The bishops of Debrecen told what was the most difficult thing to wait for
On Sunday, the first flame of the candles of the Advent wreath is lit. This light indicates that we still have four days to prepare our hearts to receive the greatest gift. I asked three church leaders what we can do so that the many external glitters do not suppress this one, truly essential light, and that on Christmas Eve it shines from within us, and not just in front of our eyes. Advent is a period of waiting, so I asked the Reformed and Roman Catholic bishops, as well as the Greek Catholic archbishop-metropolitan, to recall a moment in their lives when time walked on leaden feet.
If I search my memories of when the waiting was difficult, I immediately remember the military experiences when we had to stand guard at night – answered Fülöp Kocsis, the Greek Catholic Archbishop-Metropolitan of the Hajdúdorog Archdiocese. He continued: we had to stand at the weapon depots for two hours in the cruel winter minus 15-20 degrees. – However, the real, longer-lasting and joyful anticipation is connected to Christmas in me. When I was a child, we could ask for something for the holiday, say, a wooden tram, a puzzle, a board game. Every year we drew the gift on a piece of paper and dots around it. Our parents colored a circle red when we did something good, for example we set the table. With this, they taught us to be active in waiting, to accumulate good deeds. The circles were always full by Christmas, he recalled.
The head of the church also links his Advent advice to this: – We are not passively awaiting the birth of Jesus, but actively! Waiting is not idleness, not idling, but active behavior.
In any case, the task in this period is to shape ourselves, so that our selfish, often petty self, which could not contain the infinite God by itself, expands as much as possible.
A good deed, like a good word, makes us smile, helps us to be generous; by the time we get to Christmas, we will be able to receive the new born godchildren.
It has to be done for its content
Károly Fekete, the bishop of the Tiszántúli Reformed Church District, loved to learn from his childhood, and this continues to this day. He recalled that waiting was especially difficult when, after submitting a homework or paper, he had to wait for the teacher to correct it. Later, a similar method awaited the evaluation and publication of the manuscript prepared for publication. “That’s when time slowed down and I waited impatiently for the final result,” he said. In connection with Advent, he also drew attention to action: it is good to wait for the holiday, and we reach balance when external, active preparation is supported by internal preparation, so that “our soul is dressed in festive clothes”. The Bible also advises: “The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to those who take refuge in him. It is good to wait in silence for the release of the Lord.”
Source: Feeepik
– I wish for others and myself that during the rush of Advent, we find a quiet corner, an intimate immersion, humane words, thoughts, poems, music, truly uplifting, which reach all the way to our hearts and touch us personally. It usually doesn’t come naturally, I have to do it. The method and rank of making the wait meaningful must be specified. By accepting our expectation, the way of life ready for the Lord of the inquirer must be realized, he emphasized.
We prepare for the future with the present
The Bishop of Debrecen-Nyiregyház County, Ferenc Palánki, directed attention to the message of the Gospel. Jesus says:
“Be ready! … because you cannot know when your Lord will arrive.”
He emphasized that if we want to prepare for the future, in relation to which many things are not visible and uncertain, then it is best to deal with the present. The present provides many opportunities for love, kindness, and even generous charity. Many people suffer from war, disease, and poverty. We can all do something to help those in need. It is not indifferent to what the future brings, but what kind of person I will be today is much more important. Jesus came to this world to teach with his life, words and actions: to be human is a divine thing. We are preparing for the celebration of His birth in the Advent season, it is a testimony that we do not have to look to the future with fear, but can live in the present with the love we have learned from Him, and this love makes us truly happy – he answered our inquiry.
HaBe