365 Chances
A year has exactly 365 days. And although no matter how hard we try, we are not able to remember each of them perfectly. It is obvious that every day we deal with new challenges, joys, sorrows, and duties, of which there are so many that you could write books about them. But have you ever wondered what it means that every day of this year is a gift from God? Perhaps it sometimes seems to us that God is present only in exceptional moments: in church or during great events. But what about those everyday moments that seem ordinary and boring: at school, among duties, in conversations with friends? Is God really present in such moments? Only one answer comes to mind: YES. After all, it is precisely these moments that make up the time of those 365 days. Every day of the year, 365 days, means 365 chances to experience God's presence in our lives.
Let us start with everyday matters. You get up in the morning, switch off the alarm with a tired hand, get yourself ready for school, sit through lessons, come back, eat dinner, prepare for the next day, supper, shower, and sleep. BEHOLD THE PROSE OF LIFE. And can it be made as deep as poetry? All you need to do is invite God into it! "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him sincerely." God is not distant; He is not somewhere in heaven, looking down on our lives from above. He wants to be part of our everyday life: at work, in study, in conversations, even in the emotions we experience. In everything. Perhaps you sometimes have the impression that God is close only when we are in church, but that is not true! Jesus promised that He would be with us "always, until the end of the world". He did not say He would be with us only in exceptional moments, but every day: in our ordinary life.
Most of you surely spend a lot of time at school, studying, preparing for various tests, or at other activities, of which there are more than enough these days, and we forget that we are not machines… After all, it is "normal" that every young person must be able to play the piano, know 5 foreign languages, and practise some sport (I am joking, of course). But it is no joke that God is also present in all these duties. God is interested in our small, everyday matters. Our study, our efforts, our commitment: this too is a form of service. In the Bible we read: "Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord and not for men." So when you are studying for yet another maths test, when you are creating yet another "fascinating" project "on the life and functioning of tardigrades" (for clarification: those tiny creatures that can withstand temperatures of absolute zero), when you are working on an assignment or doing anything else, REMEMBER: you can do it in God's name. God does not want us to treat the spiritual life as something separate from the rest of our lives. What we do every day matters, both spiritually and in real terms. We do not have to separate the spiritual sphere from everyday duties: everything we do can be offered to God. Even that failing grade in physics. You ask how? Because it can teach us humility, teach us that I too can have a weaker day, teach us not to give up.
Everyday life is also, and perhaps above all, people. When we look at our daily life, it is hard to imagine it without the participation of others. Very often we meet with others, whether friends or acquaintances, at school, during breaks. More than once this involves conflicts and misunderstandings; sometimes we struggle with problems in our relationships with family or friends. How familiar these phrases sound: "They don't understand me…"; "Everyone wants something from me…"; "Why does nobody notice me…". And the way we play out these inner questions will decide who people see in us. How we behave towards others says a great deal about our faith. Jesus said: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Love, respect, forgiveness: these are the elements of life through which you show that God is at work in your life. Even in difficult relationships, in moments when we do not feel like being kind, God wants us to look at the other person through His eyes. Such small gestures: help, a smile, kindness. That is God working through us in the world. Which reminds me of a story:
STORY I:
Adaś and Krzyś had been friends for many years. They spent every free moment together, built forts, and played knights with sticks. A great deal united them, and they knew how to share everything: both the sad and the joyful moments. One day a quarrel broke out between them. The words that were spoken were sharp. Each of them had the impression that it was the other who had started it, and for several days they did not speak to each other. They held resentment in their hearts. One afternoon Adam was walking through the woods and thinking about how he missed playing with Krzysiek. Then he remembered his mother's words: "It is not worth holding a grudge, because love in relationships is stronger than pride." He decided he would take the first step. He called Krzysiek and apologised for what had happened. His friend answered: "I'm sorry too." A small gesture, simply the words "I'm sorry"; over a lifetime, we manage to say them countless times. Words that are an example of how the Bible opens up not only through the Word, but through everyday life.
But why do we keep talking about this everyday life? Did you know that in the Church we sometimes celebrate a Jubilee Year? It is quite an interesting period, in which we remind ourselves of God's mercy and of how God calls us to renewal: a kind of year-long retreat. This time is like an invitation to look at your life anew: to see where we need change, where we can grow in faith, and where perhaps something is worth repairing. And maybe you are thinking: "What Jubilee? My everyday life is school, duties, and the same old problems." But that is exactly where the secret of the Jubilee Year lies… It is not about doing great things, but about small steps. Can you forgive someone today, just as debts were forgiven in the Jubilee? Can you help someone today, someone in need, even through a simple gesture of kindness?
In the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus says: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me and sent Me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and sight to the blind." These are the words the Church recalls when celebrating a Jubilee Year. And now think! You too are sent! Perhaps at school someone needs your help. Perhaps at home your patience is needed. Perhaps you yourself need to forgive yourself some failure. The Jubilee Year is a reminder that God gives us a second chance. Life is NOW. Not tomorrow, and not yesterday. It is today that is given to us. Or rather, entrusted to us as a task.
STORY II:
One evening a girl sat in her room trying to write an essay on "the invisible miracles of everyday life". She had no idea how to go about it. Frustrated, she looked outside: the streetlights shone on the empty street, and a few steps away appeared the silhouette of her neighbour, Mr Wojtek, who takes his dog out every day at the same time. She remembered how she had once accidentally overheard her parents talking about how Mr Wojtek had lost his wife a few years earlier, and how those walks with the dog had somehow given him the will to live again. She looked again; Mr Wojtek always stopped under the tree that grew by the playground. The girl thought: perhaps he used to spend time there with his wife? Or perhaps it is simply his moment for remembering her? She did not know the answer, but she understood that an ordinary walk can hide something more. The next day she handed in her essay, and in it she wrote: The miracle of everyday life can be someone's walk beneath a tree. Perhaps it is only a walk, or perhaps for someone it is a whole universe of memories carried in the heart.
Well, exactly… that universe is given to us. The Jubilee is a gift, but also a task. Jesus invites us to live life to the full: not only on feast days, but every day. After all, this is a time for us in which ordinary days are transformed into holy moments. In every ordinary day, an extraordinary mystery lies hidden; it is enough to open your heart… 365 days, 365 chances to discover God in everyday life!
Fr Adam Płonka
Let us start with everyday matters. You get up in the morning, switch off the alarm with a tired hand, get yourself ready for school, sit through lessons, come back, eat dinner, prepare for the next day, supper, shower, and sleep. BEHOLD THE PROSE OF LIFE. And can it be made as deep as poetry? All you need to do is invite God into it! "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him sincerely." God is not distant; He is not somewhere in heaven, looking down on our lives from above. He wants to be part of our everyday life: at work, in study, in conversations, even in the emotions we experience. In everything. Perhaps you sometimes have the impression that God is close only when we are in church, but that is not true! Jesus promised that He would be with us "always, until the end of the world". He did not say He would be with us only in exceptional moments, but every day: in our ordinary life.
Most of you surely spend a lot of time at school, studying, preparing for various tests, or at other activities, of which there are more than enough these days, and we forget that we are not machines… After all, it is "normal" that every young person must be able to play the piano, know 5 foreign languages, and practise some sport (I am joking, of course). But it is no joke that God is also present in all these duties. God is interested in our small, everyday matters. Our study, our efforts, our commitment: this too is a form of service. In the Bible we read: "Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord and not for men." So when you are studying for yet another maths test, when you are creating yet another "fascinating" project "on the life and functioning of tardigrades" (for clarification: those tiny creatures that can withstand temperatures of absolute zero), when you are working on an assignment or doing anything else, REMEMBER: you can do it in God's name. God does not want us to treat the spiritual life as something separate from the rest of our lives. What we do every day matters, both spiritually and in real terms. We do not have to separate the spiritual sphere from everyday duties: everything we do can be offered to God. Even that failing grade in physics. You ask how? Because it can teach us humility, teach us that I too can have a weaker day, teach us not to give up.
Everyday life is also, and perhaps above all, people. When we look at our daily life, it is hard to imagine it without the participation of others. Very often we meet with others, whether friends or acquaintances, at school, during breaks. More than once this involves conflicts and misunderstandings; sometimes we struggle with problems in our relationships with family or friends. How familiar these phrases sound: "They don't understand me…"; "Everyone wants something from me…"; "Why does nobody notice me…". And the way we play out these inner questions will decide who people see in us. How we behave towards others says a great deal about our faith. Jesus said: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Love, respect, forgiveness: these are the elements of life through which you show that God is at work in your life. Even in difficult relationships, in moments when we do not feel like being kind, God wants us to look at the other person through His eyes. Such small gestures: help, a smile, kindness. That is God working through us in the world. Which reminds me of a story:
STORY I:
Adaś and Krzyś had been friends for many years. They spent every free moment together, built forts, and played knights with sticks. A great deal united them, and they knew how to share everything: both the sad and the joyful moments. One day a quarrel broke out between them. The words that were spoken were sharp. Each of them had the impression that it was the other who had started it, and for several days they did not speak to each other. They held resentment in their hearts. One afternoon Adam was walking through the woods and thinking about how he missed playing with Krzysiek. Then he remembered his mother's words: "It is not worth holding a grudge, because love in relationships is stronger than pride." He decided he would take the first step. He called Krzysiek and apologised for what had happened. His friend answered: "I'm sorry too." A small gesture, simply the words "I'm sorry"; over a lifetime, we manage to say them countless times. Words that are an example of how the Bible opens up not only through the Word, but through everyday life.
But why do we keep talking about this everyday life? Did you know that in the Church we sometimes celebrate a Jubilee Year? It is quite an interesting period, in which we remind ourselves of God's mercy and of how God calls us to renewal: a kind of year-long retreat. This time is like an invitation to look at your life anew: to see where we need change, where we can grow in faith, and where perhaps something is worth repairing. And maybe you are thinking: "What Jubilee? My everyday life is school, duties, and the same old problems." But that is exactly where the secret of the Jubilee Year lies… It is not about doing great things, but about small steps. Can you forgive someone today, just as debts were forgiven in the Jubilee? Can you help someone today, someone in need, even through a simple gesture of kindness?
In the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus says: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me and sent Me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, and sight to the blind." These are the words the Church recalls when celebrating a Jubilee Year. And now think! You too are sent! Perhaps at school someone needs your help. Perhaps at home your patience is needed. Perhaps you yourself need to forgive yourself some failure. The Jubilee Year is a reminder that God gives us a second chance. Life is NOW. Not tomorrow, and not yesterday. It is today that is given to us. Or rather, entrusted to us as a task.
STORY II:
One evening a girl sat in her room trying to write an essay on "the invisible miracles of everyday life". She had no idea how to go about it. Frustrated, she looked outside: the streetlights shone on the empty street, and a few steps away appeared the silhouette of her neighbour, Mr Wojtek, who takes his dog out every day at the same time. She remembered how she had once accidentally overheard her parents talking about how Mr Wojtek had lost his wife a few years earlier, and how those walks with the dog had somehow given him the will to live again. She looked again; Mr Wojtek always stopped under the tree that grew by the playground. The girl thought: perhaps he used to spend time there with his wife? Or perhaps it is simply his moment for remembering her? She did not know the answer, but she understood that an ordinary walk can hide something more. The next day she handed in her essay, and in it she wrote: The miracle of everyday life can be someone's walk beneath a tree. Perhaps it is only a walk, or perhaps for someone it is a whole universe of memories carried in the heart.
Well, exactly… that universe is given to us. The Jubilee is a gift, but also a task. Jesus invites us to live life to the full: not only on feast days, but every day. After all, this is a time for us in which ordinary days are transformed into holy moments. In every ordinary day, an extraordinary mystery lies hidden; it is enough to open your heart… 365 days, 365 chances to discover God in everyday life!
Fr Adam Płonka
