With the weapon of the Rosary against the contemporary snares of the Evil
Fr. Ireneusz Skubiś
On 8 October 2011, in the parish of St. Jadwiga Śląska in Kodrębo, in the archdiocese of Częstochowa, a monument of Bishop Stefan Bareła, the third Ordinary in Częstochowa, was sacrificed. 'Bishop Barela' -said Archbishop Stanislaw Nowak, the present bishop of Częstochowa, in the homily - fought for the matters of the believers in Poland. In the name of Maryja he fought till the end.... Yes, he did. He was a bishop full of pastoral determination, who knew - like the Millennium Primate Stefan Wyszyński, who was still alive at that time, that our pastoral ministry should have the character of Maryja. I remember my interview with Bishop Stefan two weeks before his death in January 1984 when he really wanted to tell me that as his testament during our interview for the Catholic weekly 'Sunday': 'Remember - he said - that the pastoral ministry in Poland should have the character of Mary'. And he added that he had intentionally asked the Holy Father John Paul II about it and the Holy Father confirmed that. When this year in the diocese we reminiscence the 50th anniversary of the Bishop's sacra of Stefan Bareła - he received it on 8 January 1961 in the cathedral of Częstochowa - I would like to emphasize that the Bishop really wanted to pass this testament in which he even justified his opinion by the words of John Paul's II. Today, after the reform of the status of the Polish Episcopate Conference, the Commission of Mary, whose representative was Bishop Bareła, ceased to exist. It seems that it was not the best year because the lively cult of Mary in Poland requires attention, care and cultivation. During the return of freedom there was also the return of lawlessness. Let's remember how some atheists were able to ridicule the face of Our Lady and holy signs. Determined actions by the Commission of Mary would surely reduce this kind of blasphemy. As I mentioned, the pastoral ministry of Mary was a subject of the great attention of Cardinal Wyszyński. He gave a testimony by himself, entrusting himself to Our Lady in Jasna Góra. He also entrusted the work of the Polish Church to Her. The 'Jasna Góra Vows' written by him referred the whole pastoral reality to Christ through the hands of Mary Virgin. So, we can say that Our Lady had 'Her hands full of work' because our matters and problems focused on her, which were entrusted to her during an individual, parish and nationwide pilgrimage. And we saw that Mary passes our requests to her Son, Jesus Christ. Kana Galilee repeated itself in a sense- a matter entrusted to Her, found its fulfilment in Her God's Son. She listened patiently, showed her understanding, sometimes suggested something and laid everything on Christ's hands. She often went out to people with a warning throughout the history. The specific signs are Lourdes or Fatima where she called for penance and conversion. There were other little Mary's revelations in different parts of the world, including Poland, Our Lady always came in order to help us, her people and remind us what is the most important.
Today it is seen well that Mary's pastoral ministry is kept by the Church in some order. Where Mary is, the Church is very lively and God's Son Jesus Christ is adored more.
So when our situation seems quite difficult today, as believers we must be aware of the fact that we must look for a suitable reference and help. Let's remember that our constant help is Our Lady - we worship her also under this invocation. The prayer which brought many nations back to life is the Rosary prayer. It has also happened so in Hungary recently - thanks to the Rosary prayer not only Catholic families met with one another there but also the whole Hungarian society including Protestant groups, and there occurred a miracle of the history turn. The ordinary society, as sinful as many others, suddenly realized that it must return to the Christian roots, a prayer because they are a real strength. And, hence, there is a great proposal for Poland of enlivening the Rosary prayer, so that people - both individuals and families or parish groups - would join the Rosary Crusade in the intention for our Homeland which started to exist in Jasna Góra, beside the Jasna Góra Rosary Family. When the evil rages, when many people express their support for the option without God, which is perversely defined as a worldly-opinion neutral country, there is nothing for us to do but speak to Our Lady who understands everything. We are certain that thanks to this prayer, thanks to our entrustment to Mary's Virgin Heart, a lot can be changed - first of all, in ourselves. We must stand with determination in the fight against the evil.
Applications of joining the Rosary Crusade can be addressed to: Father Bogumił Schab-Director of Jasna Góra Rosary Family, ul. Ks. A. Kordeckiego 2, 42-225 Częstochowa.
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"Niedziela" 50/2011