“Who is the city of God but the holy Church? “Is the Church and the Kingdom of God the same? Augustine agrees, “Then already now, the Church is the kingdom of God and heaven. “ This kingdom of Christ is here below (nunc) yet warring (militia)”; only at the end of the ages (in fine saeculi, tunc)  it will be perfect. Thomas Aquinas says nothing else: “It is spoken especially  of the kingdom of God in a twofold sense: once as a host  of those who wander in faith; and in this sense, the Church militant is called the kingdom of God; but then as a gathering  of those who are already safe, at the goal, and in this sense, the Church is the overcoming Church is called the kingdom of God. “

For Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, the two successive states of the Church, nunc et tunc, now and then, the final and continuous state of the kingdom of God. J. Bonsirven says the same thing in “Le Règne de Dieu”: “Is the kingdom of God the same as the Church…? The answer can only be yes. ” Cardinal Charles Journet claims no different: “We believe that there is no  identification of the Church and the kingdom of God cannot be abandoned. They are two terms, but they denote a single reality. The Church is the kingdom; the kingdom is the Church. The term ‘kingdom’ refers to eschatology. But it is with Christ  stepped eschatology, primarily a qualitative order, into time. Since the time of Christ, the whole Church has stepped into the last time; it is eschatological. ” But over the last hundred years, this precise  identification in the name of eschatology has been questioned in discussions  that are not yet closed. Yet it is  much is at stake, for it is not only the character of the Church that is at stake but also the practical implications with great implications. If the Church is, by it is heavenly, because “it is where Christ is” If it is his body, and if that body includes not only those believers who are here today but also those who have gone before us and those who will come after us until the end of time.

 “We do not consider why the Church and kingdom should not be identified.” For more than a hundred years, on the other hand, it has been said that the Church and the kingdom are not to be identified because the kingdom is a purely eschatological reality, while the Church is said to be only a sign of the kingdom, which points to it. And this tangled question is, we must try to clarify; therefore, let us first hear what the Council teaches. Then, let us consider the reception of this teaching.

We are experiencing the wonderful celebration of the Sending of the Holy Spirit – Pentecost. Initially, it was a pleasant holiday in Jewish culture – celebrating the wheat harvest. In connection with Jesus’ departure to heaven and the sending of the Comforter Spirit, we can safely say that it is also a harvest festival, but this time not of wheat, but of gifts and of the Church that is being born. If we were looking at the beginning of the Church, it was precisely Pentecost when the apostles appeared in public for the first time, and the first followers were added to them. It is no longer the example of Jesus but the word of the Comforter, which attracts into the arms of the new family of God’s children those who long for fulfillment, for the meaning of life, and for God.

The Holy Spirit is one of the persons of the Holy Trinity, as important as the Father and the Son. Yet, it is a divine person who is often neglected by Christians and needs to be given more importance and attention. And without him, we would not have the gifts we receive, entirely undeservedly. Without the Holy Spirit, God would be unreachable far from us; Christ would be only a thing of the past; the Gospel a dead manuscript; the Church would be only some organization; the authority would mean domination, missionary mission only propaganda. But with the Holy Spirit, the universe lives and is not only in pain; the resurrected Christ is present among us, the Gospel is the power of life, the Church means community, authority is voluntary service, and missionary mission is the celebration of the Holy Spirit.

The Church has existed for 2000 years, despite everything it has been through, despite all the mistakes that Christians have made and are making, despite all the persecutions either from their members or from others. But what holds it, what sanctifies it, is the Holy Spirit himself. We have also had the Holy Scriptures for a long time, and generation after generation, it can appeal again to those who bow down in humility and allow themselves to be inspired by it. The Holy Spirit is still active. From him come all the charisma and gifts we need for the Christian life and serving others. And yet, in the Church and our lives, the Holy Spirit is always somewhere in the background because we do not ask him for help. Jesus wants many difficult things from us, but we try to handle everything independently. We remember Only when we fail, but it’s usually too late; it has nothing to do with responsible and trusting reliance on God; that’s human calculation.

We try to live holy, but we fail. Furthermore, we try not to sin, but we can’t. Likewise, we strive to live according to the requirements of Scripture, to live the Gospel with our lives, but we fail. We try to be good mothers, good fathers, good Christians, but without success. The reason is straightforward: we try to do it ourselves with strength. We do not ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to come and give us strength to do what we are not good at.

Once upon a time, there was a man who watered the garden. A huge boulder stood in the middle of the garden. The man called his son and asked him to roll the boulder away. He knew very well that he was asking for a deed far beyond the powers of a small boy. Little Joseph leaned against the boulder to roll it away but without success. The boulder was too heavy for him. He thought, “How is it possible Father wants something from me that I am not good enough for? Then he turned to his father and said: “Dad, I can’t do it.” The father looked at little Joseph and replied: “Joseph, you forgot something important. Look, I’m here with you. But you forgot to ask me for help.”

And so the question arises: Do you want to get help? “Do you want to penetrate the depths of God”? (cf. 1 Cor 2:10) Do you want to know God even more? (Not only with reason and theory, but with the whole person). Do you want to understand Scripture? Do you want to see the real presence of God in your life? Do you want to become light for others and salt for this earth? Do you long for healing, fulfillment, forgiveness, and acceptance? Do you long to meet love? Then open your heart wide and invite Him in. But you have to want it, not just wishfully dream about it.

Talking about the Holy Spirit is a very demanding and challenging task. It is like explaining the secret of the Trinity of God; when a person thinks that he knows something and has managed to grasp something, he finds out how far he is from the truth. The Holy Spirit is the person who moves the universe; he is the untouchable giver of all good. To know Him means to meet Him and experience Him in oneself. I wish each of us could do it. Only one thing is needed: invite Him into your life and not pretend you can handle most things alone.

In each of the four Gospels, Jesus is mentioned as the one who came to baptize with the Holy Spirit. He poured out the Spirit of God on God’s people to fulfill  prophecy. At the end of his life, Jesus began to speak more about the gift of the Spirit, whom he came to send. At that time, for the first time, he spoke openly about the Father, about love and  unity that would characterize his disciples. The connection between these three  things is obvious. Jesus even went so far as to tell his disciples  that it was better if he departed from them bodily so they might have the Spirit. After  crucifixion and resurrection were his last words: …but in a few days, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost …the Holy Ghost shall come upon your  Spirit, you will receive power and be witnesses to me… (Acts 1:8) 

They waited and prayed. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon them in power. They spoke in  tongues, praising God and proclaiming the message of repentance and forgiveness of sins as Jesus had commanded them.  They experienced for themselves what Jesus spoke to them about. Furthermore, they experienced a new relationship with Jesus and a new  knowledge of the Father. It was the result of the Father and the Son indwelling through the Spirit 

Holy Spirit in their hearts. They were working in and through them in the proclamation of the gospel and confirming it by the signs which the Son had promised. The disciples experienced the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit in abundance. They possessed great peace, joy, and confidence. They knew until they were and who was working through them.  The apostle Peter, in his sermon that day, recorded in Acts 2,  makes it clear that anyone can gain what the disciples have gained. It’s supposed to be the regular part of Christianity and the average conversion experience. Consequently, this outpouring of the Spirit becomes the standard expectation and experience of Christianity. 

Twenty-five years later, the Apostle Paul meets a group of disciples from Ephesus. He asks them just one question to ascertain if they are Christians: Have you also received the Holy Spirit, when you believed? (Acts 19:2). When he finds out that they did not, he tells them about Jesus baptized them, laid his hands on them, and “the Holy Spirit came upon them; and  Spoke with tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). 

The teaching of Jesus and the experience of the early Church point to a prominent and influential reception of the Holy Spirit as the key to understanding and experiencing Jesus and the Father.  They point to the clear and concrete experience of a Person who acts in concrete work, bringing concrete results. Christians who have yet to have this experience have been instructed. Those who have had this experience have been praying   to receive them. 

The Word and Spirit of God have been actively manifested throughout all stages of salvation history. Their relationship with the Father, however, was revealed gradually. At Pentecost, God completed the revelation of Himself as Father, as Son, and as Spirit. The mystery, concealed for ages, was revealed, and its power spread to the ends of the earth. How is this revelation related to God, with our times today?  Among the approximately one billion people who belong to the various Christian churches, many millions do not experience what should be expected of the Christian life. 

They are baptized as babies and often grow up in an environment that is not.  Christian. Few of them come to adulthood to affirm the baptismal fact.  A personal decision for Christ and an adequate reception of the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The rite of Confirmation, which in many churches is such a confirmation  decision in adulthood, is typically celebrated after inadequate preparation and with little  expectations. The consequence is that many Christians are unaware of the work of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit has only a vague knowledge of Jesus and the Father. If their apostle Paul had asked: “Did you also receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They would have answered like the disciples of Ephesus: “We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”  I would now like to share with you a conversation I had with Mary  Trapp is the well-known character from the film With a Song Around the World. Translation of her autobiographical novel Sing in My Arms, publishing after she had experienced the outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit in her life. It will enlighten us about many things that we consider.

Two words appear more often than usual in public spaces these days—law and Justice. The times when society in search of Justice is subjected to the confusion of overly complicated laws repeat themselves cyclically throughout history. In ancient Rome, there was a well-known sign: “Too much law, not enough justice!”

A good law is a gift, so we use the word lawgiver. However, the law can also try to silence the truth and rape Justice. Blindfold, sword, and scales are attributes of Justice. It should be impartial, judge objectively, and have the power to punish. At its service is a prosecutor, a defense attorney, and a judge. They are all very fragile parts of an apparatus with power, and power is temptation. One of them is the tendency to listen to the crowd’s call.

Let’s not forget the crowd shouting: “Barnabas!” or “Christians ad leones!” Not so long ago, the judicial apparatus sent many of the now-blessed to the hell of prisons and labor camps. Gustáv Husák also found himself in that hell together with them, which is why he belonged to the presidents who generously granted pardons and amnesties. 

It is no coincidence that one of the works of corporal mercy is the redemption of prisoners. We often rely on God’s mercy and believe in forgiveness. God has given us a gift in the form of a conscience that admonishes us. Let’s use this Lenten season to talk to him.

A senior Prison and Judicial Guard Corps officer once told me that people convicted of an unintentional crime fall into two groups. The first one is in prison for no reason because the most significant punishment is the voice of their conscience for life, and the second one will wait out the sentence because she has no conscience…

Joy and happiness.

“How happy a person could be if he didn’t have to think about being happy.”Aldous Huxley “

The more a person cares about pleasure (joy and happiness), the more this is for him, delight (joy and happiness) escapes.”V. E. Frankl.“

Just as pleasure is not the same as giving meaning to a person and his life, neither is it lack of pleasure does not make life meaningless.”V. E. Frankl

The words “joy” and “happiness” have two different meanings. The first refers to situations that occur without our fault. An example, could be a lottery win. The second meaning speaks of joy and happiness related to what we do. An example can be the care of a garden or your child. We’ll be fine here about this second meaning of joy and happiness.

Joy.

Let’s start with the joy of reaching the Goal. If the group succeeds in climbing a wall, reaching the top of a mountain, etc., they will appear together with fatigue and a feeling of joy and happiness. Who has yet to experience it? It’s hard to understand; it goes to Artists — painters, graphic artists, sculptors, composers, writers, poets, actors, builders, etc. He talks about the joy of the finished work.

The joy of a tourist brand. You don’t even need to reach the top of the mountains. And yet we can experience joy when, after a moment of uncertainty, whether we are going the right way on the trip; suddenly, we see a tourist road, a sign that assures us that we are going the right way to the set Goal.

Joy as a byproduct. For the climbers, it was not about pleasure and luck. They wanted to reach the top. The joy that is achieved reached its peak; it was a byproduct. It was the same with tourists in search of a brand.

HAVE SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR

Where does the road lead to joy and luck?  A goal gives a focus (orientation) to a life path. That’s how this journey becomes meaningful. Joy and happiness emerge as a byproduct of approaching the Goal or achieving it.

Example: Architect L. K worked on a challenging project. He was working, literally, “day and night.” When it was finally his turn, failures managed to solve several problems, and the project was successfully finished, he sat down and looked at what he had created, feeling deep happiness and joy. He almost didn’t want to believe what he had in front of him and what he was looking at. Is..just” his work.

Dead-end street. Why take a detour? Why not take it for luck and joy directly? It shows that, in this way, it is possible to make happiness and joy a goal. At the same time, however, it turns out that a person is then like that. Who tries to walk straight through an avalanche of stones literally up the slope?

Joy and happiness

V. E. Frankl speaks in this connection — where we want to go to happiness and joy directly — about the so-called hyperreflection. He understands her, thinking too intensely about what we want to achieve. At the same time, he talks about hyperintention, which is too intense an effort. We know that these psychological processes do not help our efforts, but the opposite holds her back. And so it happens that the one who wants to be “very happy” is ultimately unhappy, and the one who wants to experience ..great joy” is ultimately disappointed. Joy and happiness are not unique experiences of this kind. This regularity also applies to recognition, self-realization, etc. As soon as they become a goal in themselves, they disappear into the distance. A false path to joy and happiness Goal… Goal of effort a … the way to the Goal c …false path (shortcut) to joy (R) and to happiness (S).

This path despises, neglects, etc., heading to meaningful goals and, therefore, fails to achieve true joy and happiness. The negative impact of a false trip. We strive for joy and happiness “We’re done with it,” and finally, we confess to the author of the book of Proverbs ..vanity over vanity, everything is vanity.” Psychologists today detect a whole range of feelings of futility in those 10 of people who strive for the impossible — to achieve direct joy and happiness on the way He talks about neuroses, phobias. obsessions. Prejudices, hostility… Let’s listen. What’s one of the most famous says about it psychologists: .. Neuroses, phobias, obsession, prejudices etc. Are the best defined as a person’s stubborn focus on themselves.”

Søren Kierkegaard suggests a hopeful way out of an otherwise dead-end situation. He says: ..the door to happiness opens outwards.” Go out, from myself and from a dominant interest only in making me feel good. And what will happen then, V. E. Frankl expresses it succinctly: ..If it succeeds bringing a person to a meaningful life, it is easier and faster then gets rid of neurons.” And that’s what the representative of the third Viennese school of nurse psychotherapy, says, an expert who spent his full life helping people escape such an unpleasant state.

The joy of contrast. For one characteristic joy and happiness, we want to draw your attention to a conclusion.

Happiness often appears in opposition to the opposite.

Example: The joy of traveling comes after we have been confined at home and were not allowed to go anywhere. The joy of home we enjoy afterward. since we have been away from home for a long time,  they could.

The personal God, who emerged from the Father and entered the world,​​​​ is not a distant entity. He is a living presence in our lives, as expressed in the words, ‘I leave with a sentence and I go to the Father‘ (Jn 16, 28). Former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion once received the religious philosopher Martin Buber. On this occasion, he asked: “Professor, why do you believe in God?” Buber answered: “If there was a God that could only be talked about, then I wouldn’t believe either. But since there is a God with whom I can speak, I believe.”

To whom God means little or nothing, for him, he is a nameless being who has nothing to say to him, who can only be discussed, only to have the conversation turn again, for example, on the weather. But if a person gets closer to the mystery that we call God and becomes accessible to his words while acting according to them. He will experience the happiness and liberation of God’s presence. It becomes an intimate relationship. Then a person can say with the psalmist: “I love you, Lord, my strength… My God, my help, I trust in you; you are my shield, the strength of my salvation and my protector” (Psalm 18, 2-3).

In this way, God does not become the object of our questions and doubts as some distant thing. After all, he is alive; he is with us, seeing, loving, calling, waiting, and giving us his love. Indeed, the relationship with God can be complicated for a modern person, as if he had lost sight of him. He asks: Where is he? Up, down, in the height, depth, in this world or the next? In the past or the future? Where should I turn? A person who has lost himself has also lost God. We should first talk to ourselves before we start talking to God. Let’s not be offended if we compare our situation to the prodigal son, about whom Jesus speaks in the parable: “I will get up, go to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and you.” (Luke 15:18). Such a conversation will help us look into our complicated situation. Doing this gives us the strength to converse honestly with God. And what will happen next? I can tell you with certainty that the Father, moved by compassion, will meet, embrace, and welcome us into his home. This means that only under the cross of Christ will all our ways become true.

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And those who believe will be accompanied by these signs: in my name they will cast out evil spirits, they will speak in new languages, they will take up snakes in their hands, and if they drink something deadly, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” When the Lord Jesus told them this, he was taken into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. They dispersed and preached everywhere. The Lord helped them and confirmed their words with the signs that accompanied them › Mk 16, 15-20. 

The religious field also offers the opportunity to work with our imagination. And it is she who gives our faith a robust human dimension. However, the problem with imagination is that it can differ significantly from reality. Therefore, when they visited Israel – the Holy Land and walked around the holy places- some pilgrims said that they imagined it all differently. It is even more complicated when we want to imagine some otherworldly or spiritual reality, such as heaven.

Today, we celebrate Jesus’ ascension into heaven. And maybe we want to imagine heaven. Is our imagination getting closer to reality?

We must eliminate all material ideas, like heaven is in space. This is what people believed in the past or what children believed. Today’s Gospel says that Jesus sat down at the right hand of God. So he did not return to some place, as we would like to imagine, but to a new dimension where he is no longer up, down, sideways, or behind. Ascension to heaven is a return to God. Life in heaven means life with God. Cardinal Walter Kasper, a well-known German theologian, says that heaven is not something that already exists but will come into existence at the moment when the first creation definitively unites with God; that is, heaven was created at the moment when Christ rose from the dead and returned to the Father with a glorified body. Jesus did not ascend into heaven, which already existed, but ascended to create heaven. He said: “When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be” (Jn 14:3).

What practical consequences does this celebration have for us? In Jesus’ glorified Body, a part of our world was united with God. It’s just the beginning that will continue. In the spirit of St. Paul’s theology, Christ is the Head, and the Church is the Body. However, this is not only here on earth; one day, it will be in eternity. There, too, Christ will have a body, and it will be those who testify with their lives that they are worthy to be close to God.

The ascension also confirms that Jesus is still present among us. He said: “I am with you always, until the end of the world” (Mt 28, 20). After all, he had not been on earth for about five years when he said to Shavloví: “Why are you persecuting me?” His question confirms that he is present among us in a unique way. It is primarily the presence of the Holy Spirit; therefore, his presence is also spiritual. In his word and the community of believers, he is present in a particular way in the sacraments – especially in a unique presence under the forms of bread and wine.

Encourage ourselves on this day so that in our earthly life, we ​​do not forget the meeting with Jesus in heaven. Jesus said, “he who believes and is baptized will be saved.” So baptism and faith will take us to heaven. However, these two facts must be protected throughout our lives. Baptism and faith mean, above all, that the baptized person lives according to the teachings of Jesus and believes in everything that Jesus gave to the Church and that she gives to her believers. And if we believe that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer, then we will have no problem believing in all the other truths that flow from this fact.

Saint Paul said that we cannot even imagine what God has prepared for all those who love him. That’s why we can’t fully imagine even heaven. But let’s imagine it as a return to the Father who loves us, like meeting Jesus. After all, we can imagine love relationships a little.

Impulses: After the mission command, Jesus tells the apostles that various signs will accompany those who believe. Among them will also be healing from multiple ailments. It is also a severe mission for the Church and Christians today. The most significant diseases are depression, loneliness, and fear. A great space opens up for Christians to act in it with the healing love of Jesus.