is not only the day of farewells, this time until we-don’t-know-when and we-don’t know-where but also the day of exams, so in the Institute we have an atmosphere of reflection and solemnity. Because of the written and oral exams and presentations the students were divided into small groups:  Educators, Practitioners, Medical Consultants and  Double Programme participants.

And besides – we care for each other, support each other and consult quickly. It’s exams’ time after all…

Archbishop Henryk Hoser, who visited us today and held the Holy Mass, explored with us at depth NaPro  both as a doctor and a theologian. We needed this very much. We will gladly publish the sermon once it is published. And now we come back to work because there’s s still a lot to do. See you tomorrow.

I always remember you warmly.

Father Jarosław

Just before eight o’clock life in our Institute quickens its pace. In the lecture hall, the computer has already been connected to the multimedia projector which is showing the first slide of the presentation. Dr Hilgers, standing with the mocrophone, is ready to start the lecture. Faculty members are in place, and the students are filling the hall. In a while there will be a common prayer at the beginning of the day. In contemporary lingua franca – in English. Those who can’t speak English – pray in their own language, so sometimes you get the impression we’re praying in tongues.

As soon as the lecture hall door shuts,  participants’ children appear in the lobby outside – with their fathers or baby sitters. It’s another opportunity to meet and exchange experience.

Today it’s similar, though a bit different. There is one husband who came with his wife, but without the kids (the’ye been left with their grandparents). He takes part only in the Mass and some of the lectures.

After the prayer, he sat down at a small table and opened the Bible. He became engrossed in his reading. When I came back, he was still praying. Next to him was the I-Pad. There will be a time for checking the mailbox, “what’s on the news in the politics”, maybe something more… But first – the meeting with the word spoken by God. It’s also the way to “believe Love.” Who can tell you about it better, after all?

With loving memory of you,

Fr Jay

Such an arrival in the world obliges to thanks. In the hospital they said that it was a perfect birth. Numberless text messages in overflowing mobiles of the parents show that many people gave us their kindness and supported us with prayer. What’s more, it turned out that those prayers flew to the Giver of life in different languages. In such circumstances you can have a perfect labour, I recommend it.

Love is not a teddy bear or flowers
Neither love when one is crying
and the other jumping
Love is no movie in any cinema
roses or kisses, small or large.
But love – when one is falling down,
the other pulls them upwards.

Happysad Before I go

It is a pop song but the words seemed to me and my Husband a bit of an essence.

Today is the beginning of the Lent. This is a very special time, a time of grace. I read with a new sensitivity the Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI for Lent.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/lent/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20121015_lent-2013_en.html

In the light of what happened on Monday I read his words a bit like a testament because quite soon he will stop preaching as the Pope.

The whole Message is wonderful. It is worth reading carefully. Let me share with you two sentences from it:

Christians are people who have been conquered by Christ’s love and accordingly, under the influence of that love – – they are profoundly open to loving their neighbour in concrete ways (cf. ibid., 33).“ [nr 1]

Everything begins from the humble acceptance of faith (“knowing that one is loved by God”), but has to arrive at the truth of charity (“knowing how to love God and neighbour”), which remains for ever, as the fulfilment of all the virtues (cf. 1 Cor 13:13). [nr 4]

We can say in concise terms that what we need to is to “believe Love”  (1 J 4, 16).  This is the programme for the Lent. For each of us it means different things, different efforts and a different point of departure… The point of arrival is common to all of us.

See you on the way.

I remember you all and pray for you.

Father  Jarosław

Our edtiting team colleagues, Basia and Michał, have welcomed today their son Michal Junior at this side of the belly.

Congratulations! We send greetings and pray, thanking God for the safe delivery of the Small Man.

Welcome to the world! There are so many wonderful things before you, so much good – for you and through you.

The Harbour team

Ever since last Thursday, Łomianki near Warsaw, Poland, have become the European NaProTechnology center.

The team from Omaha arrived first. Starting on Monday, we were preparing lecture rooms, places for individual meetings with the Instructors, checking if the equipment works properly. On Thursday the Educators started their course: students from Africa, Croatia, Ireland and Poland. They are the most advanced – they’ll be licensed to teach the Instructors.

On Saturday we began classes for those who had come across Creighton Model System in other places than Omaha and Łomianki. There are the students from France, England, Scotland, Lithuania and, of course, Poland. Today the participants from Education Phase 1 in September will start arriving, mainly doctors, and tomorrow – all the remaining students. That makes up altogether almost 120 participants from 12 countries.

So this is a challenge, not only related to logistics, but also the chance of experiencing something axtraordinary: meeting people from different parts of the world, who have various jobs and life vocations, but who share one desire to serve married couples and those who wish to fulfil their parenthood in God’s way. So what’s to be expected is not only very intensive immersion course, but also the time of great prayer. It was wonderful to see and hear Our Father spoken in so many languages, to experience the sense of being united on one faith. Even though the responses to the priest celebrating the Mass were given in different languages, they only confirmed the universality of the Liturgy.

Each participant has brought their experience of meeting married couples. They are here to learn to help them better. Now it’s time for us to help the participants and to support them with our prayer.

From the heart of the events,

the eye witness

Fr Jay

I have gone through my Favourites. I have located myself in Google Earth and Street View. I have chnaged my status on the Facebook. I have expressed myself through “I like it” and I have checked whether others were also finding it difficult to concentrate at work. I have put the speck of the day on the blog, because it has landed on my memory. That’s not enough.

There is some hunger in me that cries that I still don’t know where I am and what for. I leave my things, I need to find the definite answer. I go to the One to whom my whole life leads me. I search there. He doesn’t say that He “likes it” but that He loves. Even if nuclear weapons eliminate Google and Street View from the face of the earth, He will not stop. He says that great waters will not extinguish this love. I need to find some time to hear.

“I’m so happy to see you” – I hear those words in my ears and I know already what I will say to those who I’m going to meet now.

M

As I relaxed before the birth, I watched an episode of the old film “Early Edition”. The hero believed that it was his task to save a plane from disaster (that he knew was going to happen at a certain time) and he did what he could to do this, He failed because in the meantime he took care of a girl that was hurt in a car accident and he didn’t make it on time to the airport. And he had great qualms of conscience that he didn’t manage.

He was so amazed when it turned out that the father of the saved girl who arrived at the airport at the hour of the expected disaster was the pilot of the plane that did not take off (and hence did not collapse) because of the accident of the pilot’s daughter.

and I just think to myself how limited our perception of reality is. Sometimes a situation when we fail or do not fulfil our plans is a necessary part of a bigger scheme of Somebody who always strives for greatest possible good and who sees better, further and deeper. I

It’s a pity I still cling to my visions and plans. It would be so much easier if I were constantly open to “other than I think”.

P.S.

Thank you, Gosia, for fresh inspirations and for the title that I like very much. 

Basia

As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for He knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust

Psalm 103:13-14

There is this particular kind pain – of not fulfilling the others’ expectations.

How many times do I project on God the groan of disappointment over myself. And obviously nobody would like to hear: “I expected you’d do better than this”. In all my considerations of “what would have happened, had I…”, I  rehearse the fear that I failed. Worse, I can feel it coming again. Failure is there, waiting round the corner, and it shows up between all the good things that we manage to accomplish in between.

But He never fails to come to our aid in our weakness. He takes the bruised and scratched child into His arms, the child who wanted to tell Him something very important, but stumbled and fell, went into the stinging nettles, simply didn’t make it.

It’s so great that the end of my power only marks the begining of His.

Małgosia