I woke up around 5 o’clock local time (around noon-time in Poland), not knowing whart to do. It was dark outside, the whole house was asleep. A wonderful time for prayer and meditation. After the rosary the meditation led me to our recent days. I was still between Polish and local time and I rememberd Friday’r reading on the feeding of multitude (John 6: 1-15).

I was struck by the Apostles counting on their own strengths only, on what they had. The first thing they thought about on hearing Jesus’ question (“Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”) was how much money that had and how much food one of the listeners had. They never thought about the Lord being with them and they felt helpless. And Jesus? He made use precisely of what seemed to them too modest and insufficient in this situation.

Jesys did not perform the miracle of creating of food (although he was able to do it) but the miracle of multiplication. As if he’d wanted to say: you don’t need what you haven’t got. All you need I have given into your hands. But remember just one thing: Me. With Me you’ll have enough of everything.

I have to make myself aware of it constantly, too. Especially here, thousands miles from home and the nearest and dearest and with a widow’s mite – as seen from the local point of view – in my pocket. The most important thing is that the Lord is here with me. He’s using my reality and especialy the people in it.

Finally we stayed with Michał in Chicago. We re flying only tomorrow provided our plane takes off. So we had a whole day for ourselves to recover after the very active time and after a long journey. Our friends from Chicago, Janina and Janusz, took care of us. They collected us at night and just before four o’clock at night we were in beds. In this way Michał could see Chicago (from the windows of the plane) and admire the real skyscrapers – they truly seemed to scrape the sky because of the rain and mist that obscured their tops. But we visited the monuments of Kościuszko and Kopernik.
We also had time for a Holy Mass in a true Chicago parish (the parish of Father Tadeusz), where everything is in Polish, all the inscriptions, although there is an English translation for foreigners as it turns out that there are still people in Chicago who don’t understand Polish. So we had a very flexible beginning of our stay in the States – we were abroad but everything was in Polish. Tomorrow the real stuff begins – everything in American.
Thank you for your support – thanks to you we manage to cope:)

Your foreign correspondent
Fr. Jay

Father Captain started yesterday another missionary journey of his. Thie time it will last 6 weeks and it will lead him further than the end of the world and back.

The first stage of that trip is Education Phase II at Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, USA – and it will involve his pastoral care during the education program for NaProTechnology doctors and Creighton Model FertilityCare System Parctitioners. He’s not travelling alone –  but together with one of our blog Authors, Michał, who could not take part in EP II in Łomianki, as his little son was just born in that time. Now he’ll get the chance to be in the heart of NaProTechnology – we’re with him with all our hearts.

The Board of Editiors, while expecting any sign of life from their Mobile Team, started to look for the Bermuda Triangle on the map, doubting it could have been on the way from Poland to Nebraska. But luckily, an hour ago a text message arrived:

We got stuck at the airport in Chicago. 25 h ago we left Home in Łomianki. In 6.5 h we have the next flight, in the “stand-by” version, i.e. we’ll board if places are available. If not, the next flight is on Friday. For now, we do sightiseeing at the airport. Talk to you soon. From Chicago, Fr Jay

So we’re looking forward to the story of creative ways to spend time at the airport – hopefully in the shorter version of travel delay. 🙂

M

Jesus said to Nicodemus “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ” (John 3:16)

I remember being moved very much by those words when I was young . I was getting to know Jesus at that time. I felt so important and chosen and loved so much. Unselfishly and unconditionally.  Simply because I am!

“Oh, how much we’d like to be in your shoes” – I’ve heard once from a couple that want a child very much but wait in vain for one. In an informal conversation I described to them daily life of oir fanily with four children, expecting the birth of the next one soon. My description was consisted by no means of superlatives only.

Another woman, very young, told me that one child was quite enough for her. She had many children at her workplace. “I am very much in favour of children but I don’t yet feel ready, mature enough” – I heard from another myoung married woman. “Lets’s be honest, we are simply afraid. If God helped me, I would be very happy, but I am unable to do it myself” – that sentence I heard when people congratulated us on the birth of our child. To have the full picture, I need perhaps to add athe opposite view: the words of a woman that I noted here:

http://inharbour.wordpress.com/2012/09/17/two-images/

The attitudes towards parenthood are so different and dependent on so many factors. I have written once on the colours of our life. They are varied, too. However – and I am absolutely sure of it – life is always a gift entrusted to us. It is a mistake to usurp the right to dispose of it completely. And this is for me a basic colour.

 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.(Luke 24: 41-43)

The disciples were not left to themselves. But they must have been emotionally upset by the events of the recent days. And when Jesus appears to them as risen, they do not believe in who they see, even when they can touch Him. Only a meal with Him puts them at peace so that the Lord opens their minds and explains the Scriptures.

A blessed time at the table.

In our Family not always are we able to eat together. However, when it happens it turns out that it is a very important moment. At the table we are closer to each other and there is an opportunity for a conversation. Sometimes it is serious and sometime full of humour. During a meal together we can ask each other questions and explain many difficult things, especially when we invite Jesus, too.

A blessed time at the table.

Thank you, Jesus, that you do not us alone now but that you invite us to Your table, that You are present there so that we can touch You and that You constantly and very patiently explain the Scriptures to us.

Thank you for this blessed time at Your table.

Dorota

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” (John 20:16a)

I am always enchanted with the the story of Mary at Jesus’ tomb, Mary, who was looking for the Lord, and He wanted her to recognise Him as living.

Mary recognised the risen Lord when He called her by name, even though she didn’t see Him yet. She believed when she heard His voice.

And how many times Jesus called me by name?

The first time – when I was baptised; at every Eucharist; every day when He comes to me with His word.

Jesus, let me always see You with the eyes of faith, when You call me by name which you’ve always known. 

Dorota