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Go all over the world and proclaim the Gospel …

Dear brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles. He is best known for what happened after Jesus’ resurrection, for not believing the testimony of the other apostles, and for wanting to see and touch the wounds of the Risen One himself. Because of this, he is often referred to as „infidel Thomas“. However, today’s Gospel reveals more than just his doubt. It shows us a path of faith that is true, human, and inspiring. 

Thomas didn’t want to believe blindly. He was seeking certainty, truth, and wanted to see for himself. And it is in this sincere search that he is very close to us. Maybe we would behave the same in his place. But what is essential is that he eventually met Jesus. And not only did he believe, but he confessed one of the deepest sentences of the entire Bible: „My Lord and my God!“ (John 20,28)

Christ does not reproach Thomas for his doubt, but leads him to faith. And then he utters words that concern each of us: „Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed“. This sentence is an invitation to mature faith —a faith born from listening, trust, and openness to God’s word. A faith that may meet with doubts but will never stop there. 

Dear brothers and sisters, today’s holiday falls on the first Thursday of the month – the day we pray for new priestly and religious vocations. It is highly symbolic because St. Thomas can serve as a role model for those on the path of vocation. Every true calling begins with an encounter with Jesus Christ. Not with an idea or rules, but with a living Lord. And it was this meeting that also transformed Thomas – from a person who doubted to an apostle who, according to tradition, brought the Gospel to India, and was willing to lay down his life for Christ. 

In the first reading, we heard the words of St. Paul: „You are like a building that has apostles and prophets as its foundations, and its cornerstone is Christ“. The Church stands on the testimony of the apostles, and St. Thomas is one of those who testified to us that Christ the Lord has risen from the dead, and that he has the power to transform the life of man. 

Today, let us pray especially that even in our time, young people will rise up who will hear God’s voice and answer it. So that they are not afraid to admit their doubts, but at the same time are willing to seek, know, and follow Christ with heart and life. And let us also pray for ourselves that we too confess every day as St. Thomas: „My Lord and My God“. 

 After the layer of childhood comes the layer of youth, then the layers of family life, work, and social life, until we reach the layer of the senior, and we expect what will happen next. Miners can drill deep into the ground. The cosmonaut must pass through several layers before reaching orbit. One realizes that living means passing through the layers to the future.

Religious holiday  of: Visiting the Virgin Mary in Ain Karem is an opportunity to look into some layers of her life and derive timeless wisdom from them. For example, in Mary’s layer of youth we find a willingness to fulfill God’s law, his will, which is expressed by the words: „ Behold the servant of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word“ (Lk 1, 38). When she learned that Elizabeth, her relative, had conceived a son in her old age, she did not hesitate to visit and rushed to the Judean city in the mountainous region (compare Lk 1, 36-39). In the family life layer, we see Mary in Nazareth shopping, washing, cleaning, cooking, sewing, and doing everything to support the child’s growth. She also experienced a layer of pain and misunderstanding, because she saw what they were doing to her son – they were nailing him to the cross.

It was painful, Maria. Later, we see her with the apostles after Jesus’ resurrection, and that is already a layer of joy. Even after two thousand years, we remember the glorified layer of Mary’s life, because God did not let her body remain on earth and decay; He glorified the alley with body and soul in heaven, as John Damascene writes about it (650-749).  There is something familiar to all layers. It was like that in Maria’s life as well. It is openness to God’s wisdom, which, with its presence, can illuminate every layer of life and inspire service. The fruit of this cooperation is Mary’s joy: „ My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior“ (Lk 1,46-47). What does that mean?

We are talking about the Magnificat in Latin. Magnificat means to make big. In her approach to God, Mary makes it clear that she considers him great, powerful, important, and generous. Not everyone considers God necessary, incredible, or powerful. Mary’s mind is different: Magnificat means, ‘God, you are great, powerful, and glorious.’ She felt in herself how big things he had done to her.  Every person glorifies God to the extent that they accept him. As much as he knows how to do Magnificat, he gives God the right place in his life. Day after day, decisions must be made: Who do I consider God? Is it essential or not? Will I go to church or not? Shall I keep the commandments, or shall I make a dispensation? Will I be human or cruel? Do I have a sense of service and dedication? The experience of the current layer of life depends on it. We cannot remain oblivious, because through God’s kindness, the correct orientation towards the future develops in our lives.

Paul aptly wrote in the Letter to the Ephesians: „God prepared heaven for us in Christos“ (Ef 2, 6). Therefore, it is worth doing everything to make the Magnificat a part of yourself. The magnitude of mercy is illustrated by the following example: A mother and a teenage son made an appointment in front of a shopping center. They were supposed to go see the new cell phones for Mom together. But Mom was a quarter of an hour late. When she arrived, the gloomy son growled: „ I’ve been waiting for you here for fifteen minutes!“ Mom hugged him, apologized, looked him in the eye with love, and said with a smile: „ My boy, I’ve been waiting for you for nine wonderful months.“

Of course, she should have been accurate, and come on time. However, life presents situations in which we sometimes wait for others, and at other times, they wait for us. A boy will be an adult only when he figures out for himself: What is fifteen minutes against nine months? Only then does the Magnificat gush out of his heart. May we manage to experience gratitude towards God for the gift of existence and for the future that shines through the individual layers of life.

The Christian is called to be courageous in our own weakness. Many times we must admit that we are weak, and therefore we must flee without nostalgia for sin, without looking back. There are four possible attitudes in conflictual, difficult situations. The first is the approach of “hesitation” of Lot. He was determined to leave the city before it was destroyed, but he did so hesitantly, slowly. The angel tells him to flee, but there is in him the inability to detach himself from evil and sin. We too want to go, we are determined, but there is something that pulls us back. Like Lot, who begins to negotiate with the angel.

It is difficult to distance ourselves from a sinful situation. It is difficult! Even in temptation it is equally difficult! But the voice of God tells us: flee! Here you cannot struggle, because fire and brimstone will kill you. Escape! St. Therese of the Child Jesus teaches us that sometimes in some temptations the only solution is to flee and we should not be ashamed to flee; to recognize that we are weak and must flee. Our people, in their simple wisdom, say somewhat ironically: A soldier who flees from a battle does not escape another. Flee so that you may advance on the path of Jesus Christ.

The angel then tells Lot to “not look back”, to flee and look forward. This is advice on how to overcome the nostalgia of sin. Let us think of the people of God in the desert. They had everything, the promise, everything. Yet they “longed for the onions in Egypt”, and because of this nostalgia they “forgot that they had eaten onions from the table of slavery”. They had a nostalgic “desire to return, to return”. And the angel’s advice is wise: Don’t look back! Just go. We cannot act like Lot’s wife, we must get rid of all nostalgia, because there is also the temptation of curiosity.

Fleeing from sin without nostalgia. Curiosity does not help, it harms! But how can it be done in this sinful world? But what will happen with this sin? I would like to know… No, no! Curiosity will harm you! Run away and do not look back! We are weak, all of us, and we must defend ourselves. The third situation is on a ship: it is fear. When the sea became rough, the ship was covered with waves. ‘Save us, Lord, we are lost!’ – they say. Fear! This is also a temptation of the devil: to be afraid to move forward on the Lord’s path.

There is a temptation that says that it is “better to stay here”, where I have security. “But this is the Egypt of slavery! I am afraid to step forward. I am afraid of where the Lord will lead me. But fear is “not a good counselor”. Jesus said so many times: ‘Do not be afraid.’ Fear will not help us. The fourth attitude is the grace of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus calmed the stormy sea, the disciples in the boat were overcome by fear. We must be strong in our weakness and flee from sin without nostalgia.

The Christian is called to be courageous in our own weakness. Many times we must recognize that we are weak, and therefore we must flee without nostalgia for sin, without looking back. There are four possible attitudes in conflicting, difficult situations. The first is the attitude of “hesitation” of Lot. He was determined to leave the city before it was destroyed, but he did so hesitantly, slowly. The angel tells him to flee, but he is unable to detach himself from evil and sin. We too want to go, we are determined, but there is something that pulls us back. Just like Lot, who begins to negotiate with the angel.

It is difficult to distance ourselves from a sinful situation. It is difficult! In temptation it is equally difficult! But the voice of God tells us: escape! Here you cannot struggle, because the fire and the brimstone will kill you. Escape! St. Therese of the Child Jesus teaches us that sometimes in some temptations the only solution is to flee and we should not be ashamed to flee; to recognize that we are weak and must flee. Our people, in their simple wisdom, say somewhat ironically: A soldier who flees from a battle does not escape another. Flee so that you may advance on the path of Jesus Christ.

The angel then tells Lot to “not look back”, to flee and look ahead. This is advice on how to overcome the nostalgia of sin. Let us think of the people of God in the desert. They had everything, the promise, everything. Yet “they longed for the onions in Egypt”, and because of this nostalgia “they forgot that they ate onions from the table of slavery”. They had a nostalgic “desire to return, to return”. And the angel’s advice is wise: Don’t look back! Just go. We cannot act like Lot’s wife, we must get rid of all nostalgia, because there is also the temptation of curiosity.

Fleeing from sin without nostalgia. Curiosity does not help, it harms! But how can it be done in this sinful world? But what will happen with this sin? I would like to know… No, no! Curiosity will harm you! Run away and don’t look back! We are weak, all of us, and we must defend ourselves. The third situation is on the ship: it is fear. When the sea became rough, the ship was covered with waves. ‘Save us, Lord, we are lost!’ – they say. Fear! This is also the temptation of the devil: to be afraid to move forward on the Lord’s path.

There is a temptation that says, “It is better to stay here,” where I have security. “But this is the Egypt of slavery! I am afraid to step forward. I am afraid of where the Lord will lead me. But fear is “not a good counselor.” Jesus said so many times, “Do not be afraid.” Fear will not help us. The fourth attitude is the grace of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus calmed the stormy sea, the disciples in the boat were overcome by the spirit. We must be strong in weakness and flee from sin without nostalgia.

People expect us to behave in a certain way. Proportionate to our position, education. They want something different from the priest, something different from the mother, and something different from the teacher. A person learns to play various tasks. A person behaves differently at work, differently at home, and again differently at a party. However, our role is not the same. We often put on a mask. When they came to John the Baptist, they asked him. Are you the Messiah? John said. I am not the Messiah. I am not the one you think I am. The problem is that while John knew who he was, we do not. We consider ourselves to be different from what we are. I am a secret that came from God’s hand. Only  God knows the innermost self. A person is truly alone with themselves only when they are in the presence of God. We have to be what God created us to be. When we meet God, we meet ourselves. Many people, when someone criticizes them, say. I am already like that; you have to come to terms with it. On the contrary, that is not me. What I am in my essence cannot bother anyone. A person is beautiful when they are in God. As long as a person delves into their depth, it may happen that they will live their whole life in a religious illusion. He will have the feeling that he is living with God, while in fact, he will be living only with himself. He will feel that he hears the  Word of God, and yet only one’s desire will be heard. Knowing yourself is faithful Grace. And we must ask for this  Grace. In the Gospel, we see that many people changed their lives when they met Christ. Christ transforms people. Let’s remember Mary Magdalene and Zacchaeus; they became different people. We become ourselves if we truly encounter Christ. Then all the masks we put on will disappear. To learn to live with myself and with God, I need silence.

People often prefer to escape silence because they are uncomfortable with themselves. Silence is the first step to knowing yourself. A Trappist said. It is difficult for a modern person to be alone.  When he has time and opportunity, he turns on the radio or TV. Many people, when they start to pray to you. You have dozens of thoughts, wishes, and desires. But that’s all superficial. You need to learn to pray in silence.  And in that silence, we will discover what we are. A true Encounter with God can free us from our importance, worry, and overload. Teaches us true joy and contentment. Who desires nothing cannot grow. Pharisees have blocked themselves in their desires. Therefore, they could not grow spiritually. The desire for  God is the foundation of spiritual life.  Those who lack this desire cannot live spiritually.

He will go after the lost one until he finds her.

On this feast of Jesus’ Sacred Heart, there is no explicit language about the heart in any text, but it is about an extraordinary form of love that we associate with the thought of the heart. The Gospel shows this in all its paradox. After all, the shepherd takes care of his whole flock evenly, so how are we to understand that he leaves ninety-nine in the wasteland (actually in the desert) and only cares about the one who wandered away? As can be seen, here the risk is not considered, counted, or thought of if the majority remains unprotected; it only looks at the danger that threatens one, as if it only matters to him. There is no thinking about what the hopes for success are.

God is not indifferent to whether a few people are lost, although most of humanity is saved. The human heart, which here becomes a vessel of divine love, does not think like this; a loved and irreplaceable person is vital to him. As a rule, believers who celebrate the feast of Jesus’ Sacred Heart have no idea how much God loves each individual; so many saints expressed the idea that Christ would die on the cross even then, if only one single person needed redemption. This idea seems a little heated to us, but it draws its legitimacy from this parable of Jesus. And not only worrying about one sheep, the joy of finding it again is described. One can say with certainty that each of the ninety-nine is loved equally by the Good Shepherd: after all, they are all sinners for whom Jesus dies on the cross, not an anonymous mass, but unique persons.

Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

The second reading underlines what has just been said. What is given as lost in the parable is actually what has fled from God, is far from him, and is hostile to him. The love of the Good Shepherd does not rest on any mutuality; it is love that, through its perfect surrender, strives to arouse this mutuality. The sheep, which is saved and carried on the shoulders of the shepherd, begins to judge how dear it is to the shepherd and what it owes him. However, this parable was not intended to evoke this reciprocity; the love of Jesus is present in all circumstances. The reading also does not speak of love that is already committed and corresponds to God, but only of the certainty that we are already hidden in God’s love and have achieved “reconciliation”. Whether this certainty obliges us to respond to this love or instead that this response of love is spontaneously created in us will be able to be judged by everyone who realizes what has been said.

I will look for the lost.

The Old Testament text of the first reading repositions the love of Jesus’ heart at the heart of God. God wants to “seek out his flock himself”, bring them back “from all the places where they scattered in foggy and cloudy time”. Here we are shown that the human heart of Jesus, to whom we attribute this unique personal love, it is not a prototype – as if God’s love acquired this quality only during the incarnation – it is rather a more comprehensible expression of the incomprehensible love that the eternal God has had for his creatures forever.

 Could anything be more opposite than fire and water? Can. It’s fire and ice. It might seem that these opposites cannot be combined: either the fire dissolves the ice, or the water from the ice extinguishes the fire. And yet … look at the consequences that a hailstorm will leave behind. Nothing can resist it: pieces of ice falling from the sky can destroy almost everything, and if something is saved, it is engulfed in flames ignited by lightning. Today we celebrate the feast of the apostles Peter and Paul – people who differed from each other in their social origin, education, and temperament, like fire and ice. Peter, hard as a rock – and Paul, wandering around the world at that time like a wave of fire. And yet God united them for joint action, and God chose them to build the Church. And they finally succeeded thanks to God’s power, which can combine fire and ice into one.

Peter came from Bethsaida, a small village located in Lake Gennesaret. It is difficult to talk about any special education with Peter, and his Galilean origin forced others to treat him a little condescendingly (, it was said: „whether something good can come from Galilee?“). Peter was a simple fisherman from a backwater village of the empire at the time. He was married. The Gospel mentions the healing of his mother-in-law. Paul came from Tarsus – a metropolis with about two hundred thousand inhabitants. He came from the tribe of Benjamin, from which the first king of Israel also came. Paul was born a Roman citizen and was granted specific privileges. He wove carpets, but he was also very educated. He was an ardent follower of Judaism, ready to send all apostates to their deaths. Among these apostates, he also included followers of the emerging Church of Christ, which St. Peter then headed. When one of them was stoned, Stephen, Paul, who was too young to join the stoners officially, guarded their clothes. Paul had never met Jesus before His passion and resurrection. His conversion to faith resulted from a later encounter with the Son of God. The revelation of Christ surrounded by light brought him to his knees, blinded him, and when Paul’s sight returned, his life changed from the ground up. With good news, which he previously considered heresy, he arrived in the farthest corners of the empire at the time. He never started a family – he submitted his whole life to the Gospel.

Peter’s path to Jesus was not spectacular; he accompanied Jesus from the beginning of His teaching. Christ finally liked him significantly: he ordered him to come to him on the water, and when Peter doubted and began to drown, he saved him. He ordered him to pay the tax with a coin, which he miraculously pulled out of the fish muzzle. Peter was in the group of closest disciples who always accompanied Jesus. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet in the supper room, he began with Peter and seated him by his side during the Last Supper. Peter took up the sword in the Garden of Gethsemane and cut off the ear of his Master’s servant of the high priest, and then went to the high priest’s courtyard, where he managed to penetrate thanks to John’s patronage. Here he experienced something exactly opposite to what Paul would experience in Damascus: Paul the persecutor became a zealous disciple, while Peter, the closest disciple, became a traitor. Fortunately, he was able to cry bitterly.

Jesus looked at him with love, and Peter could already answer Christ’s question sincerely after Jesus’ resurrection: „Lord, You know that I love You“. Some people think these two individuals could not work together in one place, because they differed so much in their personalities. After all, we know that there was a strong exchange of views between them regarding Christians from the Gentiles. But legend has it that they last met in Rome, in prison. There, they were supposed to live together for a specific period, so that, on the same day, but in different places, they would sacrifice their lives for Christ. From St. Peter and St. Paul, we can learn from Paul that the agreement does not write our history of our natures, but by God, who knows how to combine fire and ice to create a force capable of proving unimaginable things.

Feast day: June 26

* January 9, 1902, Barbastro, Spain

† June 26, 1975, Rome

Origin of the name Josemaría: compound of José (Joseph) and María (Mary)

Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer was born on January 9, 1902, in Barbastro, Spain. His parents were José and Dolores. He had five siblings, three of whom died at an early age. His parents gave their children a deep Christian upbringing. His father worked in a textile shop, but in 1915 the business went bankrupt and the family moved to Logroño, where his father found another job. It was in this city, at the age of sixteen, that Josemaría first felt God’s call. In the snow, he saw the barefoot footprints of a monk from the Order of Discalced Carmelites. At that time, he had no idea what God expected of him, but he knew one thing: he wanted to become a priest. When he was eighteen, he entered the seminary, first studying in Logroño and later at the seminary in Zaragoza. At the same time, he studied civil law as an external student at the University of Zaragoza. His father died in 1924. A year later, he was ordained a priest. He served as a priest first in a rural parish and later in Zaragoza.

1927 with the bishop’s permission, he moved to Madrid to complete his doctoral studies in law. The year 1928 is considered the beginning of Opus Dei. Josemaría began to preach the thesis that every person can become a saint. Therefore, while devoting himself to his studies and to the sick and poor, he began to give spiritual exercises to consecrated persons and lay people. During the civil war in Spain in 1936, he had to go into hiding and eventually fled Madrid to southern France, where he remained until the end of the war. 1939 he returned to Madrid, completed his studies, and led countless spiritual exercises. In 1946, he moved to Rome, where he studied at the Lateran. He participated in the Second Vatican Council and closely followed its proceedings. He became a consultant to two Vatican congregations. During his stay, he made several trips to various countries in Europe and overseas. The work he founded gradually spread and gained more and more recognition throughout the world. Josemaría died on June 26, 1975, in Rome. He was beatified in 1992 and canonized in 2002.