For the wisdom of the Holy Spirit for all Poles and Lithuanians, that they may strengthen friendship between their peoples, prayed today, June 8, in the Lichen basilica on the day of the liturgical memorial of St. Jadwiga, King of Poland. In connection with the day of prayers for Polish-Lithuanian friendship celebrated in the Lichen sanctuary today, the image of St. Jadwiga, which will hang in the Gate of Dawn Chapel near the Lichen Golgotha.
Applying the words of today's Gospel to St. Jadwiga, Fr. Janusz Kumala, the curator of the Lichen sanctuary, said that she was a person living in the light of Christ. - "St. Jadwiga, despite the fact that she had power, money and recognition in the eyes of her subjects, did not focus on herself, but on Christ, whom she served in other people - the poor, the needy. This is how generations remembered her. She also made sure that Christ would be known and loved. Therefore, when the possibility of proclaiming Christ in Lithuania arose, it was she who married Władysław Jagiełło, Grand Duke of Lithuania, and thanks to this, Christianization was initiated, that is, the proclamation of Christ throughout Lithuania ".
At the Holy Mass First Communion children from the parish of st. Catherine of Alexandria in Goleniów. In the homily of Fr. Kumala pointed out that the dominant color inside the Licheń temple today is white. This is due to a group of children who came to thank Jesus for coming into their hearts. The priest also referred to the Gospel according to St. Matthew, in which Jesus says that each of us is the salt of this earth.
– “The symbolism of salt is to tell us that we, Christians, are to give flavor to the world, that is, to the people we live among, so that the world is good. Our task here on earth is to make the people living in it good, kind, living with love. We, as disciples of Jesus, must strive for it and strive for it with all our strength " - said Fr. Kumala.
The homily also asked, what does the statement in today's Gospel mean that we are to be the salt of the world? - “It means that we are to have Jesus within us, that we are to live in love, that we are to live according to God's commandments. Then we will be salt in this world in which we live. We are all called to do this " Explained the Marian.
The priest added that we need Jesus who is light to see other people. - “He is light and he shines through us. We radiate light, good and love. And when there is no light in us, we will not notice other people. That is why we need Jesus in our lives to show us the way ".
Concluding the considerations of Fr. Kumala emphasized that the two nations, Polish and Lithuanian, are linked by a long and common history. - "Through the intercession of St. Jadwiga, let us ask for God's blessing for the Lithuanian brothers, so that the difficulties and problems that Lithuania encounters may be overcome and that we may be joined by an ever greater friendship and mutual kindness, because we are united by history, by saints, Christ joins us. "
Before the end of the Holy Mass, the custodian of Kumala, MIC, consecrated the painting depicting the image of St. Jadwiga, King of Poland. The painting will hang in the chapel of Our Lady of Ostra Brama, which is located near the Lichen Golgotha, in the old part of the Lichen sanctuary.
St. Jadwiga was born in 1374 as the daughter of the King of Hungary and Poland, Louis of Anjou. She inherited the Polish throne from her father and was crowned in 1384. She married the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Władysław Jagiełło, contributing to the conversion of the country to Christianity. She also contributed to the establishment of the Faculty of Theology in Krakow and the renewal of the University. Throughout her life, she was generous to the poor. She died in Kraków on July 17, 1399. She is the patron saint of Lithuania and Poland. She was buried in the basement of the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow. She was canonized in 1997 by St. Pope John Paul II. In the iconography of St. Jadwiga is shown in royal clothes.
