The Lord lets people shape things in the world according to their own free will. God could silence the guns in Ukraine or anywhere in the world at any time. However, the Lord is the God of freedom, and he even allows these atrocities to happen - explained Péter Buda, rector of the Eger Archbishop's Institute for Priest Education, who told our newspaper on the occasion of Pentecost that the existence of the church is that it has not been destroyed for two thousand years existed, and is even increasing today, the very evidence of the Holy Spirit's operation. According to his words, the background force that is not publicly visible still leads and controls the church today.
After forty days, we celebrate the Lord's ascension, followed by a ten-day waiting period, when we await the fulfillment of Christ's promise. He told the apostles to stay in the city until they were filled with power in a few days. This happens at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes, and it is also the church's birthday, the Catholic priest pointed out.
Péter Buda pointed out that at that time the coming of the Holy Spirit did a real miracle for the disciples, this moment became a milestone in the lives of the apostles. From that moment on, they begin to fulfill the mission that Jesus entrusted to them.
The Son of Man chose them not only to be witnesses, but also to testify to the world the mission of Jesus, the love of the Father and the occurrence of redemption.However, the apostles were shy, there were those who even doubted the ascension. Peter tried to take control of things, and then the apostles choose Matthias to replace Judas. This is how they wait together with Our Lady and other disciples, and when the feast of Pentecost arrives, they remain shy even then in the room where the last supper took place, Péter Buda pointed out.
He added:
this is when the wonderful apparition occurs, when tongues of flame appear and the sound of wind is heard without wind. This is how the Holy Spirit arrived as a perceptible reality for people at that time.
However, a much more important thing also happens at this time. The apostles, who were filled with the Holy Spirit, from then on stand before the people, leave the hall of the last supper, and begin to preach Jesus to the pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the Jewish holiday. Those who were shy until now will suddenly become brave, and from now on there is no one to stop them - emphasized the rector of the priest training institute. The church historian explained: the Holy Spirit has been working in the church ever since, and this is true even if nowadays there are not as many miracles as in the beginning, when, like Jesus, the apostles also healed the sick and raised the dead.
To prove the working of the Holy Spirit, great miracles were no longer needed. And the existence of the church is the fact that it has not been destroyed for two thousand years, it has existed and is even growing today, the proof itself. Especially if we take into account the operation of the people, which was not flawless. Moreover, in the last two thousand years, people have committed many sins within the church, or even in its name. Despite all this, the church stands and is able to carry out the mission for which Jesus founded it. And this would not be possible without the publicly invisible background force, the Holy Spirit, which leads and controls the church, he emphasized.
The rector of the Archbishop's Institute for Priest Education in Eger explained: the Holy Spirit works everywhere, even in war-torn Ukraine. – I can say as much as Saint Paul: we cannot boast of anything else but the cross of Jesus Christ .If we look at Golgotha, we see that God did not intervene there either and did not save his son. The Lord lets people shape things in the world according to their own free will. God could silence the guns in Ukraine or anywhere in the world at any time. However, the Lord is the God of freedom, and he even allows these atrocities to happen, said Péter Buda. He added: Providence somehow hovers over history, and God's holy spirit still watches over us. He put it like this, we can't even imagine what kind of atrocities we would be capable of without the cooperation of the Lord and the Holy Spirit.
Péter Buda also spoke about the fact that we can not only actively help those in need, but also support the start and promotion of the peace process with our prayers. As he said, in Hungary, regionally and nationally, as well as in the world, Christians are constantly praying for peace .There are also larger campaigns where calls are posted and those joining these prayer chains are welcome. As an example, he mentioned that on the eve of Our Lady of Fruits, hundreds of people took part in praying the rosary in Dobó Square in Eger for families and peace. – I myself am constantly supplicating and praying for peace, and I often include its cause in the intentions of the Holy Mass. And I always ask the faithful to pray with me. There is hardly anything more important than this today - emphasized Péter Buda.
Featured image: István Mirkó
