On the Pathways of Seeking God [antikvár]

PREFACE My book On the Pathways of Seeking God was first published in 2005 and its run of 1000 copies was sold within a few days. Since that time there have been several requests for a new edition, but due to my duties and other constraints, I have been unable to initiate a new edition - till now. Approaching my 70"^ birthday, my friends encouraged me to realise a new edition with the help of the Archdiocese and our new institution the "Szaléziánum". As the world has changed over the last 8 years and I have written some new pieces 1 consider important, the second edition is a revised version of the first. I omitted the study entitled The Meaning and Significance of Charisma, as well as a few shorter pieces. 1 added a piece entitled The Dangers of Ultraliberal Thinking, my lecture entitled Humour and Optimism in the Bible and 1 made some changes to the piece entitled Towards Wholeness. What I wrote in the preface of the first edition is still relevant. Editing the new volume was not the result of my personal ambitions, but rather the hope that my writings are useful and worth reading. 1 myself find the thoughts in Toward Wholeness, The Dangers of Ultraliberal Thinking and Tell me there is a Heaven especially significant. These are not studies; they are real thoughts of a man who suffered through the years of an atheist dictatorship and who is now again suffering from the harm caused by a liberal dictatorship. 1 was in Paris recently and I had the chance to celebrate mass and give a sermon in a French church that is under the protection of Saint Elisabeth of Hungary. There were a lot of people who came to see me after the holy mass and they spoke about my sermon too. Among these people there was a journalist who lived in Paris and whose mother tongue was Italian. She was pleased with my humble sermon because it was "simple, topical and interesting". 1 hope she was right and that her words are valid for On the Pathways of Seeking God also. 1 recently found a note with a reference to the first edition of this book from a radio editor: "From this book we can read aloud that which we consider to be good and useful". Obviously, the whole book is not for reading out aloud, but I do hope it is worth reading. 1 offer this volume to my priest brethren, to the Christian faithful, and to all my neighbours who are open to getting to know and contemplate the thoughts of an ageing bishop who has experienced the closeness of death and considers life a gift. Veszprém, Advent2013 +Márfi Gyula Archbishop of Veszprém