He who possesses the goods of the world, and sees his brother in need, but shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God remain in him? Little children! Let us love not with words nor with tongue, but with deeds and truth! (1 John 3, 17-18)

Father József Temesi SJ remembers Magdi’s last New Year’s Eve like this:

On the evening of December 31, 1944, Magdi came to the parish to wish a happy New Year, but found no priests. Father István O. was sick in his hometown, and I went to the canteen for dinner. Magdi found only the parish priestess T. Ilonka and her sister Jucci. They were wondering how to express New Year’s greetings in my absence. They decided to write the greeting on the back of a holy picture, but neither of them had a holy picture. Ilonka remarked that she had the key to my room, as she was the cleaner. She also saw that there were holy pictures on my desk. – We’ll give Father his own holy picture! They all wrote their toasts. Then they came to the canteen for dinner. I left, they came. We met. They greeted me in a choir. As they went, I heard a low laugh, a kind of giggling, as if they were only children’s girls. I could not imagine what amused them until I saw their gifts on my desk. I was very pleased with this little joke. Next to Ilonka and Juci’s clichéd New Year’s greetings, the writing on Magdi’s gift is now serious. The little holy picture is of the seed sower. This was a trigger for Magdi: “Sweet Jesus, I promise that the seed sown will bring forth a hundredfold. Magda on the last night of 1944.” It was her last New Year’s Eve.

The post-holiday season invites us to brighten up our grey weekdays with the gift of celebration. This is only possible through the power of God, and Magdi was able to bring joy and love to the darkest moments through prayer. To pray for love, we suggest the following steps:

I place myself in the presence of God (see above).

I reflect on the greatest challenge of the time ahead, where I can bring love. It is good to ask the Holy Spirit for help with this, as He may show a different challenge than the one we first think of.

I thank Christ that he will be with me in moments of challenge with his love, and I ask him to strengthen me, to love me through him.

I thank Christ that I can count on Him to be with me – whether I get the obstacles right or not. I thank him for leading all participants to the fullness of life.

In addition, a prayer can help us in our daily lives, to place ourselves in the presence of God in our work and other activities.

Even in our everyday life, Christ feeds us with the bread of life, with his own Body. After the many solemn Masses, it is good to attend an ordinary Mass and to find the source that springs from here.

Holy Spirit, deliver us from the temptation of goodness that seeks the spectacle, not the invisible helping hand. Holy Spirit, help us to rediscover the beauty of the ordinary, so that our smiles may be embraces of peace and our gestures gifts of joy. Holy Spirit, help us to open the doors of our homes, to share the celebration of our lives even in the toils of everyday life.

Prayer of unity with the Lord

My beloved Jesus!

May our feet walk together,

our hands together to gather,

Let our hearts beat together,

Let our hearts feel together,

Let our minds be one, our ears listen together to the silence,

our eyes to look into each other’s eyes and our eyes to meet,

our lips together pleading to the Eternal Father for mercy! Amen.

Let us pray for our fellow human beings in difficulty around us. Bring them to Jesus and ask for his mercy on them. Ask for strength and guidance on what we can do for them ourselves.

Let us pray for the weary, disheartened and dwindling members of our communities, that they may be opened again to the joy of Jesus and become enthusiastic witnesses of his love.

Pray for the Blessed Sacrament volunteers who give up their free time so that we can celebrate. May they, together with all the staff, be able to open themselves to God and to the love of one another, and thus become a community that witnesses to God’s love by its very existence.

For Children

Listen to others, who needs what. There are many moments when we can’t help directly, but sometimes a simple step towards the other person can make a difference. Look for opportunities to do something good for your fellow human beings!

Look for opportunities to meet your grandparents, the elderly people around you. Your grandparents or other elderly people will surely enjoy hearing their old stories. Think about what you have received or learnt from your grandparents or the elderly people around you (whether it’s just a compliment, a wise thought, a shared experience, or just a bowl of cake). If you can, thank them or give thanks in a prayer.

For Young People

Choose one person a week to please. Pray for them and seek to find real joy either by visiting and talking to them or by actively helping them. Trust your ideas, be creative.

For Families

Magdi has brought God’s presence into her environment, even into her workplace. She did this through her words and actions. During the holidays it is very good to share our joy and celebration with others. Find someone in your environment you can help as a family. Whether it’s a visit, shopping, tidying up your surroundings.

For Seniors

What a joy when you can still do something! Ask Jesus for help with your daily tasks. Don’t be annoyed if something is slow or doesn’t work at all. Do as much as you can, but do it with Jesus. Such activity always bears heavenly fruit. And when you need the help of others, open yourself to them (this may be the hardest thing to do). Now is an opportunity to have someone to help, someone to sacrifice for. In the difficulty of this, Jesus is closer to you than you think. But he has identified himself with those for whom something good is done. Give thanks for his nearness, give thanks for the nearness of those who are there to help you – even if they don’t do everything the way you want them to.