Our Lady of Peace Salamanca, NY

09/08/2026

Today we celebrate the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is a church in Buffalo named the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I believe it serves the Vietnamese community. Anyways, one legend has it that her parents Joachim and Anne were older and childless. Both prayed for a child and, while Joachim was away, they both had a dream/vision and an angel told them they would have a daughter. After Joachim returned home, Anne became pregnant with Mary. She was also dedicated to the Lord at the age of three, indicating she would live her life as a virgin. Of course, we all know what happened several years later. Today we honor her birth and we honor her as the mother of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The first reading today is Micah 5:1-4a. The prophet wrote about Bethlehem-Ephrathah and that from it shall come one who was to be ruler of Israel, whose origin was from ancient times. The Lord would give them up until the time when she who is to give birth has borne and his brethren shall return to the children of Israel. The one to be born would stand firm and shepherd Israel by the strength of the Lord, in the name of the Lord and they would remain for his greatness would reach the ends of the earth and he shall be peace. The first part of this section is the one that the scribes read to the magi when they asked about the "newborn king of the Jews." (This is only reported in Matthew's gospel. ) At any rate, it tells us of the expected birth of Jesus and where he would come from. So, the end is also important because it tells us he would bring peacecand call all people to God. Heed his call and worship the shepherd of Israel.
The gospel is Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23. The first sixteen verses give us the genealogy of Jesus, showing he is a descendant of David. The last few verses tell us of how the birth came to be, of Joseph wanting to quietly divorce Mary because of her pregnancy before they lived together. Then he had a vision from an angel which told him that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit and the child was to be named Jesus and would save the people from their sins. Then he took Mary into his home and the rest is history. For me, the important message is the trust that Joseph had in the message of the angel and the calling of God. Let us also respond to God's call as Joseph did and answer with a yes.
God bless and stay safe and stay healthy. Pray for peace in Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, Iran and Ukraine and throughout the world. Pray for the victims of violence and their families. Pray for the sick and the poor souls in Purgatory. Pray for an increase in vocations and for the Church in WNY and for our parish family. Have a blessed day.

09/08/2026

St. Adrian of Nicomedia (d. 306 A.D.) lived under the Christian persecutions of the Roman Emperor Galerius Maximian. Thirty-three Christians were seized in Nicomedia, brought before a judge, and ordered to be savagely beaten. With each new torture the men received, they bravely proclaimed their faith in Christ. They argued with the judge that by his tortures he was only increasing their heavenly glory, while guaranteeing his own damnation to hell. Adrian, a man of 28 years, was head of the praetorium and witnessed the steadfast faith of these men. He was moved to the point of conversion, and exclaimed that he, too, would reject paganism to suffer and die for the name of Christ along with the other Christians. One of Adrian's servants ran to tell his wife, Natalie, what her husband had done. Natalie, who was secretly a Christian, ran to the prison in joy at the news of her husband's newfound faith, and encouraged him to stay strong and steadfast in it. After Adrian refused to recant his profession of faith in Christ, he was thrown into prison with the other men and cruelly tortured. His arms and legs were severed on an anvil before finally dying as a martyr. Saint Adrian is the patron saint of soldiers, arms dealers, and butchers. His feast day is September 8th.

09/08/2026

Happy Birthday Mother Mary

09/08/2026

09/07/2026

Today's words of wisdom from Bishop Fulton Sheen: "Love of self without love of God selfishness; love of neighbor without love of God embraces only those who are pleasing to us, not those who are hateful."

09/07/2026

The first reading today is 1 Corinthians 5:1-8. Paul wrote that there were rumors of widespread immortality among the people and a type of immortality not found in pagans- a man living with his father's wife. And he accused them of being inflated with pride, but they should be sorrowful. He told them the one guilty of this should be expelled from the community. While Paul was absent in body from them, but present in spirit, he had already pronounced judgment on the one who committed this deed in the name of Jesus. Then he said that, when they are gathered together and he would be with them in spirit, they should deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of his flesh so that his spirit may be saved. Paul told them their boasting was inappropriate. He asked if they knew that a little yeast leavens the whole loaf. He told them to clear out the old yeast so they might become a fresh batch of dough. Our Paschal Lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed so they should celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. This was a terrible scandal and hardly something that should be celebrated. Paul was right to call them out, if they were boasting about some man living with his father's wife. I suspect he meant the man was living with mother or stepmother as his wife. These "old" ways of life were the old yeast that leavened the entire loaf. If they allowed this behavior, there was danger that it would become normal behavior and accepted by the people. We are supposed to be better than this. Instead, let us let be the new yeast of morality and goodness. Let our goodness spread to others.
The gospel is Luke 6:6-11. On a sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue to teach. There was a man whose right hand was withered. The Pharisees and scribes watched to see if he would cure on the sabbath so they could accuse him. Jesus knew their intentions and told the man to come stand with them. Then he asked them if it 2as lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than evil, or to save life rather than destroy it. Then Jesus told the man to stretch out his hand and his hand was restored. The scribes and Pharisees became enraged and discussed what they could do to Jesus. How sad that even curing someone of a crippling deformity was considered work and unlawful! Their jealousy knew no limits. Be reassured that doing good on ANY day of the week is never sinful. Helping others will never be considered evil (unless you're helping them do something illegal or immoral). Continue to follow the example of Jesus and do good, help each other, love one another, no matter what day of the week it is. God will bless us and be pleased with our deeds and actions.
God bless and stay safe and stay healthy. Pray for peace in Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon, Iran and Ukraine and throughout the world. Pray for the victims of violence and their families. Pray for the sick and the poor souls in Purgatory. Pray for an increase in vocations and for the Church in WNY and for our parish family. Have a blessed day.

09/07/2026

The Miraculous Medal Novena and rosary will be recited at Our Lady of Peace. We will start at 11:30 AM.

09/07/2026

Saint Regina (d. 286 A.D.) was born to pagan parents in France. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father gave her to the care of a Christian nurse who secretly baptized her and raised her in the Christian faith. As Regina grew older her embrace of Christianity became evident, and her father disowned her as a result. Regina then went to live with her Christian nurse. They lived in poverty, and Regina tended sheep to help support the household. This solitude allowed her time to pray and meditate on the lives of the saints. When she was fifteen years of age, a Roman proconsul by the name of Olybrius was determined to marry her. He became greatly disturbed when he discovered that she was a Christian. He asked her to renounce her faith in order to save her life and secure a prosperous marriage with him. Regina staunchly refused to deny her faith, having already taken a vow of virginity to Christ. For her defiance she was cast into prison. Hoping that her resolve would gradually weaken, Olybrius visited her in prison and asked her once more to renounce her faith. Regina's determination only increased with time, and she again refused. Olybrius, angered, had her severely tortured with her body being scourged, burned, and raked. Finally, she was beheaded. Her resolve under torture and the appearance of a dove above her head caused witnesses to convert to Christianity. After her death many miracles were attributed to her relics. St. Regina is the patron of poor people, shepherdesses, and torture victims. Her feast day is September 7th.