on at full blast. Until the religious transmitter was blown up. Archbishop Romero did not stop anyway and called on people to be active themselves and “not to wait for what the bishop tells them on Sunday. The wealthy oligarchy he challenged tried to declare him a “psychopath.” Finally, he called on the military to defy the order and end the oppression of his people. From that moment on, he had to count on his death. Shortly before his death, he said in an interview: ” As a Christian, I do not believe in death without resurrection. As a shepherd, I am obliged by the task given to me by God to give my life to those I love; they are all Salvadorans, even those who want to kill me. A bishop may die, but the Church of God, i.e., people will never perish”. On March 24, 1980, during the service of St.

A challenge for us. Death is our redemption from earthly life. If we die, we should live faithfully, honestly, and responsibly before God and our neighbors.

Awakening is brutal for many, under different circumstances and conditions. Spiritual awakening is also further. It is eloquent about the dead sons of mothers. Jesus came to the town of Naim. “When they approached the city gate, they carried out a dead man… It was a mother’s son. When he saw her … he said to her, “Don’t cry.” “Young man, I say get up!” Jesus returned him to his mother. A great prophet has risen among us (Luke 7:12, 13, 16).

Naim is about 10 km from Nazareth. The name of the city means “pleasant” from the Hebrew word. Several graves carved into stone in the town’s vicinity can still be seen today. The figure of Jesus called “Lord” dominates the Gospel: his Divine Word is so effective that it restores life. This whole Gospel contains a touch of Easter events in four images. “He saw his mother…” Jesus met his Mother on the way to Golgotha. And he certainly saw pain and sorrow on her face. That is the first image. The second is when he meets the crowd at the city gate, weeping over their deceased son. Jesus, as the Son of Mary, met at the city gate with a group of weeping women. The third image is when Jesus returns the son to his mother. Also, to Mary, his Mother, they replaced the Son in her womb, dead. But she knew that he would see the living and the glorified on the third day. And we have the fourth image in the look of Jesus on the grieving mother – the widow, when he compassionately tells her, “Do not cry.” This is how he spoke to the crying Mary Magdalene after his resurrection: “Why are you crying?” And by addressing “Mary,” she recognizes him and addresses him as “Rabbuni” Teacher, Lord.

Jesus’ words from the Gospel are not only addressed to that young man but to all of us. “I say to you, get up!” This does not mean I cannot remain sitting or kneeling, but I must not remain lying down. I must allow God to change my life and destroy my sins that do not let me stand and give God power over my life. If we listen well, the mother is not asking Jesus for anything here. Jesus is the one who takes the initiative and, moved by her sorrow, performs the miracle of the resurrection. God showed interest in us by being baptized, primarily as children, before we could ask. Even our current life is proof that God does not lose interest in us, that another and another follow the first step on his part; he constantly keeps a protective hand over us.

A woman in need found an egg. Šťastná told the family: “Our worries are over. Look, I found an egg. We don’t eat it but let the neighbor’s cat sit on it. Then we will have a chick, and the chick will be a hen. Of course, we will not eat the hen, but we will let her lay more eggs and have more hens. We will not eat these but sell them and buy a calf. We will raise the calf, and it will become a cow, which will have another calf when we have a whole herd. We will then sell and buy… and sell… and believe… And so she talked and gestured until the egg fell out of her hand and broke.

Our resolutions often resemble the ramblings of that woman: I will do… I will say… I will deliver… I promise,… Days and years go by, and we do nothing.

Fears, longings, hopes, despairs, and sorrows exist only in our minds. It is not accurate. There is nothing like that in Reality. Reality is. Realizing this is the first step to awakening. One is suddenly in the middle of and suddenly, like Neo in the Matrix: But this isn’t real! It’s just an illusion in my head, a harsh and unbearable burden!
And suddenly, he emerges into the Silence of Reality… Which is. God is. I am. The Earth is. Heaven is. Life is. Everything outside of the chaos we have created in our heads and out of which came this twisted unreal world, the opposite of the reality of the Kingdom.
This is redemption—Christ’s gift. “From your vain way of life, inherited from your fathers, you have been redeemed not with corruptible silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, the spotless and undefiled Lamb.” (1 Peter 1:18-19) Deliverance from chaos and transport into God’s reality. In it, everything is as it should be. Silence reigns there because, right in it, everything is already spoken. There is no thirst in it, for everything is already given. It knows no fear; it is not for no reason. Doubts, uncertainties, uncertainties, everything is gone because suddenly everything is clear, specific, and firm, for we look at it and see, understand, and understand. Comparing ourselves, struggling and wrestling, judging, and all these things every day in the world of illusion? They are not here! Not only are there none. They have lost their very meaning; they are meaningless, like a round cube or an iron shaft. We are in God; He is in us, and everything pervades. Of what use and for what purpose would they be? Deep rest in God. Fulfillment. Stillness full of movement, of life, energy. A silence filled with joy and joy filled with peace. Everything is suddenly one. It fits together. Nothing contradicts anything. Evil has lost its meaning that it never had anyway; it just seemed that way. Only the good, existence itself, remains. God himself. Evil is that which is not, that which does not exist. Literally! Good is what it is. No longer some “moral quality,” but being itself. God Is, therefore, He is the fullness of interest. To be good is to be. To be like God, in God, and through God. To be reasonable means to be awakened from illusions and thoughts, to emerge from the confusion and noise of one’s head, and to look into the deafening silence of the real. “The disciples have come to the other shore. They forgot to take bread, and Jesus said to them: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” But they were thinking and saying: “We have not taken bread!” But Jesus knew it and said: “You of little faith, why do you think you have no bread? Yet do you not understand nor remember the five loaves for five thousand people and how many baskets have you gathered? Nor do you remember seven loaves for four thousand people, and how many baskets have you gathered? How do you not understand that I did not tell you about the bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” Then they understood that he had not told them, but to guard against the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” (Mt. 16,
5-12) “While they were talking about this, he stood in the midst of them and said to them: “Peace to you.” Confused and frightened, they thought they saw a ghost. He asked them, “What are you afraid of, and why are such thoughts in your hearts? Look at my hands and feet; it is I! Touch me and see for yourselves! For the spirit has no flesh and bones – and you see that I have.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet.” (Lk 24, 36-40)

“Therefore I say to you: Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about “Do not be anxious about your body, what you will eat. Is not life more than food and the body  more than clothing? … And who among you can add a cubit to his life by worrying? … Be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” Or: “What shall we drink?” Or: “What shall we wear?” Your Heavenly Father knows that you need all this. … Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.  “Every day has enough of its sorrows.” (Mt 6:25, 27, 31-32, 34) To be holy, one needs, and at the same time, it is enough to be. To indeed be in real. Not to appear but to be. Not to play something in a fictional world of ideas, but to be and live in the real and actual. Not in the hurrah of thoughts and their confusion and chaos but in the silence and stillness of a simple being.
Holiness is reality. Holiness is Reality. Holiness is life, authentic in all its magnificent simplicity and simplicity. To be holy is to be. Really. To live. Really. But all of this is already a given. We have already been created and provided by God-given. You have to wake up to it. Wake up and understand. In being, not just theoretically, on the level of lessons. Faith is understanding. So says Tresmontant. And I add: a being understanding, which we accept not only with reason but with our whole being, with our very body. “Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself from of itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither will you, unless you remain in me.” (Jn 15:4) Awaken to Reality, abide in Reality, live Reality. That is the whole point, the secret. God is this Reality. He contains everything in himself and everything the Real is only in Him. Outside of Him and without Him, there is nothing. Only sin: of our minds and the illusion existing in our minds, by which we have made ourselves we have trapped ourselves, and we affirm each other in it… “How can ye believe, ye that glorify one another, and seek not the glory which only God gives?!” (Jn 5:44)

Holiness is not something we do. In a sense, we can’t even go about it in any way to strive for. Holiness has been here for a long time. It can be done; we need to awaken to it. Be to be awake is to be holy. He was awakened from the Matrix of Sin into true God’s reality, which is holiness itself. A righteous man is someone who finally is, not just appears to be. He is finally alive. He is risen from the dead. He weighs in more than all the rest of the world because he has made himself real in the Real, in the God Who Is. He cannot return to the world; no more than a stone can float on a puff of steam. “It was the greatest and most terrible agony for him to be separated from this love; it was hell to him, the only punishment and endless and excruciating torment. And in turn, to enjoy the love of Christ, that was his life, world, angel, present, future, kingdom, promise, and innumerable good things. Apart from what was related to it, he considered nothing sad or joyful. For of what we have here, nothing to him seemed neither hard nor pleasant. And so he despised all that we see, as we despise rotten cabbage. Even to bullies and angry mobs, he looked only as if they were mosquitoes. And he regarded death, torture, and a thousand torments as mere child’s play, “if only he could endure something for Christ’s sake.” (St. John Chrysostom on the Apostle Paul) Holiness is not acquired. It is not accepted. Holiness is entered into by awakening by becoming. “Know what time it is, that the hour is come that ye should awake out of sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we believed. The night has advanced, and the day is near. Let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” (Rom 13:11-12)

“The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” (1Jn 2:8). “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us the ability to understand the True One.  We are in the True One, in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the True One, God, and eternal life. My children, beware of idols!” (1Jn 5:20-21)
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Illusions – sin – divide. That’s because we each have our own; we live
our virtual world of thoughts and ideas that are colliding. Reality – God – unites. There is only one. Real. Objective. In it, we meet; in it, we become one. “One body and one Spirit, as you are also called in the one hope of your vocation. One is the Lord, one faith, one baptism. One is God and Father of all, who is above all, pervades all, and is in all.” (Eph. 4:4- 6) Only in the Body, nothing else.

God judges – not by our criteria, but by His. And He says you are not to judge your brother but to lovingly admonish, encourage, and pray for him. God will also believe me and not compare me to how others are doing, but each one will be considered for himself. We must reshape what is happening around us that is wrong; we must take the attitude of those actively creating and not those passively waiting to see what happens next. We must become prophets of the times – teachers who know God’s will for us and the world and what He wants us to do. To be a prophet in this world requires listening to God and doing what He desires.

How and whether to listen to God today… we can tell by example and the lessons learned from it. An Indian Catholic priest recalls an incident at the Bombay airport. The queue stopped before him for a long time at the security check. For there stood a young European man, holding a mouse in his hand and with a snake around his neck, dressed in Hindu robes, with ashes on his forehead, talking to the policeman: “Let me get in with these gods.” The line was stopped, and irritated people shouted at the policeman to throw the young man out. A priest standing just behind him began to pray for the man, and God showed him his name and identity. He laid His hand on him and said: “Joseph, are you not a German Catholic? How humiliating is holding these two creatures and saying they are your gods?” The man asked, shocked: “How do you know me?” The priest pulled out a cross and showed it to him, saying, “This is your God. He died on the cross for you and me. He loves you.” The two men boarded the plane, and the flight ended with Holy Confession, receiving Jesus in the Eucharist and finding true peace and joy.

Who can help us recognize the quills in our inner sight? The Law, the commandments by which we show our dependence on and love for God, helps us know the plummeting stones. In what way can these “stones” be selected? This is only possible by an attitude of repentance, of true conversion, in which I look in truth at what I am. God’s Word says to us that we are all sinners. We are not to be the judge of our neighbor because we are sinners. What are we to do? Jesus came to save us, to set us free from sin. He, who is here among us today, points out to us by the light of His Spirit our sins, our hurts, our fears, our prejudices so that we may recognize them and turn them over to Him. The result will be a sight that will be clearer, and you will know yourself better and judge your neighbor less because you will see him as a brother, a sister, and you will not condemn, reject, or despise him. If you know the evil he does, please be sure to tell him and encourage him to do better.

Let us allow Jesus to guide life’s journey, for He knows how to eternal life. Let us accept the law of love that he offers us as the law by which we want to act.

In a fitness center, athletes raise the dumbbells. They gradually add heavier and heavier weight to the dumbbells, and then they always have joy when they raise the dumbbell above their head. Every man increases the burden of his days, months, and years. There comes a time when we will not be able to lift either our feet or our hands. We must raise our life into the hands of God. For us, Mary’s life can be an example. Jesus could redeem humanity even without Mary. But God liked the love of man. The love that lasts even in suffering and pain. He chose Mary because she knew how to be with her Son even in hell. Every man can give his suffering to Jesus. Paul of Tarsus wrote; Now I rejoice in the hell I endure for you. For the body of Christ, the church, I add to my earthly life what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” Colossians 1,24. From Mary’s attitude toward suffering, we can draw strength and help. Faith gives meaning to our suffering and pain. For unbelieving people, hell has no meaning. An older woman was living alone in her apartment and complaining. I did not know what time it was. I was very thirsty, so I went for water. I had to go up three flights of stairs. But I felt unwell and fainted. When I came to my senses, I went back to the room. On the bed, I fell again. I wanted to go to bed but could not; I only pulled down the feather bed on me. And I covered myself. How miserable man is. God is also in our difficulties and sufferings and helps so that grief does not weigh us down. Through hell, we can ask for blessings for others. Our task is to eliminate suffering in the world through our service and love. During the Second World War, an uprising broke out in Warsaw. The rebellion was suppressed. In a bombed house lay a believing Jew. He wrote on a scrap of paper. I know that I will never see the sunrise. God, you have done everything to make me not believe in you or doubt you. But I will die as I lived, with firm faith in you. This person had admirable dedication. Events such as war, misfortune, and illness can destroy trust in people. But many people showed with their lives, like Mary, for example, that their faith was more substantial than the suffering they had to endure.

Principle: Loving people always have something to say. Jesus says: “Be merciful,… do not judge… do not condemn… with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you” (Lk 6:36-38). Jesus’ words speak of kindness. They knew this virtue and already amazed the pagan philosophers. The Lord Jesus elevated the love of enemies to the central commandment: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you” (Luke 6:27 -28).

A Christian realizes that he is a work of God’s kindness and, therefore, tries to behave as Jesus teaches. A Christian does not exalt himself, but with his behavior, he tries to remind those around him of the kindness of his God towards us sinners. Christ’s words raise many questions. How does the Church fulfill this command? It is necessary to give a personal answer to this and similar questions, but a response on behalf of the Church is also expected. Each individually and all together, we are called by Christ to work together at the command of love. The world needs witnesses. Witnesses of love.

The great fighter for human rights – a black man, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, a great and fearless follower of Christ, Martin Luther King, who was shot by an assassin for his beliefs, said in response to these words: “Do to us what you want, but we will not stop loving you.” We realize that loving those who do not love us is difficult, very difficult, but it is worth loving. The commandment of love is not intended only for someone, perhaps the strong, but Jesus gives the commandment of love to every person. The commandment of love binds every believing Christian. Every Christian receives an example from Christ. Christ died for our sins. St. Basil says: “Man is a creature who was commanded to become God.” And St. Athanasius says: “The Son of God became a man so that the sons of men could become the sons of God.” John Paul II writes in the encyclical “Redemptor hominis” (Art. 8):

How many times in the past week have we stood aside when someone around us needed our help, for example? We didn’t help. We did not shake hands. They did not advise. Perhaps one word, a smile, a handshake was enough… We probably have many excuses, reasons to excuse ourselves, that the person in question has such a nature that he is not worth it, is not interested in cooperation… Is the command of love a superhuman demand? Yes, it is unfulfillable by our weak human powers, but it is possible by God’s power, which is always close to us. Jesus helps us not to compare ourselves with our neighbors but with God and to follow God in love. He loves all people and embraces the saint and the sinner.

Let’s add to the principle from the introduction: From God’s perspective, many things will appear to us in a new light, and we will recognize that our neighbor was not such an enemy as we imagined him to b

Every person endowed with common sense and free will wants to be happy. In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to us about happiness, when, from the Sermon on the Mount, St. Luke reminds us four times that Jesus emphasized the words “blessed” and “woe to you.” Jesus is a very demanding teacher. Jesus’ words are received with misunderstanding, underestimated, and postponed for a later time… Saint Luke wrote the Gospel in Greek, which was the language of the culture and art of that time. The word “blessed” can be interpreted differently today. We can say that God is blessed in the true sense of the word. When Jesus preaches on the mountain and utters the word “blessed,” he thinks not about God but about people. Jesus said the word “blessed” a total of eight times. Let’s stop at the four mentioned by St.

” Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God ” (Lk 6:20).
For this happiness, for God’s sake, man knows how to renounce on earth, share, and endure lack.
” Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled ” (Lk 6,21).
Jesus does not underestimate or forbid the natural needs of the body. The church’s command to “do works of penitence as determined by the church authority” helps this.
” Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh ” (Lk 6:21).
This sadness leads a person to the depths of his heart and body.
” Blessed will you be when people hate you…because of the Son of Man ” (Luke 6:22).
Since Cain, humanity has suffered from a lack of brotherly love.

The first part of the Gospel periscope ends with the call: “Rejoice on that day and rejoice, for you have a great reward in heaven” (Lk 6:23). The very words of the Lord Jesus for those who believed in him are joy on earth. What follows is a real spiritual revolution, a change in man’s mindset about God, his neighbor, and himself. Jesus revealed God’s fatherhood to us. The text teaches us to understand the Christian service. With the words “blessings”  and “woe,” we realize how he looks at us, God, and we learn what we must do to meet God’s rightful demands of us.  Common sense tells us about happiness. God gave us reason and free will and offers even more. He provides eternal happiness that nothing can replace. Compare it to the earth. And it’s worth it.

What does this mean for us specifically? What do we want, and what will we do? Already at St. mass, already today?

The name indicates an individual, means a particular being, and represents a person. This is especially evident from the Bible: The name of the Lord be glorified means God be glorified. Whoever knows the word of God knows God himself. Even in the prophet Isaiah, the Lord says to Israel: Do not be afraid, I have redeemed you, called you by your name, you are mine. And in another place, it is said: The Lord called me from my mother’s womb; already in my mother’s life, he thought of my name. And to the one who fears that his name will be forgotten after all, he is reminded: Can a woman forget her infant and not have pity on the son of her womb?

Even if she forgets him, I will never forget you. I carved you into my palms. And here, I will present two episodes from the New Testament that are connected with the name. God sends his messenger to a young girl in Nazareth. The Virgin’s name was Mary. The angel Gabriel was to announce to a recently betrothed virgin that she would have a child. We don’t want to consider the surprise of Maria, Josef, and perhaps the whole neighborhood. According to Luke, this surprise disappears after the questions Mary asks the angel. Although the election of God to become the Mother of the Son of God was difficult for Mary to understand for some time, the announcement of the name was still difficult to believe for the young woman.

What young couple expecting a child doesn’t have a thousand thoughts on a name? Sometimes, the search for a name goes without controversy. Kinship often interferes, and traditions must also be taken into account. Sometimes, a movie, a book, a star, or a blockbuster plays a role, and saints play their part too. Frustrated that they couldn’t agree, the young father picks up a magazine, and a name is born. Everyone likes an inscription: Sabina. That’s just how it goes sometimes. The small but subtle joy of searching is denied to Maria. She didn’t have to look anymore. Mary is chosen to be the Mother of Jesus. This name is to be given to him. Jesus, God saves. God gives a name; a name is a program. This happened so many times in the Old Testament.

Both mothers at the beginning of the New Testament thus experience the God of their people. Elizabeth calls her son John; God is kind. Mary obediently calls her Jesus, and God saves them. When God associates a person’s name with a program or some mandate, then it is permissible to question whether this is the case when parents name their children. Whatever the word is, they want the little person to one day become a personality who will make a name for himself that will last.

Most often, a person does not say: My name is, but only: I am Kristina, I am Tomáš. Character and personality have something in common. People grow according to their name. We celebrate birthdays because we are happy to be alive. We celebrate name days because we rejoice that we are an unmistakable person, born for eternity. I called you by name. You belong to me, says God, according to Isaiah. This idea has something to do with the second event from the New Testament. Jesus is on his way and faces a new, incomprehensible life for us. Many of his disciples cannot understand this. Even so, Mary Magdalene is very desperate. He runs to the grave on Easter morning, searches, cries, and lets the imaginary gardener talk.

And then one of the New Testament’s most beautiful, mysterious, moving events happens. Jesus speaks only to Mary. She recognizes the one who addressed her by the voice as the harpist’s hand brings the strings to sound; the sound of Jesus’ voice brings Magdalene’s soul to exaltation. Only words like friendship, love, and affection can indicate why Mary Magdalene now recognized Jesus. Perhaps we also know something similar. Whoever pronounces our name as our name, perhaps in a hurry, is not insignificant to us. We feel love for him; we listen to him. When we are insecure, we feel biased. If we are afraid, the sound of our name burdens us. That sound shows the connection between me and you.

With our name, we have both a personal future and an entirely personal eternity. At the beginning of our life, we ​​are given two names, one given to us by our parents, the other we receive as a result of the sacrament of baptism: Christian. With this name, we will survive all dying and humiliation and be called to God’s home. Only love gives a name. This also applies to us humans; it also applies to the mystery of God. Names are gifts of the heart and kindness, a sign of favor, statements of belonging, and a promise of God’s future. We wish you joy from your first and Christian names, from the daily certainty of the living God who calls us all by name. The Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene tell us that God gives a name and calls by name. He gave us the name of the man and the task to be. He calls us by name: you are mine. That is our calling; you are not born to become dust and ashes but are paid for life and eternity.