Fr Jay did a lot to give a vivid description of the Foundation’s mobile team to the UK, so I’d only like to add some of our impressions of the English catholicism.

The adult people we meet here, often quite mature, measure their lives from the date of their conversion (often from anglicanism), as if their story was divided into “before” and “after” that moment. We could say a lot about the depth of their personal prayer life, about their knowldedge of the documents of the Church, about the magnanimous spirit of  service and love visible in details, when the toast lands on your plate just in time – even though both our Hosts, as well as we were quite tired and missing so many hours of sleep because of organizing events. So it’s not obvious, that you’d be doing those small things so eagerly.

The Wind blows wherever it passes. Fr Jonathan told us his story: when he was in Provance, managing the project of the opening of a large hotel, he heard in his heart God calling him to become a “catholic priest” – and he wasn’t even a catholic at that time!

When you look at their devotion to the Lord, it’s no wonder that so unusual things become possible – like the conference on “sex education”, or I+YOU=WE in a small village, where we’re invited by the Diocese. And you feel really and deeply moved once you see that both Fr Jay’s speech and Louise Kirk’s book on human sexuality say about exactly the same values – even though they originated in different time, different places, penned by by different people.

We are part of the Catholic Church. The closer we get to the Source of Life, listening to His Word and falling in love with Him – the closer we are to each other, even though miles apart.

Thank you for being close to us in your prayers – we needed that a lot.

Margaret

I think that God is very happy about the great Saints who “believed Love”. Thay heard it, accepted it and laid their lives for it.

But I am very happy that He remembers also about the people who are not so great. Those who look up to Him every now and and ask “Do you love me?”. And this thought has really struck me – that during every Holy Mass He takes the effort  to repeat it when His offer of the Cross is repeated. I have loved you so much. I am dying because of love for you. I am unable to express this love more strongly. 

And then He comes in a palpable way, as food that saves our life, to repeat all of this once again.

I am so grateful that He is not weary of ensuring us about His love and that there are chaplains who are not tired of talking about it. I can only say that the listeners are never tired and that the hunger for this truth never comes to an end.

M

I wonder which of you remembers this post:

http://inharbour.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/21/

It was published one year ago, on Feb 23th, 2012. It arrived to Father Jaroslaw to the local seat of the editing team in the following form:

Why was it written on a napkin? Just because we knew perfectly from the very beginning what a blog was. Blog in literature does not occupy any prominent place, It is written “incidentally” and with anything that comes handy. Hence, it is close to people and everyday life. But it also helps to write simply and gives a very personal touch to this writing.

We check every day whether writing is “close to people”, throughout all the 274 notes published until today. We dream of course that the Reader who comes to the Harbour sad, leaves this place with a smile. If they come tired, they should leave inspired.

Thank you very much for being with us for the entire year. Although we write this blog passionately and the blog writes on us, too, without readers it would all be pretty useless. Let us know what we could do better. And if you want to drop us a line, here’s our address.

M on behalf of the editing team

My daughter is in a football ream with a girl who hasn’t got one hand. She’s doing really fine. She plays fantastic. All of them seem the happiest people in the world, when I look at a fragment of the workout.

Sometimes we think that if we haven’t got something, have lost it or it has been taken from us – it is our curse. “We lived in poverty, we couldn’t afford anything”,  “the father never talked to me”, “I was the smallest in the class”, or “I have been used”. But deficiencies may be a powerful driving force. “I did not have many things, but I learned Spanish on my own”. “I talk a lot with my son so that he has better memories than I have”. “I was small, but the fastest runner”. “I shall never use another person”.

These are only examples. You are who you are thanks to what you have been given. But your uniqueness and beauty also result from all that you didn’t get. And you have so much more richness – yes, in the “failure” and “suffering” compartment – which you can use once it’s been healed and changed, and employ as your greatest talent, your personal gift.

M

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.

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 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

In the final scene of the battle for life and death, little Lucy Pevensie mounts a horse and goes off to look for Aslan. When all the forces should be put to the battle, she moves in the opposite direction.

This is such a moment – of overburdening with urgent projects where the good of my family and other people is at stake. It happens a lot. In fact what I should do is to stop sleeping and freeze physiology. And certainly, according to common sense, limit the time for prayer.

Little Lucy listens to hear heart and goes to look for the one who knows all the answers. He also has the time for a fond welcome and a conversation, although it looks like Narnia is going to lose any moment now.

And then comes the scene when Lucy, at Aslan’s side, faces the hundreds of the enemy’s army. And this is the end of the battle. One roar of the Lion who has been asked to come to the site of the battle. All is saved.

I need this logic.

Małgosia

You are this change that you want to see in the world (in the relationship, at home, at work… fill in as you please).

Małgosia

Don’t tell God that you’ve got a great problem. Tell the problem that you’ve  got a great God.