Godfather Dziwisz!
A
prominent figure in the latter days of Karol Wojtyla’s life was (now) Cardinal
Stanisław Dziwisz. A native son of
Poland, born in 1939 in Raba Wyżna, he received his Doctoral degree in Krakow and
was appointed Secretary to then Archbishop Wojtyla in 1966.[1]
Among
many other duties and offices, the Cardinal serves as head of the WYD Local
Organizing Committee in Poland and spoke some timely words in connection to the
theme of the Pilgrimage itself:
''Sister
Faustina wrote in her diary that a spark will come out from Krakow that will
make the world ready for the final coming of Jesus Christ. We would like to
pass this secret of Divine Mercy onto youth. May they gather the thought and
spark of peace from Krakow. At this time, we have unrest, peace is at risk here
in Europe – there is terrorism and a brutal terrorism at that. This is why we
would like to create peace, reconciliation, solidarity, mutual kindness, and
may this atmosphere cover the whole world, starting from this meeting here in
Krakow”[2]
Having
just finished the Diary, I know the exact passage to which the Cardinal refers
in Paragraph 1732 of Notebook 6. In
fact, that same passage about the “Spark” appears in the official WYD prayer as
well.
It is a
fitting theme as events begin to escalate toward violence aimed specifically at
Christians worldwide. I am referring
especially to the martyrdom of Fr. Jacques Hamel yesterday during his
celebration of the Mass in Normandy, France (a place of great bloodshed in WWII). The Final Coming of the Lord would be much
welcomed in the face of increased terrorism by ISIS.
The
Cardinal specifically referenced the slain priest in his homily for the opening
Mass in Krakow:
“During
this Mass, let us pray for all the victims of the recent terrorist attacks. Let
us pray for the priest who was murdered today while celebrating the Eucharist
in France.”[3]
[1] http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/documentation/cardinali_biografie/cardinali_bio_dziwisz_s.html
[2] http://www.krakow2016.com/en/card-stanislaw-dziwisz-we-would-like-to-pass-on-to-the-youth-the-secret-of-divinemercy-about-the-spiritual-message-from-world-youth-day
[3] http://www.krakow2016.com/en/cardinal-stanislaw-dziwisz-it-is-the-hour-we-have-been-waiting-for-three-years
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