Daily gospel

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Tuesday 2 April 2019.

The man of our days is afraid of illness, becoming overweight !! From not being aesthetically attractive in his own nor in the eyes of others , but unfortunately he is not afraid if sins disfigures his face, character ! Even though sins are what wound us most deeply . 

 To get off the way of sin consists of two steps : on the one hand lets turn our faces , attention away from those momentary “delights “ that pull us down, sully us , at the same time lets turn our faces towards the light , towards the real, lasting treasures. Everyone wants to be happy but a Christian knows that sin cannot give us real, longterm happiness . This is why it is important after the denial of sins to look for the will of God and to do that . Lets think of Saint Francis he hears the question : “Whom do you want to serve the Lord or a servant ?” God puts this question to all of us especially in the holy time of Lent : Whom do I really want to serve ? Do I want to serve my bodily desires , my vain, greedy instincts , my lying fears or would I like to become a co-worker of the God of love ? Saint Francis put down his arms , gave his saddle-horse and set out on foot to serve God. 

Repentance, conversion of Lent is not complete if only I turn away from my sins . If I become quietened down -that may take a while -it is quite certain that God talking to me through my conscience will show me the road to true happiness . “Go , build my church- said Jesus Christ on the cross of San Damiano to Francis, and he , just as mary said “yes” to the request of God :" let it be to me according to your word.” Saint Francis’ road was not easy , simple , yet he sets out and even during his lifetime the world regards him not only blessed , but one of the greatest saints of the Church.

Lets turn away from our sins and pass over the key of our life with trust to our creator God . Despite all our weaknesses , unimportance He’ll lead us , will reorganise our lives , they will be things that He will take out and place such treasures into our lives that we were unaware of . The alkaline soil will turn into a garden of flowers , the pruned tree will be laden with abundant fruit !

With trust in God who offers us a chance to start again , working up to the present day ,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

Picture:Depicting the Christ of Kenya 

The Word of God

After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralysed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” ’ They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.

John 5:1-16