Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel….
Monday 6 March 2017
“ Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.”
Lets try to please our Lord Jesus Christ, lets look for a ordinary, person a beggar and invite them for a coffee , a piece of cake !! Or lets write a letter to someone we would not have otherwise ..a few kind lines !! Imagine you are taking Jesus Himself to the cake shop , you ring our Lord on the phone , what great joy what a grace, lets not miss out on this opportunity !! One thing is important to present someone with our loving attention who cannot repay us…
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.”44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’
Matthew 25, 31-46
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel……
First Sunday of Lent , 5 March 2017
Consumerism , power , possession ! The evil spirit gathers his victims with the same tricks even today ! Consume, devour, perform a miracle for yourself , tell the stones to turn into bread! If this does would not work , there is the other temptation ! Throw yourself off in broad daylight from the roof of the church people will admire you , you will be the king, you will have power , you can reign over your companions. Not only the desire to consume and power is present in every man but also the desire of possessions! You can afford it , take it away, take it home , it will be yours !
Christ rejects all temptations ! Is the holy moderation present in me in nourishments , do I have a realistic expectation in clothing, furnishing my home or is greed leading me ? In my relation with my companions is serving love or the desire of the power to crush , to trample on others my decision ?
During Lent I should consciously decide to turn towards simple, pure , healthy food instead of expensive , exotic ones ! Out of my possessions all that is superfluous , with a generous decision I should give to the ones who have a need for it !During these holy forty days even if it is in my power to give others orders , instead I should try to get the ones entrusted to me guided by the serving love of our Lord !
Becoming quiet I should notice where and with what is the evil one is attacking wanting, causing the ruining of me and my family.!
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
4Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; 9and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”10Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Matthew 4, 1-11
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel
Saturday 4 March 2017
Active and passive life ! As a resourceful young man calls a girl for a dance , the same way Jesus also fearlessly addresses His disciples and calls them :”Come and I’ll make you fishers of men !”The young ones leave the fishing boats , the tax booth , everything and “ puts a hand to the plow” , without looking back follow Him !! Unfortunately today’s Church resembles more like a wall-flower , who is waiting for the arrival of the saintly, well-groomed Christian arriving on a white horse , who will listen with devotions that why do se few ask her for a dance !
May God grant us , to be filled with the courage , dynamism of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we dare to reach out to the young people with the joy of the gospel, lets not be afraid of scandals but trust in God ! Lets believe in the Lord of Life ,still actively working to this day !!
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
picture: The Lord addresses Saint László,t he performance of the children from Szalonta in the church named after Saint Katalin, in Slovenia
After this he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ 28And he got up, left everything, and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table* with them.30The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?’31Jesus answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’
Luke 5, 27-32
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel..
Friday 3 March 2017
Selfcontrol ! During one of the holy masses a 4-5 years old child was playing up right to the end, I was looking at the mother who was patiently putting up with the child’s changing moods and the sound effects that were indicative of his tantrums ! I was smiling politely , but deep down I felt sorry for the child!
I felt sorry because even though his parents give him a lot ,but it seems not one of the most important skills in life , self-control, is not taught to their child !
Troubles , problems, disturbing circumstances were and will always be part of life around and within us that is why we have to teach our children how to behave when stressed ! Under optimal circumstances it is certainly easier to fulfill our duties but even in difficulties , worrying times and what is more in headwinds we have to keep moving on the road marked by us because otherwise we are going to become the evil spirit’s billiard balls , playthings!
Lets consider in our eating, speaking , the different everyday circumstances who is giving us orders who is moving our tongues, hands , feet who is directing our thoughts , decisions ? Is it my will by which I decide when, what and how much do I eat , and that I can only learn this after a deliberate fasting ! By the same token can I also “fast” with my tongue so that I do not speak or by that I do not use certain "ill-tempered "words ! At first it will be strange when you embark on this road but training your willpower , you will realize that it is good to be at home within your own body , and to be masters of all those skills that God presented us with !!
A good parent will explain to their child when we go to school, church or even go visiting we just observe , calmly watch the happenings !! Yes people will speak to us and we pay attention because this way we become smarter , cleverer , behaving nicely so we are not a burden , a nuisance for others , because what you expect from others is what you have to give to others as well! We explained this to several thousand children and I can see that the children understand this, and slowly growing up like this become useful members of society !
It is Lent , lets embark taking small steps on the road of self-discipline , lets learn how to behave , to be in charge so that we can also be happy in a happy society !!
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Picture: a child behaving in the dental chair.
Then John's disciples came to him and said, 'Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?'
Jesus replied, 'Surely the bridegroom's attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is still with them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
Matthew 9, 14-15
Father Csaba’s reflections on the gospel….
Thursday 2 March 2017
"Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, will save it. “ Luke 9,25
What will be ours is what we generously share, and to what I cling to tenaciously I’ll loose ! I don’t possess something by having it because my poverty is my real richness , to which I should be attached to more than anything else !!
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
And he said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?
Luke 9, 22-25
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel….
1 March 2017 ASH WEDNESDAY
"your Father who is in that secret place! “ Matthew 6,18
Your precious words are so soothing like a healing balm on a wound my Father "in the secret place” ! We tend to hustle and bustle , be in the limelight, to fidget but unfortunately often this is only about us , even when we are being charitable or just praying , we tend to oversell our fleeting self but we’ll never be any happier on account of this !! I pray for the tranquility of the seed that hides invisibly in the soil, that does not want to be seen but to live , taking root gathering strength , piercing the black soil’s cover reaching out towards the sky so that it’ll become part of the miracle of being, existing !! The little seed in the ground soaked by the spring rain just like a hermit on his own, but this quiet existence in carrying life, passing on life ,will ennoble it to become his Creator’s partner !
In the holy time of Lent help me to calm down, to understand that less is more, poverty is richness and quietness the source of dialogue , because to retreat into a fertile solitude we can meet with You, the One who fulfills our thirsting,disintegrating existence for infinity!!
With a God seeking soul ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Jesus said to his disciples: 'Be careful not to parade your uprightness in public to attract attention; otherwise you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven.
So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win human admiration. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
'And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room, shut yourself in, and so pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
'When you are fasting, do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they go about looking unsightly to let people know they are fasting. In truth I tell you, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put scent on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6, 1-6,16-18
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel….
Tuesday 28 February 2017
"Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,* 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. “
At the start of my spiritual life I thought that one has to give up everything for eternal life. Only lately did I start taking notice of the words in the gospel “you get a hundredfold” . God does not only pay attention to important spiritual matters ,but for example in the Our Father, the daily bread as well. It is amazing ,that in my priestly celibacy ,I had to give up having my own child and yet, God gave me a hundredfold . The question is am I capable of accepting God’s gifts as presents ?? I know a priest , who lives his life in a way, that he looks at his parish community as his big family and lives happily , his life is fulfilled by his nice , large family , resigned to the fact that this replaces the family he could not have . Unfortunately I know a married couple as well even though God blessed them with five nice children , yet they turned each other’s life into hell and nowadays they don’t even want to meet. I get many more kisses from their children as their “ father" in the sense of Saint Joseph than their natural parents .
God cannot be outdone in His generosity, kindheartedness . When He asks that “ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued, give“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.” , then He really takes this seriously and it is quite certain that He will not be indebted to us. That is why I encourage everybody to dare to be generous , kindhearted and while one is able to, to hand out all that God has entrusted to them with two hands ,dispense it magnanimously and wisely make their will when bequeathing their material possessions as well .
With lots of love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,* who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’
Mark 10, 28-31
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel….
Saturday 25 February 2017
"Let the little children come to me……” If I would have to recommend a remedy for all the problems of my people but even for the whole of Europe then I would put one word on the script : Children!!!! Yes a child is the most effective, pure remedy! Daily with true love we embrace one or more little one, then again and again throwing them up in the air we catch them , whilst the little bundle of energy , joyfully with a tinkling giggle embraces our neck and gives us a kiss - this is all we have to do three times a day for our being reborn in love ! The trust , love of a child springs such emotions in us about the existence of which we were not even aware of ! A vulnerable little person brings out from us adults not only the most beautiful, purest human features but if need be a mother lioness willing to go against the world , or a father willing to “ bring down the stars from heaven “! The blessed presence of a vulnerable child, plants beautiful God given virtues into our hearts , strength , energy, wisdom , patience , mercy, love and many , many such treasures that can transform , beautify our whole personality !!
Following in the footsteps of Jesus lets dare to decide by accepting life!
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Picture: The Franciscan nuns taking in children in trouble !
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
Mark 10, 13-16
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel……
Monday 27 February 2017
I do not want to be the rich young man ,in an entrenched , comfortable but sterile world , in a world that has its days numbered !! My Lord I would like to follow in Your footsteps leaving everything behind following You, get going ,lead by Your will to the land of miracles ! I believe that You have ideas , plans that give an answer to all our questions but for this we have to step on Your way from our tried, safe ways !! Perhaps for a few more years we can sit peacefully on the richess left to us from the past , but it is similar to the snow melting in the spring sunshine that giving up the soaring so many come back !!
I trust in You my Lord, because You are the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE!!
With love ,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ 20He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money* to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is* to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another,* ‘Then who can be saved?’ 27Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’
Mark 10, 17-27
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel……
Friday 24 February 2017
Holy communion for those who remarried!? It would be good if this question would not divide our Mother, the Church , but if the theologians could humbly, peacefully look at this important issue and discuss it !! I am afraid that the time will come when this question no longer will be about finding the will of God , but about authority !!!
What is my opinion ?
It is quite certain that here ,as well as in any other question our Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching is the only compass . This compass certainly even now, as always is pointing in the direction of mercy and love !! The final answer for all those concerned God will give through our conscience ! I believe in the final victory of love.
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
"Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom, he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?"
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?"
They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her."
But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate."
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
Mark 10, 1-12
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel..
Wednesday 22 February 2017 Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”
Who would not want to be happy, blessed !? Jesus here shows us the way leading to happiness : Blessed is the man who received his Creator , who hears his heavenly Father’s voice and who lives,talks, acts according to the will of his God here on earth !!
The basis of the Christian mystery is our Lord’s Jesus Christ’s teaching !! In Jesus Christ , i the veritable God and veritable man heaven and earth meet ! Our Master teaches us so that we can also grow up to this meeting , the material world is capable of receiving , carrying its Creator and together with Him in burning love, adoration to become one ! In fact this meeting the dialogue with Infinity is the source of our fulfillment , joy , this is the salvation desired not only by Christians however all of us !!
I am convinced that many, many non-Christian , eastern -western friars , simple men of faith having after this meeting experienced the strength giving them joy, wisdom , the enlightening realistic answers to our questions, retreats and retreats to pray, to contemplate , reflect upon! I believe that after meeting with our Creator an unquenchable desire raises high even today all the churches in the world , the sanctuary raised in any kind of denomination !! That is also why I believe in a dialogue between the Churches , I also believe that many-many people searching for God will meet at the foot of their Creator peacefully !!
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Picture : In the light someone is looking for you !!
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ 14And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ 15He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ 16Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah,* the Son of the living God.’ 17And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter,* and on this rock* I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
Matthew 16, 13-19
