Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she hasn borne?
Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

(Isaiah 49:15-16)

When my husband needs to make sure he won’t forget something important, he writes it with the ballpoint pen on his palm. Sometimes, when he comes back from work he asks me: “Look, it’s all blurred, what did I mean?” It might be a phone number, time of the meeting with his employees or a request from me: buy dishwasher tablets.

I like to hear how very important I am. Sometimes I worry when I don’t hear it for a couple of days in a row, because I start to suspect something might have changed. I could ask God about it every day, to make quite sure that He’s carrying me somewhere close to His heart, that He hasn’t taken offense and He’s not keeping me at an arm’s length.

So He wrote it down. He wrote it down with the wounds piercing His palms right through. He let people hurt Him just to convince me that He’s not interested in keeping anybody at a distance.

I may also write down on the palms of my hands: “I am loved.” In order not to forget.

Małgosia

Time seemed to be passing much too fast last Sunday. Our Community had its monthly meeting, but I also had my after-hours call duty. So while the others were adoring our Lord Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, I was stitching up a dog’s paw. Fortunately, the fate was on my side later and I could take part in the Eucharist together with the others. Such is life: you have to fight to secure time for God.

I spent the evening with my wife taking the opportunity to reflect on my life. We watched “Courageous” by Alex Kendrick. The movie was great, we enjoyed it a lot. And I could reconsider, for another time, what kind of father I am. Because the film is addressed to the men called to fatherhood.

In one of the first scenes we’re given data which account for a direct link between the quality of the father-child relationship and the juvenile crime rate. “I know your shift work’s hard (…), but when you clock out, go home and love your families” – one of the characters says.

There is no coincidence – it was the Feast of St Joseph the next day. Being a father is not easy, but the guardian of Jesus sets the example. Just like me, he worked hard to earn his family’s living – but he never forgot he was a husband and a father. And he chose to be obedient to God in whatever he did.

As he was silent on the pages of the Gospel, so does he remain in his support for our family. He is silent, but very effective.

St Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, protect us!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKtO_yAYEQM?rel=0&w=560&h=315]
Michał

The longer I live, the more I admire St Joseph.

Who was he that God should want to share with him the title of the “Father” to His Beloved Son?

Who was he that the Immaculate Mother of God would choose him among all men to be her closest life’s companion?

Who was he that Jesus would call him “Dad”?

We know Joseph must have pronounced the name of Jesus when asked how to name his SON, as that was the father’s responsibility back then. Apart from this – silence falls over his entire life. No miracles, no great deeds, no revelations. And yet he has come to mean so much in heaven – the Protector of the Holy Church! And its unofficial Minister of Finance. We also venerate him as the Protector of Families.

St Joseph, you lived your earthly life in gentleness and humility; teach me to accept from God’s hand whatever hurts, humiliates and mortifies me, so that I may become gentle and humble in heart like Jesus. And like you.

Fr Jay

If Captain J* had a built-in tachometer, it would show the value surpassing what an average employee of an international transportation company could be proud of. But it’s not about the records. It’s about what’s left in the places he’s travelled to.

Today, after he lectured and stayed with the families in Wrocław (Poland), we could all cover with fine print a volume the size of a telephone directory. I’d like to recall just one comparison that has stayed with me for years now and comes to me each time I turn the computer on. When the programs show they’re ready to work one by one, I remember that Fr Jay compared that moment to the process of realizing – each morning – who I am. So, in the first place: God’s child. A woman. A wfie. A  mother. A daughetr. A teacher. A  friend. I can define my identity in relation to the One who has called me by name, and then – in relation to Improtant People.

Some roles are fairly easy to assume, the other ones – require more effort. When you remember that you can only do well the things you love doing, it would be great if you could develop some passion in those most important areas of life. You don’t love doing the things you come out mediocre in or which leave you with the sense of incompetence. In anticipation of potential failure, the instinct prompts to escape.

That’s why we’re very grateful to our friends who encouraged us to take part in workshop on bringing up the children just when me and my husband started experiencing a heavy deafeat in that field. When we acquire new skills, we feel more confident as parents. We find more joy in the role of parents when we don’t feel like children lost in the fog in that subject.

In short, let’s take advantage of available updates to our life roles. So that we may give a creative and passionate performance.

Małgosia

*Captain J = Fr Jarosław Szymczak

He was despised and rejected by mankind (Isaiah 51:3)

Judgment. Being judged. That is what Jesus experienced when he was numbered wit the transgressors. The sentence: death punishment! Even before He embraced the cross, His heart was crucified – by evil words.

What a disastrous mistake one can make while judging! How easy it is to cast an unjust accusation right in the middle of the other person’s heart!

It amazes me what words can work. The same tongue that may create the realm of love and peace, can also become the instrument of destruction, dealing blows; of making unfair and hurtful judgments.

So now I understand why Jesus so often warned: “Do not judge…” Because we’re so easily swayed by emotions and prone to assuming that the appearance – or the shadow deformed by mere interpretation of things – actually is „the” truth.

While contemplating the First Station of the Cross, I feel how immensely important it is to cultivate the habit of defending my spouse from accusations in my own heart!*

When my heart gains more freedom from judging, I find it easier not to join in the company of accusers whenever I become unintentionally a part of somebody else’s “trial”.

Basia

*One of the follow-up e-learning tasks after the “You and I = We” Program.

I said, “If you knew, you wouldn’t want me;
My scars are hidden by the face I wear.”
He said, “My child, my scars go deeper;
It was love for you that put them there.”

(B. & G. Gaither, I am loved)

My waste land, my unwanted places – it’s them that He turns into the Holy of Holiest. The door I locked not to let in the emptiness and fear, my lessons unlearnt, my disappointed prospects – it’s over them that He puts up His Tent of Meeting. He’s there to meet me not despite my deficiencies that I would rather not discuss, but right in the middle of them. He also wants this closeness – which I need from Him more by far.

Małgosia

“Now, Israel, hear the decrees and laws I am about to teach you. Follow them so that you may live and may go in and take possession of the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you.” (Deuteronomy 4:1)

And Jesus didn’t change the Law, but He fulfilled it in Himself. And He repeated the promise: “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19)

Just look how much the Lord loves us: he never gives up encouraging us to stay faithful.

Maybe it will be easier to meet our commitments if we offer each other a well-meaning support?

Dosia

The Indian poet Kabir (1440-1518) says in a poem that we often hope to meet God in a moment of time. Little do we realize that this moment is with the person at the side of us! How true is it that we often search for God but are rarely aware that he resides in each and every person we meet! “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 6 : 19-20)
It was wonderful that I lived all my life in Calcutta in India before moving to the city of Chennai where I reside now.

I had the opportunity to visit Wrocław in Poland and loved the city and the people. When people in Poland asked me about the name of the city that I live in India, almost no one had heard about the city of Chennai! Some did not know New Delhi which is what Warszawa is to Poland. However, it was beautiful to know that everyone knew about Calcutta! The main reason was because of Mother Teresa. The wonderful nun who dedicated her life to the Jesus she saw in every person! “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise” is what she said about the poor and downtrodden that she was a shining light to.

As a young boy, I had the opportunity to meet her a few times. It’s hard to forget the first time I met this saintly nun. She was sitting in a corner on the floor of the chapel at the Missionaries of Charity house. One could hear (and even today you can hear) the bustling street outside – cars honking, trams passing by noisily and buses restarting their engines. However, this beautiful lady was absorbed in prayer. Today, there is a statue in the place where she used to sit, absorbed in prayer even though there was so much noise around!

I end this post with these thoughts of seeing God in everyone we deal with during this week and to continue our dialogue with God through this gift of time we have.
Have a lovely week!

Joseph

– meaning: more than one melodic voice. Poliphony was there at the dawn of the idea for a blog which would show the snapshots from living by faith.

So you’ll find here many voices, different perspectives and instead of “the” author – many authors. One faith, but diverse ways in which we discover, experience and share it. All this  to turn “a blog” – yes, that simple and popular form of writing – into the place of an encounter and exchange. Into the communion of authors, readers and those who work hard translating and proofreading. A hospitable place and not totally virtual.

From now on, in the “Harbour” there will be a special place for the boats of our Guests to moor at. Our first Guest, Joseph, lives at the distance of 7 thousand kilometers from Poland, in the country, where Christians account for no more than 3-5% of the population. We’re very happy he wrote a few lines to share at the “Harbour”. We’re honoured to welcome India.

That’s it. How to take care of our love? Among other ways, by taking care of the time for us. But how is it possible to find that time, if you leave for work at dawn and come back home at dusk? Of course, you are left with the proverbial „5 minutes” in the evening. Unfortunately, after a day that leaves you exhausted and seeking for a fast way to unwind, those 5 minutes are easily – almost automatically – wasted.

And yet I’ve found a way. I started to protect the time for my beloved wife in my heart. It is enough if you direct your thoughts – in the middle of the hustle and bustle – to that person. Even though she’s at some physical distance, she’s also close to your heart. What would all this mean, all our work, efforts, confronting challenges, if we weren’t given the chance to be received by the arms waiting there for us? And those returns home are totally different, if you let yourself “feel” your mutual love, and become conscious of it for a couple of seconds during the day. Such “mental text message” will be received by your wife. Especially if you add your smile, kind word and gesture when you come home. Then it turns out that those 5 minutes that you’re left with at the end of another hard day are far more difficult to waste.

Out of those text messages and unwasted 5 minutes a day, I get, in turn, the strength to save maybe one whole evening a week, or maybe one day a month… that we may have just for us, to nurture our love.

Michał