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Reflection on Acts 1:8
Post date: 2023-12-09Autor: BCP
This promise was made by Jesus to His apostles on the day of His ascension. On the tenth day afterwards, on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the apostles received the Holy Spirit. It was also here that Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with the apostles the evening before His death and then appeared to them after His resurrection. The apostles witnessed many miracles during the time they walked with Jesus. They saw the resurrection of the young man of Naim, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus, who had been in the grave for four days. Although they had good will, they failed in the moment of trial. Judas became a traitor and met a tragic end. Peter denied Jesus three times, but then repented sincerely. The other apostles, except John, dispersed. He and the Mother of Jesus were the only ones who stood by the cross. When Christ rose from the dead, the apostles were unable to believe this fact until He appeared to them; even though He had reminded them several times that He would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. What change took place in the apostles after the sending of the Holy Spirit? The spirit of fear that held sway over them definitely left them. The Holy Spirit gave them inner strength – spiritual dynamis – and they became true witnesses, martyrés. Finally, all of them, except John, bore witness to Jesus by their martyrdom.
Reflection on Rev 1:3
Post date: 2023-11-27Autor: BCP
Therefore, we must live in God’s grace, beware of serious sin, and not be overcome by the spirit of the world and various vanities that will gradually separate us from a living faith and relationship with our Lord and Saviour. We are to strive to keep the commandments of Jesus, to forgive our enemies, to bless, not to curse, not to take revenge, to be able to bear our cross with patience. But especially we should not forget the time that is to be given only to the Lord, that is, prayer. At the present time, it is very necessary to take care to keep the holy hour daily; this is really a time dedicated to God and to one’s soul, and through it God will give blessing and protection to the whole family of such faithful Christians. It is time to fight, Jesus is with us, we have nothing to fear. He will not abandon us, but the main thing is that we do not abandon Him.
Reflection on Is 52:2
Post date: 2023-10-02Autor: BCP
Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. This verse that is to be reflected on for the next two weeks is preceded by the following one: “Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.” Then follows our word of life that we are going to repeat: “Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.” The next verse reads: “For thus says the Lord: ‘You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. … Therefore My people shall know My name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here am I.’”
Reflection on Is 51:12
Post date: 2023-09-16Autor: BCP
The previous verse 11 reads: “And now they that are redeemed by the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion (into the true Church) singing praises, and joy everlasting shall be upon their heads, they shall obtain joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning shall flee away.” It is followed by this verse 12: “I, I am He who comforts you; why then are you afraid of a mere mortal who must die, a human being who fades like grass?” And the next verse 13 rebukes: “Have you forgotten the LORD who made you, who stretched out the heavens and laid the earth’s foundations? Why should you live in constant fear of the fury of those who oppress you, of those who are ready to destroy you? Their fury can no longer touch you.”
Reflection on Is 41:14
Post date: 2023-09-06Autor: BCP
Compared to the almighty God, who created billions of stars, to which we would have to fly at the speed of light for millions of years, our Earth is only a little dust and man is really less than a worm. The Lord takes care not only of real worms, but also of the human ones that He not only created, but also became man for them. Jesus won new, God’s life for us, which is not subject to death or suffering, but lasts forever in endless happiness and glory. The Son of God redeemed us from the slavery of darkness and sin, and the only condition for salvation on our part is that we accept Jesus by faith and remain faithful to Him on this journey of life.
Reflection on Psalm 51:10-11
Post date: 2023-08-23Autor: BCP
Scripture also testifies that we, the baptized, are a living temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor 6:19). However, whoever drives out the Holy Spirit through a grave sin is no longer a temple of God until he truly repents. In this psalm, David motivates us to do what is most needed in a Christian’s life, and that is true penance. He also expresses the need for repentance and a repentant mindset with the words: “My sin is always before me.” God has forgiven our sins, but in order for the soul to be healed, we must again realize what we have been forgiven and mourn our sins again with true sorrow. Also, by doing good, we are to make up for the evil we have done, even though the eternal punishment has been forgiven. But the soul is not yet fully cleansed of sinful inclination. If we do not make satisfaction, a painful purgatory awaits us. A wise Christian cries out with St. Augustine: “Lord, cut me and chastise me here, but spare me torment in eternity (in purgatory).”
Reflection on Is 25:7
Post date: 2023-08-05Autor: BCP
What is the shroud? What is that veil, which in some way shrouds or covers all people without distinction? The spiritual shroud is a hereditary sin, or a deposit of evil in us, which in Scripture is called the old man. The fruit of this destructive shroud are all the crimes, murders, atrocities, which the mankind has committed and is committing. All this crawls from under that cover of the spiritual darkness, full of lies and evil, which darkens our mind and blinds our will. In order to remove this veil, God became man. Man’s free will, however, is still a deep secret. Many people fell in love with lies and evil and they do not want this cover to be removed from their soul so that their mind recognizes the truth and conscience convicts them of their evil deeds. Jesus said: “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness because their deeds were evil.” We can see the proof of this being a reality daily, be it through the global events as well as in our private life. A little flock plays a significant role here. It is understood that this biblical name designates “the remnant of Israel”. Jesus says: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Reflection on Is 24:21
Post date: 2023-07-22Autor: BCP
This statement of the prophet Isaiah is topical or will be topical during the upcoming days. What is the host of heaven in heaven? Apostle Paul explains that our fight is not against the flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness (cosmocratores), which govern the world in the heavenly realm (Eph 6:10f), which is the so-called host of heaven. The above mentioned powers of darkness endeavor to bring the Earth to self-destruction by means of this world rule. They do this through people who serve them, namely through their mediums. We know who these earthly kings are.
Reflection on Mt 18:18
Post date: 2023-07-08Autor: BCP
This promise applies on several levels. It applies to religious leaders, who are allowed to specify – in line with the teaching of the Church – some of the requirements of the Gospel and bind our conscience by a church regulation; for instance, they can lay down that eating meat on Friday is a sin. They can also loose it and say that the Friday fast may be replaced, for example, by prayer or an act of penance. This is an area that concerns those who are responsible before God for the Church in a particular territory.
Reflection on Psa 82:5
Post date: 2023-06-27Autor: BCP
This verse of the Psalm is very relevant for today. It applies primarily to men of political power and men of the Church, but to some extent it applies to all of us. What to do to be able to know and understand and not walk about in darkness but in the light? We must be serious about Jesus in our lives, because He is the Light of the world. In Him is the fullness of wisdom and knowledge. If we are just influenced by so-called mainstream or smartphone wisdom, we know absolutely nothing about the essential things, namely the salvation of the soul, and we do not understand what we should do for its sake or how to overcome lies and deceit. In this blindness, then, all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Reflection on Mt 7:26
Post date: 2023-06-13Autor: BCP
Keeping God’s commandments is hard for those who have the spirit of the world. These commandments become a burden to them, which they try to throw away sooner or later. Those, however, who have been sincerely converted and put Jesus first, committing to daily prayer for His sake, be they men or women, receive grace and keeping God’s commandments literally becomes a joy for them. Even amid the greatest suffering or humiliation, they are united to Jesus and filled with deep peace which the world cannot give.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
Reflection on Mt 6:34
Post date: 2023-01-11Autor: BCP
Jesus lays down principles even for the mundane matters of our daily life. These are common worries, worries about the future, about food, about finances, about health, about yourself and your family, worries about your house, etc. Jesus gives a simple instruction that we should not worry about tomorrow, because each day has enough trouble of its own. So we should focus on the day that is given to us and live it according to the will of God. Jesus says, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” In another place, Jesus says that we should watch because we do not know when death will come. Death will relieve us of all worries. Scripture tells us to redeem the time. Worries rob us of peace. If we are overwhelmed by worries, we need to set proper priorities and distinguish what needs to be done first in a given situation, and then do it, and put aside what is not so relevant or even what is unnecessary.
Reflection on Mt 6:22
Post date: 2022-12-01Autor: BCP
If you have bad eyes, or your eyesight is failing, you suffer. If you lose your sight, you are in complete darkness and see nothing of the material world. A particular kind of look or facial expression may reflect an inner harmony or disharmony. A gloomy face, an evil look, an envious or lustful eye conveys sin and disharmony or spiritual bondage that enslaves man. Nowadays, with the help of so-called modern psychologies, even the greatest criminal can easily create an artificial smile or pretend kindness, but it is unnatural and fake. Sooner or later it will be unmasked. We have three kinds of sight or eyes – physical, mental and spiritual. With our physical eyes we see the material world. Mental sight is our reason and we can use it to discover the invisible realities, such as abstract, mathematical or even logical truths. In the light of reason, we can also recognize moral laws, which are reflected in the sphere of mutual relationships.
Reflection on Mt 6:19
Post date: 2022-10-31Autor: BCP
Our nature corrupted by original sin is not concerned with treasures in heaven, where rust does not destroy and where thieves do not steal, but rather is inclined to materialism. It believes material things will provide for our future, and it even indulges the pride of life and looks down on the “have-nots”. Jesus says in the parable of the rich fool who wanted to pull down his barns and build greater: “You fool! This very night your soul will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” Naturally, such people are not mindful of death or the end. Finally, in time of serious illness, and especially in the hour of death, they receive quite a shock. They may even keep the Christian faith, but if their heart clings to possessions, they will hardly get rid of the demon of mammon at the hour of death. Jesus says clearly: “You cannot serve God and mammon.”