New & Improved "15 Points Preparedness Worksheet!"

15 Points Preparedness Worksheet

I’m getting ready to give a preparedness talk at a church and just freshened up our family worksheet. It can be accessed above, and also on the Home Page. It is 4 pages and helps you design your own prepper program, tailored to your needs. This worksheet makes it easy for you to get started in the preparedness lifestyle. It is an holistic approach, unique and from a Catholic perspective. I think it will surprise you. Print it out today and work on it as a family!

Feel free to email us (button above) with any feedback (which may be shared on this blog). Let us know if you found the worksheet helpful.

March is the Month of Saint Joseph, Part 1

This year, March comes in with Septuagesima and goes out with the 5th week of Lent.  Yes, Easter is late this year, on April 20th.  Easter may be celebrated from March 22nd to April 25th.  Have a look at the (Old Farmer’s) Almanac page below for an explanation of how the date of Easter is determined, including potential complications and the “Golden Number” method.  This article is chock-full of interesting facts and links.  I support the Almanac for their great work in gardening and traditional ideas, and also their respect for the Catholic Church.  They are an invaluable resource.  You can even type in your zip code and get the seasonal planting schedule for your area.  It’s about 15 pages, but well-worth printing.

Almanac:  When is Easter?  Why it Falls so Late in 2025

Also, the above article gives us an idea on one thing we can do to celebrate a holy Lent!  The 7 Penitential Psalms…

“In the sixth century, Christians who had committed grave faults were obliged to do public penance. On Ash Wednesday, they donned a hair shirt (which they wore for 40 days), and the local bishop blessed them and sprinkled them with ashes. Then, while others recited the Seven Penitential Psalms, the penitents were turned out of the holy place. They could not enter the church again until Maundy Thursday…when they received absolution.”

Here they are, along with the Songs of the Suffering Servant, from Isaiah, which are also customary to recite during Lent:

USCCB:  The Seven Penitential Psalms and the Songs of the Suffering Servant

Traditionally during Lent, meat was only eaten at one meal per day and no meat was eaten on Holy Saturday.  Obviously, we refrain from meat every Friday and there is fasting and abstinence on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.  Some also recite the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary each day in Lent.

The Spring Equinox is March 20th.  Since we are preppers here, it is time to start thinking about our gardening.  If you have never gardened or are rusty at it, the Almanac above is fabulous for getting started.  Don’t worry if you can’t get it together for a Spring garden, Summer is a fine time to plant.   How about making that a goal?  Food resilience is becoming more and more important, as food supply and farmers are undergoing attack throughout the world.  Growing your own food is really just a normal part of being human, like my Sicilian-born grandmother did in a tiny yard in Brooklyn, New York.  My father carried on her example at our home in Levittown, growing tomatoes in the backyard and eggplant on the front lawn!  It’s a wonderful thing to teach our children and they have a natural love for it.  The miracle of watching a seed grow into a beautiful plant that you can eat, is endlessly enthralling and gives you an appreciation for God’s creation.  Maybe that’s one reason why the forces of evil do not want us growing food.  Faith is a threat to their New World Order (remember when garden centers were considered “unessential” during Covid?).

Here are some notable feasts of this month, including the Ember Days of Lent.  These present a further opportunity for penance and prayer.  The traditional Mass readings are quite inspiring.  You can also get creative with these Ember Days which harken to the season of Spring, with nature-themed activities and crafts with children.  Take note of the Annunciation, 9 months before Christmas, and Laetare Sunday, like Gaudete Sunday in Advent, when we are reminded of joy in the midst of penance, and the vestments are rose-colored…

2nd-Quinquagesima Sunday

4th-Shrove Tuesday

5th-Ash Wednesday

6th-Saints Perpetua & Felicity

7th-Saint Thomas Aquinas, Perpetua & Felicity (new)

12th-Ember Wednesday

14th-Ember Friday

15th-Ember Saturday

17th-Saint Patrick

19th-Saint Joseph

21st-Saint Benedict

24th-Saint Gabriel the Archangel

25th-ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

30th-Laetare Sunday

+     +     +

Month of Saint Joseph, Foster-Father of Our Lord

In this month dedicated to Saint Joseph, his feast is celebrated March 19th.  There are so many ways to honor him and show our love for this most faithful intercessor.  Here is a printable PDF of the “Thirty Days Prayer:”

THIRTY DAYS PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH

In Honor of the 30 Years Spent with Jesus & Mary

Below are some thoughts by one of our readers, regarding the monthly Catholic themes.  I love the idea of writing your own prayer-what a great activity for children!

“For me, monthly devotions help to build a greater understanding and deeper relationship with the Lord and His Church.  You can bring it naturally into the monthly cycle and feel a little more God-centered.  Some suggestions:

• Read up on the subject of the month’s devotion.

• Form an understanding of why the devotion is important.

• How does the devotion impact your life?

• Is there a feast day?

• Research a monthly Marian connection.

• Choose a nine-day novena that brings you closer to the devotion.

• Read about the Saints who were part of or partial to the devotion.

• Compose your own prayer.

It doesn’t take long and you are taking time to spend with the Lord and the Faith.”

Jenna, New York

Thank you, Jenna!  We welcome feedback from readers and may post your comments.  Wishing you all a most holy and blessed Lent:)

January is the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus! Part 2

[Edited since posting.]

“He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.  For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:  That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:8

“O God, Who didst constitute Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of mankind, and didst bid Him to be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who venerate His holy Name of earth, may fully enjoy also the vision of Him in heaven.”

Collect of the Feast of the Holy Name

From Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

+   JESUS   +

Son of the Living God       Splendor of the Father       Brightness of Eternal Light       King of Glory

Sun of Justice       Son of the Virgin Mary       Most Amiable       Most Admirable       Mighty God

Father of the World to Come       Angel of Great Counsel       Most Powerful       Most Patient

Most Obedient       Meek & Humble of Heart       Lover of Chastity       Lover of Us       God of Peace

Author of Life      Model of Virtues      Zealous for Souls      Our God      Our Refuge      Father of the Poor

Treasure of the Faithful       Good Shepherd       True Light       Eternal Wisdom       Infinite Goodness

Our Way & Our Life       Joy of Angels       King of Patriarchs       Master of Apostles

Teacher of Evangelists       Strength of Martyrs       Light of Confessors       Purity of Virgins

Crown of All Saints

Have Mercy on Us!

Please see our PDF below, for study and prayer honoring the Holy Name this month…

Most Holy Name of Jesus + Scripture and Prayers ~ PDF Printable

We are in the second month now of what we call here, at Nomen Christi Apostolate, the Christological Triad of the Months, mirroring the Marian Triad of the Months beginning in summer.  December was the Month of the Divine Infancy, this is the Month of the Holy Name and February is the Month of Our Lord’s Passion.  We encourage a meditation upon the Person and life of our Blessed Lord.  These 3 months bring us from His birth to His death on the Cross for our salvation.  And this month, we consider the significance of the Name of Jesus Christ and what it tells us about Him, and what it demands of His children.  Please feel free to email us with any insights and we may post them.  This idea is unique to this ministry and has no ecclesiastical recognition as of yet.

The March for Life in Washington DC continues, even with the blessing of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade.  The event is on Friday, January 24th.  If you cannot attend the March, please consider attending a local pro-life witness.  According to 2023 Guttmacher Institute statistics, 2,813 unborn children are killed each day in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. May God look upon the United States with mercy at this very concerning time.  Please note, as indicated below, penance is still recommended in the USA on January 22nd (according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.)

Here are a few notable feasts of January…please think about attending Holy Mass or saying related prayers, etc, as a family…

12th-Holy Family

12th/13th-Baptism of Our Lord

22nd-Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, Day of Prayer & Penance for the Unborn (USA only)

God bless you all in this blessed New Year!

“This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein.”

Psalms 117:24

************** NEW FEATURE! Homeschool Activity: How many titles of Jesus can you memorize above (from the Litany of the Holy Name-print the PDF)??? ******************

Christmas Meditation from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

Well, we’re getting this out on the trad feast of the Epiphany, better late than never! It has been quite a project going through the entire book and extricating the “best” quotes (which is hard to do because every sentence is genius). My best advice is: read the book! But it is not for the faint-hearted and if you want an intellectual challenge, you got it.

According to the traditional Liturgical Calendar, Christmastide began the evening of December 24th with the Mass discussed below. This is not the Midnight Mass, it is the vigil. Christmastide extends until the octave of Epiphany, at which time we enter Time After Epiphany, which extends till Septuagesima (technically Lent). The Cycle of Christmas, when we meditate upon the Incarnation, extends from Advent to Septuagesima, when we begin our meditation upon the Redemption. Christmas celebration, according to my pastor, generally goes until the Feast of the Presentation, February 2nd, as this is last of the major feasts of the Cycle of Christmas.

There is supplemental Advent material in the book, which I will be completing for you, just to be thorough, with PDFs. Then we will have a complete study of Advent of the Heart, which should be used in conjunction with the book. This can be for family or church use. I was unsuccessful in establishing an Advent prayer group this past year, but will try again next year. In fact, I hope to be having regular Nomen Christi meetings by then. If you are local, please get on our email list, so we can contact you! Meetings will be held in the mid-Long Island area.

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Christmas Meditation ~ Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr   +

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  All quotes below are from the Christmas Vigil Tridentine Mass, along with commentary written in Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944, shortly before Fr. Delp’s martyrdom…

Opening Psalm:

“This day you shall know that the Lord will come, and save us: and in the morning you shall see His glory.”

“This means, first, quite simply the nearness of the holy day, the relationship between the Vigil Mass and Christmas Day.  However, it also means a continuing condition, a basic principle of our lives…Man wants so much to regard the known as if it were the final answer, and to feel at home there and settle himself firmly…Man must keep going, keep traveling toward life’s prize…This [text] evokes a creative and healing restlessness in us, to which we are indebted for everything that is authentic and fully alive…And now, at the gates of The Christmas mystery, through which we want to enter as though it were the rediscovered Paradise, the same motif will come into play…You have heard and understood the message…You should set out toward the tangible fulfillment and encounter.  Here too, is the old tension.  Here, too, is the principle of archery: the bow can be drawn only when the archer bears the burden… “

Collect (prayer prior to Epistle):

“O God, Who dost gladden us by the yearly expectation of our redemption, grant that we, who now joyfully receive Thine only-begotten Son as our Redeemer, may also without fear behold Him coming as our Judge, even the same Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son.”

“…the liturgy rescues the image of the incarnate God from the danger of being seen as delicate and innocuous…we are reminded that the Child at whose coming we are rejoicing is the future Judge of our lives.  These smiling eyes of the Child will someday focus on us in mature, solemn examination and judgment.”

Epistle, Romans 1:1:

“…the Gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who was made to Him of the seed of David according to the flesh: who was predestinated the Son of God in power according to the spirit of sanctification by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead: by whom we have received grace, and apostleship for obedience to the faith in all nations…”

“As the Epistle…intones, [of the seed of David according to the flesh]…It is the incomprehensible fact of God entering into history, that He stepped into our law, into our space, into our existence, and not only like one of us, bus as one of us…Paul says of this relationship to Christ, [by whom we have received grace, and apostleship for obedience to the faith in all nations]…All encounters with God challenge His creatures to response and mission.”

Post-Communion:

“We beseech Thee, O Lord, grant us fresh courage [or breath, respirare in Latin], as we celebrate the birthday of Thine only-begotten Son: Whose heavenly Mystery is our food and drink.”

“…we will seldom pray a word so earnestly, honestly, and longingly as this respirare asking for breath at the close of the Christmas Eve Vigil Mass: Lord, give us breath.  Let us draw a deep breath because the stones have fallen from our hearts, because life is on solid ground again…here we have arrived at the heights upon which the respirare, the sigh of relief, the new breath, can happen…The world continues on its course, but it has become the barque of the Lord God that no storm can overturn and no flood can tear asunder.”

 FR. DELP’S CHRISTMAS MEDITATION PRINTABLE PDF

January is the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus! Part 1

We love the Holy Name here at Nomen Christi Apostolate, because the name of our ministry means “Name of Christ.”  Our Blessed Lord has given us the greatest opportunity for peace, for when we ask anything in His Name, it will be granted… 

“Because I go to the Father: and whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, that will I do: that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you shall ask me any thing in my name, that I will do.  If you love me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:13

But as you can see above, there is something the Lord asks in return: that we keep His commandments.  Again, we are told…

“For, amen I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove from hence hither, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you.”

Matthew 17:19

So, the question is, do we believe Our Lord when He says this?  It takes prayer and the life of sacramental grace to understand this teaching and live by it.  When faced with any of life’s “impossible” dilemmas, we have only to ask for help in His Name, and we know the outcome will be for the best…even if we do not get exactly what we asked for, in our imperfect humanity. 

“…in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6

In the coming days, we will be faced with situations we have never encountered before and this faith will be absolutely crucial.  And it will astound those around us, how we are able to deal with these trials with grace and peace…and love above all.

Why is January dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus?  In the traditional calendar, the first day of the month is the feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord, when He was publicly given His Name.  Also, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Name on the 3rd in the new and the 5th in the trad…

“And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb.”

Luke 2:21

“…behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS.  For he shall save his people from their sins.  Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name

Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.  And he knew her not till she brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”

Matthew 1:20

“Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by him this man standeth here before you whole.  This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner.  Neither is there salvation in any other.

For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts of the Apostles 4:10

How can we honor the Holy Name of Jesus this month and in the coming year?  Here is one more verse of Holy Scripture we might consider…

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that shall take the name of the Lord his God in vain.”

Exodus 20:7

How often do we hear the Name of Jesus casually thrown about in public?  How often is His Name dishonored in our entertainment?  If we are to call down mercy during these times, we must show God a worthy people.  We must find such things unacceptable. 

Here is the prayer which concludes the Litany of the Holy Name…

“O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said:

Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you,

grant, we beseech Thee, to us who ask, the gift of Thy most divine love, that we may ever love Thee with all our heart, and in all our words and actions, and never cease from praising Thee.  Make us, O Lord, to have both a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy Name, for Thou never failest to govern those whom Thou foundest upon the strength of Thy love, Who livest and reignest, world without end.  Amen.”

In addition, the beautiful prayers of the Tridentine Mass of the Holy Name can be said throughout this month.

It is a new year, which we also begin with the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.  Let us entrust the year 2025 to her most powerful intercession.

The Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated on the 5th in the new and the 6th in the trad.  Here is the Epiphany Blessing of the Home for you to print and recite with your family.  It is such a blessing…

Epiphany Blessing of the Home Printable PDF

Wishes for many great blessings to all in the new year!  Stay tuned for Part 2…

4th Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Fourth Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times…

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

“Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the Just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior.  The heavens show forth the glory of God: and the firmament declareth the work of His hands.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941, Fourth Sunday of Advent:

“Advent has already called man three times.  It called through the shaking; it called to authenticity; and it called to confession of faith.  And now Advent calls a fourth time.  Without this fourth call, the other three are not possible…It is an old term, a forgotten word, and a forgotten value: fear of God…Man must learn again…to reckon with God as the ultimate category of reality, as the decisive judgment of all that exists…the person who has seen God, is so totally different, so totally other, because our God is totally Other…Further, someone who observes the otherness of the believer will be changed by it…”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942, Pre-Christmas Reflection:

“We need to celebrate holy days in three ways.  First, by recalling a historical event…there is always a clearly defined event connected to the mystery, a clear statement intended, a fact.  This brings us to the second point.  Within all of the foregoing, a great mystery, the Mysterium, is hidden…These two points are followed by the third way, in which we must consider the feast to be serious and important…we should not come to Midnight Mass as if we do not live in the year 1942 [or 2024?].  The year must be redeemed along with everything else.  And from the Gloria, we have to take with us the peace and faith in the glory of God…and we are the last refuge for the homeless people who do not know anything about the Lord anymore.”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944, Fourth Sunday of Advent:

“Our life has become hard and harmful to an extent that far exceeds the natural measure of hardship and distress that were always part of life.  The liberation must begin with the great conversion…which, gathering itself to a mighty strength, will break through the frost-encrusted ground of adversity overnight…[Man] overlooks exterior signs of reality, and dulls his senses with daily routine until the avalanche of life drives him out of the cozy homes and well-tended gardens into the streets of distress and wandering…Life brings greater burdens and bears a richer cargo than we can cope with, comprehend, or manage alone…The great outcry to God must begin and not let up…The time of the great intercessors has come…Prepare the way.  This is a call to enter into history.”

PDF Printable Fourth Sunday of Advent

(For church or home use, or distribution.)

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

+   Third Week of Advent   +

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 ***

The Ten Warnings Based on the Ten Commandments

I             A people who worship false gods shall be ruled by the godless.

II            A people who take the Holy Name of God in vain shall become nameless.

III           A people who profane the Sabbath Day shall have no rest.

IV           A people who dishonor their elders shall be dishonored by their own children.

V            A people who kill the innocent shall themselves be killed.

VI           A people who dishonor their own bodies shall be subject to all manner of bodily harm.

VII          A people who steal from God and man shall be left with nothing.

VIII        A people who deceive shall be deceived by those more powerful.

IX           A people who covet the things of the flesh shall live in deprivation.

X            A people who covet the things of the world shall become enslaved. 

WANT TO PRINT THIS? HERE’S THE PDF!

2nd Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

ADVENT OF THE HEART

+   Second Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  All quotes below pertain to the Second Sunday of Advent…

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

“People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart.  Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:

“ To this message about being deeply shaken, the Second Sunday of Advent adds a new word, a message about man’s authenticity.  Someone who encounters the Ultimate, who knows about the end, must let go of every compromise.  In the presence of the Ultimate the only thing that survives is what is authentic.  All compromise shatters there.  All cheap negotiating shatters there.  All half-truths, and all double-meanings, and all masks, and all poses shatter there.  The only thing that stands the test is what is authentic.” 

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942:

“A variety of responsibilities will be imposed from this time forth…it is our responsibility to make a disturbance in the world that is strong enough in itself to tear this chaos out of its cycle and to lead the world back to its source.  Christians bear the responsibility to generate an authentic unrest within creation, through our existence, our word, and our work…We are obliged to be concerned about the destiny of the world.  Moreover, we must know that we gamble away our own individual salvation if we don’t play, or, to word it better, if we don’t fight, for salvation and order in the world…May we stand in this world, not as people in hiding, but as those who help prepare the way of the only-begotten Son of God.”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin:

“The great historical and personal hours of grace will always mean some form of awakening and return to a true order of reality.  This is also the meaning of Advent: not only promise, but rather conversion and transformation.  Plato would say, ‘orientation to a capability for truth.’  John the Baptist put it more simply, ‘Repent.’  The prayers and message of Advent push man out beyond every surface and bring him to a consciousness of the full sculptural dimensions and drama of his situation…A person filled with confidence in God will profit from this time and stand up to the test…May God break open the narrowness that confines us within ourselves, and make us capable of Him, and capable of His mission.”

SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT FR. DELP PDF PRINTABLE

FOR HOME OR CHURCH USE

1st Week of Advent from "Advent of the Heart" with PDF

Advent of the Heart

+   First Week of Advent   +

Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr

Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times.  Fr. Delp’s theological genius is nothing short of breathtaking.  All quotes below pertain to the First Sunday of Advent…

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

“To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me: and teach me Thy paths.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:

“Much of what is happening today would not be happening if people were in that state of inner movement and restlessness of heart in which man comes into the presence of God the Lord and gains a clear view of things as they really are.  [Fr. Delp changes to the past tense, displaying his distanced vantage point from this world.]  Then man would have let go of much that has thrown all our lives into disorder one way or another and has thrashed and smashed our lives.  He would have seen the inner appeals, would have seen the boundaries, and could have coordinated the areas of responsibility.  Instead, man stood on this earth in a false pathos and a false security, under a deep delusion in which he really believed he could single-handedly fetch stars from heaven; could enkindle eternal lights in the world and avert all danger from himself; that he could banish the night, and intercept and interrupt the internal quaking of the cosmos, and maneuvered and manipulated the whole thing into the conditions standing before us now.  That is the first Advent message: before the end, the world will be set quaking.”

Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1943:

“People who fail to live out of the center can be alienated from themselves so easily by outside influences.  Other values of secondary importance impose themselves, making life inauthentic and bringing it under an alien law and an alien paradigm.  Are we living out of the center of our being?”

From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 2 months before Delp’s martyrdom, struggling to write while in handcuffs.  These were smuggled out at great risk.  Do not take these words for granted:

“Light the candles wherever you can, you who have them.  They are a real symbol of what must happen in Advent, what Advent must be, if we want to live.”

PDF PRINTABLE

FOR FAMILY & CHURCH USE OR DISTRIBUTION