Faithful Servant

 “The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, ‘Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’” (Matthew 25:20-21)

Today was the funeral and burial of a beloved Cistercian monk, Fr. Matthew Kovács. I wasn’t able to attend the funeral today but I did attend the Rosary last night. Fr. Matthew was born in Hungary and in 1949 entered the novitiate in the Cistercian Abbey of Zirc, experiencing the last 10 months of the monastery’s existence before its suppression by the Communists. Our Lady of Dallas, a monastery of the Cistercian Order was founded by refugees from Hungary. The monastery founded Cistercian Preparatory School in Irving, Texas and Fr. Matthew was a teacher for many years. Each decade of the Rosary was led by one of the Cistercian monks that had been one of his students, including the present Abbot. After the recitation of the rosary, a couple of people spoke to those who had gathered in the chapel. One of them was a young priest who recounted the story of his first interaction with Fr. Matthew. It was a simple yet beautiful story of a terribly shy 10 year old boy and a Hungarian monk. Not many words were exchanged but the simple act of the monk climbing on his desk to reach his stash of cookies and then offer them to this young man left a memory that will never be forgotten. The simple act of sharing cookies began the journey of this young man becoming a Cistercian monk who will also live out the rest of his life in this same monastery that Fr. Matthew helped establish. There was such joy in this young priest’s telling of this story. My first encounter with Fr. Matthew was a little humorous and each time I think back on it I can’t help but smile.

His obituary spoke about the trials he endured during Communism and the long arduous journey of his becoming a priest. It was a good reminder to us all that we must always persevere through hardships and keep our eyes on Christ. While the grief will be great for many whose lives were touched and forever changed by their encounters with Fr. Matthew, there is comfort in knowing that he died peacefully in his sleep and is now rejoicing with our King. It is comforting to know that we have another saint watching over us and interceding for us. What a great model of a good and faithful servant we have in Fr. Matthew.