If we look for God in our hearts and in the good deeds of our fellow men, we will find Him - said President János Áder in his testimony at the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest on Friday.
Unexpected events happen in the lives of all of us, which we do not expect, yet they decisively influence our future - said János Áder in his testimony held on Friday at the Eucharistic Congress.
The president recalled the fall of 2013, when he was preparing for an official visit to the Vatican. As he said, during the preparation, the question always arises as to what gift to take with you, which has not yet been donated by the Hungarian delegation. The choice fell on the Hungarian edition of Saint Paul's letters, of which two known copies remained by then. In addition, they brought Szentkút water to the Pope from a place of farewell pilgrimage in Hungary. It was then that the head of the Catholic Church announced to the public for the first time that he was preparing to write an encyclical on the protection of the created world, which János Áder was able to inform the press about.
The President of the Republic showed the Hungarian copy of the encyclical at the Hungexpo and quoted from it: "The Lord is in even the smallest creature in the world. God of the poor, help us to save those who live abandoned and forgotten on Earth.
Heal our lives so that we may be people of beauty, not of destruction…!”
In his testimony, the president also revived the editing of the book Looking at the Sky. He called it a divine inspiration that the idea of compiling the collection was formulated. Poems in search of God of the most varied habits were compiled into one volume, showing the indisputable wealth of Hungarian literature in this field as well.
As one of his favorites, he quoted a poem by Attila József, who was taught as a proletarian poet for decades, ignoring his divine poems: "God stood here behind me, and I went around the world for him." On one occasion, he quoted these two lines of the poem to a bishop, who then pointedly asked: "and why didn't you turn around?".
János Áder, dealing with the relationship between science and religion, also invoked Darwin - a passage in which the scientist (in a way unknown to the general public) praises the work of the Creator. The juxtaposition of science and religion is a false image, he pointed out.
Source: mandiner.hu
Can Dalí and Weöres, a painting and a poem, have the same message? - he asked, presenting to the audience a work by the world-famous painter, which depicts the crucified Jesus from an unusual top view, above the planet. He juxtaposed the work with the writings of the Hungarian poetic giant, which seemed to interpret this painting and call for conversion in its wake. "See your face in it!" – together with literature, the President of the Hungarian Republic called for repentance.
At the end of János Áder's testimony, he touched on the individual and social drama caused by the pandemic. Together with his wife, Mrs. Anita Herczegh, they created a foundation to help children orphaned by the destruction caused by the virus, which was named after father István Regőczi. Reviving the life story of the priest who became legendary among the faithful, he pointed out: the communist government sentenced the rescuer of the orphans to two prison terms as part of a concept trial. They could not break him, he served God and children until the end of his life.
As he said, since the foundation was launched, they have learned about dramatic lives. "When someone does charity work, there are always questions that call for introspection," he said. You have to help well so that the help is real. Quoting a letter from a widowed mother, she said: God embraced her at the most difficult moment and sent help through her fellow human beings.
The lesson of these stories, said János Áder, is that God does not personally sit down next to us on the bench, but we all receive signs. It's up to us whether we recognize them, whether we see them as a good story or God's help.
If we manage the talents entrusted to us well, if we seek God in our heart, soul and good deeds, then we will find Him - János Áder concluded his testimony.
Source and featured image: mandiner.hu
