The first Sunday of Lent became an occasion at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Licheń to pray for the neighbors, but also to be open to their needs and mutual friendship.
On Neighbor's Day, Fr. Janusz Kumala, MIC, custodian of the Lichen sanctuary during the Holy Mass. at. 12 in the Licheń basilica. - We want to live in a place where neighbors say "good morning" every day, there is a friendly atmosphere, and people are polite, friendly and helpful to each other. How important it is now, during the epidemic, admitted the curator.
- The greatest danger today is the temptation to be self-sufficient, to say that we do not need God, said Fr. Kumala, referring to the Gospel read about the temptation of Jesus in the desert. Jesus' words, "Convert and believe in the Gospel!" they are also the foundation of the message of Our Lady of Licheń, who in 1850 in the Grąblin forest called for penance and conversion by the shepherd Mikołaj Sikatka. When the cholera epidemic raged in 1852, people remembered Mary's words and began to kneel in front of the painting, looking for salvation and change of life. First of all, save eternal life. - Through Marian apparitions, God calls us to conversion. We go to Mass so that our lives may change during the Eucharist. It is a real conversion - emphasized Fr. Kumala.
The curator of the sanctuary also made us reflect on what self-love is. - For me, the most important thing is whether I will live in the Father's house that Jesus has prepared for me! The most important thing is to discover who I am - a child of God, created by God out of love. This is what I am to discover during Lent and thus organize my relations with my neighbors. This, too, is to be the fruit of our conversion. You have to open your eyes that there are people among us that are not random, neighbors with whom we need each other. They are needed so that we show them love, said the curator of the sanctuary. Those gathered in the Lichen basilica and the recipients of on-line broadcasts entrusted their neighbors to God, but also prayed that there would be a lack of mutual friendship and respect. That they build a real community based on love, understanding and helping.
Fr. Janusz Kumala also prayed for the neighbors of the Lichen sanctuary, all those who live nearby, that they would enjoy the presence of Our Lady of Lichen, that she would be a special Protector for them every day.
