Daily gospel

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel  Wednesday  27 December 2017 . -The Feast of Saint John Apostle and evangelist 

"he saw and believed.” John 20,8 Today people live in comfort , they get high salaries and yet they only carry out their tasks reluctantly ! Saint John and the other apostles without pay, amidst persecution over many-many years , many till their martyrdom carried out their work that effected the whole world ! The experiences of John and his companions not only transformed their own lives but the whole world’s ! Anyone can say anything , about the achievement of people of humble origin, but no one was able to do the same either before the birth of Jesus nor after Jesus’ birth.! This is why I also regard Saint John and his companions as trustworthy witnesses ! I accept with faith all that they saw and believed and I also bow my head with living faith !

With love

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

So Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.

John 20:2-8

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel  Tuesday 26 December 2017 The Feast of Saint Stephen the first martyr.

How good it is to know that out of this great conflict , that took place on the one hand between Saint Stephen , on the other hand Saul’s hallmarked team, everybody came out as a winner ! There are altars in our churches for both Saint Stephen , but for Saint Paul the converted Saul as well! Yes we Christians believe and profess , that every conflict , even if we pay with our life for it , has a good outcome if we do not abandon the way of love ! The world does not consist out of good and bad people, but from stumbling people and supernatural forces ! According to the teachings of Christ , part of the supernatural forces is evil :"Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. “ Peter 1, chapter5 ! Clinging onto Jesus, the commandment of love we can not only save our own soul , but even the souls of those who are persecuting , injuring us ! In the name of justice we should never embark on the way of hatred , anger , but together with Saint Stephen we have to pray for our persecutors , who unfortunately very often blindly “do not know what they are doing “!

With love,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

Photo: young Coptic Christians praying for the murderer of their sister….

Jesus said to his disciples:

"Beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts

and scourge you in their synagogues,

and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake

as a witness before them and the pagans.

When they hand you over,

do not worry about how you are to speak

or what you are to say.

You will be given at that moment what you are to say.

For it will not be you who speak

but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Brother will hand over brother to death,

and the father his child;

children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.

You will be hated by all because of my name,

but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

Matthew 10, 17-22

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel. 24 December 2017 4th Sunday of Advent

How could I be a good messenger of God like the angel Gabriel ? Lets learn to communicate from the angel !God sends him and he greets the woman who is more blessed than any other woman with sincere, beautiful words, respectfully , then reassures Mary kindly , clearly , understandably explains the purpose of his visit ! Mary does not get angry because of his questions , answers wisely, states her reasons , the angel by mentioning the elderly Elizabeth becoming a mother signals that miracles not only happen with the Blessed Virgin..

The gospel does not mention , that the angel would’ve had to come to Mary again and again! A short dialogue of 5-10 minutes changes the life of Jesus’ mother forever ! I wonder how much do I shout, quarrel with the children, the colleagues ? How successfully do my words find their mark ? Do they achieve the purpose why I said them !?

The angel only speaks seldom ! It would be good to remember the ancient wisdom : it is only worthwhile for one to speak, if the spoken word is more precious than the silence, that I  break with my words into a thousand pieces !

With love,

Father Csaba 

Photo: The beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin in the garden of the Franciscan monastery in Szécsen.

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1, 26-38

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel     Friday 22 December 2017

"He has filled the hungry with good things” Luke 1, 55Often I feel ashamed because of my little faith , because I can see that God’s caring goodness can surpass every measure ! Thanks to God this year as well we can give several thousand children, gifts, a festive dinner , provide a warm home on the feast of Christmas ! ! It is good to see , that not only in past times , but even today God keeps His word and really takes care of the ones trusting in Him !!

Proclaiming God’s mercy, 

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

Photo : Gives us this day our daily bread ..

Mary said:

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him

in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,

and has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel

for he remembered his promise of mercy,

the promise he made to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever."

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months

and then returned to her home.

Luke 1, 46-56

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel  Thursday 21 December 2017

Mary enters Elizabeth’s house: "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

"Most blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

And when I enter through a door do people cheer joyfully , or do they sadly hold their heads ! Elizabeth really rejoiced in God and in the living tabernacle, carrying the living God , Mary ! You or I can be the carriers of God, a living church , if I really live , but I no longer live but Christ lives in me ! Out of a day how many hours , out of an hour how many minutes did I pay attention to God, as a prayerful carrier of God ? How much time did I walk on the path of my God’s way of serving love and how much did I shuffle on my own selfish , vain , idle, path winding to nowhere ? Whom do I serve ? God on the path of love and goodness? My own selfish self ? Or some other earthly powers that be, or am I at the service of some self glorifying, panting after wealth , chasing after power earthly masters?

Without God even if you play your role well , you are boring , tiring , ordinary, whatever could a handful of dust give !? It is quite certain that slowly even your loved ones won’t be happy when you enter your house !! Christmas is here , consciously you should also become the carrier of love, goodness , of the living God !

With love,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

photo: with the dear grandchildren 

Mary set out in those days

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah,

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth. 

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,

cried out in a loud voice and said,

"Most blessed are you among women,

and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 

And how does this happen to me,

that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

the infant in my womb leaped for joy. 

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled."

Luke 1, 39-45

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel 18 December 2017

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. 

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her. 

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1,20

I admire God’s humility ! Into the historic event of the redemption our Creator includes with infinite trust, great patience His angels, Mary , Joseph , the shepherds , and we could continue to list the names starting from the apostles through to Veronica helping with her shawl, or to contrite Mary Magdalene hurrying with the ointment to His grave ! And to no avail do the years , the millenniums pass Jesus even today calls us with the same trust , to take part in the building of His wonderful Kingdom, in the new world order of love ! And people , young and old , with determined steps or shuffling scared , but get going accepting smaller or bigger tasks , to take forth further and further  the triumphant flag of Christ’s love ! How great it would be to learn from our Lord Jesus Christ ! Observing the way God works we suddenly realise , that how differently do we accomplish our goals ! We are flustered , we don’t trust each other , we want to do everything and unfortunately for this reason the fruits of our labours are short-lived !

Let dare to call on each other with trust , lets share our tasks with each other , lets make our requests clear , understandable and with brotherly love lets encourage , hearten our companions who are hesitant, scared to take part in the realisation of the common dream , with enduring work ! Lets learn from the events of Christmas and together lets take to victory those holy goals that God entrusted us with !! 

With love ,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

Photo : In the home for the elderly in Szécsén the cared for and the carer together are singing the beautiful Advent carols .

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. 

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. 

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly. 

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. 

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her. 

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins." 

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us." 

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home. 

Matthew 1, 18-24

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel 3rd Sunday of Advent 17 December 2017

"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,

'make straight the way of the Lord “ John 1,19

How could we fulfil Saint John the Baptist’s beautiful call ?! For our children in Szárhegy we straightened the way leading to our Lord Jesus Christ with the establishment of a quiet , small chapel !

Yes in our child protection home named after Kájoni János a small room was put in order by the Csergő couple with their colleagues , out of the donations of good people a tabernacle , an altar , a crucifix , a chalice , everything was acquired and now on the third Sunday of Advent not only the third candle on the Advent wreath was lit, but also the candles on the altar ! I can gladly state that this beautiful Sunday , 17 December 2017 , in our home in Gyergyószárhegy in our new chapel was the holiest sacrifice presented with our children .

This little chapel was our Christmas present to Jesus as well , but also to our children , since here Jesus in the sacrament can give Himself to those living in this house . Not everything is ready yet , but if God helps us and we get everything ready we would like to consecrate this little Franciscan chapel , and fill it "up to the brim “ with our children with prayerful love !

With heartfelt gratitude ,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

A man named John was sent from God.

He came for testimony, to testify to the light,

so that all might believe through him.

He was not the light,

but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.

When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests

and Levites to him

to ask him, "Who are you?"

He admitted and did not deny it,

but admitted, "I am not the Christ."

So they asked him,

"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"

And he said, "I am not."

"Are you the Prophet?"

He answered, "No."

So they said to him,

"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?

What do you have to say for yourself?"

He said:

"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,

'make straight the way of the Lord,'"

as Isaiah the prophet said."

Some Pharisees were also sent. 

They asked him,

"Why then do you baptize

if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"

John answered them,

"I baptize with water;

but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,

the one who is coming after me,

whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."

This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,

where John was baptising.

Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel  Friday 15 December 2017

It is frightful to read these words of Jesus, dismaying to see Jesus as He gets down on His knees in front of the walls of Jerusalem and weeping for her people, the people living there ! God is crying because He knows that death is the payment for sin , and because of the sins of the many wicked people in this big town everything will be raised to the ground . During the quietness of Advent we think with shaken spirit to the many-many sins of mankind, but we should also think of our sins as well.I wonder what would Jesus say to me now , whether at Christmas would He fall on His knees at the door of my heart crying or will He step in rejoicing ? It depends on me ! It would be very important to do my reconciliation before Christmas , to cleanse my life with sincere repentance , dress my body and soul in festive garments . I believe and I am convinced that the fate of humanity is in our hands , my personal decision maybe a tiny drop of water , but the sea is formed from tiny drops as well . If my droplet is a sinful, vitriolic poison , then this drop can cause a huge damage to the sea. Lets not hesitate after a thorough soul searching lets do our Christmas reconciliation !

With love,

Father Csaba

translated by dr k.e.

Photo : and elderly Coptic friar leads us to God’s altar in the monastery of Great Saint Anthony ..the hermit.

Jesus said to the crowds:

"To what shall I compare this generation? 

It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,

'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,

we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.' 

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,

'He is possessed by a demon.' 

The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,

'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,

a friend of tax collectors and sinners.' 

But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Matthew 11, 16-19

Father Csaba’s reflections on the gospel….Thursday  14 December 2017……Feast of Saint John of the Cross.

I am always surprised by this world’s  diversity , size , beauty, mystery ! Our Creator also dares , can also play for high stakes!  How many ways  did and can even today the infinite pure energy , love take shape ? Starting from the great celestial bodies to the tiny insects , including human beings every, but everything are the Infinite God’s different incarnation! This world is amazing, exciting, unique since no two objects are the same and on top of it all everything is beautiful ! The planets, the stars , this huge world that we are also part of, are all proclaiming the greatness of God ! Saint John the Baptist also proclaimed this ! Looking at this big world I also humbly fall on my knees in front of my Creator God and trustingly I greet the Lord Jesus Christ my Redeemer ! By respecting the creations I worship, adore our Creator !

Father Csaba 

translated by dr k.e.

Jesus said to the crowds:

"Amen, I say to you,

among those born of women

there has been none greater than John the Baptist;

yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

From the days of John the Baptist until now,

the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence,

and the violent are taking it by force. 

All the prophets and the law prophesied up to the time of John. 

And if you are willing to accept it,

he is Elijah, the one who is to come. 

Whoever has ears ought to hear.

Matthew 11, 11-15

Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel..for Wednesday 13 December 2017 The Feast of Saint Lucy

People nowadays are convinced that they deserve everything !!The one who reads the biography of Saint Lucy , will be taken aback about the many and really cruel pains she had to go through just because she loved our Lord Jesus Christ !! We have to struggle for our existence but how much more do we have to struggle for our eternal life ! The foolish virgins stay outside ! Why ? Because they are foolish, gormless , they do not strive to achieve a goal because they are not wise , smart , determined !

“He answered ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.”Is it possible that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself will say such a thing ? Several books of the gospels tell this story ! It would be good to reflect on and shocked , because otherwise will be lost for ever !!

"work at your salvation anxiously trembling says the Lord !!

Following the example of Saint Lucy , lets be wise and smart , choose the better part ,

Father Csaba

translated  by dr k.e.

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

25 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 3 The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them.4 The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5 The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

7 “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

9 “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

10 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

11 “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

12 “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

13 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Matthew 25, 1-13