Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel ..Thursday 31 May 2018. The feast of Corpus Christi-The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
I often thought about why God saw it important to reveal to us the incomprehensible great mystery of the Holy Trinity ? Father, Son and Holy Spirit , three persons in one entity ? Three persons in one God in an indivisible unity ! God reveals His innermost secret the “how” of His existence that we admire , in an awe , but we cannot really comprehend , because every comparison , human thought is not enough for understanding this great truth !
Every Christian is baptised in the name of the Father , Son and the Holy Spirit , without this revelation there is no Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and no salvation, nor eternal life ! The most conflicts of our world in the past but also in the present originates from the comprehension of this revelation ! All the great heresies , religious wars can be traced back to the denial or acknowledgement of the Holy Trinity ! All our conflicts with the Jewish, the Muslim faith also originate from here!During the course of history, was this the source of, how much temper , anger, hatred , blood was this pertaining to the revelation about the Holy Trinity , and how many more wars, hostilities will still arise even after all this , because of all these eternal truths revealed by God ! For the Jews even back then but even now it is blasphemy, a mortal sin to say that the second divine person came among us in the person of Jesus Christ !! Those belonging to the Muslim faith , are persecuting Christians for and executing them even in public because we believe and profess that God is the Holy Trinity , and the second divine person became man , came among us to redeem us !
Jesus Christ quite certainly must have been aware of the great significance of this revelation as after all the events of Good Friday that He consciously accepted can be traced back to here ! For Him it is so important the profession of the Holy Trinity, - Father , Son, Holy Spirit , the , true one God , who at the same time is the true three person as well, -for this truth He accepts the death on the cross ! The big question is : the acknowledgement of this why is this the central teaching of our faith ? Despite all tension, war why are we so adamant about this great truth , the acknowledgement of the Holy Trinity !?
The revealed God Holy Trinity in the Gospel, is a living, indissoluble alliance of love ! Jesus Christ admits that :” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4, 34. The whole of the Gospel is defined by the unconditional devotion, , love of Jesus Christ towards the heavenly Father ! The writers of the Gospels state that Jesus retreats several times to a secluded place , spending the night in the adoration, worshipping of God . On the cross with His last breath as well He turns to His heavenly Father : My Father I commend my spirit into Your hand ! Jesus is more devoted to the heavenly Father than His own life ! At the same time the heavenly Father turns with the same infinite love to His Holy Son 7 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”Mark 9, 7. Jesus also speaks always with this infinite respect, love of the third divine Person, the Holy Spirit ! " But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14,26
Yes the revealed image of God is much more, more beautiful, wonderful than as the one that over thousands of years the people searching for God could have ever dreamt of, imagined ! Looking from down here ,from the dust everything is totally different , then what the second divine Person descending from heaven saw it fit to reveal to us !The infinite joy of a Christian is that all of us despite our insignificance received a personal invitation into this Community of Love , with God, the Holy Trinity we can sit at the one table ! Jesus said :” 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15, 9-11
A Christian's living hope is God Himself, in the Community of love of the Holy Trinity , and our aim is here on earth already that living in love, harmony we grow up in such a way , that we gain acceptance into eternity, our Creator’s large family ! To be left out of this community of love is hell itself !
In the light of this we can say that for us the denial of the Holy Trinity , means the denial of everything , that is our hope, joy ,goal here on this earth ! We are devoted more to God's community of love than to earthly, material possessions than even to our earthly existence ! Based upon this faith did Christians accept and still do even today the suffering or even martyrdom !
Lets look at what a world picture without the Holy Trinity offers for mankind ?! In case if only one God exists in His infinite perfectness , who is unable to speak to us, to come among us, who tolerates that there be such a big confusion, disorder here on earth, and that we stagger along through history’s bloody, stormy centuries , then that God is of no interest for me !Such a God I reject, I deny , I even despise ! If God forgets about us , if he is capable of turning away from us for centuries , then those people are right who say that one has to turn away from such a God , a God like this can be denied, has to be despised ! If he does not want us then why would we want him ?! Lets carry this thought further ! If all of us were born to the image and likeness of a God who turns inwards , does not care about his creations , is then where we ourselves are aiming at this selfish , self-centered fulfilment at any cost ! And then we already are at the stage of infinite selfishness , where the physical annihilation of those who think differently , who profess a different faith is acceptable ! This is a frighteningly simple formula : or the God of the community of love , who is open towards everybody : " And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”John 12, 32 or the singleton life style , the solitary perfectness , where we do not need anybody or anything for our happiness , where our fellow human being at best is just a means to an end in reaching our goals !
In the light of the Holy Trinity the Ode of Love makes sense :" Though I command languages both human and angelic -- if I speak without love, I am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal clashing.
And though I have the power of prophecy, to penetrate all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have all the faith necessary to move mountains -- if I am without love, I am nothing.
Though I should give away to the poor all that I possess, and even give up my body to be burned -- if I am without love, it will do me no good whatever.” 1 Corinthians, 12, 30
The kingdom of heaven was opened up for us in the community of the Holy Trinity , the community of saints is born , where we ourselves are also desiring to get despite all our weaknesses , insignificance ! The community of love of the Holy Trinity , creates a community, life already here on earth and presents us with the hope of eternal love , that is why the Church cannot ever give up this teaching….
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."
John 6:51-58
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel ..Thursday 31 May 2018. The feast of Corpus Christi-The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.