On Sunday, 23 brand 1597 year, there was great silence in the church, crowded with people. For the eighth time since the beginning of the Seym, senators and the king gathered here, Zygmunt III Vasa. Lots of onlookers also came, to look at the king and famous people of the Republic and listen, what will the preacher say to them. A loud voice comes from the pulpit :
„… And that blood and sweat of subjects and peasants, that are constantly flowing, what punishments are prepared for the whole kingdom ? You say yourselves, that there is no state, in which the nobility uses without hindrance. And we ourselves see not only the landed gentry, but also great oppressions of the king's men, from which no one can save them and rescue them. An angry landowner or royal staroste will not only loot everything, what the poor has, but he will also kill, when he wants to, and for this he will not suffer the words of evil. Yes it's a kingdom, subjected worms wretched, we all live, bandaged…”
The heads of the mighty of this world bowed low. Because the preacher didn't flatter them either, but how an Old Testament prophet rebuked evil, which grew in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, heralded the fall of the Motherland, if there is no improvement. He rebuked social harm, oppression of the poor, disagreement, pride… In times of the greatest triumphs, when the Polish kingdom was in full bloom, made menacing prophecies, that harm and evil will bring the country down. It was the second time during this parliament that he stood up for the peasants, whom the gentlemen mercilessly oppressed, treating them like slaves, and yet :
,,… Old Christians, who bought slaves for paganism, they gave freedom to everyone, as brothers in Christ, 'cried the preacher. “And we are faithful and holy Christians, Poles of this nation, who were not slaves, we enslave by force without any law… How not to be ashamed of everything in the world of Christianity with such a law ? How to show oneself with such tyrannical harm to God's eyes? ?…”
Who was this preacher, who, on behalf of the Church, interceded for the oppressed and for them, who did not have any rights in the country ? This is Father Piotr Skarga, Jesuit, royal preacher. He was born in 1536. He was a graduate of the Krakow Academy. Outstanding preacher, famous writer, known especially for his "Lives of the Saints" and "Sermons". King Zygmunt III Waza appointed him in a year 1588 for the position of court preacher, which he performed until his death in the year 1612. By 24 years he spoke in time 18 Seyms, defeating the political blindness and insensitivity of the nobility. Not only with words, he called for mercy and improvement, but he looked after all misery himself. The Brotherhood of Mercy he founded supported the poor. The Pious Bank helped the craftsmen. St.. Mikołaj was provided with dowries for poor virgins, Brotherhood of Bethany of St.. Lazarus saved the abandoned. The poor of Krakow knew him, Warsaw, Vilnius, Poznan, Pułtuska i Sandomierza. He commanded in word and deed, that the first commandment, the fundamental law of God's kingdom, is the commandment to love God and neighbor. Who lives contrary to this law, he is not a good Christian. God reminds Christians of this today in the words of the Gospel and through the Church.
During the Reformation, the Church in our country did it through the preacher of the court, Fr.. Piotr Skarga, many years later by Brother Albert, apostle of the poor, recently by Father Maksymilian Kolbe. Today he does so through many others, who follow the commandment of love with their lives and draw others with them.
Forgotten commandment (Ks. Piotr Skarga)
