predication.net

We know about God that he is eternal. That is why we cannot speak of God as yesterday, today, or tomorrow. With God, it is always now. Sin brought, among other things, the punishment of aging and waiting for the end of life. Therefore, our life is filled with beginnings and endings. We are aware of this even today, at the end of the liturgical year when the texts of today’s readings advise us to look to the future. When a stage ends in our life, it is customary to evaluate this stage before we start the next. Looking back, the past is counted, and we are happy when the evaluation brings a profit. However, God proceeds quite differently. He tells us not to settle for any sense of gain but to keep moving forward. However, he does not want to frighten us with dire predictions but announces that his arrival will be accompanied by something dramatic. Lukáš described it: “There will be signs in the sun and the moon, and in the stars, and on earth the nations will be full of anxiety…” (Luke 21:25). 

Let’s stop and learn from what the evangelist Luke wants to tell us. We are given a satisfactory explanation, which the text speaks of dramatically and refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, which represents the Church amid the world. Exegetes of this text see in these words the end of the world and the beginning of the kingdom of God. Others, on the other hand, interpret these words as a reminder that we should always be ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus, which they understand by each person’s death. Let us also realize that the Lord Jesus will come one day. And this time, which we are beginning to experience, should also prepare us for it.

What will happen when that time comes? Who among us does not wish with all his heart for success and justice? This is what the Lord God promised Jacob, and Jeremiah reminds the nation that the Lord will soon fulfill his promise. Each of us desires success. Everyone thinks that someone will bring it to them. Are we not witnessing many turning to false prophets or various others to experience happiness finally? And don’t we see how they invent all kinds of things to taste joy? A person very much needs someone to bring him joy, guide him, and clarify what ings for him. And so the Lord comes, and that is because people long for him, so that the Savior of the world will arise from them. At the same time, he reminds us to be vigilant because, with his arrival, he will surprise many and frighten them wherever they are on earth.

Luke calls him the Son of Man to explain the distance and difference between the Son of Man and us and to show that he possesses all power. The coming of the Lord is presented as a dramatic connection and a quick meeting of man with God. This unifying meeting of man with God is the cause of the emergence of an actual situation where a state of relaxation is,ses, and new freedom is obtained. And don’t the words of Scripture tell us about this when great signs are mentioned? Under the influence of authors who in the Old Testament talk about extraordinary interventions of God in history, the evangelist Luke tells us about cosmic signs: the sun, moon, and stars, but also signs on earth: about the anxieties of nations, the waves of the sea, but also about death from fear.

Of course, none of us will be able to investigate these signs that St. Luke speaks of, yet we have the impression that his fantastic predictions result from his ignorance or his writer’s imagination. And yet, encouraged by the word of this gospel, we should not learn to look at what is being done around us, and hopefully, we would be able to foresee the coming of the Lord Jesus. Let’s find the causes of all shortcomings: diseases, personal failures, international events, or natural disasters. Therefore, whatever calamity, experiment, prediction of war, revolutionary unrest, swift hurricanes, or dazzling lightning were signs of God’s power shaking the world, they would not allow us to sleep in contented tranquility, and therefore he commands us to move forward so that when the end comes, we desire to receive the Lord Jesus. If we lived daily with Jesus, such predictions would not surprise us.

The Lord Jesus always comes, and we would like an immediate response to the invitation. It is only up to us whether this meeting will continue forever. The Lord Jesus is coming, and we generally know his signs. They persuade us, and yet we fear that we will not be able to realize them. Let’s also remember that his arrival does not have to endow us with joy and justice. It can also bring us the opposite if we don’t listen, which is why we receive two sad pieces of advice today.

The first piece of advice: “Take care that your hearts are not weighed down,” and Lukáš specifies what: “with gluttony, drunkenness, and worries about this life” (LK 21:24). This advice does not apply to most of us. After all, who among us considers himself a reveler or an alcoholic? And who among us does not justify his worries, his situation, his health, and his children’s futuredren by claiming that he is only fulfilling his duty? Indeed, it is worth discussing the value of Luke’s advice. However, we see that Lukáš gives us precious advice. We are to fulfill the duties of each day; we are to get rid of the struggle of our hearts. He, with a hard heart, cannot recognize the signs of the coming of the Lord Jesus. Preoccupied with his worries, he shuts himself up and is only interested in himself. He judges all matters, events, and people according to his benefit, which he can achieve from them, and therefore he cannot even hear the Lord Jesus’ address. More than one of us has already experienced the disappointment of our self-enclosedness, the torment of spiritual blindness to everything that does not belong to us. When we wanted to get out of it, we often threw ourselves into the vortex of entertainment to forget about it. Only he will await the Lord Jesus with joy, who cleanses his heart, opens it for Christ, and does not close in on himself!

Luke also offers us a second piece of advice: “Therefore stay awake all the time and pray” (Lk 21:36). If the heart is pure, only then is it able to listen because it is freed from everything that would make it blind and coincides within the words of the apostle Paul, who says how we should live to please God. Then we will not be afraid of meeting the Lord Jesus when the terms of the Gospel will be fulfilled: “When these things begin to happen, stand up straight, lift your heads because your redemption” (Luke 21:18). This idea of ​​constant preparation was peculiarly but well understood by the man from the following example.

After each good deed, he repeated the sentence:
“Another apple was thrown over the fence!”
One day a friend asked him the meaning of these words.
He received the answer: “Not long ago, I invited the boys into the garden and allowed them to eat as much fruit as they wanted. But they were prohibited from taking anything with them or hiding it in their pockets. The boys ate their fill. Meanwhile, I noticed how one of the boys would sometimes catch a nicpleasantple and throw it over my garden fence for you to collect.
And this became a great lesson for me. I began to think like this: Do good to everyone because every good deed you do is like an apple thrown over the fence. When you come out of this life, you will find all your good deeds as you pass into eternity. They will help you get to a blissful life.”

We know about God that he is eternal. However, we only live here on earth for a specific time. We must prove ourselves and get  as many merits, graces,d good deeds as possible. Therefore, let’s use the time of life as responsibly as possible. The end of the liturgical year offers us a new impulse. Let’s look to the future with hope and be aware that it may be the last time in our lives. We can see signs around us and even feel them on ourselves. 

If a person wants to join a club or a sports team, or if someone has the task of recruiting people into a community, he tries to tell interested parties about everything positive that awaits them in the future. Sometimes reality is deliberately concealed, and shortcomings and difficult situations are not even mentioned.

Lord Jesus does not do that. He says openly: “They will lay hands on you, they will persecute you, they will throw you into prison, they will hate you for my name’s sake” (Lk 21:12). And he adds: “For I will give you eloquence and wisdom, which all your adversaries resist or contradict” (Luke 21:15).

What time does Jesus mean? It was so in the first Christian centuries when the Church was persecuted, but we can say that the Church of Christ is constantly persecuted, sometimes in one country or another. And Jesus’ word seems to be fulfilled even today.

Many of our brothers and sisters suffer among us because of their faith and religious beliefs. Many of us think they must rid us of backwardness, religion, and s prejudices and teach us advanced and more scientific thinking. And that is why those who live in deep faith are often persecuted. But, beloved in Christ, is this a reason to leave our relationship with Christ? Is this a reason to renounce his fellowship, his love? After all, why does Jesus give us a promise even today?

“For I will give you eloquence and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict” (Luke 21:15).

For it to be true, as accurate load Jesus says, it is necessary to realize that we are to be one hundred percent Christians. Lord Jesus gives us this as a condition, even if he does not say it directly. The Holy Spirit will help us if we are people in our lives entirely according to Christ, f we are people of Christ’s character. That is, those who stand behind Christ at any cost, who are willing to sacrifice something for him. All united: believers, bishops, and priests must connect with the Holy Father, support him with prayers, and then the Holy Spirit will help us if we strive to fulfill Jesus’ prayer: Father, grant that all may be one. The prayer he prayed on the eve of his suffering for all of us.

Say, dearest in Christ, is this unity and faithfulness to Christ complete among us? Are we all committed together to the cause of faith and love for Christ? Unless this is achieved, they will have power over individuals. Therefore, let’s try to understand the word of Jesus this way. The Lord gives us a guarantee of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in terms of eloquence and wisdom, his own, but we must also strive to cooperate with the Holy Spirit for our salvation. It is only because of our perseverance that we save a life in eternity and happy bliss. However, as long as there is even a spark of lukewarmness or weakness in our religion, as long as Christ is not the only good for us, and as long as we are divided and fragmented, the weakening of faith will succeed even in ourselves.

Let’s learn from the past. The Church suffered in the first centuries, in England under King Henry VIII, and in France during the revolution, and was cruelly persecuted. Still, those who remained faithful to Christ emerged victorious from these situations.
How is it with us today? What are we doing to deepen our life with Christ?

Let us strive, dear brothers and sisters, for complete unification through mutual prayer and supplication to the heavenly Father. A plea to Jesus Christ that he, who suffered the most, be our only comfort and strength in our sufferings and mental anxieties. May he always bless us to make the right decision for loyalty to himself? So that he helps us in our choices, which will be firm and will not tolerate any polemics and speculations in matters of faith and religion.
If we can think and act this way, brothers and sisters, then we can rely on the wisdom and eloquence of the Holy Spirit, that he will inspire us with suitable thoughts, and we will respond appropriately even to those who have gone astray on their way through life.

In this way, we can understand why Jesus does not only talk about the positives and ideals in his Church but also about suffering and persecution. He wants us to live under all circumstances in the only truth, Jesus himself. 

We will save our lives if we persevere with Christ Many people have begun their plans in all areas of life with enthusiasm, they have been passionate about the cause, they have been spirited, and yet they have not come to the end of their goal successfully. Perhaps we know this from our own lives. Why does it happen? It’s not enough to just start, but you also need to persevere. Not to be discouraged, not to be discouraged, not to be seduced. All the more so when it comes to something so significant and important for our life, such as our eternal life, the salvation of our soul, the eternal encounter with Jesus. Because we are weak human beings, the Lord Jesus Himself wants to instruct us to persevere in the journey He has begun, as He counsels us in today’s Gospel: “Beware lest you be deceived. For many will come and speak in my name: That time is at hand. Do not follow them!” (Lk 21:8). Let us look at the text of the Gospel in more detail. A group of people gathered around the Lord Jesus, admiring the beauty of the Temple of Jerusalem. The architecture of the temple and the sacrifices that took place in the temple filled them with a kind of contentment. The Jerusalem Temple is the work of an entire nation, a reminder of their faithfulness as well as the protection of the Most High God. This gives the Jews self-confidence. And this is where the Lord Jesus speaks to us: “The days will come when not one stone will be left upon another of what you see; all will be destroyed” (Lk 21:5). We can imagine the concern that followed these words among those present. The temple was to be destroyed and what about the protection of the Most High God? What about the pledges of allegiance to the prophets? In light of this, curiosity and fear grow in intensity, and so they ask, “Teacher, when will it be, and what will be the sign when it begins to happen?” (Luke 21:7) This is a serious curiosity. It is necessary to prepare for this, to prevent the catastrophe, or not to be surprised by it. We see, however, that the Jews believe more in the temple than in the presence of God. They fear for their temple, they fear that it will be destroyed. Let us think whether we do not hear such similar alarmist messages even today. The church will be destroyed! We see various actions arising in groups that want to hurry to help the Church. We see something similar with the Jews who want to save the temple. Even today some believers want to save the Church and its tradition. In doing so, they do not realize that it is not they who save the Church, but that the Church saves them and they can be saved in her. If the Lord Jesus had told us that the Church would cease to exist, surely some would have rejoiced greatly, others would have remained indifferent, but there would also have been many who would have worried as they would have been influenced by various truths. After the questions, which we understood well, Jesus takes the floor. He does not speak of the time when the destruction of the sanctuary will take place and what events will precede it. Let us recall that the Lord Jesus never answered questions just to satisfy human curiosity or to appease human restlessness. The Lord Jesus helps those who pay attention to this to remain content, to take note of this fact, and thus actually warns them of the dangers or difficulties. Immediately afterwards, however, He points out how to live rightly. Above all, he warns of the dangers of false prophets. For at that time, because of the turmoil, people begin to look around them for someone to satisfy them. The Lord Jesus warns them against the “miracle explainers” of that time. He warns them against those who will distort the facts and who will identify faith with economic or even political matters. Do we not often hear disturbing words too? Believers are obliged to belong to the left! What is to be understood by this? The Lord Jesus says: Do not follow them! Do not call anyone Father, Teacher or Lord. For it is hard to trust anyone else to decide what God wants of us. The Lord Jesus trusts that everything He says will become clear and understandable to us. Immediately afterwards, the Lord Jesus warns against false alarms about the end of the world, because such talk is quickly believed. The mention of great earthquakes, famines, various terrors, and of great signs in the heavens is a precaution so that the one who has believed Christ’s words will not be alarmed when any of these words come to pass. In these events it must not yet be thought that the end of the world has already come. The various false reports have a bad effect on man’s behaviour. Often under their pressure man commits follies and indiscretions. Such alarmist messages bring about various changes in the world, but they should not touch our inner being. The news of the end of the world causes man to decline, as if he had ceased to be himself. Think of the Jehovah’s Witness sect. This sect has “known” exactly when the world is going to end many times. On the appointed day they waited ready in white sheets. It seems ridiculous, but when one considers it, it is painful how some circles of people can strip other people of their humanity with their prophecies. We have to realise that all these false prophecies about the end of the world that are being spread by various cultists are harmful. Such prophecies lead to indifference and slowly but surely to apostasy from God. Thus, all this has an unwholesome effect on the inner being of the believer. These false prophets thus attack the most precious thing, that which is in us from God. And this is what the Lord Jesus is talking about in the next section when He emphasizes that the real conflict is within us, in our inner struggle with evil reactions as well as with other people. Everyone is subject to unrighteousness, to aggression from others, especially those who hold various ranks and positions. “But before all this they will lay hands on you and persecute you, they will deliver you over to the synagogues and imprison you, they will drag you before kings and rulers for my name’s sake. These things will happen to you, that you may bear witness” (Luke 21:12). Here one realises that one may become the object of others, often those dearest to one’s heart, seeking to harm one: ‘They will also betray your parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and will take the lives of some of you’ (Lk 21:16). Therefore, everyone can encounter opposition, often even outright malice. Everyone can therefore feel lonely even within the circle of his own family, and yet feel within himself that he cannot trust anyone. He is convinced that they are encroaching on his freedom, that they are exerting a strong pressure on him, and therefore he will strive all the more to free himself from them. That inner struggle has actually been provoked by the opinion of other people, which hides a certain thing, namely, that the sanctuary is being torn down and the dwelling place of God is being built up. It must be remembered that one must not resort to self-defence, nor seek for victorious weapons, for that would be personal revenge. To respond with aggression to aggression is a notion that does not match the spirit of the Gospel. The believer is not defending himself, but witnessing in a different way, that is, pointing to the presence of the living God by his behavior and words. Otherwise, man is helping God for his own ends. When man ceases to think of himself, then God unites Himself with His sacrifice and gives him “eloquence and wisdom” which your adversaries will not be able to resist or contradict.

You may have seen the representative work Historia Mundi – History of the world. Great deeds of essential people are described there; royal pedigrees, the splendor of royal buildings, and the immense power of monarchs, k, kings or emperors. How small we, simple people, feel next to them. In the Gospel, we heard about a poor widow who threw only two coins into the temple treasury, and the whole Church is talking about her, and she will be talked about until the end of the world.

Why? She showed us the way to the greatest treasure in the eyes of Jesus. He sat in the Jerusalem temple and observed faces, hands, and deeds. He observed hearts. Many rich people came who did not hide anything and gave out a lot of money. Everyone could see how much they lost. A timid widow also comes. She could not compete with the rich. Embarrassed, she threw two small coins into the box. She had no more. Jesus saw this, called his disciples, and evaluated this widow’s act with the words: “This poor widow threw in more than all the others” (Lk 21:3). The reason? The rich only gave from their surplus and did not become poorer; the gift did not hurt them. But she gave everything. Did she not act unwisely? What will she live on? Because she did not hesitate and gave everything, the Lord Jesus praised her. Christ speaks clearly about our genuine and most important need: Not food, not clothing, not an apartment, not a good chaplain’s place, but God! Without God, we would not live for a moment; without him, we are lost!

Dear brothers and sisters, the same Jesus is also mysteriously present among us; he looks at us and observes what we bring to the treasury of his Church. We approach modestly because we get only small coins and a few wallets according to the measure and standards of this world. The words of St. Paul also apply to our congregation: “Just look at your calling, brothers, that there are not many wise according to the flesh, nor many powerful, nor many born” (1 Cor 1:2).  Even today, Lord Jesus looks at this, how we approach the “treasury of his Heart”. Ch.”dren approach and bring childhood innocence, sincere religiosity. It is two pennies in the eyes of the world, it is a priceless treasure in the eyes of Jesus. Two young men come and put their marital fidelity into this treasury of God. Parents approach and place their children in the treasury of the Heart of Jesus. Elders and widows arrive, whose life has already been marked by work and crosses. They present their two wallets: a prayer and an offering.

Father died. Shortly before, he called his children and gave them a final warning and instruction: “Children, I want to tell you a little secret before my death. You were often dissatisfied that we always extended our evening prayer a little. You know that I always added a sixth tithe to the rosary,d I told you that it is sacrificed for a special purpose, which I did not reveal to you, but I will tell you now. When I married your mother, on the wedding day, I made a vow in which we promised the Lord God that every day to the rosary, we, will add a sixth tithe for the blessing of the son-priest. Now I die with a good feeling and the thought that not one but three of you have given yourselves to God. We did not tell you this so as not to affect the will of your vocation.” The father died, and the sons remained faithful to their profession.

From modest gifts, Jesus builds the kingdom of God. This is the greatness and dignity of the Christian life. But this also obliges us every time we enter the temple of God when we come to celebrate the Eucharist. Then we should examine ourselves and ask: Am I bringing everything I have? Do I present to God as a sacrificial gift my entire livelihood, my life with its joys and pains, work, effort, and failures? There is nothing more reasonable we can do with our lives than to throw them into the treasury of God’s goodness and mercy. So it will keep its value forever.

Let us, therefore, pray with St. Ignatius: Take, O Lord, accept all my freedom, my memory, reason, and all my will. All that I have or that I rule. You gave it to me, and I give it back to you, Lord. It’s all yours, do with it as you please. Give me only your love and grace because it is enough for me.

Today we commemorate the feast of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. A woman who perfectly fulfilled the meaning of her name – the origin of her name is Elizabeta, and means “God is generous.”. She is most often depicted holding bread and roses in her arms. Even in my childhood, this miracle of hers appealed to me. I sat under her statue and imagined how she boldly walked to the poor, gave away, took care of them, and God helped her in this. When needed, he turned the bread into roses to protect her so she could do even more good. Even in today’s gospel, we see a parallel in generosity about the fact that our task is to be like Elizabeth. Not to collect but to give away.

This time of November has led many of you to think or discuss whether there is life after death. Perhaps you have read the book Life after Life by the American doctor Moody, who deals with Lazarus’ symptoms. The stories he describes happened to those who survived clinical death and were awakened to life. This may not yet convince anyone of the existence of life after death. Still, many are troubled by a lot of confusion when reading it, such as understanding depersonalization, the great light, the tunnel, the wonderful feeling of joy, and so on. In this soulful time, Jesus wants to bring light to our doubts with today’s Gospel, which describes the meeting of the Lord Jesus with the Sadducees, who deny the resurrection.

The Sadducees asked the Lord Jesus about the resurrection of those who had died physically. We also often meet Sadducees. A group of Sadducees sought conflict to oppose Jesus. The Sadducee class came from the strict priestly class and became more of a political group than a religious one. We may take them as a second Jewish sect, smaller than the class of Pharisees, with whom they disagree because they teach more strictly and have confined the revelation of God to the Five Books of Moses. They deny the resurrection and the soul’s immortality; they do not believe in life after death or angels.

Therefore, they tell Jesus a fictional event that is directed against him. They refer to the Law of Moses, which orders: “… if someone’s brother dies who had a wife but was childless, his brother should marry her and beget offspring for his brother”  (Lk 20:28). They also talk about one woman who, after the death of her husband, was married to his seven brothers. That is why they ask the Lord Jesus: “Well, which of them will be his wife at the resurrection? After all, the seven had her as his wife” (Lk 20:33).

The Sadducees say there can be no life after death because comic scenes would follow. The previous question formulated in this way is ridiculous. However, it is not because there are many similar questions even today. When people talk about life after death today, many do not believe in life after death, ridicule and misinterpret it. For one group, this life is compatible with our life here. That’s why they try to live fully here on earth, and that’s all they expect from life. The second group speaks of the double life as a mystery that beckons man. However, it is vague and therefore resembles dreaming of an earthly paradise where one will not lack material things, goods, and joy. So they see the second life after death as a higher quality earthly life. Some say we only live once, so life should be enjoyed to the last drop. Others, on the other hand, give themselves up on dreaming of a place of fantastic progress in earthly understanding. True, there are many different attitudes among us. We must not forget to mention those who live in connection with God. Their knowledge of eternal life is vague, something like a fog before us that prevents full knowledge.

We can also ask: Is there a resurrection? If so, how will it be done? We are supposed to believe it, but how do we convince ourselves of it? In this spirit, the questions of the Sadducees and, indeed, many of us were asked. They talked about marriage and its continuation after death. The Lord Jesus will tell them that their thinking about these things is purely earthly. Therefore not concerned with the items after death, which require different reviews. Consequently, he emphasizes to them:  “Sons of this age marry and are given away. But those who are recognized as worthy of that age and resurrection no longer marry or give in marriage”(Luke 20:36). This does not mean that they cease to be human, but that natural laws no longer apply to them after death. A completely different, new reality has arisen, separate from the one on earth, and therefore people in the new life after death are not angels. Still, they are no longer people in the earthly understanding of the word.

Jesus explains two essential characteristics of life after death:

1. They will no longer be able to die. We must understand that they are freed from all biological processes. You can’t talk about illnesses, worries, difficulties, and the like here.
2. They will be called sons of God. This new life completely replaces life on earth, and we can understand it as entirely different. It is a new birth.

In the first part of the answer, Jesus points out a fundamental approach to these things. It is an answer not only for the Sadducees but also for us. So when he talks about life after death, he cannot stick to the evidence that applies to life here on earth because something completely different applies to life after the end. When a person convulsively clings to the earthly understanding of the matter after death in this matter, he will not avoid wrong and erroneous views, and delusions will occur. That is the first part of the answer of the Lord Jesus. It may seem harmful to some, so Jesus explains it even more to prove to the Sadducees that those who have died will rise from the dead. He will point to a document known to the Sadducees, which are the words concerning Moses, who is the greatest prophet for them. Lord Jesus says:“… when he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. And he is not the God of the dead, but of the living, because for him all live” (Luke 20:37-38).

This is a serious thing to think about. These are profound words. They believe that Moses is alive, so they speak against each other. Jesus no longer says. He proves nothing more to the Sadducees. He only pointed to the text of the Scriptures known to the Sadducees and confirmed that it speaks of the resurrection. By this, he clearly says of their lack of faith and respect due to the living and true God when they deny what is in the Scriptures. Thus, when we believe in the living God, we must trust and entrust everything to him. We realize that the Lord Jesus does not say anything further, but what he said is very serious. To deny the resurrection after our death would bring the true and living God to the level of pagan gods made of inanimate matter, wood, or metal. And yet none of us trusts such gods. For the belief in the afterlife, the behavior of the seven brothers from the Second Book of Maccabees is a great encouragement.

These brothers were brought before the pagan king, forcing them to renounce their faith by torture. However, their belief in a new life after death gave them courage in the most challenging moments. Shortly before his death, the second of the brothers cried out: “You evil-doer, you remove us from temporal life, but the Lord of the universe, for whose laws we die, will resurrect us for eternal life” (2 Mach 7:9). The third brother, who is to be mutilated, he stretches out his hands and says: “I received them from heaven, but because of God’s laws I do not consider them as nothing, because I hope that I will receive them again from him” (2 Mach 7,11).

Our belief in the resurrection is based on a promise from God. Although the Maccabees did not know what awaited them after death, they were convinced of the resurrection, which gave them the courage to endure torture and death. One may want to ask how they came to such a firm conviction. We must remember that this question was during a time of persecution. They had to calculate that there could be martyrdom. Therefore, the preparation for this step did not begin when they were brought before the king. Still, they had been preparing for this moment long before, when they accepted the teachings of the true od and thus the risk that was associated with their faith. Whoever carefully followed the text could discover one profound thing. It is impossible to believe in the resurrection, in eternal life, if a purely intellectual way of thinking leads to it without special commitment and acceptance of a particular risk. This affects all of us. After all, we live in times and in a world that tries to distort and reject specific spiritual values. This one, the world’s disapproval of the faith practiced by the world today, is why it is more difficult for this world to understand the behavior of the seven brothers.

Today, the objections to faith are less visible and violent but much more dangerous. We encounter the denial of spiritual values ​​that can be decently explained. And yet we witness many apostasies, which are preceded by the renunciation of a zealous environment and the reduction of the Church’s influence on society. This indifference to faith causes serious difficulties. Suppose we do not seriously listen and courageously fulfill the obligations of faith, which also entails renouncing the things of this world, and its mindset. In that case, we must be aware that it may happen that we soon stop believing in the resurrection. To persevere in the faith means to unite one’s wisdom with the teachings of the Church. Saint Paul the Apostle knew this when he wrote encouragingly to the Thessalonians to persevere in prayer: “Finally, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord may be spread and glorified as it is with you and that we may be delivered from perverted and evil people; for not all believe” (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2).

We realize that we are all exposed to harmful influences like the Thessalonians. May God save us from this! St. Paul asks God to strengthen the believers and endow them with perseverance in faith. The time of souls we are experiencing is a seriosevere time toking about the value of life and its purpose, and therefore let this moment of thinking about the existence of life after death strengthen us. May our faith grow and become stronger every day so we can overcome all difficulties because there may come even greater ones than those we are experiencing today. Still, the thought that it will all end one day and the reward will let it be a joyful prospect for us in the future.

Jesus Christ is King (Luke 23:35-43)
What does Christ the King say to the world today?

On the way to church, someone would approach you: Do you know any kings? Perhaps someone would say without thinking that they see the surname King and, maybe, would think of the poet John the King. Others, more versed in political events, would think of the Queen of England, the kings of Norway, Sweden, or Spain. Would we remember Jesus Christ the King?
In the liturgical calendar, the last Sunday is called Christ the King Sunday. On December 11, 1925, Pope Pius XI established the feast of Christ the King with the encyclical Quas Primas. It is at a time when monarchs, thrones, and kingdoms are being abolished. And it is then that the Church becomes more aware that Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega of all things. The Church gives this title as a solemn address that Jesus is the Lord of the whole universe; to him, the Father has given all power, and he will come at the end of time as the Judge of all the universe. Jesus did not acquire the title “King” like the potentates on earth by force, inheritance, or appointment…

And yet, the inscription above the crucified Jesus is authentic: “This is the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:38).

The Jews were angry at this inscription, which Pilate, the governor, and administrator of Palestine, had placed over Jesus’ head. The Jews deliberately put the Lord Jesus on the cross between two thieves to humiliate Him as much as possible. They had forgotten what Jesus had said earlier, that He would draw everyone to Himself when He was lifted from the earth. According to Cicero, the cross, a sign of disgrace, humiliation, and a defense of human dignity, death for the enslaved person, became a sign of victory, glory, power, hope, and a throne for God who took human flesh. Jesus already proves his victory and power when he hangs on the cross. The leading men and soldiers mocked him: “Save yourself if you are the King of the Jews” (Luke 23:37). They did not understand what the one crucified with him understood when he said: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). And Jesus, despised by men, rejected by the nation, humiliated by the soldiers, abandoned by the apostles, the one who, out of love for men, became man to reconcile them to the Father, says to the first man, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Lk 23:43). The first man canonized. It is not the beloved Apostle John; he was the only one of the Apostles who stood at the foot of the cross. It is not Peter to whom He promised the head of the Church on earth. It is the thief to whom conscience is echoed, who accepts the grace offered to believe that the condemned one beside him is the awaited and foretold Messiah. Jesus proved not only in word but in deed that He is the God who is the hope of all sinners who will acknowledge their sins and ask that He will remember them also in His Kingdom. Jesus demonstrates His power. He doesn’t have to have a wand, an apple in His hands, and a royal crown on His head. He doesn’t need counselors, ministers, servants, or soldiers around Him. His treasure is not the treasures which the moth devours, the rust destroys, the thief steals, but the love which He proved by shedding His most precious thing, His blood, not for friends only, but for all sinners. Behold Christ on the cross, the true King. King of all human history. The King who redeemed and saved all men. The King invited all men to accept him as their brother and his Father as their God the Father. Jesus is the King who respects the freedom of his brothers and sisters, even when they despise him, betray him, and do not accept him, but then they become his enemies, and the King must justly condemn them.

It is a joyful reality that even the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the King of kings, has followers, admirers, those who accept his teachings, fulfill them, and receive the reward of their lives in Christ’s kingdom.
It is also a painful fact that many did not accept Jesus when he proved by word, by signs, death, and resurrection that he is the Son of God, and they reject him even today, and therefore they are facing punishment, damnation, hell.
Throughout history, every man has been the engineer of his happiness and unhappiness. With Jesus, it is not true that they are predestined and predestined. Each person decides for himself his eternal life, salvation, or damnation.
Jesus as King is wisdom itself. Justice is immeasurable. The reward is blissful. All defiance, anger, resentment, hatred, and sin will cease, lose strength, courage, and power before him as King and Judge. Whoever is condemned will be condemned justly.
Conversely, anyone who acknowledges him as his God and Lord during his life on earth will receive an equally just reward.
Therefore, neither in damnation nor blessed glory will they be equal. Each of his life on earth prepares a degree of punishment and praise.
Such words as favoritism, connections, power, and standing in judgment will lose their credit. On the contrary, those who are marked as having been humble, pure, humiliated, poor, merciful, imprisoned, tortured, and put to death for Jesus’ sake, as well as the hungry, thirsty, naked, and homeless, and those who have thus shown their love as to Jesus Himself, will shine like stars in the sky of heaven.

Long live Christ the King! Let us confess this with our lives. To love God, to love our neighbor as ourselves is the surest asset for a joyful encounter with Christ the King. We remind ourselves of this to fulfill this command reminded by Jesus with even greater love.
Just as Jesus accepted death on the cross, not out of compulsion, so we choose Jesus Christ as our King without compulsion. We not only want to know the teachings of Christ, but to keep them, to fulfill them, and thus to share in his Kingdom. Our life, actions, and words are our “yes” to Jesus. A religious sister remembers visiting a family where a disabled child was lying in a cradle. When the sister asked what the child’s name was, she was told, “That’s our professor of love.” And the subsequent explanation, “From him we learn to live love.”

Jesus Christ is the Teacher who teaches and demonstrates true love to all. It is up to us to do it. May the sight of Christ crucified be more and more an appeal to us to do God’s will, live according to the commandments, and keep the commandments. We will have time for Christ because we want to be with him for all eternity. We will put Christ before everything. By taking the nature of man, He proved His love for us. Let us draw strength, courage, and grace from the crucified King. May our lives be marked by victory over the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

The Sunday of Christ the King is not a commemoration of people equally weak, though personalities of different positions; today, the King of King’s feast is celebrated.

Lord Jesus said: “My house will be a house of prayer” (Luke 19:46).

The figure of Jesus is mainly associated with good qualities. Today, however, Jesus got angry. Why? He came to the sanctuary – and saw the fair. The shrines of the Jews were beautiful. They were large spaces surrounded by walls. There was a court of the women, a court of the men, a holy place where the priests and Levites sacrificed, and a place called the holy of holies, where the high priest entered once a year to offer incense to God. Everyone could enter the courtyard of the Gentiles, both foreigners, and Gentiles. The whole sanctuary stood in a high place above the city. Jesus Christ loved this sanctuary. He went there every year to his Father’s house. But in the last year of his life, when he entered this sanctuary, he wept over it because he knew that it would be destroyed and that only a stone would remain. And so it happened. And so it is until today. Only a piece of the wall remained, called the “Wailing Wall”.

Jesus Christ loved the Jerusalem temple so much that he entered it as his Father’s house. Then it is no wonder, when he saw sellers and buyers in the temple, that in anger, he overturned the tables of the money changers and drove the sellers out of the temple. Is not the sanctuary a house of prayer? Jesus Christ had great interest and zeal for his Father’s house. All people at different times wanted to build the most beautiful house-church for the Lord God in the middle of their houses. Christians offered the first Holy Masses in private homes. The table was an altar. In Rome, Christians gathered in the catacombs and underground cemeteries, and at night they celebrated the Eucharistic celebration at the graves of the martyrs. When Christians were allowed to pray in public, wealthy Romans made their fine houses available for people to pray in. This is where the basilicas come from. Then came terrible times, raids of barbarian nations, and it was necessary to protect oneself. They gathered in stone churches with small arches and a tower that was also a shooting range.

The Middle Ages came, and the religious people of those times, whose names we do not know, built such beautiful shrines to God that we admire today. These stunning towers direct our thoughts and hearts to God. There are colorful stained glass windows in the arches, beautiful carvings, and sculptures above the entrance to the church. People began building churches for God when new times came after the Middle Ages. TodModernurches no longer have pointed or Gothic arches; they no longer have so much gold. Modern churches are being built next to modern apartment buildings worldwide. They are simple houses where God lives, and people pray.

We have seen the church many times. But do we know what each thing means?
The tower shows us that we have a Father in heaven.
The bells remind us to go to the temple and pray.
At the entrance to the church, there is a shrine in which there is holy water so that those who enter here can wash and be clean.
Strange things happen in the confessional – the secret of conversion and forgiveness through God.
We listen to God’s word from the pulpit.
At baptism in the baptistery, we became sons and daughters of God.
The most important place in the church is the sanctuary, where the holy guests are kept. Jesus is in our midst and will always be with us.
There are still many things in the church: organs, pews, bells, and the like.
All this is to help us to feel good here and to be able to pray fervently in it.

At Holy Mass, we pray for those who give donations to the church, that the house of God may be beautiful, and that it may be a worthy sign of our faith and the faith of those who built and maintained this church. Tell me, where is your place in the church? How do you pray in church? Are you in the right place? How are you doing here? Do you value and respect the prayer of others? Don’t you talk when others are praying? Do you make time every day to be able to come here and tell God that you love him even for staying here with us in the church day and night?

Let’s wish that our temple is genuinely ours, that we feel good in it, visit it o, often and take care of it.