LEDNICA IS OF AT THE AGE OF AN ADULT

FR. JAN GÓRA

On 7 June this year, on fields in Lednica, there is going to be the XVIII Meeting of the Youth Lednica 2000. Lednica is already 18 years old. So, it is at the age of an adult!

Meetings of the youth at the lake Lednica were inaugurated by John Paul II with a helicopter raid on 2 June 1997 and, in this way, he led symbolically the youth into the new millennium.

From the very beginning, the essence of the meetings in Lednica has been a metaphysical act of the choice of Christ in reference to the choice of Christ by Mieszko I in 966 during his acceptance of baptism.

What is Lednica

Lednica gained its identity with a lot of effort throughout these eighteen years. It created a cultural heritage in the form of preparation of the area, building a centre, but, first of all, in the form of catechesis, singings and dances which have spread all over the world and even reached to Chicago. Lednica is growing out of a lively trend in the Church and is together with pastors and priests in the Church.

Lednica always suggests a confession and Eucharist, adoration and choice of Christ, as well as passing through the Gate Fish. Meetings in Lednica created a separate place on the map named Fields of Lednica, because the place was called so by John Paul II in his first speech. This place radiates with enthusiasm, joy of faith and creativity. It is leading towards development. Here many vocations appeared and many marriages were entered into. At the Gate there were many marriage proposals or espousals. Lednica is a melting pot of faith, and the created temperature is maintained throughout the year.

For, Lednica is not only a single annual event but the permanent formation of a mature and integral man and a Christian man. Lednica does not give lessons, but suggests and invites. Every weekend we are in the Centre at Lednica on our own or with guests who come to us in order to go to Jesus together with us. It happens that we use the invitation and we go to others.

Lednica has its own treasure: eight speeches of John Paul II, addressed to young people in the years 1997-2004. These messages create a compact program of growth and development. In the situation when a language of passing the faith became uncommunicative and incomprehensible in many cases (which is clearly mentioned by Benedict XVI in the book-interview ‘Light of the world’, p.75), Lednica is working out its language which is understandable and making the message of faith clearer and makes it easy to give a positive answer to Love which reveals itself to us and comes to us.

In order not to be groundless, thanks to John Paul II we can distinguish messages and spaces of our life, which absolutely require the presence of Christ and His commandments, and without which our humankind is absolutely deprived of dignity.

A pastoral program of Lednica

Let’s have a look at the suggested phases of awareness and attitudes growth. The first phase are three grades. The first one is the relationship with Christ and with brothers. The man is a being built somehow from the relationship. Thanks to the relationship he is developing because he is being created by relationships. The relationship with Christ is basic. Both the meetings in Lednica and the formation in Lednica pay a careful attention to it. So, building the relationship, the community. Integration. I am not alone. There are many of us.

Another grade of Lednica suggestion is responsibility. To teach young people to be responsible for themselves and others. For faith, for God in hearts, for personal development, for conscience, for language and for this piece of land which we have at our disposal. Responsibility for love.

The third grade resulting from the speeches of John Paul II is a community. It impossible to develop on one’s own, it is impossible to protect faith on one’s own. A community is a melting pot of appearing noble and mature personalities. In a community we experience forgiveness and growth. In a community we experience joy and we overcome loneliness.

And this is the first phase of our growth suggested by the program of Lednica. Relationship, responsibility and a community. Certainly, Christ and another man are present there. And further phases are still to come to us.

The second phase are the next grades of growth, resulting from speeches of John Paul II. So, the next one, fourth grade is discovering and meeting with Jesus. Seeing Jesus as a source and centre of one’s life, Jesus as an initiative of God’s love who sends his Son to us with the message of love. He is the first, He is greater.

The fifth grade is entrustment to the Word. God’s Word is worth trusting. We believe this Word and we are trying to live in such a way so as not to die for ever. God’s Word is the first and the last argument for us, believers. We live in this not another way, because He said so and this is enough.

The sixth grade is participation, engagement. To teach and convince others of participation. Without entering water, without dipping one’s feet in water, but only standing on the shore, we cannot experience life-giving action of a river current. Without participation in the life of the Church or participation in the social life, we cannot speak about maturity.

This is the end of the second phase of the suggestion of Lednica – the development of integral personality. Jesus Christ as a fundament and God’s Word and participation.

The other two speeches note the social maturity, that is, participation in the social life and participation in the life of the Church. The social maturity is engagement but not when I have time and I feel like participating but when it is necessary.

Finally, the last grade of education in Lednica is an examination of love. Because what the world and our hope for eternal life are based on, is love. Hence John Paul II asks: Do you love? Do you love me? Do you love me more? And he is waiting for our answer.

Great staging of God’s matters

So, Lednica has got a concrete character, not ideology. It has got a concrete proposal which is our food, strength and shows us a path. It is a program of growth and development. Therefore we are being led.

I recall myself how one of brothers wrote to me after the first meeting in Lednica: brother, deeper and deeper. What a populism this hopping is. What food does father give to the young people who have trusted you….

With passing years, there were more and more contents and depths. A compact program of the integral personality development was created. The Holy Father recommended me to transform Guttenberg into a picture, a vision. Lednica is a great staging of God’s matters. And as an educational proposal and strategy of development and following Christ, it is reliable, creating and attractive. For nothing is as attractive as development which costs a lot of effort.

I wanted to write about the program of Lednica, inviting everybody for the XVIII Meeting of the Youth at Lednica. But I invite not only young people but everybody who have participated in these meetings before. Participants of the meeting will receive an ID of Lednica, an ID of adulthood and maturity in faith. This ID will allow us to find our vocation and place in the world. I am waiting for you on 7 June 2014 on the Fields of Lednica. Visit our website: www.lednica2000.pl.

(AA)

"Niedziela" 6/2014

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl