In my short life, I was interested, among others, in religions and various forms of spirituality associated with various planet civilizations. Hence, everything I know about this brings me to the conclusion that the doctrine of Roman Catholicism is the most mature and coherent, and with its extraordinary depth it corresponds most to anthropology and everything that could qualify as fact about man. A book published by the White Raven by the priest prof. Janusz Królikowski entitled “The Holy Year. History, meaning, modernity” full confirms my conviction.
"All the paths of the Church lead to man," said St. John Paul the Great. These roads, apart from this appointed Catechism and the basic duties of a Catholic, are very many. They are all a wealth of opportunities to practice their religion in a way that best suits both individual and collective needs. These roads include participation in communities, survey of Scripture, refusal of hours or pilgrimage. The tradition described by prof. Janusz Królikowski is 1 of these roads.
Father Janusz Królikowski's book entitled “The Holy Year. History, Meaning, Modernity” The past of man is to any degree a communicative of ascending to various sizes and a past of falls. specified are the effects of first sin, that both the individual man and the human congregation and, generally, the full humanity are doomed to the constant conflict of good with evil. The fight against temptations, with various sinful shortcuts, with a deficiency of average weaknesses – it is human everyday life. It can besides lead us to a minute where our perception of ourselves is characterized by a mistake. Even the most glorious spirit guides can sometimes stray, and the most noble of priests can take a false step. The wise people of many centuries ago were aware of this. In 1 of the oldest churches in Wroclaw, in the temple under the call of St. Lawrence (the 1 in the Wrocław Jerzmans, due to the fact that there is in this town and another 20th-century church under the same call) there is simply a certain surprising, astounding and possibly outrageous accent, although rather common a fewer centuries ago. It is the devil's figure that looks from the Gothic begging. Nothing more – a tiny figure symbolizing the powers of hell is found in the church, and it is in its holy place, due to the fact that in the chancel. Not much – this devil is almost above the altar! What is he doing there, for what intent did medieval Catholics put specified a thing in specified a place? It turns out that what may surprise us or offend us has a very logical sense. The devil is absolutely obvious. We're experiencing his presence. He tries to accompany us, follows us, follows us, sneaks everywhere we go. He's even capable of sneaking into the temple, into the most sacred part of it. All to get us on the incorrect path. And he would be most pleased if he led the full church group along the incorrect path, preferably along with her priests. This fact was meant by the builders of St. Lawrence's Church on the Jerzmans. That's why they put the devil's character in the vault of the chancel so that we can remember the evil powers that they effort to accompany us. Even in the mediate of the church, even in the place where the holy liturgy is centered, where sacraments are accepted. This devil was placed there as a informing sign, as a call to vigilance, to caution. We're all at hazard of drifting, drifting distant from the highest truth, straying. Thus, the Church has created many spiritual practices for deep authorification and for checking that we have not left God unnoticed. This hazard is less, the richer and fuller our spiritual life is. The tradition of the Holy Year is precisely for our spiritual life to be raised to advanced places. The Jubilee spiritual rebirth brings fruit in the form of a strengthened relation with God, in the elimination of the hazard of going down false paths.
The tradition of the Holy Year was practiced by ancient Israelites. In the Roman Church, it was initiated by Pope Boniface VIII, for the pontificate of which the year 1300 was the Holy Year, meaning the Jubilee of a 1000 3 100 years since the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the intention of the father of Saint Boniface VIII, specified a year would be all 100 years. This was changed by the Holy Father Clement VI, possibly coming out of the presumption that the cycle of what – a century-old prevents the participation in this tradition of a immense part of the faithful, whose life will fall for decades between the circular anniversaries appointed with a rhythm full of centuries. Hence, since 1350 the year began to receive all 1 of the fifty. Pope Urban VI introduced the rule of celebration all thirty-three years, that is, as long as the earthly life of Jesus lasted. From the second half of the 15th century, however, the Holy Year is everyone beginning all 4th of the century, unless war or another major tragedies stand in the way. The adoption of specified a cycle gives an chance to participate in this large tradition of the vast majority of Catholics. And the pronunciation of the Holy Year can have huge. It is adequate to mention that this John Paul II opened in 2000 was the Jubilee of coming to the earth before 2 1000 years of the boy of God Jesus Christ. The event celebrated by the pope – the Pole was besides the introduction of Christianity in the 3rd millennium, a large liturgical event, an crucial sign of hope. Many of us experienced it in the Vatican or following a tv account. Earlier generations did not have specified a chance, but the beginning of the next Jubilee Years experienced at least equally deeply. They have always been accompanied by an increase in pilgrimage movements, a revival of the activity of diocesan and parish communities, and waves of conversions. uncovering actual religion or returning to the Church powerfully advocated the large sense of each Holy Year.
Every Holy Year is besides a large catechesis reminding of the fundamental truths of faith. It must besides be remembered that the Holy Year was besides announced on another anniversarys of the highest importance. Just as it was in 1933, in which it was a 1000 9 100 years since Jesus ’ Salvation Passion and Death. Since the 15th century, the beginning ceremony of the Holy Gate has been an act of the beginning of the Holy Year, which involves a multitude of contexts full of weighty meanings. We learn a lot about the large ceremony of each Year of the Holy Symbolism, which grew from the rich tradition of the Church, from the work of the priest prof. Janusz Królikowski. And this reading can be both a spiritual experience and a fascinating origin of cognition about 1 of the most crucial elements of our civilisation. Civilization that would never be without the Holy Church and without which there would never be any Poland.
As always in the case of the publication of the White Kruk “Raki Świętok” by the priest prof. Janusz Królikowski is simply a real editorial masterpiece. Looking with utmost care chosen and with no little pietism transferred to the chalk paper reproductions of masterpieces of Christian painting, it is hard to defy the impression that the creators of these miracles of sacral art caused the genius of divine inspiration. These images are not only indescribably beautiful, but full of content that could be filled with volumes, as well as their mastery beyond the ability to verbalize. In conjunction with the text of the large lecture by the professor, we have a book before us, which is not only read and lived in intellectual, emotional or spiritual terms. This book besides absorbs like a vault providing the highest, most valuable aesthetic experiences. Together, this leads to conclusions on the impenetrable wealth of content consisting of the Christian religion and tradition of the Roman-Catholic Church. 1 of the themes of this tradition is the title Holy Roki, which through this remarkable book we can see as even more crucial and even more inalienable for all of us, even richer in content, and despite their impossible to grasp with the human head metaphysical dimension – even more intimate to all of us.
Artur Adamski
