Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Archbishop of Esztergom and Budapest, emphasized the significance of helping love in fostering unity among Christians and extending this love to all people. He spoke at the national opening of the ecumenical prayer week, held at St Stephen's Basilica in Budapest.
During the opening service of the annual week dedicated to praying for the unity of Christians, the cardinal underscored the shared bond among Christians as disciples of Christ, all recognizing Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah.
"As his disciples, it is imperative for us to follow Christ's teachings,"
he emphasized.
In his address, focusing on the parable of the Good Samaritan, the cardinal emphasized that the essence of the parable conveys the message that, for God’s sake, we must turn to each other with helping love, and we cannot exclude anyone from this love and cannot limit the scope of love.
Peter Erdo expressed joy in the charitable efforts of churches, organizations, and Hungary as a whole in assisting those affected by hunger, war, natural disasters, or persecution in the Middle East or Africa.
He pointed out that
this help alone cannot be enough to solve the misery in entire regions, just as the help of the Good Samaritan could not replace all the belongings of the robbed man. Nevertheless, the first help given in a moment of crisis and the reassuring feeling of human love can give hope to those in need.
Quoting St Paul, Peter Erdo highlighted that the impact of charity extends further, as it inspires gratitude towards God in others through our mediation.
In his sermon, Reformed Church's Bishop Jozsef Steinbach, president of the Ecumenical Council of Churches in Hungary (MEOT), noted that the parable of the Good Samaritan begins with a scribe's question - what shall I do to inherit eternal life? - which sheds light on the foundational condition of our life. Jozsef Steinbach emphasized that
our separation from God and mortality underlie all troubles, miseries, sins, conflicts, and wars,
and this is why we want to do and experience everything here and now, he said in conclusion.
