For almost 30 years at the Licheń Shrine, the last weekend of July was the time of Sobriety Meetings. This year's 28th National Sobriety Meetings in Licheń, due to the epidemic situation, have been postponed to 23-25 July 2021.
On Saturday, July 25, people prayed for sobriety in families in the Licheń basilica. The Eucharist celebrated at 7.00 p.m. in front of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Lichen was presided over by Fr. Robert Krzywicki, MIC, director of the Licheń Center for Assistance to the Family and Addicted People. About 1.5 thousand of the faithful took part in the liturgy. Prayers were given for the moral rebirth of families, liberation from alcoholism and its consequences, as well as for all those whose sins of addiction take away from God and destroy.
We would like to rule over our lives, predict the future and implement it. We had plans, and this year, 2020, we faced a pandemic that changed the way we think. We had to pause in our lives. We thought we would participate in the 28th Sobriety Meetings. Many people wanted to come here, but the state of the epidemic changed everything. We realize that our life does not depend on our plans. Our life is like flowers that can bloom in the morning and wither and wilt in the evening
Marianin emphasized that according to the biblical teaching, God is rock and is unchanging, it lasts forever, and the present situation makes us realize that our life is not in our hands. The Lord Jesus comes to make a spiritual transformation, He is the solution for us - he said - He is the answer to the question about the implementation of plans for our lives. A pandemic is an opportunity to rebuild your life. Not because we are strong. We are like clay vessels - the Lord Jesus, when He is inside us, makes us gain value. The Lord invites us to this transformation to follow Him. Let us open our hearts to His action, to His Word The priest encouraged.
It is worth recalling that in 2019 Sobriety Meetings gathered a record number - over 30,000 participants. During the weekend, which was then held under the slogan "You'll gain strength again" 16 meetings were organized for many groups, including: Alcoholics Anonymous, Drug Addicts, Smokers, Drug Addicts, Abusers, Depressants, Food-drinkers, Gamblers and their relatives. There were also meetings for addicts in Russian and Ukrainian.
Lichen Stary, July 26, 2020
Text: Justyna Zacharek, Sanctuary Press Office
