“A sign that they will oppose.” This is how the retreat provided for Paul VI was called by John Paul II, before becoming Pope. That was more than thirty years earlier. And, as if he was writing about the here and now. “Do not the times in which we live confirm in a special way the truth contained in the words of Simeon? – he asked. – Isn’t Jesus today a light for the enlightenment of people, and at the same time a sign that they oppose? He spoke of opposition to Christ, which often goes hand in hand with references to Christ. That it is a symptom of the times in which we live. It was the year 1976. And, he already saw that “unlike in the old days, rejecting God or religion or distracting from them is no longer something unusual and unique.” “Today – he said – it is often presented as something that is needed for scientific progress or some new humanism” I think that is why he drew our attention to Jesus in the manger in all possible ways to show us this sign, which many oppose today – says the Archbishop. – And to provoke us in this wonderful festive atmosphere to pay him a serious bow. Not for a moment, but for good. Every day. So that we understand what it is all about. And, that this emotion at the nativity scene may be followed by the thought of God who loves and forgives every humiliation. So that the crack of a broken wafer would wake us up from the pre-Christmas lethargy. So that the Christmas Carol “God is born” would mean as much as it really means. So that Jesus would not have to wander around the stables. So that He will know that He has a guaranteed roof over His head. That whenever He knocks, someone will open the door to Him.
With the consent of Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki – “Place for everyone”
Znak Publishing House, Kraków 2013.
