March was the month of Lent. It is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection. This key moment of Christianity brings a proper perspective to our lives and activities. Understanding Jesus’ sacrifice leads us to humbleness knowing it was our sin and alienation from God that brought Jesus to the cross. No human can stand God’s judgment, ultimately there is nothing in God’s eyes we can be proud of, even though occasionally we do good things. However, God in Jesus’ cross offers all of us forgiveness and new beginnings. Only a humble heart can appreciate the breadth, length, height, and depth of this offer to benefit from it in this life and the life to come. For “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Continue reading →

On February 24, 2022, Russia started an open war against Ukraine. For three long years Ukrainians have been dying not only for their own country and its democratic future but also for peace, justice, truth and freedom. These values, upon which our civilization is built, depend on each other. As the prophet Micah writes, it is futile to proclaim peace and neglect justice (Micah 3:5-12). Justice and peace go hand in hand, and the obligation of every God-fearing ruler is to secure peace by enacting justice, following Psalm 72:4 “defend the cause of the poor… give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.” Once justice is established, peace follows. Let us pray for peace and justice in Ukraine and all around the world.

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Januarys in our school are full of tests and project presentations due to half-term grading. Walking through the school halls, one could see and feel the increased level of stress among the students and teachers. This elevated tension can be observed also in our country these days. Our political leaders have made the schism in our society even deeper by openly flirting with Russia and questioning our membership in the Europe Union (EU) and NATO. Many Slovaks filled city squares peacefully demonstrating not only against these signals but also expressing their disappointment with the quality of our justice system, health care, and education. The message to our leaders is clear:  we want to stay in EU and NATO, and we want our leaders to make Slovakia a good place for everybody, not just for their buddies and sponsors. We also keep reminding them that peace they speak so much about, goes hand in hand with justice and righteousness which they often distort or neglect. Once justice and righteousness are firmly established, peace appears as their consequence.

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It is easy to forget that Christmas is not only about commemorating Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem a long time but also is first and foremost about Jesus’ second coming to this world to complete his mission! The certainty of Jesus’ second coming “with power and glory” (Luke 21:25) is the source of our courage and hope when facing present catastrophes, wars, and problems. As Jesus said, “we can stand up and raise our heads” (Luke 21:26) knowing that all the world troubles pre-orchestrate and endorse Jesus’ second entry.  Jesus’ second coming and final victory also give meaning to our individual battles with evil. Even though we might lose them, our fights for justice and peace are in vain because we wage war on the victorious side. Every fight for justice and peace is also Jesus’ fight and this war will certainly be victorious. Continue reading →