A HILL REACHING UP TO THE VERY HEAVEN
Lidia Dudkiewicz, The Editor-in-Chief of ‘Niedziela’
Polish way of faith has got Mary’s character. One can boldly say that religiousness to Our Lady Mary is the Polish specialty and making pilgrimages is our Polish phenomenon. Big crowds of pilgrims going across the Polish land are still trampling paths to Mary worshipped in various images. The main purpose of Polish pilgrims is Jasna Góra which is the most important hill for believers. This is a spiritual hill reaching up to the very Heaven and allowing us to experience God’s closeness through Mary. The time of making pilgrimages gives a chance of particular sanctifying. This is also a reminder that human life on the earth is going towards the eternity, which begins here. And Jasna Góra is a sphere of prayer in which we feel free, safe and like at home and loved with Mother’s love. Here, we lay our all Polish matters onto the hand of Mary.
Poles are a nation particularly distinguished, living on the land, across which a big crowd of the saints and national heroes came and is coming. Poles are an exceptional nation as it has the exceptional Mother who is the Queen of Poland. Recently the German cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Muller noted that Poland is a country of exceptional liberation and democracy traditions. He strongly urged the European Union to respect Polish democracy. – The Polish nation devoted its life and was suffering for its freedom. It is necessary to look at Poland from the perspective of its own history and admire it for what it experienced in its history – said cardinal Muller on the Radio Nadzieja in Łomża. These are important words, raising us on the international arena and supporting us in this difficult time when European officials from the headquarter in Brussels want to stop the Polish relay of generations which led the nation to real freedom and democracy. Support from the German cardinal is very important now when Poland is at the target of politicians of the European Union because it got distinguished by the fight for independence and decides about itself. It is not difficult to notice that Poles clearly impress on other nations. The Great Penance and ‘Rosary prayer to borders’ are Polish giant prayer initiatives which were also taken up by the world. At present there is the World Rosary Crusade for Homeland, undertaken according to the Polish example. The USA, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Italy – in these countries, following the example of Poland, there was spiritual mobilization. In all of them believers undertook a rosary prayer in order to protect Catholic faith and their homelands. A list of countries creating the Holy League of Nations is still getting bigger. Polish spiritual initiatives are taking on extreme dimensions. Recently, artists from various continents were invited by Polish artists to participate in the project ‘Decalogue’ which is a music presentation of God’s commandments. Another step is taking the tables of Decalogue by courage Poles to Giewont, Synaj and Mont Blanc mountains. Those who got engaged into this project were among the others: Marcin Pospieszalski, Radek Grabowski, an alpinist Marek Kamiński, a musician Darek Malejonek. They want to remind the world of commandments which God gave to people. They also took a flag ‘Europa Christi’ with the cross onto the Mont Blanc. One can see – Poles can even ascend the Roof of Europe in order to remind of Christ and Decalogue.
Translated by Aneta Amrozik
Niedziela 33/2018 (19 VIII 2018)