From Kalwaria Zebrzydowska it is only a stone’s throw away to the town which JP2 described as “here everything started”. Karol Wojtyla (the future pope) was born here in 1920 and lived in the town until 1938 when his father decided to move to Cracow. At that time it was only a small country town. In the case of JP2 his life was centered around the town square. The parish church is the main feature of the square. The home where the Pope was born and grew up is just next to the church across a narrow street (the yellow building on the right). His primary school was located in the building which is a few meters away from the church too (the building on the left with the red roof). I guess that the pilgrims coming from the visit to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska with its Paths are most grateful for this easy visit to the home town of the Holy Father. One doesn’t need to walk much to see the places associated with the Pope. I found it a very moving experience to pray at the baptismal font where the Holy Father was baptized. This fundamental sacrament that all Christians receive at the outset of their faith journey marked his life powerfully. Grace of God given him that day wasn’t wasted because he cooperated with it faithfully. As I was praying before the baptismal font I was struck by the thought the potential we are given when the Holy Spirit descends upon us at Baptism. If we let the Holy Spirit accomplish his mission we can set off from this life with confidence of JP2 who saw his dying as going to the Father. I also liked a little chapel in the church with the image of our Lady of Perpetual Succor which is known as the prayer place for the students of Wadowice. The kids come here before their classes and after school. As I was praying in the chapel I thought about the young man with his school bag who was coming here and under the caring eyes of Mary assimilated what he learnt in such way that not only his mind was developing but his personality and soul as well. I couldn't help asking Mary to look after the young people, particularly those I know.
    I was leaving Wadowice thinking that shortcuts aren't necessary in life in order  to become a saint. JP2 went through ordinary stages of life like we all do but the message he shares with us is to use all the stages of our life with faith and trust in Jesus. He was Pope but in the first place he was a Catholic following Jesus.
Blessed John Paul II pray for us from the Home of Our Father in heaven.

Not far from Cracow where JP2 was bishop there is a shrine of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska where the image of Our Lady of Calvary has been venerated for nearly 400 years. For those who travel around Poland it may be just another splendid church but it is a very unique place.
    Firstly the shrine is just 15 kilometers from Wadowice where JP2 was born and where he grew up. In his remarks he mentioned the shrine many times. For some reason it never clicked in my head how close the places are to each other. He was able to visit the shrine very easily as a child with his father and later as a yon boy with his mates. I like thinking about those kids occupying themselves by going to the shrine. I myself was very excited that after 30 years I came to this church again. The last time I was here it was when I was in kindergarten.
     Secondly the shrine is known not only for a magnificent church and miracles image of Mary but also for a prayerful environment pilgrims find here. The shrine is surrounded by a large reserve where many churches and chapels were built. They make what people call Paths of Jesus and Mary. Basically they are walking tracks with churches on the way commemorating events from the life of Our Lord and of Our Lady. The people who visit the place set out for this on-foot-prayer reflecting of the moments that have marked the destiny of the world and humankind so profoundly. Sometimes when we think about praying we look for a cozy room with reflective lightning and music, here a different message about prayer is given out: you pray not only with your mind but with your feet (as you need to walk up and down the hills surrounding the shrine) and hands as well (as sometimes you need to carry an umbrella). One cannot set up the surrounding but is challenged to accept the condition he finds during his visit. It may rain, snow, hail or burn. Even the fit people come back from the Paths exhausted. It is a powerful message that prayer isn’t a relaxation exercise but a challenge and determination. JP2 was known for his deep prayer life but it is worth noticing that he developed his prayer walking the Paths in this shrine. He was coming here as a young man and a priest, then as a bishop and a cardinal as well. When he had to make some difficult decision or face a challenging situation he could be found here in rain or snow or whatever the weather was. He was walking and praying here. His love for the shrine was proved by the fact that his last Mass in Poland was celebrated in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska before the image of Our Lady of  Calvary.

          In a class I was teaching there was a difficult student. After exhausting all means to get through to him I decided to talk to the teacher in charge of
the class. I suggested to her talking to the parents of the boy. However the teacher answered: “It is not going to work. I have already spoken to his mother as his father is out of picture, and the women said to me that she is too scared of her son to talk to him.” He was 15 at that time.           
     Sisters and Brothers in Christ!
     I did feel for the mother but I also felt for the boy. He was horrible to deal with but it wasn’t an excuse for us adults to give up on providing him with integral human training. There is no doubt to me that waiting for such people to go away as soon as possible is condemning them to lack of such personal development. Of course even the best intentions of parents, school, society and the Church can achieve nothing if there is no will of cooperation from the person but it is most crucial to make it clear that such integral human training is always available when the he is ready to take it. Todays’ second reading from the Letter to Hebrews draws for us an image of God that is crucial to our personal human development so that we could become people who love prudently, make responsible decision and work decently. The reading shows us God who trains us. We call God Our Father and the passage from the Bible goes on asking us: “Has there ever been any child whose father did not train him?” Fathers give life but good fathers are responsible for the life they have given and they continue to shape the life of the children according to high standards. We call God Our Father, we acknowledge that he is the origin of our existence, can we expect that he will not be involved in training us according to his standards? The whole chapter 12 of the Letter to Hebrews is called God’s pedagogy. God is very clear on that. He will always provide us with the training that can integrally develop our humanity. Jesus’ death on the cross is a
powerful sign that God is committed to training us, even the most hopeless cases don’t discourage him. God is the best educator as he is committed to educating us all, even the difficult ones. His commitment to training us in the highest standards is clearly visible in the history of salvation. Reading the Bible we find many prophets. Almost every Sunday we hear a reading from a book written by a prophet. Prophets weren’t future tellers, wizards or magicians, they were great educators of the people. They challenge and encouraged the people to become humans fully developed, those who love prudently, make responsible decisions and work decently. Through those prophets God shaped his sons and daughters because God is in heaven but he is very realistic. What do I mean by that? Let me tell you another story. I had another a student. He was in Year 9. His Dad was working in another country. The mother left them. His father got him an apartment, paid all expenses. According to the boy his Dad trusted him and believed that each person has got a great potential for self-development. Well, I was only his teacher but what I observed without hiring a detective was made me thing that his dad was naïve or simple stupid. People like Saint Stanislaus Kostka, Aloysius Gonzaga or Theresa Lisieux don’t happen all the time. I mean the people who are so mature and determined to their development that they need little training. However they still looked for guides and educators as they had great aspirations. I said that God is realistic and it simply means that he isn’t naïve or stupid. He doesn’t leave it up to us to form, to develop ourselves but he is still offering us people and means to become people who love prudently, make responsible decisions and work decently. The role of the Church is to provide such training. It is not always welcome or appreciated but I still remember that most students in the school firmly believed that the father of the boy who paid for his apartment and stuff was the best father ever. They talked of him as the coolest father. My opinion was different. If the boy lived the life of St Stanislaus Kostka I wouldn’t worry but I did worry about his future as he wasn’t developing himself but he was deteriorating in terms of his morals, personality and work.  A good parent a good educator will follow the example of God, the best of all fathers and educators. God who is wise in his judgments of us, patient but firm, caring because he is present in our development, supportive but not blind to our shortcomings. Probably there are people who would like God to be like the dad of the student of mine but it is not going to happen. That’s why we do have a big chance to become the people who love prudently, make responsible decisions and who work decently.

In 2002 a couple of months after I was ordained a priest Pope John Paul II came to Poland. Although we were expecting that it was his last visit to his home country we didn’t want to admit it. In fact it was the last visit of the Holy Father who died in 2005. I remember that I was doing an evening Mass when the plane with the Holy Father  touched the ground. During that last pilgrimage to Poland the Pope blessed the new basilica in the shrine of Divine Mercy. Although I didn’t have a long way to go to the shrine from the parish where I was stationed I was prevented from attending the event. However since I moved to Australia I always make sure I come to this holy place while on holidays. It isn’t just because of the pope whom I hold in high esteem but it is also about Saint Sister Faustina who spent her last years here but the main reason it is Our Lord himself whose miraculous image draws people from all corners of the world to this suburb of Cracow. I love this place which to me means Easter. The image of Jesus which is called Divine Mercy Image pictures Our Lord after his Resurrection. He is showing his glorious wounds and he is offering to the world the mystery of his unfathomable mercy expressed by the two rays flowing from his heart. Walking around the shrine I am always amazed that Sister Faustina who walked the same paths here talked to Jesus who was appearing to her. Jesus whom we venerate in the shrine wasn’t a painting but a real person she saw. There is a story about her welcoming a poor young man begging for some food. After attending him she recognized that it was Jesus himself who had to say: “I enjoyed mercy you offered me by looking after me.” The sisters still preserve the bell the Lord rang at the door to the convent. What I also find touching is that the original church of the shrine is simply the chapel of the convent. In the chapel Saint Faustina prayed together with the other nuns and privately. Even today it is still the convent chapel. The nuns gather there for their ordinary daily services like they did when the saint lived here. It is just lovely that the pilgrims can participate in these prayers. Sister Faustina whose remains are preserved in the chapel seems to be part of that. The prayers aren't anything extra but they are normal daily routine of the community of the nuns and in this way they become a great school for the pilgrims who come here. We learn from sisters that prayer life is just normal part of human life.
The day was even more special for me as on this day 9 years ago I arrived to Melbourne, Australia. Praying in the shrine I asked the Lord for my new home so far away from the land where I grew up. However in this faraway land Down under I have found the paths similar to the ones in the Shrine of Divine Mercy, the paths where I meet my Lord who conversed with Saint Faustina.

Since the visit of the Pope they pray here the prayer he offered to God for all
men and women of the world:

God, merciful Father,
in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your  love
and
poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,
We entrust to you today the destiny of the world
and of every man and woman.
Bend down to us sinners,
heal our weakness,
conquer all evil,
and grant that all the peoples of the earth
may experience your mercy.
In You, the Triune God,
may they ever find the source of hope.
Eternal Father,
by the Passion and Resurrection of your Son,
have mercy on us and upon the whole world!! 

After the visit to Our Lady of Czestochowa we moved to a city that is usually the must-see-place in Poland, I mean the royal city of Cracow. Visitors go there as it is one of a few places that weren’t destroyed during WWII. You can still admire the old architecture and enjoy the unique atmosphere of the Old Town and the original narrow streets. Apparently the town square is the biggest in Europe. There are lots of places to see and most of visitors attempt to see them all. I believe that a better way to see the town is to make a theme of your trip. This time I had only a day for Cracow itself as the main focus of my trip was the Divine Shrine on the outskirts of the city where Saint Sister Faustina lived her final years and where she is buried. It is also the place where the miraculous image of the Merciful Jesus is kept. Usually I limit my visit to the shrine but this time I decided to spend one more day to explore the town as well. As I mentioned it is the place of historic buildings, lovely boutiques, trendy restaurants etc. For centuries it was also the home of the polish royal family. Before Warsaw was chosen for the capital Cracow had the honor of being the political Centre of the country. Apart of this aspect Cracow is also the city churches and of saints, in fact in sixteenth century a priest sent by the Pope as his representative after arriving to Cracow had to say: “If the Catholic Church didn’t have Rome Cracow would be Rome.”  Today in the churches of the city there are tombs of 9 saints: St. Stanislaw, St Jadwiga, St. Jan Kanty, St Jacek, St Szymon from Lipnica, St Stanislaw Kazimierczyk, St Brother Albert Chmielewski, St Sister Faustina and St Florian. There are also 10 Blessed People buries here: Bl Wincenty Kadlubek, Bl Mary Truszkowska, Bl Michael Giedroyc, Bl John Benzym,   Bl Swietoslaw Milczacy, BlSalomea, Bl Aniela Salawa, Bl Isiah Boer, Bl Bernardyna Jablonska and Bl Bronislawa. Apart of two of those people the others lived, worked and died here. That's why Cracow is the city of saints not just the city of the tombs of the saints. Those holy people reached the level of holiness here. However the theme of my trip this time was John Paul II. Of course he isn’t buried in Cracow but it was his city. Firstly his parents got married in a church here. Then as a young man he moved to Cracow. Here he studied and was ordained a priest. Later he was appointed bishop of the city. The Cathedral where kings and queens of Poland are buried was the place where he was consecrated a bishop. That’s why I decided to give myself time to walk the paths of the pope who spent a significant amount of his time in the city.

    After spending time with Mary in her shrine I went to another “shrine” close to my heart. A few hundred meters from the church there is a Carmelite Monastery. I call the place is my “battery charger”. Before I left Poland for Australia I visited the convent with my students. We had Mass which was also attended by the nuns. After the Mass I stayed a bit longer in order to follow the advice of an Oblate from my community who told me: “Daniel before you go to this faraway place you need to get somebody who will faithfully pray for you. You will need heaps of prayers. I recommend Carmelite Nuns. They are very good.” That what I did. I requested for a sister who could accompany me with her prayers. That’s how I got a spiritual sister. Her name is Sister Anne of St Joseph. I gave her the missionary crucifix I was given by the Papal Nuncio to Poland in 2004 in this way I know that my ministry in Australia is a tea work. Sister Anne keeps praying for people and situations I deal with. Sometimes I tell parishioners: “By having me you get a bonus – payers of Sister Anne.
     As I said to the nuns I am a regular visitor. I visit them every two years. However I always feel at home among them. Because of my correspondence with Sister Anne the nuns know what is happening in my life but it has nothing to do with curiosity, they simply learn in order to pray for these matters. Even the grill that is always between us doesn't spoil this feeling.
    Unfortunately Sister Anne’s health is deteriorating but she is still the same cheerful, spiritual and strong person. I guess now she offers for me not only her prayers but her suffering too.

Every time I go to see my family in Poland I always make sure I visit my heavenly Mother in her shrine at Jasna Gora (Luminous Mount) in Czestochowa. For those who grew up in Poland the shrine is their spiritual home. The chapel where the icon of the Black Madonna is kept is quite small but there is a homely feeling for sure. Among Catholic shrines worldwide it is an unusual place as it wasn’t started by apparitions or some other extraordinary events. In the fourteenth century the icon was brought to the place where a church and a monastery were built. The veneration of Our Lady has been nurtured simply by the icon itself. Every time I stand before the Mother of God here I am immersed in her love for Jesus and us. It is the place where I pour my soul and I am sure I am understood by her. Gazing upon her focused face I am engaged in quite conversation straight away. It is hard to explain but a visit to Jasna Gora explains why Catholics venerate images so profoundly. The icon is all about Jesus and Mary who draw the pilgrims into the relationship that is between them. This time I decided to stay overnight in the shrine to have plenty of time to pray on my own and to participate in most of the spiritual activates of the shrine. It is said that if somebody wants to understand the soul of Poles should go to Czestochowa, I also believe that if somebody wants to understand the Catholic Church better should go there as well. The shrine is the place where one can experience the community of believers gathered around Jesus and his Mother. I believe it is impossible to feel alone or isolated here not simply because you are immersed in big crowds of the faithful but because visiting the shrine you discover that those around you are your brothers and sisters as you and them call the same person your mother.
     Again I was blessed to celebrate Mass at the altar where the Icon of the Black Madonna is placed. The closeness of her however doesn’t distract me from Jesus offering himself on the altar. Being so closed to her I always believe that her devotion, love and passion for Christ gets me too. Probably that’s why I love this place so much as I always feel that after the visit I was brought closer to my
Lord.
     One of the most typical services held in the shrine is the 9pm-prayer. In many other churches and monasteries in Poland at 9pm people gather every day to unite themselves with those who are blessed to be in Czestochowa to stand before the throne of the Queen of heaven and earth, who is also Queen of Poland. Then they sing the well-known song: “Mary Queen of Poland, I am with you, I remember you, I keep vigil with you.” As I was walking from the pilgrim house where I stayed to the shrine around 8.40pm I was part of the stream of people who we flowing to the chapel for the service. It is a powerful feeling when you see very visibly that it is the Church of God on Earth gathered around Mary who wants to draw us even closer to Jesus.
     After the service I stayed for a few moments to say some extra prayer when my attention was drawn to a young man who like everybody else was going on is knees around the altar of the Black Madonna.  I could tell he had the Down syndrome but what drew my attention was his prayerfulness. He was so profoundly praying. At some stage when the pilgrims reach the end of “the walking track” they can have a quick look at her who tenderly watches them from the altar. The young man looked at Mary, and he simply froze. I wish I could take a picture then.  His face was just beautiful. Unfortunately it didn’t last long as the person following him nearly climbed on him as he broke the pace of the line of the pilgrims.
    The shrine was also close to the heart of JP2 who prayed here many times. On the left hand side of the icon his belt can be seen with blood stains. It is the belt he was wearing when he was shoot in 1981. When the Pope recovered he sent it to Czestochowa as a token of his gratitude for Mary's protections.

There is no doubt that Australia is the place of extremes. One year it can be dry and hot while the next one can be wet and mild. However even wet and mild season brings some serious concern as the abundance of vegetation means plenty of fuel for the next bushfire season.
My dear friends in Christ!           
When bushfire season starts nobody would like to hear about casting fire. The words of Jesus from today’s Gospel may sound out of place even in Poland, as at the moment it is so dry. However Jesus’ words aren’t about bringing disaster but they are a promise of purification and redemption. In the Bible there is a passage written by Prophet Isaiah who described what he saw when in a mysterious vision he was given a glimpse of heaven. The prophet saw God as fire burning with great intensity and Seraphims, the spirits of fire, serving the Most High. His reaction was acknowledgment of his sin. Then one of the Seraphims took a burning coal and touch the prophet with it in order to purify, to burn out what was unclean, what was sinful in him. What we hear from Jesus today is a similar promise, to burn out within us whatever is unclean and sinful. Even if sometimes it may hurt us, it is because sin took deep roots in our soul. The sin that, as the Letter to Hebrews says: “Clings to us so easily.” This purification fire is fueled by our sins. It consumes them. The spiritual pain we experience is the sign of the healing process.           
However there is another aspect of what Jesus means by casting fire. Jesus doesn’t simply want to get rid of sins in us, he wants to set us on fire. The same letter to Hebrews encourages us, Christians: “To keep running steadily in the race we have started.” However how much we resemble the two disciples of the Lord on the way to Emmaus. They lost heart. They were downcast. They were discouraged. As we know the encounter with Christ changed everything. The two men who had dark night in their soul even when they were walking in the bright daylight as they were walking away from Jerusalem, returned to the city even after the nightfall as there was now brightness in their soul. They explained it in these words: “Hearts were burning within us when He explained the Scriptures to us and broke the bread.” Jesus set them on fire. He cast the fire which he spoke about in the Gospel we have heard at this Mass.
There is a saying: “Many people start strong but only few finish strong.” When novelty wears out, when we don’t see the results we dreamed about, we can get discouraged and downcast. However it doesn’t need to drag us down to the abyss. Our Lord approaches us with his fire to set us on fire. The two men on the way to Emmaus said that the fire started in them from listening to Jesus’ words and receiving Holy Bread from him. There is no doubt that it means Eucharist. Not everybody can enjoy the vision Isaiah had, but we all can
approach the Holy God he saw. This time however we aren’t simply touched by
burning coals started from the altar of the Most High, but we are given to consume the Holy God in his Body and Blood. The first miracle we experience is that we aren’t burnt down from receiving this fire from heaven, on the other hand we become like the burning bush Moses saw. The bush that was burning but wasn’t burnt. It was the sign of God’s presence. The same God’s presence fills us with fire that purifies us of what is unclean but it also sustains us on our path of faith. We don’t need to worry about running out of fuel. This fire has its source in God who is inexhaustible.           
Last year I assisted a parishioner in his last journey. A man of deep faith and love of God. When I was celebrating a Mass in his room in the hospital I gave him Jesus’ Body, then his son seeing him struggling to swallow the host asked: “Dad, do you want some water?” The man answered: “I don’t want water! I want Jesus’ Blood!” The man knew that if he was to finish strong he needed fire from heaven. Once again witnessing his passing I saw Jesus fulfilling his promise from today’s Gospel about casting fire. Christ did cast fire in the dying man that evening and he can do this when we lose heart in various situations we experience in our life.

After big services at the parish cemetery it was the time to gather in out parish church to celebrate the main feast of our community: The Assumption of Mary. Although these days the parish is relatively small but her history is rich. It was established in 1325 and over the centuries the parish established lots of baby communities that grew and matured. What surprises me is that over 700 years there have been only 27 parish priests serving in the community. It means that an average priest worked for 20 years here. Anyway it was great to join the locals for the festivities. I find it moving that after so many years of being away from the community they still treat me as one of them. Especially when I look at the main altar with the image of the Assumption of Mary it brings back all the prayers I did as I was growing up and searching for my future path. In this little church of the little, local community I was prepared to go to the big world. I think they did good to equip me for Australia.

Since I left Poland I have lost my familiarity with local politicians. Now I know where to place the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader but with the others I struggle. That’s why a few days ago I got very excited when listening to an interview with a politician I remembered the party she was from, as I continued following the conversation I learnt that she doesn’t take holidays in August and September as she loves attending local harvest festivities. Even if you didn’t hear the interview you can easily guess that the reason she loves those celebrations is tasty food, plenty of beer and generally good fun.           
Dear Friends in Christ!  In our Polish tradition this Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is also the beginning of harvest festivities. Today we are coming to our churches carrying the first herbs, grains, fruits, vegetables etc, of this year. After the Mass most of us will continue celebrating at BBQs and with good lunches. So, what does it mean for us Catholics? Do we simply copy what the unbelievers do? Our celebration has its origin in the Book of Deuteronomy where we read: “You shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God.” That’s why Jews pray after meal not before, as they follow this precept. When your tummy is full and when you feel content you are to bless the Lord, your God. This simple sentence also reveals the tendency of our nature. When we face lack of something, when things fall apart in our life, when there is a disaster we turn to God straight away, but when things go smoothly God is out of the picture. Somebody wisely made the following observation: “In the plain falling down there is no atheist. Everybody turns to God and begs for help.” That’s why as we go on reading the Deuteronomy we find this passage: “Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God. Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors.”
This celebration of our Lady in green is like the reminder from the Holy Scriptures we have just read, remember who makes all that possible- it is YOUR GOD.           
In the Holy Land which is very rocky and dry there is a beautiful place called Caesarea Philippi. Travelling north from Jerusalem travelers step into a little paradise. It is green and blessed with cheerful streams. In Caesarea Philippi, there is one of the three springs of the Jordan River that flows through the Holy Land providing the barren land with much needed moisture for vegetation. Because the spring in Caesarea is the most spectacular pagans built there a temple for their god – Pan. In this way they wanted to say: “Look, our god provides the land with the means for growth and abundance.” According to the Gospel Our Blessed Lord asked his disciples at Caesarea Philippi “Who do you say I am?” St Peter answered: “You are the Son of God who was o come to the world.” By his answer Peter said: “Jesus, you are the source of growth and abundance. Not this pagan idol worshipped in the temple here, but you with your Father and the Holy Spirit provides us with the means for survival. This temple here is a mistake, like the mistake was made by the people who attributed to this idol the blessings given to the Holy Land.”           
Dear Friends! This harvest celebration today isn’t simply limited to herbs, grains, fruits and vegetables. Today we are celebrating the most beautiful fruit of our earth, a beautiful person, more precisely a beautiful, holy woman: the Blessed Virgin Mary. Today we celebrate the harvest of her life when she was taken into heaven with her body and soul as the fully ripe fruit of the planet.  Today we look into heaven but Mary tells us as she did that day when she visited Elizabeth admired Mary’s beauty and holiness: “Do you think that I have achieved that on my own? Do you think that I have made myself beautiful and holy by myself? I am like the moon. The moon doesn’t shines. It only reflects the light of the sun. Without the Sun the moon would disappear in the darkness of the universe. Without God, without his light and holiness I would disappear in the darkness of sin. God has done great things for me. Holy is his name and his mercy from age to age.”
Our Lady tells us today: “If you want to be good, just, noble, and holy, remember that all these qualities come from God. If you see good qualities in you, bless your God. Don’t say: “I did it myself.”
My dear Friends!
While in the Holy Land I thought about a present I could bring you. Of course I remembered you in my prayers as I was visiting the places associated with Jesus but I knew that we all like presents. However I also knew that if I brought you all even a little thing I would need to charter an extra flight. When I was in the Caesarea Philippi, when I was praying at the spring when the water gushes forth to form later the Jordan River it hit me that I could take some of the water from there. I did it. I filled my bottle from the spring and when I returned to Jerusalem I took the water to the Tomb where Jesus was placed on Good Friday and from where He rose on Easter Sunday. There in his Tomb I blessed the water.
At the end of the Mass I will bless the plant arrangements you have brought to our church, and you as well. I want to ask you: When I walk by blessing you with the water from the Jordan look at the first fruits of our fields and say quietly like St Peter: “Lord it comes from you. You provide us with this good harvest.”
Then, think about your good qualities, that you are kind, forgiving, caring, reliable, hardworking, religious, etc and say again quietly in your heart what Mary tells us: “All these good qualities of me come from you too. My Lord, without you I wouldn’t be able to produce them. Thank you for giving me these good qualities of my being.”