Szent István was a "far-seeing" statesman whose actions stemmed from his faith in God, said camp bishop Tibor Berta at the celebratory mass held on the occasion of St. Stephen's Day on Saturday in the St. Stephen's Basilica in Budapest.
In his homily, Tibor Berta emphasized: Saint Stephen's faith was the faith of a man who not only read the Scriptures, but also "radically turned them into actions". At the same time, it is also the "faith of a man in need of salvation", that of a man who was aware of his weakness and temptations.
The camp bishop pointed out: "our first king is a role model who does not need to be idealized, since the impressive results of his works to this day preserve his large-format form more eloquently than anything".
Due to the bad weather, Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, led the festive ceremony held in the basilica instead of in the square in front of St. Stephen's Basilica. In his greeting, the cardinal said: this day is a thanksgiving for the past, the life of our people and a plea for the future.
He added: "this year we have a lot to say in front of God", since another "difficult year, but rich in value and blessings" is behind us.
The cardinal emphasized that we can be thankful for the International Eucharistic Congress last September, which, despite all the difficulties and uncertainties, brought us the experience that the believing Catholic world is united around Jesus Christ and the Blessed Sacrament and fulfills a common mission towards the whole world.
According to oral and written memories, the World Eucharistic Congress of 1938 was a similarly great spiritual experience. Then, within a year, World War II broke out. world War. Now there is war again, and "we ask with trepidation, who are we, Hungarians, who is this small nation here in the Carpathian basin, that divine providence wants to comfort and strengthen the world through us?" - said the cardinal, and then asked the faithful to especially pray for "our country, our people and the peace of the world" at the festive mass.
Photo: MTI/Attila Kovács
After the mass, the usual Saint Jobb procession was canceled due to the expected storm, instead a prayer hour was held in front of the Saint Jobb relic displayed in the basilica, at the end of which Péter Erdő blessed the event with the relic on the projectors in the square in front of the basilica and on television following followers.
the full report on the Holy Mass in the Magyar Hírlap .
Featured image: József Csapó
