Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
The readings for this weekend speak of the Suffering Servant, identified by the Prophet Isaiah. This Servant is a preview or foretaste of the ministry of Jesus, who came not to be served, but to serve. The psalm for the Mass speaks of trusting God and placing our hope in Him. And in the Gospel, Jesus reminds His disciples that “whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” In other words, the disciples of Jesus need to have a servant’s heart.
I am writing this column from Poland where I am leading a group of 51 pilgrims and we are being humbled by the witness of so many wonderful Polish saints who had the servant’s heart of which Jesus spoke. We are visiting the sites where, over the centuries, great saints so courageously, yet humbly, proclaimed and lived the Gospel, even to the point of shedding blood for the truth of the faith.
– St. Stanislaw Szczepanowski was an 11th century saint who helped strengthen Catholicism and who died because he defended the dignity of women and spoke up against the corruption of the king.
– Another Stanislaw (Stanislaus), Stanislaus Kostka, a young man who, against the wishes of his family, became a Jesuit, demonstrated an amazing religious fervor and piety, and who died at age 17.
– St. Faustina Kowalska, the polish nun who became the apostle of mercy. Her diary has been an inspiration to so many.
– St. Maximilian Kolbe who actively promoted the veneration of Mary and who lived his faith by giving his life for a stranger at Auschwitz.
– Of course, no list of Polish saints would be complete without St. John Paul II, whose overwhelming evangelical zeal and witness to hope, helped free Poland from communism’s grip and who boldly proclaimed the Gospel of Life.
– Last, but not least, Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko, a Polish Roman Catholic priest and chaplain of the Solidarity movement, who courageously preached the truth and stood against the communist regime in Poland.
The lives of these saints demonstrate a powerful example of faith, hope, and love.
All you Polish Saints, pray for us!
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
