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Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, , ,

On Regeneration

In many ways in keeping with what Bishop Hodur wrote on regeneration in Our Way of Life:

Rebirth comes from a spiritual transformation which changes man into a new being. It begins with an understanding of our true relationship with God and moving into closer union with Him. This understanding and this union become sources of the great power which is needed to complete the transformation…

But how does one attain this situation? How can we bring about this miraculous transformation of the human soul, which changes the wretched and sinful human into the fortunate one who finds satisfaction even among life’s greatest adversities?

There are two incentives for this change: one flows directly from God; the second is inherent in human consciousness…

They found themselves, figuratively, on the brink of an abyss of torment and despair. A sense of hopelessness and a feeling of the insignificance of human life emanated from it.

At such a moment in their lives, they met the Divine Teacher from Nazareth. This meeting determined their subsequent way of life and their entire futures. It became their rescue, deliverance, and rebirth.

Through this contact with Christ, their uncertainty vanished, their doubts disappeared, and they no longer heard the voices of despair. An energizing force flowed into their souls, and along with it came great perception, holy fervor, unbounded love of God, and the desire to dedicate their lives to the service of mankind. — Excerpts from Chapter IV, Spiritual Rebirth.

Christian Witness, Current Events, Perspective, PNCC, , ,

Ministry in time of war

At our recent Clergy Conference we heard a report from one of our diocesan priests who is assigned as a military chaplainThe PNCC has a strong tradition of vocations to the military chaplaincy. As of this writing there are at least four military chaplains that I know of.. His report was bracing and was a call to the vocation of military chaplain.

This priest has been to Iraq twice, and both times has been stationed in some of the worst areas of Iraq. He spoke at length about his ministry, especially as it relates to prayer, counseling, Bible study, suicide preventionSee this Washington Post article: Soldiers’ Suicide Rate On Pace to Set Record, interaction with local residents, program development, charity, and Ecumenical conflicts (sometimes greater than interfaith conflictsEven in the case of a long term absence of a Roman Catholic Chaplain, the former head of the Archdiocese for the Military refused to provide a time slot to this PNCC priest so he could minister to Roman Catholic soldiers – a direct contradiction of Canon 844(2) and a failure to provide for the flock. They chose rather to “provide” by appointing an “Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion!”).

He noted that our servicemen and women are heartened to know that the folks back home are praying for them. They also love to hear the chaplains read out the cards and letters sent in-care-of those chaplains. The prayers, cards, and letters brighten their difficult existence.

This priest was very supportive of me in my vocation and when he told me he was going full-time active duty I was not surprised. He definitely had the calling for this ministry. Based on his report I see why he was called. God does make sense, even in the midst of senselessness.

Whether or not you subscribe to the neo-con, Bush Administration line on this war (I do not), the men and women of the armed services need the ministry of these chaplains. It is a worthy vocation and true service in times of difficulty.

I encourage you to do several things: Pray for our servicemen and women and for the ministry of their chaplains. Consider the vocation to serve in this capacity. Send a card or letter in care of a chaplain. Let him or her know they can read it out to their congregation.

O, God, the strength of those who put their trust in Thee; Bless we pray, our soldiers, sailors, servicewomen, and airmen; our chaplains, doctors, nurses; and all enlisted in the service of our country. Give Thy holy angels charge over them to protect them from all harm; deliver them in all temptation, and if it by Thy gracious will, bring them safely home. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. —” A Prayer for Those in the Armed Forces from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC,

A lesson on why people run from parishes

A guest post from Bob Lotich on Church Marketing Sucks: Why I’ve Run From Churches

Let me start by saying that I have been planted in my current church for over 10 years. I deeply believe in the value of staying in the church that God plants you in rather than just leaving as soon as you get offended. That said, I have lived in a few different cities and have visited quite a few churches in each one when trying to find out where to land. I have seen some wonderful things and I have seen some things that made me want to run for the doors. These are the things that caused me to run for the door…

In the Catholic view people may not run from the Church, but from parishes that exhibit the sorts of behaviors he outlines. That said, people run from the Church as well, when its leaders collectively act counter to the Faith.

I think Mr. Lotich conveys an overall message of faithful Christian witness — in our communal life, in our interactions, and in our witness to each other and the world. Reflecting on his message and rooting out the traits that can close off a parish, or the Church itself, are a discipline that is in keeping with the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20):

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, ,

Celebrate Labor Day by Honoring a Special Worker in Your Life

From Interfaith Worker Justice:

Don’t we all know someone who helps make our days run more smoothly? What about the office assistant who keeps the office organized; the volunteer who comes in faithfully to help file and copy papers; the security guard who works all night; the friendly cashier who greets you with a smile? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if these folks were told how much their work is appreciated?

You can honor these workers by visiting the IWJ Web site and click on the Honor a Worker button. With your gift, your honoree/s will receive a tribute card. In addition, IWJ will post your honoree/s name along with occupation on the IWJ Website. You can also contact Simintha Esson at 773-728-8400, ext. 12 and request “Honor a Worker” tribute cards.

Interfaith Worker Justice calls upon our religious values in order to educate, organize, and mobilize the religious community in the U.S. on issues and campaigns that will improve wages, benefits and working conditions for workers, especially workers in low-wage jobs.

Interfaith Worker Justice relies on contributions to support its work. Your tax-deductible gift will be strategically used to further justice for workers throughout the United States.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia,

In memory – September 1, 1939

From John Guzlowski’s Lighting and Ashes blog: September 1, 1939

69 years ago on September 1. 1939, the Germans invaded Poland. Their blitzkrieg, their lightning war, came from the air and the sea and the sky. By Sept 28, Warsaw, the capital city of Poland, gave up. By October 7, the last Polish resistance inside Poland ended.

…

The world had not seen anything like it, and it was the prelude to a lot of things the world had never seen before: the Final Solution, Total War, the concentration camps, the atomic bomb, the fire bombing of civilian populations, and brutality on a level that most people still don’t want to think about almost 70 years later.

When the Germans attacked on that September 1, My dad was 19 and working on his uncle’s farm with his brother Roman. Their parents had died when the boys were young, and their uncle and aunt took them in and taught them how to farm, how to prepare the soil in the fall and plant the seeds in the spring. My mom was 17 and living with her parents and her sisters and brothers in a forest west of Lvov in eastern Poland.

The summer had been hot and dry, and both of my parents, like so many other Poles, were looking forward to the fall and the beginning of milder weather.

The war turned my parents’ lives upside down. Nothing they planned or anticipated could have prepared them for what happened.

By the end of the war, they were both slave laborers in Nazi Germany, their homes destroyed, their families dead or scattered, their country taken over by the Soviet Union.

Read the whole thing and view the video links. Remember the cost of war, think of the the sacrifice of Poland, the waste, the lessons learned, pray for the dead, and moreover pray for peace.

Almighty God, by whose grace we look for the day when nation shall not any more lift up sword against nation, and when men shall live without fear in security and peace, grant to us in this time of strife the will to labor for peace even while our sword is drawn to resist the foe. Let not the evil we oppose turn us from our purpose, to achieve unity and concord among the nations of the earth, to Thy honor and glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — Prayer for Peace from A Book of Devotions and Prayers According to the Use of the Polish National Catholic Church.

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC, Poland - Polish - Polonia, ,

Posting spree, life, and gifts

Notice today’s posting spree? I can start by saying that I would have loved to spread this out as background information arrived, but this past weekend was just a bit too physically challenging for me. I felt absolutely lousy all weekend. I actually missed Holy Mass on Sunday – the first time in years. Needless to say, posting to the blog wasn’t high on the priority list. I feel much better now and have a burst of energy. I guess I just needed rest, light eating, and as always, God’s blessing. A measure of my renewed energy comes from the inspiration for many of these posts.

The source of many of today’s posts comes from a benefactor whom I truly admire – a storehouse of knowledge on the PNCC and a person I see as a true lover of the PNCC. I came home today to discover several items that he mailed, a publication from the Orthodox Christian Mission Center and a brochure from the University of Michigan’s Copernicus Endowment. I am looking through both while writing these words. More to come after I reflect on what’s there.

I am truly grateful for these gifts – not because they are things, but because of the time one man, with more knowledge and grace then I will ever have, spends in being the giver of gifts.

Bardzo dziękuje i Bóg zapłać Pan Władysław!

Christian Witness, Perspective, PNCC,

A Synod on the Word

From America: Synod on the Word of God

More than 40 years after the Second Vatican Council, the Bible still does not figure at the center of Catholic life the way the Eucharist does. When they meet in synod at the Vatican in October, bishops from around the world will address one of the great unfinished works of the council—”namely, how Catholics can make the word of God their own. Even though the Catholic Lectionary for Sundays was re-designed in 1969 to use a three-year cycle of readings in order to promote greater familiarity with the whole of Scripture, Catholics do not yet own the Scriptures the way many Protestants, especially evangelicals, do. In assigning —The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church— as the topic for the coming 12th Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Benedict signaled his recognition not only of how important proclamation, prayer and study of the Scripture are to the church, but also of his awareness that the church has far to go to complete the council’s reforms…

I posted the following comment a few days ago. It hasn’t appeared yet as the magazine’s editors must review and approve every comment – something exceedingly difficult when otherwise busy running a magazine:

An interesting fact: The Polish National Catholic Church (of which I am a member) considers the Word of God to be a sacrament. The [Roman] Church found agreement with our understanding as noted in the joint publication: Journeying Together in Christ: The Report of the Polish National Catholic-Roman Catholic Dialogue (1984-1989).

We believe and state that the proclamation and preaching of the Word confers sacramental grace. The Church has recently published a pamphlet on this issue – available from the PNCC Bookstore for anyone interested.

What our understanding does in the practical sense is that it encourages due seriousness in the preparation and delivery of homilies. It also encourages the faithful to proactively participate in the Church’s understanding of the Word. More so, to understand that the sacrament brings about change – a growing closer to our Lord and Savior – and a life lived in accord with His way.

I wish you the best in your upcoming Synod and prayerfully hope that the Sacrament of the Word take its rightful place in the life of the [Roman] Church.

What I find so amazing is that the work and reforms of the PNCC (actually a re-claiming of Catholicism) are much in the same as the efforts undertaken by the Roman Church in Vatican II 60 years later. In my opinion the PNCC achieved those reforms without the damage that resulted from Vatican II (to me the things that Benedict, Bishop of Rome is trying to correct and re-reform). This may be due to the fact that the PNCC effort took place in a different time, that reforms that might have gone awry were kept in check by the inherent conservatism of the Polish diasporaSomething the Young Fogey has pointed to numerous times, or most likely that the Church’s understanding was simply in line with the faith of the first thousand years. I think this Synod is another step in the Roman Church’s process of finding the reforms of the PNCC as faithful and true to what the Church teaches.

Christian Witness, PNCC,

Polish Day at the Shrine

From the Albany Polish American Community Center maillist: Polish Day, Sunday August 24, 2008 at the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs, Auriesville, N.Y.

Religious Services beginning at 2pm including Stations of the Cross, Recitation of the Rosary, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Confessions in Polish and English. Concelebrated Mass in Coliseum at 4pm

Principal celebrant and homilest will be the Most Rev. Francis R. Reiss, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, Michigan

This event is sponsored by: Polish American Congress, Central Division of New York State.

I have attended in the past. It is a beautiful event and Polish National Catholics should not refrain from attending. Simply remember your obligations when receiving the Blessed Sacrament (fasting for two hours prior to receiving, make every attempt to receive from a clergy member, and receive on the tongue — not in the hand).

Christian Witness, Perspective

Can the rich feel our pain?

From poet, writer, and correspondent John Guzlowski: Have You Ever Met a Rich Person?

A couple of days ago, my friend poet Christina Pacosz sent me an article entitled —Rich Begin Feeling the Pain in Down Economy.— It was written by Mark Jewell for the AP, and he got me thinking about rich people.

What always amazes me about rich people is how little contact they have with the rest of us.

I’m 60 years old, have lived in America most of my life, have been educated here in private and public schools, have a PhD from a major university, have taught in American universities for 35 years–and still I have never met a rich person, I mean a really rich person, somebody with a yacht or a jet and a personal assistant to manage his lunch dates.

Where do the rich keep themselves?

I’ve met unemployed people, farmers, doctors, artists, factory workers, peddlers, homeless folks, business people, writers, lower and middle class people by the thousands, but I have never met a rich person.

Where are they?

Read the rest of the post and the comments. Helps to put things in perspective. Who is the rich man? Who isn’t feeding Lazarus? (Luke 16:19-31) We each need to answer that and understand our place in the parable.

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