Saint Stanislaus Papczynski — The Life and Writings

The Church wants to take care of the poor, the afflicted, the meek, and of those who hunger and thirst for justice in the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount. That is why the Church evangelizes! It evangelizes ever anew, because the greatest sickness that can strike man is that of putting himself in the place of God, and of organizing his life based on the principle: “I alone know what is good and what is bad for me.” The Church also desires that all of its faithful, the pastors and their communities, would continually experience the grace of conversion, and of welcoming the Gospel as the vital princi- ple of their conduct. The perspective of evangelization is as follows: to announce Jesus Christ to other people, but above all, to cooperate with the unfolding of God’s plans, so that what God Himself has intended would be fulfilled in us and in those to whom we proclaim the Gospel. Seek First the Reign of God (Mt 6:33) in the Teachings of Blessed Stanislaus Papczynski It seems that today, we should not only be roused by grati- tude in our hearts to God for His promises, but also to thank Him because His signs confirm that truly, one can be blessed, that is, experiencing happiness springing from the power of His Word, and from the nourishment that He gives us, and from responding to God’s call to announce the Gospel. This evening, we look at Fr. Stanislaus Papczynski, who, on September 16 of this year, according to the will of Benedict XVI, was proclaimed Blessed at the Marian Shrine in Licheń (Poland). We turn back in our minds to the 17 th century, re- membering, however, that the reputation for sanctity of Blessed Stanislaus has perdured until our day in the Congre- gation of Marian Fathers which he founded, in associations, in parishes connected with this Institute of the Consecrated Life, and among many faithful. S AINT S TANISLAUS P APCZYNSKI 160