A Time for Smiles; A Time for Peace

We must choose between the violence of adults

and the smiles of children.  - Elie Wiesel

Who doesn’t enjoy seeing the smiles of children? But far too many children are not smiling. They’re not smiling because they live in a world of violence caused by adults who make war and weapons, adults who terrorize innocent people with speeding vehicles and deadly guns, adults who strike those with whom they disagree and curse those who look different from themselves. Children see this “adult” behavior and fear it, but they also learn to imitate it whether they see it in person or in the media, whether they hear it on the streets or in music.

Soon it will be the season of gift-giving, whether you are celebrating Christmas, Chanukah, or Kwanzaa, a time to celebrate light, love, and peace. It is one of the best times to bring smiles to children’s faces. But how do we do that if we perpetuate the violence not only in our words and deeds, but also in our gifts? How do Christians commemorate the birth of the one we call Prince of Peace if the gifts we give encourage conflict and competition? How do Jews commemorate the divine miracle of lasting, light-giving oil if the gifts we give promote the dark side of human behavior? How do African Americans celebrate family, community, and culture if the gifts we give divide people into enemies instead of friends?

When you choose gifts for the children in your life, please keep these questions in mind and consider toys that:

v  Promote respectful, non-stereotyped, nonviolent interactions among children

v  Can be used in many ways

v  Allow children to be in charge of the play

v  Appeal to children at more than one age or level of development

v  Are not linked to video games, computers, TV, or movies,

v  Can be used with other toys for new and more complex play

v  Will stand the test of time as children develop new interests and skills

v  Help children develop skills important for further learning and a sense of mastery

v  Can be used alone or with others

v  Can be enjoyed by boys and girls

Choose:

• Toys that foster cooperation and teamwork, like dolls and puzzles and some board games
• Toys for constructing, like building blocks and molding clay
• Toys that inspire creative arts, like craft supplies and musical instruments
• Toys that promote movement, like bikes, wagons, and sports equipment
• Toys that promote dramatic play, like costumes and props, puppets and magic sets
• Toys that enhance the imagination, new ideas, and problem solving, like science and nature kits
• Toys that respect the environment, that can be reused and recycled
• And don’t forget books, magazine subscriptions, tickets to a show or movie, Teddy Bears, and you. There’s nothing better than YOUR time!

Happy, Peaceful Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa!

Happy, Peaceful Holidays to All!

Thanks to www.truceteachers.org for the information presented in this flier. Visit their website, as well as www.responsibleshopper.org, and www.greenamerica.org for more ideas about gifts that promote the positive values we want for our children and have the extra benefit of being sweatshop-free and non-toxic.

This information is produced by Pax Christi Metro New York,

a region of Pax Christi USA, a member of Pax Christi International,

the Catholic peace movement.

For more information, contact 212-420-0250,

info@nypaxchristi.org, or visit www.nypaxchristi.org.

We encourage you to reproduce this leaflet

and share it with others.

Advocates for Migrants Rights Gather at US-Mexico border for 'Posada'

By Nancy Wiechec
Catholic News Service

NOGALES, Mexico (CNS) — Kenia Salas, about to play the role of Mary in a Christmastime commemoration popular across Mexico, said she imagines Mary as a woman of strength.

“I think she was worried about her baby,” Salas, 17, said before participating in the “posada” along the U.S.-Mexico border. “I think she probably was a little scared because she was about to give birth and she was in pain. But I also think she was happy. She knew what she was doing was for God, and that made her strong.”

Advocates for migrants gathered for the traditional re-enactment of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter before the birth of Christ. The roles of Mary, Joseph and an angel were played by Salas and other members of Kino Teens, who work with the Kino Border Initiative in its ministry to migrants.

Joining the procession along the border fence were Bishops Jose Leopoldo Gonzalez of Nogales and Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona. Their dioceses include the area of “ambos Nogales,” the separated American and Mexican cities of Nogales.

The crowd included the Nolan family from Incarnation Parish in Palos Heights, Ill. Elizabeth Nolan, 17, had taken part in a Kino Teens border immersion program in the summer. She said she wanted the rest of her family to see firsthand the border city and be able talk with migrants and to hear their stories.  “Seeing the border and crossing over shows how close we are and yet how far apart we really are,” she said.  

Along the “posada” procession route, the group heard recordings of migrants telling their accounts of separation and struggle.  In one recording, a woman weeps for her children as she tells of her Arizona workplace being raided by sheriff deputies. She was jailed and deported, separated from her husband and 11- and 18-year-old sons.  “They took away our spirit,” she said. “You feel like you can do nothing. It’s not easy being separated from your children and your family.”

Following the testimony, the “posada” group reflected on what it means to be family. Someone read a quote from Pope Francis: “The family the Catholic Church defends is a reality wanted by God. It is a gift of God that brings to people, as well as to societies, joy, peace stability, happiness.”

The posada, which began near the DeConcini Port of Entry, ended at the “comedor,” the kitchen and dining hall of the Aid Center for Deported Migrants run by the Kino Border Initiative. Deported men, women and children are fed hot meals there each night. This night was no exception. After helping serve the meal, Bishop Kicanas reflected on what it means for people of faith to come together to support each other regardless of borders.

“This time of year is a beautiful time for families on both sides of our border to come together, to walk together, to share together, to pray together,” he said. “That’s what this ‘posada’ has been, an opportunity for us from Nogales, Sonora, the new diocese, and the Diocese of Tucson and the Diocese of Phoenix to walk together. That’s what the Lord is calling us to do and what this beautiful season reminds us about.”

Like so many migrants and refugees today, he said, Mary and Joseph were poor people, and they simply desired a place of comfort and safety for their child.

“The people who are seeking a better way of life remind us of ourselves. Every parent wants to care for their child, every parent wants to have opportunity for their child. That’s really the driving force of migration.

“It’s important for nations of the world to find ways to welcome the stranger, to welcome those who are fleeing violence, to welcome those who are trying to find a better way of life,” he said.

Continue reading here:  http://cnstopstories.com/2015/12/22/advocates-for-migrants-in-arizona-sonora-gather-at-border-for-posada/ 

SUPPORT PEACE AND JUSTICE THIS CHRISTMAS

You can help support human rights and care for the environment by remembering these tips:  buy fair trade whenever possible, when store shopping support local businesses, recycle wrapping paper or better yet use old newspapers or self-decorated paper bags instead, make a present yourself instead of buying something from the store, consider as a present giving your time and talents to help out a friend or family member (coupon book), etc., or donate to a charity that works to uplift human rights and/or protect the environment in honor of your friend or family member. 

Did you know you can support the Congregation this Christmas while shopping online at Amazon.com for presents?  You can, through Amazon Smile!  It works just like the regular Amazon, but by going through http://smile.amazon.com/ first, and searching for “Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word” and selecting that as your charity.  Then, from every purchase you make on Amazon .5% will be donated back to the Congregation.

We also encourage you to consider giving an alternative Christmas gift this year through Women’s Global Connection (WGC). This year, WGC invites you to do something different when thinking about what to give that person who already has it all. Give more than a gift to one person; give to better a family’s daily lives and change the future for people in places such as Tanzania and Peru.  WGC’s Alternative Program is a way to transform the lives of others in the name of your loved ones. You can help alleviate poverty by supporting access to clean water, funding education, or building family businesses. See what your donation in the name of a loved one could do at http://www.womensglobalconnection.org/ 

Have a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Congregational JPIC Office!

Go into all the world,

and preach the gospel

to every creature.

-Mark 16,15-