Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel …. Tuesday 21 May 2019
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you"
I admire God’s peace, there is so much unrest, unruliness , quarrelling , war in this world and yet our Redeemer is still capable to come amongst us on the night of Christmas and He is still calm when they have to flee , when His mother is searching for Him anxiously in Jerusalem . He is not in a hurry, He plays with the children of Nazareth , growing peacefully in kindness , wisdom . His public work is also characterised by this divine peace. He walks 52 km from Nazareth to the river Jordan , get baptised by Saint John the Baptist , kindly calls His apostles to be His companions and systematically roams over His homeland ! Calmly , patiently teaches and when His apostles loose their patience and send away the children then He even then with gentle peacefulness chides them and ask them to let the children come to Him . Jesus Christ’s peace in unperturbed , even by the suffering on Holy Thursday , Good Friday . He prays gently asking the heavenly Father to forgive mankind for the sin of the murder of the Son of God , since they do not know what they are doing . How much peace is there after the resurrection of Jesus Christ as well , how good it would be if in reality His peace could be ours too !? It does not depend on Him , He offers it to us lovingly !!
On this nice day lets become still , lets look within ourselves how much peace is there within us ? If I would rate the peace within me on a scale from one to ten how would I grade myself ? Whether the peace within me is it Christ’s peace ? Of course I have to take count of the sources of my lack of inner peace , what is it that makes me uneasy, what disturbs me , causes tension within and around me ? How real are the causes of these tensions ? What did I do or am I doing that these tensions within and around me stop , get solved ?
Together with Saint Francis lets ask Jesus Christ to make us the instruments of peace in our families , in society - that looks as though it wants to be torn apart to thousands of pieces by the fear arising from unrest, ambition , lack of faith - so that I can bring peace .
With love,
Father Csaba
translated by dr k.e.
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
And it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Photo : Our children with Pope Francis under the bright skies of Rome
The Word of God
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, "I am going away, and I am coming to you." If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us be on our way.
John 14:27-31
Father Csaba’s reflection on the gospel …. Tuesday 21 May 2019