St. Luke's Mission of Mercy - Helping out Locally at Christmas (and anytime)

There are bell-ringers everywhere you go this time of year and some choose to donate to the Salvation Army. For some Catholics, this is not without controversy. Some point to the fact that the Salvation Army finds abortion to be acceptable in many situations as a reason to withhold support. (I maintain if you use abortion viewpoint as a litmus test of support, there are a lot of other religions you would have to exclude). Others have been busy packing and shipping boxes full of items for Operation Christmas Child. Again, some have concerns about this program. I believe that giving is a very personal thing and would never tell someone which organization they can support and which they cannot. There is one local Buffalo mission that has been making a big difference in the lives of others since 1994.

St. Luke's Mission of Mercy is located on Walden Avenue in Buffalo. At this past Thanksgiving, they distributed 2,600 bundles of food. Each bundle included two bags of dry/canned goods including rolls, potatoes, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, cookies. Folks also received perishable items including meat, butter, milk, frozen desserts, etc.

• They serve two meals per day, six days a week and one meal on Sunday. 
• They provide shelter for men and women of all ages who otherwise would have no place to lay their head.
• They provide housing for many families in need.
• They provide a house for men recovering from addictions.
• They provide donated clothing, household items, small appliances to anyone in need. 
• They maintain contact with those who have needed their support in the past, including prison ministry and support for those transitioning from imprisonment to life outside of prison.
• They offer their church for the burial of Catholics who would have no other place to go, donating the time of their choir and facilities. 

It is my experience that they are always in need of new socks, gloves, hats, coats, hygiene products, medications, prayers, and time. They rely solely upon the generosity of others and if you are looking for a local organization to support, please consider St. Luke's Mission of Mercy. 

Donate HERE

To volunteer, contact them HERE

Brighten Your Advent and Christmas Season with Friar Alessandro

Give the gift of beautiful music to yourself and those you love this year. Enrich your home and theirs with the joyful sound of Friar Alessandro.

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Oplatki: Rediscovering Old Tradition

The Original Catholic Encyclopedia from 1913 has this to say about Catholics of Polish derivation:

The Poles in America cling tenaciously to their quaint customs, which are in nearly every instance quite as much religious as national in character. Poland was but little affected by the religious rebellion of the sixteenth century and hence the Catholic medieval spirit is still that of the Poles. The Christmas and Easter carols heard in the Polish churches are exact counterparts of those sung by the peasants of pre-Reformation England, and are the expression of the childlike faith of the people. The most beautiful custom and the one that bids to out-live all others among the American Poles is that of the oplatki (wafers). Shortly before Christmas the parish organist distributes wafers resembling those used for Holy Mass, and at this distribution each parishioner makes a slight offering to the organist or altar-boys who bring the wafers. These are sent to friends and relatives in Europe, and the latter do not forget those in America. On Christmas Eve the family gathers to partake first of all of the wafer in token of continued love, mended friendship, and good-will to all men.

Living in the Diocese of Buffalo has many blessings, one of those being the rich traditions brought to the area by Polish immigrants beginning in the late 18th century.  Catholics living in the city of Buffalo and surrounding suburbs can still experience a Mass celebrated in Polish, visit a 121 year-old market full of  seasonal Polish baked goods including holiday goodies with names that twist many tongues.  Prior to Lent, we pick up a dozen paczki to share with friends and family, during Lent, we are treated to homemade pierogies, at Easter we find little lambs molded from butter with a small red ribbon adorning the neck and at Christmas, we find oplateki in envelopes with an image of the the Nativity printed on the front.  These items are in our grocery stores and many of us buy them not knowing the history behind the goods, yet we enjoy them tremendously.  Just as all of us can be Irish on St. Patrick's Day, we can all be Polish by partaking of such beautiful traditions our Pole brothers and sisters share with us. 

This year, discover a new family tradition or revive one that you may have long since forgotten about.  Make it a tradition which can bring family together and can strengthen the bond of your Domestic Church.  One such tradition enjoyed not only by Poles but by Slovakian and Lithuanian families for generations can now be yours, too -- oplatki.  While breaking the wafer, you can each offer prayers for loved ones who are near and far, ask for forgiveness of slights, or omissions in the past year and remember that Christmas is not about the latest electronic gadget and eating until you can no longer move.  Plan now to make Christmas about the Bread of Angels, God with us: Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior.  You can even send some to loved ones who live far away and plan to break the bread at the same time so that no matter where you are, you can share the tradition with them.   

The Holy Father - Reflections on Christmas

CHRISTMAS: OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT ON MEANING OF EXISTENCE

VATICAN CITY, 17 DEC 2008 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated the last general audience of 2008, celebrated in the Paul VI audience hall, to Christmas, "a universal festivity".

"Even non-believers", he said, " perceive something extraordinary and transcendental, something intimate that touches our hearts in this yearly Christian event. It is the festivity that sings of the gift of life. The birth of a child should always be a joyful occurrence".

"Christmas is the encounter with a new-born baby, wailing in a wretched grotto", the Holy Father added. "Contemplating Him in this crèche how can we not think of all the children who still today, in many regions of the world, are born amidst such poverty? How can we not think of those newborns who have been rejected, not welcomed, those who do not survive because of a lack of care and attention? How can we not think of the families who desire the joy of a child and do not have this hope fulfilled?"

"Unfortunately, under the drive of a hedonist consumerism, Christmas runs the risk of losing its spiritual meaning, reduced to a mere commercial occasion to buy and exchange gifts. Actually, however, the difficulties, uncertainty, and the economic crisis that many families are living in these months, and which affects all humanity, can truly serve as a stimulus for rediscovering the warmth of the simplicity, friendship, and solidarity that are the typical values of Christmas. Stripped of its materialist and consumerist trappings, Christmas can become the opportunity to welcome, as a personal gift, the message of hope that emanates from the mystery of Christ's birth".

"Nevertheless, all of this does not suffice to capture the value of this celebration we are preparing for in all its fullness. We know that it celebrates the central event of history: the Incarnation of the Divine Word for the redemption of humanity. ... 'Thus the recurring annual cycle of the mystery of our salvation is renewed that, promised at the beginning and given to the end of time, is destined to last without end'".

"At Christmas, therefore, we do not limit ourselves to commemorating the birth of a great person. We do not celebrate, simply and in the abstract, the mystery of the birth of humanity or, in general, the mystery of life. ... At Christmas we recall something that is quite concrete and important for human beings, something essential to the Christian faith, a truth that St. John summarizes in these few words: 'The Word became flesh': This is a historical fact that St. Luke the evangelist is careful to place in a particular historical context: during the days of the decree of the first census of Caesar Augustus".

"In the darkness of the night in Bethlehem a great light was lit: the Creator of the universe became flesh, indissolubly and eternally joining himself to human nature, to the point of being 'God from God, light from light' and at the same time truly human. By 'the Word' ... John also intends the 'Meaning'" and "the 'Meaning' that became flesh is not just a general idea inherent in the world; it is a Word addressed to us".

"The Meaning has power: it is God. A good God who cannot be confused with some being on high and far away who cannot be reached, but God who made Himself our neighbor and who is very near to us", "God reveals Himself to us as a poor 'infant' in order to conquer our pride. ... He made Himself small in order to free us from the human delusion of grandeur that arises from pride; He freely became flesh so that we might be truly free, free to love Him".

"Christmas", the Pope concluded, "is the privileged opportunity to contemplate the meaning and value of our existence. The nearness of this solemnity helps us to reflect, on the one hand, on the dramatic nature of a history in which human beings, wounded by sin, are perennially seeking happiness and a reason for living and dying; on the other hand, it exhorts us to contemplate the merciful goodness of God, who has come to meet humanity that He might communicate the saving Truth to us directly and make us to participate in His friendship and His life".