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Reflection on Mt 7:24
Post date: 2023-05-28Autor: BCP
Jesus continues: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (v.25) At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says this parable of two builders. One built a house on the rock, the other on the sand. It is said that the one who built on the rock not only heard God’s word but also put it into practice. That is why in life’s trials, likened in the parable to wind, storm or sea waves, the house did not fall because it was built on the rock.
Without the personal contact of faith with Jesus in prayer we are like a fish out of water
Post date: 2023-05-25Autor: BCP
The Gospel is for our everyday life. We must put it into practice. To be able to do it we need the Holy Spirit, because it is not possible without Him. Without Him, it is a mere letter that kills, but the Spirit gives life. The Holy Spirit leads us to the living Jesus through the death of our old self and through our entering into Christ’s death (2Cor 4:10f). All this is not possible without the personal contact of faith with Him in prayer. Without it we are like a fish out of water.
Give thanks in helplessness and stand firm in a living faith
Post date: 2023-05-24Autor: BCP
We must learn to accept helplessness, immediately give thanks for everything, and take God’s word as the sword of the Spirit against bitterness or complaining – in other words, put our trust in it. God’s word – the Spirit behind it – will give us strength. We only need to stop and confront our situation in a living faith: “Lord, You see it! I trust in You!” And then try to stand firm in that faith and return to it again whenever all kinds of invisible, cunning pressures or seemingly innocent or good thoughts seek to divert us from our union to Christ.
Self-humiliation and little sacrifices
Post date: 2023-05-22Autor: BCP
The first form of love is constant self-humiliation. But you need not fabricate anything. You only need to accept the truth! If you feel bitterness towards your neighbour, remember his good qualities and his good deeds, and on the other hand your bad qualities and evil done in the past, and humble yourself before him in spirit and see Jesus in him. And God will then give you the light and fill your heart with love for this person.
God’s word to be lived out rather than philosophized about
Post date: 2023-05-22Autor: BCP
We can do nothing more for thousands of thirsty, seeking, helpless souls than resolve again and again to surrender ourselves in meekness and humility to Our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we may have His Spirit. We see the exact opposite in the history of philosophy. The founders of various philosophical trends, obsessed with a false thought, subtly grew in pride and their rise in pride opened the power of spirit, but not the Spirit of Christ. Unlike them, we need to allow the Spirit of God to work in power. Our hidden and invisible struggle is a struggle for the salvation of thousands of immortal souls! It is faith that overcomes the world. We have to remain faithful to Jesus and His word – the Gospel! His word is to be lived out, and not philosophized about! We need to put God’s word into practice! May we live our days with Christ, so that Jesus may really be in our midst and it may be true that if two of us agree concerning anything we ask, He will give us! Jesus wants us to have this unity, and in order to have it we must each die to self on the cross, enter into Christ’s death.
Live by faith today, not tomorrow
Post date: 2023-05-20Autor: BCP
Let us stand firm in the faith, a living faith, even in little things. Therein lies holiness. Let us open our eyes to these little things, let us accept them with faith and stand firm in the faith without complaining about the circumstances, enemies etc. We have to live by faith today, not tomorrow, though everything is seemingly calm today!
Reflection on Mt 7:21
Post date: 2023-05-13Autor: BCP
After these words, Jesus continues in the Gospel: “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practise lawlessness!’” Jesus speaks here about a false disciple, saying that such disciples will not be saved because although they use religious phrases and hide behind the name of Jesus they do the exact opposite. Moreover, even if they prophesied, cast out demons or did many wonders, it would not help them to be saved.
“He justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” Rom 3:26
Post date: 2023-05-12Autor: BCP
The Word of God emphasizes: those who have faith in Jesus. This is the condition. Surely, Jesus died for all people and we are obliged to preach to them the Gospel, salvation. Without Him no one can be saved. But today we hear another gospel: to let pagans dwell in darkness and perish in darkness. Certainly, some of them will be saved, but perhaps only those who are not under the sway of pagan religious systems. Or those who have at least not opened up to them. Abraham was a pagan, too, but he had a conscience. Pagans also have a conscience and Christ died for them too. But how can they achieve salvation if no one can be saved without Christ? If they live a righteous life, God will give them a chance to believe in Christ at least in the hour of death. They will either receive Him or reject Him. We will likewise either receive Jesus at the hour of death for the last time or reject Him. That is why the Apostle says that we must be rooted in Him, grounded in Him, so that at the hour of death we may cast away all doubts, all intrusive thoughts, all vanity. It is a hard struggle. You will understand that once you resolve to devote one hour to interior prayer, to spend one hour with Christ.
The whole Trinity takes part in Christ’s resurrection and our salvation
Post date: 2023-05-03Autor: BCP
“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.” (Jn 14:19) Jesus speaks here about His death, saying that He will be buried in a tomb but then rise again and His dead body will be seen in the tomb no more. He will be raised from the dead with a glorified body. The world, however, will not see Him risen. In the Gospel of John we read: “The world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.” When does Jesus say these words? On Thursday evening at the Last Supper, probably between eight and ten o’clock. On the next day, Friday, He dies. And then, on Saturday night, Christ comes out of the tomb. He rises from the dead by His own divine power. The whole Trinity takes part in Christ’s resurrection. Indeed, God raised Him from the dead.
From true union flows the life of the risen Christ
Post date: 2023-05-01Autor: BCP
The old self is governed by precise principles that are very subtle. They are best recognized and unmasked in ourselves, but even more intensely when two or three truly strive to put the old self to death on the cross, so that we can say: “We died with Him, and we were buried with Him.” And then it is also true that “we were raised with Him”. It is not about physical death, physical burial or physical resurrection. It is a matter of faith and the life of faith, especially the basic steps that we are to take daily again and again: 1) deny yourself, 2) take up your daily cross. Sometimes this cross is the same for a certain period of time. Sometimes it takes a variety of forms during the day. It is mainly about giving up our views, opinions or habits, even in small matters, and it hurts!
Reflection on Mt 7:19
Post date: 2023-04-30Autor: BCP
Jesus does not speak here about a physical tree, but rather about man and his evil works. He says it at the end of the statement about false prophets, who come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Jesus continues: “You will know them by their fruits.” And then He adds: “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” And then: “Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” With a nature corrupted by original sin, we can’t really bear fruit that lasts for eternity. The root of original sin is the seed of the devil. This is the pride of self-deification and rebellion against God, either overbearing pride and arrogance or subtle spiritual pride of pharisees, which is even worse. All this grows from a poisoned root, and that is why Jesus says: Deny yourself, i.e. the source of evil within you.
Our great task – to contribute a drop of our faith
Post date: 2023-04-22Autor: BCP
The nation can be raised to life by God alone. But He wants each of us to contribute a drop of our faith! This is our great task, which we are to accept in faith. God puts His trust in every one of us. And He wants us to trust in Him.
The mystery of our resurrection with Christ
Post date: 2023-04-19Autor: BCP
God’s Word says that we were raised together with Christ. It is a certain mystery to us. Jesus was raised two thousand years ago in Jerusalem. I am not in Jerusalem, but in another place and in another time. I was not in the tomb with Jesus to be raised with Him. I was not even born yet. So what does it mean that “we were raised together with Him”? Let us think what happened at Christ’s resurrection: Christ’s dead body, which was lying in the tomb, was not only raised to life but also transformed. Christ was raised from the dead with a glorified body. He passed through the stone tomb in spite of a large stone rolled in front of the entrance to the tomb. After that, He appeared to the apostles in different places during forty days. Through the resurrection, new life entered the physical body of Jesus, and His body was glorified.
Reflection on Mt 7:15
Post date: 2023-04-15Autor: BCP
This warning of Christ is highly topical too. Today many shepherds of the Church are no longer servants of Christ, but servants of the antichrist. Naturally, this is not outwardly recognized. They really wear sheep’s clothing and use psychological methods to manipulate people. They speak of love, compassion, listening, discerning, welcoming, accompanying, and all this is actually a trap of ravenous wolves baring their fangs and tearing up naïve and often sincere deluded souls. These shepherds only talk about love, but they avoid true love – the cross of Christ.
Jesus Appears to the Disciples at Emmaus
Post date: 2023-04-15Autor: BCP
Jesus Appears to the Disciples at Emmaus
The souls of those who are in union with Jesus are filled with peace
Post date: 2023-04-11Autor: BCP
We die with Jesus and rise with Him again. In the Letter to the Romans, we find essential truths about us being grafted into Jesus through faith – this union is given us in baptism. “Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” (Rom 6:8) Here the emphasis is on the words “we believe”. We need to put into practice our union with Jesus. If we abide in ourselves, troubles arise. If we are in union with Christ, our soul is always filled with peace. We feel peace regardless of whether someone scolds us or we fall ill. You can even be a cripple confined to a wheelchair for some 40 years, or you can even be sentenced to death, and you can be happy because you have Jesus. If you are in union with Jesus, you are filled with peace that the world cannot give. This is a law that works: Whenever a problem comes, you experience inner peace. God gives it to a soul that opens to Him. Anyone can try it.
“Peace to you!”
Post date: 2023-04-11Autor: BCP
When the Risen Jesus appeared to the apostles, He said to them three times: “Peace be with you!” In what situation did Jesus say these words? We read in the Gospel: “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’” (Jn 20:19) The Gospel continues: “When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you!’” (v.20-21) On Sunday a week later, Jesus appeared to them the third time, and Thomas was with them: “And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!’” (v.26)
Reflection on Mt 7:13
Post date: 2023-04-05Autor: BCP
Jesus’ advice is very serious. It concerns each of us. Heeding this earnest counsel brings forth the fruit of eternal life and eternal happiness in the kingdom of heaven. The gate which leads to life, however, is narrow, and unfortunately many do not know it, do not want to seek it, and if it is pointed out to them, they boycott it to their temporal and eternal detriment. On the other hand, Jesus warns of the wide gate and the broad way that leads to eternal destruction. It is a tragedy and a painful reality that there are many who have chosen this broad path of life that ends in destruction. This broad way does not bring true happiness and true peace in this life, but unrest of the soul and uncertainty. Then at the hour of death comes despair which is followed by eternal damnation. This is not an exaggeration or just some scaremongering; this is a serious warning from our Saviour to walk the narrow way of which He said: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
BCP: Diagnosis of the time and mission of prayer (video)
Post date: 2023-03-28Autor: BCP
Contemporary Christianity with the spirit of the world is a barren fig tree. The condition for it not to be cut down is to start bearing the fruit of genuine repentance. Let us briefly consider the diagnosis of the time we live in. Modern man not only is unable to perceive sin, but often does not perceive the very reality itself. Many live in unreality or virtual reality. They are overwhelmed by the endless flow of information from the television, internet or smartphones. Nowadays the spirit of the world has a particularly demoralizing, disruptive, even self-destructive influence. One must resist it. It has manipulated public opinion to the point of a secret diktat. Children are also entrapped. The current laws absurdly stipulate that children aged 12 and over can undergo drastic gender reassignment surgery, in other words be mutilated for life, and their parents cannot even warn them.
Reflection on Mt 7:12
Post date: 2023-03-26Autor: BCP
These words remind us of a very important rule for our personal life, for our relationships with those closest to us as well as for our relationships with other people. We usually want others to do something and we are sad when they do not do what we would like them to do or we reproach them for it. Or we even make a gloomy face because they are unable to guess our wishes. This is the picture of the old self. We should learn our lessons from this unsound thinking, and learn true self-criticism instead. We have to assume that the other person is just as unsound in his thinking. If our thinking was vertical, in other words if we sought first the kingdom of God and the salvation of our soul and communicated with God in prayer, we would also seek the kingdom of God within us first and prefer it to temporal and passing values such as human glory, recognition, excessive wealth, vanities, etc.