From the Pastor

Third Sunday of Lent (C) – March 20, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The example of the tree mentioned in today’s Gospel shows that we cannot speak of a guarantee everywhere.  Where there is an organism which – like this evangelical tree – lives its own life, it is difficult to speak of a guarantee.  There is only a silent hope: “it may bear fruit.”

The season of Great Lent prompts us to certain sacrifices, mortification, and various forms of penance. On the one hand, with coming of Lent, arises an anxiety of the vineyard owner in many hearts, who says: “I am coming and looking for fruit on this fig tree, and I do not find it”; on the other hand, you can hear the words full of determination: “one more year…maybe it will bear fruit.”

Today’s Gospel is part of the Lenten call to conversion. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to make an examination of your conscience about wasted opportunities and repeated promises. “It’s been three years since I’m coming looking for fruit,” says Christ … Isn’t it time to say to Him, “Lord, it’s still one more year year“. You have to find a little hope in you, some faith in God’s help and, quite simply, a little self-denial. When we use well our time of conversion, the joy of Easter will truly be the joy of life that bears the fruit that God seeks in it. 

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First Sunday of Lent (C) – March 6, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The story of Jesus in the desert tells about temptations of the evil and how to overcome them. When we analyze Jesus’ answers, we find clues for our conduct. The desert is a symbol of man’s spiritual struggle. Jesus goes there full of the Holy Spirit. Before He begins the fight against Satan, He is filled with the power received from the Father. This fact means that then God allows us to be tempted, first He grants us His grace to face them. The first temptation is about our needs. Sometimes it seems as if there are things we couldn’t live without. The world of advertising further enhances this impression in us. Jesus does not reject our desires or needs, but He makes us realize that, as believers, we are to nourish ourselves by God’s Word. It contains the truth about our lives and answers to the most difficult questions. In the second temptation, Jesus straightens our thinking about the value system. Wealth, power or beauty are not the most important things in life. We should care more about cultivating a relationship with God, because our happiness depends on Him: “For what profit will a man receive, if he gains the whole world and suffers a loss of his soul?” In the third temptation Jesus reveals our dignity. It is a gift from God and no one can take it from us. Regardless of our sins, God always loves us and we are priceless to Him. It is worth to remember it as we begin the time of our conversion.

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Quinquagesima Sunday (C) – February 27, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

“Hypocrite, remove the woodden beam from your eye …“.  A warning sent to all of us. Because in each of us there is a little, and sometimes even bigger, hypocrite who likes to admonish and rebuke others, often doing not better himself. But Christ wants us to see ourselves differently. First look on myself, then on others. That we would see our beam and really care about it, because it is a real danger for us.  Hypocrisy is like a small worm that bites from the inside and works systematically, destroying what is still healthy. And again we hear the words “a tree is known by its fruit ...”.  And it is worth to remember this Gospel phrase.  Because it allows us to look at others and see the truth in life and be sure that we are doing well ourselves.  Let us also see this hypocrite in us, and not let him dominate too much.

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Sexagesima Sunday (C) – February 20, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Who enters an evangelical way of living must be prepared to meet enemies, which cannot be softened by adapting to their way of thinking and proceedings. Jesus was constantly surrounded by enemies focused on destroying Him. Neither did He gain them for Himself, nor did they win Him for themselves. Jesus’ disciples should go in the footprints of the Master. A disciple of Jesus should love even enemies. An enemy can use all sources: slander, calumny, gossips, violence, and Jesus’ disciple has only one answer – it is the goodness of heart filled with love. Such an attitude overgrown human opportunities requires a close relationship with Jesus. A Christian cannot destroy anyone, always should be focused to gain his opponent. It is about to win an enemy for God and His matter. Such love is fighting. Her victory consists on filling the heart of an enemy with love. Every day we say: Father, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Let’s ask ourselves, if our hearts are filled with love for our enemies?

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Septuagesima Sunday (C) – February 13, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Blessings, today’s Gospel speaks about, it is Jesus’ encourage me to: firstly looked at my own misery, hunger, tears and contempt, with which I would come…, and secondly, I would look at the agglomeration of misery around me. With this look at poverty, God becomes the greatest value and treasure with His kingdom and the other man – my neighbor.

We can see how some people do everything to achieve wealth at all costs. They can do harm a neighbor for money in various ways. Just to such Christ says: “Woe”. Material goods should be drawn into the service of the Kingdom of God and the other man living next to me. Who adores these goods and uses them, not watching God and neighbor, this deserves “Woe.” Money is not cursed, but a heart which stuck to the money. Even the poor are not blessed if they think about the bread only, and never about God. The rich people are not cursed because they have everything, but because they don’t need God. We are not allow to use material goods for purposes of goals which are opposite to the love of God and man; you cannot get rich by using an uncertain situation of your neighbor. A Christian – with the spirituality of the poor – always feel in solidarity with the poor and hungry man, with a crying and persecuted … not because of humanitarian reasons, but because faith in the Merciful God, who gave His only Son to redeem all of us. Thus, the heart and a life attitude decide about the blessing and curse, not poverty or wealth.

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V Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – February 6, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Many people think that the meeting with God will be an extremely joyful moment. Today, we are glad to talk about the goodness, grace and mercy of God, forgetting  completely of His holiness. Meanwhile, God’s goodness is a holy goodness, and God’s mercy is a holy mercy. We cannot forget about it. Whoever forgets, will create God on the image and likeness of himself. The prophet Isaiah experiences – first of all – God’s holiness and his sinfulness on its background in meeting with God. Putting together God’s perfection with his imperfection, he sentences death on himself. Isaiah does not see a chance of life after meeting the sanctity of God. He is scared with his sinfulness. Only after cleaning his lips by the archangel – the prophet may continue a further conversation with God and undertakes to perform a specific task. Our meeting with God will be a meeting with the Light penetrating our whole life, from bith to death, showing all its lights and shadows. This light will penetrate our hearts, thoughts, desires and imagination. We will stand in the truth. None of us can hide anything. God will not condemn us. We – like Isaiah – will pass judgment on ourselves: Woe to me. I am lost.

Similar experience was shocking to Peter, when he saw a wonderful fishing. He fell to Jesus’ knees, asking: “Go away from me, Lord, because I’m a sinful man”. He met with the power and goodness of Jesus, and saw his sins immediately. We have to remember that before we see goodness, grace and mercy of God, we will experience His holiness and our sinfulness. This sanctity tells us to make efforts to avoid sin today, so not to make the meeting with God difficult for ourselves. God’s holiness calls us for continuous purification from what diminishes us, makes us miserable, embarrasses. God’s mercy is holy. It never condemn anyone. It reveals the truth. A sinner issues a just judgment on himself at the God’s Court. Just only one our sin is enough that we will not find a place in God in the face of God’s holiness. A Christian cannot forget that God is holy.

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IV Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – January 30, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The right atmosphere for the maturation of Christian faith is love and that does not measure with a human measure. This measure is Jesus Christ himself, who passed through life quiet, humble, patient, doing good. The Apostle Paul characterizes love: “Love is patient, gracious…” Love cannot coexist with  jealousy, arrogance, anger or desire. Love is the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit. The value of all other virtues is limited compare with love. Only love connects in itself traditional values of Hellenistic culture: nobility,  righteousness, prudence, courage; only a true love, which model was given to us by Jesus Christ – has an everlasting value.

To get love means to gain holiness. It marked out love from others charisms and human abilities, which only “partially,” and only if they go hand in hand with love, help a man to achieve his deepest call, which is the eternal happiness in God.

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III Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – January 23, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Today’s liturgy tells us about reading the Book of God’s Word at the assembly of faithful. This is a gathering of the Israelites with a living Word, which in the case of first reading is announced by Ezra, while in the Gospel, Jesus Christ himself develops a scroll of the book and reads it to everyone. Today, however, let us pay attention to something very important: the book is read for everyone, and not privately whether to the small group of “initiates”. The word is directed not only “to me”, but even more “to us”. God wants to not only save a single man, but also to strengthen His Church in unity. The same – the answer to God’s Word is not just a private matter, but it is to pursue yourself in communication with those whom God put me next to me. 

Also, this refers today’s second reading about members of the body, so that everyone in the Church can feel as an important part, regardless of age, education or position. Every man in whose heart God sows His Word is important, not because of his values, but precisely because he is a part of the body, as in today’s reminder of St. Paul on the nature of the Church as a compound organism. So let’s take today’s Word of God from the mouth of Jesus himself, but not only as a private person, but as members of His body – the Church. Let us do it for the greater God’s glory and also for ourselves, because united through the Word we feel that more unites us than divides, and that we really create one Body.

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II Sunday in Ordinary Time (C) – January 16, 2022

Frackville, From the Pastor /

Did Jesus in Cana at Galilee want to fascinate and to “buy” first disciples with His extraordinary talents, to enjoy people with an unexpected delivery of good wine, and by the way to create a good taste to us? Certainly not! Jesus never abused His power to make tricks or to make His life easier. His miracles had always a character of “signs”: they expressed something, and they taught something, and not only make a sensation. It was the first Jesus’ miracle, so it had a program’s character and announced later events.

Mary encouraging servants to obey Jesus indicates that in the work of salvation it is necessary to trust Jesus. Servants could not understand the command, and even could recognize it as a whim of a moody guest and simply ignore the request. And yet they subordinated and brought hundred liters of water from the wells. It probably cost a lot of effort. If they refused, Jesus could not make a miracle, at least not in this way. He wanted to teach us that God needs human cooperation in the work of salvation, that He doesn’t do it without our participation. And what is most important belongs to God, but the effort of man within the limits of human opportunities and competences is necessary.

Above all, it is about the effort of faith. The faith is born in the long process of recognizing God, experiencing His action and power, in the spiritual closeness between God and man. The mature faith must be a personal relationship between man and God, not just a formality or performing certain gestures and duties. Only trust and obedience to God is a breakthrough from which we can say that someone really believed, that is he/she entered the path of the mature faith. And trust and obedience works in life: through actions, decisions, attitude, way of thinking and proceedings. And only then God will be able to change us internally – like a water into wine.

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IV Sunday of Advent – December 19, 2021

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The last Sunday of this year’s Advent is the first day of celebration. Advent ends. Christmas begins. Four candles are lighted on an Advent wreath. It’s not a decoration, it’s a clock reminding us of how great gift the time is. We live in time. No moment comes back. Every hour is a gift and a task. Each day brings new challenges and new grace. New hardships and new joys. How much do we respect our effort? No doubt a lot. But if the time would not be given to us, it would not be anything. Together with time and its passing, everything is a gift. We can multiply and improve this gift. 

Therefore, when something ends, something also is a beginning. That is why Christians should be happy. What is the biggest gift? The time? No. The biggest gift is the coming of God’s Son in the time and the space of our earthly history. It was announced by the prophets. The biggest gift is that God the Father gave us His only Son, and the Son gave himself. Since that time we start to count passing of years. It is not an important mistake of time – the reference point itself is important: the day on which God said His “yes” and Mary replied “yes”. Soon she went on the road and went with a hurry to Elizabeth, carrying th Mystery yet invisible to eyes. Many people passed the young Miriam carrying Jesus’ already conceived. How many of them felt that this beautiful and smiling girl is not someone ordinary? How many felt the presence of God? 

For sure Elizabeth: Blessed you are among women! – she cried – Blessed fruit of your womb! She guessed by herself? No. This is the third gift of God: the evangelist says that the Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth. I would like to have a heart as sensitive as she, so I wont miss the biggest gift. To not miss the moment when Jesus will stand at my door. I need the gift of the Holy Spirit. Faith is not naivety. On the contrary – the naive is that it seems that everything can be explained and prove. We know that the faith is God’s gift. So you can always multiply it. You can also, unfortunately, turn off this spark of faith, and to lose the gift. While a man lives, while the time of earthly life flows, while we light up further candles on an Advent wreath, while you can free yourself from naivety and self-confidence – there is a hope to ignite the spark of faith. 

The last days of Advent, are for Christians, for me and for you, days of gratitude: to God of Father – for giving us His Son. To God the Son – for the fact that He wanted to be one of us… that He had a mother, a donkey, Bethlehem … and after years – the cross, to actually be one of us to the very end. To God the Holy Spirit – for the fact that with a gift of faith, He allows us to see further than the most courageous human expectations. The days of great gratitude are about to begin …

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