The Catholic Standard & Times - Remembering Father Marian

I often told people at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, where I have been preaching for the past 40 years, that I was afraid for my salvation because I had not suffered much.

My whole life, I enjoyed the best of health although I had seen the suffering of many people in nursing homes, in hospitals and even in their own private homes. With their loved ones, I prayed with and for them.

I think the Lord heard my complaints for I did not have to wait long to receive the grace of the cross. On Aug. 6 last year, the Feast of the Transfiguration, I was diagnosed at Doylestown Hospital with colon cancer. It was not easy for me to accept that my death was approaching.

So many people visited my hospital room the nurses had to put a sign on my door asking visitors not to stay more than five minutes. There was a procession of people who wanted to see and encourage me, including Bishop Thomas G. Wenski, the Ordinary Bishop of Orlando, Fla.

One woman brought a large image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Some people brought relics and water from Lourdes. I was very moved to see the goodness and sincerity of their love for me.

Now I can see clearly that this illness was a sign given to me, like that of Mount Tabor. The Good Lord told me: “My beloved son, my priest of the New Covenant: your hour has arrived. You are to undergo your own spiritual transfiguration and purification.”

This is the special grace of Jesus’ transfiguration. Out of His infinite love, He is allowing me to share in His suffering and pain, for which I am eternally grateful.

After all the people had left my hospital room, in the long hours of the night, I felt a little lonely. I kept my eyes turned to the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I knew that she loved me very much. It was out of love for me that she gave me this cross. I kept praying for the other people in the hospital, the doctors and nurses, who, like angels of God, take care of the sick and dying. It is a beautiful profession.

I know how many people prayed for me. To them, I am quite grateful — because of the many prayers and moral support in my time of suffering, so far I am responding well to my treatment, and I hope for a full recovery so that I may continue my humble service to all who come to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

While at night, I was thinking of those good people in the hospital, I wondered whether they understood the great mystery of human and Christian suffering.

All the people of the world suffer. No one is exempt from the cross. Old and young, even little children dying in the arms of their mothers, suffer.

Suffering is a great mystery and a part of our existence on this earth.

When I lived in Poland, I visited the concentration camp of Auschwitz. In the museum, I saw pictures of thousands upon thousands of human bodies burned to ashes in the furnaces. It turned my stomach to look at these terrible pictures.

I also had the privilege of seeing the death bunker of St. Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe, the Polish priest who offered his own life for a fellow prisoner. There was nothing in the bunker but a large burning candle which reminded the visitors of God, our Light and our Immortality.

Being a priest of Polish descent, I was so proud of him. He has become my spiritual hero and example, particularly in his great love for Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception.

I was thinking also of St. Edith Stein, the Carmelite Sister Benedicta of the Cross, who offered her life for the Jewish people, and also as a faithful daughter of the Church; she suffered agony, humiliation and death.

Before I left the camp, I thought of what people do if there is no faith in their minds and no love in their hearts; of the German officers, who did not believe in God and did not know his laws — that they could do the most terrible things because they believed only in themselves as a superior race.

Many people wondered then: Where was the God of love and mercy, that these horrible things were allowed to happen?

As I said before, suffering is a profound mystery. How can human beings resolve the mystery of suffering?

It can only be resolved in contemplating the mystery of the cross on which our blessed Lord died on Calvary.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus suffered loneliness. He battled with himself, and asked His Father to release him from suffering the passion and death he was to undergo. But it is only in the cross of Christ Crucified and his sufferings that we understand the meaning of human and Christian suffering.

Our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, gave to all of us a powerful witness of the value and, we could even say, necessity of suffering in our lives. Who can forget the great effort he made to be with, and even speak to, people the last few days of his life?

In his last book, “Memory and Identity,” published just before his death, he reflected, in the very last sentences of the very last chapter, on the event that took place during his attempted assasination in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981, and of all that transpired in the world from the time of the first apparition at Fatima on May 13, 1917 to the present.

“There is no suffering which [God] cannot transform into a path leading to him. … The suffering of the crucified God is not just one form of suffering alongside others, not just another more or less painful ordeal: it is unequaled suffering … Christ gave a new meaning to suffering, opening up a new dimension, a new order of love,” Pope John Paul II wrote.

“It is true that suffering entered human history with original sin … but the Passion of Christ on the cross gave a radically new meaning to suffering, transforming it from within. [Jesus] introduced into human history, which is the history of sin, a blameless suffering accepted purely for love. All human suffering, all pain, all infirmity contains within itself a promise of salvation, a promise of joy,” our beloved late Pope wrote.

That applies to all forms of suffering called forth by evil, he said, including the “enormous social and political” evils that divide the world today: war, oppression, social injustice, human dignity being trodden underfoot, racial and religious discrimination, violence, terrorism, the arms race.

Pope Benedict XVI recently commented on that passage: “All this is not merely learned theology, but the expression of a faith lived and matured through suffering. Of course, we must do all we can to alleviate suffering and to prevent the injustice that causes the suffering of the innocent. However, we must also do the utmost to ensure that people can discover the meaning of suffering and are thus able to accept their own suffering and to unite it with the suffering of Christ.”

Being a Christian, sharing in the sufferings of Christ — that is the way that leads us to eternal life. When we join our own suffering with the suffering of Christ, it can serve as our purgatory on earth.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030) Therefore, it is better and easier for us to pay by lovingly accepting our little sufferings for our wrongdoings here on earth than to suffer the flames of Purgatory.

When I meditate on the sufferings of Christ, especially when I pray the five sorrowful mysteries of the holy rosary, I think of our Blessed Mother of all Sorrows.

I try to think of how she accepted her suffering, and lived out the prophecy of the old man Simeon, who served in the temple.

When he took the divine Child in his arms, he uttered a strange prophecy: “Your heart will be pierced with the sword.”

She never forgot this strange prophecy; it was finally and completely accomplished at the foot of the cross. By one thrust of the Roman soldier’s lance, two hearts were pierced: the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

The presence of the Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross is a tremendous help to all suffering people. She is the Mother of all Sorrows. She keeps saying with the prophet: “All of you who pass by, look at me, is there any sorrow as my sorrow?” (Lm 1:12)

The Second Vatican Council spoke beautifully about the unique relationship between Mary, the mother of the Lord, and Mary, the mother of the Church: “By reason of the gift and role of her divine motherhood, by which she is united with the Son, the Redeemer, and with her unique graces and functions, the Blessed Virgin is also intimately united with the Church.”

In the 1992 edition of the “Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” which is approved by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, there can be found a Mass in honor of “Mary at the Foot of the Cross II,” which I love to offer as often as I have the opportunity.

In the introduction to that Mass, there is a beautiful teaching on Mary’s role as mother of Christ and as mother of the faithful: “When Mary became the mother of Christ ‘by the power of the Holy Spirit,’ she became by a further gift of divine love ‘a partner in His Passion, a mother suffering with Him.’”

The beginning of the Mass echoes the prophecy of Simeon, which linked the destiny of the Son and His mother. The prayers of the Mass recall the plan of salvation by which God joined Mary’s suffering to that of Jesus, and decreed that “the new Eve should stand by the cross of the new Adam.”

The suffering of the Blessed Virgin in the drama of salvation is rightly celebrated, because she stood by the cross of the Lord “firm in faith, strong in hope, burning with love.” She endured the greatest of pains in bringing forth to new and divine life the family of the Church, though she had brought forth her Son without the pains of childbirth.

I have watched the movie, “The Passion,” many times and I have learned much from it. Especially, I watch our Blessed Mother’s behavior; she collects the blood of Jesus spread all over the floor — and there is much blood shed — and then she walks just behind Him as he carries his heavy cross.

There is a lovely scene when the eyes of Jesus and his Mother meet. She says to Him: “I am here.” She is always at Jesus’ side. Even with her eyes filled with tears, she never loses sight of her Son — especially during his bitter Passion. When Jesus is about to expire, she says to Him: “You are my Son, my body and my heart. Let me die with you.”

What a love she has shown. Did she ever complain because of her suffering? She did not. She knew exactly what was going to happen, and lovingly submitted herself to the holy will of God.

As we are about to enter Lent, let us pray for all the suffering people of the world, that they may understand the grace of their sufferings and sorrows.

Suffering and tears are good for the soul. The sufferings we all experience, whether physical, mental or emotional, are a very special grace.

I have accepted my sufferings as a priest and victim of Christ. When I say Mass, I join our Blessed Mother, whom I love with all my heart. It is for me a very special grace that will prepare me for Life everlasting.

Now, I have nothing to fear or to lose but all to gain. Life everlasting is waiting for me.

On the second day of February, after the 40th day of Jesus’ human birth, Holy Mother Church celebrates with understandable joy the feast of his Presentation in the Temple. In obedience to the Law of the Lord and in accordance with the Mosaic Law, the Child Jesus was brought to the Temple of Jerusalem to be presented to his Father.

The feast originated early in Jerusalem, then spread throughout the east and the west known as the “Feast of the Meeting” or as “Candlemas Day” because of the blessing of the candles and procession.

The feast of the Presentation of the Lord has a profound theological and spiritual message for each Christian, especially for all consecrated persons in the Church. Its central message reminds the faithful that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, the Light and the King of all creation.

The feast of the Presentation also contained a unique “Marian” aspect. It was Mary who brought her Son into the Temple. It was Mary who encountered the people awaiting the promised Redeemer and Savior.

By all probability, Mary herself carried the Baby Jesus in her arms as every good mother would do. She pressed him gently to her heart, caressed him tenderly and sang a sweet lullaby when he cried. She never forgot his first cry and tears shed at his birth and again during the ceremony of circumcision. She was aware of what was going to take place that day. She knew all the prophecies concerning her Son. She knew that she was carrying the Light of the world and that she was chosen to be the Mother of that Light.

She lovingly entrusted him into the hands of the priest, the old prophet Simeon who accepted and offered him up to God. It was that holy priest who pronounced a strange prophecy about her Son and herself, “You see this child? He is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed and you yourself a sword will pierce your own soul” (Lk 2:34-35). She often thought of that prophecy until it was fulfilled at the foot of the Cross.

When she brought Jesus into the Temple of God, the prophecy of Zephaniah was fulfilled in her for all peoples: “Shout for joy, O Daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult O Daughter Jerusalem … the King of Israel, the Lord, your God is in your midst” (Zp 3:14-18) and of prophet Isaiah: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come; the glory of the Lord shines upon you. All nations shall walk by your light and kings by your shining radiance” (Is 60:1-3).

The feast of the Presentation of the Child Jesus is also known as the feast of the Purification of Our Lady. The association of Mary and her Son Jesus is inseparable and made clear in the priestly prayer of this day: “Today, the Blessed Mary presented the Child Jesus in the temple; and Simeon, inspired by the Holy Spirit, took him in his arms, and gave thanks to God” (An antiphon to the Magnificat at second Vespers). St. Luke the Evangelist gives a few details of what actually happened on that day. He mentions that is was the day of Mary’s purification “according to the law of Moses.”

According to the Mosaic Law, the Jewish mothers were to present themselves in the Temple 40 days after the birth of a boy, 80 if a girl. They were to present themselves before the priest and make an offering appointed by the Law whereupon they would be cleansed from legal uncleanness. Our Blessed Lady did not have to do this, for she was the most pure virgin and yet, out of obedience and reverence for God’s Law and for the example of the women of Nazareth, she submitted herself to the ritual of purification.

Today, after 2000 years, the New Israel, the Church proudly professes and proclaims in the Mass the same truth that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, the true Light of the world.

On this feast of the Presentation, like at the Easter Vigil, the Faithful witness the blessing of the new fire, the lighted paschal candles which they carry in procession singing: “Christ our light” or “Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel his people.”

On both these happy occasions, the Church joyfully proclaims again and again, year after year, century after century till the end of time that the Lord Jesus is that Light promised and spoken of by the prophet Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing. … For a child is born to us, a son is given us…” Is 9:1-5).

That promise has found its ultimate fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ who said about himself “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (Jn 9:5).

His light illuminates all who approach and follow Him: “Whoever follows me does not walk in darkness, but he will have the light of life” (Jn 8:12).

Christ’s very life was and remains the light of men ”a light that shines in the dark, a light that darkness could not overpower” (Jn 1:5). Certainly, the very source of this light is his divinity as the Church professes him as “the only begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God” and St. John testified that “God is light; there is no darkness in him at all” (1 J 1:5) and “the Word was the true light that enlightens all men” (Jn 1:9). God who dwells in “inaccessible light” (1 Tm 6:16) in the face of his Son, became the visible “reflection of his glory” (He 1:3) for our sake.

We are called to “believe in the Light” (Jn 12:36), to follow the Light and to become the “children of Light” (Lk 16:8).

As for Mary, a “quiet light,” the mother of the eternal Light “clothed with the sun, standing on the moon and with the 12 stars on her head for a crown” (Rv 12:1) continues to show us the true Light. Mary, the Mother of God, the “Morning Star,” continues to lead to the true Light all those who walk in the valley of darkness of disbelief, ignorance, weakness or sin.

All are invited to join the solemn procession and to carry the lighted candles on the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord. They are visible symbols of divine splendor and the fire of the One who came to us as the radiant Light and Love to renew the whole universe with His brilliance and hope.

Mary “Our Lady of Light” and our “Lighthouse” will never cease beaming strongly and brightly until she sees us all safe in the harbor of Light and Life everlasting. Following her, we shall never go astray.

3/4/04
Mother of all sorrows

Come, all you who pass by the way, look and see whether there is any suffering like my suffering, which has been dealt me” (Lam l:12).

Some years ago, while attending St. Thomas Aquinas University in Rome, I had the chance to visit many historic Christian sites of ancient Rome, such as the Coliseum, the Catacombs and the four major basilicas. Certainly, St. Peter’s Basilica was a priority. There, like many other visitors, I often went to pray at the tombs of saintly popes like John XXIII or Paul VI located beneath the Confession of St. Peter. Indeed, it was an extraordinary experience for me.

Above all of these sweet experiences was one I shall always cherish and hold dearest in my heart, the pure white marble sculpture of the Pieta by Michelangelo. Whenever I entered the Basilica of St. Peter, I noticed how many people remained gazing at it in admiration or kneeling before it in prayer and contemplation. For me and for many others, it was not only an exquisite piece of genius’ art but above all an expression of his deep religious sentiment.

There is Mary, the Mother, holding on her lap the dead body of her Son. There is an expressible pain displayed on Mary’s face and yet there is a sense of a peaceful resignation, of unwavering hope and of compassionate love. Truly, she is La Pieta, the “Compassion.”

Holding the dead body of her Son on her lap, she must have been thinking of the joy of holding Him tightly in her arms as an infant and then on her knees as a little boy. She presented Him to the world with a question: What have you done to my Son? I gave you a perfect and beautiful Son and you have returned Him to me a dead and disfigured. Why?

How fitting and appropriate it is for us to keep this image of Mary’s compassion before our eyes as we begin the blessed time of Lent, a time of recollection of Christ’s sacred Passion, a time of a penance and of a change of heart, a time of deeper prayer and fraternal charity on our journey towards Easter.

Mary is given to us as “Our Lady of Lent” and an excellent example of how to live these days of grace in contemplation of her suffering Son. She knew what was happening to Him. She followed Him closely from His arrest to His crucifixion. She deeply shared all His sorrows.

Some spiritual authors write and speak of seven sorrows of Our Blessed Mother such as: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight to Egypt, the loss of boy Jesus in Jerusalem, Mary’s meeting with Jesus on the road to Calvary, the crucifixion, the removal of Jesus’ body from the cross and the burial in the tomb. Among the most painful sorrows is certainly the crucifixion and death of Jesus. At the foot of the Cross, Mary was permitted to drink of the cup of Christ’s suffering to its fullness.

From all eternity, by the decree of the God the Father, she was chosen, predestined and prepared for her mission as the Mother of the Redeemer. She was to share His mission of Redemption fully aware of her mission and she willingly accepted it.

On the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Sept. 15, we priests, offer the following invitatory prayer: “Let us adore Christ, the Savior of the world, who called his Mother to share in his passion.”

In the reflection of Mary’s passion, St. Bernard, Abbot, speaks of her spiritual martyrdom: “The martyrdom of the Virgin is set forth both in the prophecy of Simeon and in the actual story of the Lord’s passion. The holy old man said of the infant Jesus: ‘He has been established as a sign which will be contradicted.’ He went on to say to Mary: ‘And your own heart will be pierced by a sword.’”

That haunting prophecy was fulfilled at the foot of the cross. She was present. What sweet consolation was she to her Son? She watched Him suffer. She heard Him pray and cry: “Father, why have you forsaken me?” She remained silent, helpless but steadfast. Like a priest at the altar of God, she offered Him up for the salvation of us all.

She knew well that all this had to take place in due time. She fully consented and shared his bitter agony. There, she heard her Son talking to her with a clear voice of final and ever abiding decree, “Woman, behold your son.” Then to the disciple, “Behold your mother” (Jn 19:26).

There, at the foot of the cross, by the will of her Son, she became the Mother of all humanity.

In the preface of the votive Mass in honor of Mary at the foot of the cross, we read the words: “She who had given Him birth without the pains of childbirth was to endure the greatest of pains in bringing forth to new life the family of the Church.”

Then, the climax of all sorrows occurred when the Roman soldier plunged the lance into the heart of her Son. Her maternal heart was cut through. By one thrust, two hearts were pierced and broken. At that moment, she must have cried out: “All you who pass this way, look and see. Is there any sorrow like the sorrow that afflicts me?”

This lamenting voice of the Mother of All Sorrows has been heard since Calvary. The voice of our Mother never stops crying and encouraging us to repent for the sins that caused the shameful death of her Son. Her voice echoes the world over.

Today, she does not cry for her Son but for us, her poor little children, who live in peril of eternal perdition. She continues to cry for our sins, for our lack of appreciation of her Son’s death and glorious resurrection, and for the spirit of our proud rebellion against the holy laws of God.

She cries seeing us exposed to dangers from terror, violence, persecution, social injustices or even natural calamities. Above all these human tragedies, she sheds tears of blood because of the slaughter of her unborn children by selfish men.

In today’s aborted children, she sees a continuation of that massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem because of her Son’s birth. She collects them all and offers them up to the Eternal Father as she once offered her Son in the temple. She never ceases weeping for them.

A mother’s tears are the only weapon she has to conquer the stubbornness of her children. Is it possible to ignore the tears of our own mother? Is it possible not to hear the wailing cry of the Mother of all mothers, who continues to speak to us through her tears. “All you who pass this way, look and see. Is there any sorrow like the sorrow that afflicts me?”

Father Marian Zalecki, OSPPE, of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czenstochowa, Doylestown, Pa.

There is great surprise and wonder for all who travel and search the uni-verse — they find that the universe remains silent, ever-changing and yet unchangeable.

With the launch into space of the Hubble telescope, scientists for the first time are able to see not only the farthest reaches of our own planetary system, but also the entire galaxy within which our own planetary system is but a small part. For more than 16 years, the telescope has been sending back to earth pictures of thousands upon thousands of galaxies and nebulae beyond our own galaxy. They are so numerous that it will take many generations of scientists to map, study, explain and make use of the information now being revealed about the cosmos.

One thing, however, is certain. Our own planet earth is but a tiny grain of sand in comparison to the immensity of the known cosmos — and each one of us is an infinitesimally small speck of dust on that tiny grain of sand. Yet, God, the mighty one and all-knowing Architect and Master of the Universe, chose our nothingness to reveal himself to the entire universe.

It was a young girl named Mary, from the small town of Nazareth in Galilee, who was the first to receive God’s revelation of Himself. The angel Gabriel, God’s messenger, greeted Mary with words that would be repeated throughout history — “Hail, Full of grace! the Lord is with thee!”

Mary, while troubled by this greeting, continued to listen in silence.

“Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary limited her reply to asking how it would be accomplished. Hearing that it would be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit, her response was short, sweet and to the point: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.”

With this response, Mary, the humble servant of the Lord, became the royal door that would lead all the elect to God. In her wisdom, she treasured the words in her heart and remained silent, for the angel did not instruct her to reveal the words to anyone. It would be her silence that would proclaim the truth of what God was about to accomplish.

Mary, in haste, went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth. Because of his lack of faith in the words announced to him, Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, was silenced by God until the time God’s word was accomplished. Elizabeth shared in the silence of her husband, but at the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth, through the Holy Spirit and with her child leaping in her womb, broke the silence with a loud cry: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”

Mary, understanding that God was revealing through Elizabeth her secret, broke her silence with a Magnificat of praise and glory to God. She identified her nothingness with the poor and lowly, and because of her nothingness, God was going to do great things through her, for He was to reveal His great mercy towards all mankind. After voicing these words, Mary again was silent and yet, inwardly, her praise and glory was continuous, for the Word made Flesh dwelled within her.

The miracle of the virginal birth took place in silence in the little town of Bethlehem, in a shepherd’s hut where poverty abounded. All creation broke the silence as the angels proclaimed to the shepherds the tidings of good news. The heavens too joined in the chorus by leading the Magi to the poverty of the shepherd’s hut to worship the new King. Mary kept all these things, pondering them, in her heart.

On the day of the purification of Jesus and Mary, the silence would be broken again. Mary and Joseph would not break the silence but Simeon would. He took the child in his arms, blessed God and said “Mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to thy people Israel.”

Joseph and Mary, in silence, marveled at how God was revealing himself.

And then, in silence, Mary heard, through Simeon, at what price the salvation for all peoples would come: “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.”

To these words, there was no response from Mary and silence once again descended upon her.

It was in Jesus’ 12th year that Mary’s silence would be broken one more time. She anxiously looked for Jesus who had gone missing for three days; upon finding him in the Temple sitting among the teachers, she asked him why he had done this to her and Joseph. His response, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house,” would leave Joseph and Mary without any understanding.

Mary, in silence for the next 18 years, would again, ponder these words in her heart.

The silent pondering of all these events would bear fruit for Mary at the foot of the Cross. As the Passion of her Son unfolded before her eyes, Mary understood the words of Gabriel, Elizabeth and Simeon. Yet, she remained silent at the foot of the Cross. Silent, as her Son spoke to John and gave her to him as Mother and gave John to her as son. Silent, as her Son pleaded with the Father for forgiveness for those who did not know what they were doing. Silent, as the Son cried to the Father. Silent, as the sword pierced the Heart of her Son. Silent, as he was laid in her arms.

The words which would sustain her as the sword of sorrow pierced her heart, were the words of the 12-year-old Jesus when he was restored to her after the anxiety of the three days without him: “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

For all of us, while we are still in the world, there is a lesson to be learned from Mary, the woman of silence: less talk, more silence and prayer.

One day, there will be an eternal communication of love and joy, when God will be all in all. We will know the fullness of truth about God, and His creation, and of His love for every part of the universe.

Until that day comes, let us ponder with Mary, in silence and prayer.Father Marian Zalecki, OSPPE, is stationed at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, Doylestown, Pa.

Our Lady of Czestochowa has a history long and deep

The National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa expects a large number of pilgrims of every nationality and language to come to the shrine on her feast day, to pay homage to the Mother of God by honoring a replica of her ancient icon.

Of the many icons in Russian Orthodoxy and both Eastern and Western Catholicism, the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa is one of the most venerated.

An icon is the visible, tangible manifestation of the invisible God and of the supernatural, heavenly realities. It is an expression of the revealed Christian faith in symbol, expressing in theological images the deepest Christian truths with the simple use of lines, light and color — a “book” everyone can read and understand.

The Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa expresses the deepest mysteries of the Catholic faith: The divine motherhood of Mary (the Christ-Bearer) and the supreme dignity of her divine Son as the King of the Universe and Lord of Lords: He is dressed in royal garments, and in his left hand, he holds the Book of Life. Mary, however, keeps her hands on her heart as a sign of reflection, meditation and prayer: “She kept all these things in her heart and meditated on them” (St. Luke).

The original shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland withstood the Swedish invasion in 1655. After that victory, King Casimir proclaimed the Blessed Lady, the “Queen of Poland” in the Cathedral church of Lvov in 1656.
Because of many miracles, the Holy Image of Our Lady of Czestochowa was crowned with a Papal diadem in 1717 — that was the first papal crowning outside Rome.

The statue’s most recent crowns are a gift from the John Paul II, who blessed them on the last day of his earthly life.

On those crowns is his papal motto, Totus Tuus. In the middle, there is engraved the papal ring. The statue also received a new dress made out of Polish Burstyn which was drawn especially from the Baltic Sea. On that statue of Our Lady, one may on her heart one golden rose, — also a gift of his Pope John Paul II. It was offered as a gift in honor of the anniversary of the Polish National Vows made by the Polish King Casmir in 1656 in the Cathedral of Lvow.

Because of its antiquity, there are many stories and legends related to the icon. The original image of Our Lady was brought to the little town of Czestochowa in 1382 by Prince Ladislaus of Opole, Silesia, who was a deputy of King Louis I of Hungary.

The shrine and the attached monastery was richly endowed by the Polish monarchs and the nobles and was entrusted to the Monks of St. Paul the First Hermit.

The Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa plays a unique role in its religious and civil history as the “palladium,” or safeguard of the nation to this day. Many historical victories were attributed to the intercession of Our Lady of Czestochowa, whom the Poles honor as their “Victorious Queen.”

At the same time, a second history is reported by the Orthodox Church. Ukrainian writers say the Icon still belongs to their country.

According to that tradition, when Prince Ladislaus, cousin King Louis the Great of Hungary and Poland, found the Icon in one of the castles close to the border of Ukraine and Poland when he was visiting the territoriesof Ukraine.

That tradition holds that the Prince noticed the lovely icon in the chapel of the Castle of Belz. Although the icon was venerated by the Ukrainian people, the prince broke into the altar where the Icon reposed and removed it by force, thinking he was taking it away from heretical hands and was doing a great deed for the Catholic Church in Poland.

In that historical tradition, the people of Ukraine are said to have cried bitterly and followed the procession of the prince, who carried the icon away, begging him: “Do not take away our mother. Return her to us..” But the prince dispersed the crowds.

That is the story that circulates up to this day. Who knows the whole truth?

A replica of that holy icon in the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylesetown, Pa., has been visited by millions of pilgrims since the shrine’s dedication Oct. 16, 1966 — the year commemorating the 1,000th Anniversary of Poland’s baptism into Christianity.

The history of the Polish people scattered all over the world remains reflected in the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Mary’s scarred face, saddened, filled with mercy, compassion and tender love, reflects and mirrors their own history, and the history of the Catholic Church in Poland and in Eastern Europe as well. The bruised face of the Holy Virgin of Czestochowa has become an image and a great symbol of the suffering Catholic Church in Poland.

This is the role the shrine of the American Czestochowa plays for Polish Americans, namely, to discover, cherish, promote and share with others the beauty and richness of their Polish religious and cultural heritage.

In the process of building the Shrine, the Pauline Fathers faced many financial difficulties.

As the work proceeded, the costs also mounted far beyond original estimates, leading to a serious financial crises.

There were public complaints by disappointed people; the secular press carried some true, and untrue, stories related to the financial troubles, and there was fear of foreclosure for the shrine.

In 1974, the Apostolic See ordered a special visitation to find out what went wrong. The Reverend Paul M. Boyle, the provincial superior of the Passionist Congregation of Chicago, was appointed to conduct the investigation, along with Cardinal John Krol, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Camden Bishop George H. Guilfoyle.

The Apostolic Visitation lasted nearly five years. During that time, Cardinal Krol appointed the Rev. Bernard E. Witkowski, of the Philadelphia Archdiocese and Father Victor Krzywonos, a Franciscan Friar, to assist the shrine in its recovery.

After making personal changes in the shrine’s leadership Cardinal Krol came to its rescue, appealing to Catholics in the United States to send contributions to the shrine.

People of good will responded generously; most of the shrine’s debts were liquidated, and the Apostolice Visitatio was ended by Pope John Paul II before he visited his homeland and Czestochowa Shrine in June 1979.

His Eminence Stephen Wyszynski, the Primate of Poland and the “Confrater” of the Pauline Order, contributed much to end the Apostolic Visitation.

The shrine celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1980.

The following year, on Sunday, August 23, — the solemnity of Our Lady of Czestochowa — in the presence of thousands of pilgrims, the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Jean Migneault, helped in a ceremony for the “burning of the mortgage,” led Cardinal Krol.

Finally the shrine was debt free. It was a Sunday of joy and thanksgiving.

Because of the efforts of the Knights, Cardinal Krol, and so many priests and devoted laity, thousands of longing pilgrims have been able to find and experience the presence of God in a very real way. The shrine, by its very nature, is a very special sacred place, which makes visible the mystery of Mary as it is celebrated in the mystery of Christ and the Church.

We invite all to share with us this beautiful solemnity of Our Lady of Czestochowa on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2006.

PROFILE:
A founding father of Czestochowa Shrine celebrates his golden jubilee

On Holy Trinity Sunday, June 11, Father Lucius L. Tyrasinski, a Pauline monk, observed the 50th anniversary of his priestly ordination.

Born in the city of Czestochowa on April 24, 1931 in St. Roch parish, Father Lucius was baptized the same year and named for the Polish St. Ladislaus.

As a little boy, he often went with his mother to the Shrine of the Black Madonna to pray, and he served Mass there as the altar boy. All that time, his mother prayed to Our Lady of Jasna Gora that her little son would become a priest of the Pauline Fathers, the custodians for over 600 years of the miraculous image of the most holy Mother of God. Her prayer was soon answered and after graduation, the young Ladislaus knocked on the door of the monastery and humbly asked for admission to the Order of the Pauline Fathers. He was accepted.

When he took his first vows, his name was changed to Lucius.

He was ordained a priest on June 17, 1956,by Bishop Stanislaus Respond at the famous historic Church of St. Michael.

At the same time, the future shrine known as the American Czestochowa was beginning to come to life.

It was decided that the shrine would be built on “Beacon Hill” in Doylestown, Bucks County, 25 miles north of Philadelphia. But the shrine’s beginnings were not easy.

His superiors in Poland decided to send Father Lucius to the Shrine to lead the Pauline community here as prior.

Since his arrival, Father Lucius, first as Prior and later as quasi Provincial, worked hard for the shrine and its pilgrims. Together with his fellow Pauline leaders, he spent much time in planning and obtaining the financial means to bring the new shrine into existence, a shrine that would be the center of Marian devotion, culture and patriotism for Polonia.

As Superior, Father Lucius took care of the administration of the Shrine, as well as serving the Pauline community, as the pastor of our souls. He distinguished himself as a gentle, loving priest, and he had a vision of the shrine and its needs — both temporal and spiritual.

On Oct. 16, 1966, the thousandth anniversary of Poland’s baptism, the day arrived for the dedication of the Shrine. Cardinal John Krol, the Archbishop of Philadelphia along with many civil and ecclesial dignitaries, including President Lyndon B. Johnson and his family, presided over the dedication.

The shrine, however, was not without its problems; for a period of time, the financial picture was very bleak. Cardinal John Krol made a national fund appeal to help the shrine get out of debt, as there was real fear that it would otherwise be lost.

Father Lucius worked hard to collect donations from different social and Church organizations to assist the shrine. It was through the help of the Knights of Columbus — from whom he received the title, Supreme Knight — that the shrine’s remaining debt was put to rest on Sunday, June 29, 1980 — a joyous day for all who had been involved in bringing the Shrine to life.

With coming of the Holy Year 2000, again under Father Lucius’ administration, the shrine was enlarged by the addition of its retreat house and the pilgrim center. He also oversaw the renovation of the lower church, where one may find a lovely chapel dedicated to our Lady of Jasna Gora; it is modeled after the chapel of the miraculous icon in Poland. There are also four side chapels, dedicated to Divine Mercy; Mary of Nazareth; St. Paul, the first Hermit, and Our Lady of Guadalupe. Today, the lower church is a place of Perpetual Adoration.

On its dedication day, Father Lucius called the chapel and its altar “the property of Polonia” and the shrine, itself, the "spiritual capital" of the American Polonia.

Reverend Father Jubilarian, on this special day of your 50th anniversary of the Holy Priesthood, we congratulate you, and pray to the Mother of the holy priesthood that she may watch over you for many years to come — so that you may continue to serve this shrine which you have served so faithfully for a great part of your life.

Ad multos annos and Sto Lat!

My memories of the Papal Apostolic Pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI to Poland

Following in the footsteps of two servants of the servants of God

During the pilgrimage of Pope Benedict XVI throughout Poland this spring, Father Marian Zalecki, OSPPE, was privileged, along with Fathers Sebastian Hanks and Christopher Drypka of the Pauline community in the United States, to provide translations and commentarry for Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).

Here, Father Zalecki tells us of some moments during that trip that he found particularly inspiring.

On Thursday, May 25th, before noon, an Italian Alitalia jet landed on the airfield of the Warsaw International Airport, and after some moments, our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI appeared in the door of the plan, to thunderous applause.

After the playing of the Polish National Anthem , the President of the Polish Republic, Lech Aleksander Kuczynski, warmly welcomed him in the name of the entire Polish Nation. The weather was perfect.

Following the official ceremony, the Holy Father was driven to Warsaw’s Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, which had been destroyed by the Germans during the Warsaw uprising. Next to the Cathedral is the Royal Castle, which was also destroyed, because it was a symbol of Polish royalty and resistance.
In his pilgrimage, the Holy Father followed in the footsteps of the Pope John Paul II. He felt his spirit like a shadow that followed him every step of the way. The motto of the pilgrimage was, “Be strong in your faith.”

There were a few places that I could see impressed the Holy Father deeply. The first was the visit to Czestochowa, the Shrine of the Black Madonna, and the Monastery that defended the Shrine against the Swedish invaders. … I watched the Holy Father as he knelt before the miraculous image of the Mother of God, the Queen of Poland.

He folded his hands and spent some time in private prayer. The shrine was once visited by Adolf Hitler, who left his signature in the Monastery's famous library; it was never bombed during the war.

One of the most pleasant stops in Pope Benedict’s visit was in Wadowice, the native place of Pope John Paul II. In the middle of the town square there stands the ancient church of the Holy Mother of Good Counsel; inside there is a lovely statue of the Immaculate Conception that enjoys a great devotion. And next to that, there is the baptismal font at which Pope John Paul was baptized. Whenever Pope John Paul visited Wadowice, he went to the Church and kissed the baptismal font. The house where he lived serves now as a museum and tourist attraction.

Another Marian Shrine in southern Poland, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, is about 15 miles from Krakow. The Shrine and its ancient icon are among the most venerated by the people of southern Poland — after Czestochowa. Both are dedicated to the Passion of Christ and his sorrowful Mother. Outside the church at Kalwaria, the 14 Stations of the Cross have been erected, and during Lent, thousands visit the Shrine to pray. It was the most beloved place of prayer for Pope John Paul II; he would go there with his father to pay homage to the Mother of all Sorrows.

Before the Mass there, Pope Benedict had a chance to visit the Cathedral and royal castle. At the cathedral, one can find many graves of the kings, monarchs and queens of Poland. In the middle of the cathedral is a silver sarcophagus that contains the body of the Polish Bishop Stanislaus of Sczepanow, who was murdered by his brother around 1079. It was from this cathedral that the late pope departed for Rome in 1878, to return a year later as Pope John Paul II.

Of course, one of the biggest joys for Pope Benedict was his meeting with Polish youth at a special Mass near Krakow, at a place called “Blonie Krakowskie” (Square of Krakow).

There was a loud burst of joy and cheers among the young folks, which pleased the Holy Father. He smiled a lot, seeing so many happy faces and the young people’s love for their Pope. He knew that he was loved and his Apostolic Pilgrimage was a great success. The young people kept shouting: “Stay with us; we love you; Sto Lat; you are Benedetto Pope — the blessed one, who comes to us.” The Holy Father squeezed his hands as he raised them with a smile in a gesture of appreciation.

The next day, with two million — mostly young people —and the entire Polish Episcopate, the Holy Father offered Mass again in Blonie Krakowski and spoke on the theme of his pilgrimage: “Stand firm in your faith.”

He repeated the words spoken by Pope John Paul II in 1979 on his first return visit to Poland: “… You must be strong with love, the love which is stronger than death. You must be strong with the strength of faith, hope and charity, a charity that is conscious, mature and responsible, and which can help us at this moment of our history to carry on the great dialogue with man and the world, a dialogue rooted in dialogue with God himself, with the Father, through the Son in the Holy Spirit, the dialogue of salvation.”

In closing, Pope Benedict asked the Polish people to “share with the other peoples of Europe and the world the treasure of your faith, not least as a way of honoring the memory of your countryman, who, as the Successor of Saint Peter, did this with extraordinary power and effectiveness."

After the Mass, the Pope Benedict left Krakow to visit the two concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birknau, close to Wadowice.

It was a very sad and sorrowful visit for the Holy Father. He walked from the front gate of Auschwitz to the wall of execution, where the victims on bended knees were shot to death and then carried by their fellow prisoners to the ovens. He met personally with the former victims who survived the concentration camps. They all kissed the hands of the German Pope.

The Holy Father said he was the German Pope, but also the shepherd of the universal Church that Christ entrusted to him. He also visited the bunker where St. Maximilian Kolbe was starved and murdered after having taken the place of a fellow prisoner who was the father of a family.

At Birknau, the Holy Father prayed silently before the monuments to the victims of the Nazi's death camps — on each monument, Polish Scouts placed an oil lamp to commemorate the victims represented by the many nationalities who were killed there. There was a short moment when our Holy Father wanted to be alone.

He left the crowds for some distance and prayed. The people watched him and prayed with him for reconciliation and peace.

The visit to Birknau had begun with rain. But as the Holy Father reached the end of the monument, a most beautiful rainbow shot from the ground into the sky behind him.

The television camera kept returning to the rainbow, as it faded and then grew more and more brilliant, with colors that were almost electrifying. At one point, it looked as if the dark clouds would over come the rainbow, but then it would shoot forth once again, overcoming the dark clouds, until finally, the dark clouds disappeared completely and the rainbow melted into the sky as the sun shone.

After the prayers of the representatives of the Lutheran and Jewish faith, our Holy Father spoke for the first time in German during his visit.

He put into words the unspoken questions of everyone present and probably everyone who has ever visited the concentration camps: “Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?”

Like Pope John Paul II before him, Pope Benedict said he had to come to the death camps “as a duty before truth, and the just due of all who suffered here, a duty before God … and as a son of the German people — a son of that people over which a ring of criminals rose to power by false promises of future greatness and the recovery of their nation’s honor, prominence and prosperity, but also through terror and intimidation, with the result that our people was used and abused as an instrument of their thirst for destruction and power.”

The Pope continued in his address to warn that the 20th century was not alone in its terrors, intimidations and wars, but that in the beginning of this new century and millennium, “when all the forces of darkness seem to issue anew from human hearts — whether it is the abuse of God’s name as a means of justifying senseless violence against innocent persons, or the cynicism which refuses to acknowledge God and ridicules faith in Him” there is a need to “cry out to God, that He may draw men and women to conversion, and help them to see that violence does not bring peace, but only generates more violence — a morass of devastation in which everyone is ultimately the loser.”

While Pope John Paul II blazed the path for us to follow, Pope Benedict XVI is making sure that we stay on that path. That is why I left the his visit to the Shrine of Divine Mercy for last.

As we all know, Pope John Paul II died on the vigil of the feast of Divine Mercy, and it was because of him that the writings of Saint Faustina Kowalska were revealed to the world at this moment in history. In her Diary, we find these words of Our Lord: “I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming.”

I believe that Pope John Paul II was the spark of which Our Lord spoke, and the 26 years of his Pontificate are the proof. What Pope Benedict XVI wishes now to do is to blow on that spark and make it a huge conflagration, beginning with the Polish nation. Did not Our Lord, Himself, say: “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing.”

We have witnessed the spark. Will the Polish Nation have the strength of faith to make it blaze?

In conclusion, I find three basic points that were hammered home by Pope Benedict to those willing to listen. First, be strong in your faith. We are to build our lives on the Rock, the living Christ. He wants Poland to safeguard the faith to save Europe, and the world, from total moral and spiritual collapse. Second, there is an answer for all human problems and tragedies — love. And the very source of both human and divine love is the Holy Trinity. … Third, we must work and pray for a universal reconciliation between nations, for it is Christ who is our reconciliation and our peace with the Eternal Father and between the people of every nation and belief.

May the message of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, remain in our lives for many years. Be strong in your faith and pray for him, as he has asked us to do.