John Paul II was inserting a Christmas wafer to each Christmas card. For him this Christmas wafer it was a symbol of solidarity – said Archbishop Mokrzycki. Not only with those who were receiving it, but with all people who did not have a good, peaceful Christmas. With sick, suffering, with victims of war or violence. “Christmas wafer it is a bread of reconciliation – explained the Pope – God comes to a man, God offers us a reconciliation and hence he is being born as, in a way, the first response from the man. Since God unites with us, since Christ is being born in the Bethlehem, then I, a man, need to reconcile with my neighbor.” He loved Polish traditions. Each tradition had a deep meaning for him. This Christmas wafer, Christmas tree, and a Nativity scene brought him joy; but it was not a simple joy, just to be happy. All of it had deep roots in the Christian theology of Christmas. In the meaning of incarnation. The Archbishop explains that when he refers to John Paul II and his joy from Christmas, poor joy of a child, it is all the truth; with the only exception that this joy of a child, had in its roots mature love of an adult. The love to this small Baby Jesus, who is being born. Each human being in whom he was seeing this Baby Jesus. For John Paul II, it was the meaning of Christmas. He depicted this in the following words during one of the Christmas wafer meetings with Poles: “Christmas it is acceptance of a man in all his/her truth, in his/her great dignity and image of God, but also in his/her sinfulness heritage in which God accepts that man. Indeed, this is the meaning of Christmas night. This is the reason why we seek this Bethlehem night, why we take all paths of our hearts, culture, tradition, and our Christmas wafer transforms this tradition into the dimension of interpersonal relations.” Therefore, the Pope was longing to this Bethlehem night. Therefore, there was a lot of Christmas wafer meetings at the Vatican.
With the consent of Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki – “A place for everybody”
‘Znak’ Publishing House, Krakow 2013
