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My soul magnifies the Lord › Lk 1.46.

The visit to Elizabeth was sealed with the singing of the Magnificat, a hymn that spans all Christian centuries, a hymn that unites the minds of Christ’s disciples, and that apart from all the historical frictions that we strive to overcome in the interest of full communion. In the current ecumenical climate, it is nice to remember that Martin Luther devoted, as he himself put it, a very famous commentary to this holy song of the blessed Mother of God. In it, he emphasized that everyone should learn this song of praise, because in “the Magnificat, Mary teaches us how to love and praise God”. 

In the moment when God, full of love, looked at Mary, she became a sign of hope for the multitudes of the poor and the least on earth, who will be the first in the kingdom of heaven. It faithfully follows the decision of Christ, who repeats to all the oppressed throughout history: “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will strengthen you” (Mt 11:28). Taking the winding paths of history, the Church follows Mary so that the huge processions of poor and hungry, oppressed and afflicted women and men (cf. Lk 1, 52-53) rise again and find their dignity. It is the star of the third millennium, just as at the beginning of the Christian era it was the morning dawn with which Jesus shone on the horizon of history. She—thinking chronologically—was born before Christ, gave him to the world, and incorporated him into human destinies. We ask Mary to lead us to Christ and the Father in the future—even in the dark night of evil and in times of confusion and crises, silence, and suffering. 

Let us sing to Mary the hymn that the Eastern Church loves above all else. The Baathist lyrically glorifies Mary. In the section devoted to Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, he celebrates Mary as a branch of the never-drying trunk, as the life force of the immortal fruit, as the one who nourished the one who nourishes us.

June 30, non-binding commemoration
Position: martyrs
Death: 64
CURRICULUM VITAE

They were men, women, and youth, clergy and laity, many of whom had accepted the faith very early on. They fell in large numbers during the first of many persecutions of Christians. When a large part of Rome burned down, which, according to the historian Tacitus, was set on fire by Nero, the emperor cast suspicion on the Christians and declared them arsonists. The people considered the killing of Christians a reason for entertainment. In addition to Tacitus, Seutonius, for example, speaks of this among the pagans, and Clement of Rome among the Christian writers.
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REPRESENTATIONS OF NAMELESS WITNESSES
They were believers united by love for Christ, people who had love for all others in their hearts but were regarded by the majority of the people of Rome as their greatest enemies. Hosts of nameless witnesses to the truth had to die.

In the year 64, a diabolical plan ripened in the proud heart of Emperor Nero. He wanted to see a great fire in Rome to represent the burning of Troy. He wanted to be the master of everything and be celebrated as a great builder. At that time, there were more and more people in the city with a “dangerous” faith, which, in its teachings, proclaimed the equality of all people, so, according to them, the emperor should be the brother of an enslaved person, and an enslaved person equal to his sovereign. Their “deviation” is completed by the fact that they see God in someone who was crucified as an enslaved person. The emperor praised himself for the idea he had. How “magnificent!” Since the people would hate the arsonists, whom he had decided to label Christians, he would be able to get rid of them in such a way that all his desires would be satisfied and he would be celebrated.

After the fire of Rome, Emperor Nero began a cruel persecution of the first Christians, and fantastic tortures were invented for them, as the Roman historian Tacitus wrote. The imperial gardens were specially illuminated by live torches that burned Christians in pitch-blackened rags on columns and crosses. Some Christians were sewn into animal skins and thrown to wild dogs to be slowly torn apart. Bloody theaters took place in the circus on the Vatican Hill, during which wild beasts were unleashed on children and women, cruel whippings were performed, and there was no shortage of beheadings. The largest number of Christians were tortured in various ways there.

They suffered and died with unwavering faith and hope for life in heaven and with a love for Jesus from which they drew strength. The apostle Paul wrote, as it were, in their name, recalling the prophetic words of Psalm 44:23: “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are like sheep to be slaughtered. But in all these things—persecution, tribulation, and sword— we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death… nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:36-39).

The Lord Jesus foretold the persecution and suffering of those who would follow him, saying, “Brother will betray brother to death… All will hate you for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:21-22) The Lord Jesus Himself had already blessed these persecuted ones in advance with an encouraging addition: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:12).

Martyrdom is the highest degree of love. Many pagans, seeing the enthusiasm of Christians and their courage in the most painful tortures, cried out for baptism. And so the Church grew the more it was persecuted. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians. Since the names of all the first Roman martyrs are not known to many, the Church commemorates their heroic deaths with a common feast immediately after those of the two foremost apostles, who were also executed under the emperor Nero.

Between the current cemetery and St. Peter’s Basilica, a stone in the pavement marks the place where, in the middle of the circus, where most of the first martyrs died, an obelisk once stood, which was later transferred to St. Peter’s Square in 1586.

Dear parishioners, We contemplate the holy images and statues placed in churches. In many parishes, on the altar in the presbytery, we see the Apostles standing: Saints Peter and Paul. St. Peter holds the keys in his hands, and St. Paul a sword. Large monuments of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul stand on the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Today we commemorate their martyrdom. Some apocryphal books state that both died on the same day, June 29, 67, by order of the cruel emperor Nero. St. Peter was crucified upside down in the Vatican Gardens, and St. Paul was beheaded with a sword behind the Ostia Gate. St. Peter was led to his death during the time of Herod Agrippa I. This king wanted to please the Jews and began the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. He preached the beheading of St. James the Elder, the apostle, and then captured Peter and imprisoned him. He wanted to hand him over to the people after the Passover feast. In the meantime, the chained Peter was guarded by four mercenaries from each squad. 

However, the prayer constantly recited by Christians at that time proved stronger than the chains. It did not help that Peter was sleeping between two soldiers and that the guards at the gate were guarding the prison. An Angel of the Lord came and struck him on the side, waking Peter up. He also said to him, “Get up quickly!” The chains fell from Peter’s hands. The angel ordered him to gird himself, put on sandals, and put on his cloak. He led Peter out of prison and only then left him when they had passed through the iron gate and one street together. Certainly, St. Peter remained faithful and therefore still stands guard over Christ’s sheepfold with the keys in his hands. He stands faithfully still in his successors. However, from the very meeting with Peter, Jesus placed the Apostle in a strong position. He changed his name. He called him a rock. Later, in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus explains to Peter what the change of name meant: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Peter was given the greatest power in the Church.  

The second most significant patron of the Church is St. Paul the Apostle. He was also placed high in the Church by Jesus himself. The risen Christ blocked the way for Saul of Tarsus when he was filled with hatred against the confessors of Christ and went to Damascus to imprison and kill them. At the gates of that city, Christ appeared to him, struck him with light, and by His grace caused him to convert. Saul rose from the ground and was led by his companions to the priest Ananias, where he was baptized. Paul was called to be the apostle to the Gentiles and a remarkable teacher of humanity. He was to work very diligently and suffer a lot for Christ and bring to Him, at the cost of proclaiming the word of God and a great sacrifice, crowds of Gentiles. “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that through me the proclamation of the Gospel might be fully accomplished and all the nations might hear it,” wrote St. Paul in his Second Letter to his dearest Timothy.

Brothers and sisters, we are called to listen! We would all like to believe similarly. The Holy Apostles have much to tell us in times of instability and betrayal, as we consider them. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” – confessed St. Peter when the Lord Jesus asked his disciples who people considered Him to be. It was an act of true faith that Peter dared to do, thanks to the grace given to him from above, by God the Father. St. Paul also believed completely in Christ. “I know whom I have believed” – he said about himself. This gave him confidence in the face of the brutality of life, which often appeared to him, even before death. Let us therefore stand resolutely with Christ, as they did. Peter was a rock, but when he once forgot his fear of Jesus and denied Him, and confirmed his denial with an oath, he had to erase his guilt with bitter tears. 

Paul, despite his great constancy and heroism of love, still felt like a weak man and therefore strengthened himself in the conviction that if he could do everything good, then only in the One who strengthens Him, in Jesus Christ. Our constancy in faith is the fruit of constant prayer to Christ for the grace of constancy and perseverance. Today’s world is treacherous. Betrayal of God, betrayal of homeland, betrayal of ideals, betrayal of faith, betrayal of the Church, marital betrayal, betrayal of a friend, betrayal of one’s own identity, and constant betrayal. We need fidelity very much today. We want to learn it from the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and we also want to remain faithful to them ourselves, at all costs. The greater the fidelity in the Church, the fuller is our bond with God, who is faithful to us until the end. 

The patrons of today stand guard over the Church, which is the visible sign of the invisible Lord God. The preface in the Church speaks of the twofold mission of Saints Peter and Paul: “For you fill us with joy from the apostolic work of Saints Peter and Paul. One teaches us to profess the faith, and the other explains its mysteries to us; Peter gathered the early Church from the children of Israel, Paul became a teacher of the faith for all nations, and so both, although in different ways, gathered the family of Christ. We venerate them together, as you glorified both together.” Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us that we may be free from all betrayal and value the virtue of fidelity.

June 27, non-binding commemoration
Position: patriarch, teacher of the church
Death: 444
Attributes: doves, Virgin Mary
CURRICULUM VITAE

After receiving his education, he went to the monks in the desert to learn from them the true virtuous life. He then became the patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt. He led a doctrinal dispute with the Church in Constantinople, where the heretical Patriarch Nestorius denied Mary as the Mother of God. Cyril was a fearless defender of the belief in Mary’s divine motherhood. In 431, he presided over the Council of Ephesus, where he played a major role in condemning the Nestorian heresy. Through his writings, he became one of the greatest theologians and exegetes of the East.
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THE ADVOCATES OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
He was born around 370 in Alexandria, Egypt. Biographers believe, based on his work, that he received a remarkable education. He decided to enter the spiritual life and went to the desert, where he became a monk. In his efforts to live a virtuous life, he struggled with a violent temperament that probably accompanied him throughout his life.

In 403, already as a priest, he accompanied his uncle Theophilus, who was the Patriarch of Alexandria, to the Synod “At the Oak,” which wrongly condemned St. John Chrysostom to exile. Cyril only realized his mistake after his uncle’s death. In 412, he succeeded him as Patriarch of Alexandria. He tried to resolve the tensions in the Church, which various theological discussions had caused and which sectarians and hostile Jews had also instigated. Cyril’s power was greater than that of his predecessor; in particular, he also had some temporal authority. With his temperamental zeal, Cyril sometimes rushed.

After an argument over the theater they went to on Saturday, where they instigated the arrest of Cyril’s friend Hierax, the Jews began to attack the Christians. Cyril warned the Jewish leaders, but their co-religionists prepared a bloody attack, which they began at night with an alarm call that the Alexandrian temple was burning. They attacked the gathering Christians with swords. Patriarch Cyril first wanted the prefect to intervene, but he was not in favor of him and hesitated. Cyril then took care of the expulsion of the Jews from Alexandria. This act increased the hostile attitude of the prefect Orestes. Both wrote to Emperor Theodosius II. The emperor sided with Cyril and forbade Jews from living in the city.

Cyril solved other problems by having the churches of the Novatian sect closed and not wanting them in the city.

Cyril’s energetic actions emboldened some revolutionary monks of Mount Nitris to deplorable riots. In 415, they attacked the prefect’s chariot with insults. One monk hit the prefect with a stone, was imprisoned for it, and died under torture. The philosopher Hypatia had negotiated with Orestes and was therefore accused of preventing the bishop’s reconciliation with the prefect. Her accusers attacked and tortured her. These crimes tarnished Cyril’s and the Alexandrian church’s reputations.

The Jews then tied a Christian to a cross and beat him until he died under torture. Patriarch Cyril resolved the situation by writing to the emperor, who had the perpetrator punished and Orestes deposed.

Cyril tried to act as best he could, but it was difficult, and he was sometimes unsuccessful. He preached a lot and tried to establish peace in Alexandria. He was a relentless fighter against heresy. In 429, the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestor, particularly provoked him toward such activities. He began to proclaim that the Virgin Mary was not the Mother of God, as it was customary to call her in the East, but only the Mother of Christ. According to him, she gave birth only to a man, and God the Word united with the man Jesus and dwelt in him, as in a temple.

When Cyril learned of these claims, he wrote many letters to Nestor, bishops, and monks in which he refuted this doctrine. Nestor then began to slander him at the imperial court, and Cyril therefore wrote apologetic letters directly to Emperor Theodosius II. He also turned to Pope Celestine to decide the dispute. The pope convened a synod in Rome in 430, which recognized the orthodoxy of Cyril’s teachings and called on Nestor to recant his errors. Cyril, on behalf of the synod, ensured that its decision was implemented. He compiled twelve doctrinal articles, the so-called anathemas, and requested that Nestor publicly accept them. He refused to agree to them, and therefore a general council was convened in Ephesus in 431, presided over by Cyril. The pope’s envoys were late, and a group of bishops from the Patriarchate of Antioch, led by John, who allegedly sought neutrality in the dispute while supporting Nestorius, also arrived late.

The bishops at the council condemned Nestorius’ teachings, the papal legates approved the decision, but the Antiochians then held their own meeting. At it, they condemned Cyril and the Ephesian bishop Memnon. The emperor’s soldiers then imprisoned Cyril. However, the emperor ultimately agreed with the council’s decision, released Cyril, and deposed Nestorius. Only after two years did reconciliation between the two sides, Cyril and John, take place, when both retreated from their extreme positions.

Cyril of Alexandria stood out primarily as a theologian who wrote extensively. Even before the dispute with Nestorius, he was concerned with the mystery of the Holy Trinity and the Incarnation. He based his work on the teachings of the Church Fathers and the Holy Scriptures. The most important of the five groups of writings was the doctrinal-polemical works and sermons, in which he deepened the doctrine of the aforementioned mysteries. Other groups are: Interpretations of Holy Scripture, defense of Christians against the slanders of Julian the Apostate, sermons, and letters.

In addition to his pastoral work, Cyril devoted the last years of his life to theological writings. He endeavored to explain theological concepts more thoroughly to prevent further misunderstandings.

In 1883, Pope Leo XIII declared him a Doctor of the Church.

Only those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter the kingdom of heaven, even if they say to me, “Lord, Lord” (Mt 7:21).

Feelings or mere words are not enough for salvation. God requires of us actions of faith. This means that as a person’s mindset is, so should his words and actions be. God’s rule cannot be acknowledged with empty words alone. To accept it means to subscribe to it with one’s heart, mouth, and actions.

The large and majestic head of Christ is said to be depicted on the facade of the ancient temple in Lubeck. One can see sadness on his face. His eyes speak of silent grief. And below, under the image, there is a significant inscription:

“You call me master, and you do not ask me.
You call me light, and you do not see me.
You call me a liar, yet you do not believe me. You call
I tell you the way, and you do not follow me.
You call me life, and you do not ask me.
You call me wisdom, and you do not listen to me.
You call me rich, and you do not ask me.
You call me righteous, and you do not fear me.
And when I condemn you, do not be surprised at me.”

These are painful reproaches that Christ addresses to everyone, words that awaken conscience.

These are words of admiration, wonder, and curiosity towards the newborn who came into the world through the marriage of Zechariah, a man of advanced age who could not wait for offspring. People knew there was something extraordinary here; something great was about to happen. What will he bring? How old will the boy be?

When John had already made himself known to Israel by profound repentance, preaching strong sermons, calls for repentance and conversion, and administering the baptism of repentance in the Jordan, he received the greatest, authoritative appreciation from the Son of God himself: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (Mt 11:11). This is the Divine evaluation, the Divine reward, the Divine judgment.

And here the question arises: why was John the Baptist, so highly esteemed by our Lord, not chosen as the head of Christ’s Church? Shouldn’t such an exceptional man have been the first pope, Cephas—the rock on which His Church was to be built? We can only guess why Jesus selected the timid, initially misunderstanding God’s ways, and even severely admonished and rebuked fisherman Simon instead of John the Baptist, the son of a priest. For the noble service of the apostle of the nascent Church and the author of one of the Gospels, a disciple of John the Baptist was chosen—St. John, the son of Zebedee. It was not John the Baptist but his disciple John who heard, “Follow me.” Not the greatest of those born of women, not St. John, the son of Zebedee – the “beloved disciple,” or not Judas Thaddeus, a relative of the Lord Jesus, was Cephas, but Simon Peter, who became the visible head of the nascent Church. We could say, “This appointment is a strange decision of Jesus of Nazareth. However, with humility and obedience of faith, we accept it.

We can find the answer to our unrest and astonishment in the teaching of St. Paul: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; God chose the base things of the world and the despised things of the world, yes, the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no one might boast before God… (1 Cor 1:27-29).

God acts in this way so that it is obvious—He saves; the work of redemption is done by His grace and not by wisdom, skill, or human work. This is so that we do not fall into pride. And the Lord Himself gives us the answer to our doubts: “We are unprofitable servants.” From this pedagogy of Jesus, God’s pedagogy, we can learn that it is not always the exceptional, the most capable, or the best who are endowed with power in the Church and even the highest offices, but rather persons who, according to our perception, are irresponsible.

This passage is a kind of light for the offended, the dissatisfied, and the angry. In those decisions of the Lord Jesus, the wisdom and the logic of the cross are hidden. The cross was an offense for some and foolishness for others, yet it revealed itself as wisdom, victory, and the power of God. Isn’t the continuation of the Church, despite persecutions and despite so many offenses committed by people in the Church, often vain shepherds; its development, leading to heaven of other generations; and educating new hosts of saints, a demonstration that it is He, the Son of God, who saves and leads, and not us?

May St. John the Baptist, whom we venerate today, that exceptional man so appreciated by the Lord Jesus, help some of the vain people of the Church who are offended today to overcome their problems. And those who are great, even in the opinion of those around them and competent people, but are bypassed, without offices and power in the Church, may be helped to overcome divisions, disappointments, or even bitterness. May the awareness that, as at the beginning of the Church, so throughout all ages and today, our Lord uses the same pedagogy in calling people to his Church and endows them with ministries be with you.

Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are going in through it; but narrow is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few are finding it.” › Matthew 7:13. 

We all face a decision in life. A narrow gate or a broad way. One of these two paths can be chosen. We have a choice – the narrow path with the Lord Jesus, or the broad path of the world. Most people would prefer there to be a third path between faith and unbelief—some mixed zone. However, according to the Lord Jesus, there is no such third path. Either I stand in faith, or I don’t. I am either saved or lost.

Now we can think: “Am I standing on the wide or narrow path?” When I only go with the flow of the Internet, fashion, and television, I live according to my own ideas, only for fun and only for my own happiness—then I stand on the broad road. The broad road is the road of a person who does not have a close fellowship with the Lord Jesus, and most people walk on it. The narrow road is strenuous, and today it is not worn. Many quickly give up when they think they should make some effort. – Should I get up and go to church on Sunday morning? Think about my future? Read the Bible? Forgive? Help? – All these tasks require effort and time.

It is also difficult to answer the questions: what is good and what is not, who is a Christian and who is a fascist, what is characterful and what is no longer, what is life, love, and what is death, who is God, and what is an idol. Yes, even telling others about faith will be difficult. When we invite them into fellowship with the Lord Jesus and set an example of Christian character ourselves, that will also be our narrow path.  

When you have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, you receive new strength to go further towards the goal described above for both of the aforementioned gates. On the wide one is the inscription: the goal is death. Many do not notice this. They are only interested in who is already going through that gate and what fun there is. Above the narrow gate is the inscription – the goal is life. But, as the Lord Jesus says, few notice this. Therefore, let us choose the narrow gate, the narrow path! Difficult, but leading to eternal life. Let us accept the Lord Jesus as the guide of our lives so that we may joyfully walk the narrow path together to eternal life!