We are vulnerable, but can trust in God

„Yes! We are living in the age of miracles. In a universe, where there is a green planet with human life on it. As a gift from God, who made the world, we have got all those valuable abilities by which we are able to handle and respond to the recurring difficulties, dangers and cataclysms. More and more we could get to recognise from the coherence of the surrounding world. We were strong enough to fight for our survival and to change our life into a nicer one, enriched with meaning. Yet, we ourselves, along with all our abilities are part of the created world. Sometimes we tend to forget about this in our self-created, fast-paced society. Then comes the time again and again when a cataclysm out of the blue suddenly makes us figuring out the reality of our situation. “We are vulnerable and helpless. But we can always trust in our caring God…”

Péter Erdő’s Homily in full is to be read here:

Dear brothers and sisters,

During the recent weeks our life has been changed a lot. Our habits have been transformed, we focus on different issues than we did before. Our city has took a turn and has calmed down. But now we hear the voice of the talking stones. It made us wonder that the beautiful Holy Trinity statue in front of Matthias Church had not been built as a pure decoration only, nor were the other similar statues, crucifix, chapel and church all around Europe. The ancestors set up an example for the future generation how to show and immortalize their gratitude. It is a votive statue to thank God for the deliverance of the city from the huge outbreak of the plague, a pandemic which had been far more a dangerous and a deadly contagion than that of the coronavirus, at least according to our current knowledge.

But not only the old stones have become more talkative, but that of the voice of the psalms, of the Bible and some parts of the liturgy as well. Everything what had been taken as natural, nowadays are heart-breaking. I’m sure that ancients had always felt alike, and now is the time when we discover the real meaning of their voice.

Today we are going to pray the psalm 22. (23.): „The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters and restores my soul.”(Psalm 23, 1-3). God embraces every and each one of us, as well as the entire mankind with his loving goodness. The shepherd’s figure is likely idyllic, nice, but thinking about it deeply, the scenery is dramatic, thus excellent. This picture turns up quite often on the Early Christian stone coffins, where Jesus appears as a good shepherd, gentle and young. But why is it pictured on a coffin? Because the psalms continues: „He guides me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Eventhough I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear of no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23, 3-4). So here stands Christ in front of us, the one resurrected firstly from the dead. He guides and shows the man in his footsteps how God’s home would also be our everlasting “home” after the death. (See: Psalm 23, 6.) Thus Christ has not rescued the mankind from all his problem and difficulties, instead he took all these for himself, so that we can take part in his divine life. He descends into the darkness together with us, so that to guide us later on to the brightness. Thus the first Christian generation shouted out joyfully, as we read in the holy lesson the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians: “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee the light.”( EF. 5, 14).

Today’s gospel talks about Christ’s healing of the blind man. Christ the healer! That is He was famous for! Even the non-followers were aware of it. But what was that Christ, the healer was teaching to us? To the grandiosity and to the depths of God’s caretaking and compassionate love! Because Jesus does not heal all the ills, does not eliminate all the sufferings. No, not at all! Instead he presents how Lord, the creator of all the huge interrelations of the world loves us, and how he wants to give us far more than the physical health or the worldly fortune. He calls us to the eternal life and happiness. In the gospel of the day the blind man finally confesses his faith in Christ: „I believe my Lord” – he said. (Jn. 9, 38)

Today, when the humankind faces a world pandemic, it is really high time to think. Maybe, we were lucky during long decades. I well remember, when in the summer of 1959, it was announced in the radio, in the movie news, that mainly the children should stay at home, should not go out to public places, movies or swimming. That time we had spent the whole summer holiday in our grandparents’ garden. That was the time of the infantile paralyses epidemic. I well remember my parents’ worries and fears. The epidemic swept through Hungary in several waves. Later on I read that in the year of 1957 thousands had been infected, more than 2300 had become handicapped and the death toll exceeded 140. After our fear in 1959, most likely since 1960 the Sabin drops have appeared, the vaccine has been discovered.

Indeed, science is on to reach new and new success. Many discoveries meant real blessings for entire generations. Still, such an emergency situation we are going through nowadays opens our eyes that the human race is not omnipotent. In fact we are living in the age of miracles. In a universe, where there is a green planet with human life on it. As a gift from God, who created the world, we have got all those valuable abilities by which we are able to handle the recurring difficulties, dangers and cataclysms. More and more we could get to recognise from the coherence of the surrounding world. We were strong enough to fight for our survival and to change our life into a nicer one enriched with meaning. Yet, we ourselves, along with all our abilities are part of the created world. Sometimes we tend to forget about this in our self-created, fast-paced society. Then comes the time again and again when a cataclysm out of the blue suddenly makes us figuring out the reality of our situation. We are vulnerable and helpless. But we can always trust in our caring God, who presented us with the gift of fantastic abilities, immunities, adaptability and intelligence. He is the one who gives us a helping hand, sometimes through unexpected external events.

This great attitude of the previous generations helped them to survive the decades full of dreadful difficulties. Thus they were able to forward the flame of human life, culture and faith to the present living humanity. Life, children, family, all these are such valuable gems, which carry the context of existence and that of our world. The living past within ourselves helps us, remembers and is going to survive in our genes, but the ancestors’ experience is also alive in us, transforms and strengthens. The inherited faith is the one what keeps us going on, the faith that gave strength, confidence to our forebears, helping them for a self-sacrificing love.

Let’s discover the ancient and entire truth of our world. Let’s turn with confidence to our caring God! Ask him to help us preventing all the threatening dangers and to house us into the security and happiness of the eternal life.

Amen!