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Reflection on 2Cor 4:16-17
Post date: 2017-03-11Autor: BCP
Saint Paul the Apostle tells both the Corinthians and us, using the example of the Apostles themselves, that if we love the Lord Jesus and strive to serve Him with all our strength, we must also reckon with the cross of physical exhaustion. Spiritual battle, involving prayers, sleeplessness, fastings and toil, exhausts our body and soul. Nevertheless, our spirit is renewed like the strength of the eagle. The inward man, born again of the Holy Spirit, is full of the inward power of God, a childlike joy and the love of God and people. Our spirit “rejoices in God our Saviour” and as if contrary to natural laws we come to see that as we grow older, we are more and more vigorous, filled with God’s strength, in our service to God. If not, we must repent because something is wrong with us and we are wasting our life.
Reflection on 2Cor 4:10-11
Post date: 2017-02-25Autor: BCP
What does it mean to be delivered to the death of Christ? Example: If you are to bear witness to Christ in a particular situation, and you know that it is the will of God for you to do so, you have to be innerly prepared beforehand for being ridiculed or persecuted, which is like being spiritually killed for the sake of Christ. Or a similar situation: You act according to conscience and it is disadvantageous to you. It would be easier to commit fraud or betrayal. However, you refuse to do so. Aware that God sees you, you want to keep Christ’s commandment in this situation and make this sacrifice for His sake. When you are to overcome fear and to resolve to accept suffering, it is like being united to the death of Christ on the cross.
Reflection on 1Cor 15:45
Post date: 2017-02-12Autor: BCP
The first man was a living soul and committing sin he lost this life given to him by God. The last Adam, i.e. Christ, however, is a life-giving spirit. A dead soul cannot enter the kingdom of God unless and until given life by the Spirit of Jesus. He Himself said: “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” So through the faith in Christ and through Baptism we are born into the kingdom of God. At that moment, Jesus gives us life through His Spirit. Of course, it is our task to keep this life even in the moment of our physical death and thus to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Reflection on 1Cor 14:3-4
Post date: 2017-01-28Autor: BCP
At the beginning of chapter 14, it is said that we should pursue love but desire earnestly spiritual gifts, especially that we may prophesy. The Apostle Paul compares the gift of prophecy with the gift of prayer in a tongue. He explains that if someone prays in an unknown tongue, other people are not edified because it is the Spirit of God who prays to God the Father from the depths of the soul and no one understands it. He who prays edifies himself but not the community. It is different with the gift of prophecy. The gift of prophecy is no fortune-telling, although it is true that sometimes God reveals future things through prophecy. But this is not the purpose of prophesying. Verse 3 says what the purpose is: 1) edification, 2) exhortation, 3) comfort.
Reflection on 1Cor 10:20-21
Post date: 2017-01-14Autor: BCP
True Christianity built on a true relationship to Christ, when we trust in Him and make sacrifices for His sake, cannot be associated with various occult practices or superstitions which are false beliefs and lead us away from Christ and salvation. A true Christian who has received Jesus as his personal Saviour and Lord must renounce these practices which influence him from all sides in order to bring him under their control. One must know clearly that the Church has always taught that pagan cults do not lead to the true God but to the worship of demons.
Reflection on 1Cor 6:19-20
Post date: 2016-12-31Autor: BCP
The Word of God expresses three truths: 1) our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, 2) the Spirit of God lives in us, 3) we are not our own. And it adds that we were bought at a price. This price was the death of Christ on the cross! Therefore we are called to glorify God in our body. The Scripture says in another place: “The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord.” (v.13) Life is short, and what is more, we know neither the day nor the hour, so we must be ready at all times for departure from this life, God’s judgment and eternity.
Reflection on 1Cor 6:9-10
Post date: 2016-12-17Autor: BCP
The Word of God says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. The opposite of unrighteousness is righteousness. He is righteous who gives God what is due to God and man what is due to man. It is written about Saint Joseph that he was a righteous man. The Holy Scripture, however, speaks above all about the righteousness of God which consists in the fact that sin was justly punished. Dying on the cross, Jesus suffered the punishment for all our sins and all our unrighteousness. Only if we have believed in Christ, i.e. put on His righteousness, we can be saved. We cannot make amends for sins or the root of sin in us by our own efforts.
Reflection on Acts 26:18
Post date: 2016-12-03Autor: BCP
Jesus said these words when He appeared to the Apostle Paul before his conversion, on his way to Damascus. Jesus entrusted the Apostle with the task of opening people’s eyes by bearing witness to Him in the power of God so that they may turn from darkness to light. So both the Jews and the Gentiles were in darkness and had to be converted. The Jews as well as the Gentiles were in the power of Satan and needed to turn to God. They had to receive Christ so as to receive, through faith in Him, forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among the sanctified.
Reflection on Acts 4:11-12
Post date: 2016-11-19Autor: BCP
There is salvation in no one else! There is salvation in Jesus alone! There are no other ways or alternatives of salvation but Jesus Christ. There is no other name by which we must be saved. These words are true and will be true forever. Even if the whole world were convinced of the opposite, it would be wrong! These words are true for you also. There is no other name in which you have eternal life. There is no other way on which you can be saved. There are no other alternatives of salvation.
Reflection on Acts 2:41-42
Post date: 2016-11-06Autor: BCP
“Those who received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship (koinonia), in the breaking of bread (Eucharist), and in prayers.” That was the fruit of the descent of the Holy Spirit and of Peter’s sermon – the Church – living fellowship – was born and started to grow. On the seventh day, Sunday, when we commemorate the Resurrection of Christ and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, we try to find time for prayer, Divine Liturgy and fellowship. Here we can receive again the apostles’ doctrine through the Word of God and also receive encouragement through the examples of saints and martyrs as well as through personal testimonies of faith.
Reflection on Acts 2:38-39
Post date: 2016-10-22Autor: BCP
In his sermon, Peter spoke about Jesus, His death and resurrection. In the end, he said painful words: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!” On hearing those words of accusation – whom you crucified – the pilgrims could take offence. They came to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost; many of them had not been there on the feast of Passover. They could not influence the Jewish council of elders headed by Annas and Caiaphas who exploited Pilate and forced him into committing a crime of justice – the killing of the innocent Christ. However, they neither took offence nor clenched their fists nor shouted fanatically like the hateful crowd on the feast of Passover a few weeks ago. They asked penitently: “What shall we do?” Do I ask myself the same question? What should I do for the sake of my salvation and the salvation of my household and my nation? Peter said to them that they should repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection on Acts 1:5.8
Post date: 2016-10-08Autor: BCP
We know from experience that just as it was not enough for the apostles to have a one-time spiritual experience of receiving the fullness of the Holy Spirit – the baptism with the Holy Spirit, as the Scripture says – so also it is not enough for us either (Jn 1:33). We need to walk in the Holy Spirit – it means to seek the will of God and to do it by faith. Walking in the Holy Spirit is a lifelong way. The way of following Christ, the way of unity with Christ, the way of a spiritual fight with sin in us and around us as well as a fight against the forces of darkness (Eph 6:12f). The receiving of the Holy Spirit is the beginning, which each of us experiences once in our life; however, walking in the Spirit means to renew the receiving of the Holy Spirit time and again and to do the will of God. However, this is not by our own might but by the power of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection on Mt 8:2-3
Post date: 2016-09-24Autor: 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.
Reflection on Mt 7:24-25
Post date: 2016-09-10Autor: 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.
Reflection on Mt 7:15-16
Post date: 2016-08-27Autor: 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).
Reflection on Mt 7:13-14
Post date: 2016-08-13Autor: BCP
Ask yourself: Which way am I on? The broad way of sin or the narrow way of following Christ? True wisdom is mindful of the end, death and eternity. A fool is spiritually blind and forgets about death and eternity.
Reflection on Mt 7:12
Post date: 2016-07-30Autor: BCP
Original sin programmed schizophrenia in the soul and therefore man uses a double measure. We are uncritical of ourselves and unwilling to admit or see manifestations of our egoism, but we are very sensitive about egoism of others, we criticize or even hate it. We have special demands – we want people to respect our will and to approve of everything we do, to see our problems, and even to guess what they should do for us without us humbling ourselves and asking them to do it for us, and if they do not act according to our ideas, we take offence. We want to profit from them, but if they want us to do a little favour for them, we do not want to oblige them but rather judge them that they exploit and manipulate us, or at least we make them feel how hard it was for us what we did for them and how very much they should appreciate us. But as for us, we are unable even to thank them for the good they have done for us, and we take it for granted. This is a sign of spiritual blindness and a mark of injustice which we fail to perceive in our intellectual stereotypes. It is the fruit of original sin.
Reflection on Mt 7:7
Post date: 2016-07-17Autor: BCP
We should above all ask for the gift of repentance, that our eyes may be opened, rather than for material or temporal good. We should ask the Lord to grant us that we may understand the Gospel of Christ, that we may love Jesus and desire to be with Him in prayer. Those who are not married should also ask for the desire and the strength to live a life consecrated to God in chastity, obedience and poverty – out of love for Christ and for the salvation of souls.
Reflection on Mt 7:6
Post date: 2016-07-02Autor: BCP
What is meant by the words holy and pearl? The Lord Jesus means above all His Word and the Divine mystery. Our Pearl is Christ and His Gospel. Who are the dogs? In the first place religious Pharisees but also all people who do not have good intentions at present but consciously resist the Spirit of Christ. “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practises a lie.” (Rev 22:15)Who are swine? People knowingly indulging in sinful lusts (homosexuals, paedophiles, transsexuals, fornicators, adulterers…) who shamelessly resist the Gospel of Christ (the Law of God) and refuse to repent of their slavery to sin.Jesus preached the Gospel to the poor and sinners who desired forgiveness. As a rule, however, He ignored religious leaders and arrogant people who had state power. He openly said to the Pharisees and Sadducees that they were vipers and spoke not one word to Herod.
Reflection on Mt 7:5
Post date: 2016-06-18Autor: BCP
We see the speck in our brother’s eye, which indeed is there, but we cannot see the plank in our own eye. It means that we see even a little fault in our brother but we do not notice our faults and sins. Jesus says: “remove the plank from your own eye” and He emphasizes the word “first”. Despite our good will we tend first to remove the speck from our brother’s eye. Therefore we must literally make a step of faith associated with true repentance – that means admit our own fault, and by this repentance we remove the plank from our own eye, i.e. from the system of our false thinking. After we remove our plank, Jesus does not say that we can then be indifferent to our brother and to appeal to false mercy or false love – no. The next step we are to make is to help remove the speck from our brother’s eye. Jesus says that if we remove our plank, we will be able to see spiritually. Without removing the plank, we will not see spiritually.