The Word of God says that we were immersed through baptism into Christ’s death. Through faith we should open ourselves to the reality of Christ’s death, which overcomes sin and the devil. At the moment of His death, Jesus commits His spirit into the Father’s hands. In Christ’s death there is a great power that overcomes. Then comes the resurrection, the new life. We are to enter into Christ’s death in various life situations. It means seriously seeking God’s will and putting God first in a particular situation. In other words, renouncing our own interest, our own truth, our own experience at the present moment and sincerely accept God’s will, God’s truth. This requires self-denial. And then, by His almighty power, God can perform anew the miracle of resurrection in that situation.

In baptism we have also become partakers of Christ’s resurrection, and we should open ourselves to this truth by faith so that it may work in us. God has given us the gift of resurrection through baptism.

In suffering, we must stand in the faith and not groan. We must give thanks and praise the Lord, turn our eyes to the suffering Jesus and unite our pain, loneliness, spiritual dryness and all sorts of negative feelings, which are hard to express, with the pain of Jesus. These are the best gifts which God gives us in order to deliver us from the bondage of lies, vanity and deceit of the world and old self and to bring us into the light of His truth.

Saint Henry Suso, in time of the deepest inner pain, heard the voice of Jesus in his soul: “Arise, unite your pain with Mine and you will find true peace!” He obeyed and then practised it until death, which led him to true holiness.

Let us give every thought, every problem or fear to Jesus in faith.

After Jesus talked about love at the Last Supper, Simon asked Him: “Lord, where are You going?” What did Jesus say? “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow Me later.” Peter finally said: “I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered him: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before the cock crows, you will deny Me three times.” What must Peter have felt when Jesus told him this? He didn’t understand: What’s that He is saying about me? How can I deny Him? I am ready to sacrifice my life! Even if all betray Him, I never will! Peter must have looked at Jesus with sadness. Lord, what are You saying? Who do you think I am? Betray You? Never! Not me.

“All we like sheep have gone astray…”

The first words are “all we”. That is, me, you, each of us. None of us can say: Not me. All we have gone astray. What does it mean? To go astray means not to know the way. When a child gets lost in the forest, they do not know the way back.

Straying is often a way of life for many people. Many people are confused, do not follow God, and may have a university education, yet they are straying. When someone asks them: What is the purpose of your life? Why do you live? To eat, sleep, drink, accumulate possessions, grow old and die? And what you have accumulated, you don’t even know to whom you will leave it. So what is the meaning of your life? All the learned philosophers will present different theories, but they will not give a clear answer. None of them will really answer the most important question: What is the meaning of my life? What is the meaning of my suffering? Only God can answer that. He gives us His Word, which is our light and our way. Jesus Himself is the way.

God’s Word says: “Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two mighty eagle’s wings to fly into the wilderness to her refuge…” (Rev 12:13-14)

Just as Moses, sent by God, led the people out of the slavery of Egypt into the wilderness, so also today God sends the Queen of Prophets to lead us on our way through the spiritual wilderness. She knows the way, she walked it before us.

God has given us “two mighty eagle’s wings” – prayer and fasting. These are the wings that have the power to lift us onto the path of holiness. The lives of saints testify to this. Without them, we will not get out of Egypt – that is, from bondage to the spirit of the world. These are the means of coming out of Egypt into the wilderness, onto the way of purification, which must follow conversion. These wings will help us break the bonds of Egypt and begin to live in God’s presence, to know the depth of our misery and God’s immense love.

Jesus loves you; He puts His trust in you. Never say that something is beyond your power. God always gives us the strength. Trust in God’s Word which says: “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Do not believe in the words of the devil who says: You can’t stick it any longer! These are the devil’s words, and the old self like a cunning fox full of pride is inclined to believe this nonsense and lies over and over again!

Each day has enough trouble of its own, but I need to give it to the Lord. Don’t let it worry me, and if I must carry it, so let me carry it together with Jesus – Jesus and I. Only one thing is needed: together – Jesus and you!!! Jesus and I, together! Never more alone! We need to try it in practice not just every day but a number of times a day. And not just for one or two days but until death. This is the miraculous remedy for everything: union with Jesus!!!

Holiness consists in the fact that we stand in the light every day and repent immediately of our self-will, stubbornness or pride which rebels against God. We need to become aware of our sins which we have committed in our life, to bow our head and to confess: “Lord, I have done this and this, and now I have rebelled against You again…” In this way, we immediately bring the spirit of pride to light, so it flees very quickly and we receive peace and light for the next steps. All rebellion, self-pity… must be nailed to the cross daily, at all times. Without this it is not possible to truly follow Christ and to be delivered from sin. Only then will God’s Word be true in our life: “Christ lives in me.” Otherwise Christ cannot live in us but it is the old self which lives in us and has its own programme – hell both here on earth and after death. The old self serves the devil and is ready even to lay down its life for his sake. We must burn with holy anger: “STOP! There must be an end to it! I know whom I have believed and whom I serve! The programme for me is Jesus. He is my Way. He is my Life. I will not serve myself or my old self!”

At Christmas, we commemorate the coming of Christ into this world. He was born as a defenceless Child for our sake. Let us realize the great joy which the Word of God brings us: “To you is born this day the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord!” (Lk 2:11) This day and to me is born the Saviour! This day and to you is born the Saviour!

Christ wants to be born in us too, and through us He wants to bear witness to the world. Why? So that people may receive forgiveness of sins and be saved. It is written in the Gospel: “He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus is the Head of the Mystical Body – the Church. We are His members, and He wants us to bear witness in these times and to be ready even to suffer for this testimony. He saved us through His suffering, through His Blood, through His sacrifice on the cross.

Michelangelo was about to make a sculpture of Moses. One day a large stone or rather a huge boulder was brought to him. He and his apprentice went to see it. They walked around it with delight. Michelangelo thought for a while, looking at the stone, and then said: “I see Moses in there.” The apprentice wondered, saying: “Moses? It’s no Moses; it’s just a stone.” Michelangelo replied: “But I see him there.” “What needs to be done to really have him in there?” Michelangelo said: “All that is not Moses must be removed.” “And how will it happen?” “Chisel, hammer, and blows. It is blows that give shape.”

It is the same with us. All that is not Jesus in us must be removed. And how will it happen? It is blows that give shape. God often has to visit trials or suffering on us, sometimes even through other people who scold us or do us a wrong, or through a loss or the death of our dear ones… It is the blows that give shape.

If I do not forgive, I cannot be forgiven. But stop! When I think of my offences against others, that I do not pray for them, that I am indifferent to their salvation, that I do not set a good example for them, that I speak empty or angry words, etc., I should ask them for forgiveness in my spirit, or sometimes even in words. I feel guilty towards the other person, and when I realize that he, the other person, has also hurt me, it’s like a triumph for me – I have a chance. Something for something!!! If I am able to forgive, I take the credit for it and, in a sense, I triumph over my neighbour. Then I can say in earnest, “Our Father, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” Forgive us both, me and the one who hurt me. And now I forgive, and it is as if I am forgiving those who have hurt him too, and then the Lord hears such a sincere prayer of the Our Father.

The Lord shows us that the harder and deeper the fight is, the more humility and self-surrender to Jesus we need. We need to deny ourselves! Here we can no longer defend the divine truth by human means, however good they may be. There is only one rule here: to carry the cross and enter into death with Christ through the Mother of God. This is the way – the way of death towards resurrection.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a model of humility. She said: “I am a bondslave of the Lord!” “He looked upon the lowly state of His bondmaid.” Let us keep our eyes on her and become like her. She is our Mother!

As for purity, let us remember that it is the fruit of God’s grace bestowed upon the humble. Purity must be rooted in humility, that is, in complete self-surrender to God, or self-sacrificing and all-consuming love. Without humility, we will have neither love for God nor for our neighbour, neither purity nor any other virtue. Saint Basil writes in one of his letters: “If you excelled in prayer, self-denial, extraordinary self-sacrifice and the like, it would all come to nought without humility!” So let us really try hard to take the lowest place. If we are mocked, unjustly suspected, disparaged, slandered or considered useless, harmful or dangerous because of Jesus, let us accept this injustice through faith. Let us give it all to Jesus and thank Him for it.

We greatly need people who pray, suffer and sacrifice everything. This is all love, and what could be more useful in this short life, where not only our own eternity is decided, but that of others too? Through faith and sacrifice, we can save immortal souls. It is wonderful that Jesus waits for our faith, through which He wants to give grace not only to us, but also to others whom we can influence through our faith and prayers to turn to God, open their hearts to Him and follow Him.

A certain priest in the USA began to be pressed by temptations against faith – he felt like God did not know about him because He was not intervening in His life. The Lord taught him a lesson. The priest decided to go on holiday, but did not tell anyone where he was going. While staying at a motel, the receptionist called him to the phone. There was a woman on the phone who wanted to commit suicide. She thought she had called the rectory because she had written down his number from a programme about Jesus Christ that he had presented on television; she had simply dialled the number she had written down. She had no idea that she had called the motel where he was staying. The woman was saved, and the priest realized that he could not hide from God – He knew everything about him. That was a great encouragement to him.

The younger generation longs for a great ideal. There is no greater ideal than following Jesus radically. Jesus says: “Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” (Mk 9:49-50) Therefore, we must be persistent in radically following Jesus. We must have salt, the fire of zeal, within us. At the same time, our old self must be crucified in our everyday life; in other words, we must lose “our own” for the sake of Jesus. Otherwise, we will not be at peace with each other! Holiness lies in walking steadfastly in faith through life. Every day we need to be filled with the zeal of the Gospel, never ceasing to be salt, never conforming to the spirit of the world, which tries to lead us away from Jesus through trifles. Therefore, we must be vigilant and radical so that we do not fall into their traps. We cannot remove the traps, but we must guard our saltiness! Jesus says: “Be the salt. Be the light.” (cf. Mt 5:13-16)

As was the case with Abraham, every work of God must have at its core obedience of faith unto death. This is the law of the wheat grain. The devil will attack us with depression, pressure, gloom, tension, or an indefinable apathy, but there is no reason to take these feelings seriously and remain in that state. That is the wealth of vanity. We must pray with faith. God alone knows how He will resolve the matter. He wants us to have absolute faith in His omnipotence and to surrender completely! What He will do with it, we will see later or in eternity. The death of a grain of wheat always bears manifold fruit.