Would you like?

August 31, 2013 8:36 am

The beginning of the end of holidays. We hurry in the direction of the Tatra mountains. We stop at a church on our way, because it’s Sunday, and we kept packing things for so long.

A priest resembling Janosik (the real one, from the TV series) by his stature, face and even the way of speaking. An ordinary sermon about modern civilisation with its strive to make everything easy and the narrow door that Jesus recommends, And a question: “Would you like to be loved comfortably?”.

Well.. Do I love comfortably? Sometimes. Too often. Do I like such “love”? By no means.

Thank you, father Janosik.

Andrzej J.

12 hugs

August 24, 2013 12:47 pm

Apparently, people need twelve hugs a day to feel well. These may be physical, verbal or visual hugs.

This is so because we need food for our feelings, a food coming from other people or spiritual food that we get from prayer or meditation*.

I must agree with it when I watch our kids, who, by their nature, need much hugging all the time, even in a conflict situation.

I must agree with it when I am waiting for and appreciate each good word, a compliment from my husband, children and friends.

I must agree with it when I experience extraordinary peace and appreciation when I spend time with God at the Adoration. He has seen me and could say a lot of good things about me whan I was still under the fig tree.

“When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

(John 1: 47-48)

If it is so, I shall hug today, in a more aware way, above all those whom I love very much, so that they never doubt that. And I wish the same to you.

Have a nice day.

* read in “7 Habits of Highly Effective Families” by Stephen R. Covey

Dorota

It's worth asking

August 22, 2013 3:27 pm

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” – we read in today’s Gospel.

For each one of us God has a wonderful plan, full of peace and love. It is also full of invitation to step beyond ourselves and not stand in one place, to trust more. In spite of everything.

But sometimes it happens so that our life becomes very complicated. We do not understand anything any more and we fight against the temptation of resignation, we may tend to fall into scepticism, bitterness and depression.

At such moments it is worth coming with the questions to God, as Mary did and not sticking to our doubts. We may then hear ““The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you”.

It is good to change the change the perspective at the prayer and to have the confidence that beyond all the porblems and difficulties there is always love and grace, thet all things have their sense, that God knows best and He will lead us in a perfect way. We must only believe that “all things are possible with God”.

It's not outdated

August 20, 2013 10:03 pm

“But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”” (Judges 6:23)

When I read these words at the beginning of the day, my attitude to many matters and situations changes immediately.

Although I am grown-up, I need such assertions very frequently much as such a sensibility is outdated today. But I need a sense of security, I need a good word, I need a warm relationship.

I wonder how my family feel today. Do I give them this feeling of security in return, do I support them? Not only by thoughts but with concrete words, gestures. Perhaps they need it as well but they are ashamed to talk about them?

Regardless of what it is like, I would like to assure them about it because the Lord has told me about it today and has strengthened me.

Because “with God all things are possible”. (Matthew 19: 26)
Dorota

I thought

August 20, 2013 8:53 am

I thought I knew something already
that I understood and I could manage
thet I had found a way to deal with You
and a solution to each of my faults
but thanks to God
everything has finally fallen into pieces
I am left with my empty hands
and Your love

Sister Maria of the Compassionate Christ

Often, when the order of our lives falls into pieces, we experience a complete peacefulness of God. But what could seem His detachment or iindifference is rather a moment when He asks “Let me be who Iam – God who redeems, lifts up, works, loves. And let yourself be a creation that needs Me”. That needs God not as a pleasant extra but as a necessity of life. Like a child needs a Father, like someone who is forever hungry for love. Who asks and receives.

M

In spite of everything

August 17, 2013 9:41 pm

Although we experience the height of the summer, long holidays unfortunately are not for everybody and we have always too few days of annual leave. What is more, after the leave we have not less but more to do. We run, followed by reality, and in everyday life kindness and friendliness are not very frequent. So sometimes weariness and dispiritedness follow, because perheps it is not worth trying after all?

But regardless of the situation, regardless of the mood and the situation, we should repeat the words of the psalm:
“I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken..” (Psalms 16:8)
Before Him, before His face, I am really myself. Before Him I will always find out the truth about myself. I sahll acquire confidence and trust. With Him t is easier to fulfil all obligations. I can always count on His support and He will always encourage me to do what is good and beautiful.

With Him I can always start from the beginning. In spite of everything.

Dorota

All of them wanted

August 16, 2013 10:22 am

Several days ago I saw the words in an old issue of a Polish Catholic weekly: “Take this baby and nurse him for me”, taken from the story of the little Moses, found among the reeds.

The last week at the Harbour was devoted to FertilityCare – taking care of those who fight for their parenthood against complex medical problems. At the other extreme there are children awaited by nobody, the ones that are seen as a burden or whose birth is hanging by a single thread. I think about them when I read those words. In Exodus they are uttered by the pharaoh’s wife but what would happen if we saw in them the desire of God Himself? “Nurse them for me”? For the Father who walks the different paths of life and collects all those abandoned, defective, unwanted? No, we should say: the Father who is the source of life of each and everyone and existence has its deepest and unique sense in Him only.

He is also the Father of children whose parents overestimate their role. Then the children become “mine”, “own”, “planned”. We worry to death about them and agonise about their future, including the defence of M.Sc. thesis, of the Ph. D. thesis or possibly even further. And then “nurse him for me” brings the parental omnipotence back down to its natural, limited dimensions.

Children. Born for eternity. Born with the desire to meet Love that has called them to life. Like each of us.

M

13th floor

August 14, 2013 11:34 am

I am still astounded at how this is possible that in the 21st century, supposedly so enlightened and free from prejudices, we cannot stay in the 13th floor of a hotel. Just because such a floor is not there. We have the 12th and then immediately the 14th floor.
Obrazek
The same happens in airlines. For the sake of freedom God is eliminated from the public space but people remain slaves of superstitions.

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”. These words are a programme for our whole life. When we get rid of chains in one filed, there appear new areas where we need to work systematically to become free.

A street parallel to the one I live in is the famous Bournon Street, the most famous street in the French Quarter, a part of New Orleans. For many hours at night it is a neverending walking zone. The French Quarter is the only place in the US where you can drink alcohol in the street. The city of complete relax, the Big Easy, as Americans say. However, it seems not to have much in common with real freedom.
Fr. Jay

Janina Filipczuk RIP

August 12, 2013 10:21 am

The deliberations of the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals culminated in an accent that was very pleasant for us. The late Janina Filipczuk was honoured with an award that will be transferred to her family. The person that presented her achievements stressed very much her involvement in making NaPro known in Poland.

I still remember vividly her stay in Łomianki and our meetings, full of plans and projects. It is thanks to her that I have come to Omaha and that the extraordinary friendship with the Institute of the Pope Paul VI began.

Now both the institutes, the one in Omaha and the one in Łomianki, are bound by official cooperation and still we are so much more united by the desire to spread the good news about marriage and family. The beginnings of this fiendship go back to Janina. It is so good tat the organisers remembered this person who always acted with dynamism, enthusiasm and warmth, wherever she went.

We recommend Janina to God’s mercy but also we entrust to her care further developments around NaPro in our home country.

Still from New Orleans

Fr. Jay

Dr. Hilgers' 70th birthday

August 11, 2013 2:41 pm

Today we have been celebrating Doctor Hilgers’ 70th birthday. This is thanks to him that we are all here. If it had not been for his reading of “Humanae vitae” by the Pope Paul VI, we would have neither the Creighton model, nor NaProTechnology, nor the yearly meetings. So everybody wanted to celebrate this occasion in a special way.

Obrazek

Dr Hilgers has spent the last moments of the day with his nearest and dearest: among others, with the youngest of the family, Matthew, with his only daughter Teresa, who is also obstetrician, and with his eldest son Paul. The other sons: Steven and Mike, celebrated this birthday with their own families, but in telephone contact. n the same day 30 years ago also the daughter of Ann Prebil, the co-creator of the Creighton model, was born, too, so we celebrated altogether their 100th birthday. 🙂

Obrazek

I am happy to have been able to witness this family event. We owe so much to Thomas Hilgers. We pray for him and ask God to keep him for many years to come.

With my prayers and wishes of many happy returns for Doctor Hilgers.

Fr. Jay