Immaculate
Immaculate — conceived without sin — is the title we use for Mary, the Mother of God. Many misconceptions surround the mystery of Mary's Immaculate Conception. This mystery is often associated with Nazareth, at the unforgettable hour when the angel came to her and announced she would become the Mother of God. But it was not in Nazareth, not in the bosom of the Mother of God, that this mystery was fulfilled. Whoever truly wishes to understand this mystery must turn to the peaceful home of Mary’s parents, where Joachim and Anna lived in a holy and joyful marriage. It was here that the mystery of the Immaculate Conception was fulfilled at the moment Mary’s life began through the love of her parents. The place where this mystery was fulfilled was thus the womb of the holy mother Anne.
But the secret does not lie in Mary’s bodily origin being a miraculous act of God. It was not that her parents were elderly and were blessed with a child through a special miracle in their old age. Indeed, even here God’s love could have performed a miracle within the natural laws of life — but the secret of the Immaculate Conception does not lie in this.
The mystery of the Immaculate Conception concerns not the body, but the mystery of the soul; not natural life, but the mystery of supernatural grace. This means that Mary’s soul, at the moment it was created by God and united with the body in the womb of Saint Anne, was preserved from all stain of original sin and from every inherited guilt through God’s special grace. While all other human beings, descended from Adam, carry the stain of original sin from the moment their soul is united with their body, God’s love, by a singular miracle, preserved Mary’s soul from all original sin. Therefore, we call her the only one among all the children of Adam who is conceived without sin — in Latin: Immaculata.
The belief in the immaculate conception of Mary is an ancient Christian tradition. This mystery was already known to the early holy fathers. Saint Ephrem calls Mary "immaculate, free from all stain, a truly pure virgin." Origen already states that Mary "was not conceived through the poisonous breath of the serpent." The holy fathers wish to recognize Mary as separate when it comes to sin. Emphasizing this, Saint Maximus teaches that grace reigned at Mary's conception, while sin has ruled in our own case. And Saint Paschasius Robertus, a monk of Corlie, explicitly states that "Mary was free from original sin".
Belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary was not limited to the Western Church; it was also present in the Eastern Church. Although in the East the feast of the "Arrival of Mary" was referred to more often as "wonderful" than "immaculate," this does not mean that the Eastern Church was unaware of, or did not affirm, the mystery of the Immaculate Conception. The Eastern Church, too, honors Mary as "immaculate." On the eighth of September, the Eastern Church sings: “We sing of the birth of the all-immaculate one.”
And on the ninth of September, it is said of Joachim and Anna: “They have given birth to the pure and immaculate Mother of God... from whom a completely immaculate Virgin was born.” On the fifteenth of September: “To you we cry out unceasingly, you who alone are pure and immaculate.” These words cannot be understood in any other sense than that in which they have always been understood by the Catholic Church. A similar doctrine was acknowledged in the Eastern Church from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Professors of the Kyiv Orthodox Academy even took an oath to defend it, and students founded a society in honor of the Immaculate Conception.
Numerous testimonies can be cited in support of the Catholic Church’s faith in the Immaculate Conception. Later, when passages proclaiming this doctrine were removed from certain books by order of Patriarch Joachim of Moscow, it was not done out of loyalty to ancient tradition, but rather out of opposition to the Catholic Church.
Even Luther, ten years after his break with the Church, stated: “As other people are born in sin, both in body and soul, so Mary was born bodily without grace, but in her soul full of grace. This is confirmed by the words spoken to her by the angel Gabriel: ‘Blessed are you among women’ — for these words could not have been said to her if she had ever been under a curse. It was also fitting that the one from whom Christ was to take on flesh was born without sin… for truly blessed is that which is given by God's grace — that is, that which is without sin.” (Luther’s Works, ed. Walch, Halle, 1745, vol. XI, p. 2616.)
Thus, the Catholic Church has not proclaimed a new teaching, but rather affirmed the truth of the ancient faith, defining the article of faith: “… that Mary, at the moment of her conception, was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, preserved free from all stain of original sin.”
Church Life: The Voice of Estonian Catholics; December 1933, pp. 90-91.
Thankfulness
(13. Sunday of Pentecost.)
“Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Luke 17:17.
Grief and sorrow resonate in the Lord’s words. They carry a deep sense of disappointment. It was those men whom the Lord had healed of leprosy who were much more indebted to gratitude than others, for their illness was worse than all other diseases.
Leprosy was the most dreadful and terrible of all diseases. One member after another was seized by this disease, twisted into a disfigured and emaciated form. Healthy limbs rotted away. This disease so severely distorted the human body that a person became a living shadow, a walking corpse. In addition to their terrible suffering, lepers also bore great shame. For among the Jews, leprosy was considered a punishment, a punishment for possible secret sins. Lepers were therefore regarded as marked by God, punished by God. Because of this, they were also cast out as unclean from among the people. Separated from their own family, spouse and children, parents, sisters, and brothers, they lived far away from human dwellings, in caves and hollows. There was no treatment or medical help. And often they also lacked the necessities of life, so that they frequently perished from hunger and misery.
How great was the Lord's mercy when He offered His saving hand to those ten lepers, when He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests!" And how great must have been the joy of those men when they suddenly felt healed on their way to the priests! When the wounds closed, the pain subsided, and new life flowed through their limbs. Their joy was great, exceedingly great! And in their immense joy, they completely forgot their benefactor. Filled with joy and longing, they rushed to their loved ones — celebrating reunion but forgetting their benefactor. Only one returned to give thanks to the One who had healed him.
One can understand the joy of those who have been healed. One can also comprehend how their joy and longing have turned towards their own. Yet, one cannot remain silent about their ingratitude. Of course, the Benefactor has not cursed them. But forever as a shame, the Lord's word rings out to those ungrateful ones, full of sorrow and pain: "Were not ten made clean? Where are the others now? Not one was found to return and give glory to God, except this foreigner!"
Unfortunately, the words of the Benefactor could also apply to some Christians. Sadly, ingratitude is not only a reward of the world. Many of God's children also pay for it. Ingratitude and forgetfulness have become a law of the flesh, which dwells deeply in the members of the Christians. There is a sense of asking and demanding from God, but few feel gratitude and contentment. Humanity has become an unhappy, discontented generation.
But what is the source of this discontent? Have living conditions really become so unbearable? Of course, there have been times when they were better. But haven't there also been times when they were even worse? Were our ancestors as well off as we are? How many comforts and pleasures of life are offered to people today that our ancestors could not even dream of. We live cleaner and more comfortably, eat better, travel faster, have access to theater, cinema, radio, and educational opportunities, and entertainment options that previous generations could not even imagine. And yet we are dissatisfied. Why? Because today's person is no longer as connected to God. The people of the past also worked, dressed, organized their homes as best as they could, ate, drank, and had fun. But all these things were not the highest goods of life for them. Their higher goods were on another level, where there was talk of God and the soul, the joy of heaven, and transcendence.
The medieval person was still oriented towards eternity, and in the light of eternity, the things of this world lost their value and significance. He gratefully accepted the good from God, but earthly suffering did not separate him from God; he also saw God's guidance in this. Thus, he believed in the governance of God's gracious foresight in both joy and suffering..
The modern person has partially lost the theocentric understanding of life that focuses on God, the direction towards God and eternity, and has lost faith in God and His foresight. In the past, misfortune was also understood, and people prayed to God for protection from lightning and storms, hunger, water, fire disasters, and plagues. The modern person does not know God; they want to mark divine foresight themselves. They found insurance against every misfortune, insurance against hail and fire, against illness and danger. And when misfortune did come, the peace of the soul and happiness were also gone..
Once, a person's gaze was directed towards God; now it is focused on earthly matters. Naturally, the values of earthly possessions now rise in their eyes. Acquiring them has become the purpose of life. A bitter struggle for the riches of this land began. Previously, the uneven distribution of earthly wealth was seen as God's will, or at least His permission, but now it was viewed as a glaring injustice. Class struggle began between the wealthy and the impoverished... an angry, bitter fight! Everyone wanted a share of earthly riches. And then the land became too small. Not that Mother Earth could no longer feed her many children, but that nearly everyone longed to possess a small piece of the planet, as human needs had grown to an impossible extent, and people had become an insatiable generation. There is not one in ten who would give glory to God, content with what they have..
Surely people are in distress as well. But even if things were better for them: would they then be content? Only if they could become believers again! Only if people learn to recognize God's gift, God's good deed, in earthly wealth once more. Only if they again value and cherish, more than earthly possessions, the benefits of the soul and the treasures of eternity. If this does not happen, then better times will not make people any more at peace. Then they would not learn to be thankful either.
First, a person must give up their dissatisfaction with earthly possessions and their greed for the pleasures and joys of the world. They must first learn to value spiritual goods more highly than material wealth. They must again see and learn to seek their true happiness in God and eternity. Then they will also learn to be content with what God has given them. And contentment will teach them gratitude..
Church Life: The Voice of Estonian Catholics; September 1933, pp. 65-66
Glory be to God!
As a gift from the Great God, a new year is given to us today. It is like a newborn child, born from the womb of time. As part of our own "self," of our own life, as part of our destiny, a new year is placed into our embrace today, as a child of time and human blood..
If we think about and seriously consider this barely born child, a direct fear for this infant comes to us. Indeed, this is a genuine unfortunate child from a poor home. He is neither tender nor smiling, like other healthy children. He should not wish for a soft crib, wealth, and good hopes like others. No, we rejoice over a couple of diapers, remnants from better times — in those we wrap him!
And if we were to predict his fate, we would truly be afraid! We would like to sincerely wish him happiness, but we don't foresee too much good. He is a true child of concern — this new year. We worry about his life and well-being. His body, but even more so his soul. There is fear for this child's soul! How many dangers threaten from all sides! What will become of that child?
Parents are aware that in the cradle where their newborn sleeps lies a new human destiny, with all its hopes, but also with all its unexpected challenges and dangers, from which our lives are woven.
Therefore, they take the little one in prayer in their hands and come to God's house to bring their child to God, so that the Almighty may be a gracious guide and protector for him.
Then we also want, bravely deciding, to take our child into our hands and present him before God, so that he may receive God's blessing and baptism.
“Glory to God in the highest!” This was the heavenly proclamation over the newborn in Bethlehem. In this message, the poor outcast child of Bethlehem saw the meaning and purpose of his life. In it, he found strength in his poverty and need. In this word, his poor parents found forgetfulness of their troubles and comfort in their suffering. “Glory to God in the highest!” may this also be the message for the new year of blessing.
“Glory be to God!” this is how we want to bless the new year and each of its days, that they may be rich in grace for us.
“Glory be to God!” powerful and mighty is this word! From the depths of the universe, it rises up before the throne of God, a testimony that He created all of this solely for Himself. “Glory be to God!” this is a world event, from which the singer exclaimed: “The heavens proclaim the glory of the Eternal!“
“Glory be to God!” this is the feeling of life that strengthens the prophet's soul, so that he exclaims: “Heaven and earth are full of your glory!” (Isa. 6:3.) “Glory be to God!” this was prayed by Christians from the depths of their hearts, ready for death, when it was still a disgrace and shame, a national crime, to believe in and pray to this God.
“Glory be to God!” This is the great blueprint of the world, which gives the final meaning to every event in the world, to the entire history of the world, to every act of God and man. When God stretched out His creative hand, it was done for His glory. When God conceived and executed redemption, it was for His glory. When God blesses, when He greets, when He makes one blessed, or condemns — it is for His glory. He has subdued the universe, all living and non-living things, to be “all in all” — the only, the highest, the God of the universe of worlds. (1 Cor. 15:28.)
“Glory be to God!” How small our human desires become there! How trivial, how ridiculous our needs and demands for life become there! How shameful our concern for life becomes; how contemptible our own worship becomes!
“Glory be to God!” When we once understand that our God, and only He, deserves glory, that the glory of God and God Himself are ultimately and finally the only value — when we comprehend this and affirm it — then we will stand on solid ground. Then our existence will be anchored in eternity.
It is not about whether the new year brings health, happiness, success, or prosperity; the only thing that truly matters is that the angels' baptismal phrase is fulfilled in the new year.
“Glory be to God,” let this stand as a guiding word for the new year. May no action take place this year that does not fulfill this motto. May not a single cent come into our year that we could not account for before God. May no praise delight us in which God could not rejoice with us. May no joy greet us as guests where God could not be a guest.
“Glory be to God!” this shall be the cry of all the forces hidden within us. Let all the noble powers from the depths of our being come to fruition! “The ultimate achievement” is demanded of us by the world and life today. “The ultimate achievement” is also demanded in its own way by faith from everyone who has truth behind the reverence for God!
Thus, we can and must all work together on the great plan of the world. The field of work is so vast, the task is so enormous. The world, which has forgotten its purpose in life, and the people who have bitterly strayed from the meaning of life, must once again recognize their purpose in life as: "Glory be to God!" They must find peace and security for their souls in dedicating themselves to God's cause.
God's angels sing to the new year, a lullaby for our troubled child: "Glory be to God!" This is a word of comfort that God's angel whispers to us day by day. It is a word of comfort that calls us to courage in the midst of a difficult struggle. – It can also be a word for us full of richer and deeper happiness.
Church Life: The Voice of Estonian Catholics; January 1934, pp. 1-2
With burning concern
Today, a captivating sight unfolds before our eyes. The Father of the Cross People, an old man standing by the grave, gazes into our century with the eyes of a seer and continuously raises his warning voice, the voice of a prophet.
He sees with eyes that are already illuminated by the light of another world, he directs his gaze into the darkness of our time. He sees the horrors of this destruction, which the ideology has covered not only the sanctuaries of churches but also the sanctuaries of the human soul, even more so the sanctuaries of the human soul.
With "Burning Concern," he also observes the increasingly threatening danger to Christian culture in Central Europe. With burning concern, he sees those spiritual movements that, partly consciously and partly unconsciously, seek to replace the Christian world with a new un-Christian one. He clearly hints at the anti-Christian aspirations that are becoming more evident in the form of national ambitions. He warns against these aspirations, which, if they were to succeed, would not only mean the end of the Christian era in Europe but also the extinction of Christian nations in Europe.
Does the Father of Christianity have the right to his concern? If that is the case, where are the Christians who partake in this burning concern?
Of course, the number of those who gradually and increasingly begin to understand is growing. They are starting to see that the church building is in danger of becoming fuel for the fire! Certainly, aware individuals have long noticed those small flames flickering here and there in the timber. And some have already sensed the smell of burning that announced a fire disaster in the building of the Christian world. Yes, the number of those who are beginning to notice the looming danger is increasing.
But there are still too few men who seem to take part in the old pope's burning concern. We want to acknowledge that there is a legion of churchmen who show some contemplation, some worry here and there, but it is not yet a burning concern. — And unfortunately, there may still be many Christians, many Catholics, who are more interested in some earthly concern, a worry about stock prices, or even a concern for a good meal, than in the old pope's burning concern in Rome.
And yet this burning concern should truly occupy all Christians, especially church leaders. For here, we are not really fighting over peripheral issues. "Here the question is whether to be or not to be."
And in this decisive struggle that the Christian world must face for its existence, for its survival in Europe, only men with burning hearts can bring about a decisive turn?
For this cannot be denied: even the men who fight against Christ and his kingdom today are men with burning hearts. In their hearts, too, burns a fire, a consuming fire! For it is not at all the case that these men are unbelievers in the ordinary sense of the word. The lines are no longer drawn as they were in the Enlightenment era: here faith, here unbelief. Rather, it must be said that here faith fights against faith. Here is faith in Christ, in God's grace, in the heavenly kingdom, in eternity. There is faith in the self, in one's own power, in the earthly kingdom, in an eternal nation, or in the eternal state of the proletariat. Thus, the "believers in Christ" stand against their "new believers."
And one cannot argue against these new believers with logical deductions. They do not allow their teachings to be refuted by alluding to the great Christian past. The past greatness can no longer be convincing to us.” (Jaspers). These people, who are filled with a powerful sense of life, in whom there burns almost a fanatical devotion to their idea, are such that one cannot argue against them at all; they can only be won over. Only believing Christians can win these new believers. But only such believing Christians can do this, who take the God-Man, the eternal truth, at every word seriously, who take it so seriously that it takes form and shape in their lives. Only such believers, who defend their faith with the total weight of their being, who do not recoil even from personal destruction. Thus, believers “with a burning heart” and a fiery soul for Christ, for the truth. Only then do the “living believers” remain to listen, only then can they be won over when they come into contact with such “burning” Christians, purified and lived-out people of Christianity.
And is it not for this reason that many people are disappointed with Christianity, that they have not encountered such lived Christianity, since often the leading figures in the church were not those "men with burning hearts" that people sought in the church? R.M. Rilke makes a harsh judgment about the church in one of his elegies: "Just as the church stands externally at the edge of the market, it also belongs in its meaning to the 'market of consolation,' where people live off cheap comfort, inauthentic excitement, entertainment, and busyness. It has become devalued like readily purchased goods, acquired without true investment (there used to be temples 'of heart-wasting'). It is about Sunday order and cleanliness, frugal and closed — and it brings disappointment like a post office on Sunday."
People who are so disappointed in Christianity cannot certainly be helped by the objective presentation of eternal truths. They can be won over through passionate conviction. "Whoever still believes today that he can come to the aid of modern people with sharp-witted debate is not only living in a world apart but is also in a regrettable illusion."
Paul Fechter has written a book ("Die Stunde des Christentums," Berlin 1937), in which he states that Christianity has a duty in today's world to go on the offensive, while our empirical age must be attacked with empirical means (p. 172).
This attack that Christianity must carry out in our modern times can only be advanced through the complete and unconditional dedication of people to God's work.
Already Kierkegaard had written about how many preachers have turned Christianity into a belief for simpletons, where people were satisfied with cheap consolation. "But the simpleton changes the standard by giving up on ideas." Regarding these sermons, Bernano says in his book ("The Diary of a Parish Priest"): The Word of God! It is glowing iron. And there you want to, you who teach, touch it with tongs, out of fear that you will burn yourself and you do not grasp it fully in your hands... A priest who comes down from the pulpit of truth, his mouth still full of clucking, a little agitated, but content, has not preached.
The present time needs other preachers, men whose hearts burn with a blazing fire that fills the place of Christ. And God be thanked, this nourishing fire of the heart of the keeper of Christ's earthly kingdom, a fire from Christ's fire, is spreading through the world today. The bishops of Germany are raising their voices ever more boldly and decisively. The Austrian episcopate, also filled with "burning concern," has raised its voice. American bishops have spoken. The Catholic world is beginning to understand.
Men of the confessional church in Germany have repeatedly spoken with joyful courage and "burning concern" for the fate of the German people. And their words have also found a response.
And it is encouraging how much passionate zeal for the Kingdom of God still lives in the youth, despite everything. Many of these youthful warriors have transformed the "burning concern" of the earthly kingdom's keeper, Jesus Christ, into youthful enthusiasm. Day by day, the number of those who have understood the seriousness of the moment is growing. They do not complain, they do not whine, they are not in despair. They pray, they stand up for justice, they fight valiantly and chivalrously, as befits God's cause. They show that there is truth behind their Christianity.
This is no more valid for German Catholic youth than it is for French youth. It was precisely this that had a brilliant example in Leon Bloy. A biographer, a life writer, writes about him: “His essence is love, absolute love for God, and he is devoted to Him without any ulterior motive. Amid all the threats and hostilities caused by his absolute Christianity, he remains unwaveringly faithful to Jesus… He is a Christian in the truly sublime sense of the word, one who loves Christ, who sacrifices himself for the Master, and who cannot be shaken by threats or pain. Yes, not even by a torturous death… Neither fear nor twisted reasoning could make him afraid to bear witness.”
Leon Bloy recognized decades ago that in a brutally harsh era, characterized by a lack of love and heartlessness, nothing should be preached as loudly, and above all, nothing should be lived as passionately as love, so that it does not perish from the absence of love like the ancient world did back then. It can only be conquered with the greatest love, with a witnessing love, if it must be, with a martyr's love.
We hope that God grants us such men with burning hearts, who are ready to bear witness before the world, a testimony of love, a testimony of love until death.
Christian optimism
“My Father is working until now, and I am working” (John 5:17)
Today, there are many Christians who have sad thoughts about the kingdom of God in our time. They see so much evil and unholy in today's world that their gloomy concerns about the future of Christ's Church refuse to fade away from their hearts.
When they, for example, turn their gaze to Russia and see how here atheism is exercising a terrible reign of terror, how it persecutes churches while applying pressure on them, how it wants to tear faith out of the hearts of the people, and when believers then reflect that this situation has lasted so long and there is still no end in sight, it appears to them as a loss of faith. They see in these circumstances a victory of evil, the victory of atheism over belief in God, yes, almost a victory of the devil over God.
And when their gaze wanders around the immediate surroundings, they see here too, to a large extent, the disappearance of the good old days of faith. The youth seems quite different, less religious, less devout. And what was hardly known in the past is now seen everywhere: people who affirm that they do not believe at all, people who openly speak of it, that Christianity is obsolete, that a time will come when mankind will shape its own life according to its own free will, without the Church, without faith, without God. And such statements show these Christians again as signs that evil has grown in the world. And then doubts arise and the depressing question is whether evil will not finally end in the world, whether evil in the world will not gain such power that even God will no longer be able to resist it.
We want to admit that people can indeed have such doubts and questions if they look at things only from the outside. But in reality, such doubts and fears are side effects of a false faith, signs that they have not yet fully immersed themselves in the reality of the religious world, that they may bear the name of a Christian, but that they do not live from the abundance and richness of Christ's teachings.
A truly, truly religious person sees the world in a completely different light. His faith makes him clairvoyant and clairaudient, so that he can see and hear things that no other person can see.
We know from our daily lives that there are people who have sharpened their senses to such an extent that they can see things that the less experienced can't see at all: a hunter can see the dark tracks of a deer, or hear the steady cry of a bird where others can't see or hear anything. The religious man is, alas, a man of sharpened senses of the divine. Yes, faith, as it were, gives him new senses for discerning God's nature and action in nature and in the human heart. Equipped with these new senses for the realities of the religious world, he sees the world in an entirely different light. He does not only look at the outside of things, but he looks into things, yes, through things, everywhere in things and behind things he sees the face of God. In all things he feels the action of God, the fulfilment of that of which the Blessed One spoke: "My father is working to this day, and so am I." So clearly and perceptibly does he perceive this action of God in the world, that he cannot for a moment entertain any real doubt that it is God who ultimately guides and controls all things in the world, and who holds all things together in the world with a mighty hand.
This activity of God is seen by the believer in the human heart. He sees it first of all in the hearts of those who also appear to the earthly man to be holy men. And thanks be to God, even in our time there are still many of these good people. People in whom God's grace has so conquered the weakness and sinfulness of human nature that they truly live godly lives! People in whom is fulfilled in glorious comity that of which the apostle Paul writes so inspiringly: 'You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of possession'. You must proclaim the perfection of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. For before he was not a people, but now you are God's people; once you were without grace, but now you are in grace" (1 Pt 2:9-10).
But even in the hearts of those whom the common man calls so sensually unrighteous a man, the believer sees God at work. Perhaps, the ordinary eye does not yet see anything good. But in the soul, the grace of God has already begun its work. Already there the frost is sprouting and taking root and growing and branching out! A little more patience. A little more of the glorious, warming sunshine which the love of God or of man makes to shine upon that soul, and in that soul too the blossoms of noble intentions will ripen into the fruit of noble deeds. And God's grace works even where it is no longer expected. It is at work even in Bolshevist Russia. And even if the worshippers would burn all the holy images there, would utterly destroy all the places of worship, yet they could not hinder the work of God.
It's like being out in nature. The autumn storm shakes all the leaves and blossoms from the trees, tears away even the dry branches, so that it seems as if all life had been destroyed, and the plague of winter with rain and snow, the last as a blade of grass, so that it seems as if all life had been dampened, yet under the carpet there is still life. They only gather again, to reappear with greater force the longer they were bound.
So let the storms of blasphemy rage over the world and blow away all the blossoms and leaves of religious life, but they will not destroy religious life itself. And if the barbarism of modern neo-paganism were to bury the occidental surface of the earth like a diluvial mire, the mysterious divine powers would retreat into the depths of the human soul, just as the creative forces of nature hide themselves in the depths of the earth in winter. The longer they are linked, the more they will emerge. No long winter can prevent spring from its coming.
This knowledge of God's activity in the world allows the believer to stand with a steady, calm heart in the turbulent waves of world events. He knows that there is One who, with a strong hand, guides and steers all the world's events, who will not be discouraged by so-called "the Gods". He is the one who is in control of the world's events, who is in control of the world's events. He knows that there is a truth that no lie in the world can whitewash. With this perfect, almost divine peace, great men of faith have persevered in the greatest perils, even mortal perils. Even in death this peace has not left them.
And the history of the world has justified them, so that, at last, faith has triumphed over unbelief, God over Satan.
Faith, yes, the knowledge of God's activity in the world, gives the believer the assurance that all things work together for the good of the man of the voice, the holy optimism that God's enterprise, and with it his providence, will triumph. It is victory that conquers the world, your faith.
Church Life No. 1, 1935, Aisle III, pp. 1-2.
One God, one faith, one love
Protestant Gustav Adolf Gedat has made extensive research trips in recent years. In his book ("Was wird aus diesem Afrika?"), he summarises the results of his observations with the words. The great powers of Islam and the majority are stretching out their hands and want to conquer this part of the world for their own ideas. . . The world is wrestling for Africa. The preachers of Christ, however, stand between them and are - at odds."
But it is not only in this that deeper-thinking Christians fail to recognise the tragedy that lies in the disparity between the various different confessions. This disparity also has sad results in the world of culture, where Christianity too feels itself pressed into a struggle with modern paganism and the majority under its various guises. In the face of this fact, the division of Christendom must make every serious Christian uneasy. He must regard the disunity of the Christian people as a great distress and a deep pain.
The pain of splitting.
But this pain of lost unity among the Christian people is not new. It can be found in all good Christians since the days of the Reformation.
Thus, the true Christian longing for the unity of the Christian people speaks grippingly in the documents of the Council of Trent. At a meeting on 26 February 1562, the Fathers of the Council published the following decision: 'The holy Synod desires with all its heart the peace of the Church, and earnestly beseeches God for this peace, that all may acknowledge the common mother of all, who can in no wise forget her children, and that all may with one heart and one mouth give praise to God the Father, and to Jesus Christ our Lord.'. In the mercy of this our God and this our Lord, we exhort all those who are not in ecclesiastical communion with us, to meekness and peace; we call them and exhort them to come hither, that they may enter into a covenant of love and a covenant of true peace with us in one and the same Redeemer. Would that they would yield to the exhortation of the Holy Spirit, and not harden their hearts; if only they would not neglect the invitation of the mother Church, and reject it." And another decision of the Church Council is worded as follows. At the same time he hopes, placing his trust in the mercy of God, that they (Protestants) will return to one holy and blessed unity of one faith, one hope, and one love."
Even before that, Pope Pius IV had issued a moving call to restore unity. In 1560, he sent a letter to the papal chamberlain, Franz Commendone, and to Bishop Delphin, to the representatives of German Catholics and Protestants, urging them to re-establish unity.
On 5 January 156, the delegation was allowed to attend a meeting of Protestant princes in Naumburg. Delfini explained to the princes the need for a general church council and concluded with words:
"The Pope is very concerned for the well-being of the noble German people, therefore he invites everyone to fraternally consult and decide on what is so urgently needed by all. Protestants must not only be listened to, but must also be heeded in all things proper. What is good and praiseworthy must be tolerated, what is to be condemned must be rejected, and, what is so necessary for all, the schism must be ended, the unity of the Church must be restored. A more comprehensive, more definite broadcast is at everyone's disposal. May not the princes be willing to do all that can be done to restore the present regrettable state of things, since there are already as many opinions as there are heads, and as many testimonies of faith as there are doctors."
Then C o m m e n d o n e took the floor and added another root:
"In Germany, the confusion caused by the religious conflict can either not be resolved at all, or it can only be resolved through the General Church Council. It is a matter of faith, a blessing of souls. But it is also a question of earthly happiness and well-being, for where there is a lack of the Most High, a lack of a foundation in religious matters, there ranks of honour collapse and states crumble."
The spirit of reunification.
It is in the very nature of faith that believers, people who love God, must not be enemies for the sake of faith. In spite of all opposition and all spiritual strife, a certain kind of divine peace must reign within all religious people, a certain secret harmony must reign over and between them, blessed by God himself.
"But do not forget also that you, with other denominations, stand on the same Christian basis, and that in all outward fighting and warfare there is a certain peace of God founded on this common ground, which the fighting camps must respect and defend and respect."
Of course, it is clear that there cannot be a spirit of uniformity at all costs. The condition of uniformity must be absolute truth. This gives all the possibilities of uniformity, but also its limits.
Therefore, for the sake of truthfulness, it must be admitted that there are great gaps, especially between Catholicism and Protestantism, which go to the very core of Christianity. Wherever there is no knowledge of these divergences, there is a temptation to construct false divergences. Such false assumptions, however, are more divisive than a correct, accurate knowledge of the differences.
By reconciling differences, there is also the possibility, indeed the need, for spiritual reconciliation, spiritual struggle. But the goal of such a struggle can only be one: to help truth to triumph and to unite in truth. An honest, public struggle is therefore already a beautiful step towards reconciliation, and for that reason it is more welcome than one. What is important, however, is that the struggle should be fought with dignity, thoroughness, and genuine interest in Christianity. Fighting in this way is to be applauded, but only bad fighting is to be condemned.
So the fight must be waged with deference to non-Christians.
The famous French Cardinal Lavigerie (d. 1892) is said to have got out of his carriage and walked whenever he passed the vicinity of a mosque in his diocese of Algiers, out of devotion to God, who was worshipped here in error.
With what reverence, then, must we stand before our Protestant brethren, moreover, when we now see in their ranks such admirable loyalty to Christ. This does not mean any vague, confused tolerance. It is not a road to uniformity, it is not even a byway to uniformity. But a common love for Christ unites us. Now are the words that pay:
"In the meantime, we live in hope, we console ourselves with the conviction that history, or the process of European development, which is unfolding before our eyes in the social, political and ecclesiastical spheres simultaneously, is the powerful contracting partner, the helper, of the friends of ecclesial unity, and we extend to all Christians on the other side our hand in a common defensive struggle against the destructive, destructive movements of our times.". For the story is indeed as V. says. Radowitz. Under one flag the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, while under the other all those for whom that name is meaningless or a stumbling block are united." (Kirche und Kirchen, Papsttum und Kirchenstaat, XXXII ff.).
Unfortunately, there are still some today who, instead of serving the cause of convergence of all Christians, would like to sow bitterness and enmity between denominations. It is sad how little such people see the common Christian interest which is now so much in danger from all the overthrowing and pagan currents. We should reflect, however, that in our day in the religious sphere it is much less a question of Catholicism and Protestantism than of Christianity and paganism. If some Lutherans here and there become Catholics, these 'Christians' may well lose their peace of mind, and they will not be able to get angry enough at Catholic propaganda. If, on the other hand, year after year, hundreds of people become alienated from Christianity and fall prey to modern paganism, then this gives these 'Christians' no cause whatsoever to be upset. It does, however, show how little the true state of Christianity is known here.
Anyone who has a proper appreciation of the situation must admit that the struggle today is not so much between Catholicism and Protestantism, but between Christianity and paganism, namely the worst paganism. That is why the words of exhortation once uttered by Cardinal Diepenbrock are still appropriate today:
"Do not poison this sad wound, which for three centuries has already pierced through the heart of the Christian people and of every true Christian; do not poison this wound again with passionate fighting and fierce hatred; do not sprinkle, with a pusillanimous desire to heal it, the searing stones of fanaticism.". In, and do not bring out of the supply chambers of the past the rusty weapons of a polemic that has become brittle... Only in peace, only in love, is it possible to understand each other, only in understanding each other is it possible to achieve harmony, only in unity is it possible to achieve blessing. . . It is for this peace, for this unity, that the Catholic Church prays every day in its most holy prayers; the most evil spirits have insisted on it, going beyond the common ground of Christianity and seeking to heal this rift by eliminating misunderstandings and misconceptions. What has not succeeded in past ages may, must, remain the task of future ages. Everything exhorts to this great work. Look around you! The great time is coming, a new seal will be opened in the book of world history....
Will you be able to gather the fruits of the abundantly blessed flowing harvest from the distant paths, for God's help, when the harvesters attack each other with sickles and strangle each other? Leave the two-eyed voices of slander, look upon the thousands and thousands of well-meaning men and those who long for truth and peace, who wave the palm of peace, and, forgetting the old hatred and remembering only the still older love, look one to another calmly and clearly in the eyes. Many a log will then become a surface, many a surface a point of mist ..."
The hour now seems to have come, in a far different degree from that in which these words were spoken, when Catholics and Protestants should look each other calmly and clearly in the eye, "forgetting the old hatreds, and thinking of a still older love." And this is done, and already many a log will be turned to dust and many a surface into a mist...".
One of the living writers has likened the work for reunification to a picture of the construction of the Gotthardt tunnel. After the long, long, arduous work of boring the tunnel from both sides, the workers waited with pounding hearts for the moment when they would hear the last hammer blows from both sides, so that they could bring down the separating layer of earth and shake hands with each other.
Do we not already hear the hammer blows of those who want to find their way to each other? When will the hour of God come when the people of Christ will be one in faith and love, one in the bosom of the one Church, "Una Ecclesia", which is "per totum orbem in multa membra divisa" - divided into many members throughout the whole earth? (Cyprian). We do not know. But we do know that with God nothing is impossible.
Church Life, No. 1. January 1939, Vol. VII, (1-3).
Sermon
On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Pirita Monastery
The words that God once spoke to Moses, we can also say in this hour about the place on which we stand here today. This place is truly holy ground. A holy land, consecrated by the sacrificial spirit of the men who sacrificed their wealth to build a building to God in this place; consecrated also by the men who worked for 29 years straight to accomplish this task, and who laid stone upon stone in the hard work of building, until this monastery and church were finally finished.
And when this work was completed, when the vast rooms of this church were already awaiting the coming of the Lord, the church was solemnly consecrated by the then Bishop of Tallinn according to the rite of the Catholic Church. In this way the church became a truly holy place, a sanctuary of God. And today, 500 years have just passed since the first solemn consecration of the sacrifice of the New Covenant on the very spot where our altar is now set up, when God Himself, in the Sacrament of the most holy altar, took up residence and took place in the consecrated space of this building. And for more than 140 years, Jesus Christ then sanctified this church by his mysterious sacramental presence. Indeed, holy ground was the place here.
But even more. This place where we stand today has also been consecrated through the prayers and the works of those who to this day continue and are still active in thousands of places throughout the world. And the Order which built this monastery here in its time, and which then seemed to be almost doomed to death, has now revived again, and is now beginning again to do its former great work with renewed vigour in Sweden, whence it came. Monasteries, as places of prayer and work, have not, after all, passed their time. It might even be said that they have seldom flourished in former times as they do now. Hundreds of thousands of men and women are doing great work in them all over the wide world for the benefit of the kingdom of God. The same spirit that once filled this monastery still lives on. The Spirit of God is thus at work in them, as in former times, and is creating great works throughout the world, just as it once was here, and even greater. That is why it is still true today that 'the Spirit of the Lord fills the earth', that even today this Spirit is still doing a miraculous work of mercy in the hearts of men, that even today it is still creating through men miraculous works of art, true sanctuaries of God, in which the praise of God never ceases or is silent.
We want to rejoice that this Spirit of God is still alive and active in the world, that it is still creating great miracles, that it is still allowing a new, wonderful, miraculous life to spring up and blossom from the ruins and wreckage. Let us rejoice in the activity of this divine spirit in the world, for as long as this divine spirit is still active in the world, the world will not be destroyed, for the spirit of God is renewing the world again and again. The Spirit of God will renew again and again by its power within men and nations who give place to this Spirit in their hearts.
Let this solemn day, then, be for us a day of confession of our faith in this holy and divine Spirit - the Spirit of God in all of us, the Spirit of God in the souls of our people, the Spirit of God in the whole world. We all want to contribute to giving more and more place to this divine spirit within us and within others - and if we put all our strength to work to this end, if we strive to live and act as the spirit of God, who once made this our home, commands us to do, then we can carry in our hearts the hope that this divine spirit within us and here in our homeland will not fade or falter.
In this sense, let the memory of the past be a joyful hope for the future.
Amen.
(Published in the book "Pirita klooster ja selle 500-aastase pühitsemispäeva juubel 15. ja 16. augustil 1936" Publication No. 15 of the Pirita Kaunistamise Selts (Pirita Beautification Society), Pirita, 1940).
Reflections
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ!
When the apostle Paul left the church in Asia Minor with God in '58, he called the representatives of the congregation to him and entrusted their concerns for the believers to their care with these urgent words, "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, over whom the Holy Spirit has made you bishops, as shepherds to keep the church of God, which he has purchased through his own blood." (Acts 20:28). These exhortations apply to all leaders in the church, especially bishops. Bishops are, after all, specially appointed by the Holy Spirit, through the sacrament of episcopal ordination, to lead and guide the Church of God. As faithful watchmen over the souls whom Christ has appropriated to himself by his blood, they must care for the faithful. The words of Ezekiel the prophet are to be paid to every bishop for this: "Son of man, I have set thee watch over the house of Israel." (Ezek. 3:17). And when we inquire of the special charge of a bishop, the prophet says in the same place, "Thou shalt hear my mouth, and exhort them in my name." The word of God, as it is contained in the Scriptures and in the sacred Word of God, is to be heard by the bishop as the Word of God, and preached to the faithful, according to the requirements of the times. This is his solemn duty and responsibility. He must, after all, according to the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Hebrew people, watch over the souls of the faithful, "I exhort you to walk worthily of the calling with which you have been called." (Ephesians 4:1). I want to continue these exhortations with the slogan which I have chosen as the motto of my episcopal activity: 'Fides et pax' - 'Faith and Peace'.
Faith - our holy Catholic faith - is the first asset that, with God's grace, I would like to protect and preserve for you. This faith, which, without any merit of your own, was either given to you in early childhood, or which you have won for yourselves through long search and great sacrifice, must always be sacred and precious to you as the greatest treasure of your life. For it is by this faith that you have been "made rich in Christ." (1 Chr 1:5).
I just want to draw your attention to a few things.
Our holy Catholic faith gives us, first of all, great security in our lives. Because there is so much ambiguity and confusion in religious matters all around us today, we are all given great clarity and certainty in matters of faith and life. The foundation of this certainty is Jesus Christ himself, the eternal truth, who "was born for this purpose and came into the world to testify the truth." (John 18:37).
Yet all Christians want to build their faith on Jesus Christ. Yet, alas, we see Christians outside the Catholic Church at odds with each other over many issues of faith and life, divided and torn asunder in many churches and religious assemblies, each with its own confession of faith. Where, then, do these various different Christian creeds and confessions come from? Is there perhaps a diversity of Christian truth? "Is Christ perhaps divided into many?" (1 Chr 1:13). No. There can be only one Christian truth. But the confusion comes from the fact that men have taken upon themselves the right and the power to know and to explain the doctrine of Christ according to their own understanding. And yet the apostle Peter already pointed out that "it is difficult to understand in the holy scriptures some things which are misinterpreted and twisted by unlearned and unconfirmed men." (2 Peter 3:16). No wonder then that what St. Paul already pointed out, that men "allow themselves to be swayed and twisted by every wind of doctrine," is fulfilled. (Ephesians 4:16). Yea, the time has evidently come which was predicted by the same apostle. (2 Tm 4, 5-3).
The danger that people would judge the truth given by Christ according to their own minds, and that this would lead to quarrels and disputes between them, was already foreseen by Jesus Christ in his divine omniscience, and he found remedies for it. He has founded his church, which the apostle Paul calls "the church of the living God, the pillar of truth and support." (1 Tm 3:15). In this church he chose twelve apostles and sent them out to preach his truth to the people, saying, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15).
But in order that the apostles, as preachers of his doctrine, might remain free from error, he gave them a promise: "I will be with you daily, even to the end of the world." (Matthew 28:10). Yea, he promised them, as a special helper, "the Spirit of truth," to "guide them into all truth." (John 16:13). "The Holy Spirit ... shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (John 14:26). This special helper - the Holy Spirit - could only have had the task of keeping the apostles from error in preaching God's word. That is why the apostles also felt themselves to be God's ambassadors, through whom God spoke to men. (2 Chr 5:20). Hence the absolute authority which the apostles took upon themselves to preach the gospel, in accordance with the apostle's words, "But if even we, or any angel from heaven, should preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed." (1 Gl 1:8).
This infallible authority of the apostles as preachers of God's word had already been alluded to by Christ himself in the words, "He who hears you, hears me; he who despises you, despises me." (Luke 10:16). "He who believes and is baptized will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned." 10:16. (Mt 16:16).
But Christ has created his church for all times. Therefore the church must also be "a pillar of truth and a support for all ages." Therefore Christ has promised His special support not only to the apostles personally, but also to those who hold the apostles' office and must continue it "to the end of the world." And also the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of truth, must "abide with the apostles and their successors for ever." (John 14:16). But we know very well from the history of the Church that for more than a thousand years there was no doubt among the people of Christ that the successors of the apostles were the bishops, headed by the successors of St. Peter, and that as such they possessed infallible authority in the preaching of the Gospel. As Ignatius, a disciple of the apostles, says: "As Jesus Christ is the Word of the Father, so also the bishops have been sent to the ends of the whole world in the teaching of Jesus Christ." (Ad Eph 3:2). And for this reason he adds in another place a word to the core: "All they that are God's and Jesus Christ's keep themselves from the bishop." (Ad Phil.cap.3). And St. Irenaeus adds, especially of the Church of Rome, that "because of her special pre-eminence, every church and all believers must be in agreement with her... Therefore there is no need to look elsewhere for the truth that can be taken from this church, since the apostles have abounded in her in all truth." (Ad Haer. 3:4).
This primitive Church conviction that in the bishops of Christ's Church, headed by St. Peter, lives on the infallible teaching authority of Christ and the apostles, has been faithfully and unadulteratedly preserved in the Catholic Church to this day. According to this conviction, every Catholic bishop enters the line of the successors of the apostles as a proclaimer of Christ's truth, and therefore shares in their authority. This conviction is expressed in the ceremony of episcopal consecration, in which the Gospel is first placed on the bishop's shoulder and then handed to him. In this way, the bishop takes upon his shoulders the commitment to preach the Gospel of Christ to the world in the name of Christ and in the spirit of Christ, in a pure and genuine way.
Now, because the infallible magisterium of the Catholic Church has lived on uninterrupted since the time of the apostles, it has indeed proved to be "the pillar and support of the truth" over the centuries." The possession of an infallible Magisterium gives it the unshakeable peace with which it has walked through the centuries, with which, in the whirlwind of controversial struggles, it has faithfully adhered to the truth entrusted to it by Jesus Christ. And it is from this truth that he seeks and finds the answers to the questions and problems that arise anew with each passing age. On the basis of this infallible doctrinal authority, the Catholic Church is the only Christian communion which does not know within itself any doctrinal divergence and which faithfully maintains the unity which Christ desired.
The infallible teaching authority of the Church, which continues in the bishops and the successors of Peter, is also a great treasure for our Church. It is the foundation of our own firmness of faith and strength, for which many Christians today even envy us. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, maintain this confidence and strength of your faith. Listen to the exhortation of Saint Paul: "watch, stand firm in the faith, be men, be strong." (1 Chr 16:13). Do not be deceived by those who claim that submission to the infallible magisterium of the Church is an intolerable restriction of human freedom, who claim that freedom of religious thought alone is worthy of modern man. Against these claims, however, Scripture requires "obedience to the Gospel." (2 Thessalonians 1:8) and "to be obedient to the truth" (Galatians 5:7). And indeed: already in the natural state man must hear the word of truth and submit to the laws of nature. And just as no liberty is allowed with regard to the law of morals, so no liberty is allowed with regard to religious truth to evade that truth. God would deny himself if, in opposition to the truth revealed by Christ, he gave man liberty to remain in error. Disobedience to the truth of Christ is therefore not an unworthy restriction of human freedom, but rather it brings us even closer to true freedom, in accordance with Christ's words, "If you hold fast to my words, you are truly my disciples, and you know the truth, and the truth will make you free." (John 8:31-32). And some of you, my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, who have experienced in your own selves uncertainty in matters of faith, can assure me that it is only the possession of the truth and obedience to the infallible teaching authority of the Church that has made you truly free. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not again enslaved." (Galatians 5:1). Do not be led astray by those who "promise freedom, though they themselves are slaves to a perishable thing" (2 Peter 2:19), who promise you the truth and are themselves in error. But let us also strive to know more and more the truths of our holy Catholic faith, and so grow in the knowledge of Christ, yes, "in all knowledge." (1 Chr 1:5).
Already a living faith in Christ, in salvation through him, in his being the way that leads us to our true, eternal happiness, must make us a living, strong religious force that sustains us in all the struggles and difficulties of life. This divine strength for life's struggles, however, Christ willed to bestow on us, above all and in abundance, through the wonderful sacrament which he bequeathed to us on the evening of his life as the greatest gift of his love. In this sacrament he gives us himself, gives us completely, in divinity and humanity, the nourishment of our souls. There he "becomes for us the living bread which came down from heaven." (1 Chr 1:5). There he makes true the words of his promise: "And the bread which I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world... and as I live by the Father, even so he who eats of me must live by me." (John 6).
The Catholic Church, into whose hands Christ entrusted this greatest gift of his love, has faithfully preserved and administered this holy sacrament as its greatest treasure for centuries. Every day, on thousands upon thousands of altars all over the world, she consecrates the holy mysteries, breaks the bread of heaven and invites her children to receive it.
In the prophet Jeremiah's poignant lament, it is said, "Young children ask for bread, there is none to share it with them." (Lamentations 4:4). Has this lamentation not become spiritually true of so many of the young people of our day and of our time, who are religiously hungry, wandering the streets of life because no one will give them the "bread of life".
But the children of the Catholic Church do not have to starve to death on the streets. The Catholic Church distributes the "bread of life" to its children as often as they ask for it. Yes, the more life's struggles rise to a climax, the greater life's perils grow, the more urgently the Church invites her children to more frequent, even daily, Holy Communion.
He invites little children so that, through the acceptance of the Lord's body, supernatural life may grow and grow strong in them. He invites young men and women that this heavenly bounty may give them the strength to serve God in chastity and purity of heart in the midst of the immorality of our days. He invites men that the bread of life may give them the strength and courage of faith in the unbelief and irreligion of the present age. He invites women and mothers to find strength and comfort in Christ in their maternal sorrows and pains, in the sacrifices and renunciations of their Christian womanhood. In this way, all who come to the Lord's table must experience the word...
[Part of the text lost ...]
Hear then the cry of the church, hear the cry of Christ, hear the cry of Christ. Receive the body of Christ with dignity and regularity. For it is the earnest desire of the Holy Church that all her children, young and old, men and women, should, if possible, receive the body of the Lord at least once every month. It is the Church's most fervent desire that more and more of us may revive those times of the early Christian faithful, when many Christians lived in Christ in such a way that they partook of the Lord's Supper at the celebration of each Mass.
I know, of course, that some of you are often still under the influence of some prejudices about the Holy Eucharist. But I hope that in this matter, too, you will not be led by your own minds, but will strive, in a genuine Christian spirit, to grow in the love of Christ through a more frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist. More frequent Holy Eucharist will be the best means of preserving within you the great treasure of faith, of deepening it and of making it ever more alive. For the word of the Lord is true: "He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, the same shall abide in me, and I in him." (John 6:27).
But out of deep, living faith grows another great asset that you want to preserve and sustain: It is peace - the peace of Christ. Peace - the peace of Christ - the peace of God.
You all know that the Gospel of Christ was above all also a message of peace to a troubled world. "Peace" was heaven's first greeting at the birth of Christ. "Peace" was Christ's final legacy to the world: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you." (John 14:27).
What then is the peace of Christ?
In the words of St Augustine, "peace is the order of the quiet". But the basis of all order is order between God and man. When this order is violated through sin, unrest finds its way in and does its sad work. The history of mankind offers a sad example of this.
As long as Adam and Eve kept the order God intended in Paradise, they lived in peace with God and the world and were happy. But when they transgressed God's commandment, and thereby violated God's holy ordinance, misfortune followed them, and they became "troubled in the earth" (Genesis 4:12). And ever since, the history of sin is the history of unrest on earth.
And seldom has humanity been as restless as it is right now. Turmoil, that mark of Cain in humanity, has pressed itself directly upon our times. How many people, indeed, are now covered by the apostle's word: "Destruction and calamity are in their ways, and they know not the way of peace." (Rom 3:16-17).
If our days are marred by the number of suicides, and not infrequently by the suicides of young people, is this not a sign of how restless modern people have become? After all, all those who have suffered so terribly in their lives in a shipwreck have also sought peace. But they have not found the path to peace, and that is why they believed in their darkness that they could at least find peace in death. And why have these people not found peace in their lives? Because they either did not find, or did not know, this order between God and man. And the violation of God's order was then bound to lead to unrest.
The family shrine is also unrest today. Where do so many silent quarrels and enmities come from, where do so many loud quarrels and quarrels, where do so many marriages mocked and destroyed by the rising tide of divorce? Whence, then, but because the holy order of God in the family has not been known, or there has been no will to keep it?
The societies of nations are also troubled today. There is certainly a lot of talk about the unrest that our modern statesmen are trying to bring about. But in many attempts at peace, one must always remember the words of the prophet. (Jer 6:14). And who today still truly believes in the honest and sincere preservation of peace? And where does so much unrest come from? Does it not come from the fact that so many people, seeking to impose some new world order, want to build their own building without God, a building that no longer respects God's holy order, where God's truth and justice are no longer taken as the basis of man's order, but are imposed by their own will and their own power? No wonder, then, that these orders of men carry within them the germs of unrest, and do not allow mankind to reach true peace.
True peace in the world, in the life of individuals, in the life of the family, in the life of nations, can only come back to us when God's holy order is again recognized and fulfilled everywhere. Then, above all, sin, which always seeks to violate God's order, will be eradicated from the world. This is what Christ has willed. That is what he came for. For this purpose he died on the cross for us, and thus became "our peace." (Isa 2:14).
The peace that he himself had won through his suffering and death, he wanted to make available to people through his Church. It is characteristic, therefore, that in the very hour in which he entered into the midst of the apostles after his resurrection with the greeting, "Peace be with you," that it was in that very hour that he gave to the apostles the command and the power to forgive sins, saying. (John 20:23).
The hands of a bishop are endowed with this power of blessing to forgive sins in the name of God. The bishop is the official bearer of the power of binding and loosing. He comes, therefore, as a peacemaker, since he is called by his very office to make peace between God and sinful human souls.
In this sense, I too, sent by Christ and the Church, come to you to bring you Christ's precious peace offering. Therefore I also greet you all with Christ's greeting: 'Peace be with you!'. Receive this peace with joy. Endeavour to keep it, so that the apostle's words may be fulfilled in you: "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keeps your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:7).
If we thus create peace between people and God, we also want to contribute to this peace of Christ filling more and more our Christian families and keeping them in harmony and love. We want to strive also to bind together all the faithful of the congregations in Christian love and unity. With St Paul, I pray for this too: "May God of peace sanctify you, and may all that you have, spirit and soul and body, be preserved unspeakably for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful who calls you, and he will bring it to pass.'" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
And this peace should not be limited to our churches alone. The apostle exhorts us: 'Seek peace with all'. (Mr 12:14). This exhortation is necessary, above all, because we have to live here with people who have a different faith from ours, who know very little of our faith, who often despise even it, and who often say things about us and our faith that are not true. Through this, our suffering is sometimes weighed heavily. Nevertheless, however, we want to think about "what is for peace." (Rom 14:19). Let us, then, fill in the words of the apostle Paul: "If it be possible, have peace with all men, so far as it depends on you." (Rom 12:18).
Not only do we want to keep the peace, but we also want to contribute, both by our example and by our prayers, to the fulfilment of Christ's will: "that they may all be one", that there may be "one flock and one shepherd". When this is achieved, peace will be assured, not only in our midst, but in the whole world.
In this sense, I conclude the letter to the Romans with the words, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may have abundant hope in the power of the Holy Spirit." (Rom 15:13) "And may the God of peace be with you all. Amen." (Rom 15:33)
