Translations of some texts/ English


Ave Maria
             I am opening the door to the hermitage and then something profoundly important… An age –old custom I have adopted from the venerable Carthusian Order serves as priceless help in my every-day eremitic reality. In the Carthusian hermitage, after passing the entrance but before entering the main room, there is a special room called Ave Maria. Its name comes from the prayer “Ave Maria” always uttered by a Carthusian monk in front of a figure or an image of Saint Mary each time he goes back to his hermitage. “Ave Maria” in English means “Hail Mary”. “Angelic Salutation” uttered in Latin sounds as follows:
“Ave Maria (Hail Mary), gratia plena (full of grace), dominus tecum (the Lord is with you), benedicta tu in mulieribus (Blessed are you among women) et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus (and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus). Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, (Holy Mary, Mother of God) ora pro nobis peccatoribus (pray for us sinners), nunc et in hora mortis nostrae (now and at the hour of our death). Amen”.

I have adopted this beautiful Carthusian custom into my eremitic reality. In the hermitage where I live, after entering from outside, there is a small corridor called Ave Maria with a humble image of Mary, the Gate of Heaven (the main Icon can be found in the Chapel of St. Brunon the Carthusian). In front of that image I say “Ave Maria” in Latin each time I enter the hermitage. A priceless moment of stillness. Through this prayer I reinforce the awareness of Mary’s presence. Mary covers me with a coat protecting from dangers and reminds me with love: “Do whatever Jesus Christ tells you.” I notice that each time I go outside the hermitage I become a bit less focused, less concentrated. The world forces itself through each possible channel into our souls. “Hail Mary” purifies, brings back an internal harmony and integrates my soul with a peaceful atmosphere of the hermitage. I can sense the existence of an invisible but real moat with the water of God’s grace. The hermitage is a place of solitude and silence. It is a sacred space of “God’s stronghold” against the earthly rush, noise and chaos. “Angelic Salutation” protects a heart from the damaging influence of the external world in the same way a moat protected a medieval stronghold from numerous dangers. At the time when I did not say this prayer it was much more difficult for me to breathe with the silence of the hermitage immediately after entering it. Now it is completely different. I know it is thanks to Mary who, with Her whole heart, fulfils Jesus’s Testament from the Cross “Woman, here is Your son,” (compare John 19: 25-27). I can sense that Mary specifically takes care of Her son, a poor hermit.

It is very important to recite “Angelic Salutation” in Latin. Basically, I say my prayers in Polish. However, in that case, I fully follow the Carthusian custom and pray in Latin. It gives me the breath of a spiritual depth. I feel that I become a part of an age-old stream of the powerful prayer of the Church. What enormous treasures of prayer and ideas were created in Latin! At the same time, when in solitude and silence I recite “Ave Maria”, in the depth of my heart I delicately sense the mystic breath of medieval monasteries. Every day I derive from the spirit of this incredibly huge source of prayer.

And there is one more thing of great importance. When people return home, they greet their loved ones. A hermit goes back to his hermitage in which no other man lives. However, it does not mean that there is not anybody else here. In God, there is Mary, all Saints and all present spiritually. Keeping this truth in mind, “Ave Maria” becomes a warm greeting and an encouraging reminder that I am never alone “within these four walls” of my hermitage. Solitude full of God. Thanks to “Ave Maria”, this truth, drop by drop, penetrates my whole body and soul.  

Does work always make sense?
We live in the atmosphere of excessive workload. Subconsciously, we feel that the more we do the better. The amount of work we do becomes a reference point of our self-esteem. That is why even prayer is perceived by many people as a waste of time which evokes remorses for not working. In the face of the cult of overwork, it’s worth noticing that some of the highest–ranking Nazi war criminals, e.g. Himmler, labored from dawn till dusk. And what came of that?... There are so many cases when people who work really hard do great harm to other people. Moreover, work followed by success can lead to haughtyself-conceit (not realized, of course).

A moment of a sober reflection will let us see that work and products of human effort may serve both good and evil. What does it depend on? Actually, it depends on the spirit which inspires our work. In the reality of this world it is possible not only for the Holy Spirit but also for the Evil one to equip us for some time with great amount of strength and power. There is a radical difference between a person who truly believes and somebody who does not believe in God. For the person who believes, the whole sense of a human life lies in constantly receiving the Holy Spirit. Work is understood here as one of the ways to “inhale” the Holy Spirit. The awareness of being a tool in the hand of the Divine Creator makes the lowliness of a heart grow in response to the development of great works.

On the other hand, non-believers regard themselves as the only creators. “I” becomes “God, the Creator”. When such a person achieves success, their heart automatically gets filled with “the hubris of a genius”. Such an attitude leads, sooner or later, to the submission to the Evil spirit. The Evil spirit, having captured a victim, gives them strength to make them work to the benefit of “an evil plan”.

We need to clarify the meaning of the terms “believer” and “non-believer”. It does not refer to a theoretical “record in documents” but to the practical way of life. A person, who believes, builds their life on the faith in God. Non- believers, on the other hand, construct only on themselves. It means that we may be baptized Christians and still behave as non-believers. At the same time, a person who claims to be a non –believer may in reality, in accordance with their conscience, serve the Love and the Truth and in that way build their life on God.

The optimal situation is when a person, enriched by the sacrament of baptism, wants to know God and completely bet their life on Him. Jesus explains: “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”(John, 17:3). In the biblical language “knowing” does not refer only to some theoretical–erudite set of information. In this meaning, computers would be “the giants of faith” nowadays. It is a question of an overall understanding which includes knowledge, longing and feeling. To know somebody is to get into a relationship with this person, to be as close as possible to each other. In this sense, we cannot get to know God on our own. Such a relationship is possible only through the Holy Spirit. That is why the statement, that the whole sense of a human life for a Christian is to receive the Holy Spirit, is surely true.

We cannot, however, reduce the opening to the Holy Spirit only to the set of emotional prayers. An intense call of a whole person, their soul and body, is necessary. In this sense, work, which should be treated as an overall opening to the Holy Spirit, gains a deep meaning. Physical and spiritual struggle becomes then a time of soaking with the Holy Spirit. Such work is not any more a way to hell, but a beautiful sanctifying of our lives and heading for Heaven. Verbal calling “Come Holy Spirit” is very important, however, such a prayer is truly effective only when it becomes, in a way, a crowning of a life entirely focused on the Holy Spirit. May the present time of preparations to the feast of Holy Pentecost be particularly fruitful for all of us… 

How to pray well?
A prayer is a holy way to God. God always gives us what we need the most. The problem is that we do not know how to accept the gifts of God. Unfortunately, in our prayer, we very often leave out some necessary elements of mental and spiritual nature. That is why it is important to realize three common mistakes which prevent us from absorbing the fullness of God’s Love. 

The first mistake is when we limit ourselves to automatic recitation of ready texts and “sets of prayers” (texts of Saints, rosaries, chaplets, etc.). This is a kind of “magical thinking” which makes us believe that saying a particular prayer leads us automatically to an expected result. Sadly, in such prayers there is no awareness of living God and no honest expression of our internal joys and sufferings.

The second case is when there is a false impression of being trustful and ready to follow the God’s plan. The strong point of this attitude is the awareness of God’s presence and desire to fulfill God’s Will. However, the thing which is lacking here is the authenticity. If we do not tell God about our specific pains, the Divine Mercy cannot reach “the suffering areas”. As a result, our declaration of God’s Will is just “an abstract theory” and not “the fullness of heart”.

   Finally, the third mistake is about concentrating only on our own experiences. It is really good that all our sufferings are named and expressed. However, the huge problem which exists here is that we do not take the God’s Will into consideration. Even if the word “God” is uttered, what really matters, are our own expectations and sufferings. It is truly a passionate calling; however, we direct it only to ourselves.

Searching for the model prayer, we should focus on the Gospel scene in Gethsemane. Christ, as the Highest and Eternal Priest, utters the significant words, perfectly united with the reaction of His body and soul: "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will be done, not Mine." (Matthew 26:39).

In this calling of Jesus, we can easily perceive three pearls of the art of prayer. Most of all, Jesus directs to God the Father with the humble trust in His heart; He utters the word “Father” after “falling with His face to the ground”. This is the act of the highest adoration performed in deep awareness of God’s presence. For us, Jesus is the only intercessor before the Father. That is why, at the beginning of the prayer we must clearly realize that we are in front of Jesus. A visible sign, like a cross or a picture can be a practical help.

Then, Jesus honestly describes His deepest experiences and desires of His heart. There is no pious affectation but the naturalness and spontaneity of a man. In that way we receive a practical hint that in an authentic prayer we must openly tell Jesus about everything. There are absolutely no taboo subjects. The model prayer is not “standing at attention” but spontaneous throwing ourselves with weeping or joy into the loving arms of Our Father. It is very important to reflect precisely in our words the desires which we experience. This aim can be also achieved through “reciting” with love in our hearts some popular prayers (e.g. rosary or psalms). All of that should be performed in the atmosphere of “the listening silence”.

Finally, the crowning of the whole prayer of Jesus is His radical readiness to fulfill the Father’s Will. The deepest spiritual act is expressed in the attitude of the heart which tells God: “Yet I want Your will be done, not Mine." This is “a universal crown” of each of our prayers if we want to be Jesus’s disciples. This is the radical availability to surrender our will to God’s Will.

Contemplating the way in which Jesus prays, we receive the model Christian prayer. It is a humble calling of a man who stands with love before God, honestly tells about everything, consciously “recites” and at last, trustfully agrees to God’s Will. That is a real prayer which brings beautiful fruit in earthly existence and surely leads to Eternal Life.    

How to tell the truth?
She told the truth. In effect, a conflict has arisen. Nothing of what she told was accepted. Such a reaction confirmed her conviction that she was “crucified” in the same way as Christ, the Embodied Truth was. However, that biblical reference was a total misuse. The real reason of the tension was a hurting "blow of truth in the face".

Yes! People who pride themselves in telling the truth often tend to be too hasty in “sacralizing” their actions. They are too rash in perceiving themselves as noble people who suffer from rejection because of the testimony of faith they give. In fact, instead of “sanctity” we observe the conduct which is contrary to the Gospel. How should we understand it?

First of all, according to Jesus, love is the most important thing. Our aim should not be only to tell the truth but to give love with the help of the truth. Bitter truth deprived of compassion can mentally destroy a person. That is the main reason why people often reject the truth they hear. They do not feel the love of the person who conveys the truth and subconsciously put on armour to protect themselves from a dangerous attacker. That’s right! A person spreading the truth without love becomes an aggressive and dangerous ideologist against whom we should thoroughly protect ourselves. Physical and mental health is more important than an uncontrolled stream of some “clever-clever tirades”.

The other reason why some people do not accept the truth is the feeling of humiliation. “Self-appointed prophets” quite often make their listeners feel less worthy and unintelligent. “A sage thesis” pronounced by them serves only as a pretext for promoting an “enlightened” person of the speaker. Statements, such as: “I don’t like it” or “I don’t agree to it” which appear in this kind of utterances contribute even more to the listener’s negative attitude and result in developing their defensive reactions. It needs a lot of humbleness to stay calm in response to somebody else’s demonstration of excessive pride and egoism. In such a case, people who turn down the words of truth do not refuse to accept the truth itself but simply reject the haughty and conceited conduct of the speaker. The mere fact that somebody disapproves of something in me does not mean that I should change my behaviour or beliefs. An argument “I don’t like it” has no intellectual value and, as a form of emotional blackmail, cannot be accepted.

Refusing to accept the truth proclaimed “without love” but “with haughtiness” instead, can be compared to a situation when a chimney sweep tries to offer a bar of chocolate. Unluckily, the wrapping is all covered with sooth and coal tar. Not accepting such a “gift” does not mean denying that chocolate is a delicious thing. The chocolate itself would probably be very willingly accepted. However, the dirty wrapping makes it impossible. The chimney sweep would be wrong thinking that somebody has an aversion to his delicious chocolate. That is true, the chocolate is not accepted but only because it’s covered with revolting dirt, sooth and coal tar. 

Jesus always proclaimed the Truth with His Heart full of humbleness and love. That is why the poor opened their hearts to His preaching and activity. The Master created the best possible conditions to help people trustfully accept the saving message about the Kingdom of God. We can say that He offered the chocolate in a clean wrapping. Everybody who opened to the sweetness of the Good News could simply accept it. Unfortunately, there were also numerous Pharisees and scribes whose hearts were hard. Despite the obvious signs of love, they closed their hearts to the Truth of Christ (John 8, 31-42).

Also in our lives similar situations may occur. However, our first duty is to examine as honestly as possible our hearts and intentions and make sure that the problem does not lie within our inappropriate conduct. The moral basis to identify our suffering with the suffering of Jesus exists only in a case when people reject the truth which we convey with genuine love and humbleness. Only then we can feel entitled to perceive ourselves as “martyrs” fighting for the Truth. Guide us, Lord….

Let us not judge!...
One of the monks was passing away. There was a warm smile on his face. He was beaming with trust. Filled with peace, he was waiting for death, whose nearness he could clearly feel. Such an attitude of the dying monk deeply troubled and embarrassed many others. Some of them were even shocked that the poor man so carelessly faced the last moments of his life. There were also a few who seriously believed that after death the monk would go to hell. What was the reason of such puzzlement, worry or discomposure?

The dying monk had plenty of weaknesses. His vices and faults were widely known, and he himself willingly brought them out. Especially “keen Pharisees” could not stand him failing to follow the legal regulations of the monastery. In such atmosphere of anxiety and fear that the old man would go to hell, finally, one of the monks, full of indignation, asked: “Father, your life is coming to its end. Pretty soon you’ll stand in front of God’s Judgment. You know you’ve sinned a lot. And still you look so calm and there’s no trace of fear on your face. If I were you, I would be really scared that I could go to hell and in these last moments I would pray fervently for the Almighty God’s mercy!”

The old monk listened carefully to the advice of the brother, who was keen on the external gestures and practices, and answered him kindly: “Yes, my dear friend, you are truly right. I’m very sinful and wretched. I’m aware of my numerous faults. Unfortunately, I’ve committed many sins and so often I haven’t served as an example to others. However, I wish to tell you something really important. Despite all my weaknesses, I have never done one thing: I have never in my life judged another person. Yes! I have never uttered a condemning word of judgment towards any man. And our Lord said: Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2) Jesus Christ always keeps His promises. And since I have never judged anybody, I stay calm and certain that I will not be judged by God on the Last Judgment. All Saints will probably act in a similar way. That is why my heart is full of peace and there is a trustful smile on my face.”

This priceless reflection of the dying monk is truly a valuable pearl of love and wisdom. It is a privileged guidepost to Heaven. Unfortunately, many people make an absurd life mistake. The mistake is about investing great amounts of energy into different efforts connected with requirements of morality. In fact, the result is the external fulfillment of rules and regulations. But then, condemning judgment of others, the ones who are “worse” appears in their hearts. In effect, condemning people lose everything they have achieved. Why? A person who judges others is disobedient to Jesus’s words concerning judging. And they commit a grave sin of disobedience. As a consequence of such a haughty and disobedient attitude, all other merits and achievement become meaningless. The situation can be depicted by an image of a man who laboriously joined the pieces of stained glass only to break it afterwards with a hammer of their own judgments.

On the other hand, stained glass of somebody, who has got many weaknesses but who does not judge others, may not be a perfect one but definitely does not get broken. And finally, God, seeing the humbleness and obedience, through the power of His Mercy, offers a miraculous gift of “embellishing” the stained glass for eternity!

The monk who was dying, was in fact a saint monk, who in his weakness put all of his trust in the Divine Mercy. That is why he could die in deep peace, certain of God offering His gifts for ever. Let us not judge so that we will not be judged…

Love your enemies
„Love your enemies!” Is not it a completely impossible challenge? To love a slanderer who  spoke defamatory words about me?  To love a cheat who cheated on me?  To love an oppressor who resorts  to mobbing and psychological damage.  The endless list of questions. The endless list of human tragedies…

Yes! These truly controversial Biblical words lead to immediate objection. Either the objection openly shown with righteous indignation, or the more reserved objection, namely, the one hidden deeply in the heart. At this point one has to also face the fundamental right to the human’s justice. Being harmed, how can I reply with love?  That is complete nonsense. Similar kind of logic applies to praying. How can I pray for my enemy or for my oppressor ?  Praying , a rather noble activity, seems to be designated  only for praying  for friends or for those who do the right deed for you. 

The set of arguments against the love of one’s enemies is overwhelmingly convincing.  Still, Jesus Christ says ‘But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; ‘(Mt 5,44n.)

Does Christ then want something extraordinary from an ordinary mortal ? Or is it a challenge only for the chosen ones, for the so called ‘pantheon of saints’? No. It is not so. First of all, we should not look at Christ’s words as a kind of inhuman request or a strict obligation. In general, forcing someone to love you is a very scary idea. It is actually a good sign if someone is allergic to words ‘you must love’. If someone forces to love, it means they do not love and do not have a clue about love. Love is profoundly connected with freedom. It comes to life only with the completely free choice of the heart.

In that way, Christ’s words should not be understood solely as an obligation but rather as a truly friendly invitation.  There is no pressure.  Having experienced  freedom in love makes it hard to keep the tears from falling, the tears full of grace. Christ never forces but always invites to love, He invites even his enemies, as He is convinced in his Heart  that this is the best He can offer.
And that is why we should accept His invitation.  I do open my heart to love, even to the love of your enemies.  Being completely free I open my heart to love, also to love my enemies. I trust in God who offers the only best solution and that makes me the God’s child. This also exemplifies the wise care based on a realistic approach. Why ?

Replying with wrong, even if one has been harmed, creates an even greater hell in the heart. The initial experience of harm is just the beginning. Not replying with love means accepting the suicidal logic of revenge.  What does it lead to ? So, if I open my heart to the wrong, the flow of the worst feelings starts. I ruthlessly tread on someone's toes. And even if at the same time, the Holy Spirit  is really trying to help me , He cannot, as the heart of the harmed one has been closed and blocked.  So, initially one experienced the harm from another man but then he himself becomes the victim of satan. The victim’s tragic choice of wrong…
 
           When one replies with good and prayer then  something completely different happens. The wounded heart comes under protection  , through love it gets blocked against the venom of the evil hypocrite. And through the trusting obedience to the Christ’s words the harmed heart opens up to the help from the Holy Spirit. That Spirit gives us God’s strength and power to overcome the consequences of the human fall.  An incredible miracle takes place. The initial wrong gets neutralized. Even the worst  crimes get neutralized and the harmed heart is filled with peace and forgiveness. By loving someone I open my heart to love. And then there is no space for hell but I can see Heaven…

            To love one’s enemies is not a random obligation. The call to love one’s enemies  is a truly realistic invitation that one should just accept for one’s own and the common good. 


Sex and Mercy
Sins connected with sexuality, especially adultery, evoke the range of deep, intense and often contradictory emotions. It is important to distinguish here three kinds of attitude taken by different people. 

Some people firmly hold the view that sexuality is a completely private matter. Adult people can do whatever they consider the best for themselves. The reference point here is not the commandments but the right to a free choice. Infidelity is not regarded as a serious problem any more. Consequently, the very word “adultery”, perceived as a condemning and unacceptable moral judgment, disappears from the vocabulary. It is obvious that there is no interest in the virtue of chastity here. Such an expression appears only as a subject to mockery and jokes. Virginity is ridiculed, not valued. The freedom of sexual behaviours is defended vigorously and passionately. All utterances condemning a person as a “sexual sinner” provoke a wave of indignation.

Then, there are people who consider themselves (which does not mean they really are) the defenders of morality. Their emotional engagement is often even bigger than the one described above. Breaking the sixth commandment arouses their great indignation. Sexual sins are treated as the highest and most terrifying evil. In general, avoiding the sexual subject seems to be optimal situation here. Chastity gains the status of the highest virtue and value. Automatically, virginity becomes the synonym of sanctity. Unfortunately, there is a lot of hypocrisy and haughty impurity here.  Under different facades there is a fear of sex and Pharisaic obsession with chastity. Fight against sexual sins becomes a “cunning” way to satisfy repressed sexual desires. The worst situation is when keeping the law of external chastity leads to inner haughtiness. There was once a woman priding herself on her virginity and she was often described as being “as pure as an angel and as haughty as a devil”. 

Being aware of the two wrong ways, it is worthwhile to look closely at Jesus who gives us an excellent example of healthy attitude to sex and sexual sins (at the same time He offers a great explanation of a sinner-sin relation). It’s beautifully presented in the Gospel scene where “pure” Pharisees and scribes want to stone “a woman caught in adultery” (John 8, 1-11). They shout angrily: “The law of Moses says to stone her.” The woman faces the spectre of death by humiliating stoning. And here we can see Jesus who answers in a remarkably beautiful and merciful way. 

First of all, the Master keeps peace in His heart and stays calm. In the face of aggressive accusations He calmly “wrote in the dust with His finger”. He quietens down the emotions of the people around Him. He doesn’t criticize the accusers or the accused, which shows authentic chastity. Only a man of a truly pure heart is able to remain calm when confronted with a “sexual problem”. Impurity, by contrast, immediately gets stimulated either by “sex defence” or by “sex being attacked”. 

Then Jesus gives His attention to the accused woman. He treats her with deep respect and talks to her very kindly with no trace of “Pharisaic distance from the impure one.” Jesus reassures her: “Neither do I condemn you”. Only after taking care of a person, does Jesus show the way she should follow: “Go and sin no more”. The very issue of adultery appears only in the background, after underlining other, more important values. There is no sign of a sexual obsession here. Jesus just makes a general recommendation not to sin.

Jesus acts with great sensitivity, chastity and deep humbleness. In this light, it’s better to be a reformed and humble sinner after committing adultery than to be “pure” in a Pharisaic way and haughtily despise others. However, undoubtedly the best option is to be humble without the sin of adultery. The way to keep our hearts pure is to humbly accept the help of Merciful God… 

The Significance of the Holy Communion
“Can I receive the Holy Communion?” It is a very good sign if such a question arises in our conscience. Apparently, our hearts are beating with loving sensitivity and our minds are searching for an answer in accordance with God’s Will. In order to find the optimal way of experiencing the Holy Communion, we need to realize the fundamental truth. Above all, it is not the matter of receiving “something” but it is about creating the reality of a cordial meeting “with Somebody”. Jesus says about Himself “I am the Bread of Life”. It means that the Holy Communion is the Bread of Life which is to be identified with the Person of Jesus. In this light it is worthwhile to distinguish among the three different types of people’s behaviour.

The first attitude is the one which takes the Communion for granted. A person who receives the Communion treats It as a “thing” which they are simply entitled to get. Such an attitude can be characteristic for people who are not in a close relationship with Church but also for the ones who regularly attend the Holy Mass. The former present “mindless consumption” the latter ones show the example of “pretentious haughtiness”. It is a very painful experience for Jesus. Although in a physical way He is accepted, He suffers from great humiliation. He feels as if He was “a thing” treated worse than a dog. Alternatively, He loses His breath suffocated with pharisaic haughtiness.

In the second case, Jesus suffers from completely different reason. This is a situation when people can receive the Holy Communion but they do not do it. It is really great that at the beginning a question if we can receive the Holy Communion appears. However, the answer that follows is wrong; most frequently because of the incorrect understanding of the Eucharist. Here, the Holy Communion is perceived as a kind of “a reward for good behaviour”; “Jesus’ Eucharistic Medal” for strong moral models. The awareness of committed sins triggers the fear of the sin of sacrilege. There is a tendency to treat every a bit greater sin as a cardinal one. The Devil, seeing such a way of thinking, feeds us with even more disheartening ideas and assures us: “Yes, you are not allowed, you are a great sinner. This food is only for saints.” As a result, the aim is achieved: the person does not receive the Bread of Life and begins to die of spiritual hunger.

Finally, we discover the best way, the one in accordance with the God’s Will. This time we receive the Holy Communion and we do it following the intention of the Lord. We fully accept the words of Jesus: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35). It is worthwhile to capture the most important truths accompanying this righteous attitude.

Here, the Holy Communion is experienced as the Loving Person who gives life. Saying “I’m going to receive the Holy Communion” what we really mean and feel deeply inside is a strong conviction that “I’m going to meet Jesus in the Holy Communion”. The awareness of being “face to Face” triggers the act of deep humbleness. A voice full of lowliness comes from the depths of a heart: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof!” There is no mindless pretentiousness here, only some silent sobbing of a hungry and thirsty sinner who trusts in the Lord’s Mercy. Due to the lowliness of a man, the Incarnated Love can come and sanctify their body and soul. The Holy Communion washes away sins, apart from the mortal ones, obviously.

When a man desperately wants to meet Jesus and their heart is full of “great lowliness” it is rather impossible for them to be in a state of a mortal sin. Then, when they attend the Holy Mass, they can or, as a matter of fact, they should always receive the Holy Communion. A mortal sin, that is a state of a broken relationship with God, can appear when there is no interest in the Holy Communion or when there is a haughty demand based on the conviction that we deserve It. (Then the sacramental confession to rebuild the broken relationship of humility and love to God is necessary).

Jesus in the Holy Communion feeds, heals, strengthens and sanctifies our souls and bodies. Only He is the Divine Bread for our earthly life and He is the only Food for the Eternal Life.

The dialogue of love desires…
 A woman and a man…. The most perfect image of God on the Earth. In this relation, the desire to be loved fills a woman’s heart and is particularly important to her. As for a man, his hunger to give happiness through the gift of love seems to be the most significant…

A woman who feels she is loved ‘the way she is’ beams with happiness. Her soul is filled with joy of being exceptionally beautiful and fulfilled in life. A loving and caring man inspires her sense of safety. A woman becomes convinced that she follows somebody who knows the way, and who, loving her wisely, leads her in the right direction. All of this fills a woman’s heart with peace, sense of life stability and healthy self-esteem.

A situation is completely reversed when a woman feels or is certain of not being loved. Such beliefs evoke the sense of insecurity and chronic tension. What comes to the fore is the loneliness of a person who, instead of experiencing the loving presence, suffers the nightmare of non-presence and emptiness. As a result, fundamental anger arises leading to the sequence of actual acts entitled ‘I feel unhappy’. Then various activities are undertaken to fill the aching void and to deaden ‘the original pain inside’. However, none substitute can give happiness. Behind the mask of ‘a strong woman’ there is still an unhappy woman who yearningly awaits love. Thousands of different ‘oppressions’ originate from that fundamental suffering: ‘I’m not loved. I’m not beautiful.’ The meaning of life gets shattered or deformed…

It can be said that God poured into a woman’s heart this particular need to be loved, whereas into a man’s heart the desire to give love. Obviously, a woman also wants to love and a man feels the need to be loved. However, there is a basic difference in priorities which is closely connected with physical, psychological and spiritual structure of a woman and a man.  

In this context two great temptations exist: one for a man, the other for a woman. The first case is present when a man does not give his love. He cannot start a relationship as ‘a person with another person’.  A woman is treated as an object to satisfy his male ego. The origins of such behaviour can be traced to ill will or being unable to love, which is most often caused by parenting mistakes in a family home. In the other situation, a man loves a woman but she cannot notice that fact or respect it. The reason is her egoistic expectations, which make her blind to the gift she receives. As a consequence, despite being truly loved, the woman still suffers, convinced she is not loved at all. This is definitely a self-imposed suffering. It sometimes happens that in result of such ‘constant discontent’ a man gets tired and his original love fades down.

It is important to get inspiration from the life of Mary and Joseph. Joseph, a ‘just man’ of a noble character, truly loved Mary. He could take care of the woman whom God sent to his life. What was good for her was more important to him than his own needs. Even for the price of a great sacrifice, he was always ready not to act according to his own wishes but to do ‘as the angel of the Lord commanded him’. A man loves a woman most dearly when he treats her according to God’s will which he reads in his conscience and then obediently follows. Mary also had great love for Joseph. She could see and respect what he offered her from the bottom of his heart. The testimony to her loving wisdom was the trust with which she agreed to follow all of ‘God’s ideas’ which Joseph communicated to her. Mary could feel beautiful and happy being loved by her man. And Joseph could experience the joy given by a woman who trustfully and gratefully opens and accepts the love he offers. 

Thanks to all of that, the Divine Child could be born in the atmosphere of love. On the other hand, the presence of Jesus transformed the relationship of Mary and Joseph into even deeper fullness of mutual kindness. And the final crowning of their relation has become the Eternal Happiness in the womb of the Holy Trinity... Saint Joseph, the Spouse of the Holy Virgin Mary, the Patron of this day, pray for us…


The Interpretation of Loneliness
Unwanted loneliness of some people… The soul is filled with the desire to get married and start a family. Time is flying by but the dream stays unrealized. Most frequently a single man or a woman thinks in the following way: “Since I want to have a husband/wife and children, it means I have a vocation to marriage and family”. Such an attitude leads to the constant lack of acceptance of the existing loneliness and to the hope that the wedding day will eventually come …

Unfortunately, holding on to this way of thinking we can remain in “the state of painful suspension” till the day of our death. The essence of the pain is an inner tragedy: our heart chooses being with another person but life forces us to stay in unwanted loneliness. And this makes us feel unfulfilled and inferior: “nobody wants me so I must be worse than other people”. A kind of resentment appears together with some quiet jealousy towards both married and consecrated people. The former are considered happy because they have found their “other halves”, the latter because they have chosen solitude themselves and sacrificed their lives to God. However, how can we accept the contradiction we experience: the desire to get married and unwanted loneliness, which is often accompanied by grudges against God?

To avoid remaining in such a state we should realize the serious mistake in interpretation of what we experience. The mere fact that somebody wants to have a husband or a wife does not automatically mean the vocation to marriage! Such impressions are mainly the reflection of what is written in human nature. A healthy man desires a woman and a healthy woman wants a man. This natural experience can mean both a vocation to marriage and to a single life. And these two options should be taken into consideration!

A person who decides to live a life of celibacy may at first experience even a strong desire to marry. It sometimes happens that the choice of celibacy is inspired by the lack of faith that it is possible to be “wanted and loved” by somebody else. But then, over time the single person grows more emotionally mature and finally solitude becomes the most cherished state of life and even the real possibility of the most wonderful marriage does not seem tempting any longer. This dynamic should be interpreted in the proper way. Here, from the very beginning, the loneliness is the gift from God. However, initially a man or a woman does not see it. The conscious and practical decision “yes, I agree” makes it possible for God’s Grace, which deeply transforms human existence, to work in our lives. The original desire to marry and the unwanted loneliness are changed into the in-depth resignation from marriage and even fascination with solitude.

So, if somebody desires to get married, it does not automatically mean the vocation to be married. It will be verified by life itself. The vocation is confirmed if we find a husband or a wife. However, if over the years it does not happen, it is highly probable that through this external situation God indicates the vocation to singleness. Then, the spiritual process consists in the internal acceptance: “Yes, I want to live in solitude”. This is the self-imposed choice of a solitary way. Such a decision will enable God’s Grace to act and to transform the previous “misfortune” into later happiness.

It is worth mentioning that sometimes, as a result of a mistaken idea of love, an only and unrepeatable chance is overlooked or wasted. Even then a person is not doomed to be unhappy. In a given situation God will bestow His Grace so that the loneliness can be loved. We must bear in mind that The Divine Mercy does not give a copy of a missed opportunity. We cannot go back in time. However, in spite of our mistakes, God helps us pouring out His Grace to make us happy in a given situation.

We must remember, though, that from the perspective of Heaven being or not being married is not the most important thing. Jesus explains that when people “rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” (Compare Mark 12:18-27). So in Heaven all of us will be like angels. The deepness of relations, which are going to make us happy there, will not depend on our earthly way but on the level of our internal acceptance of God’s Will. 

The sense of a relentless struggle
Everyday headache, weariness and constant tiredness. Pessimistic thoughts of being devoid of any abilities recur cyclically. However, every day, despite that  overwhelming wave of negative emotions, he got down to his books, notebooks, took his Dictaphone and … kept sailing across the vast sea of a foreign language. To be more precise, a lonely white sail in the peculiar “FrenchSea”. And the sea, as we all know, is hard on the owners of little modest boats. However, there is still a chance of survival. 

That is how every day, suffering rebellious indispositions of his vocal-auditory organs and defeating the feeling of the fruitlessness of his efforts; he spent hours struggling with new words, phrases and French texts. And then, after a year of hard, systematic work “a miracle” happened. Actually, a miracle with no inverted commas, since even some friendly people were really surprised that a musically deaf and mute person began to speak understandably… What a joyful sensation: to understand and to be understood. And a thought that “evidently it makes sense after all” appeared. It was the wind blown into the sails by the Holy Spirit… and an unusual story began which would have never occurred if it hadn’t been for French… 

Yes, learning a foreign language is an exciting adventure in itself. Nowadays, an ability to speak one foreign language at least, is a helpful tool and, at the same time, a chance of experiencing a completely new world of surrounding reality. And it is also a great metaphor which helps us to grasp more fully the most important rules of a human life in the perspective of Divine Presence. Let us start with two traps awaiting here.

The first one is commonly known as “a flash in the pan”. Such a flame appears abruptly and keeps burning brightly for a few moments, but then goes out very soon and nothing is left out of it. Many people take up learning a language on an impulse and then their enthusiasm wears off gradually. Why does it happen? The reasons are our tendency to expect immediate and spectacular effects, the lack of firm self- discipline and a lowering level of motivation. In a spiritual sense our pride, which wants to get everything at once, is revealed. And we need to bear in minds that in a spiritual life we cannot achieve anything durable without effort or patience!

The other trap is the phenomenon of resting on our laurels. Learning a language starts like a shot. Together with certain abilities, some positive, satisfactory results appear. Unluckily, such success goes to a greenhorn’s head and they start to believe that they have become a beautiful swan of a studied language. As a result, language acquisition is stopped at a limited level whereas a learner is falsely convinced of mastering it fully and thoroughly. And a lifelong outcome is as follows: numerous mistakes, lack of deeper understanding, poor pronunciation and, to sum it up, wasted potential. This is a good image of spiritual pride which makes it impossible for us to head for the Eternity in a persistent way. 

A really good explanation about the rules of a human life’s optimal development can be found in the Gospel in The Parable of a Mustard Seed (Mark, 4:30-32). Jesus refers to a mustard plant which can grow on the coasts of the Sea of Galilee and reach the height up to 3-5 meters. The meaningful thing about the plant is that its seed “when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth”. Since that, it is a very illustrative example of the growth from a tiny thing to something really big which “puts forth large branches”. This is a great metaphor of a personal development for these ones who are ready to follow The God’s path. 

The essence of real and long- lasting growth is the humble acceptance of a modest beginning. Then, this “little tiny thing” should be systematically and patiently developed. It seems there is no difference between one day and another, however, real growth day by day, even if very small, in a wider perspective brings wonderful results. In such a way it is possible to master a foreign language thoroughly. In a spiritual perspective, we receive a telling image of humbleness which is always a tool for creating solid and durable buildings of God. The real Builder of the authentic development of a human life is God Himself. The sense of an effort we make day by day is to open ourselves to His Presence – the Gift which is able to make us happy for ever…

The Silence of Love
“The space for a spirit to spread its wings is silence”. The truth of that great remark by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is the guidance for everybody who wishes to head for the spiritual summit of love. Silence brings us a real life. It is like blood circulating around the body. The role of blood is extremely important. Among others, it delivers oxygen to the whole body. Oxygen deficiency,in case of thebrain, even a very short one, causes a serious damage, permanent disability or even death.

Silence has the same role in a human life. It is like oxygen allowing us not to vegetate but to live fully in love. It is the necessary foundation on which we can build other elements of our lives. Without silence, life becomes a material cage. Ceaseless chatter, ours or of other people, plays the role of enslaving bars or even isolating concrete slabs. As time goes by, the unbearable stuffiness of various desires makes its presence felt. In the rush and noise, the materiality mercilessly “drags us down”, overweighs us and causes crippling paralysis. And then a soul resembles a beautiful eagle whose wings have been cruelly tied. A process of slow dying. Boredom, dullness and banal triviality. Fortunately, it does not have to be like that. Everything may look different. What can be done?

Silence is the remedy here. When silence starts to deliver oxygen to the body, life begins to pulsate. Particular areas of our existence rise like the mythical phoenix from the ashes. The wings of our soul eagle are not tied any more. It can glide. Higher and higher, with no limits. Our spirit is awakening. The love, deposited in our hearts by the Creator, is coming out of hibernation phase into the phase of creative activeness. It does not mean activism but spiritual creativity which reflects God and brings us closer to God. Hopeless grayness gives place to the colourful passion of existence. We experience an exceptional lightness of our own being. This kind of lightness is deeply positive and resembles the moments of exhilaration on a mountain top, when we can breathe fresh air. It is obvious that our materiality takes part in it. Material world is wonderful; however, left only to itself it becomes just a heavy mass. It needs a spirit which will fill it with the loving energy of life. Shapeless mass is awaiting the form which will give it a beautiful shape. And it is through the silence that the life- giving energy fills the whole person. Without silence a man dies. Due to silence, we are able to follow the Jesus’ commandment of love, even in case of our enemies.

And perhaps silence is only for the chosen ones? Of course it is not! By no means! Can we say that only a few chosen people need oxygen to live? It would be racism in its most disgusting and extreme form. Silence is the option for everybody who wants to strive for perfection and live deeper and deeper in love. Yes! I do not want to be a man with a tied spirit. That is why I want to breathe the silence more and more fully. Silence is for every person. There is a difference only in the amount of silence present in our lives. Some people are called to give special testimony to the life-giving power of silence (eremitic or monastic vocations). For example, a sense of life for a hermit is in their prayers in silence and solitude. A man sacrifices their whole life to reveal the unusual value of silence which makes the purest love grow and mature. Obviously, such a vocation is given only to some people. However, it does not change the fact, that everybody’s life will become more and more sacred only if it is built with the help of silence. Then the spiritual powers may be set free. A man gets an internal ability to accept even the most unusual invitations: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”(Mathew 5:44).

Yes! In silence God comes in His fullness. Then the man is soaring higher and higher and glides in the sacred space of love. Gently and cheerfully we leave the silence of the earthly life and enter the Eternal Silence of Perfectly Fulfilled Love.


When does a man really love?
When does a man truly love a woman? When is his love bigger and bigger? There is only one answer. The deeper is a man’s relationship with God, the greater is his genuine love for a woman. That is why it is really wise for a wife when she wants her husband to love God above all things. If she wants him to love her more than he loves God, she harms herself a lot. A situation when a man declares: ‘’You’re the most important to me” taken literally is really difficult or even terrifying. Why?

First of all, we need to remember that such charming phrases are very often used by “heartbreakers” with no love in their hearts who think only about their egoistic aims. Most frequently, however, the words “I love you more than anything” are uttered really honestly. Still, it is not a reason to be happy. It means that the man loves the woman more than he loves God. And this is not a good foundation for the future. The lack of a solid structure and destruction loom on the horizon of the relationship.

A woman who wants to be the most important and - what follows from it – more important than God, brings to mind a tragicomical image of a person sitting on a tree branch over a precipice and passionately cutting off the branch to have it only for themselves and to leave the precipice… As we can guess, with the more rapid movement the person will fall down and the branch will stay on its place. Wishing to have a branch only for oneself results in losing everything…

That is why every wife should be really happy when her husband honestly declares: “I love God most of all!” What a perspective and at the same time a great action plan! Instead of signaling “do, whatever I – the most important one – want you to do”, a woman chooses a completely different message: “do, what God- the most important One - wants you to do”. It is worth pointing out that Mary did not want to be the first one and to guide Joseph. She wisely agreed for him to listen carefully to God and stay under His influence. She joyfully agreed to be “the second one” after God. Thanks to that She and the whole Family gained a lot.

Still, there is a subtle trap here! The mere fact of encouraging one’s husband to have “faith in God” does not result in being “the second one”. Unfortunately, very often the encouraging/ forcing a husband to believe is performed from the position of “the first one”. God is “promoted”, however He is given a safe status of “the second after me”. That is why nothing good comes out of it…

However, it is not the end yet! Every wise Christian woman will be happy to be “the third one”. How is it possible? Actually, the optimal situation is when the second place in a man’s heart after God is taken by Virgin Mary. Mary helps the man to accept the love of God and to offer this pure love to others afterwards.

In this light we discover a remarkable logic of today’s feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Hermits. Hermits have imitated Jesus who “stayed outside in lonely places” (Mark 1:45). At the same time, from the very beginning the eremitical tradition has been steeped in the extraordinary love for Mary. A good hermit is a person who most of all loves God and Mary. Mary is the Queen of every true eremitical heart. Through their prayers and the Rule they follow, with pride and joy hermits have always declared both by words and deeds that most of all they love God and Mary.

It is by no means discrimination against women. On the contrary, it is all about love and respect! Indeed, Mary is a Woman! Experiencing the presence of Mary as a Queen, that is the most important One after God, bears wonderful fruit. John Paul II told hermits about Mary: “Love is the only force in our struggle against the powers of darkness… As long as we stay united with that Woman, we will be able to love.” A hermit does not love with “a pseudo-love of wizards” but with demanding and caring love of Christ. Thanks to Mary, the Queen, God takes the first place in a hermit’s heart. As a result, a pure love to each person, both to a woman and a man, arises. Mary, the Queen of Hermits, pray for us….