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New blog post: Daily Digest for September 12th http://bit.ly/3XrYqb [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: Daily Digest for September 11th http://bit.ly/3OYAI4 [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: September 6 – Storm by Adam Mickiewicz http://bit.ly/6c1GQ [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: September 7 – Solidarity Song by Bertolt Brecht http://bit.ly/1GDX5p [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: September 8 – Our Lady’s Nativitye by Robert Southwell http://bit.ly/1BvHym [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: September 11 – Good Morning, Uzbekistan! by Peter Desmond http://bit.ly/YnGpo [deacon_jim]
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Listened to 2 songs.
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New blog post: Solemnity of Brotherly Love http://bit.ly/2g7tcI [deacon_jim]
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First reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm: Ps 85:9-14
Epistle: 1 John 4:17-21
Gospel: Luke 10:25-37
The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant…
We are changed
We are a new people, a people of the new covenant, a people born in love. We have been changed in every way imaginable and we are constantly growing into the people God calls us to become. From the moment we were baptized we have been on the road to change, renewal of life, and of dedication to fulfilling the love our Lord has given us.
Jesus’ coming ushered in this new covenant —“ but that was only the beginning. Often we mistake Jesus as a one time event, even an end point. If we think it all ended with Jesus’ ascension we would be wrong. At His ascension Jesus challenged us to take up the life He called us to, the Christian life in which every day is a step forward in the new covenant.
Jesus’ time on earth was not an experiment in magic or some sort of mystical transformation for humanity, it wasn’t some sort of cheep trick aimed at changing man, but was His gift of love by which we were changed and transformed into a people of the new covenant. In the new covenant we learn that we are to live love. Jesus’ coming was the mark in time from which something very special happened… freedom to love truly and rightly.
The old law is no more…
St. Paul often talks about the law as being about sin and death. He strongly stated that by Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, the marking points for the new covenant, we were freed from the law, freed to live forever in the love of God.
The law given to Moses was a prescription against sin. Like any drug it was meant to be used by people who were already sick. Freedom from the law does not mean that we won’t get sick, literally that we will fall in sin, but that our lives are not defined by sin. In the new covenant our falling is cured by living transformed lives defined by the love Jesus taught.
It starts with Jesus touching us
Last week’s Gospel was a prime example of the kind of love Jesus taught. As you recall a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment was brought to Jesus. First Jesus took him aside, away from the onlookers, and then He did something remarkable —“ Jesus healed by the power of touch and the word.
Jesus spit, touched the man’s tongue, and put His fingers in the man’s ears. He then spoke a word and the man’s ears were opened and he could speak clearly. I’m thinking that if Mary was there she would have been indignant and would have told Jesus to go wash His hands. When we hear that Gospel, and ones similar to it, we sense a definite ick factor. But what Jesus did was a perfect act of love. Jesus touched the man; He laid his hands on Him and made him whole. By loving the man Jesus opened his ears and his life to the message of love.
Jesus touches us to love us. He gave us the sacraments for that very reason, so He could enter into our lives through the hands of his ministers. Jesus wants to be with us and wants to show His love. Then He asks that we take His touch, His love, and share it with the world.
It works when we accept
Back to the ick factor… what if the man got grossed out and ran away? Well, he wouldn’t have been healed, but more so, he wouldn’t have been set free.
The starting point and the path that Jesus offers requires our full cooperation, just like the man cooperated with what Jesus was doing. This is what Bishop Hodur and the Church define as regeneration.
That process begins at baptism and wends its way through our lives till we reach a point where we actively engage the Lord and say yes to Him. Picture the revival meeting or the altar call in your head, people coming up and falling on their knees to accept Jesus. We may not be quite as dramatic —“ but you know what, that’s what we are called to do. We must make the choice; fall on our knees and say: —Yes Lord, I love you and I want to live by the love you taught.—
Be careful of the ick factor and don’t let it get in the way of true faith in our Lord and Savior. He is the one who spit, put His hands on the man’s tongue, put His fingers in his ears, made a mud of spit and dirt and placed it on another man’s eyes, and endured the cross —“ giving us His body and blood to eat and drink. True faith means that accepting Jesus means that we accept His commandment of love which transforms the ick of life into beauty, the commandment that collapses the former law into the love command:
Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
That’s not the end
‘Do this, and you will live‘ requires that we do more than accept. We could show up for 10,000 altar calls, to justify ourselves but that will be of no avail. The one acceptance, acceptance of Jesus in our hearts and into our lives, makes us new and puts us on the road to heaven. It is what we do after acceptance that matters, our cooperation in living Jesus’ commandment of love.
I love the way Bishop Hodur stated the work of the Church. The Church is here to accept, help, and love all who seek Christ and abide in her, and if some should chose another path we wish them well and do not disparage them.
Isn’t that Christian love in action? Christian love means that we set aside the ick, the criticism, the disparaging, and every ill thought. Our transformed lives welcome, accept, hold up, love, and care for all. We journey together to heaven and we do not disparage those who seek another path to heaven. We journey together in the process of learning from the Church, taking its guidance as a means for improving the way we love each other —“ and all —“ for who is my neighbor.
If we focus on the Christianity of laws, criticism, ick, or he or she is not good enough, then we cannot claim to be Christians at all, for we will have fallen back into the old ways of the law, trying to change behaviors instead of changing our very identity.
We start in accepting Jesus Christ; we work on changing ourselves so that everything we are says that we live in Christ, loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Let’s get close
The time to get close is now. First, get close to Jesus. If you’ve never consciously done it, say yes to Him and invite Him to change your life, to change your identity. It happened to me at the Mission and Evangelization Workshop in Perth Amboy not that many years ago. We went to a Full Gospel Church to learn about that Church’s ministry. Sitting in the sanctuary and listening to one of their deacon’s describe the power of the Holy Spirit I asked Jesus to change me. The beauty of the moment —“ I’ll never forget it. The change, ask my wife, its on-going and didn’t happen overnight. But I know that the Lord is with me telling me constantly to love, to be transformed.
Next, let’s get close to those around us, here in church, at work, at home, in the neighborhood. Let’s find the people the world calls icky, the people we avoid or are uncomfortable with. It is time to start the process —“ to learn how to love as Jesus loves, to invite as Jesus invites.
This Solemnity marks our difference
Our Church has given us this beautiful Solemnity. Our Church echoes the words of Jesus —“ Come unto me! Pójdź za Mną! That is the call of love that goes forth from every Parish in the Holy Polish National Catholic Church. Come; do not count cost or past transgression. Do not dwell on the ick. We do not abide in hell fire and fear, red devils or criticism. All are welcome to join us —“ to be brothers and sisters living renewed and regenerated lives of love. We believe in God’s goodness – the seed He planted in each of us which takes shape from the moment we come to Him. We are transformed and on the road — becoming the loving people of God. Amen.
I nourish love with worry and thinking,
Thinking with memory and covetousness,
I nourish lust with hope and comeliness,
Hope with illusion and useless straying.I fill my heart with pride and delusion,
Pride with pretended delight and rashness,
I nurture rashness with folly and smugness,
Folly with anger and vile corruption.I nourish worry with tears and with sighs,
The sighs with fire, fire with the wind indeed,
The wind with shadows, shadows with deceit.Whoever heard about such enterprise,
That with this care about the others’ greed,
I’m hungry myself ‘midst all these supplies.
Translated by Michael J. Mikoś
Karmię frasunkiem miłość i myśleniem,
Myśl zaś pamięcią i pożądliwością,
Żądzę nadzieją karmię i gładkością.
Nadzieję bajką i próżnym błądzeniem.Napawam serce pychą z omamieniem.
Pychę zmyślonym weselem z śmiałością.
Śmiałość szaleństwem pasę z wyniosłością.
Szaleństwo gniewem i złym zajątrzeniem.Karmię frasunek płaczem i wzdychaniem,
Wzdychanie ogniem, Rgień wiatrem prawie,
Wiatr zasię cieniem, a cień oszukaniem.Kto kiedy słyszał o takowej sprawie,
Że i z tym o głód cudzy się staraniem
Sam przy tej wszytkiej głód ponoszę strawie.
It’s great to be here.
We’ll name our new military airport
after your most famous son,
the great mathematician
Muhammad al-Khwarizmi,
who lived in the ninth century
of the Christian era —
sorry, the Common Era.We’ll build Firebase Algorithm,
a word derived from his last name.
The book he wrote, Kitab Al-Jabr,
christened the field of algebra.
Whoops! We should have said
Al-Jabr was its basis.We’ll add a lot more bases.
Your social problems might multiply
as we search for X, then Y, then Z,
the unknown quantities,
the solutions to our problem,but we’re grateful for your support,
glad that al-Khwarizmi
developed the —calculus of two errors.—
It will help us differentiate
terror from infinite justice —
make that —enduring freedom.—We give thanks that al-Khwarizmi
launched the decimal system,
so we can keep easy body counts,
flash results on television,
and when the Great Game ends
post the scores in Arabic numerals:
Muslims, zero. Christians, zero.
Civilization, zero.
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New blog post: On Labor Day http://bit.ly/3m8eNF [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: I’m Keeping an Eye on You http://bit.ly/qruZD [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: St. Albertus Fest in Detroit http://bit.ly/14Fwbl [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: Call for Entries – 2009-2010 VSA arts International Young Soloists Award Program http://bit.ly/2hXvl [deacon_jim]
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New blog post: Attention Polonian Organizations http://bit.ly/1vwOVd [deacon_jim]
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Leaves are falling thickly;
Where once the tree grew free
Now there sits a wild bird
Calling by a grave.O, for ever and ever,
Poland’s fate is clouded;
Endeavours fade like dreams,
And the land is shrouded in sorrow.Cottages are burned;
Villages destroyed;
Women lament,
Homeless in the fields.Men have fled,
From family and friends;
Crops shrivel and die,
Untended.Young men gather to defend
The walls of Warsaw;
Poland begins to rise
From darkness.Fighting on through blizzard,
And summer heat,
Then came autumn
To thin our ranks.Now the war is over,
Our toil expended in vain.
The fields we once tilled
Remain empty.Some lie buried;
Some languish in prison;
Some wander in exile,
Homeless and hungry.Heaven has not helped us;
Mens’ heads hang down.
The unsown fields turn to waste,
And nature’s gifts are as nothing.Leaves are falling thickly;
And more leaves, thick and dark.
Dear cherished land,
See how your sons,
Driven for your sake,
Now suffer and die for you.With but a handful of Polish soil,
We can create a new land.
Freedom through force now seems impossible.
Traitors flourish and the people too good-hearted.
Translation unattributed
Leci liście z drzewa,
Со urosło wolne;
Nad mogiłą śpiewa
Jakieś ptaszę роlne:
Nie było, nie było
Polsko dobra tobie;
Wszystko się prześniło,
A twa dziatwa w groble.Popalone miasta,
Spustoszone sioła;
А w polu niewiasta
Zawodzi dokoła:
Wszyscy poszli z domu
Wzięli z sobą kosy;
Robić niema komu,
Giną w polu kłosy.Kiedy pod Warszawą
Dziatwa się zbierała,
Zdało się, że z sławą
Wróci Polska cała;
Bili zimę cała;
Вili się przez lato,
А w jesieni za to
I dziatwy nie stało.Skończyły się boje,
Аlе próżna praca,
Во w dziedziny swoje
Nikt z braci nie wraca;
Jednych ziemia gniecie,
A drudzy w niewoli —
А inni po świecie
Bez chaty, bez roli.Ni pomocy z nieba,
Ani ludzkiej ręki,
Pusto leży gleba,
Darmo kwiatów wdzięki.
О! biedna kraino!
Gdyby сi rodacy,
Cо za Ciebie giną,
Wzięli się do pracy.I po garstce ziemi
Z Ojczyzny zabrali,
Jużby dłońmi swemi
Polskę usypali;
Во, wybić się siła,
Ani daj nam, Boże!
Gdy wrogów przybyło,
А nikt nie pomoże.
PolOrg is part of the Polish American Congress’ newest attempt at uniting the Polish American Community throughout the United States.
In a recent meeting among the officers and directors of the Polish American Congress, the PAC agreed to make PolOrg a part of the Polish American Congress. By partnering together, PolOrg will become a stronger, more focused, and more efficient resource for the Polish American Community and all of those involved in the growing and unparalleled resourcefulness of the World Wide Web.
PolOrg will undergo a redesign, providing key updates to the website to make it more focal in local searches as well as nationally oriented in scheduling events and collaborations.
Polonian Parishes and Organization wishing to be part of the PolOrg project now spearheaded by the Polish American Congress should contact PolOrg via their contact form and provide their contact e-mail address, permanent address, phone number, and the name of a contact person who can be reached regarding changes to your organization’s contact information and event planning. Responding organizations will be added to the current database of over 1,700 Polish and Polonian organizations throughout the United States.
Having an organization like the Polish American Congress ensure maintenance and effectiveness of the PolOrg website can be extremely beneficial to all organizations involved and create unity among the many different Polish organization in the United States.
2009-2010 VSA arts International Young Soloists Award Program
Call for Entries:
Since 1984, the VSA arts International Young Soloists Program has been seeking to identify talented musicians who have a disability. The VSA arts International Young Soloists Award is given annually to four outstanding musicians, two from the United States and two from the international arena. The award provides an opportunity for these emerging musicians to each earn a $5,000 award and a performance in Washington, D.C.
Attention Applicants:
All VSA arts United States affiliates implement their own International Young Soloists Award programs. Applicants living in New York State must send their entry materials to:
The International Young Soloists Award Program: New York State
The New York State Alliance for Arts Education/VSAarts
P.O. Box 2217
Albany, NY 12220
The application deadline is November 16, 2009.
From Creative Gene: 5th Annual St. Albertus Fest
The Polish-American Historical Site Association Inc. (PAHSA) would like to announce the fifth annual St. Albertus Fest on the campus of the Registered National Historic Site, St Albertus Church, located at 4231 St. Aubin at E. Canfield, Detroit. This year’s fundraiser is taking place on Saturday, September 19, 2009, from 12:00 p.m. —“ 12:00 a.m. The outdoor music festival is $5 and features two covered stages filled with music throughout the day with a focus on Detroit’s finest local bands and musicians. Polish food, beer, wine and beverages will be for sale as well.
This year’s festival will feature a recital by the Oakland University Classical Guitar Ensemble. The recital will take place inside the Church auditorium as the opening of the festival at 1pm. Following the recital the music will begin on the two stages which will be setup outside the Church under tented areas.
The festival includes an amazing collection of bluegrass and folk influenced musicians throughout the day including Detroit based groups The Run-ins, 9 Volt Hammer and Catfish Mafia. This year we’re also excited to have local greats the The Planet D Nonet wsg Charles “Buddy” Smith for the first time. Our good friend Gretchen Wolff will be performing again this year, along with local rock bands Man Fransisco, Dr. Doctor, The Replicas, Pigeon, Eyer Department and Best Idea Ever. Also, Chicago based group Essex Channel are traveling to Detroit in support of St. Albertus
St. Albertus was the first Polish [Roman] Catholic Church in Detroit (est. 1872) and the Heart of the area once known as —POLETOWN—. After its closure by the Archdiocese in 1990, a group of former Parishioners, Historians, and Preservationists established a 501-C3 non-profit under the name PAHSA, and reopened St. Albertus as a museum of cultural history.
PAHSA holds the St. Albertus Fest to remind the Detroit community that St. Albertus not only still exists, but is as beautiful and impressive as ever. For the past four years we’ve had musicians from a variety of backgrounds dedicate their time and talent to the festival in support of our cause. Please join us for the fifth annual St. Albertus fest, if you love Art, History, Architecture, Music, Food or even Beer then you don’t want to miss the St. Albertus Fest.
Gates open at 12:00 p.m., rain or shine, and live performances will run straight through from 1pm until 11:00 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door, 100% of the proceeds will go towards the Preservation of the St Albertus historic site. This event is all ages; beverages will be available for purchase, alcohol for those 21 and over. Traditional Polish food will be sold on the premises. Tours of the historic St. Albertus Church will be given throughout the day.
For further information and showtimes please visit their myspace page.