Lest You Remain

Fathers. My companion (…) fled, and I, falling to my knees, stuck out my neck for the blow. However, by the decree of Divine Providence, I did not sustain any wounds although I was struck three times with great force. Afterwards, I felt great pains for an hour and a half because of that” ( Second Testament ). We may note that Stanislaus, still a novice, was ready to die not only of an illness, if it should happen, but also for the sake of a greater good, which was, in his opinion, the mar- tyrdom for the Catholic faith. Without a doubt, those two incidents made him aware of the imminence of death as well as of the unpredictability of its coming. “Not only can no one avoid dying, but also no one can prolong his life in a natural way even for the shortest moment […] thus everyone no matter who, should beware of this that any moment could bring the end of his life ” ( Inspectio cordis ). This view was proven tossed up against reality. In 17 th —century Poland death reaped an abundant harvest because of numerous wars, widespread epidemics, and the poverty of people, often starving and lacking medical care. Many died ill-prepared to meet God. Death was a repre- sentative sign of the times, which Fr. Papczy<ski saw as an invitation to act. A particular place within his heart and teachings reached brothers and sisters suffering in Purgatory—the poorest of the poor—for who nothing remains but to count on Divine Mercy, and who of themselves can do nothing to improve their lot. Father Papczy<ski received a charism of an extraordinary love for these persons. His natural sensitivity of heart and faith strengthened the mystical experiences given by God as a grace of discerning and understanding the suffering in Purgatory. It could be said that the Heavenly Father Himself pleaded for help for His sons and daughters. Much like in case of the “vision of the Order of the Immaculate Conception”, Fr. Stanislaus had been inwardly prompted to support the faithful departed. Father Stanislaus’s three mystical experiences of the sufferings in Purgatory have been well documented. First, in 1675 when he was in the Ukraine as the army chaplain during the war against the Turks—he received a vision of deceased sol- diers asking for his intercession before the Lord. Upon his return to the Korabiew Forest he called his companions to pray, make acts of contrition, and perform works of mercy for the intention of the deceased, especially victims of war. The next inci- dent took place at the Karski’s courtyard, after he had already initiated the commu- nal life in the Korabiew community. Fr. Papczy<ski had a vision of Purgatory dur- ing the meal that followed the Holy Mass. In the presence of many people, he fell into ecstasy (eyewitnesses corroborated this during the Informative Process), after which, deeply shaken, he immediately returned to the monastery. He said to his confreres, surprised by his unexpected return: “I beg you, brothers, pray for the souls in Purgatory, because they suffer unbearable tortures.” After this he remained for several days in his cell, fervently praying and fasting for the deceased. Finally, L EST Y OU R EMAIN W ITHOUT W ORK IN THE V INEYARD OF THE L ORD 84