Hungarian Church Press, 1950 (2. évfolyam, 4-13. szám)

1950-06-01 / 10. szám

easier for us; we willingly "believe Maiy and regard the account of this sinful and weeping woman as our sacred treasure, the

fiad tidings of resurrection. We have read this passage a hundred imes, yet it fascinates us again and again. I have read it many times myself and have often preached about it, yet it impresses me every time. I am now particularly impressed by one sentence, let us leave out now the other parts of.the narrative. I am not going to tell who was this Mary out of whom He had cast seven devils. I am not going to describe her grief that He was no more and there was nothing.to prevent the return of the seven devils. I am also not going to tell haw she could only recognize Him, through her tears, when He wonderfully called her by her name, in such a tender way as nobody else, could say her name, let us now concentrate on this sentence: She had seen the lord”. This is M&iy's Gospel. This' is of what she told the disciples when they yet "mpurnäd and wept". This is my Gospel: this should be your Gospel; the Gospel of all who believe: "I have seen the lord "

Yet our faint heart cannot suppress the question: "Had she really seen the lord?" We speak of "really" seeing somebody when we See the person with our bodily eyes* She heard Him with her ears,* and we cannot hear; Him in this way. It happened once that Jesus died on the cross and then rose from His grave* He lived once on this earth in human body; He died once on the bloodstained cross and rose from the dead once for ever. This all happened once and cannot'be repeated. We do not celebrate masses; we do not try to re-enact His sacrifice. We are witnesses-* proclaiming that it happened once and forever and is sufficient for all. Yet you might say: This woman was fortunate for her faith whs Rased on a fact. She saw with her eacés and heard with her ears. You are wrong! Uod demanded faith then, and He demands faith now. let us remember how the lord set right Thomas in order that the Thomases of all ages may understand: "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed", let us remember how He invited Thomas: "Reach hither thy finger,bnd behold my hands; and reach hithej? thy hand, and thrust it into nry side: and be not faithless hut believing". And remember that Thomas felt no desire to thrust his hand into the wounds, but he fell down before Him and exclaimed: "My lord and my God", You see, one can see with the eyes of faith! Have you not seen the lord with the eyes of your faith? Have you not seen how He agonized in Gethsemane, praying: "0 ury Bather, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless net as I will, but as thou wilt". Have you not seen how He was "beaten and crowned with a crown of thorns and nailed to the cross? Have you not •heard His prayer on the cross for the sinners, for you and for me; "Bather, forgive them". Has your heart never burnt within you, perhaps in this church for God has power to pierce your heart with the sword of His Word even in a celebrating crowd?

Or was it perhaps during one of your silent meditations that it suddenly daraed upon you why it was necacaaiy for Christ tq suffer on the cross and to rise on the third day? Has He never asked you: "lovestthou me?" let me 7pa* by reminding you

of the events of your life* sine a y jU are not blind; at least-2-Hungarian Church Press