In God’s Hands: The Spiritual Diaries of Pope St John Paul II

1. The mystery of justification evokes the awareness of the human creature’s unjustness to God–Creator. This awareness grows bigger and brings out the need of restitution: to make amends to Christ – Him, who has atoned for us all and ‘justifies’ all.

2. Furthermore: justice has followed from justification, which points to the primacy of grace, as it puts us in the position of justice before God: it is this justice that the Lord God wants from us and that He wants in us.

3. The primacy of grace in being – and as a consequence the primacy of grace in action. In the past year it became very clear to me in a well-known context. It undoubtedly means reliance on God. Example: St Peter on the lake – if I look at the man, I am overwhelmed by pessimism; when I look at Christ, trust returns. However, this trust and reliance cannot be presumptuous. Even here some measure of justice should be considered.

4. Justice in relation to one’s position. A bishop bears a particular responsibility for the Church – and this responsibility should be contained in his justification and justice before the Highest and Only Shepherd of souls. One needs both generosity and humility, in fact, a supernatural courage, not only a ‘drive for importance’.

The Way of the Cross: Station XII: the courageous is the one who is ready for the cross!

Vespers

Adoration: Lord Jesus gathered His apostles in the Upper Room and instituted the Eucharist in front of them. He took with Him perfectly ordinary people.

Rosary

Meditation: Problem of ‘successio’ [‘succession’] – separately. The grace of humiliation. Other concerns: priests, family (W. and others), earlier ones.

Matins; Conversation with Br Michael – v. helpful; Compline

Holy Hour: Our justification follows in a way from our very injustice, because the Lord Jesus accomplished it through His death, which He suffered most unjustly. Justification was then decided solely through the Redeemer’s inner act, the act of love and atoning and justifying sacrifice.

23 August

The Way of the Cross; Lauds; Holy Mass with a homily; Thanksgiving (Rosary); Prime

Meditation: All the thoughts from the retreat somehow come together in this week’s prayer (11 Post Pent. [Eleventh (Sunday) after Pentecost]).

Omnipotens sempiterne Deus,

qui abundantia pietatis Tuae

et merita supplicum excedis et vota –

effunde super nos misericordiam Tuam,

ut dimittas quae conscientia metuit

et adiicias quod oratio non praesumit

Per Dominum …

[Almighty ever-living God,

who in the abundance of Your kindness surpass the merits

and the desires of those who entreat You,

pour out Your mercy upon us

to pardon what conscience dreads

and to give what prayer does not dare to ask.

Through our Lord …]

[5–8] March 1964 (#ulink_5a086213-9493-50d3-b5ee-eb7f4eba3f0e) Before the installation ceremony

5 March

Funeral of Fr Dean J. Śliwa RIP in Wieliczka

Meditation on death: The reality of Christ’s priesthood emerges out of death in a special way: He stands before the Father as the eternal priest, and we stand before the Father with what we share in Christ’s priesthood.

Conversation at the Visitation Sisters’

Conclusion at the Abbey in Tyniec

6 March

Holy Hour; Lauds; Holy Mass; Prime

Meditation: On the relation ‘priest–shepherd’ in Christ the Lord and in each of us.

Reading: ‘Der Bischof als Priester und Hirt seiner Diözese’ [The Bishop as the Priest and Shepherd of His Diocese];

Daniélou: Temple [illegible];

Estreicher: [illegible]; [Zarewicz]: Biskupstwo Krakowskie [The Bishopric of Kraków].

Meditation: On the ways in which my actions are ‘rooted’ in God’s mysteries (preparation for confession).

The Way of the Cross; Adoration; Office

7 March

Holy Mass

Meditation: ‘Domine Deus, in simplicitate cordis mei laetus obtuli universa; et populum tuum, qui repertus est, vidi cum ingenti gaudio: Deus Israel, custodi hanc voluntatem’ [‘Lord God … in the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O Lord, the God of … Israel, keep forever such purposes’].

The Way of the Cross; Meditation: Priest and shepherd; Confession; Vespers

Pilgrimage to the tomb of Bl. Wincenty Kadłubek, Bishop of Kraków

8 March

Installation

31 August – 3 September 1964 (#ulink_571f178d-fc30-5c68-bef4-eb77382817c7) Retreat led by Bishop K[azimierz] J[ózef] Kowalski