Sep 20, 2024 | SPIRITUALITY
Despite the fact that we live in Ruda Śląska, close to Zgoda, we only learned about Sister Dulcissima when our daughter Edyta fell ill. Father Peter, the pastor of our parish, then gave us relics, that is, earth from the grave of Sr. Dulcissima, the future saint, and so the sister came to live with us, in our family, and became our friend.
My daughter was diagnosed with stomach cancer, it was a difficult diagnosis for us, a huge blow, a shock. A new and difficult situation to accept. First we heard: stomach cancer, and after the stomach was resected, we learned that there was a metastasis to the liver. Edyta underwent three surgeries, eight chemotherapy treatments, many medical consultations. In these struggles with the disease, the experience of suffering, our daughter was always accompanied by Dulcissima. With her relics, Edith traveled to all the hospitals, to medical appointments and for examinations. Sister Dulcissima was with Edith, she was with us every day. Through her intercession we asked for health for our daughter.
It so happened that this year we wanted to celebrate our Friend’s 114th birthday in Birchwood. On the occasion of Sister Dulcissima’s birthday, it was possible to write a “gritty letter” to the birthday girl, because that’s what the sisters suggested, so I wrote one. It was a great event for me, I felt as if I had written a letter to Heaven. On her birthday we were at Mass in the convent chapel, and I put the letter to Dulcissima in a specially prepared large envelope just below the altar.
Then, within a short time, her daughter’s health began to improve. Edyta, together with her fiancé David, decided to get sacramentally married. Then we decided to invite our friend Sister Dulcissima to the ceremony. Sister was with us during the difficult moments, and we invited her to those happy moments as well. Edith and David’s wedding was special, because their guest was the future saint, it was such a tangible experience of the Holy Communion.
The Sisters of Birch gave the newlyweds an icon depicting Sister Dulcissima and St. Therese. Father Peter welcomed the servant of God Sr. Dulcissima as the most important wedding guest, placed a portrait of Dulcissima at the altar on a specially prepared place and at the end of the wedding mass blessed this beautiful gift. Sister Dulcissima was also with us at the wedding, taking the place previously prepared for her in the wedding hall.
We announced our visit to Birchwood for 15.09. When I arranged our meeting with the sisters, Sister Margaret was happy to inform us that on 16.09 is the day when Sister Dulcissima’s name day is. I was heartily pleased. It’s no coincidence, our friend invited us to celebrate together. Although we have had Sister’s relics for two years and Sister is with us every day, for her celebrations she invites us to her home in Birch.
Thank you Sister Dulcissima.
Joanna M
Ruda Śląska, 15.09.2024
Sep 2, 2024 | SPIRITUALITY
Dear brothers and sisters! Today, we gathered in this temple to express our gratitude to God for the gift of the priesthood of the Servant of God Fr. John Schneider founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate. Today we heard the beautiful words “Our Savior Jesus Christ conquered death and shed light on life through the Gospel.” Death came into the world through Satan’s envy and Jesus defeats death and gives us good news. The word of Jesus is always a word of hope. The word of Jesus is a word of encouragement, of strengthening. The word of Jesus is always life-giving, renewing.
Today in the Gospel according to St. Mark we witness two humanly hopeless situations, humanly hopeless situations. The daughter of Jairus, the superior of the synagogue, a twelve year old girl dies, aging. A situation without hope. And a woman who has been suffering from hemorrhaging for twelve years. A situation without hope. What they have in common is twelve years. A young girl and a mature woman. The girl was twelve years old and the woman had been suffering for twelve years. 12 years. This is not only a symbol, but also the reality in which Israel found itself. The 12 generations of Israel. Generations that were supposed to be life-giving, unfortunately life did not give. And in such a situation, humanly without hope, without a way out,
Jesus appears – the Light of hope. He heals, cures, helps. On the other hand, the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue supervisor, as well as a woman suffering from hemorrhage for 12 years, had no right or opportunity to meet Jesus. The girl was too sick to come to Jesus, and her father, the synagogue supervisor, according to the law, could not very well go to ask Jesus for help. The woman, who was suffering from hemorrhaging, was unclean according to the law.
In such a reality, the synagogue supervisor, as well as a woman who has been suffering from hemorrhage for 12 years, what are they doing? They break human patterns. Against logic, against the law and the order that man has established, they go to Jesus. What leads them to Jesus? FAITH. They believe that Jesus is able to heal them. Not laws, but faith that is driven by love and the desire to live. The woman touches Jesus’ garments and recovers. And Jesus says to her: “Your faith has saved you.” The girl is in a worse situation – she dies, but Jesus goes to Jairus’ house. And again, he shouldn’t touch her, because she is already dead. And Jesus takes her by the hand and says “Talitha kum”, that is, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”. And she got up! “Give her food,” says Jesus. The faith of the synagogue leader-Jair, the faith of the woman and the words of Jesus-words of healing!
Everything shows us that Jesus performs the miracles of God’s love in human life, but it needs our commitment, our presence, our human determination, trust, and above all, dear brothers and sisters, our faith. This Gospel today shows us that nothing is impossible for God! With one caveat. God will do nothing, without us. He needs our hearts, That’s why Jesus renews everything that man has destroyed. In the first reading we heard the words: “God created everything to be.” “To immortality God created man. He made him the image of his own eternity.” Everything is the work of God, the whole world and our lives are the work of God. Today, dear brothers and sisters, in this cathedral, the mother of churches in Lower Silesia, we give thanks for the gift of life, vocation and above all, as we said at the beginning,
for the priesthood of the Servant of God Fr. John Schneider, for 27 years of priestly ministry. This year we celebrated, on January 11, the bicentennial of his birth. A man gifted by God many talents, coming from an ordinary family. This shows that God can do great things through a simple, ordinary man, on one condition – if he engages his heart. We give thanks for Fr. John Schneider’s priesthood, and most of all we give thanks for what God did through his ministry. He became an instrument in the hand of God. And being an instrument in the hand of God, he tried to see those areas and signs that God was pointing out in his priestly ministry. Girls, women, the 19th century, Breslau, the city, the development of industry and influx of population , confusion – especially in the moral space.
Fr. John reads these signs of the times -you can’t leave these people alone, you have to help them, you have to become an instrument in the hand of God. He begins and persistently carries out God’s work of helping girls, women and he cares for the sick, and in the parish he carries out ordinary, everyday simple priestly ministry. Dear brothers and sisters, looking at the priesthood of the Servant of God Fr. John Schneider, we see that he is, on the one hand, an ordinary, simple priest, and on the other hand, however, INDEPENDENT. Priesthood did not come easily to him. The road to the priesthood was not strewn with flowers. He experienced many difficulties, and later in his daily priestly ministry also many sacrifices. Where did he draw his strength from? Fr. John Schneider was a man of the Word of God. He was a man of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. He entrusted his life to Mary Immaculate. I look at Fr. John’s life and see how beautifully it corresponds with the time we are currently experiencing in the Archdiocese of Wroclaw.
Fr. Schneider was a man of the synod, a man of the common journey of faith that he lived with the faithful, with every person. “Do whatever the Son tells you.” He listened to Christ, adored Christ, was at his disposal and by listening to Jesus, adoring the Blessed Sacrament, he simply created community as a priest. He was a man of community, of communion, gathering people around him, including those who wanted to do something more in the Church and for the Church. He also gathered those who were lost – girls and women who were often abused.
He knew full well that we are all children of one God. But to form a community is not enough. He went a step further. He formed hearts, prepared, translated, explained, preached the word, but also created places of presence, and by forming hearts, prepared for missions. The situation of women then, when the servant of God Rev. John Schneider was ministering – mid-19th c. – was very similar to the one we heard about in today’s Gospel. The 12-year-old girl was dying. This was also the fate of young girls who came to the city without the care of parents, relatives. In fact, they were very often doomed to spiritual death. And there were women who suffered from hemorrhaging, hemorrhaging of their hearts. Abused, left behind and abandoned. And what did Rev. John Schneider do? He interceded for those who were in a hopeless situation, he carried Jesus Christ to them, who said “Talitha kum,” that is, “Girl, I say to you, get up!”, your life can be beautiful! He also brought women who were suffering to Jesus. Why? So that they could touch His garments. And many of them recovered. AND THIS IS THE BEAUTY OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF FR. JOHN SCHNEIDER – TO CREATE COMMUNITY, FORM HEARTS AND CARRY OUT THE MISSION – TO BRING OTHERS TO JESUS CHRIST. THAT’S WHY THE PATH OF HIS PRIESTHOOD BECAME A PATH OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL OF MAN, and this path of spiritual renewal of man, became for the Wroclaw Church the path of its renewal.
TODAY IT IS NECESSARY TO REMIND AND POINT TO THE EXAMPLE OF HIS LOVE FOR GOD, THE CHURCH AND THE OTHER MAN, IT IS NECESSARY TO SHOW THE BEAUTY OF HIS DEDICATION AND COMMITMENT, IT IS NECESSARY TO SAY THAT FR. JOHN SCHNEIDER – SERVANT OF GOD – WAS A MODEL OF SERVICE, LIFE AND DEDICATION.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us do everything so that we can, like Him, see the other person intercede and bring others to Jesus, so that today’s man can regain his health and strength. Our Savior Jesus Christ conquered death and shed light on life through the Gospel. Let us be people of God’s Word and do everything Jesus tells us to do. Amen.
Aug 29, 2024 | SPIRITUALITY
175TH, ANNIVERSARY OF PRIESTLY ORDINATION
SERVANT OF GOD THE REV. JAN SCHNEIDER
RUDZICZKA, CHURCH of the Holy Trinity – June 23, 2024.
Msgr. Waldemar Musioł
Beloved in Christ, Sisters and Brothers!
Venerable Sisters of Mary Immaculate! Dear fellow Priests!
As I approach the Lord’s altar today, I bring with you, Dear Sisters and Dear Parishioners, heartfelt gratitude, remembrance and hope. First of all, gratitude to God for the person and work of God’s servant Fr. John Schneider, whose footprints of childlike feet, and even more of childlike faith and trust in God and Mary, are preserved by this Parish Community and this temple. Although born in 1824 in nearby Mieszkowice, today part of the parish of Szybowice, he spent his childhood years in poverty and deprivation, but here he was surrounded by the love and supported by the testimony of his parents’ faith, the example of his father’s diligence on the local parish farm, and carried along by the prayers and educational support of the priests, especially Father Pastor Antoni Hoffman. As the biographers of our Servant of God agree, it was, among other things, the climate of this place that shaped his spirituality, his outlook on the world and on other people. The seeds of humanity, faith and Priestly Vocation sown here, which the local Parish Priest recognized and strongly supported in the young Johannes, then education at the Nysa gymnasium, and later studies in Wroclaw – yielded a hundredfold harvest.
It was the charism, recognized by himself and by his Superiors, of a dedicated pastor of women who – in the middle of the 19th century – because of poverty, arriving in larger centers and Cities, took jobs in factories or serving on farms, where they were exploited and often fell prey to human dishonesty, and often themselves succumbed to the temptation of easy money and fell into the snares of indecency and sinful living;. This charism gave rise to the Society of the Blessed Virgin Mary for the relief of these women, and finally to the Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate for the spiritual care of this work. Thus, it is legitimate today to offer our joint gratitude to God here with the next generation of Rudziczka and Mieszkowice residents and the next generation of Sisters. I consider my invitation to join it as a true honor.
In addition to gratitude, we are gathered here to remember, or rather to remember the day that the Servant of God himself used to say it was “the most important day of his life.” I am referring to July 1, 1849, on which Rev. Jan Schneider was ordained a priest in the Church of the Holy Cross in Breslau from the hands of Bishop Melchior von Diepenbrock. It was a day that was the culmination of his desires and the journey he had begun here, in Rudziczka, dear ones. I make the memory of that event today before you and with the priests present here a thanksgiving also for our priesthood. And since – struggling with the challenges accompanying it today – we necessarily need intercessors and helpers, I find him today in the Servant of God Fr. John, to whose intercession I entrust myself and my brothers, and I humbly ask you to pray for us.
Along with gratitude and heartfelt remembrance of the day of his ordination, we are also gathered here in the hope that the fruit of many efforts, above all by the Sisters present here, which efforts I sincerely admire and bless, will be the elevation of the Servant of God Fr. John Schneider to the altars, so that he can shine for the entire Church as a model of many virtues, as an example of the ability to recognize the signs of the times, as an apostle of mercy towards the poor and the lost, and to ask – as a blessed one – the graces we need in imitating these virtues. We exchange this hope today for fervent prayer for the grace of Fr. John’s imminent beatification. While each of these stirrings of the heart (gratitude, remembrance and hope) is pleasing to God and will be accepted by Him from this altar, let us not stop at them. For we do not have to wait for an official ruling from the Church to be inspired, motivated and perhaps even ashamed by Fr. John’s attitude in light of God’s Word.
The passage from St. Mark’s Gospel that we heard just now reminded us of the event of the storm on the lake and the experience of fear for life and doubt that arose in the hearts of the disciples looking at the sleeping Jesus in the boat.
The storm symbolizes those experiences of life that we call adversity, loss, hopelessness, fear. A storm can be either the historical background of human life, or it can be a very personal experience. One and the other dimension of the storm on the lake was shared by the Servant of God Rev. John Schneider. For turbulent were the times in which he lived; Times that were the backdrop of his priesthood and his work in defense of women. First, the Enlightenment consequences of the French Revolution at the end of the 18th Century, and then the Industrial Revolution in the first half of the 19th Century in Lower Silesia led to extreme poverty among the rural Population and triggered their migration to the Cities, to work, where not only money awaited, but also temptations to depart from God, from his commandments, where immorality and consequent hopelessness lurked.
And at the end of Fr. John’s life, another historical phenomenon of Kulturkampf, which by a small hair,in the current of Emperor Bismarck’s anti-church activities, did not destroy his life’s work. There was also no shortage of waves hitting directly at the boat of Fr. John’s life: in his youth it was the scathing abandonment of the priesthood by Fr. Johaness Ronge of Biskupow, with whom he had been in contact, and the perversity of his teaching against the Church; and later in his priesthood, also the “logs thrown by the state administration under the feet” of the Society he had founded, and finally – and this must have been particularly painful – the misunderstanding on the part of the Church and the difficulties involved in establishing a religious Congregation and obtaining for it a proper statute and permits to worship in the Monastery Chapel.
In all these social and personal storms, Fr. John’s attitude was far from that of the disciples in today’s Gospel. It was not self-confidence or a lack of worry or fear, because Fr. John remained a human in all of this, but also there was nothing of the disciples’ reproach in his attitude: “Teacher, do you care nothing that we perish? “ (Mark 4:38). Rather, there was in him the conviction that Jesus – who is present in the boat of his life, even if, in human terms, he seems to be asleep, and in God’s terms, he is testing
– will help to pass the test victoriously and will give the right portion of grace so that the good desires, in accordance with His will, will bear good fruit. Fr. John, probably warned by the apprehensive attitude of the disciples in the boat, followed St. Paul more faithfully in carrying out the challenge from today’s Second Reading: “The love of Christ [revealed through his death and resurrection] impels us … that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again for them”
(2 Corinthians 5:14).
Dear Sisters and Brothers! The storm and what it symbolizes is often also the backdrop of our lives, both historically and personally. I have not yet found a more poignant commentary on the Gospel scene about the storm on the lake than the one made by Pope Francis on a day that I think all of us here remember very well. It was the Friday evening of March 27, 2020. In the first weeks after the outbreak, walking alone in the lashing rain in an empty St. Peter’s Square, he prayed for the whole world, for the sick and those who helped them. Commenting on the very passage of the Gospel we just heard, he made a historical diagnosis of the condition of our time; a diagnosis that, despite the passage of another 4 years, has not lost its relevance, and it seems, that each new year makes it even more relevant.
The Pope prayed thus: “In this world of ours, which you love more than we do, we have moved forward at full speed, feeling strong and capable of anything. Greedy for profit, we have let ourselves be consumed by things and bewildered by haste. We didn’t stop in the face of Your calls, we didn’t wake up to wars and planetary injustices, we did not listen to the cries of the poor and our seriously ill planet. We continued unmoved, thinking that we would always be healthy in a sick world. Now that we are on a rough sea, we plead with you, “Wake up, Lord!. Looking with a critical eye on the reality around us, we certainly notice all these phenomena in our society, including in our homeland. Moreover, generating life’s rush ourselves, succumbing to the temptation to take and enjoy the goods of this world without restraint, indifferent to God’s order of creation, deepening social polarization and deep divisions, turning a blind eye to real human poverty, which concerns not only bread, but goes much deeper, and finally also experiencing very personal storms and crises, which cannot be listed here
– Unfortunately, we are prone to brazenly accuse God of indifference, just as the disciples in the boat did: “Teacher, do you care nothing that we are perishing?”. How painful must this be for God, who – like no one else – cares about our welfare? How could He regret the gift of freedom He gave us, so that when we make a choice, we ourselves stand on the right side. But He doesn’t regret it, because He loves us, and on some issues He still counts on human reflection and repentance, including when He says to us: “Why are you so fearful?
How lacking in faith you are!” (Mark 4:39-40).
So, remaining in the boat of life and aware of the winds that are battering it, let us ask: How can we respond to this reproach?; and today, additionally: How can we be inspired by the attitude of the Servant of God Rev. John Schneider to correct this painful Franciscan diagnosis? Two things I would like to point out: faith and mercy!
First, on Fr. John’s aforementioned faith and trust in God, taught to him by the One to whom he entrusted his life and priesthood from the beginning, and then his subsequent works, first an association and then a religious congregation – Mary. His Primate Mass, celebrated on July 2, 1849, in the Marian Chapel of the Wroclaw Cathedral, was arguably a special moment of this entrustment. Since we today tend to take the place of God, we need to awaken awareness in ourselves and others,
That we are not self-sufficient, that we are sinking on our own, that we need the Lord like the ancient sailors of the stars. Let the awareness of the inadequacy of human efforts in the struggle for the spiritual future (ours and that of all mankind) make us more courageously invite Jesus into the boat of our lives to experience, that with Him on boat there will be no disaster, that despite difficult experiences He will bring peace of mind into our storms and tempests, that with Him life never dies. May trust in God, patience in enduring adversity, perseverance in achieving goals combined with obedience to Fr. John’s Church be an aid to us in giving the helm of our lives to God.
In the life of the Servant of God Fr. John Schneider I find another antidote to today’s “letting ourselves be absorbed by things and bewildered by haste” – both on a historical and personal level. It is mercy. Authors of Fr. John’s biography sometimes reach for the term: “the Lower Silesian apostle of mercy” to describe his sensitivity and commitment to the spiritual defense of women. His merciful eyes – not in a human, but in a Jesus-like, pure way – looked not only at his parishioners, but at the women of the cigar factory in Elm, where he was curate, and then at the wards of the Society of Mary Immaculate, and finally at the Sisters of Mary Immaculate at the time of the formation of the new religious Community. His merciful hands – adorned with a desire to serve and a distance from his own possessions and comfort – opened the pockets and wallets of donors, not excluding the greats of this world, who generously supported the Association’s relief work. The rhythm of his merciful heart was heard long after his death.
And not only in Wroclaw. At this point, I can’t help but mention one echo from this merciful rhythm of Fr. John’s heart, which was the participation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate in the creation of the Branice Town of Mercy and the support of Bishop Joseph Nathan in this work. It is impossible not to mention this also because today the Second Reading from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians includes the words of his episcopal call: “Caritas Christi urget nos – Christ’s love impels us,” and he himself – we believe
We firmly believe in it – will receive the glory of the altars alongside Fr. John Schneider.
May the example of both of them be an encouragement to us today to use the key of our mercy: merciful eyes, hands and hearts to open the doors of human hearts and the gate to the future of the Church, our homeland and the world. What does this mean? First, the ability to name and recognize human poverty and deprivation, which is no longer just a lack of material things, and therefore the ability to read
the signs of the times. Then the ability to enter someone’s story to recognize the genuineness and rightness of his needs. Finally, activating whole layers of sensitivity and generosity present in our hearts, so that with them the Lord God can towards people, both “consumed by things and bewildered by haste.” and therefore the spiritually poor, as well as those who experience other forms of poverty in the form of poverty, exclusion and loneliness (like the women of Breslau in the 19th century) – write more pages of their history of salvation, the history of their love for man.
Dear Sisters and Dear Brothers! I think it is the time to end, although the book of life of the Servant of God Fr. John Schneider still contains many inspiring pages. I believe that our gratitude, remembrance and hope today, and finally the attempt to draw from his example for the duration of our life’s voyage through the rough waters of everyday life will contribute to the fact that to this book, you, Dear Sisters and you, Dear Parishioners of Rudziczka, will often reach and effectively read from it a method for holiness and a way for eternity. Amen .
Aug 22, 2024 | SPIRITUALITY
Feast Day: August 23
Born: April 20, 1586, Lima, Peru, as Isabel Flores de Oliva
Died: August 24, 1617, Lima, Peru
Canonized: April 12, 1671 by Pope Clement X
Patronage: embroiderers, gardeners, florists, Latin America, Peru, Philippines, India, California, against vaniry, ridiculed for piery.
Prayer for intercession
Glorious Saint Rose of Lima, you who knew what it was to love Jesus with such a fine and generous heart.
You, whom since infancy, despised the world’s vanities in order to embrace His Cross.You who loved, with unfailing devotion, our Heavenly Mother and professed a great tender dedication to the destiture, serving them the same why Jesus did.
Teach us to imitate your greatest virtues, so that we, following your example, can enjoy your glorious protection in Heaven.
For our Lord, Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns forever.
Amen
Jan 31, 2024 | SPIRITUALITY
Dear Brothers in priestly vocation,
Dear Sisters of Mary Immaculate, so close to my heart,
Brothers and sisters in Christ the Lord,
Today we thank you for the life, for your vocation and for this beautiful work of the servant of God John Schneider. Two centuries have passed since his birth, and yet this Work is very relevant today. We can say: this is the gift of the Holy Spirit, a breath that lasts to this day. When we look at the attitude and life of the Servant of God John Schneider, we can say that how closely it corresponds to today’s liturgy of the Word. But why? The answer is very simple. Because the Servant of God, Fr. John Schneider was a man of the Word of God. He lived the gospel and shared the gospel with others. And today, my dears, we are witnessing an important event in the life of John the Baptist and in the lives of his disciples. Let’s say that today we see John the Baptist standing with his disciples. He’s standing. One would like to say: he has reached a certain point where his mission ends. He fulfilled his task. This attitude of stopping is not something passive. He has stopped because he is waiting. He is waiting for Jesus Christ and the moment comes when Jesus passes by and then John the Baptist says: behold the Lamb of God, behold the One for whom I am waiting and for whom you are waiting. John stands waiting while Jesus moves on. John prepared the way for Jesus and on this path Jesus Christ continues to walk. This is the Lamb of God. This is the One! John the Baptist, as if he wanted to say to his disciples: I can give you no more. Follow Him. Keep going, because He will lead you, and the disciples followed Jesus, and so began the journey of vocation, the journey of faith for Andrew and the second disciple. We don’t know what his name was. And this path of faith is a path of vocation, because vocation is a path of faith. It has specific stages. The first stage is the desire to follow Jesus. They went because they saw Him, and then a dialogue begins. Jesus asks a question. What are you looking for? These two disciples answer this question from Jesus with their own question, the question of their heart. Where do you live? And Jesus says, come and see. The next stage of the path of vocation: They followed Him, saw where He lived, and stayed with Him. What was the effect of this encounter with Jesus? Testimony of faith. They go and say: We have found the Messiah. They say this to Peter, whom they brought to Jesus. And then Peter’s calling. Are you Simon, son of John? Your name will be Cephas, Peter. Beloved is a summary of the journey of faith and vocation of Andrew, the second disciple and Peter. Looking at today’s gospel, we can say that our task is, on the one hand, to be John the Baptist who prepares the way and points to Jesus. And he doesn’t hold on to himself. John says, he is the Messiah. This is the Lamb of God and this is the first task on the path of our faith and on the path of our vocation, but on the other hand we are constantly disciples of Jesus, like these two who followed him. The path with Jesus, as we said to ourselves: this is the path of faith today. Just as Jesus asked Andrew and the other disciple, Jesus asks us a question. A very important question. Concerning the meaning and essence of our faith. Jesus asks us: what are we looking for? That is, what are our desires? What are our expectations on the path of following Jesus? Do we want to get to know Jesus on this path? Do we want to see where Jesus lives? And do we want to enter His house? And do we want to be with Jesus in this house? Looking at today’s world and probably our lives, because each of us has our own expectations, we have our own plans, we have our own dreams. And today Jesus asks, what are you looking for? What do you want? It’s not only about our feelings, but also about our specific attitude to life. We will see that from what is external, Jesus wants to invite us to enter his house, to enter inside. What does it mean? [It means] that on the path of faith Jesus wants to enter into a personal relationship with each of us. Jesus invites us to his home. Dear brothers and sisters, who is invited to your home? You don’t invite a stranger into your home. You invite someone close to your home, someone you trust. That’s why in today’s gospel Jesus treats us as someone very close, he treats us as his family, he invites us to his home, and in this house Jesus has no secrets from us. Let’s see that these two disciples who followed Jesus and stayed in his house they had to experience something special , they had to experience something amazing in this house of Jesus. Because after this meeting in Jesus’ house, they went and testified about Jesus. They say to Peter: We have found the Messiah. This is God’s Anointed One. And they brought this Peter to Jesus.
Brothers and sisters,
Can we say today: we have found the Messiah? Are we leading others to Jesus today? In the world in which we live, following Jesus, there are different expectations, and Jesus invites us to his home. This home is the Church and this is the place where we meet Jesus Christ. Do we, in this Church, in this house of Jesus, want to respect what is His property? What is the property of Jesus’ house? Prayer, word and sacraments. And now let’s put in context what we have said so far. The life of the servant of God, Fr. John Schneider, fits into the context of today’s gospel. 200 years after his birth and looking at his life again we see, on the one hand, that his life was following the example of John the Baptist, who pointed to Jesus: this is the Lamb of God. This was his life. He never succumbed to the temptation of cheap popularity to keep himself. This is the Lamb of God. On the other hand, he was a constant disciple of Jesus until the end of his life, who got to know Jesus, lived in His house, which was the Church, and led others to this House. Born on January 11, 1824. Baptized on January 13. And let’s see that this is not a coincidence: today’s gospel, which talks about John the Baptist, because the spiritual guide of the servant of God, Father John Schneider, was John the Baptist and, on the other hand, being a disciple of Jesus in the year 1848. After graduating from university, he entered the seminary and that was the moment of mutual questions. On the one hand he saw Jesus and followed him, and Jesus asked him: What are you looking for? The servant of God asked [Jesus], where do you live? He went and lived with Jesus in the house of Jesus Christ. The Church in Wrocław became this home. On July 1, 1849, he was ordained a priest. The first primary Holy Mass [is celebrated] in our cathedral in Wrocław. And then further ministries, places of pointing to Jesus Christ. The Church of Our Lady of the Sands and finally this wonderful, beautiful temple dedicated to the Name of Jesus. We will see that in all these places of service in the Church of Jesus Christ, the voice of a zealous priest was heard saying: we have found the Messiah! This was his testimony of life. It was a showcase of his faith. We have found the Messiah! And whoever finds the Messiah does not keep Him for himself. He brought others to Jesus. What characterized the life, ministry of faith and vocation of the Servant of God John Schneider was, to put it in modern terms, or was just in the language of the Holy Father Francis. Pastoral ministry of presence. And when you are there, you see a lot. The Servant of God John Schneider noticed first of all poor people. And among these poor and needy people, women who found themselves in a tragic moral situation occupied a special place in his life. It wasn’t an easy time. Therefore, the young priest John Schneider had, first of all, an excellent understanding of the situation. Today we can learn from him how to discern the signs of the times and how to respond to them in the light of the Word of God. He saw very clearly these problems related to the situation of women and girls, who are often exploited. There were so many problems that he knew perfectly well that he couldn’t handle it alone. Therefore, responding to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he founded a beautiful work of helping those in need, which he dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and then the Religious Congregation of the Sisters of Mary Immaculate was founded. Well, you can do more. This is what a disciple of Jesus Christ is. He points and becomes a disciple. Disciple, missionary. And today, when we look after two hundred years at the work of his life, or at God’s work in which God used the servant of God, Father John Schneider, we see beauty, the path of faith. We see the journey of faith of a faithful priest, but also of a priest experienced with great suffering. A priest who was misunderstood by many, but above all we have the image of a priest who met Jesus and followed Him. He became a witness of His presence. The priest who gave priority to Jesus Christ, saying: Behold the Lamb of God, follow Him.
In view of the life and ministry of the Servant of God John Schneider, dear brothers and sisters, let us ask the Good God today, in this temple where he was a shepherd, that there will never be a shortage of people whose lives will follow the example of the Servant of God, Fr. John Schneider with a story about God’s Mercy, so that there will never be a shortage of faithful priests who point to Jesus Christ and follow Him. Amen.
Father Bishop Jacek Kiciński CMF
Wrocław, 04/01/2024
Jan 11, 2024 | SPIRITUALITY
Letter to the Father
Father John, about the heart that reflects God himself.
A heart that is pure in intention and simple in love.
Intercede for us.
Father John, pure heart – foundation of the temple of the Triune God ,
A heart shaped by good deeds and a clear imagination
Intercede for us.
Father John, son of Mary Immaculate,
About a believing and trusting heart.
Intercede for us.
Father John, enterprising and motivated,
About a heart open and full of mercy.
Intercede for us.
Father John, rich in talents and charisms,
About a heart that knows how to share and does not set boundaries.
Intercede for us.
Father John, full of hope and goodness,
With a stable heart, filled with the fullness of God.
Intercede for us.
S .M. M. Małgorzata Cur SMI
December 8, 2023
Dispenser of God's Mysteries
