Immaculate Conception

December 8, 2012 10:10 pm

To celebrate birthday – it’s normal in our culture. Because the birth is certainly a moment when someone IS present. And today’s celebration is a feast dedicated to the conception. The beginning of man that is first known only to God. Today, in particular, the beginning of Mary.

Her beginning is special: it’s so full of grace as to take away from her the burden of sin – this fatal inclination that makes our life a struggle and that so often brings ourselves and the others to tears, However, this fullness of grace does not deprive Mary of her humanity. Because she was ‘greatly troubled’ when the Angel came to her, and posed him questions, and later on searched for her Son ‘anxiously” – and told Him about it. So She can accompany us with full understanding of our daily cares, questions, joys and disappointments.

When today we send to heaven our best wishes for Her, we can be sure that no conceived man is ever omitted by the Father of Life. The Word for today says is that ‘He chose us in Him before the creation of the world’ and  ‘in love He predestined us for adoption to sonship’. He chose you, He chose me. And He never called that off. He chose also this little One who was born several days ago with only half of the brain and the nuns from the
Foundation in Wrocław were looking for help for the baby.

In spite of all the circumstances, each beginning is a miracle of infinite love.

Małgosia

Wait…

December 7, 2012 10:08 pm

serce ze świec

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

We know for sure that He’s coming back again. He said so himself many times.

That’s why I, especially in the Advent, learn to expect Him with joy – like a beloved guest who likes to surprise us and never says when he’s going to visit us.

And I think it’s not so much the problem whether the Guest sees everything spanking clean. He cares more for my love, my kind reception and the ready heart. And the joy about His coming.

Basia

 

 

Who needs Saint Nicolas?

December 6, 2012 10:03 pm

It is children who wait for Him most. It’s obvious, after all he always brings what they dream about at the moment. So children ask for teddy bears, computers, skis and sweets. He was always attentive to people’s needs- and he helped. In a special, very discreet way,  secretly.

Saint Nicholas is unique because he is attentive not only to children’s needs, We, adults, can also ask him for many things. He will ask on our behalf. He listens to our needs, as well. If he cares for the requests of children, he is not indifferent to ours, neither.

And if we, adults, help Saint Nicholas to fulfil the dreams of our children, as much as we can, how much more our Father will help him to fulfil our needs.

And what’s most beautiful is that he hasn’t patented his way of doing and he lets us copy his best practices.

Mikołaj 2010To bring joy to the others in a discrete fashion – and here we not only mean just buying material gifts but also a good word, some kindness. If we give in this way, we receive at the same time, and this is a true miracle, a double one.

Dosia

[On the photo we can see Dosia’s husband in the role we all know well 😉  – Note from the Editors]

creativity of charity

December 5, 2012 9:58 pm

He was a well clad, polite gentleman. He came into my office at the end of my duty on Saturday. He said that he’d locked his car keys in the car and that he had to go back to get the other set. And that he had some paint mixing facility and he would give the money back. Well, perhaps not on Saturday but surely on Monday. He’ll give back those 10 PLN that he needs. And he asked what he could give me as a collateral. Because he could gladly give me anything.

I’m talking to him, smiling to him and to myself. I’m telling him that I don’t need any collateral and that many people came here. Some didn’t have enough money to buy a ticket, some to buy medicines (the pharmacy is close at hand), some to buy bread in the nearby discount shop… And I smile again. And I’m giving him the 10 PLN because I remember a certain nun who is a streetworker. She says that we should watch out and not let  ourselves be abused. It is clear. But she also said something that stuck in my memory: that in spite of all these things we should not kill those impulses of the heart.

It is so difficult today. If I suspect that someone’s lying then perhaps it’s better not to give. But I do not identify completely with the indifference and calculating that somebody’s cheating and lying. I want to see all the people who come to me. How should I help them? How can I preserve this creativity of charity that John Paul II called for so urgently?

How do you manage to do it?

Michał

It's so good to count the days

December 4, 2012 9:56 pm

It’s so good that Małgosia has counted how many days of Advent we have. Right away we get some motivation. It is not the WHOLE Advent but only 22 days that pass so quickly. It is a bit like on a marathon: you notice first the first ten, then you count the kilometres to the first half, then 30 km, and then you start how much is left until the end. Only 12, 11, 10…

We all know how fast the days fly away. So it’s worth making each of them special by making my resolution. Whatever it is, the aim is always not my “perfection” but the joy of others. What do I care for a big resolution if I haven’t brought any joy to those around me? In Szczecinek on Sunday we finished the programme I+You=We. It was so good to see those wives and husbands who during the Holy Mass at the end looked at one another with so much tenderness and smile. Let this Advent bring the most beautiful smiles to our near and dear.

With a smile for you, my beloved

Fr Jay 🙂

till then I wasn't alive, I longed for you like the love sick moon pulls the tide

December 3, 2012 9:52 pm

... but just say the word. (Matthew 8:8)

22 days of Advent. What can we do in such a short time? It is as if we found out that guests were coming and everything’s in a complete mess and the fridge is empty.

So perhaps we should switch off all those things that distract us, all those illusory neons and trinkets that deceive this true hunger for love in us. At first it will get dark but later the light will come. And in this light we’ll see how close He is and we will see all those who are entrusted to us and also hungry for love.

But still we can be late. So we need to give priority to the expected Guest: open ourselves to the grace so that He can prepare a place that is adequate to His desire.

And trust Him. That He’s gonna come. Even if everything in us says that it just won’t work, that He’ll find a better place, that it’s not for me.

It is also His Advent. He’s already waiting.

01775

M.

A New Beginning

December 2, 2012 9:47 pm

I don’t know about you, but I love beginnings. Although immediately the words from my Latin class spring to my mind that omnes principium difficile (every beginning is difficult), I keep looking forward to every new beginning. This is the opportunity to correct all the past failures, to get involved in something new, this is always a solemn moment. A new academic year, a new running season (let me remind you that it starts in the winter 😉 ), a new skiing season (although it does not really apply to me because I don’t ski very well), a new… So many important things that only just start.

And today is the beginning of the new church year. It is so important to me. More and more the most important one. Some time ago the dividing line used to be the new school year. Then, for a while, it was the calendarl year, starting on the 1st of January, and later – the working year – the new academic year. But now my heart rejoices most at the new church year because I am more in the Church than anywhere else.

We start with new resolutions, with a new zeal, we start  the efforts of self-improvement –  to make our nearest and dearest even happier, so that the world becomes more beautiful thanks to me.

Fr Jay

The Defender of My Dreams

December 1, 2012 9:44 pm

A lot has been written about friendship.

A friend is someone who is there but not in an aggressive way. Someone who gives you the freedom to be yourself.  Someone who believes in you and who supports you when you are successful. Someone who knows your shortcomings and even your great blunders but keeps them to themselves. When you start a sentence, frequently they can finish it for you. But sometimes, when they really care, they can say ‘Maybe you need to think it over’  or ‘You may have exaggerated a little bit.’.

I sit next to my Guardian Angel. Sometimes I wonder whether this might be a friendship for life because all those efforts are rather one-sided. And one-sidedness is not in human nature. Who could bear it!

Then I remember those moments when so much depended on Him. When I was not able to tell anyone what was happening and He was there. In the car, during a conversation He would not say: ‘I’m getting off, I’ve got enough’. He would always say only ‘You’ll be fine. We’ll be fine’. First, second, third, fourth gear. Easy turn. We are fine.

The defender of my dreams and guardian of my sleep.

M