Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel..
Friday 11 August 2017
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” Matthew 16, 24
It is good to be a Christian , truly, out of the love of God, the cross, means carrying a burden !! Yes , our tasks , mean carrying out honestly our circumstantial obligations !! If you are a student and you do not fulfil your work assigned to you in school , or if as a father or mother of a family you do not take on the burden of your loved ones' worries, problems then no matter how often you attend church , you are not a good Christian ! We have to prove our love for God, there and where we were given to live , by fulfilling our everyday tasks honourably!!
Yesterday my Greek Orthodox brethren invited me to a pilgrimage , and asked me to give three reflections along the journey…this meant a distance of 24 kms in the thirty-five degree heat.. In the name of serving love I took my cross upon my shoulder, put on my Franciscan habit and went with the young people , I prayed with them and I encouraged, inspired them to the best of my ability !! Today I am here in Siófok , because the farmers would like to donate from the freshly reaped, thrashed grains of wheat to our orphans and are asking for a blessing upon their work !! I am here , that what time I got into bed that does not matter , what matters is that with the cross on my shoulder , I am travelling on the way of serving love in the hope of the promised kingdom of heaven ! This why the applause, the recognition are unimportant but so are people’s cynical remarks , the backbiting, nothing is important save that God’s will be done , the lover can please his loved one !!
With unconditional love of God,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Matthew 16, 24-28
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel..