Wednesday, May 3, 2023

It is the 3rd of May, 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

Ok- we’ve got a broad scope today- Poland, poles, and Mary the mother of Jesus. Let’s go.

Today, the 3rd of May, is a big day in Poland. It is both Constitution Day and the Feast of the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland. It is a country with a fascinating history and one that has had a close relationship to the church- Catholic in particular- since 966 when King Mieszko I decided to officially adopt Christianity. In the coming centuries, the Catholic nature of Polish Christianity would be emphasized to distinguish themselves from Protestants to the West of them and Orthodox Christians from the East.

It was in 1656 that Mary- a specifically Catholic icon- was declared the spiritual queen of Poland by King John II Casimir Vasa- then under attack from both fronts. The Russians had come down through Ukraine (it happens a lot) to subdue the Polish and Lithuanian states. And if “Vasa” from the Polish King's name sounds familiar, it’s because “Gustavus Vasa” and the Vasa family are usually associated with the kings of Sweden- by 1656, a thoroughgoing Lutheran country.

Polish King John Casimir Vasa had once been a novice amongst the Jesuits- but went into the family business of governance. Nevertheless, the Pope made him a Cardinal and kept the Poles in their sphere of influence. He would step down from being a Cardinal when he was elected king in 1648, Polish monarchs would be elected by the nobility.

Well, they would until the Polish Constitution was adopted in 1791. And the day they chose to mark their political revolution? Today, May 3rd coincides with the feast of Mary the Queen of Poland- cementing the absolute Catholic-ness of Poland. And yes- a constitution in 1791 is early. It is the oldest of European Constitutions and the second oldest currently, just after the American constitution was ratified three years prior.

Any former student of mine who took my survey of the Enlightenment course would be familiar with the Adventures of Nicholas Wisdom by Ignacy Krasicki, the first Polish novel and a parallel to both Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Voltaire’s Candide. It should be noted that the unfair proliferation of the “polack joke” has its roots in anti-immigration rhetoric in America- largely amongst Germans who had previously immigrated and integrated and had long anti-Slavic predilections. Furthermore, the Nazis used that ugly Polish stereotype as a cover for anti-semitism, and we know how Poles, especially Jewish Poles, suffered under the Third Reich.

The call for a “Catholic Poland” was ironically invigorated when the Poles were subdued by the Bolsheviks in the late teens and 20s of the last century. It was in 1956 that Polish Bishops, then underground on account of the Soviet Union’s rule over Poland, declared the 300th anniversary of the dedication of the country to Mary by John Casimir Vasa in 1656. And the story of the end of the Cold War cannot be told without giving the Poles and their church a portion of the story. It was the polish Cardinal Karol Józef Wojtyła who would become Pope John Paul II in 1978. It was the Polish underground- the Solidarity movement- and a strong Catholic self-identity in the face of official state atheism that helped break the stranglehold of the USSR on that Eastern Bloc.

Today the Poles remain amongst the most religiously affiliated people in Europe. About 80-90% of the country identifies as Catholic, with about 40ish % attending weekly services- this makes Poland look not dissimilar to the United States and thus (despite shrinking numbers) an outlier in an otherwise secular Europe.  

As for the particular role of Mary in the country’s self-understanding- May is the traditional month wherein Catholics might say special novenas or prayers to Mary- the celebration of our Lady of Fatima (the famous apparition to the children in Portugal) and the Feast of the Visitation occurs on May 31st. And, speaking to my Protestant friends (I too am a Protestant) we can get uncomfortable around Mary partially because she is so venerated in those traditions from which we have broken off- and because we only have so much time on the daily show I will be doing a Weekend Edition this month- May- on Mary in history and throughout the centuries. There’s only one mother of God (and yes, that’s a tricky statement) and so while we might not go as far as some- and some in Poland- we should know a thing or two.

So- raise your Kwas and enjoy a pierogi on this- Polish Constitution Day, which was purposely aligned with the Feast of Mary, Queen of Poland, on this the 3rd of May.

The last word for today from the daily lectionary from Matthew 20

20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

21 “What is it you want?” he asked.

She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

22 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father.”

24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 3rd of May 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who knows of Poland as the birthplace of the mine detector, bulletproof vest, and walkie-talkie- he is Christopher Gillespie, over and out.

The show is written and read by a man whose favorite Poles include Copernicus, Chopin, and Walter Sobchak, who reminded us, “This isn’t Nam, it’s Bowling… there are rules” I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.