Tradicijos ir modernumo sąlytis kunigo Jurgio Pabrėžos homiletikoje

LTPrieš 250 metų gimęs kun. Jurgis Pabrėža (1771–1849) tikintiesiems teikė įtaigius ir įsimintinus, savalaikiškus ir šiuolaikiškus, profesionaliai užrašytus ir pasakytus pamokslus. Pats kun. J. Pabrė- ža sudarė pamokslų rinkinių (buvo dešimt pamokslų rinkinių) ir juos suskirstė pagal temas. Šio straipsnio objektas – vienas iš išlikusių pamokslų rinkinių – „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“. Kun. J. Pabrėža pamoksluose laikosi Bažnyčios tradicijos, remdamasis Biblija, Visuotinių Bažny- čios susirinkimų nutarimais, Bažnyčios Tėvų, popiežių ir šventųjų mokymu. Kartu mąstydamas bei svarstydamas, imdamasis teologinių tyrinėjimų, Šventojo Rašto skaitymo ir studijų, dvasinių pratybų praktikavimo, pamokslininkas žvelgia į laikmečio aktualijas, joms pritaikydamas tradicinį mokymą. Kun. J. Pabrėžos siekis buvo glaudžiai ir vieningai išlaikant mokslą ir tikėjimą skelbti Dievo žodį, „kad įgytume išganymą per mūsų Viešpatį Jėzų Kristų“ (1 Tes 5, 9) – įsikūnijusį Dievo Žodį. Kunigo skelbiamas Žodis, t. y. Jėzus Kristus, yra pats Dievas, ir visi žodžiai nurodo į Žodį, kuris niekada nėra tik praeitis, bet visada ir dabartis, ir ateitis. Pagrindiniai žodžiai: kun. Jurgis Pabrėža, pamokslai, „Pamokslai vairingose materijose“. [Iš leidinio]

ENTo proclaim the Christian faith is to preach Jesus Christ and to rekindle faith in Him. The Catholic Church has always regarded the sermon as one of the most important means of spreading the faith. A sermon is not merely teaching or information, but a proclamation of God’s effective salvation, as interpreted in the Church by those authorised in the name of Jesus. The proclaimed Word of God is a continuation of the proclamation of the Word of Jesus Christ, reflecting on the content, purpose and requirements for a moral human life. Therefore, Church teaching in pastoral activities emphasises especially the importance of homiletics: giving sermons. One of the most active preachers and witnesses of the faith in Lithuania, seeking to reveal to people the message brought by Jesus Christ, was Fr Jurgis Pabrėža (1771-1849). He gave forceful and memorable, timely and modern, and professionally written and delivered sermons to the faithful. He was a personality with wide interests, whose ambition was to serve the people as well as he could, to keep science and faith in close unity, and to preach the Word of God, so that we may ‘receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The Word preached by the priest, i.e. Jesus Christ, is God Himself, as all words refer to the Word, which is never only the past, but always both the present and the future. Pabrėža’s sermons were a great success. When he preached in a particular parish, people came from far afield to listen to him. The preacher himself compiled collections of his written sermons and divided them into topics. Research into the sermons by Pabrėža identify ten sets of sermons. The subject of this article is one of the surviving collections of these sermons, ‘Sermons on Various Matters’.On the basis of this set of sermons, the homiletics of Pabrėža is discussed in the context of the contact between tradition and modernity. Pabrėža adhered to Church tradition in his sermons, referring to the Bible, the resolutions of General Church Councils, and the teachings of the Church Fathers, popes and saints. With thinking and deliberation in his heart, taking up theological studies, reading and studying the Scriptures, and practising spiritual exercises, the preacher looked at the current affairs of the time, and applied traditional teaching to them. Today the Church’s teaching on preparing and giving sermons emphasises the requirements of theological and linguistic quality for a sermon, a combination of traditional and modern forms of conveying the Word of God, thorough preparation, an awareness of the existential and cultural reality of believers, and the desire to find the most appropriate way to convey the evangelical message to the people. The preacher is required to justify the relation of eternal ideals to reality, and to determine the course of the structure and content of a sermon, which allows for a consistent speech on a particular topic, especially with regard to the audience and personal development. In comparison with the teachings of the Catholic Church of the present day, Pabrėža’s preparation for sermons and preaching also meet the modern requirements of homiletics. Keywords: Jurgis Pabrėža, sermons, ‘Sermons on Various Matters’. Keywords: Jurgis Pabrėža, sermons, ‘Sermons on Various Matters’. [From the publication]

• Homiletika nūdienos akademinėje bendruomenėje / Vytautas Steponas Vaičiūnas. Soter. 2008, 27 (55), p. 93-98.
• Švietimo epochos atspindžiai Jurgio Pabrėžos pamoksluose / Laima Gylienė. Žemaičių žemė. 2008, Nr. 2, p. 24-39.