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Reflection on Mt 6:6
Post date: 2022-10-07Autor: BCP
Jesus continues in verse 7: “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases like pagans, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them…” Jesus then tells us how to pray, and teaches us the Our Father (vv.9-13). The word of life assures us: “… your Father (God) who sees in secret will reward you.” Verse 8 adds: “For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” Prayer requires favourable conditions. One of them is to go into your room and shut the door, that is, to quieten your heart and not be immersed in your plans or worries. Today, the Internet, mass media, mobile phones, and thus constant communication with people, are major obstacles to silence of heart. There is no need to go into your room for such communication. But if you are to communicate with God, this requires outward separation from the world, but also inward silence of thoughts.
Reflection on Mt 6:3
Post date: 2022-09-17Autor: BCP
In connection with this statement, Jesus says: “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.” And next, Jesus explains: “Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” (Mt 6:1-2) And He continues: “But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.” So, Jesus emphasizes that we should not seek recognition, or even glory, from people. If we apply this counsel of Christ, we are spared many disappointments. Jesus points out that we should do good deeds in secret with the motivation to please God. In addition, it is true that we thus store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy them and thieves do not steal them. Such motivation requires faith. This involves sacrifice, and you can even expect that people will slander and discredit you for that. But you have all the more credit with God if you endure all this out of love for Him.
Reflection on Mt 5:44
Post date: 2022-09-17Autor: BCP
Jesus tells us what our relationship should be to our enemies: 1) we are to love them; 2) to bless those who curse us; 3) to do good to those who hate us; 4) to pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us. Each of these four requirements may seem absurd at first glance and give the impression that by fulfilling them we open the door for evil to spread through evil people. The world has different standards, which are contrary to Christ’s requirements:
Reflection on Mt 5:38-39
Post date: 2022-08-25Autor: BCP
This quote cannot be taken out of context; otherwise we would reach the wrong conclusions. The given principle applies to cases where it is necessary to prevent an avalanche of revenge. The fact is that when a person is harmed, he automatically seeks revenge, regardless of whether he himself provoked the offensive reaction or was harmed unjustly. This response, the will to revenge, proceeds from corrupt human nature. Rather than respect the principles of justice, a person is carried away by the spirit of anger and hatred. He burns with a desire to knock out all teeth for one tooth and two eyes for one eye. He will pay back in spades and not allow for forgiveness. Sometimes it goes so far that he takes revenge even on the offspring of the one who hurt him. This automatism of revenge coming out of the old self within us takes no account of God, our own guilt before God, or the reality of God’s just judgment and eternity.
Reflection on Gen 4:7
Post date: 2022-08-06Autor: BCP
The Lord spoke these words to Cain before he committed fratricide. Why did he commit fratricide? Because his heart was filled with envy at his brother Abel, who was righteous before God and offered God-pleasing sacrifices of his first-born sheep. Cain, on the other hand, was an egoist and had no good relationship either to God or his brother. He reproached God for not hearing his insincere prayers from a heart full of jealousy, resentment, even hatred, which he felt towards his brother, and for no reason at all. The Lord says that it is not enough just to be passive, but we should do well both to God and to our brethren. If we do not do well, God warns us that sin lies at the door of our soul and seeks to blind us and dominate us like it did with Cain. That is why God commands us: You should rule over sin and not be its slave.
Reflection on Mt 5:32
Post date: 2022-07-26Autor: BCP
At the time of Jesus, marriage was not yet a sacrament, which is why, as we know, for example, King David had several wives. In this verse, which refers to the indissolubility of marriage, Jesus points to the Old Testament practice where it was said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But Jesus says: But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery. What does the Catholic Catechism say? What is the sacrament of marriage? The sacrament of matrimony is a sacrament that sanctifies the indissoluble union between a Catholic man and woman and entitles them to special graces for the due performance of marital duties.
Reflection on Mt 5:29
Post date: 2022-07-15Autor: BCP
This verse is a continuation of the preceding verse speaking of an impure look, which is the root of the sin of adultery. Jesus gives the saving instructions in the words “cut it off and cast it from you”. In another place, He says “pluck it out”. It is not about physically cutting off your hand or foot or plucking out your eye, but rather about making an inner self-denial by cutting off a thought or feeling, that is, a momentary sensation which can take control of the human mind or will and lead a person to an irresponsible act, sin or even crime. The words about cutting off the hand or foot mean that we should not use our members as instruments of sin. Scripture says in another place: “Men should pray with holy hands lifted up to God.” (1Ti 2:8) Our feet should not walk where there is danger.
Reflection on Mt 5:27-28
Post date: 2022-07-05Autor: BCP
On the evening before His death, Jesus emphasized: “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” Many commandments are part of the Sermon on the Mount, which opens with the eight Beatitudes. Jesus touches on an issue that is extremely topical today, namely moral purity. He says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The Lord, through Moses, gave people the Sixth and Ninth Commandments of the Decalogue. Jesus speaks here as the supreme Lawgiver, saying: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you…” When a judge promulgates a law, he does so in the name of political authority and power, such as a kingdom or republic. Being God, Jesus promulgates moral laws by His own divine authority. He Himself says that He did not come to destroy but to fulfil the essence of what had already been given by God in the Old Testament before His coming. Jesus now clarifies the question of purity, and says: “Whoever looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Reflection on Mt 5:22
Post date: 2022-06-14Autor: BCP
We must keep guard over our thoughts, our heart and our words, if anyone has a complaint against another. Even a mere half-truth can hurt a lot and, like slander, can hardly be corrected. However, one must also take into account another aspect, as mentioned by Saint Basil, namely that there are two cases when it is necessary to publicly point out someone’s negatives without it being considered slander. The first one is when there is a danger of evil being treated as good. And the other one is the need to correct a sinner.
Reflection on Rom 8:9
Post date: 2022-05-29Autor: BCP
What does it mean to be in the flesh, in other words to be carnal, and what does it mean to be in the Spirit, in other words spiritual? To be in the flesh means to have a carnal mind, which takes seriously neither God nor God’s judgment nor eternity. Scripture says that the works of the flesh are envy, murders, quarrelling, impurity, sorcery etc. What does it mean to be in the Spirit? To have our mind most deeply united to the Spirit of God. Then the following applies to us: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Rom 8:16) Our spirit is the innermost essence of our being. The human spirit was created by God in His image; it is immortal. Our flesh is mortal. Our being is spiritual in essence: we are a soul with a spirit clothed in a body. In this earthly life, our body is like a spacesuit that we take off at the hour of death.
Reflection on Mt 5:20
Post date: 2022-05-15Autor: BCP
If we want to be honest about love, we need to lay the foundation of righteousness (or justice). Today, people often speak about love. You can hear this word in every other sentence; however, to many it means anything but true love. Righteousness towards God means to give Him what belongs to Him – the first place in our life, true worship, submission, and observance of His laws and commandments. Then we are obliged to practise righteousness towards our neighbours. Here, unfortunately, many Christians, even persons consecrated to God, lack a proper understanding of righteousness. The current trend is a purely subjective egocentric approach looking to one’s own interests and rights. The rights and interests of others are mostly ignored. This is the cause of quarrels, hatred, etc.
Reflection on Jn 16:33
Post date: 2022-01-28Autor: BCP
These are important words; we have to realize that we only have true peace in Christ. He says in another place: “The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.” This peace is connected with a living faith, commitment to Christ, and a clear conscience. A person who does evil and has abandoned Christ can only have a false peace and never a true one. Jesus foretells that in the world we will have tribulation. Every man on earth has tribulation and cannot escape it. It arises from a number of sources: not only from other people or from the system of the world and a certain disharmony in it, but also from our helplessness and the fact that evil works in us. We ourselves are often the authors of our own suffering. Therefore we must learn to perceive material, mental and spiritual laws, and thus acquire life wisdom. But it is mainly the Holy Spirit who gives us the light of true wisdom and enlightens us. Many times young people can have the wisdom of the elders if, as the Scriptures say, they seek to know and keep God’s Word.
Reflection on Jn 16:32
Post date: 2022-01-28Autor: BCP
After the words “each of you will be scattered”, the Greek original of the Holy Scriptures continues: “eis ta idia”, that is, “to his own”. The term “eis ta idia” is used once more in the Gospel of John to describe the moment when Jesus entrusted His Mother to the disciple. Jesus said: “Behold, your mother.” And the Apostle and Evangelist John, who stood by the cross and heard those words in person, writes: “And from that hour that disciple received her – eis ta idia – into his own.” We can say – inside himself. It required an act of faith. It was a spiritual transplantation of a new heart. We are the offspring of the first woman, Eve, who is in us along with the genetic code of original sin. In spiritual terms, we can liken it to a devilish spiritual mRNA vaccine, which injects a spiritual poison called sin. Every day we see how original sin works in us; this is the greatest reality.
Reflection on Heb 1:1-2
Post date: 2021-12-29Autor: BCP
As we read the Old Testament, we learn that God indeed spoke to the chosen nation at many times, especially through the prophets and in many other ways too. God also spoke by demonstrating good, whether it was deliverance from Egypt, passage through the Red Sea, or miracles in the wilderness, and He also spoke through various trials, and then through warning punishments, not only in the wilderness but throughout the history of Israel. Often the nation was blind and deaf, and then God sent upon it harsh trials such as wars, Babylonian captivity... God gave man free will, but the evil that man does brings suffering both to him and others, and therefore God punishes him, either here in time or in eternity if he does not repent in earnest. God spoke and rebuked the nation through the prophets, but the nation responded by stoning and killing His prophets, and their sons built their tombs.
Reflection on Heb 12:1-2a
Post date: 2021-12-13Autor: BCP
The Word of God says that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. They are especially spiritual beings, angels, who are witnesses of our life. God speaks to us through them, too – for example, a saving thought flashes through our mind in a crisis situation. Unfortunately, we often cast it aside and pursue the vision of sin. Therefore, the Scriptures encourage us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Our life is like a strenuous run to reach the heavenly goal through various obstacles. In this run we are to have our eyes fixed on Jesus! He is, as the Scripture continues in verse 2, “the author and perfecter of our faith”, because He guides our faith from the beginning to the end along the narrow way of the cross until we obtain the eternal crown in the joy of heaven. We should be aware that we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses – angels.
Reflection on Jn 16:2-3
Post date: 2021-11-14Autor: BCP
Jesus begins this passage by saying: “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.” Jesus tells the apostles, as well as countless Christians throughout history, that those who are faithful to Him will be persecuted and expelled from the synagogues, that is, from the official Christian community. Today we can see that the Church of Christ is occupied by ecclesiastical leaders, such as pseudo Pope Bergoglio and other pseudo bishops, we will not name any, who are like the vinedressers that Jesus speaks about in the parable. They have seized God’s vineyard and Christ’s servants, and even mistreated the Son of God Himself and killed Him in the souls. They have replaced the Son of God, who is the owner of the vineyard – the Church, with the Pachamama demon. God allows it, but ecclesiastical criminals will not escape God’s judgment and just punishment. In the present hour of darkness, these invaders and their collaborators form the public opinion in such a way that whoever kills true diciples of Christ will really think he offers God service.
Reflection on Jn 15:18-19
Post date: 2021-11-01Autor: BCP
Jesus speaks about hatred on the part of the world. By the world here is not meant beautiful nature but the thinking that defies the truth and places vanity and the pride of life at the centre. Why? Because the prince of this world, as Jesus calls him, is the spirit of lies and death. With the first sin disharmony entered not only the human heart but also the material world. The Word of God says that the world lies under the sway of the wicked one (1Jn 5:19) and hates God (Jn 15:18). This world is the opposite of everything that comes from the will and wisdom of God (1Cor 1:20-27; 3:19; Jn 14:17; 15:19). The answer to the question of how the form of this world can be compared with the Bible’s account of God creating a good world (Gen 1:31) is given in Romans 5:12, where the Apostle Paul states that through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin. However, it did not happen according to the necessity of fate, but through an act of human will, disobedience and obstinacy.
Reflection on Jn 15:7
Post date: 2021-09-04Autor: BCP
This is an extraordinarily great promise! Jesus says: You will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. Of course, this has its limitations, as we cannot ask for things that are bad or harmful. Next, there are also two conditions: we should abide in Christ, and His words should abide in us. If we fulfil these conditions, being truly united to Christ by faith and surrendering to God’s will according to His word, we will surely ask for things which are in accord with God’s will. This is the will of God – our salvation, that is, our ultimate good. It is God’s promise that He will hear our prayer from this perspective. We should know that many times when we ask for something, even a hard trial, i.e. a certain evil, may work out for our eternal good. If we remain faithful to Christ in the face of this suffering, this trial will eventually bring us even more blessing and good than we specifically asked for. Therefore, it is important that when we ask God for a certain thing, we should be in a position of agreement with our ultimate good and the good of those we carry in our heart.
Reflection on Jn 15:5
Post date: 2021-08-21Autor: BCP
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Jesus says these words at the Last Supper, while revealing to the apostles the profound mystery of unity between Him and those who have received Him, and between Him and the Heavenly Father. This relationship, which is in fact the new life or God’s life in us, is secured by our connection to Jesus, just as the branches are connected to the vine, which is Christ. We, the branches, are nourished on the same life-giving sap. The Holy Spirit is our life-giving sap. Jesus indicates in these verses that the condition for us to bear fruit is to abide in Him. We should then allow Him to live in our soul by making little sacrifices, by renouncing our will, so that He may work through us and promote the will of God.
Reflection on Rev 20:4b
Post date: 2021-08-09Autor: BCP
In another vision, the Apostle John saw those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God. The reason why they were killed was that they had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. The Apostle then says that they reigned with Christ. It is also written that over such the second death, that is hell, has no power. Before this vision, the Apostle gives the following description: “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.”