WORLD FOOD DAY-ST.
HEDWIG
Psalm
128, Verse 1-4:
1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, and who walk in his ways. 2 What your hands provide
you will enjoy; you will be blessed and prosper: 3 Your wife will be like a
fruitful vine within your home, Your children like young olive plants around
your table.4
Just so will the man be blessed who fears
the LORD.
Those who fear the Lord work to not
react to their feelings but act from the principle of God’s unconditional love
to empower others even at personal cost. They practice the three cardinal
virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The act of blessing works both ways and
bless’ all; both those who receive and those who give.
This psalm is a statement
that the ever-reliable God will bless the reverent. God’s blessing is concrete:
satisfaction and prosperity, a fertile spouse and abundant children. The
perspective is that of the adult male, ordinarily the ruler and representative
of the household to the community. The last verses extend the blessing to all
the people for generations to come.[1]
World
Food Day is recognized in order to raise awareness about hunger and encourage
the public to support efforts to eradicate world hunger. Food plays an
essential role in life; many people go without it and cannot guarantee when
they will eat their next meals, while others waste large amounts of food every
day. World Food Day is organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United
Nations. The FAO was founded on October 16, 1945 in an effort to
help the world with its constant battle against hunger and malnutrition. World
Food Day was officially established in 1979 and today, it is observed in over
150 countries. It is celebrated annually on the same day as the FAO's founding,
October 16th. Since 1981, a different theme has been adopted each year based on
current issues. The day is also heavily promoted by organizations that are
concerned with food security and insecurity.
World
Food Day Facts & Quotes
·
World Food Day will focus on Zero
Hunger for 2017.
·
Approximately 1/3 of all food
produced worldwide, about $1 trillion dollars worth, is wasted. The
biggest culprits are industrialized countries; they waste almost as much food
as the entire production weight of sub-Saharan Africa- 222 million vs 230
million tons.
·
The Food and Agriculture of the
United Nations acts as a forum for international efforts that aim to reduce
food insecurity by acting as a forum for states to meet and negotiate trade
agreements and policy.
·
The quest for food security can be
the common thread that links the different challenges we face and helps build a
sustainable future. – José Graziano da Silva, United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General
·
In a world of plenty, no one, not a
single person, should go hungry. But almost 1 billion still do not have enough
to eat. I want to see an end to hunger everywhere within my lifetime. – Ban
Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary-General
World
Food Day Top Events and Things to Do
·
Do
not waste food. World Food Day promotes Think. Eat. Save. as a way to reduce
waste so, t=Think about what you’re buying, plan meals and shop smart. Eat
mindfully. Are your eyes too big for your stomach? Save food, save money, save
the environment.
·
Lobby
your government to changes its laws on waste. France passed a law banning
supermarkets from throwing away destroying unsold food, instead making them
donate it to charities
and food banks.
·
Watch
a documentary about the food production process. Food
Inc.
(2008), Super Size Me (2004) or Fresh (2009) are all documentaries about food
production and waste.
·
Read
a book about food activism, eco- and ethical-farming why not try one of these
books that may help us find sustainable solutions to feed the 9.6 billion
people that will to be fed by 2050. Our picks:
1) The Big Pivot: Radically Practical Strategies for a Hotter, Scarcer, and More Open World by Andrew S Winston
2) Feeding Frenzy: Land Grabs, Price Spikes, and the World Food Crisis by Paul McMahon
3) The Political Economy of Arab Food Sovereignt by Jane Harrigan
Hedwig
(1174-1243), the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, was married at an early age
to Henry, Duke of Silesia. After their six children had been born, they both
strove to advance in sanctity and to enrich Silesia and Poland with
monasteries, hospitals, and leper asylums. When Henry died in 1238, Hedwig took
the habit of the Cistercian nuns at Trebnitz (where one of her daughters was
the abbess), but retained the administration of her property so that she could
give personal relief to the suffering.
Things to Do
·
On
this feast in Poland, there is a bread called Hedwigsohlen (Shoe Soles
of St. Hedwig) that used to be distributed to the poor of Trebnitz on her feast
day. The shoe soles remind us of her generosity to the poor, and the fact that
she sacrificed her own comfortable shoes in walking to church. A recipe can be
found in Cooking with the Saints by Ernest Schuegraf, but any
recipe for a bread that can be formed into a specific shape can be used. Form
them into soles of shoes.
·
One
of the great Eastern Europe/Slovakian (including Polish) traditions is the colored
Easter eggs, or pisanki (pysanky — multiple-colored eggs) and krashanki
(single colored eggs). These eggs seem to have been associated with burial
customs and the oldest written knowledge connects St. Hedwig with this custom.
After her canonization in 1267 this miracle was attributed to Hedwig:
When the son of a
prominent judge was still unable to walk at eight years of age, his mother
brought the boy to the grave of St. Hedwig in her arms and was praying to St.
Hedwig to heal him when, lo!, a miracle happened. In the presence of the priest
who baptized him and the abbess of the monastery, the boy suddenly stood up,
took an egg that lay before him and walked around the saint's grave. The abbess
took other decorated eggs and threw them at the feet of the young boy,
compelling him to walk further from the tomb. This miracle is said to have
happened near Easter between 1274 and 1287 (p. 107, Polish Customs,
Traditions, & Folklore by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab).
Find out more about
these Easter eggs, and
try your hand at making these works of art.
·
October
is harvest time all over the world, but especially in Poland. Late September
usually brings frost, so usually only the root crops, like cabbage, turnips,
beets and carrots are remaining to be harvested. Old Polish legends talk about
harvesting these late root crops and sowing of winter wheat on or just after
October 15 which is St. Hedwig’s Day or Sw. Jadwiga in Poland. It is
said that she sweetens these crops if they are left till then. See Polish
Customs, Traditions, & Folklore by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab for more
details.
Daily Devotions/Prayers
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