My story

Milan is a husband and a father. He works as educator for mentally disabled children

I grew up in a traditional Catholic family. All family members and relatives were Christians. As a little boy I liked to go to church and I believed in the Lord Jesus. I didn’t pay to much attention to older people and I often forgot to tell them “Good morning” or something like that. Once I was leaving the church building and I met a group of older people, let’s say “senior citizens”.

Since I didn’t say hi, one of them called me and explained me that it is important to salute older people. It is an expression of respect towards them. He told me I always have to hail by saying: “Praised be Jesus Christ”. Since that day, I saluted everybody in that way – even schoolmates who were just a couple of years older than me. I did it for whole years. It wasn’t really the most appreciated form of salutation back in those times of rigid Communist regime.

Childhood passed quite fast. I didn’t realise that I was gradually losing my faith in Jesus Christ. When I was 17, my father wanted to explain me something about God. I was angry and I cried: “Shut up! There isn’t any God. God is dead". I became a non-believer and I didn’t even know how. I was probably conditioned by the aforementioned tradition. I didn’t want to be a believer only because I had learnt the Lord’s Prayer and some other prayers.

For further four years I kept being a non-believer. I did bad things and I thought I was a hero. For instance, I got alcohol dependent. I drank and smoked a lot. I was continuously hanging around with my friends during week ends and we just drank all the time. I worked and earned well, but I spent everything to buy alcohol and for my friends.

I lived like an alcohol addicted person and I knew it was not good. Still as a non-believer I started my alcoholism treatment. Unfortunately, I was not consistent. My longing for alcohol was stronger than my inspiration to stop drinking. So my life went on until the day I met the Lord Jesus. It happened in summer 1989. I was with my friends in Nitrianske Rudno and we were fishing. We didn’t catch any fish because we were always drinking.

Fortunately, I liked reading. The Lord knew about it. I bought a book and I liked it so much that I read it without pausing. It was about people who experienced their own death and then survived. For me the main message of that book was: "Did you love your neighbour as yourself?" In that very moment I realised that I had heard those words long time before in a church; and I believed that the person who uttered those words was Jesus Christ himself. And in that very moment I believed in him. Yes, I believed… But it was not easy to put an end to all those bad things that I have already mentioned in this story. It was a long term healing process. The hardest obstacle was alcohol. It was a factor that was also related to my friends. I was not able to get rid of my bad habits and I was still drinking with friends and colleagues.

Now the situation was different. I had severe internal reproaches inside my conscience. I promised God, my family, and all people around me that I would stop drinking. It was not easy. The burden was too hard and much stronger than me.

I really fought a lot. And it was like that until one day when I came back home completely drunk. My father was in the same conditions as me. I don’t remember how, we started to argue. Words soon degenerated in physical fight. It was very bad. I had hit my father with my hands. The following day my dad came to my room. I didn’t remember anything about the night before. He said: “It is half past nine. I give you time until noon. Pack your stuff and go away. You are no longer my son.” I didn’t understand why he said that. I really didn’t remember anything about the night before. Then I suddenly realised what I did. I was so sorry. I understood that it wouldn’t have happened if I were sober.

It was a very important moment in my life. God gave me a chance to get healed from alcohol addiction. Eventually, my father forgave me and allowed me going back home. Since then I was never drunk again. It was 25 years ago.

In my search of God I first entered the Society of the Divine Word. I attended my postulate and novitiate. After novitiate I left the order, because I understood that my Christian road passed elsewhere. Then I met a girl. Unfortunately, after some time she broke up with me, because I did not fulfil her expectations of future husband. I suffered a lot because of this. It was a big cross for me.

Back then I met Tomáš Pružinec in Bratislava. Later on, he became my best friend. He repeatedly invited me to their prayer group. Initially, I didn’t want to join them, but then I decided to give them a chance. It was the beginning of a new journey with the Lord Jesus. They imposed their hands on me and prayed. I received the gift of tongues and I still pray like that today.

I understood that not only the Catholics are good Christians. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes and showed me that the Church is only one and united, the Mystic Body of Christ. We are all serving the same Lord, Jesus Christ (Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, and members of other Christian denominations), even though manners of worship might be different.

I love the Church in its forms and diversity. My heart longs for the day when all Christians will be unified under the flag of the victorious Christ and they will embrace their brothers and sisters from other communities and denominations. Jesus Christ does not have several brides but only one bride – the Church, one and united. I manifested my love for a unified Church also through my marriage. Indeed, as a Catholic, I got married with a woman from the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession. Our common faith in the Lord Jesus is for both of us a great blessing. A great gift for us is common prayer, moments when we glorify our God together and we give Him thanks for our daughter. She was born in a family with two different Christian traditions but with one only Lord.

When I still lived in Bratislava I started to learn French. I wanted to go to Africa as missionary. Then I improved my French in the Communauté de Chemin Neuf in France and later on also in the L’Arche Community in France and Canada, where I worked as volunteer with mentally ill persons. It was a beautiful and rich experience. Working with mentally ill persons helped me understand the strong presence of our Lord in them. I received great blessings. So did those who cooperated with me in the same service. Jesus said: Whoever shall receive one of such little children in My name, receives Me. Or: The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

After some years my dreams of African missions evaporated. The desire of mission remained in me. Everybody can be a missionary wherever they are. It can be family, friends, workplace, school, sports club, streets, means of transportation.... I know it is not easy. I often face resistance against my actions and opinions. Somebody makes fun of me. Despite everything I am not ashamed of spreading the Gospel. It is for salvation of us all. I don’t let other people dissuade me. The Gospel is life. I would like to see as many people as possible welcoming Jesus and get saved.

Through this story I wish to encourage you all, brothers and sisters. Don’t let other people dissuade you. Announce the message of Jesus who loved us all until the extreme sacrifice and shed his blood for us.