Daily gospel

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Sunday 6 January 2019 the Feast of Epiphany. 2nd Week -God-Holy Trinity-Love

People said, are saying many, many wise things about  God, however on this beautiful feast let us not look at what us people think and say about our Creator but lets reflect upon what God saw fit to tell us about Himself ! 

The people of the Old Testament knew that God exists , He is our kind hearted Heavenly Father , revered Him with religious devotion, followed Him by keeping His commandments , but knew very little about our Creator’s inner life !! We celebrate on the feast of Epiphany that the great God comes among us and introduces Himself as the Holy Trinity !! Three persons in the one God !? The created world , the stars, the wise men of the Orient pay homage in front of Christ! The holy people of the Old Testament in the church in Jerusalem , the just and devout Simeon, the widow, prophetess Anna greet the Messiah ! Saint John the baptist in the river Jordan baptises Jesus, and the Heavenly Father Himself testifies about His Holy Son with the Holy Spirit : “  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3, 16-17 

For us , Christian  believers of God the central truth, the doctrine, is the revelation of the Holy Trinity ! We have all been baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ! God saw it good to share this secret with us , that is why Christ died on the cross because He called Himself God, and His Jewish contemporaries did not want to accept , believe this ! But why is the most important truth of our faith that our only Creator God in reality is the Holy Trinity !? Lets reflect at some length about the relationship between the Divine persons! The 12 year old Jesus upon His Mother’s question who searched for Him for three  days answers surprised that : “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Later on as well Jesus retreating into quietness as the Holy Scripture states : "12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Luke 6, 12 With His last breath as well on the cross He calls His Heavenly Father :“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”[a] Luke 23, 46 ! The heavenly Father speaks lovingly of His Holy Son whom He glorifies on Mount Sinai : “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” Matthew 17, 5  If we read the gospel attentively every step of the way we can see how the Holy Trinity, God , Jesus , the Holy Spirit are in unison with passionate love work together glorifying and  carrying out the commandments of love. 

Yes the Holy Trinity is a Community of love where we have been invited to ! The goal of our life is to rise up to worshipping God with a passionate love to Holy Trinity’s  the wedding feast where we have been invited to !! Jesus in Himself by His glorified body forms a bridge between heaven and earth , not because we deserve it or we are worthy of it but because with His giving love He saw it good  to bend down to us ! It is great to follow the God of the Old Testament , but it is immeasurably greater to get to know to get to love and worship the one God Holy Trinity !! The Image go God determines how we picture ourselves, our world as well .If God is not a lonely heavenly Lord , who directs us with a stretched out hand , strong arm , controlling  "the little men" born of a handful of dust , but an infinitely tender loving Holy Trinity with outstretched arms , then we have to change to the image, likeness of our Creator , our communities have to become communities of love ! If God is a Community of Love , then the  beautiful features of our Creator giving and receiving love have to shine on our faces too!! We will only become perfect if in this world already we try to live with our Creator , each other as well and all the creatures of our world in a community of love ! We believe that these efforts, attempts God will fulfil , with merciful love in His Kingdom !

Glorifying the Holy Trinity ,

Father Csaba.

translated by dr k.e.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

In Latin:

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

The Word of God

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

 are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

 for from you shall come a ruler

 who is to shepherd my people Israel".

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Matthew 2:1-12