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1 September

Introductory [meditation]:

1. Dinumerare nos doce dies nostros, ut perveniamus ad sapientiam cordis [So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom] (Ps.).²

2. Voluntas Tua – pax mea [Your will – my peace] (St Gregory of Nazianzus).

3. God is omnipotent – man is impotent? (Primate).

2 September

Rosary; Petitionary prayers; Prayer to the Holy Spirit; Participation in the Mass celebrated by His Excellency Primate Stefan Wyszyński³

Meditation: I turn to the Mother of souls, of my soul! The Mother of conscience, the Mother of divine grace, the Mother of the inner man, the Mother of the inner mysterium – at the start of the retreat that is to shed new light on the way of the soul. I entrust to Her all (theological, diocesan Synod’s, personal) concerns.

Talk: Episcopus – imago Patris [Bishop – image of the Father]. How to act on this ‘image’? (paura [fear], prudenza [prudence], pazienza [patience]). Not to take any decision without prayer. The proper meaning of the dialogue with priests. Goodness and firmness.

Ancillary reflection: Confrontation of fatherhood as a value which comes from above, from the Father, with the contemporary idea of social life, which comes from below, and which, in a way, does not leave any place for the father. A fervent prayer for fatherhood to be fulfilled in the Church despite these unfavourable circumstances – although, as the retreat leader said, ‘priesthood (and so also episcopacy) will be ever more difficult’ (Malraux).

The Little Hours (word for the Week of Mercy)

Talk: ‘Blessed is he whom thou dost choose and bring near’ (Ps.)⁴ – the problem of emptiness as the cause of priests’ resignations. Priest, bishop: forma gregis [example to the flock].⁵

Conversations with priests who are going down a path with no way out – formational conversations aimed at renewing priesthood in individual priests. Care for priests and their pastoral duties. The bishop knows what threatens contemporary priests (neomodernism, Bultmann, Küng) – practical materialism, pessimism (‘earthly life is not the highest value’ – Fr Kolbe’s words).⁶ The lack of prayer, routine, lack of love for learning – the bishop knows that priests need unity, mutual love, openness to the world (Ecclesia semper reformanda [the Church always being reformed]).⁷

Reflection: (a) petition for the ability to turn to the value that lies beyond the value of earthly life; (b) ([illegible] – the witness [illegible] of my devotion to God); (c) on the topic of what serves the unity among bishops and what impedes that unity (de affectu collegialitatis [on the feeling of collegiality]).

(‘The bishop is the parish priest of parish priests and the father of the fathers of families’ – St Francis de Sales.)

Spiritual reading: (1) Sacraments of the post-Concilliar Church; (2) Znak;⁸ (3) on Fr M. Kolbe

Rosary (longer); The Way of the Cross (shorter)

Talk: Episcopus – homo doloris [Bishop – man of suffering]. Longing for heaven, thoughts about death and eternity; let us not be afraid of death, but let us be afraid of the responsibility for life; responsibility for ‘our sheep’.

Suffering in the bishop’s life: falsi fratres [false brothers] and others – one needs deep trust in Christ. Suffering is marked by a particular kind of consecration, hence our eyes are turned upwards, ‘beyond the crossbeam of the cross’. The philosophy of suffering is best understood when one becomes humble and aware of the frailty of life. One needs to prepare oneself for suffering without becoming immersed in suffering. To be a Christian and not to want to suffer is a blasphemy (Tertullian). Suffering brings us closer to God in a fuller, faster and firmer way. It is a condition of spiritual maturity.

Petition to Mother Church to stand in suffering (Stabat Mater) and not to fall, and to maintain ‘Magnificat’.

Adoration (thoughts on the fourth talk); (Anticipated) Matins; Holy Mass concelebrated in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Reading (afterwards)

Eucharistic service (Primate: topics: for authentic priesthood at the Synod, consecration of the entire Church to the Mother of the Church, beatification of Fr Kolbe, collegial unity of the Bishops’ Conference)

Holy Hour (evening); Compline

3 September

Holy Hour (morning); Rosary; Petitionary prayers; Lauds; Prime; Concelebrated Mass

Talk: Episcopus – custos fidei – custos morum [Bishop – custodian of faith – custodian of morals]. A description of the situation in Poland and around the world (theocentrism – communocentrism – anthropocentrism – anthropotheism). Novelties, progressivism (effrenata novitas [unbridled striving for novelty]). The attitude to theologians – with a simultaneous sense of the bishop’s responsibility, his special responsibility for faith, ‘strengthen your brethren in faith’! (Gospel).⁹ To defend law and truth until death! (Bishop Fischer). At the same time, it is necessary to renew theology and kerygma, to change the language while maintaining the identity of the content.

Contemporary man finds himself in a crisis which is directly proportional to the difficulty of issues he needs to solve and to the price he pays for his mistakes.

The Church abides in divine truth by the power of Christ’s guarantee – this is the special mission and responsibility of the bishops.

The question of preaching the word of God in a way that speaks to everyone (pateat [so that it becomes accessible], placeat [so that it pleases], moveat [so that it moves]). The danger of certain truths of faith being marginalised.

Reflection: Am I to blame for anything in this area? Petition for light (opus fac evangelistae, ministerium tuum imple [do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry]).¹⁰

The Little Hours; Writing a letter to the youth on Fr Maksymilian Kolbe

Talk: Episcopus – vir orationis [Bishop – man of prayer].

St Francis de Sales: The salvation of your neighbour is also your own salvation. The best means to achieving perfection is preaching the Gospel/(evangelical). Delectatio contemplationis [delight of contemplation] has to be accompanied by pastoral zeal:

Eucharistic and Marian piety. Enduring and faithful piety, despite many tasks and fatigue. To the latter two ‘non est applicandum totum cor’ [‘one cannot devote one’s whole heart’]. To draw energy for work, for tasks from prayer. To be Mary and Martha at the same time.

(The prayer of Copernicus; the prayer of van Beethoven.)

The feeling of God’s closeness.

One needs to promote the prayer of adoration, thanksgiving. To submit all in prayer. ‘Prayer is a dialogue with God, even though we often turn it into a monologue.’ Kierkegaard: To pray means to listen – the more internal prayer becomes, the less I want to say in it.

Let us entrust our ability to pray to the Mother of the Church – the one who prayed with the apostles in the Upper Room.

Spiritual reading (afterwards); The Way of the Cross along the defensive walls of the Jasna Góra Monastery (a different bishop led the prayer at each Station); Rosary (on the walls); Vespers

Talk: Episcopus – vir predicationis [Bishop – man of preaching]. He always has to follow the truth in his use of the word, nulla acceptio personarum [regardless of the person]. At the same time, he should show understanding (humanism, moralism). But first and foremost, Christ has to be the central point of his life (re-evaluation).

marriage ↔ celibacy

horizontalism ↔ verticalism

The proper vision of the human being and their happiness, the disappearance of inner life – the cardinal virtues. The principle of ‘the cult of man’ – in addition to that, propensity for inner life led in isolation from others. Meanwhile the true Christian is the one who has supernatural love for their neighbours.

(what to preach on selectively?)

Reflection: quando munus praedicationis adimpleam? [when do I fulfil the task of preaching?].

Matins; Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; (Film about the Jasna Góra Monastery); The Jasna Góra Appeal; Litany of the Saints; Compline

4 September

Meditation on the Act of Consecration to the Mother of God: (The fact that Jesus Christ gives us His Mother for ours – this is an important element of the order of grace and the entire givenness.)

Concelebrated Mass; Thanksgiving; Rosary; Petitionary prayers; Prayer to the Holy Spirit; Lauds; Prime

Talk: (On liturgy; bishop – liturgy.) The bishop must be the preacher of truth in adverse times (love in opposition to hatred). One has to pay much attention to liturgy. The bishop should turn his face to everyone. The implementation of the Council: the putting into practice of mysterium salutis [the mystery of salvation], understood better than ever before. This all (even ecumenism and dialogue) takes place through the liturgy. ‘My task is to serve Christ the Lord’ – this is the basis of the liturgical attitude. The Church is never more true to itself than in the liturgy celebrated by bishops. The Mother of God, who looked after, took care of and revealed Jesus, is the role model.

The Little Hours; Writing a note on sacred architecture

Talk: (On striving for happiness.) The law of harmony; the law of struggle; the law of development – these three laws govern our striving for happiness. In all this, one has to constantly rely on God’s mercy, so that God’s grace in me is not fruitless. Ferrari (Italian mathematician) – one understands Christianity better while on one’s knees. Zeal and great devotion to the Mother of God. To trust especially in moments of sadness and dejection. (There is not and cannot be a bishop who is entirely calm about everything.) Mihi vivere Xristos est et mori lucrum [For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain].¹¹ Through all these paths described here, the bishop wins salvation. He walks towards it, leading others to it.

The only joy that can fill the human soul fully is God. Solus Deus [Only God]. Mary’s example comes from this.

In the afternoon: Conclusion; Confession; Chapter 15 of St John; Reflection in the chapel; The Way of the Cross; Reading

Ultimum autem officium coram SS. in capella BMV: ubi festivitas diei sequentis ferventer praeparata est [The last service before the Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel of the Blessed Virgin Mary: where tomorrow’s festivity was being fervently prepared]

Vespers; Compline; Matins; Penitential psalms; Rosary

On this last day I experienced a particular awareness of God in His personal transcendence in relation to the created world: the awareness of the Creator and Father, who is one God with the Son and the Holy Spirit. At the same time, an awareness of the extraordinary immanence of this God in the world, above all in humankind, by the power of redemption performed by the Son, from where sanctification in the Holy Spirit comes. The awareness of God who holds the world and permeates the world.

Mary is present in this mystery in a special way, She is particularly closely united with redemption and sanctification, and through these with the Church.

Evening adoration in the Chapel of Jasna Góra: Preparation for the Act of Consecration of the World to the Mother of the Church (Primate: ‘being led by almost foolish faith’)

5 September

The Act of Consecration of the World to the Mother of the Church: concelebrated High Mass at 11.00 a.m. In the afternoon: the coronation of the image of Our Lady of Solace in Wieluń (5.00 p.m.)