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We receive the Word of God as the Word of God
+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
The death of Jesus – the victory over sin and the devil
Through baptism we were immersed in the death of Jesus. His death is a victory over sin and the devil. We should actualize this mystery of baptism by faith so that in our everyday life we might taste more and more this victory over the system of evil and lies which dominate the world. Our life pilgrimage is short, 70-80 years. This time will just slip by. Life will come to an end, and so let us live by faith every day. Every day is a struggle against our laziness or doubts or we are lured by mammon so as to prefer material values to spiritual ones. Naturally, we need material things too, but we must give the first place to God and salvation of our soul. For it is written: Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…
An appeal to ex-Pope before death
25 March 2015
Msgr. Joseph Ratzinger
Ex-Pope
Your Eminence,
we are writing to You at this time of the culmination of Lent, when Christians turn their eyes to the cross of Christ, approaching Good Friday, the day of Christ’s death, and the dawn of glorious Christ’s resurrection.
Being a young theologian, You were an adviser (peritus) to Vatican II. In 1982, You were appointed by John Paul II as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (of crucial importance among the Congregations). In 2005, You were elected Pope. At the time when You were a Prefect, Your opponents called You “Iron Cardinal” who was about to stage a coup in the Church. We often referred to Your book “An Exclusive Interview on the State of the Church”. When You became Pope, we were convinced that You were going to do the most important thing: start the reform in the field of orthodoxy and implement a practical programme of holiness highlighting the life of prayer, fellowship, repentance and true following of Christ. The most urgent need was to make the Church the salt and the light of the world again even at the cost of martyrdom of many!
True love
Sometimes you need to tell the truth to your brother in plain words, without putting too fine a point on it, although it may hurt him – if it is the will of God. But you must do so with the purpose of saving his soul and with the attitude of forgiveness. Sometimes the will of God is to be silent and just say: “Lord, Your will be done! If You want me to be silent, I will; if You want me to attack, I will!” It is crucially important that you should be obedient to God in a particular situation. You must do it for the salvation of souls, for the good of your neighbour. And above all these things is love – and sometimes love is chastising rather than caressing. Just like the love of children involves upbringing.
Do not ask in trial: “Why?” but “For what purpose?”
+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
Lord, You see it!
Sometimes you need to do some work, e.g. you do repairs in your house… You shop around for this or that thing, and it’s impossible to get it… You sigh: “Lord, I would rather pray…” Time flies and you walk to and fro at a crowded and noisy marketplace, your head is splitting… What you can do is give your pain to the Lord. Although you have no time to pray, give your problem to God, be in God’s presence, put your trust in Him and unite with Him in your powerlessness: “Maybe I will just walk to and fro and worry about it, but I give You this helplessness. Finally, You will solve it just like You always solved all other things!” And this is, in fact, trust in God in every situation.
Mission means to witness to Jesus
+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
Careerists in the Church do not care about the living Jesus
+ Elijah
Patriarch of the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate
Reflection on Jn 16:2-3
“They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming
that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me.”
These words are extremely topical in Ukraine today, and especially for all genuine Christians. Jesus did not address these words to the apostles only but to every one of us.
The time is coming… A little later, after saying these words, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane and prayed there. His face was wet with sweat which was running down like great drops of blood. He said to the apostles: “Are you still sleeping? The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.” His betrayer walked up to Him, kissed Him and said: “Greetings, Rabbi!” Jesus said to them who had come out against Him: “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” (Lk 22:53)
