Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel…... 10 February 2019 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary time
The God giving gifts ! Perhaps one of the most beautiful features of our God is His willingness to present us with gifts. Simply our existence , the creation are gifts , since our Creator presented the non-existing one with the gift of being .Then the existing one He presents with the conditions for existence , man with Eden, freewill , the power of freedom of forming the world, with art, wisdom , the endless opportunity of starting anew . God’s love of being a giver never ceases , giving mankind newer and newer opportunities , sending prophets into the world and in the final times even gives us His Holy Son : “because God so loved the world that He gave us His Only Son “. This beautiful feature of the giver is shining on Jesus’ face as well , He addresses the fishermen trying in vain during the whole night : “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”, Peter obeys and the net is filled with fish.Gift ? Blessing ? Miracle! In truth Jesus’ being is gift, blessing, miracle ! Jesus’ life is full of miracles , with beautiful moments of distributing gifts , since every single healing, teaching, consolation , good word is a gift . At wedding in Cana He gives close on 600 litres of wine to the happy wedding guests ! The family of Jairus quite certainly lived as a gift the healing of their child . The people around Zacchaeus quite certainly looked at the conversion of the greedy customs official as a gift . Jesus does not only give give gifts, He Himself was the gift, wherever He appeared, spoke the world became better , people became more honest, wiser . Good Friday , the redemption is a gift :” There is no greater love than this—that a man should lay down his life for his friends.
“God , the Creator, Jesus Christ, the Holy Trinity is a gift , blessing for all of us ! Let us think whether on our faces is this beautiful divine gift shining as well ? I wonder wether when and to whom did I give a gift in the past days, years ? For how many people is my being a blessing, gift ? Am I endeavouring to be a blessing, gift for my homeland and for all those who live , are in in my homeland : people, vegetation, animals , but even for the inanimate buildings, rocks, rivers as well ?
We are celebrating the sacrament of love, marriage ! ! Lets get going towards each other with a smile, a small surprise, attentiveness , gift !! Do not be afraid to step on the way of giving gifts , it is good to give gifts , to become the blessing of God, to become a loudly proclaimed good word of His in this world . The best gift we can give ourselves , if we also where we are , become gifts for all who live around us .
Lets set out on the narrow, bumpy, but beautiful way of becoming gifts .
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Photo: our dear daughter Ibolya giving herself as a gift in the sacrament of marriage to her husband !
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Luke 5, 1-11
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel…... 10 February 2019 Fifth Sunday in Ordinary time