Magyar Egyház, 1992 (71. évfolyam, 1-5. szám)

1992-01-01 / 1. szám

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

9. oldal

A MEGCSONKÍTOTT EGYHÁZI ÉV

A papírkereskedésekben kapható előjegyzési naptárakban a sok más adat mellett van egy lap, amely az év ünnepeinek dátumait sorolja fel. Megtalálható nem csak a zsidó ünnepek sora, hanem még az izlám és a kínai újév dátuma js. A sorrendben benne vannak a keresztyén ünnepek, az ún. polgári év dátumai (július 4, a Munka Napja, Washington, Lincoln születésnapja, Hálaadás Napja stb.) és a „népszerű” dátumok (Anyák Napja, Apák Napja sőt, újabban Nagyszülők Napja és hasonlók).

A keresztyén ünnepeket illetően fellelhetők karácsonytól húsvétig az egyházi év ünnepei. Húsvéttal a forgalomban lévő előjegyzési naptárak által közölt keresztyén ünnepek sora lezárul. Az egyházi év ünnepeinek sora csonka marad: nem található Áldozó-csütörtök, Pünkösd, Szetnháromság Vasárnapja sőt, a sorrend csonkítással kezdődik, mert nincs benne Advent.

Az amerikai és kanadai magyar református gyülekezetek nem csonkán ünnepük az egyházi évet: az egyházi évet Advent első vasárnapjával kezdik és húsvétután megünneplik Áldozócsütörtököt, Pünkösd vasárnapját és Szentháromság Vasárnapját.

Ha van valakinek kereskedelmi forgalomban vásárolt vagy kapott előjegyzési naptára a fentemlített csonka egyházi és ünnepei dátumaival, pótolja a következőkkel: Advent első vasárnapja — november 29, Áldozócsütörtök (Jézus mennybemenetele) — május 28, Pünkösd (a Szentlélek kitöltése) — június 7, Szentháromság Vasárnapja — június 14.

Még jobb, ha minden vasárnap templomban van és ott tudja meg az ünnepek dátumait.

H.A.

THE RÉV. GÁBOR CSORDÁS ENTERED INTO ETERNAL REST

The Hungarian Reformed Church in America lost one of her great leader and servant in Rev. Gábor Csordás, who entered into eternal rest on Saturday, January 4th. Rev. Csordás has been the Pastor of the New York Hungarian Reformed Church 82nd Street for over three decades, and served as Dean of the New York Classis for many years. Just a few years ago to honor him for his dedicated service in the Classis he was given the title of Honorary Dean.

His funeral service was held with great honor and respect on Wednesday, January 8th at the 82nd Street Church in New York City. In the funeral service, including the Wake- Night service the night before 26 Hungarian ministers paid their respect and served the Gospel of Joy. Among them included were the representatives of the Hungarian Catholics, Adventists and Baptist ministers with whom He served the Hungarian Community in New York.

Our Hungarian Reformed Life will surely miss Rev. Csordás, as He will be missed by the 82nd Street Congregation and His own families. We pray for God’s comfort upon His immediate family and members of the congregation. With prayerful hearts will ask the Head, Lord and Master of the Church to give his faithful servant a peaceful rest and a safe lodging in His eternal hope, and to us a hope and assurance in meeting him when He shall come into His kingdom.

In the following we bring the message delivered by Dr. Andrew Harsányi at the funeral service in the English language. In the Hungarian section you will find the message delivered by his friend Dezső Ábrahám, Bishop Emeritus.

THE SECRET THINGS OF THE LORD

Bishop Andrew Harsányi's homily at the funeral service for Gábor Csordás, New York 82nd Street Hungarian Reformed Church — January 8, 1992

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and to our children forever, to observe all the words of the law.

(Deuteronomy 29:29.)

Death marks the point beyond which certain things cannot be done nor said neither by the person who died nor for him. Everybody comes into this world with God’s personal mission. We are commissioned to use the talents given to us according to God’s will which we must learn through Jesus Christ. The measure of every human life is how God’s Commission is being carried out. Everybody must discover the individual tasks of the commission received. Some of these tasks are discovered, some are missed; some are fulfilled, some are not; in the course of doing them at times one succeeds, at time one fails; some failures go unnoticed, others are realized as results of sins. Of some sins man repents, of some he wouldn’t. For some successes man is grateful, others make him just boastful. All these varying measures and attitudes, however, end at death. No more fight, no more gratitude, no more repentence, no more chances; not even a second chance.

All these are true for Gábor Csordás. He had been given great talents by God. He was commissioned to serve as a minister of God’s revealed Word among Hungarian Reformed people in Poughkeepsie and in New York for over forty years. God alone knows the secrets of the heart. He alone knows how much of His divine will Gábor Csordás had discovered and to what measure he had fulfilled them. What we know is that his life was a life of fullness and that it was truly human. He worked and he struggled, he succeeded and at times he failed, he had victories and he had defeats, he man-