The starting point of the article is a cluster of reflections on the interdisciplinary potential of 'Lenten Lamentations' (Gorzkie żale). Subsequently, the text moves on to present the arrangement, methodology and foundations of empirical studies conducted in the year 2017 among a group of high school students from grades 1–3, who were put in charge of two tasks. In the first one they were supposed to say what the service of 'Lenten Lamentations' meant to them. The other one, which was an analysis of specific hymns from the liturgy, examines the impact of their lyrics on the students. The gathered material, which is very rich, makes it possible to assume a number of analytical approaches. The present article concentrates only on discussing a handful of selected results. The conclusions concern methods and ways of reading texts of culture in Polish literature classes.