8/7/2019 Lenten Lamentations [Gorzkie Zale]
25/26
GORZKIE ALE(Bitter or Lenten Lamentations) is traditional Polish
devotion during the Lent. It originates in early 18th century in
the Holy CrossChurch in Warsaw, Poland. Primarily it was a
collection of popular songs and melodies used by people in villages
around Warsaw to reflect on
Passion of Christ. In 1707 Fr. Lawrence Benik CM published in
print a booklet titled in Polish Snopek Myrry z Ogroda
Gethsemaskiego alboaosne Gorzkiey Mki Syna Boego [...]
rospamitywanie (A bunch of Myrrh from Garden of Gethsemane or
sorrowful crying over Bitter Passion ofSon of God). Myrrh was one
of the gifts the Three Wise Men brought to newborn Jesus as he
announcement of the passion and the redemptive
death of Christ. This publishing is considered as beginning of
Gorzkie Zale devotion. For years this baroque multi-word phrase was
used as title of
the devotion. Then, with passing time, a title derived from
first words of the initial song (Gorzkie ale przybywajcie, serca
nasze przenikajcie) wasused more and more frequent. However the
original old-Polish language is preserved until now.
Fr. Bartholomew Tarlo CM, pastor of Holy Cross Parish and first
Visitor of Province of Poland acknowledged importance of this
devotional
melodies on Passion of Christ. He ordered to rearrange the songs
into structured liturgical order. The confreres used the structure
of baroque Liturgy
of Hours as pattern. They based the devotion on morning hour of
Breviary prayers, then called Matutinum (nowadays it might be
similar to Office ofReadings) and Laudes prayer (present Lauds).
Fr. Benik looked at old gregorian chorales to arrange music, but he
kept original folklore character of
melodies. Specialists can find similarities to gregorian hymnals
and chorales.
Author, Fr. Lawrence Benik CM described how the devotion should
be celebrated. Since the beginning it took place on Sundays of the
Lent after
either High Mass or Vespers. In late 18th century some
liturgical elements were added making the structure very much like
the present one:
presentation of the Holy Sacrament at the beginning; next, three
parts of the hymnals and songs were sang; following was occasional
sermon called
Passion Sermon. Next, there was procession with candles around
the church. Finally the celebrant blessed worshippers with the Holy
Sacrament.
The devotion of Gorzkie Zale spread around territory of Kingdom
of Poland and Lithuania very fast. Wherever Vincentian missioners
went andpreached recollections and popular missions they brought
Gorzkie Zale with them and planted the devotion in all these
places. Soon, Gorzkie Zale
became the central and most traditional Lenten celebration in
Polish churches.
During three centuries of its history some changes in the melody
line were introduced. There were also some attempts to translate
the text into
other languages, e.g. English. But after 300 years Gorzkie Zale
remained typical, traditional Polish Lenten devotion piously
celebrated in Poland and
in most Polish communities abroad. In 2007 there were numerous
events in Vincentian locations in Poland, especially in Holy Cross
Church inWarsaw, commemorating 300 years of this Lenten
devotion.
Modern Gorzkie Zale is not as rich in structure as the original
version. It starts with Presentation of the Holy Sacrament. Wake-up
(Pobudka) song
follows. Next, one part (three melodies like psalms in the
Lauds) is performed (the same part in every third Sunday of Lent).
Passion sermon is
preached next. The celebration is concludes with the blessing
with Holy Sacrament. In some parishes, all three parts of Gorzkie
Zale are sang as one
celebration on Good Friday.
