Daily gospel

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Friday 26 January 2018

"Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals” Luke 10,1

Jesus’ commandment is frightful, it is clear that He does not encourage us to do Caritas work in the first place !!

Our Master does not want money, power to be the basis of His Kingdom, however love, goodness! Frightful how far we 

went the wrong way, how much  the financial interests have taken over a role even within the Church ! Lets pray so that God gives us back to His children the apostles’ purity, freedom, spiritual liveliness !!

With love,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

Luke 10:1-9

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel …Wednesday 24 January 2018

On my  birthday as a present I ask for peace in your hearts.

“ What remains after a war in the midst of where we are living ?”-asked Pope Francis . “ Ruins, several thousand children without education , innocent victims , and lots of money in the pockets of the arm dealers “

Christ sows good seeds in the world, but the seeds of peace are choked in our hearts by the many sinful desires , and this is why they do not spring up and bring a good yield ! Unfortunately we let our governments to prepare for wars, send mercenaries, to make good business from the money of the armament manufacturers!

I played with the thought what would the world be like if the superpowers would seriously think about peace and together would fight against ignorance, poverty , illnesses !? How different a place the world would be if that immeasurable amount of money spent on arms , would be used for the development of our world ?! How many new schools , hospitals , cultivated , sown fields would there be, how many new research centres, leisure and sport centres could be established  if there would be no more wars ! 

Lets cleanse our hearts from hostilities, the infertile thorns of war covering everything! Lets not put up with the divisions around us, the wrangling, hatred, anger , because they are the seeds of war , that if they grow big they will kill our bodies , thrust our souls into eternal damnation !

On my birthday as a gift I am asking for the peace of your hearts ! Present me by chatting with each other lovingly and forget about each other’s debts ! Forgive the insults, hurts , and as good brethren , give me the flowers of joyful love springing up in your hearts !

With love ,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e. 

Photo : With our children in Kisiratos. 

4Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. 2He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:3‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ 9And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’

10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret* of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12in order that

“they may indeed look, but not perceive,

and may indeed listen, but not understand;

so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.” ’

13 And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.* 18And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’

Mark 4, 1-20

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Tuesday  23 January 2018

Would you like to be in such a deep, close, personal relationship with Jesus as His Mother, Mary ? The question is what could make me as well Jesus’ friend, “relation”? Christ Himself gives the answer very clearly: For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”Mark 3,35

Again the same important message of the gospel crops up again , as in the story of the man burying his talent, or in case of the ten virgins , where the five wise and the five foolish ones are the main characters , or the cursed fig tree as well, the tree is nice and green , but it bears no fruit, and this is why Jesus pronounces the judgement over it! Lets face it one cannot be born into His family, it’s not enough to be on good terms with Him,  it’s not even enough if I keep repeating His name lovingly , our Master expects more from us ! There where we are , where were given to live , we have to fulfil God’s will , produce fruit , the lasting fruit of love ! During our earthly lives it’s not enough just to serve our own comfort , interest , we also have embark here and now on the way of love , and day after day wisely, smartly , with a merciful heart to produce treasures that “moth and rust do not destroy.”

For the selfish man only looking after their own interest, even if they keep all commandments , just like  for the rich young man it is difficult to get into the kingdom of heaven , but for the one the who gives even just a glass of water to the least of all , his deed is written up in the book of life ! Just like a hunting dog searching eagerly for his prey , we should also consciously look for the opportunity that we do good, to be good and we can place the results of good deeds at Jesus’ feet !

Keep up the good work ,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

Picture : my colleague Pál Mária telling a story to the orphans. 

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house.

Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him.

A crowd seated around him told him,

"Your mother and your brothers and your sisters

are outside asking for you."

But he said to them in reply,

"Who are my mother and my brothers?"

And looking around at those seated in the circle he said,

"Here are my mother and my brothers.

For whoever does the will of God

is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3, 31-35

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Monday 22 January 2018

Everybody can be spoken ill of , blacken their name by slander , unfortunately they can be tainted and sooner or later, everybody will be forced into taking up Christ’s cross on their shoulder ! Jesus was also cast aspersions on , and He wisely, with calm reasoning tries to bring the truth to the surface ! Good Friday bears witness to this , that this did not work for Him ! The ones wanting His death succeed , and even in front of the simple folk they are capable to destroy Jesus’ honour , honesty , so they also choose Barabbas when it comes to judgement ! 

What is there to do ? Mother Teresa’s prayer is authoritative for me : 

People are foolish, inconsistent and turn inwards , nevertheless love them !

If you do something good , you will be accused , their acts are guided by selfishness and ulterior motives, nevertheless do good !

If you are  successful you’ll make false friends and real enemies nevertheless reach your goal !

The good you do today , will be forgotten by tomorrow , nevertheless nevertheless do good ! 

Honesty , sincerity will make you vulnerable , nevertheless be honest and open ! 

What takes you years to build, can be demolished in a day , nevertheless build!

People need your help , but if you help , you can be attacked , nevertheless , still help ! 

Give the world the best you have , and if you get a beating in return , nevertheless give the best to the world of what you have !

Neither Christ, nor Mother Teresa were stopped by slander, being spoken ill of , we should not be stopped on our way of love , doing good!!

With trust ,

Father Csaba 

Picture : With colleagues from Érmihályfalva and Székelyhíd doing good ! 

translated by dr kalotayeszter 

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, 

"He is possessed by Beelzebul," and

"By the prince of demons he drives out demons."

Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, 

"How can Satan drive out Satan?

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.

And if a house is divided against itself, 

that house will not be able to stand.

And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, 

he cannot stand; 

that is the end of him.

But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property 

unless he first ties up the strong man.

Then he can plunder his house.  

Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies 

that people utter will be forgiven them.

But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit 

will never have forgiveness, 

but is guilty of an everlasting sin."

For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit.” 

Mark 3, 22-30

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel  21 January 2018 3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Building a community is Jesus’ first task ! He does not write a tender, does not build a house or a church , doesn’t expand the infrastructure but He gathers friends, companions ! Jesus knows that not a snailshell , not the dead objects that are important , but man , a companion, a friend ! Is there a team ? There will be a house also, a church as well, everything that’s needed! Last year as far as finances are concerned the German Church closed very successfully, but this did not result in the churches being filled by congregations, praying , singing people ! Europe is filled with more and more beautiful churches , institutions owned by the Church that are visited by tourist, but otherwise very often they are empty and that is why they are condemned to be sold or demolished !

Unfortunately this does not only apply to church institutions , but to family homes , homes in general as well ! I was in Gyergyó at the Saint Margaret festivities , and we had a talk with the parish priests.! It was very disheartening to hear how many empty, abandoned houses are in the Székely villages . In huge houses one more beautiful than the other one solitary person welcomes the holy cross , where years ago in  these little wooden houses with porches large families sang the more and more beautiful Christmas carols ! 

Lets stop and lets make a conscious decision : Lets not buy, collect dead objects but lets turn towards living , children , people with immortal souls ! What does it help if you win the whole world , but you are always on your own ? Today I baptised three sweet children, not one relative took part in the celebrations ! Total strangers came to take on the role of godparents . It was wonderful to see , how after dinner the child embraces his godfather returning to Budapest , and waving crying after him and he asks us to pray for his safe return home ! Love is capable to give birth to family, companion , and this way you won’t be a lonely drifting leaf of a tree ! 

Here I am standing in front of you , and looking into your eyes I am asking you: do you want to be happy ? Opt for accepting a child, a companion , by life, decide , opt for God  and beside Him you will be happy!

With love,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr kalotay eszter 

Picture:  With our children from  Kisiratos 21 January  2018.

After John had been arrested,

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:

"This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the gospel."

As he passed by the Sea of Galilee,

he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea;

they were fishermen.

Jesus said to them,

"Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.

He walked along a little farther

and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.

They too were in a boat mending their nets.

Then he called them.

So they left their father Zebedee in the boat

along with the hired men and followed him.

Mark 1, 14-20

Father Csaba’s reflection the gospel Saturday 20 January 2018.

Gossip ?! Pope Francis compared the passing on of gossip ,  unfounded rumour to an act of terrorism ! He is right as well because Jesus was also discredited , got into disrepute , that even confused His family !! "his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, 

for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3,20

Lets wipe  verbal terrorism out of our life ! I believe that very often behind  an argument , divorce, war there is a superficial bad word , an exaggerated half truth !! Much of the human misery, suffering , death is rooted, a result of malicious or unadvised words, our words !!!If we would not like to set on fire ourselves and our surrounding’s life then lets start a campaign within ourself , but also in our surrounding as well against gossiping , rumourmongering , lets conquer the verbal terrorism by prayer , true words ! 

With love,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

Picture: The Boli cave was hollowed by soft water droplets into a hard rock . 

Jesus came with his disciples into the house.

Again the crowd gathered,

making it impossible for them even to eat.

When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, 

for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Mark 3, 20-21 

Father Csaba’s reflection of the gospel Friday 19 January 2018

Jesus searched for , spoke to, invited His future colleagues, with whom in a close, on friendly terms  starts to build God’s Kingdom !

Have I got companions, friends whom when I call them they get going with me on the way of love , mercy ?? How many people can I count on ?? As many as you are that’s how much you are worth !! On your own , no matter how right you are , you are walking on the path of mistakes , oversights , because on your own you are weak, ineffective , fragile !! Today should be the day of meeting, making friends, acceptance ! May this day your “apostles’ ” day !

With love ,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

Photo : At the festival in honour of Saint Margaret in Gyergyóremete with our children, my colleagues .

Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted 

and they came to him.

He appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles,

that they might be with him

and he might send them forth to preach 

and to have authority to drive out demons:

He appointed the Twelve:

Simon, whom he named Peter; 

James, son of Zebedee, 

and John the brother of James, whom he named Boanerges, 

that is, sons of thunder;

Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew,

Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus; 

Thaddeus, Simon the Cananean,

and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

Mark 3, 13-19

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Thursday  18 January 2018 The Feast of Saint Margit of Árpádháza.

Are we foolish or wise ?! This gospel story is about us, our society , just like in the attached article the story of the closure of the great , ancient monastery! Saint Margaret was wise, she made a good bargain with her life, for a good cause she gave away all she had , and the crown of eternal life became hers! Today , and justly so, everybody calls her blessed, a saint , because in truth during her life she became that ! Wherever I look unfortunately I can see lots of foolish virgins, rich young men , who shrugging their shoulders , living their own petty selfish lives foolishly sink into their own musty, distorted darkness, that gives  neither happiness nor do they receive any !

The foolish virgins dressed in the magnificent wedding gowns , the rich young men turning their backs vacillating on Christ let go of one another’s hand , they do not form a family, do not accept children, discard their homeland like an outgrown garment , leave our churches, monasteries empty , with glassy eyes keep looking at their phones, the computers, and not being able to get enough of themselves are sharing their own pictures ! The foolish virgins, the rich young men live amongst us , well-dressed , they have a right to every thing , they know everything better than anybody else , they pass judgement over everybody ,but instead of following the example of Saint Margaret they don’t fetch water from the well for their companions , families, countrymen , they do not make sacrifices for them, they don’t pray kneeling in front of God’s altar ! They are their own enclosed little worlds’ suns, planets , moons, stray comets, lonely even in a community !

I am praying that we have generations growing up who are wise , forgetting about themselves  casting their glances on each other , and in each other , in the beautiful world unfolding around them , and in the Creator of all us let them discover the miracle , the companion, all that makes life worthwhile ! Lets pray that our young people become the guardians of life , the carriers and the ones who pass it on , let them dare by embarking on Saint Margaret’s way to be blessed, saintly , shine , be the light for everybody wisely with a light never to be extinguished !

With prayerful love,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Matthew 25:1-13

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Wednesday 17 January 2018 Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

In Egypt a jolly elderly monk said the following to the one female member of our entourage : We have a great deal to thank the ladies for , even though it is not on account of female gender that we were expelled from paradise , but we can thank the women that the abbot Saint Anthony , and following in his footsteps we also again discovered Eden. The cheerful Coptic monk with a twinkle in his eyes, made me curious. So upon our request he continued on with his train of thought :The Great Saint Anthony after his conversion , established the hermitage, solitude at the outskirts of the town on the banks of a river , and one day the laughter of bathing girls interrupted the quietness of his small homestead. The young hermit (Anthony was 20 years old when he started in the track of the rich young man ) angrily chided the girls , why did they disturb him in the prayer he was absorbed in ?  The girls answered him laughing , if he desires to meet God , he should move further away, not here in the world but outside the infinite wilderness should he look for th Infinite. Saint Anthony the Great set out and a long way from the edges, borders of Cairo , in the desert he found his own wilderness and in it the infinite God ! At present here in the seclusion (300 hectares ) 120 monks live and worship God. The example of Saint Anthony the Great inspired Saint Augustine , an the whole monastic movement , Saint Benedict as well whom we honour as, the patron saint of Europe. 

The elderly monk’s teasing talk that was meant as a cheerful tale, actually puts a finger on the essence of the matter. Perhaps the original sin is nothing else but the turning outside , that went hand in hand with the turning away from God . Adam was not driven out of paradise  but with his turning towards the creations he himself broke away from his Creator, from Eden . Simply the gift became more important than the Giver.

Saint Anthony the Great found Eden , because following the advice of the gospel of Jesus he let go of everything so that he could be with his Creator . A daring , brave death leap ! Saint Anthony was capable to put down all the shining , sparkling gifts under the Christmas tree, and threw himself into the arms of the Giver. Upon the word of Jesus saint Anthony stretched out his hand, but not after the many shining, sparkling valuables : for money , for power , for the pleasures offered by life but after the hand of his worshipped Master .

It is a great mystery !I don't believe that in God’s gifts would be poisonous ! I don’t believe that we have cannot rejoice in each other , to taste the fruits of the Earth ! Simply the order of priorities is important ! Jesus Christ’s first and most important commandment He puts this in order : worship the Lord your God , be with Him because He is the Garden of Eden for you. The creations are God’s precious gifts ! Your wife, your children the whole world is yours, rejoice and love them as yourself. Saint Anthony the Great and his trustworthy disciples learnt this, and teach us also to worship God, an to love the creations correctly! Out of this healthy , correct love towards the creations was Europe born with her cathedrals reaching towards the sky , wit her codexes guarding and carrying knowledge, the hospitals investigating illnesses , taking care of the injured and all that, that makes our world to be our home , liveable.

In the physical sense we do not have to embark on the way of Saint Anthony the Great , we do not have to depart the world , but in a spiritual sense if we don’t follow in his footsteps and we are not capable of honouring the Creator more than the creations , and the sparkling , shining gifts will continue to be more important 

than the Giver Himself , then we can wander far away from Eden and become victims of our greedy, selfish sinful desires and we will also perish ourselves .

For us - who have experienced something out of God’s blessed presence -the greatest task is to encourage people to get going towards our Creator ! God lives , in Jesus Christ and does not only call the rich young man, Saint Anthony and the monks but speaks to everybody :” Come to me all of you “!

Our churches are shelters in the battlefield lead by the generals of our insatiable desires  , there are our sake havens Christ present in the Holy Eucharist heals the wounds of our churches, hospitals received from the bustle of our world .Our churches are like  an oasis with pure water , the water of eternal life meaning to be born anew stems from here,  is plentiful for all man.

Our churches are the planning offices for people searching for the tomorrow , as the Spirit of wisdom can be called upon in the quietness !

Lets not leave our churches ,the wilderness of the XXI century empty, lets not allow them to be disgraced , demolished ! In the quiet solitude of our churches our Lord Jesus Christ awaits  the XXI. century rich young man to make them joyful! In our churches we not only find the lost Eden , but also  the wisdom for the renewal of our world ! 

Saint Anthony the Great , lead us on the way offered to the rich young man, but feasible path for all mankind , the beautiful way of the gospel towards your Master, Jesus Christ !

With living faith,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

Jesus entered the synagogue.

There was a man there who had a withered hand.

They watched Jesus closely

to see if he would cure him on the sabbath

so that they might accuse him.

He said to the man with the withered hand,

"Come up here before us."

Then he said to the Pharisees,

"Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,

to save life rather than to destroy it?"

But they remained silent.

Looking around at them with anger

and grieved at their hardness of heart,

Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand."

He stretched it out and his hand was restored.

The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel

with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Mark 3, 1-6

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel Tuesday 16 January 2018

"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.”Matthew 2,28

Many feel that the laws are for men and not men for the laws. We can see that  today’s society  tends to arrange the laws to meet their own expectations, demands. From the above quote from the gospel at first it seems that Jesus also places man above the law. Yet elsewhere He says "18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished “ Matthew 5,18

In settling the controversy , we have to make a difference between the laws of God and the laws of men . The ten commandments , Jesus’ commandment of love is always and for everyone compulsory, binding . Men’s laws about keeping the sabbath , other commandments of the old testament , that are men made ,  those can be changed by men!

If man tries to change God’s commandments and disobeys them , then man commits a sin , the wages of sin is death . The young porn star appearing in the article below and her other two companions thought that God’s commandment does not apply to them . Their tragic deaths at such a young age proves that God’s commandments cannot really be disregarded . Because in reality God’s commandments are not boundaries but signposts at the edge of the precipice , the directions given by our Creator on how to live life . God could have also said: if you want to be happy , if you want a beautiful, long life within your loving family,  then do not fornicate.

Lets differentiate between God’s holy commandments that lead us to life and the commandments made by people, even parliaments or any other official bodies . We should not disregard even one letter out of God’s commandments under any circumstances . The different state laws if guided by a sound mind , can then be changed within lawful guidelines . Till 1998 in Romania the child protection laws did not allow any civil , church affiliated legal people to conduct activities concerning child protection. This was a communist dictatorial law , that we fought against , the laws were changed and nowadays the Saint Francis Foundation is carrying out officially its speciality in child protection, because the child protection laws are for the children and not the children for the laws .

With love,

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e,

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,

his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.

At this the Pharisees said to him,

"Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"

He said to them,

"Have you never read what David did

when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?

How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest

and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat,

and shared it with his companions?"

Then he said to them,

"The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.

That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Mark 2, 23-28