Daily gospel

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel ….Thursday 16 August 2018

"You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” Matthew 18, 21

In the stillness of summer let me put myself  a question : how much running around, problems, troubles are around us and within us ?! Am I overburdening my fellow “slaves” with all sorts of tasks, work to be done, because of imagined or real debts? Are my loved ones , my colleagues living around me  wanting to live up to my expectations like driven   “brutes”?  My family, children are only the  living decorations of my expectations , whims, my unfulfillable greed or am I capable to spend quality time with them , where we don’t have to pretend to be someone else , but we are just ourselves ?! Unfortunately we are always in a rush and in many  instances we are only visible then “really” being there , and so we are not  growing stronger for eternal life ,but we are crumbling eroded  in the crossfire of the the spinning minutes of the everyday !

Lets stop ! Lets reassure ourselves ! There are no concerns , I am not going to miss out on anything , the only meaning of my life is not going to pass by me ! Lets make peace with my sense of vocation, since I did not create the world and I am not the one keeping in order its working ! Why would I panic ?!

Desiring mercy lets be merciful with our children as well , lets leave them to read , play with their friends , be quiet during the summer vacation ! Lets be merciful towards each other , letting go our insatiable expectations , that are tormenting , gnawing at our loved ones until they strike them down , like the hunting dogs bring down their prey ! Let me be merciful towards myself as well, lets send on holidays my other self that is always unsatisfied ! Lets lie in the sun , let the blessed sunbeam to embrace , cradle me ! Lets forget about the others' debt  and let that the newly found peace within me and around me get me accustomed to the Infinity ! This quiet peace the peace of the child as he develops in the mother’s womb be the measure of my working speed , the token of our peace made with God, and each other. 

With love,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

Then Peter came and said to him, 'Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 'For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, "Pay what you owe." Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you." But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.' When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

Matthew 18:21-19:1