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FAITH AND CULTURE

anything to find ourselves 100% lovable by the Father. daily, perhaps in the morning to allow the rest of the day
Going to Confession and being freed from our sins is not to be permeated by his presence and at the end of the day
a way to “win back” God’s love, but a concrete way of when the hardships of daily life catch up with us and we
experiencing it for ourselves. Even the fourteen works of don’t particularly feel 100% lovable. This is the time to be
mercy are not ways to obtain the Father’s love and mercy, quiet and just let him love us. It doesn’t require a course
but rather flow from our experience of it. in prayer or spirituality to do this. Simply sit quietly and fix
In his Christmas Midnight Mass homily in 2014, Pope the gaze of your heart on the Merciful Father who gazes at
Francis challenged us to consider this seriously as we look you with that infinite tenderness about which Pope Francis
at the Infant Jesus in the manger at Bethlehem: “What is spoke. An image, such as a crucifix, or a passage, such as
most important is not seeking him, but rather allowing him Galatians 2:20 quoted above, can help focus our attention.
to seek me, to find me, and caress me with tenderness. The What we soon discover is that the Father loves us and
question put to us simply by the Infant’s presence is: Do I forgives us even more than we love or forgive ourselves.
allow God to love me?” In a line of piercing beauty, St. John Paul II reminded us:
During this time of uncertainty due to the restrictions “We are not the sum of our weaknesses and failures. We are
and isolations caused by Covid-19, we have a concrete the sum of the Father’s love for us and our real capacity to
opportunity to establish the practice of being in the Lord’s become the image of His Son.” Truly, according to God the
presence and allowing him to love us. This should be done Father’s calculations, we are all “100% lovable.”

Celebrating a traditional Polish Christmas

BY LIDIA KONAR

olish Advent traditions appear to be quite different
from those in Britain. Unlike in the UK when
Christmas seems to come earlier every year, in
PPoland the real atmosphere of Christmas can only
be felt at the end of December – on Christmas Eve, to be
exact. It is an event for which we wait expectantly during
the whole period of Advent. In the following article some
of the Polish residents of Aberdeen reflect on some of their
memories of celebrating Christmas in their homeland.
In Poland, on the first day of Advent (the fourth Sunday before
Christmas) the Advent dawn Masses begin. These Masses are in
honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These “Roraty” Masses are
celebrated in the early morning, usually at 6:00am. The name
comes from the Latin words “rorate cæli desuper", which mean
“Let the heavens drop dew”.
Kasia W. who has been Table setting for Christmas Eve / Nakrycie stołu na
living in the Granite City kolację wigilijną
for several years: “I always dates to the thirteenth century and was probably brought from
associate Roraty with getting Hungary by Saint Kinga, the wife of the High Duke of Poland,
up in the morning and Bolesław V the Chaste. In Poland, the Advent dawn Masses end
the expectant atmosphere on Christmas Eve on December the 24th.
of looking forward to a On December the 6th, Poland celebrates St. Nicholas' Day,
marvellous Christmas time. a feast in honor of Saint Nicholas, the Bishop of Mira. On
I remember that children the night of December 5-6th, the children receive gifts, placed
always brought lanterns under their pillows or in their shoes. Also, in churches on the
which were a beautiful Sunday closest to December the 6th, the children can meet
symbol of this expectation. Saint Nicholas dressed in a red bishop's robe, a mitre and a
The Advent songs were my crosier. This Santa traditionally has a grey beard and gives small
favourite element. I have gifts to all the children gathered in the church.
always liked to sing them, During Advent, many Poles abstain from eating meat on
and I know most of them Fridays and do not participate in any recreational activities
by heart. It is a pity that in that day. In addition, the Catholic Church organises retreats
Scotland we do not have the in individual parishes, i.e. time for spiritual reflection, usually
opportunity to experience conducted by a visiting priest. Such teachings are an occasion
such Masses” to reflect on one's relationship with God. During the retreat,
It is worth mentioning that there is also the opportunity to go to Confession. According to
St Nicholas / Święty Mikołaj the Polish tradition of Roraty Kasia P., another Polish inhabitant of Aberdeen, such a spiritual
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