Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko
One
Life in Poland under Communism
Satan's goal is to destroy the Fatherhood of God in the world, to remove God from society. The entire Communist system was built on a lie designed to rid the world of God: God does not exist. There is no higher authority than the State. Material reality is all that exists. By denying God and the right to practice religion, the Soviets sought to control not only the political, economic, and social spheres, but even the conscience of the human person.
When Poland fell under Soviet control, the people were stripped of almost all the freedoms we take for granted. Most especially, they were denied religious freedom. The Communist government saw the Catholic Church as its greatest threat because of its influence and its opposition to atheistic ideology. Churches were closed, clergy were persecuted, and religious activity was severely restricted. Practicing your faith often resulted in discrimination in education and employment. Religious leaders and faithful Catholics lived under constant surveillance and harassment. Cardinal Wyszyński was arrested and held in solitary confinement for three years simply because he was the head of the Church in Poland.
Freedom of conscience was also suppressed. Anyone who openly expressed religious, moral, or political dissent faced imprisonment, exile, or worse. Constant surveillance and a culture of informing created an atmosphere of fear and distrust that fractured communities—and even families.
The State controlled everything. The government owned virtually everything and controlled production and prices. The result was chronic shortages, unbearable inflation, and endless waiting for even the most basic goods and services. By August 1980, the Polish people had had enough. Workers across the country went on strike, demanding that their God-given dignity and fundamental freedoms be recognized.
Two
Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko
When the steelworkers began to strike in Warsaw in August of 1980, Cardinal Wyzsinki sent Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko to celebrate Mass for them in the steel mill, and he became their spiritual leader. Every month, he had a special Mass for the freedom of Poland, celebrated from the balcony in front of the church, attended by half of Warsaw. In his homilies, Fr. Jerzy confronted the “Lie” of Communism and urged the people to “wake up!” saying, “Our slavery comes from our knuckling under to the reign of the Lie. We do not unmask that Lie, and by doing nothing about it, by our silence, we encourage it!”
“Have no fear of those who kill the body; they can do nothing else. Remember that the Christian should be afraid only of betraying Christ for a bit of tranquility.”
The men who proclaim the truth do not need to be numerous. Christ surrounded himself with a small number of individuals. Falsehood is what requires a lot of people, because it always needs to be renewed and fed. Our duty as Christians is to abide in the truth, even if it costs dearly. The Communists had to do something to stop him. But harassment, arrests, and interrogations could not make him resign. So, the Communists decided he had to die. Pope John Paul sent him a Rosary with the message, “Be strong!”
Three
Martyrdom
On October 19th, 1984, as Father Popieluszko was returning from celebrating Mass at another parish, he and his driver were abducted by the Secret Police. They forced the priest out of his car, beat him, and threw him into their trunk. Then they drove to a dam on the Vistula River, bound him hand and foot, tied weights to his body, and threw him into the river to drown. When his body was found, his funeral was attended by a million people.
Finally, on December 31st, 1989, Poland was granted its religious and national freedom. Fr. Jerzy gave his life defending those freedoms. And on June 6th, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Father Jerzy.
Four
Materialism and Sloth
Satan used Communism in Poland to make people forget about God. Satan uses materialism in the West to make us forget about God. Materialism doesn’t mean having stuff. Materialism is the lie that self-worth is based on achievements, which are measured by money, that happiness comes from pleasure through entertainment. This causes us to be so busy and distracted that we forget about God. That is the deadly sin of sloth.
Sloth is the vice, the deadly habit of stuffing ourselves with busyness and entertainment, stuffing ourselves with so much junk that we are no longer hungry for God. When you are not hungry for God, then you make the choice not to think of God. You choose not to pray or go to Mass or anything. That choice is despair
The feeling of despair is the feeling of discouragement. The sin of despair is the choice not to do anything that leads to God. So, sloth kills the hunger for God that leads to the choice not to seek Him. That is the sin of despair. The West is in despair.
Five
Hope
The remedy to the sin of despair is hope. Hope is the virtue by which we hunger for God. Hope is the hunger for God that makes us seek Him, every day in meditation, in the Eucharist, in Reconciliation, in learning our faith, and in discussing it with spiritual friends. If you eat junk food all day long, you won't be hungry for the food that can truly nourish your body.
Likewise, if we feed our souls with junk, we won't be hungry for God. If you want to hunger for real food, you've got to cut out the junk. And if you want to hunger for God, you've got to cut out the junk that fills your soul. We must cut back on our addiction to the news, entertainment, YouTube, social media, and even too many podcasts. The only way we will truly hunger for God is if we first remove the junk that keeps our souls constantly busy and distracted. As your resolution, ask the Holy Spirit: What is He inspiring you to remove so that you will hunger and thirst for God?
Where are you too busy? Where are you wasting time in distraction? What are you going to cut out so that you have more time for friendship with God and friendship with others?