Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel……Tuesday 21 November 2017
I ask you gently ! It is amazing to see , how bravely our Lord Jesus Christ is trusting people! He goes to them and trustingly calls them : Get up and walk ! Come leave your nets behind , become a fisher of men! In today’s gospel He addresses Zacchaeus :"Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.”It is marvellous Zacchaeus climbs down the tree and invites Jesus for dinner. I believe the Jesus did not chide, did not pick at or put Zaccheaus to shame at this dinner, but kindly loving him sow the seed of trust and the lord of the house in front of his family stood up and announced :"“Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,I will pay back four times the amount.”
Many times even if with uncertain steps , but I embarked on the way of Jesus Christ , that is proven by my faithful colleagues and the “army” of children that this a road that is possible to take ! One can be addressed humbly and tends to listen !Over ten years ago they brought a sweet little girl to us. We were having lunch and the tiny 4 year old was just crouching in front of the delicious broth ! Everybody was eating heartily , just the new little girl was looking sadly at the nice lunch ! I asked her are you not hungry ? I am hungry came the reply ! But the why are you not eating I asked curiously ? She looked at me with her big eyes and all she said was : because nobody is encouraging me ! I gave her a cuddle, kissed her and upon my encouragement she started eating heartily the nice meal !
Ye my Brother ! Lets dare to encourage , reassure each other to goodness and beauty , to do the wish of God , that means life ! At the bottom of our hearts we are all wishing for a sensible, pure life that bears fruit , lets dare to encourage each other with goodness, trust , reassurance , noble, intelligent , beautiful tasks that move our world forward ! Many times we are just waiting for the opportunity and given a chance the we can also be very clever ! Lets trust in each other , your brother is moved by the same spirit as you are , dare to address them, dare to encourage them , so he can also open his wings and soar high together with you ! Come lets start love’s unstoppable chain reaction lets fill our world passionately with love !
Jesus’ way can be embarked upon, come lets do it !
With trust ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Picture: When I was in Canada 12 years ago I invited the then 6 years old Rebecca . The years passed , and the seed dormant in the soil , and sprouted in the seventeen years old girl , she set out and came to Transylvania and for 6 months she worked as a very caring, loving carer in our home in Nagyszalonta . It is worthwhile to reach out to others !!
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd.4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything,I will pay back four times the amount.”
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke, 19, 1-10
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel……Tuesday 21 November 2017