O co
właściwie
nam chodzi?
strona ks. Wojciecha Węgrzyniaka
Wojciech Węgrzyniak
Pochodzę z Podhala a dokładnie z Mizernej. Jestem księdzem od 6 czerwca 1998 roku. Przez pierwsze 3 lata kapłaństwa byłem wikariuszem w Krakowie na os. Ruczaj. Potem wyjechałem za granicę.
Pięć lat spędziłem na studiach w Rzymie, trzy następne w Jerozolimie. Od października 2009 roku pracuję na Uniwersytecie Papieskim Jana Pawła II w Krakowie. Moja specjalność to nauki biblijne a dokładniej Stary Testament. Mieszkam przy Kolegiacie św. Anny w Krakowie, starając się pomagać również w duszpasterstwie.
Planowane rekolekcje
2013
Dla kapelanów Wojska Polskiego, Częstochowa, 23-26.09
WSD Radom, 3-8.12
Duszpasterstwo Akademickie, Kraków, U Dobrego, 15-18.12
Bęczarka, 20-22.12
2014
Duszpasterstwo Akademickie Most, wielkopostne, Wrocław, 5-8.03
Duszpasterstwo Akademickie u Brata, wielkopostne, Kraków, 30.03-2.04
Parafialne wielkopostne, Kwaczała, 6-9.04
Kapłańskie, Ziemia Święta, sierpień/wrzesień
WSD Łomża, koniec września
Parafialne - Niepołomice, koniec października
2015
Rekolekcje o Słowie Bozym, Krościenko, ferie zimowe (5 dni)
Parafialne wielkopostne - Kraków - św. Jadwigi
Parafialne adwentowe - Jaworzno-Szczakowa
2016
Parafialne wielkopostne - Chrzanów-Kościelec
2017
Parafialne wielkopostne (V Niedz. Wlk.Postu)- Sułkowice
2018
Parafialne wielkopostne (V Niedz. Wlk.Postu)- Nowy Targ, św. Katarzyny
Wygłoszone rekolekcje
1998
Parafialne wielkopostne – Kwaczała, marzec
ONŻ O st. - Bystra Podhalańska, sierpień
1999
ONŻ I st. - Babice, lipiec
Ewangelizacyjne - Młoszowa-Chrzanów, październik
2000
Misje parafialne - Kraków, Piaski Nowe, 26.03-2.04 (wraz z ks. Janem Nowakiem)
ONŻ II st. - Groń, lipiec
Dla młodzieży - Kraków, Kurdwanów, 24-27.09
Parafialne adwentowe - Niegowić, grudzień
2001
Parafialne wielkopostne - Dębno, marzec
Parafialne wielkopostne - Frydman, marzec
Dla Liceum Męskiego oo. Cystersów - Kraków, Szklane Domy, 9-11.04
ONŻ III st. (ogólnopolskie) - Kraków, lipiec
2002
ONŻ O st. - Osieczany, lipiec
2003
Parafialne wielkopostne - Dębno, 13-16.04.2003
Parafialne adwentowe - Kraków, os. Ruczaj, 17-20.12
Parafialne adwentowe – Krempachy, 20-23.12
2004
Dla I LO w Krakowie, marzec
Parafialne wielkopostne - Niedzica, 28.03-31.03
Parafialne wielkopostne - Raba Wyżna, 4-7.04
Parafialne adwentowe - Kraków, Prądnik Czerwony (Jana Chrzciciela), 19-22.12
2005
Parafialne wielkopostne - Nowy Targ, św. Katarzyny, 12-18.03
Parafialne wielkopostne - Dębno, marzec
2006
Dla szkół średnich w Wieliczce, marzec
Dla inteligencji - Myślenice, marzec
Parafialne wielkopostne - Harklowa, kwiecień
2009
Parafialne adwentowe - Kraków, os. Ruczaj, 12-15.12.2009
Dla Stowarzyszenia Civitas Christiana - Kraków, Łagiewniki, 4.12.2009
2010
Parafialne wielkopostne - Kacwin, 17-20.02
Dla VIII LO w Krakowie, 8-10.03
Dla młodzieży i nie tylko - Kraków, kościół Miłosierdzia Bożego, 9-11.03 (pomoc włoskiej Szkole Ewangelizacji „Sentinelle del Mattino di Pasqua”)
W Bazylice Mariackiej (Parafialne wielkopostne i dla Bezdomnych), Kraków, 21-26.03
Dla pracowników nauki - Kraków, św. Anna, 28.03-1.04
Misje parafialne - Prostyń, 22-31.05
Dla przygotowujących się do Bierzmowania i młodzieży – Nowy Targ, 8-10.09
WSD Hosianum - Olsztyn, 27-29.09
Dla katechetów – Sokołów Podlaski, 15-17.10
Dla katechetów – Nurzec Stacja, 26-28.11
Dla rodziców - Kraków, Biały Prądnik (u ss. Duchaczek), 6-8.12
Dla Duszpasterstwa Akademickiego adwentowe – Warszawa, św. Anny, 12-15.12
2011
Dzień skupienia - WSD XX. Sercanów w Stadnikach, 19-20.01
Misje parafialne - Leńcze, 6-13.02
Dla Duszpasterstwa Akademickiego wielkopostne "Daj się zaprzęgnąć" - Kraków, św. Anny, 10-13.04.
Dzień skupienia "Między kobietą a Panem Bogiem" - WSD XX. Saletynów w Krakowie, 28-29.05.
Z okazji jubileuszu 500-lecia parafii p.w. Trójcy Świętej w Prostyni, 18-20.06.
WSD Drohiczyn, 28.09-2.10.
Kapłańskie - Ziemia Święta, 3-12.11
Dla XX. Chrystusowców z Misji Polskiej - Bochum, 20-21.11
Parafialne adwentowe - Kraków, MB Ostrobramskiej, 11-13.12
2012
WSD Kraków, 21-25.02
Parafialne wielkopostne - Kraków, Dobrego Pasterza, 25-28.03
Dla kapłanów rocznika święceń 1982, Maniowy 9-12.04
Parafialne, przed peregrynacją Obrazu Jezusa Miłosiernego - Maniowy, 17-20.05
Dla katechetów diec. Bielsko-Żywieckiej - Pogórze, 29.06-1.07
WSD Katowice, 26-30.09
Parafialne, przed peregrynacją Obrazu Jezusa Miłosiernego - Chrzanów, św. Mikołaja, 4-7.11
Dla katechetów archidiec. Krakowskiej - Zakopane, 15-17.11
Dla katechetów archidiec. Krakowskiej - Zakopane, 7-9.12
Dla Duszpasterstwa Akademickiego, adwentowe - Radom, 9-12.12
2013
Dla katechetów archidiec. Krakowskiej - Zakopane, 7-9.02
Parafialne wielkopostne - Linz, 15-17.02
Dzień skupienia - Wiedeń, 17.02
Dla pedagogów i wychowawców - Kraków, Bazylika św. Floriana, 18-20.02
Dla katechetów archidiec. Krakowskiej - Zembrzyce, 7-9.03
Parafialne wielkopostne - Katedra Wawelska, 24.02/3.03/10.03
Duszpasterstwo Akademickie - Kraków, św. Szczepan, 10-13.03
Dla nauczycieli - Kielce, 14-16.03
Dla Sióstr Urszulanek - Rybnik, 1-3.05
Dla XX. Chrystusowców z Misji Polskiej - Bochum, 8.06
Życiorys
(z 24.02.2011 na potrzeby nostryfikacji dyplomu doktorskiego)
Urodziłem się 21 marca 1973 w Niedzicy jako najmłodsze dziecko Władysława Węgrzyniaka i Wiktorii z domu Zązel. W latach 1973-1977 mieszkałem w Maniowach a następnie w Mizernej, gdzie część rodziny mieszka do tej pory.
Po ukończeniu w 1988 roku Szkoły Podstawowej w Kluszkowcach uczęszczałem do I LO im. Seweryna Goszczyńskiego w Nowym Targu. W roku szkolnym 1990/1991 zakwalifikowałem się do III stopnia XVII Olimpiady Geograficznej, natomiast w roku 1991/1992 zostałem finalistą XVIII Olimpiady Geograficznej i I Olimpiady Nautologicznej oraz dotarłem do II stopnia Olimpiady Historycznej.
Egzamin dojrzałości uzyskałem w 1992 r., po czym wstąpiłem do Archidiecezjalnego Wyższego Seminarium Duchownego w Krakowie, rozpoczynając tym samym przygotowanie do kapłaństwa i studia na Papieskiej Akademii Teologicznej.
Święcenia diakonatu otrzymałem 8 maja 1997 roku w Skomielnej Białej. Zgodnie z wytycznymi formacji seminaryjnej ostatni rok przed święceniami kapłańskimi spędziłem w Kwaczale, ucząc religii w szkole podstawowej i pomagając w parafii jako diakon.
W 1998 roku uzyskałem magisterium z teologii na podstawie pracy napisanej pod kierunkiem o. Augustyna Jankowskiego OSB zatytułowanej Κoinonia z Bogiem w Pierwszym Liście Jana Apostoła. W tym samym roku, 6 czerwca otrzymałem święcenia kapłańskiego z rąk kard. Franciszka Macharskiego.
W latach 1998-2001 pełniłem funkcję wikariusza w par. Zesłania Ducha Świętego w Krakowie na os. Ruczaj, m.in. ucząc religii w Szkołach Podstawowych 151 i 158 oraz w Gimnazjum nr 23. W roku akademickim 2000/2001 odbyłem studia licencjackie na Papieskiej Akademii Teologicznej w Krakowie zwieńczone tytułem licencjata z teologii ze specjalnością biblijną. Praca magisterska została uznana za licencjacką. Promotorem był o. Augustyn Jankowski OSB.
W latach 2001-2006 studiowałem w Papieskim Instytucie Biblijnym w Rzymie. W roku akademickim 2003/2004 byłem reprezentantem studentów Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej oraz członkiem senatu akademickiego tegoż instytutu. W czerwcu 2004 uzyskałem stopień licencjata z nauk biblijnych. Teza zatytułowana "En aletheia kai agape" (2 Gv 3). Richiamo al duplice comandamento nella lettera del Presbitero alla Signora eletta (“W miłości i prawdzie [2 J 3]. Wezwanie do podwójnego przykazania w liście Prezbitera do wybranej Pani”) została napisana pod kierunkiem Johannesa Beutlera SJ.
W latach 2004-2006 kontynuowałem studia w Papieskim Instytucie Biblijnym w Rzymie przygotowujące do doktoratu.
Od maja do lipca 2006 pracowałem w Sekretariacie Kardynała Metropolitalnej Kurii w Krakowie.
W październiku tego samego roku rozpocząłem studia doktoranckie we Franciszkańskim Studium Biblijnym w Jerozolimie, zamiejscowym Wydziale Nauk Biblijnych i Archeologii Papieskiego Uniwersytetu Antonianum w Rzymie (Pontificia Universitas Antonianum. Facultas Scientiarum Biblicarum et Archaeologiae). W 2007 roku uzyskałem status Candidatus ad Doctoratum i rozpocząłem pracę nad tezą doktorskiej pod kierunkiem prof. Alviero Niccacci OFM (SBF, Jerozolima) i prof. G. Barbiero SDB (PIB, Rzym). Praca doktorska zatytułowana Lo stolto ateo. Studio dei Salmi 14 e 53 (“Głupi ateista. Studium Psalmów 14 i 53”) została obroniona 30 stycznia 2010 roku. Oprócz wspomnianych dwóch moderatorów, recenzentami pracy doktorskiej byli M. Pazzini OFM (SBF, Jerozolima) i A. Mello (SBF, Jerozolima). Ekstrakt pracy doktorskiej został opublikowany w lutym 2010 w Jerozolimie przez wydawnictwo Franciscan Press. Na tej podstawie uzyskałem dyplom Doktora Nauk Biblijnych i Archeologii, zatwierdzony przez władze Papieskiego Uniwersytetu Antonianum w Rzymie dnia 25 maja 2010 roku.
W czasie moich studiów zarówno w Rzymie jak i w Jerozolimie uczestniczyłem w różnych kursach językowych: jęz. włoskiego w Rzymie; jęz. angielskiego w Leicester, Maynooth, Londonie i Nowym Jorku; jęz. niemieckiego w Bonn i Salzburgu oraz jęz. francuskiego w Lyonie i w Angers. Ponadto w czasie wakacyjnym pomagałem w różnych parafiach i wspólnotach religijnych. Przede wszystkim we Włoszech (Roccagorga, Spadafora, Borgo san Donato, Pieve i Maresso), w Anglii (Leicester, Kirkham, Louth, Skegness i Londyn), w USA (Chicago i Nowy York), w Niemczech (Wesseling i Traunstein), we Francji (Lyon) a także w różnych parafiach na terenie Polski, gdzie wygłosiłem kilkanaście rekolekcji parafialnych.
Od 1 października 2009 roku zostałem zatrudniony na Uniwersytecie Papieskim Jana Pawła II w Krakowie na stanowisku asystenta w Katedrze Egzegezy Starego Testamentu. Rok później zacząłem pełnić funkcję opiekuna Samorządu Studenckiego oraz opiekuna I roku teologii o specjalności katechetyczno-pastoralnej. W 2011 zostałem adiunktem tej samej katedry.
Od 2009 roku należę do Stowarzyszenia Biblistów Polskich.
Poza publikacją kilku artykułów z dziedziny biblijnej, wygłosiłem referaty na sympozjach w Krakowie (Łagiewniki, wrzesień 2008; UPJPII, kwiecień 2010), w Płocku (WSD, listopad 2009), w Lublinie (KUL, sierpień 2010) oraz wziąłem udział w konferencji naukowej na temat Księgi Psalmów w Oxfordzie (wrzesień 2010). Ponadto opublikowałem 4 tomy homilii i kazań.
Od końca września 2009 roku zamieszkałem przy Kolegiacie św. Anny w Krakowie z zadaniem pomocy duszpasterskiej w parafii, należąc jednocześnie do grupy trzech wykładowców z UPJPII, którzy zostali skierowani przez Metropolitę do sprawowania pieczy nad duszpasterstwem pracowników nauki miasta Krakowa.
W 2010 zostałem wybrany członkiem Rady Kapłańskiej Archidiecezji Krakowskiej.
About Love (31B)
Jerusalem-Notre Dame, 5th November 2006
This is true.
It is love who is the most important and most beautiful in our religion.
We have believed in the Gospel because we believe in the love.
We know very well how wonderful is to be loved by Jesus Christ.
We know by experience how marvellous is to love the others, to dedicate our time, strength, feelings, dreams, money, patience…
What is life without love?
It is...
Tea without water.
Wallet without money.
Spring without flowers.
Job without earnings.
Sunset without horizon.
Prayer without God.
What is life without love?
Life without love it is not life. It is only vegetation….
God be praised for love that he gave us!
He knows very well what is the most important for a human heart.
Dear brother and sister.
We read in today’s gospel that to love God is the first commandment”.
More or less we know what it means to love. But do we know who our God is?
Who is One for you?
Who is Lord alone?
Who is so important that there is no other than he?
Who is your and my God?
Who do you love with all your heart?
Who do you love with all your soul?
Who do you love with all your mind?
Who do you love with all your strength?
Who?
This question is very important.
Because where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
Sometimes we deify what we love instead of loving our God.
Dear Beloved.
The last question is about yourself.
Jesus says: “you shall love your neighbour as yourself”. We know very well the first part of this sentence, but we forget very often the second part of it: “as yourself”,
Do you like yourself?
Do you love yourself?
We can not love neighbour if we don’t love ourselves!
Maybe our neighbour is very difficult, very strange, rude and annoying so that it’s hard to love him. But maybe we are not satisfied with our live, job, family, face or character, maybe we don’t love ourselves so that we are unable to love to others.
Don’t forget, my brothers!
If Jesus shed his precious blood for you it means your are precious. You are valuable.
Nobody sheds blood for nothing. Nobody pays so much for nothing.
Believe in your worth and price. Love yourself.
It will be easier to love your neighbour and to love your God.
Honesty and Service (29B)
Jerusalem-Notre Dame, 21st October 2006
1. Are you honest with yourselves?
Do you have courage to say: This is my wish?
What is your wish? What is your deepest dream?
Love? Money? Faith? Power? Sex? Chastity? Freedom? Knowledge? What is my deepest dream? Am I honest with myself? Or maybe I don’t speak frankly about my wish, because I’m ashamed of it.
James and John, the sons of Zebedee, they are speaking very frankly about their wish: “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left”. No hypocrisy. No simulation of personal holiness. No worry about reputation. Just the honesty: We want you to do for us whatever we ask for you”. And Jesus was not scandalized and not surprised. He asked. He listened to them. He explained.
Honesty. Don’t be afraid be honest with yourselves! Do not be afraid be honest with Jesus! God understands every wish and he can purify, ennoble, and improve every dream.
This is amazing in the Gospel! The great but sincere sinner is better than Pharisee, a person of high moral and hypocritical standard.
2. The second word is about service.
“Whoever wishes to be great among you will by your servant”
What does mean “to serve”?
In Collins Dictionary we can read: if you serve your country, an organization or a person you do useful work for them.
Useful work. Was it useful work to ask Jesus about places in his glory? Was it useful work discuss about authority and power?
I don’t think so. The problem of the apostles and the problem of priests nowadays is the same. We love to do a lot of useless work.
I'm sorry for me and for my brothers in priesthood that we do so many things in our life that are no connection with the care of the people.
I'm sorry that we are looking for the first place not only in the kingdom of God in heaven, but also in the kingdom of people on earth.
I'm sorry because very often we don’t serve you but we wait to be served, to be exalted, to be greeted, and to be respected.
Help us, please, to be your servants, help us to be your slave, help us to understand the Gospel fo Christ.
Will and hardness of heart (27B)
Jerusalem-Notre Dame, 8th October 2006
Dear brothers and sisters.
I would to say just two words.
The first word is about “will”.
What do you want?
Do you want to divorce?
Do you want to leave your wife, your husband?
Would you like to marry another person?
Would you like to look at the new face, see the new smile and listen to the new words?
What do I want exactly?
Would I like to leave my priesthood or my monastic life?
Did I find somebody or something more interesting, more amazing, more gorgeous or more charming?
What is my will? What is your true will?
They are married because they wanted to be together.
They are going to divorce, because they want to be separated.
Always my “will”. Always your will.
Jesus reminds in today’s gospel: It is man who leaves his father and mother but it is God who joins together”. What God has joined together, no human being must separate.
My life is not only my will, unless I want to complicate life.
This is a good news! If God wants my marriage, my priesthood, nobody and nothing can destroy it.
The second word is about hardness of heart.
Moses permitted to write a bill of divorce because of the hardness of the hearts.
In the Bible is one person who is very famous because of the hardness of his heart. It is Pharaoh who didn’t want to let the people go. The Scriptures say about twelve times that pharaoh was obstinate and would not listen to Moses, would not listen to the miracles, would not listen to God. To have a hard heart is to be closed from God, from his voice, from his signs.
The conclusion is maybe surprised but is very true. If I have troubles with my fidelity, with my marriage or my vocation I have to open my heart to God and for God. If I have some problems with my life I don’t need any divorce, I need rather the faith, the faith in God who can crush the hardest heart and who can open the best fortified stronghold.
Dear friends.
I wanted to say just two words. About will and about hardness of heart.
Let us pray never with hypocrisy: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven".
Let us pray always: “My delight is to do your will; your law, my God, is deep in my heart.” (Ps 40:9)
Where are you? (24C)
New York, St. Margaret, 16th September 2007
The first question God asked a human being in the Bible was: Where are you?
The Bible is a mirror, in which we can see what is invisible without it: we can see our own face.
Let us read once again today’s parable about two sons putting to ourselves the first divine question: “Where are you?”
Maybe you are in this part of the story when the younger son wants to leave his father. Perhaps he is bored to live at home. Perhaps he wants to experience something new. Maybe he wants to bee free from father’s commandments and father’s presence.
Are you in this part of the story?
Do you really want to leave God, faith and the church?
Maybe you are further. The son is just in a distant country. He spends money. He is very well. He finally feels what does mean to be free, to be a lord of own life. “Now I am the Great!. My stupid brother has to work with my father and I can do what I want. How life is beautiful!”
Are you in this part of the Gospel?
Do you really feel better without God?
Perhaps you are further. The son spent everything. He has no money, no home, no father, no brother. Even ha has no hope. Not yet. He is thinking: “I’ve lost my life! Nothing does make sense.”
Are you in this part of the Gospel?
Do you see yourselves broken, finished, without any perspective?
But maybe you are the older son. All life faithful to God, to church, to commandments: the exemplary father, the impeccable wife, the outstanding woman, the excellent worker, the brilliant parishioner. And now after many years you can not understand how God can be more pleased with the sinners than with you. Maybe you think in the deep of your heart: “With this logic it is better to use life, to be a sinner and at the end to come back to God.” You are a good son but, deep down, you envy people who are far from God.
Are you in this part of the parable?
Don’t you really understand that God wants to save all people?
Don’t you understand that a physician must take care of the sick people more than of the healthy one?
Man: Where are you?
Human being: Where are you?
The Gospel is a mirror in which I can see what is invisible without it - I can see my own face.
What I see?
Where am I?
Where are you?
Probably we know the answer, but wherever we are, we have to remember: God is waiting for us with open arms. For faithful who are angry and for sinners who are too far and too weak. God has open arms.
The cross shows it in the best way.
Can you see it?
God has opened his arms to all mankind in his Son and he never will change it. Because the infinite love has nailed arms to the cross once and for all - to be open to everybody now and forever.
A mindless robot
Kirkham, 24th July 2007
The prophet Micah remind of what is really good for man and what the Lord asks of us:
No holocaust, no calves one year old, no rams.
Only this: to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.
Notice that all these things are not something concrete and obvious.
They require thinking and constant cooperation with God.
I have to act justly, but what does it mean?
I have to love tenderly, but what does it mean?
I have to walk humbly with God, but what does it mean?
God wants in man an intelligent partner and not a mindless robot.
Banquet and Value (22C)
New York, St. Margaret, 2nd September 2007
Let me say two words.
The first about banquet.
Jesus very often took opportunity to say something important, something deeper, something more spiritual. He was invited to dinner but he didn’t want only to dine. He uses this opportunity to speak about invitation.
Did he want to offence the host?
Not. He didn’t.
Did he want to say that if we hold a lunch or a dinner and we invite our friends or our relatives it doesn’t make sense?
Not. He didn’t.
Jesus doesn’t forbid to invite friends. Jesus uses the word “rather”. “Rather, if you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind”.
By the way, I’m 34 years old and I’ve never hold banquet or dinner only for the poor. It’s a shame. When I read today’s gospel I mind there are still a lot of things that I should do in my life to be a disciple of Christ. I mind that the longest way in life is from the understanding of the Gospel until to put it into practise.
Now let we say one word about value.
It’s interesting to see in the Gospel how often Jesus focus his attention on the poor. We read in today’s gospel that Jesus told a parable noticing how the people were choosing the places of honor at the table. Jesus saw it and understood that we - the people - we like the places of honor, we like saying “I’m better”. Jesus knew and knows that there is no equality on the earth.
The French revolution with slogans "freedom, equality, brotherhood" it is only an ideal and not the reality. The so-called democracy even in our country is maybe good, but not the best. The is no equality before the justice or before the law. If you don’t have money or if you have no connections is pretty hard to do something.
Do you believe that the president of USA has the same value as a beggar?
Do you believe that the pope is not more precious than a terrorist?
Do you believe that one disabled has the same beauty as the most beautiful actress from Hollywood?
Even we say "Everybody is equal", we feel that it is not true.
Even on cemetery. There are bigger and smaller gravestones and headstones.
Jesus saw that the people like to make themselves greater so he reminds: don’t forget about the poor. They are the same people as you. They are created in God’s image like you.
This is humility: to understand that everybody is equal before God, because for everybody Jesus shed the same quantity of his precious blood.
War and peace (20C)
New York, St. Margaret, 19th August 2007
Dear Friends in Faith.
That seems to be a contradiction!
Jesus is saying in today’s gospel: Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. But in another place of the gospel, Jesus says: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
It’s a contradiction! Isn’t it? Is Jesus going to give a peace or rather division? Can we say with honesty that we are religion of peace?
1. First of all, we have to notice a little difference between two quotations of Jesus. In today’s gospel, Jesus is speaking about peace on the earth. In another place he speaks about peace that he leaves with the apostles: “Peace I give to you”. What more! Jesus adds: “Not as the world gives do I give it to you.”
We can say: Jesus gives peace. That’s true. But his peace is peace for us, not peace on the earth. That’s a point of departure for our question. And a point of arrival is: If we believe in Christ we have peace in our heart, we are peaceful, we are not afraid. It doesn’t mean that around us is peaceful and there is no war.
2. The first reading is a good example for the question of peace. It was about 600 years B.C. The king of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem. Prophet Jeremiah was convinced: it doesn’t make sense to put up any resistance, because God has just decided to deliver over this city to king of Babylon. Jeremiah was speaking to the all the people: Thus says the LORD: This city shall certainly be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon; he shall capture it.
The king and the princes of Jerusalem didn’t believe these words. Jeremiah was calm, he had peace in his heart, because he knew the truth, but the peace of Jeremiah wasn’t the peace of the princes of Jerusalem. They put him in a cistern. The peace of the prophet didn’t cause peace in the city. On the contrary! His words brought a division and a confusion, but not because the prophet was wrong, but because the rulers didn’t want to believe in the words of God.
3. But maybe we don’t have to come back to the first reading to understand the problem of the peace. Let us think in a practical way!
If I believe in Christ, and if I want to put into practice all his commandments, I have peace in my heart. I’m sure that my life has a deep sense. I am glad that somebody loves me and he leads me not only here, but also after my death. But if the people with whom I live don’t have the same faith, it will cause some divisions and tensions.
For instance, if I don’t want to use contraceptive pills and my wife doesn’t have the same opinion, it will cause maybe not only a division but even a war. If I give up, I will have no peace in my heart, because I want to keep commandments. If I not give up I will have peace in my heart but surely not in my home.
If I know that a Sunday mass is very important to me and it’s impossible to be a good Christian without the Church, I go to church. But if my friends want to make an excursion into the country, just on Sunday, it complicates the question. I can go with them but if I want to be a Christian, I will have no peace in my heart. If I will not go, maybe I will loose my friends. The peace of the Christ sometimes is impossible to reconcile with the peace of this world.
The last example. If I want to be honest with the teaching of the Catholic Church, I have to say, that everybody who didn’t go to church for the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Mary, it means last Tuesday evening or last Wednesday, he committed a mortal sin, because this feast was obligatory for people who could come. But if I tell it, people can be against me. Somebody can say: What do you want from us? Come back to your country!” But If I want to have the peace of Christ in my heart and If I want to be faithful to the teaching of the Catholic Church I have to add: What more! If somebody didn’t go to church for the feast of the Assumption and if he didn’t confess this sin, he must not receive the Holy Communion, because Saint Paul says: “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” But If I tell it, I’m sure that somebody will have less peace after this mass than he had it before he came in the church.
These were just 3 instances. Maybe to hard, but I hope these instances are very clear to understand that if we want to be faithful to Christ we will have peace in our heart, but if we live with the people who don’t have the same faith, we have to be ready to face divisions and tensions.
Our religion is a religion of peace but not a religion of a pacifism. We don’t want to hurt anybody. We don’t want to exclude anybody. We want to live in peace with everybody. But we know, if we want to be honest with Christ, we have to be ready to live in a divided house and in the world full of tension.
Is everybody right? (20B)
Skegness, 20th August 2006
Everybody is right.
Do you think so?
Every religion is the same.
Do you agree?
Everybody can do what he wants.
Do you mind?
It has the same value to be homosexual or heterosexual, to get married four times or to be faithful until the death, to go to church or to pray at home, to have sex before the marriage or to be a virgin, to cheat the state or to be honest, to look after the parents or to accept euthanasia, to use contraceptives or natural methods of birth control, to be generous or to be greedy, to dedicate your free time for a parish or to spend it only in the casino, bingo, pub, restaurants… et cetera. It has the same value.
Do you believe so?
Look at today’s first reading.
There are the wisdom and the foolishness. The wisdom says to the fool:
“Leave you folly and you will live. Walk in the ways of perception”.
The ways of perception are not the same as the ways of ignorance.
Let us look at the responsorial Psalm.
The Psalmist says:
“Keep your tongue from evil, turn aside from evil and do good, seek and strive after peace.”
To do good and to do wrong it isn’t the same.
May we look at the second reading.
Saint Paul says:
“Be careful about the sort of lives you lead, like intelligent and not like senseless people”.
“Do not be thoughtless but recognise what is the will of the Lord.”
“Do not drug yourselves with vine, be fill with the Spirit”.
To be intelligent and to be senseless it is not the same.
Look at the Gospel, please.
Jesus says:
“If you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you”.
“This is the bread come down from heaven; not like the bread our ancestors ate, they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will for ever.”
To eat the bread of Jesus and the bread that Jews ate is not the same.
To have life and to not have life it is not the same.
Dear friends!
Pluralism doesn’t mean equivalence.
A diversity of opinions doesn’t mean that all have equal value.
I know the Bible speaks the different language as the modern world, but it is our chance and choice to think, agree, mind and believe in God and not in current opinions.
Children and whelps (Th/5/I)
Jerusalem, Notre Dame, 8th Febraury 2007
It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.
What do you feel when Jesus is speaking about dogs?
I don’t feel English language, but to say in Polish you are dog, or you dog is very offensive. So we are confused when we are reading this gospel. But to be honest, Jesus didn’t use the word “dog”. The word "dog" (in Greek "kyon") we find in the Bible over 40 times but not in today’s gospel. In today’s gospel Jesus used word "kynarion" and this is a diminutive of "kyon" and means little dog, whelp.
Now we can explain the picture from the Gospel.
There are children around the table and small dogs under the table. There is difference between them but all live in the same house. Jesus is saying to the woman:
Do you want that pagans receive the good things instead of Israel? It is not good, because Israel is a chosen nation. We can not make impression that God’s choice is not important.
The woman explained immediately:
No. I don’t want to take away the good things from Israel. I understand that it would be not fair to feed little dogs and not the children. I don’t want to say: we need God more; we deserve God more. I wanted just to say: The mercy of God is so great, that it is enough for Israel and for us.
And Jesus healed her daughter, because she understood two things:
1) Divine Mercy is enough for everybody,
2) It is not the same to be or not to be the chosen people.
Who is the greatest in England?
Kirkham, 25th July 2006
Who is the most important person in this country?
Who is the greatest in England?
Queen?
Prime minister?
Archbishop of Canterbury?
The Gospel is unmistakable:
Anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant.
Anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave.
It is no sin to want to be great. Not even small.
A big sin is to think that people who don’t serve are more important than slave.