Farming has a special place in Scripture, and farm work appears to us as extremely hard and arduous, requiring diligence and respect for the laws of nature. And the harvest is the most joyful and anticipated time, reflecting the rhythm of our lives. After the sowing and growth of grain comes the harvest, when we reap the harvest of our labor.

Today I look with joy and pride at the effects of the farmers' toil in the form of these beautiful, colourful and symbolic harvest wreaths, on which everyday life and our Christian faith are intertwined. We do not forget that harvest in the teaching of the universal Church is also a metaphor of the Last Judgment and the Kingdom of God. During the harvest festival it is easy for us to understand how everyday life is connected to eternity.

Harvest Festival is a celebration of Polish countryside and its inhabitants. They are deeply rooted in tradition, which has survived various epochs. Political changes took place, the tools used in agriculture changed, new crops appeared, and then everyone met annually at the harvest festival to thank God for the crops, to rejoice and have fun together, to talk about the past and the future - the next crops. That is how it was, is and will be in Podkarpacie.

Dear Sirs,

Together with you I ask God for the blessing of this year's harvest and the grace of a good harvest for the years to come, so that we all have enough bread and the work in agriculture is profitable for the families living in villages in Subcarpathia.

On behalf of the Republic of Poland, as the Marshal of the Sejm, I would like to thank you for your efforts, which in Podkarpacie are incommensurably great because of the numerous mountains, foothills and mountain pastures. The inhabitants of our Podkarpackie region in Poland are not only unique "reapers", but also a mainstay of attachment to Christian values. May Our Lady, located in the Sanctuary in Kalwaria Pacławska, take care of Podkarpacie, bless your work and strengthen us in faith.

I wish you a joyful day today, celebrating the great harvest and success in your further work. We are proud of the wealth of our Podkarpacie region and you are its creators. Thank you.

Marek Kuchciński

Photo: Paweł Kula, Chancellery of the Sejm