He must increase in me, but I must decrease

Post date:   2016-10-01
Autor:   BCP
Jesus is my King, but unless my soul dies like a grain of wheat, Jesus cannot be my King, for my sin, my ego, my old self is my king then. John the Baptist calls: “He must increase in me, but I must decrease.” This is a process, the way of following Christ, seeking the kingdom of God in myself and in my brother. Then I will be able to remove the speck from my brother’s eye without hurting him. And he likewise will be able to see Christ not only in himself but in me too, and when the hour of death comes, we shall see Him not only in the light of faith but also in the light of God’s glory.

Lord, let me see!

Post date:   2016-09-27
Autor:   BCP
We should see Christ in our neighbour. In the parable of the Last Judgment, Jesus says the same to those who will be saved and to those who will be condemned with only a slight difference: “…whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine” or “whatever you did not do”. And then He says: “you did for Me” or “you did not do for Me”. Jesus is in my neighbour, especially in my brother – he is baptized, has received Christ, wants to follow Him with a sincere heart, and even wants to sacrifice his life for His sake, and yet there is a barrier – spiritual prison. My brother does not see Christ in himself and neither do I, and what is more, I do not see Christ in me either, so there is double blindness – the two of us do not see.

Reflection on Mt 8:2-3

Post date:   2016-09-24
Autor:   BCP
Lepers were isolated from the community of healthy people and stayed outside in deserted places not to infect others. Such a poor man approached Jesus, knelt before Him and cried out with great faith and confidence: “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean!” He put everything into this life’s chance of his encounter with Jesus! What is your encounter with Jesus in prayer like? Is it a habitual formality or do you seek a living contact in faith and humility? Each of us carries the infection of original sin which progresses in the form of both visible and hidden sins, such as immoral lust, pride, envy, greed for wealth or career… If man is spiritually blind, he is unaware of this disease of contagious sin in him. He takes offence when someone tells him about it, and he thus proves that he does have it. Leprosy is a disease of the body; sin is the leprosy of the soul.

New Europe without the EU

Post date:   2016-09-23
Autor:   BCP
The EU in its beginnings emerged as the European Economic Community (EEC), based on the principle of economic cooperation. But soon it was transformed into a community of a politico-ideological nature which without a single shot deprived 27 states of independence, autonomy and freedom. These States are no longer free to determine their internal and foreign policy but under the threat of sanctions must follow the ideological line dictated by the European Commission. The Lisbon Treaty was and is a fraud and a crime against citizens of 27 states. During the negotiations about the Lisbon Treaty, the Parliaments of the individual States were presented an unreadable several hundred page document which referred to another thousand pages. Members of Parliaments did not even know what they signed and what the claims were arising from the Treaty in relation to their citizens. Today, however, after several years of the EU’s existence under the Lisbon Treaty, we see the fruit thereof.

God’s requirement: true fellowship

Post date:   2016-09-11
Autor:   BCP
A living communion with Jesus – this is the mystery of a living Church. What is necessary is fellowship, the condition of which is a living faith and willingness to repent genuinely time and again. God can give a great blessing even through our weakness, through our faith and our unity in the following of Christ. We are called to make unity (although we have completely different characters), and this true unity in Christ presupposes spiritual dying, spiritual cross and spiritual death of all members of community. This mission will then be of great benefit. A Latin proverb says: tres faciunt collegium. Three makes company. That is also why Jesus says: if two or three agree… If two agree, it is a great success, and if three agree, it is the height of success in that all the three, in order to come to an agreement, have to renounce their own visions even if these were given by God many times, just as Isaac was given to Abraham by God.

Reflection on Mt 7:24-25

Post date:   2016-09-10
Autor:   BCP
If we seek first the will of God in our life and if we also try to do it, it is true about us that we are like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Sooner or later the winds blow, the rain descends and the floods come, but if our house is founded on the rock, it will not fall. The problem why we try to build a house on the sand many times is that we easily believe in what seems good to us, evokes our interest, offers advantage and makes the impression that right this attractive option is the ideal solution in our decision-making. Once we cling to this vision and try to achieve our dream, we are no longer willing to seek the will of God because we avoid the thought that we should abandon our house on the sand.

Bear one another’s burdens

Post date:   2016-09-09
Autor:   BCP
Our mission is to seek Jesus together, to carry our own cross and, as the Apostle Paul says: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” If we bear one another’s burdens, people will feel divine love which is founded on a living faith, self-denial, carrying one’s cross and the following of Christ. We must allow Christ to reign in our life, that it may be true: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

Jesus is with us – and where are we?

Post date:   2016-09-03
Autor:   BCP
We must see Christ both in ourselves and in our neighbour. However, this is not possible without denying ourselves, especially our opinion of ourselves, various philosophies we were acquainted with or various views which must be put aside, because seeing Jesus in ourselves is a question of faith. But beware – this is no autosuggestion. This is reality. We can recall in a flash several times a day: “Where is Jesus in this situation?”

The problem of our character

Post date:   2016-09-01
Autor:   BCP
It is programmed in the nature of each of us that it is natural for us to do good things, but at the same time there is a kind of spiritual poison in our nature, a specific form of pride, blindness and negative manners which practically destroy that which is positive in us. And this is the same in all people, only the tint is slightly different in each. Behind certain natural gifts there is the poison of sin which we have inherited from Adam. It only takes different forms. It is the old self in disguise which has only one aim: It refuses to repent and to call the poison in us, that which is negative, by its proper name, and if anyone touches it, the fat is in the fire.

Reflection on Mt 7:15-16

Post date:   2016-08-27
Autor:   BCP
By these words the Lord Jesus teaches and warns us that in order to persevere on the narrow way leading to eternal life, we should first beware of false teachings, heresies and those who preach them (heretics and apostates). So this is the most essential thing – to keep the true faith and a true inner relationship with Christ. Therefore, the Apostle Paul says that if an apostle, or even an angel from heaven, should preach a different (i.e. false) gospel, let him be accursed (cf. Gal 1:8-9).