“Father Founder’s eyes”
It happens quite often to me that someone's very ordinary, unknowingly thrown sentence becomes the reason for deeper reflection. It was no different in the case that I will describe. And it was a simple, simple dialogue with an older Sister in my Community, whose memory is sometimes flawed. Looking at the picture with the image of our Founder, she asked me this: “Sister, did our Founder have glasses? Because I can't see. I replied that he hadn't. After a moment's thought, the sister says: “Aha… well, he had good eyes. This is why he is our Founder. Because he had good eyes. I had to reflect on this for several weeks. I made three conclusions for myself. First of all: Father Founder had good eyesight (I mean not physically good eyesight, of course), ie he saw a lot. Certainly more than me. He saw the enormity of the needs and poverty (not necessarily material) of his contemporaries. I ask myself the question: do I strain my eyes to see something more than my little, safe world (my proverbial "tip of the nose")? Do I see the changing needs, problems and "poverty" of my contemporaries? Do I not wonder about the empty eyes of people on the tram and their ears stuffed with headphones? Is it not worrying that many young people are lulled of reason? Are you not worried about the very distinct divisions in society, in families and communities? Do I see anything more in such everyday pictures? Am I looking for reasons? Father John saw more, wider, deeper. That is why he responded adequately to the needs of the situation… and innovative for the 19th century. And I? I regret to say that most of the time it is easier for me to follow my well-established, proven patterns and not ask Jesus: "What would you do?" Second: Father Schneider literally had "good eyes". Do I also have a good eye, "God's eye"? Do I try to see other people with God's eyes? Do I see in it the beauty and goodness of God's child? After all, everything that God created was good. Am I helping people to dig out the light they were born with? After all, this light fights so hard in each of us not to go out completely… Am I shielding this smoldering wick? Not only in the other person, but also in myself? Third: he had "enlightened eyes of the heart" and knew "what is the hope to which God calls, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints, and what is his overwhelming power for us believers - based on the action of his power and strength." (Eph 1: 18-19). He gave others what he had, that is, strong faith, hope and love - the inner certainty of God's Mercy ... free, for everyone without exception. This reminds me of a simple rule: you give what you have in you. What am I giving to others? If I have no light in me, how can I light the way to God for others? Each child adopts some of his parents' qualities and learns from them by example. Am I a real spiritual daughter of Fr. Schneider? Have I taken over his legacy? I am still far from that. I think my eyesight is poor, so I need treatment at the DIVINE OPHTHALIST ... Sr. Franciska Jarnot
Comments and judgments
One of the easiest things in life is to pass comments and judgements on the choice of others. Wait! Do you know why he or she made this choice? Do you know what were the circumstances in which he or she made this choice? Do you know what were the options? … Like this we do not know lots of things, yet we make comments and judgements on the choice of others. Let us try to stop this…think before passing a comment or a judgement! Think all what we do not know about this situation and persons involved. When you recognize how ignorant you are about that specific question, you will realize that you are not even in a position to make a comment. In this way you can avoid producing a lot of negative energy out of your ignorance. Don Giorgio
The beauty of living together
August 23 is the day that changed my perception of living as one. This is the day when I left for a new home without knowing exactly this place or the sisters who were there. But in my heart, I had a lot of peace. I remember when I was supposed to leave right after breakfast, but God's plans were different and we left at 3:00 PM at the Hour of Mercy, which was very significant to me. Strzybnica is a small town where I came across the mantle of Mary and the Heart of Jesus. When I entered the house to which I was directed by the Provincial Sister, I felt a great warmth, the love of the sisters who had been waiting for me since the morning. I felt safe and welcomed with love, joy, openness and such cordiality, and yet they didn't know me and I didn't know them. The atmosphere in this house was unique because you could feel God's Love in the first place. The image of parish life that I saw contributed to the unity in our home community - it was a "living church" in which we formed a great family of God. when welcoming me to Holy Mass, he told me to feel at home ... and it was like that during my two years there. The community in which, by the Divine Will, I was given to be, was only a community of three and one generation, but the sisters who accompanied me were deeply prayerful people, from whom I could learn the life of prayer myself. They really loved and allowed themselves to be loved by Jesus and myself. Each of us looked for good in the other and for the other. I remember how long we sat at meals and it didn't bother us because we wanted to spend time together. We shared the day lived and Jesus' experience in our lives. We enjoyed ourselves in freedom, because Jesus and Mary were among us, they united us. I knew that I could always count on them, even when it was hard and I had a difficult day - my sisters supported me with prayer ... and it was beautiful. Despite the fact that each of us has a different story, different experiences, we were connected by LOVE. I thank God and the Sisters (Sr. Róża and Sr. Albina) for the time spent in Strzybnica, which showed me that creating unity is possible, as long as we are open to one another and accept ourselves as we are in the spirit of God's love . S.M. Sabina Adamowska
Charism in practice
This year, it will be thirty years since I entered our Motherhouse in Wrocław for the first time. One could say that "thirty years have passed as one day ..." It was then that I heard for the first time about our Father John, the charismatic Founder of the Congregation. I wrote about the fact that I "fell in love" with him at first sight. Now I want to share what it resulted for many years ... Discovering the charism of the Founder, Congregation, community was for me like looking for an answer to the question about my own identity. During the first holiday meeting, I heard my friends' admiration for the very current message we have as a Congregation .... The way of transforming the 19th century reality into modern language and the needs that I saw around led me to the conclusion that this "contemporary and timeless ”For me, the charismatic message is CARE FOR THE DIGNITY OF A WOMAN. The form in which it will be possible and to whom it is addressed is a secondary matter. For me, this is a message that is ALWAYS AND ANYWHERE UP-TO-DATE and possible. And if so, there is no excuse that it is impossible, that you cannot take action ... The Founder wrote to us that "we are to be handmaids of servants and serve those whom the world despises." And if the world despises, it is the DIGNITY of those who are weak, dependent, not self-sufficient, that is under threat and underestimated. That is why concern for DIGNITY and appreciation of the person next to me became the center of my attention, care, prayer and work. "I cannot thank you, Lord, because my words are small Please accept my silence and teach me to thank you with my life. " It's a chorus of a famous song that I made many years ago into my personal prayer ... and I try to implement it in everyday life. I am really sincerely grateful to God for allowing me to experience the possibilities of work and care for the Dignity of a woman for many years. Because that's what I have been doing for many years at Bardo. "I was looking for a man" ready with me to give his heart to those whom the world despises, who are helpless, lonely, hurt, despised or only helpless and humble ... I believe that help "before it is too late" can save life, hope, joy ... and when one man is saved, the whole world is saved! To create one safe and friendly place for those in need, you don't need much, but at the same time you need so much - WHOLE HEART! The search for enthusiasts ready to come out against poverty with an attempt to break the chain of helplessness, ready to face the maze of confusing regulations and changing rules, beyond which the most important is MAN and his DIGNITY resulted in the establishment of the Association to help women in crisis, which in honor of the Founder was called: " Marian Union ". We are here to help in a crisis (difficult situation) and to care for the dignity of every human being, to help "before it is too late". A crisis means a time of breakthrough, a turning point, a decisive turn, and a period of collapse. Whenever a person experiences a crisis, they feel lonely, different, defective or maladjusted. And that's why he should seek help from other people to reverse the downward spiral ... and that before it's too late! And one must always hope, because hope is the basis of human existence, "which cannot fail, because it is poured into hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us" (Rom 5: 5). In order to help people in difficult and breakthrough situations, restore their self-confidence and their own dignity, the Association undertakes specific actions:- Runs the "Hope" Crisis Intervention Center, which over time expanded its activities to include Crisis Intervention Points in the area.
- Runs a 24-hour Hostel for people experiencing violence in four counties
- Runs the "ASLAN" Psychological Help Room for Children and Families.