Father Casimir Wyszynski

equately presented as a man of God worthy of imitation and praise, as aman of prayer and contemplation, loving God, people and the Eucharistic Christ? Could the source documents perhaps contain something more than has already been drawn from them? Could they hold a message for us today, still suitable for contemporary needs and temperament? Seeing no need for repeating well-known facts and dates, let us re-examine the source documents and try to look at Father Casimir from the point of view of his God-given graces and gifts, including his most important natural talents. Let him say after the Psalmist: “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for me” (Ps 66:16). This boy, who was baptized Januarius Francis, while still a child of tender years displayed great sensitivity. There was no need towait until hewould growup and acquire the age of reason for this quality to develop. During the war against Sweden, the enemy regiment came to stay overnight in Jeziora Wielka. What a fright that must have created in the townspeople. Even worse, the Swedish King entered the room inwhich little Francis, not yet two-years old, was staying. As his brother Michael Wyszyński later wrote: “Apparently, the child sensed at once an enemy of the holy Catholic Faith and of the Immaculately Conceived Virgin Mary,” because he began to cry in protest. For this reason, upon the king’s order, the little toddler in his cradle was dispatched to the courtyard—outside, alone? 274 Although no one would attrib- ute to a two-year-old any theological expertise, yet the child could undoubtedly sense hostility. The foreign speech of the man, his arrogance and apparent anger, so very different from the loving voice and gentle behavior of his mother or nanny, shocked and frightened the small child. Shortly afterwards, the entire family had to leave their home and wander around the country home- less, whichmost certainly left an imprint on the youngster’smind and deeply affected his psyche. 275 In the light of modern-day psy- chology and pedagogy, which speak of the importance of the early 274 M. Wyszyński, Chcę naprawić…, 21. 275 Ibid. 184 W ACŁAW M AKOŚ , MIC