On 17 June 2025, the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group held its 177th and last prayer breakfast of the spring cycle.
Imre Vejkey, the leader of the prayer group, quoted the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, on the theme of Christ who was rich and became poor for us (2 Cor 8:1-9)
Ezt követően a napi evangéliumi szakaszt idézte, amelyben Jézus azt tanította, hogy „He then quoted the Gospel passage of the day, in which Jesus taught that “we must love not only our friends but also our enemies.””
"Jesus said this to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount: “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
Reflecting on the teachings of the scriptures, he began his reflection with the difficult question of what it means to love your enemy. Do we also confess the light of the Lord to them and thereby give them the opportunity to repent? For we must know that in so doing we are wishing and offering them the best, which is salvation itself. Let us not, therefore, return evil for evil, but rather let us strive to become more and more in the image of the Lord - perfect. For this is our mission from God, to be perfect as He is perfect. In this task we are not alone, but we have the means to do so, which the Lord gives us through the sacraments to support us on our way to Him.
Afterwards, György Bakondi, Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group Foundation, shared his thoughts on the event. He stressed that we human beings, though not flawless, must strive to become like the Lord Himself.
Róbert Szendrei, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Hungarian Parliamentary Prayer Group Foundation, explained that the Scriptures do not teach us not to fight against the enemy, that is, if we are attacked, we can defend ourselves. But the point is that we can always forgive. It is also important to emphasise that it is not the person of our enemy that we must fight, but the spirit of our enemy.
