The saints often encourage us to remember the Last Things especially during Lent: death, judgment, heaven and hell. God knows the day, hour and place of your death. There is nothing more certain than the fact that this earthly pilgrimage will end one day for each of us. And then we shall stand before the judgment seat of God. Jesus says: “There is nothing covered that will not be revealed.” We shall be judged before angels, the whole universe and all mankind. What to do so as not to hear one day the words of Jesus spoken to the foolish virgins: “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you!” What to do to hear the words instead: “Come, you blessed, inherit the kingdom!” What to do? To live by faith, to believe in Jesus and His word, and not to believe the liar and deceiver who leads us away from Jesus and from His programme given to us.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…

He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death,

even the death of the cross.”

What mind was in Christ Jesus? And therefore, what mind should be in us? Not the proud mind of the spirit of the world. Rather, Jesus humbled Himself and was obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

In what did His great humiliation consist? In this: Being in very nature God, co-equal with the Father, He made Himself nothing, humbled Himself and took on human nature. Jesus was obedient to the Heavenly Father also in that He accepted the means of our salvation – death on the cross.

Original sin is in every one of us. It is inborn stupidity which deceives us all our life. We must fight against it. That is why Jesus says: “Deny yourself!” Deny that lie in you which wants to harm you, leads you by the nose into self-destruction and finally into hell. That’s our pride. If someone points out our fault or tells us that we are proud, we are mortally offended. How foolish we are! We should be grateful to everyone who tells us: you are such and such. Even if someone spat in our face, we should be thankful: “Really, maybe I do not yet understand what you tell me but I am aware of my sins…” If you are humble, the devil flees. Let us walk in the truth and we will fear nothing. Or else, how shall we stand before the judgment seat of God where eye witnesses will accuse us?

“If you do not forgive others their trespasses,

neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

For two weeks, the word of life will remind us of the necessity of forgiveness. If we forgive others, the Lord enlightens our minds and we understand that we also have hurt others and need forgiveness. Therefore, it is good to know and adopt a life principle expressed in the short prayer: “My God, I forgive this person, and I pray that You also forgive me, for I have hurt and offended many, and I was blind to my own guilt and unwilling to admit it.” Every act of forgiveness marks a spiritual breakthrough. It is no good philosophizing or theologizing about it. You need to make this step. And then you will experience peace and the light of understanding that you have never had before. You will gain the assurance that when you ask for God’s mercy, God forgives your sins because you have fulfilled the condition and forgiven your brother from your heart.

I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet …

I have set you an example.

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave the apostles an example of deep humility. He did not act as one who is to be served, but as one who himself serves. He washed the apostles’ feet. This was a task performed by slaves. We know how much this shocked the apostles. The apostle Peter, in particular, resisted strongly. In the end, however, he obeyed.

Jesus says: “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart.” It is also possible, from time to time in small communities – perhaps once a year, to make such a gesture, where brothers wash one another’s feet. Some non-Catholics even practise this more often. Washing another brother’s feet, and also allowing one’s own feet to be washed, is a gesture of humility, especially when a person does it sincerely, with awareness of their own guilt, which they may not have recognized for a long time.

When asked who can actually be saved, Saint Anthony the Hermit answered emphatically: “Only the humble.” That means those who have dethroned their self-confident ego and made Jesus the king of their soul instead.

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!!!

My brothers, do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh.

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

What is true freedom in Christ? It does not mean casting aside God’s laws and commandments, allowing the proud ego to indulge its unrestrained bodily desires and commit evil without remorse. Human freedom does not consist in the inviolability of the ego, which, in its pride, wants to have the final say, even over God’s word. This would be false freedom, leading to destruction. Freedom in Christ means that a person accepts the path of truth – that is, repentance – and denies himself, his own pride. He is aware of the law of the grain of wheat, which must die in order for new life to come. He thus fully recognizes the reality that the pride of our ego – untouchable and easily offended – must be called by its true name. He is conscious of this spiritual poison within the human heart, within himself, from which all wars and crimes arise and which is also the cause of eternal condemnation. On the throne of our soul sits the proud ego. It must be cast down!

“Be very careful, then, how you live, … redeeming the time,

because the days are evil.”

This word of life is highly topical at the present time. Our times are truly apocalyptic. The world is held under Satan’s totalitarian dictatorship. This spirit of lies and death, operating under the name New World Order, in reality conceals depopulation or genocide agenda. The agenda is implemented through earthly demons incarnate, the architects of death, criminals against humanity, members of Masonic lodges, who are owners of the largest banks and control the entire world, holding it in their grip.

What should we do, being seemingly powerless? God’s Word gives the answer: We should be careful, very careful, how we live. Otherwise, we will waste this time which God has given us. We will waste it to our own detriment and to the detriment of those for whom we could have been instruments of the grace of salvation. Let us be fully aware of this!

“Do not conform yourselves to this age… that you may

discern what is the will of God.”

Today we are exposed to extremely strong pressure from the darkness of this age – the spirit of the world, which stands in fierce opposition to God. It is leading not only Christians, but all of humanity, into total moral collapse. A devilishly engineered system spews out lies of every kind, above all through mass media. It exploits the internet and smartphones to literally brainwash people and impose unnatural – even perverse – principles. It is almost incomprehensible that humanity accepts and embraces this spiritual suicide, which leads not only to temporal death, but also to eternal death. A fierce spiritual battle for the salvation of our souls is raging. We must stand against the spirit of this world and accept the protection given by God’s laws. The official Catholic Church, which has been transformed into a New Age anti-church, not only no longer accepts them, but actively promotes the exact opposite.

To deny yourself, to abandon yourself for the sake of Jesus – this is pure love. In Him is eternal life. However, people cling to deceit, philosophies, doctrines and all kinds of –isms which mislead us. We must put our faith in Jesus and His Gospel. This is plain wisdom which leads us to eternal life.

Jesus says: “Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mk 8:38)

Human pride is in the heart of every one of us. If someone ridicules us, we react to it immediately. But we must learn to say: “Even if all laugh at me, only one thing is important to me: How is God looking at me?” This is the one thing that is needed. I need to stop in a particular situation and to stand in the presence of God: “Lord, let them defame me and spit at me. They did the same to You, called You bad names…” No one has ever said such words about us as the religious hierarchy said about Jesus. They said that He was out of His mind, possessed by a demon and the like, and sought to kill Him. Let us follow Jesus even if all spit in our face.

Unfortunately, one often surrenders in such situation, thinks to oneself: “They have no regard for me, I am a nobody…” and denies Christ and His Gospel.

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus tells us that we must seek. Seeking is a painful process. When someone loses something precious, it brings a certain pain, and they search especially in the places where they think they might find it. Jesus says that above all we are to seek the kingdom of God. It is within us like a hidden treasure.

What is the kingdom of God? It is God’s reign and God’s presence in the souls of the baptized. This treasure lies somewhere deep within us, yet we must search for it. Sometimes it can be found quickly.

What does His righteousness mean? It was fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ through His redemptive sacrifice for us. He offered a just satisfaction for the sins of humanity – and for all my sins. I find that righteousness beneath Christ’s cross; there, through the act of repentance, my sins are forgiven, and the devil has no right to demand justice – that is, the punishment that sin brings. Jesus completed this righteousness on the cross.

“Therefore do not be unwise,

but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

For the next two weeks, during our seven prayer stops, we will reflect on and remember this Bible verse. The Apostle exhorts us: “Do not be unwise.” What does it mean to be unwise? It means to be unable to think self-critically or to see the objective truth, clinging blindly to one’s first impression. The Apostle then continues: “But understand what the will of God is” – in your life, today, in the situation you are living through. You are to live it with God, in faith.

Small acts of self-denial that humble our hidden pride and foolishness allow us to understand what God’s will is. Therefore, let us be self-critical and humble. Let us not take offence when someone points out our mistake or shows us that our decision may not be wise.

As Christians, we too have our own plans, desires, and ideas, and we often ask ourselves what God’s will truly is. Sometimes it may seem to you that God’s will is hidden in a buried treasure chest and you have only small portions of the map to find it. But is this true? Is God keeping His plans from you as some hidden secret? Or does He want you to follow Him, and lead you step by step?

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,

you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Jesus, at the Last Supper, speaks about our spiritual unity with Him. Through baptism we share in His redemptive death and in His new life, which is inseparably linked with His glorious resurrection. Yet baptism alone is not enough. For God’s life to remain within us – and even more, to grow in us – faith is needed, faith in the word of Jesus. This faith is accompanied by acts of humility and by trials of fidelity. In this context, we need to recall the essence of the parable of the vine and the branches. From the vine flows the life-giving sap into the branches – that is, the same Spirit who dwells in Jesus Christ also works in us, the baptized, as long as we remain united with Jesus through faith. Jesus repeatedly emphasizes that without Him we can do nothing, and He gives His branches this promise: “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” The condition for anything to work for our true good – not only temporal but also eternal – is that we remain united with Jesus through faith. His word helps us to maintain this unity; we are called to abide in His word. We are not only to hear it, but to live it!

Sometimes we have too much work and no time for prayer. But if we take it into account, then if we have at least some time for prayer, we try to make the most of it. However, we must think of God in work as well: “Lord, this is for You.” Simply, we need to rely on God in everything we do. Unless we stop, we run astray. But if we stop, God gives us the light for our work, for what to do. All things of the Lord and all divine inspirations are born on knees. If we do not pray, we get nothing.

He who prays has power because God works through him. It is a fight with the realm of darkness.

If we pray in earnest and give our problems to God, He really solves them. We do not seek advice from fortune-tellers who are inspired by the devil. It is not good to seek advice from them because their advice is the devil’s lie.

… by which have been given to us exceedingly great

and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers

of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is

in the world through lust.

Our life is short; in essence, it is only a time of testing, during which our eternity is decided. That eternity will be either happy or unhappy forever. An unhappy future – eternal ruin – awaits those who, in proud unbelief, reject the salvation in Jesus Christ. In Him, God has given us the greatest gift: that through Him we may receive a new nature! We must therefore put aside that nature which is infected by original sin and in which our human spirit is, as it were, clothed. Through this, our inner being has been darkened – our intellect struggles to recognize truth, our will tends toward evil, and our heart is filled with a perverted desire that unites with the spirit of the world, driving humanity toward temporal and eternal destruction. How can we escape this destruction? We must, through faith, accept the Saviour, Jesus Christ. Then the following applies to us: “To those who did accept Him He gave power to become children of God. They were born not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (cf. Jn 1:12) Thus, by accepting Christ, we already now – though original sin still remains within us – receive the divine nature.