Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel 11 August 2019 , 19th Sunday Ordinary time, the Feast of Saint Klara of Assisi
End of the world ?! Can come any minute , but I believe in our loving Heavenly Father , who does not want destroy His children , but see them live in peace , in prosperity ! We have several child protection establishments even though it is difficult to keep them “alive", I am still fighting to keep our homes going . How much more is God striving for our world’s and even its smallest part's continuance and not only for its existence , but that it may grow , develop nicely , become more beautiful, richer !!
Lets trust in God and let Him lead us on the beautiful ways of conversion, repentance , starting anew!! Lets not get discouraged seeing the wounds of our world but encouraging each other lets replan our way of life.
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
“Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants.
Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect,
the Son of Man will come.”
Luke 12, 35-40
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Saturday 10 August Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr .
The Father will honour whoever serves me.” John 12,26….. and what is awaiting the one who is not serving God ?? I think the same as in yesterday’s gospel awaited the foolish virgins ! They did not fulfil the task entrusted to them and they could not enter the heavenly wedding feast ! God loves us free of charge , but from His love fruit should be born in our lives , otherwise the the barren fig tree ’s fate will be our fate as well !! Lets not kid ourselves , life has a price and if we want to keep it pass it onto our children, grandchildren all that is of value , then we have to strive for it , and complete day after day the tasks entrusted to us by God.
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honour whoever serves me."
Gospel Jn 12:24-26
Father Csaba’s reflection on the on the gospel Tuesday 6 August 2019 The feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord.
"Master, it is good for us to be here;”
Jesus has no secrets , He takes His friends everywhere with him !! He
He shares His glorious meeting with the Saints, but also His blood -sweating with His apostles !! How good it would be if I would dare to share my joys , problems , sufferings , my everyday thoughts with my loved ones , friends, fellow human beings !!
Reading this passage of the gospel lets think about on the one hand do I share my inner inner thoughts with the the ones living around me ?? On the other hand lets ask the question do I accompany my companions on their journey through life ? Do I share in the joys, problems of the people living around me ?
How would I rate myself on a scale from one to ten on the subject of community life ??
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" --not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.
Luke 9:28b-36
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Monday 5th August 2019
Jesus is such a true Man ! The news of death of His friend John the Baptist stuns Him ! He goes to a lonely place alone, to pray….the people follow Him maimed sick and the Master mourning His friend puts aside His problems, troubles , heals and consoles , teaches ! Then lovingly , kind-heartedly gives food to the hungry people . He gives with an overabundant measure to everyone….there is even some left over !
What a beautiful face Jesus has ! ! Lets follow our Redeeming Master !! With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
Now when Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 14:13-21
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel
In 2004 in Hungary a referendum was held ! Making possible for those people professing themselves to be of Hungarian nationality , but not living in Hungary ,not Hungarian citizens to get favourable naturalisation law , however the decision to make this possible by the total population was not realised ! After the unsuccessful referendum many made their own decisions ! Marek Bernardin OFM was born in Győr, a Hungarian citizen , a Franciscan friar , with the permission of his superior, got on the train and travelled to Transylvania, Erdély, to Déva and ever since then with the love of a lesser brother , with undiminished drive served his Hungarian brothers, discriminated against , left outside the border , The community of the Hungarians in Southern areas of Transylvania , but also the smallest of all the orphaned children as well ! We all found a true good friend in Father Bernardin , who by his superiors was moved now from the first of August to Kaplony another Franciscan monastery , so he can serve his brothers living there as a lesser brother !!
Who could say that our good brother during the past 15 years just here in Déva how many homilies he said , how many reflections he had , how many holy masses he celebrated , how many children he baptised , how many Transylvanian Hungarians he accompanied on their last journey to the cemetery, how many reconciliations he heard humbly, patiently ? The only one who can give an answer is the One who sent him among us , who keeps count of every glass of water we give in His name ! The good seed fell into our hearts and I believe that it has already produced a harvest a hundred , a thousand fold even so far ! This world is so beautiful and habitable because such kind- hearted , wonderful people live in it , who silently , many times unnoticed with their sheer presence sow the good seed, are capable of putting everything else aside and even accept the service of the smallest with love, smiling !!
With brotherly love , sincere gratitude ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Photos : 29 July 2019 Father Bernardin in Déva .
The Word of God
His disciples approached Jesus, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Matthew 13, 36-43
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel
A dear schoolfriend of mine Father Salamon József , from Gyimesbükk yesterday was asking after a little girl, a preschooler , who was brought to us 24 years ago ,abandoned by her family as to what happened to her ? I could proudly tell him that from the tiny mustard seed a beautiful young woman developed , who not only did her matriculation, but also finished university and today in Déva in the office her table is next to mine and as a fully fledged social worker , just like a tree that has grown tall , in her care , on her” branches” are resting the children entrusted into the care of the Foundation . Yes this young woman , who also has a young man , who is very serious about her, today is looking after the children’s documents, files on behalf of the Foundation required by the child protection authorities . It is miraculous to see how Jesus Christ’s words are fulfilled in front of our eyes !
Lets believe in life, lets dare to decide by a child, because a genuine “yes” said to the acceptance of life gives meaning to our lives , makeing it richer ! Lets not look at the” seed" entrusted to us by God, as to how small, fragile it is, we should not be discouraged either that if our circumstances, abilities maybe lacking somewhat , but with a living faith lets accept the children entrusted to us by our Creator ! Lets nurture with living faith the children in our care , lets trust in the Lord of Life who gave life , who will help to develop, blossom out our children in our arms and will make them great !
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’ Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables'.
Matthew 13:31-35
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel
Jesus sends His disciples , to go and heal the people in trouble, to console the ones who are sorrowful , to proclaim the good news , the gospel of love . The disciples listen to the Master they set out on the way of love, do the good deeds , there and as well as it can be done .
It is good to be good ! Not only the world will become a better place in the company of a good man, but the man himself walking on the way of goodness , love will also be filled by joy, light , will glow . You cannot light your brother’s light so that the flame of it will not light up your face as well. If you walk together with Christ on the way of love , you may get tired , but you’ll not burn out , become dull, or like a squeezed orange fall by the wayside ! It is the heartless work that kills the spirit , the enthusiastic work taken on out of love will build the spirit !!
The disciples on their return home after the holy work assigned to them by Christ cutting short each other, are telling how much has God done through them ! I like to imagine the face of our redeeming God , as He stand up with open arms and praying joyfully this way :""I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants ! The Creator looking with proud joys at His creation.! If I could draw , I would most certainly draw the picture of Christ looking up at His disciples with love and delight !
Praise God I also had the opportunity to look up with proud joy at our grown up , clever children . That is why I am proclaiming loudly that it is good to be good ! To get going on the way shown by Jesus Christ , it is good to teach our children , students to be good and it is very good when we see our grownup children the way they progress with proud joy on the way of their successful, fruitful lives ! It is good to be woken up in the early hours of dawn by the ringing phone and receive such good news , nice pictures: “ Hi grandad my name is Kovács Anna Hajnalka, I weigh 3500 grams ,I am 60 cm long . We fought for our life , we are well and we are very proud of ourselves . “ Your daughter Anna Maria .
May God bless the newborn babes and the mothers who give them life ! I greet lovingly all our former children , who walk on the way of love , who decided by life and in a marriage accepted the gift of a child , living their lives happily , cheerfully ! May God grant that we are woken by such good news every dawn!
A happy grandfather ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
At that time Jesus said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Matthew 11:25-27
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel
It is a very important question as to what needs to happen in our lives for us to be converted , that clutching onto God we step on the way of merciful love ? I met a young girl in the mother’s home, who grew up in a state orphanage and at the age of 16-17 got to know, fell in love with a young man . Many were against their relationship , finally the young man even before his child was born , in a dark, desperate hour took his own life . The expectant young mother, after going through a lot of hardship humbly knocked on the door of our home and entrusted her life to the prayerful love of the nuns . She trustingly let them lead her and gave birth to her beautiful child . I visited her, had a talk with her and noted happily that there is no anger and hatred in her heart , however forgiveness , goodness and love . She has hope in the tomorrow , she is hopeful that she can raise her child , she even looked up with love the relatives of her son, the ones who were against the marriage . Placed a photo to the child’s bed of his father and day after day is taking care of this tiny life .
I was looking humbly at this frail girl with a generous heart , with the child in her arms as she is carrying without complaint her heavy, trying cross and I keep thinking how many other young people growing up in loving , caring families , rich in God’s gifts , lacking nothing are incapable of smiling , and accept joyfully the gift of their own child ! How many girls today , with much smaller worries than this young girl collapse in a heap, showering abuse at God and the world , seeking medical help to have their pregnancies terminated .
Jesus Christ is amazed at people, who perhaps received many more graces than others yet they still fall , they are incapable with love , trust journey on in their lives . He is not just amazed , but also cries “woe” to those who are incapable to make use of the spiritual, material riches offered to them and bring them to fruition with love and trust.
May this simple girl from the orphanage serve as an example for us , lets learn from her and lets make good decisions worthy of man even in the darkest hours of our lives!
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
Then Jesus began to reproach the cities in which most of his deeds of power had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. For if the deeds of power done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that on the day of judgment it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom than for you."
Matthew 11:20-24
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Thursday 27 June 2019 Feast of the King Saint László
They call on Jesus with treacherous intention, but the greatness of our Master that He is capable of bringing out the good, the eternal truth from the provocation of the ones wanting to confuse His teachings ! Jesus does not take on the sneaky style to the people wanting to cheat Him , but He puts into words one of the most important teaching of the Holy Scripture, the Greatest Commandment ! You can bring out good even from evil , this is Jesus Christ’s way ! Our Teacher does not fall over the obstacles placed in front of Him , He does nor walk into the trap , but gets over it and teaching kind-heartedly He even reaches greater heights !
Today is the feast of Saint László ! The Cumanian armies attacking , invading army is robbing , pillaging , committing atrocities ! This is painful and bad, but the king conquering the enemies , baptising the invading Cumanians , tho ones pillaging his country brings out the good from the evil , since the descendants of the Cuman people worked in peace together the people of this land , built the country , in war fought together to defend the precious homeland!
There are offending, insulting , unpleasant things , but in itself nothing is bad , things become really bad from our attitude, approach , into painful failure, defeat !! the real greatness is capable of bringing out the good even from the most painful situations and this is the essence of Christianity ! In the hand of a follower of Christ even the discarded stone becomes a corner stone, for he is not searching for his own right , but wants victory of love to conquering above all, that is why he is devoting all his efforts , tolerates , serves ! Holding not Jesus’ hand we believe , that there is a solution even for the most painful questions of our life , through which nobody will be a looser , but through the triumph of love everybody will be victorious !
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Photo : The equestrian students of the Saint László College in Csíkszentsimon.
The Word of God
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Matthew 22:34-40
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Wednesday 19 June 2019
"your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” Matthew 6,18
Slowly all we do is in the eye of the public ! Be it good or bad we quickly wash one’s dirty linen in public , we exhibit it in public display ! Jesus in today’s gospel is encouraging us to retreat and quietly in the company of our Heavenly Father we do our good deeds, we pray, we fast ! It is quite certain that we have to follow not only Christ who is active amongst people , but we also must follow our praying Master who in seclusion appears before our Heavenly Father !
I should also give it some consideration , that from my life , my everyday what should be relevant to the big wide world and what is of no concern of theirs ? What is it that really together with my brothers can be solved easier, quicker , better and what is it that it is only relevant between myself and my creator God ?! The beneficial silence , the lonely hours spent in the presence of God are like a healing balm for our souls !During the turmoil of the summer vacation lets try to withdraw into the interior castle of our creator Heavenly Father ! Jesus in the most critical periods of His life always retreated and spent nights in worshiping /adoration of God….. Quietened, calmed down , at peace with the world lets retreat into our hideaway !
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
'And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel ..16th June 2019 Holy Trinity Sunday
Infinite time is needed to understand everything , to roam the infinity !!!! Lets set out with trust , we have time as we were born to eternal life , we are children of the Holy Trinity ! Let us find out all about the beautiful world , lets open up all the exciting opportunities that our God has given us as gifts ! We should not be afraid , our beloved Heavenly Father created this great, beautiful adventure park , everything that surrounds us , we are secure ! His angels take care of us lets dare to dream , to make plans , to get going , become partners of our Creator God in the further creation of this world !!
Ay the beginning of a new week ,
With lots of love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
The Word of God
Jesus said, 'I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.'
John 16:12-15
