Published in Bridges July/August
2006
“Therefore, We Will Not
Fear, Though the Earth Tremble”
“TODĖL NESIBIJOSIME, KAD IR ŽEMĖ DREBĖTŲ”
From “Čia Mūsų Žemė” (Here Is Our
Land) by A. Vilainis
Published by “Nemunas” Book Publishers, Cicero, IL
1950
Translated from the Lithuanian by Gloria O’Brien
Banners flutter. White, violet, green and red. Pendant white ribbons, golden fringe and tassels, sway in the
air. Small shrines and crosses sparkle
and shine atop staffs and banners. A
procession slowly makes its way down a dusty road. It passes through green fields, forests and
farmsteads. The throng is motley and
weary. They have already traveled over
several miles of Žemaitija (Samogitia). The procession has many times been greeted
and escorted by the peal of village churchbells. They pray and sing, their sonorous hymn
echoing through field and forest:
“Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth tremble
and the mountains fall
into the sea”.
The sun is already setting as the procession draws
near to the valley of “Žemaitijos Kalvarija” (Samogitian Calvary). Here, the banners, crosses and church bells
again join together. And the lines of
the same great hymn sound even more strongly:
“Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth tremble…..”
A deep faith is visible on
each face. They have faith, that Heaven
will hear their prayer and preserve them from all misfortune. The fields of ripening rye and spring crops
will soon mature and yield their harvest.
All of Žemaičių
Kalvarija is now in motion, like an
anthill. Seven parishes have joined in
this procession…..and uncounted numbers of individuals have arrived on foot or
in rattling rustic wagons.
By now, the sun has set
beyond the forest, and the moon has cast its light upon the valley, but wheels
still clatter loudly and people continue to arrive. A visit to the Way of the Cross is even more
impressive at night. Processions go out
to the hills, not just with crosses and banners, but also with lighted lanterns
and candles. Stars twinkle high in the
sky, while on earth, a river of flaming light flows from hill to hill.
The Way of the Cross at Žemaičių
Kalvarija had its beginnings in the 17th
century, thanks mostly to the then Bishop of Žemaitija, Jurgis Tiškevičius. He had
himself visited the Holy Land, and walked the Way of the Cross. Upon his return, he arranged the same at Žemaičių
Kalvarija (1637-1642), erecting
nineteen chapels in and among the hills.
A small stream running through the area was renamed after the Brook of
Cedron (which runs from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives). The hills were also named after holy places,
beginning with the Mount of Olives, and ending with the Hill of Golgotha.
It is said that the bishop
himself paced off and determined the distances between one chapel and
another. The entire Way was sprinkled
with soil from the Holy Land.
An order of monks was
invited to settle at the site and supervise devotions at the Way of the
Cross. Large numbers of pilgrims began
to visit Žemaičių Kalvarija. When the monks began to builld a fine and beautiful
church, visitors donated generously. The
church was completed during the last years of the Lithuanian Republic. And now, it is known as the last monument of
the former Independent Lithuania. This
sanctuary still adorns the land of Žemaitija. The monks have resumed their service to
pilgrims and their care and maintenance of the shrine.
After midnight all is
quiet here. But when daybreak glimmers,
and the sun rises, churchbells again begin to peal. The breeze tosses white banners, violet, red,
and green. The notes of the mighty hymn
again fill the air and its echoes rise to the blue heavens:
“Therefore we will not
fear, though the earth tremble…..”
Psalm 46 –
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth tremble and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains
quake with their surging."