Father Wenanty's Spiritual Diary

“Especially in difficulties we must pray long and perseveringly; then we shall be comforted, or even more - we shall receive the grace to endure suffering and to offer it as a sacrifice. For this purpose, we should often lift our thoughts to God through short, fervent aspirations.” - Father Wenanty Katarzyniec The most difficult moments of life often bring the temptation to discouragement. When suffering lingers and prayer seems unanswered, it becomes easy to stop calling out. Yet Father Wenanty reminds us that it is precisely in times of difficulty that prayer must become longer and more persevering . Not because God does not hear us - but because prayer transforms our hearts. Sometimes God grants consolation. Sometimes He brings relief. But at times He gives something even greater - the grace to endure suffering , the strength to offer it, peace in the midst of the storm. Prayer does not always remove the cross. Often, it teaches us how to carry it. Father Wenanty encourages simplicity: short aspirations, small whispered prayers, frequent lifting of the heart to God throughout the day. Even one sincere sentence can become light in the darkness. Perseverance in prayer is a sign of trust. And trust opens the soul to grace. Reflection for today: How do I react when prayer does not immediately bring comfort? Am I able to ask God not only for relief, but for strength to endure? What short aspiration can I repeat today to keep my heart lifted to God?

“None of us would refuse to help the Lord Jesus if we saw Him sick and suffering. Let us not refuse this help to our sick neighbors, for in them we comfort and care for Christ Himself.” - Father Wenanty Katarzyniec These words of Father Wenanty place before us a question that is very simple - and yet deeply demanding: am I able to see Christ in the suffering person? It is easy to say that we love Jesus. It is easy to be moved by His Passion, by the image of His wounds. But Father Wenanty reminds us that Christ did not remain in the past. He is present today - in the sick, the weak, the weary, and the abandoned. When we bend over a suffering person, when we offer a drink of water, when we touch a hand, when we listen, when we are simply present - it is Him whom we touch. Love for God is always tested in love for one’s neighbor. Not in grand declarations, but in tenderness, patience, and presence. Sometimes very little is enough - and for someone who is ill, it can mean more than a thousand words. Father Wenanty teaches us that serving the sick is not an addition to faith. It is its very heart. For where merciful love is present, there Christ is always present as well. Reflection for today: Am I able to recognize Christ in the weak and sick people around me? How do I respond to the suffering of others - with fear, indifference, or compassion? What small act of help can I offer today to someone who needs it?

“Therefore, all our actions must have their beginning in a heart full of love for God; hence we often cry out - and should cry out: everything for the greater glory of God.” - Father Wenanty Katarzyniec Father Wenanty reminds us of a truth that brings order to the entire spiritual life: it is not enough to do good - it must flow from love for God. Every action has its source. If that source is a heart filled with love for God, then even the simplest tasks of everyday life take on a meaning that reaches into eternity. This is not about great works or extraordinary moments. It is about the intention of the heart . About for Whom we rise each morning, for Whom we work, for Whom we endure difficulties and limitations, for Whom we make small, unseen decisions. “Everything for the greater glory of God” is not just a motto. It is an invitation to let our entire life - just as it is - become a prayer. When the heart is turned toward God, no action is insignificant. Every gesture of love, patience, honesty, and faithfulness can become an answer to His love. Father Wenanty teaches us that holiness is born in the heart , and only then revealed in actions. That is why even what is small can become great - when it is offered to God. Reflection for today: From what intention do my daily actions flow — love for God or mere habit? Do I remember that even the simplest duties can be offered “for the greater glory of God”? What can I do today consciously for God , and not only for myself?

“Whoever loves God does not only keep God’s commandments - he strives to do more than what he is obliged to do - he is zealous and full of fervor for the glory of God - he prays even more, practices devotion - he encourages others to love God.” - Father Wenanty Katarzyniec Loving God is not merely “doing one’s duty.” It is not something we do out of obligation, tradition, or fear. Father Wenanty shows us that true love always goes beyond the minimum. When we love, we do not ask: “How much do I have to do?” But rather: “What more can I do?” That is why a person who loves God: does not stop at what is necessary, seeks depth in prayer, is ready for effort, sacrifice, and self-denial, desires that God be glorified, not forgotten. This zeal is not fanaticism. It is the fire of the heart - born from gratitude. For if God loves us first, our response cannot be cold indifference. True love for God does not remain private. It begins to shine outward. That is why Father Wenanty says: a person who loves God encourages others to love Him - not by shouting, not by forcing, but through the example of life: through peace, honesty, and light in everyday life. Reflection for today: Is my faith only “doing the minimum,” or is it a living relationship of love? What can I do today to give more to God - in prayer, in my heart, in my attitude? Does my life encourage others to turn to God, or does it leave Him unseen?

Whoever listens to God’s will and fulfills it deserves eternal happiness in heaven. He experiences great satisfaction and peace of conscience. But whoever follows his own will earns eternal condemnation, and even in this life suffers from remorse and various temporal punishments." - Father Wenanty Katarzyniec Father Wenanty’s words are simple, yet incredibly demanding. They strike at the very heart of our daily life: Whom do I allow to lead my life - God or myself? A person who seeks and fulfills God’s will may not have an easier life, but he possesses something far greater: peace of conscience. It is a peace the world cannot give, because it is born from obedience to the One who knows our paths better than we do. On the other hand, living according to one’s own preferences, without asking God for direction, brings immediate consequences to the heart: restlessness, chaos, running away from the truth about oneself, and in time - inner wounds. This is not punishment from outside. It is the consequence of a heart distancing itself from its Source. God’s will is not a limitation. It is the most beautiful form of freedom, because it leads to a goal untouched by time: eternal happiness . Father Wenanty reminds us that this choice is not abstract - it happens every day: in words, decisions, relationships, duties, thoughts, desires. Every moment can be a step toward heaven or a step away from it. Reflection for today: Do I ask God for His will each day — or do I choose only what is convenient for me? Do the decisions I make bring peace to my heart, or do they create unrest? In which area of my life do I need to return to obedience to God today?

“There is no denying that our earthly life is accompanied by so many misfortunes, so painful, so bitter and difficult to bear. To endure them bravely and not fall under their weight, we need some comfort that will make these sufferings less bitter and less burdensome. Where will we find this comfort? In the goods of this world? But they do not protect us from all misfortunes. Do the rich and the millionaires not fall ill? Can money buy their way out of disaster? Certainly not. But there is one thing that surely brings relief in suffering: the thought of that blessed place from which, as Scripture says, every pain, sorrow and fear will flee.” Father Wenanty Katarzyniec Every one of us carries within the experience of pain, illness, loss, and hardship. Life on earth has never been and never will be free from suffering. Father Wenanty speaks about this openly: you cannot pass through life without wounds. But he does not leave us in sadness. He asks about the source of consolation - and exposes the illusions: money will not protect from suffering, wealth will not save from death, comfort will not fill the emptiness. There is no earthly power that can stop every misfortune. Yet Christianity offers an answer - the hope of heaven is a consolation that does not fail. Scripture says: “And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (Revelation 21:4) This is not an escape from reality. It is the truth that allows us to endure it. When a person knows that his story does not end here, that beyond suffering there is Love, even burdens become lighter. It is this very perspective of heaven that gives strength to endure trials courageously. It is what keeps us from falling. Reflection for today: Where do I seek comfort today: in God, or in what passes away? How do I respond to difficulty in my life - with hope or with escape? Do I remember that heaven is a promise of unending joy?

“How much higher are we than flowers and so many plants that blossom and bloom for only one summer, and then frost and winter destroy them forever. Can man be placed on the same level as animals, of which after some decades not even a trace remains, and the earth, the sun, and the stars, although they existed for millions of years before us, yet one day their existence will end, whereas people by God’s eternal decree will never perish, their souls will never cease to live.” Father Wenanty Katarzyniec In a world that speaks so much about passing away, Father Wenanty reminds us of something completely different: there is something immortal in the human being. Everything we see around us, even what seems everlasting - the sun, the stars, the immensity of the universe - has its end. Nature blossoms and dies. Creation has a beginning and an end. But God breathed into man something that no flower, no creature, no earthly thing possesses: an immortal soul. The Catechism teaches: “The human soul is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body.” (CCC 366) This means that human life is something infinitely greater than earthly time. What is ultimate does not happen here - but beyond . Father Wenanty looks at the world the way Christ looked at it: everything we see today will one day pass. But man was not created for one season like a flower, nor for one cycle like a planet. God created us to live forever . This is not a reason for pride but for responsibility - for if the soul is eternal, then it is worth living in such a way that we never extinguish what God has placed within us. Reflection for today: Do I remember that my soul is eternal, even if the world around me fades? Do I live as if life is only a moment - or as if it leads into eternity? How do I care for what is immortal in me, more than for what is temporary?

"If our soul is dear to us, and we desire to attain happiness in heaven, let us abandon this unnecessary concern for the goods of this world. Let us give up these needless worries that make our life so bitter and difficult and snatch the life to come out of our hands." Father Wenanty Katarzyniec Father Wenanty touches a truth close to every human heart: the more tightly we hold on to earthly things, the more our peace slips away. This is not a call to reject the world, but an invitation not to allow earthly worries to rule the soul - because then life becomes a burden rather than a path toward God. Christ speaks clearly: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up treasures in heaven.” (Mt 6:19–20) The Catechism reminds us that the human person is created for happiness in God , and that the goods of this world are only a means, never the goal. Unnecessary anxieties not only exhaust us - they can steal the future from our hands , pulling the heart away from what is eternal. Father Wenanty therefore invites us to interior freedom: not to escape responsibility, but to let go of what is excessive, heavy, and distracting . And this can begin today - with a small step: less fear, more trust. Reflection for today: Which worries do I carry that do not lead me to God but only steal my peace? Does my heart seek earthly goods more than eternal good? From what should I free myself so that my life becomes lighter and more rooted in God?