3rd Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

Sorry a bit late on this, I’ve been researching the world situation much of my time…mysterious drones, looming world war and an incoming new US administration, it all interrelates in a deeply concerning way.

ADVENT OF THE HEART

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Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  All quotes below pertain to Gaudete Sunday, when we are called to be glad…

Opening of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):

“Gaudete in Domino Semper!”

“Rejoice in the lord always: again I say, rejoice.  Let your modesty be known to all men: for the Lord is nigh.  Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing by prayer let your petitions be made known to God.  Lord, Thou hast blessed Thy land: Thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:

“Someone facing the Ultimate will not be apathetic, not just accept everything simply because it is, and because it does not change, and because it goes on and on, and because it is happening everywhere…every overstepping of boundaries, every boundary violation and every usurping of power leads the whole thing to disaster.  Look at how these great leaders were shattered and how their work was shattered: Alexander, Caesar Augustus, Napoleon…It came when they were not content with the laurel wreath of greatness, but wanted to take the diadem of the Messiah.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942:

“…we read this wonderful Epistle:

Brethren, rejoice in the Lord…and the peace of God that passes all understanding preserve your hearts and thoughts in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Are these not images of the promise, and longing, and great questions of Advent?  Are they not images of what should be fulfilled when the veils fall, when the Lord reigns over the land?  Do we not seek a life in which joy would have a place once again?”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944:

“The great deception begins, the time of noise and crowds, organized feeding-frenzies, and massive festivities.  Until suddenly the earth quakes and the subterranean thunder, which one wanted to drown out with screaming, because one failed to understand it, breaks forth fully and mightily and fills the day with its call to judgment…Only one thing will help, and that is to hear the call of John the Baptist…The view for connections and content will be reopened to life, and the earth will be fruitfully flooded again by the streams of mission, confirmation, and mastery.  These are the streams that still carry the ship of life and lead it onward.  This is the first meaning of Gaudete in Domino.  Separated from the Lord, the whole thing atrophies!  We must keep telling people this.  It is the most important announcement of these days.  And we must know it and visibly live it as examples.”

*** PDF Printable Third Week Advent ***

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception

How exciting!  We enter a new Liturgical Year, the Season of Advent and the traditional Cycle of Christmas, when we meditate upon the Mystery of the Incarnation.  Unlike our cultural norms of indulgence and attending party after party, we who devoutly observe Advent, know this is a time of preparation and waiting.  We do not celebrate until Christ is born.  Until then, we make ourselves ready by performing penance and good deeds.  Joy is always greater when there has been some discipline preceding the event.

We commemorate the Divine Infancy this month as we prepare to celebrate Our Blessed Lord’s Nativity.  As well, we honor Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America.  With all the need presently in this country, let us flee to her in prayer, beseeching many graces.  The feast of the Immaculate Conception remains on December 8th in the trad calendar.  In the new, it has been transferred to the 9th and is a Holy Day of Obligation. 

Where can you get a good 2025 liturgical calendar?  At Nomen Christi Apostolate, we represent unity between traditional Catholics and those who attend the Novus Ordo.  Therefore we look at both calendars and when composing these monthly reviews, refer to both.  Admittedly, this can be confusing.  We recommend you choose the calendar you prefer and have it in your home to advise you of feasts each month…or hang both calendars!  Many parishes distribute calendars for free.  As for a trad calendar, here's a good one, which will also support the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter:

Fraternity Publications 2025 Liturgical Calendar

Let us remember the Ember Days of Advent on the 18th, 20th and 21st.  This is great time to do Christmas crafts with children, incorporating winter themes.  Encouraging children to perform acts of charity on these days would also be in keeping with the penitential character of the Ember Days, along with Advent.

A most Blessed Christmas and Christmas Season to all!

SAINT ANDREW CHRISTMAS PRAYER

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires
through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother.

Amen.

Epiphany Blessing of the Home with PDF

Epiphany of Our Lord is celebrated January 6th, the day after the 12th Day of Christmas. We remain in the first part of the traditional Liturgical Year, the Cycle of Christmas, the Mystery of the Incarnation. This Blessing of the Home is a wonderful way to show our children one of the riches of the Holy Catholic Faith!

Please consider printing and distributing at your local parish, with your pastor’s permission.

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Epiphany of Our Lord ~ Yearly Blessing of the Home 

This devotion originated in eastern Europe and has spread throughout the world. Just as the Wise Men visited the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, we invite them to visit our own homes to ask for their intercession. The traditional “Cycle of Christmas” ends roughly with the Feast of the Presentation, February 2nd. Performing this devotion any time from January 6th till then would be appropriate. The following format is based on various sources. You will need white chalk (chalk is often blessed by a priest at the Epiphany Mass) and holy water. The family gathers around a statue or holy image. All bless themselves with holy water. Generally, the father of the home leads in the following prayers…

Leader: Peace be to this house.

All: And to all that dwell herein.

Leader: From the east the Magi came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord, and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia!

All: My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For He Who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His Name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of low degree. He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich He has sent empty away. He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever.

All: From the east the Magi came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord, and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia!

Leader: Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation…

All: But deliver us from evil. Amen.

Leader: Many shall come from Saba.

All: Bearing gold and incense.

Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come unto thee.

Leader: Let us pray. O God, Who by the guidance of a star didst this day reveal Thy Sole-Begotten Son to the Gentiles, grant that we who now know Thee by faith, may be brought to the contemplation of Thy Heavenly Majesty. Through the same Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord. Be enlightened, be enlightened O Jerusalem! For thy Light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee, Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.

All: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy Light and kings in the splendor of thy rising and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.

Leader: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord, Almighty God, this home that it be the shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the Commandments, and thanksgiving to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. May this blessing remain for all time upon this dwelling and upon all who live herein. Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The family proceeds to the main entrance of the home. The leader writes the following above the door with the chalk (this can be done on the outside or inside of the home). The digits represent the number of the new year. The crosses represent the 4 seasons. The initials represent the Latin phrase “Christus Mansionem Benedicat,” (Christ Bless this Home). They also represent the names of the 3 Magi. Above the inscription, a cross is made with holy water.

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20 + C + M + B + __

Leader: Christus Mansionem Benedicat! Saints Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, pray for us!

All: Amen!

The family may finish with a hymn, such as “We Three Kings of Orient Are.”

Printable Version PDF

5 Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

We have been putting this list out for years now, and this is the most recent version. Why not consider printing out a few and distributing? Ask your pastor if he would like it printed in the bulletin, give to the church youth group, etc. Even pin up on a local community bulletin board!

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1)  GIFT-GIVING:  Since we want to remember that Christmas is about the birth of Our Lord, and not about luxuries, it is a good idea to keep presents to a minimum and not allow them to be extravagant.  For parents, a nice idea is to give the children three presents, representing the three gifts given to the Christ Child by the magi: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Relatives may also be asked to buy only one gift per child.  This way, the children will not be too overwhelmed.  There will also be less clutter in the home! 

2)  DECORATING:  To keep the emphasis on Christ, it is important to keep decorations to a religious, not a secular, nature.  Since Christmas is a profound holyday, when we celebrate the Incarnation of God Himself, everything we do should be in keeping with this deep and awesome truth.  This extends to the cards we send and even the wrapping paper we use. 

3)  THE CHRISTMAS TREE:  The holy and reverent atmosphere we wish to create will also extend to the Christmas tree.  Choosing ornaments relating to the religious celebration of Christmas can be easily done.  Balls and ornaments featuring the nativity scene or the Madonna and Child can be found quite readily.  Musical themes, candles and of course, angels, would all be good choices.  This is not to suggest that pictures of loved ones, sentimental items or that ornament your child made at school, should be excluded.  It’s the spirit of the tree that matters. 

4)  THE TRUTH ABOUT A CERTAIN CHARACTER:  A character based on a holy man, Saint Nicholas, has become a challenger to Christ on this most holy of days.  Children's minds are consumed by this idea and the materialism associated with it, instead of the real and far more incredible gift of God's Son.  Telling our children the truth includes the following benefits: 

• the emphasis will be on the real Person of Christ rather than a fictional character 

• children will know that their presents come from their loving parents 

• the intellectual development of children will not be impeded by being encouraged to believe a story that goes against reason 

• the trust that children have in their parents will not be undermined when they come to realize the truth-the disappointment and hurt that is often felt at that time will not be experienced 

5)  SEASON OF ADVENT:  Advent is a time of preparation, similar to Lent.  We can encourage penance, as we do in Lent, or we could also focus on works of charity, which can be a wonderful activity for the whole family.  This is also a great time to learn Christmas hymns (that you don't know all the words to) and to read and meditate upon the Incarnation.  Also, down-scaling Christmas preparations can be a good idea if they've been too stressful in the past.  It is wise to be mindful of the simplicity of the first Christmas.  If the stable in Bethlehem is our starting point and our mindset, we cannot go wrong! 

 PRINTABLE VERSION: PDF COLOR

PRINTABLE VERSION: PDF BLACK

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception / December Prepper Challenge!

December is such an interesting ecclesiastical month, I hardly know where to start.  It’s chock full of every kind of feast…Our Blessed Lord, Our Lady, well-known saints, Doctors of the Church, martyrs, visionaries, 1st Century saints, Old Testament Patriarchs, the Holy Family and even Adam & Eve, an “historical” feast, on Christmas Eve.  As if that’s not enough, we also celebrate the Ember Days of Winter the week before Christmas.  And don’t forget the joyful Gaudete Sunday, the 3rd Sundy of Advent.  And Advent itself, of course!

To be clear, we discuss both trad and new feasts and the traditional calendar is below.  We will place our focus on a few feasts…

The 1st Sunday of Advent is this coming Sunday, the 3rd.  This is the beginning of the new Liturgical Year and the beginning of the Cycle of Christmas, when we await the birth of Our Savior and prepare spiritually for this great Holy Day.  On the 8th, we honor the Immaculate Conception of Mary (Patroness of the USA), a Holy Day of Obligation.  This solemnity falls on a Friday this year, so no penance is required.  Our Lady of Loreto is the 10th and Our Lady of Guadalupe the 12th. 

The Ember Days are days of prayer and penance to obtain mercy for the coming season.  As the Ember Days concern themselves with nature, it’s a particularly nice time to do crafts with children.  In this case, it can be combined with Christmas in all kinds of creative ways.  Come up with your own ideas…maybe you could even arrange a day at your parish for these activities. 

I don’t suppose I have to remind anyone about Christmas on the 25th.  But let us celebrate as holy a Christmas as we can this year, as the world continues to spiral into a plethora of polycrises.

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December Prepper Challenge

Speaking of polycrises, how about a challenge this month?  Yes, it’s Christmastime, but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the problems in the world take a vacation.  In a month, these progressive issues, many of which are exponential in nature (speeds up over time), will be one month closer to the critical point.  That’s why action must be taken now, Christmastime or not.  The greatest gift you can give your loved ones, besides spiritual encouragement, is preparedness. 

Let us take the 2 themes of this month as inspiration, Mother and Child.  As life gets more difficult, the vulnerable will be in greater need.  We cannot help them until we help ourselves.  We must be in a strong position to help our neighbors.  We must prepare because too many are not.  We will be held accountable.  As Chris Martenson says, we will be asked one day:

“When did you see?  What did you do about it?”

If you still don’t see the need to prepare for the coming days, pray to the Holy Ghost for an illumination.

15 Points Preparedness Worksheet

Please print our worksheet above and choose 5 points to begin working on this month.  We encourage you to involve your family, discuss it together, and write out the most important things you agree should be done.  Feel free to email us with your progress and we may share your comments.  You might also think about printing a copy for your loved ones as a Christmas gift.  Roll it up with a red or green ribbon.  I guarantee they won’t get this from anyone else!  Good luck and you all will be in our prayers!

Here is the traditional Catholic calendar for December:  calefactory.org

Oh no, I forgot this!

But you can still do it…we’re still in the cycle of christmas…

epiphany blessing of the home

It is suggested that you use holy water for the above activity. Funny, I just learned that at the Epiphany Mass, it is a custom for people to bring bottles of water for the priest to bless en masse. My own parish on Long Island did this-I assume it is a traditional custom. From a Catholic prepper point of view, GOTTA HAVE HOLY WATER!

The 12th Day of Christmas

Twelve Fruits of the holy ghost

The 11th Day of Christmas

eleven faithful apostles

The 10th Day of Christmas

the ten commandments

The 9th Day of Christmas

The Nine Choirs of Angels