Archives for 2016

Pretense, meaning the impeccable excuse, is a characteristic of Christians when they pretend to want something, but reality is quite different.

It is inevitable of course, that prehistoric behavior gradually leads to the wrong judgment and appreciation of things, and ultimately results in a distancing from the truth and practice of applied faith, inertia and lack of interest in the progress of awareness of God.

This pretentious attitude is analyzed by Christ Himself on account of a statement made by an anonymous Jew during a meal described by Evangelist Luke in chapter 14. The main characteristic of veiled attitude is the deprivation and ultimately the loss of the precious things God has prepared.

Here is explained why the reasoning of the centurion, the providence and inventiveness of Zaccheaus, the pursuit of the Samaritan woman and the choice of the right moment in every important daily act, constitute the foundation stone of every success that covers and satisfies today but at the same time lives a door open to the future.

Although from the title, it seems as if I am present something everyone knows as if it’s new, sometimes we are very careless in many things.

While no one is remunerating someone if they don’t work, in the issues of faith we believe that without working, we can have the gifts and the life of faith. We hear a lot about Christian faith, but we don’t do anything about it, since there is no challenge, no interest, healthy competition is not cultivated, we do not use the possibilities and rights granted by our faith, and of course we do not see the results of faith in our everyday life.

On the contrary, we believe that faith is something only for the church on Sunday morning and some other church obligations, without expecting something better tomorrow, without hope that by believing in the living God, better things can happen in my life, without seeking, and of course, without evaluating based on the values of faith. In reality, it is clear in the Holy Bible that without being personally interested, without work, inquiries, innovation, inventiveness, without control of the results of everyday life, no pay is foreseen, the future is precarious and no one can guarantee anything. This is apparent in the 19^th chapter of Luke’s Gospel.

Contrary to other cases (centurion, Samaritan woman etc), Evangelist Luke describes in the 19^th chapter the meeting of Christ and a well-known – in the negative sense of the phrase – person of that era, Zacchaeus.

Even though his name is not familiar in the Greek language, its case is strong proof that anyone who asks, will be given what they are looking for. He was looking for Christ, but couldn’t meet him because of the crowd that usually encircled Christ, so he decided to climb up a tree, under which Christ was going to pass.

This act of faith and interest was positively appreciated by Christ, who not only spoke to Zaccheaus, but also, in violation of the moral and social rules of that time, stayed at his house. The result of Christ’s visit is described in detail with great interest only by Evangelist Luke.

Nowadays, the role of time and every moment in general, is of great importance, whether it concerns our personal life, our work, our relationships, or our social everyday life.

It becomes even clearer that the right time to do something is a critical factor of success or failure in what we do. Today, even moments and seconds are crucial and essential, especially when it comes to difficult events, such as driving a car at high speed or landing an airplane.

Of similar importance in our lives, is every moment we have to or should not do something. The right moment guarantees success. The wrong moment guarantees failure. And of course, Christ does not make a philosophical lesson in his seventh chapter of John’s Gospel about the value of the right time, but He gives lessons for an effective daily and eternal life.

Even the reason given, at an appropriate time is effective, and at the wrong time it has no effect.

Christ did not make theoretical conversations, but tried, through daily sceneries, familiar situations and proverbs circulating in the society then, to bring the message of an effective daily and eternal life.

He used the word “door” to describe Himself, meaning the entrance and the exit door for the lord of the herd and the sheep, to teach His uniqueness, not only as a Savior and guardian, but also as a guide to an effective, rich and meaningful life. Nowadays, through the use of electronic doors in the shops and airports we all use, we can understand better the role of Christ as the entry and exit door for effective daily routine and life.