The first performance of “Passion and Resurrection” on March 22 took place in the beautiful Church of Our Lady of Consolation in Brooklyn. It was truly exceptional… Seemingly the same songs, the same poems, yet sounding uniquely each time. This is not an ordinary performance, because it carries a power that I cannot fully explain; you have to be there to feel it… And the audience feels it, rewarding us with their tears of emotion and applause. We cried, we fell, we felt the suffering of Jesus and the Sorrowful Mother, we were Judases and sleeping apostles, Pilate who condemned him to death. Perhaps this power lies in human weakness, its stumbles and mistakes, to rise again and Resurrect with Jesus…
I know one thing: emotion and common prayer have been working wonders for many years. Each performance is a prayer for some intention that suddenly appears; someone comes and tells their story, and it just is. This year, something amazing happened, because before the performance, people gave us slips of paper with their intentions for various needs and requests, which I read aloud. And we know from people that they are being fulfilled. Of course, this is not the artists’ merit, nor is it a wish concert, but precisely this human weakness before God, this helplessness, is the great strength of common prayer, such a human prayer straight from the heart.
The greatest reward were the words of Father Wiesław Strządała, who quoted the words of the founder of the Salvatorians, Father Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan: “as long as you live, you must not rest from proclaiming Jesus Christ,” and added, “Ms. Kasia, your performance was not just good, but wonderful. You would fit perfectly on Broadway.”
The second performance on April 11 took place at the Polish-Slavic Center on Kent. It was not without reason that it took place on this day, when the Great Way of the Cross passes through the streets of Greenpoint from St. Cyril and Methodius Church to St. Stanislaus Kostka Church. It was a beautiful introduction and spiritual preparation, as well as a meditation on human life.
“Passion and Resurrection” is not only the story of Jesus’ life and suffering, but of each of us, believers and non-believers. Each time it reminds us how fragile human life is, how often our difficult life experiences resemble carrying the cross and the pain of scourging. How we meet people on our path who spit on us, humiliate us and mock us, how those who have power often abuse it, how even our closest friends can betray us with a single kiss, and others deny us in an hour of fear or for their own gain.
And there is always Veronica in our lives, who wipes away our tears, and family who supports us in an hour of despair.
And in the end, good always triumphs, and evil truly dies. Light will always eventually overcome Darkness and be reborn like a Phoenix from the ashes.
Evil always remains evil, and its apparent glory, which like false gold attracts the eye, and empires built on lies eventually fall…
In the end, a naked human remains, stretched between good and evil, before the face of God, judging their deeds…
Let us, therefore, be good, because good pays off despite everything, despite the contempt and greed of others… Let us always be truthful and full of love… and let us lean with pity and forgiveness over those who despise us, for they do not know what they are doing.
These were two unforgettable meetings with people, full of emotion and tears from the audience, their thanks and praise. The most important thing, however, is that people appeared at them whose hearts are filled with the light of love for another human being, or who seek support and comfort in difficult moments from friends. People appeared who were wronged by fate and lost, who, despite anger and pain in their hearts, overcame the darkness. Those who were meant to come, came.
That is why for years we have been walking this path, telling the story of a man who is God and who gave his life for us, telling about his human weakness, which is a great power of man.
We sincerely thank the wonderful audience, and volunteers Halina Jaworska for beautiful photos and video recordings, Ewa Campbell and Basia Mazur, Gosia Michoń and Agnieszka Jakobczak. Krzysiek Bućko for sound amplification and Stefan Rysak for taking photos.
Heartfelt thanks to Father Wiesław Strządała, parish priest of Our Lady of Consolation, Father Grzegorz Szewczyk, Mr. Paweł Kosarga for recording and sound, and Dominik Grzyb and everyone who helped us.
Thank you Cafe Riviera Greenpoint for supporting us with refreshments…
Thank you Anthony Bellov, Tadeusz Nowak and Ania Kucay for a joint and beautiful performance…
Thank you for being with us, because in our weakness lies great strength.
Author: Kasia Drucker
Photos: Halina Jaworska Stefan Rysak
