Gorzkie żale

Gorzkie żale (Polish pronunciation: [ˈɡɔʂkʲe ˈʐalɛ] 'Lenten (or Bitter) Lamentations') is a Catholic devotion containing many hymns that developed out of Poland in the 18th century. The devotion is primarily a sung reflection and meditation on the Passion of Christ and the sorrows of His Blessed Mother. The devotion consists of a three-part cycle, subdivided into five unique parts. One part of the cycle is held on each Sunday in the period of Lent, including Palm Sunday, and the entire ceremony is held on Good Friday. The devotion originated in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw and from there it spread to whole of Poland.

The Gorzkie Żale devotion originated in the early 18th century in Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, Poland. It was primarily a collection of popular songs and melodies used by people in villages around Warsaw to reflect on the Passion of Christ. In 1707 Fr. Lawrence Benik, CM published a booklet in Polish titled: “Snopek Myrry z Ogroda Gethsemańskiego albo żałosne Gorzkiej Męki Syna Bożego [...] rospamiętywanie,” translated, "A bundle of Myrrh from the Garden of Gethsemane, or the lamentation over the Bitter Passion of the Son of God". Myrrh was one of the gifts the Three Wise Men brought to newborn Jesus as the announcement of the passion and the redemptive death of Christ. This publishing is considered to be the beginning of the devotion. For years this Baroque multi-word phrase was used as title of the devotion. Then, with passing time, a title derived from the first words of the initial song (Gorzkie Żale przybywajcie, serca nasze przenikajcie) was used more frequently. Though the title eventually changed to simply "Gorzkie Żale," the original old-Polish language of the devotion was preserved.

Fr. Bartholomew Tarlo CM, pastor of Holy Cross Parish and first Visitor of Province of Poland acknowledged the importance of this devotion, which featured melodies on the Passion of Christ. He ordered to rearrange the songs into a structured liturgical order. The confreres used the structure of the Baroque Divine Office as a pattern. They based the devotion on the morning hour of "Matins" (nowadays it might be similar to Office of Readings) and the Laudes, or "Lauds" prayer. Fr. Benik looked at old Gregorian chorales to arrange the music, but he kept the original folklore character of the melodies. Specialists can find similarities to Gregorian hymnals and chorales. 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.

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