February: Month of the Passion of Our Lord

We are keeping track of where we are in the Liturgical Year. As of the last day of January, we have moved from “Season After Epiphany” to “Season After Septuagesima,” or simply “Septuagesima.” This is the brief time before Lent, when the vestments turn purple and we begin to contemplate the Mystery of the Redemption: The Cycle of Easter has begun! During Septuagesima, we prepare for Lent so we are not caught on Ash Wednesday with no plan. This year, roughly one year into a changed world, it is more important than ever, to be prepared for Lent and to give God our very best. We must do all we can to secure mercy for the world and Holy Church at this hour. In many places last Easter, the churches were closed (including New York, where I live) and people could not receive Our Blessed Lord on this greatest of all solemnities. Let us celebrate a worthy Lent this year, that we may joyfully attend Holy Mass on Easter this year!

It is also important though, to remain positive and not to stress ourselves too much. We are all traumatized from the past year and concerned about the state of the world. We must practice good self-care and stress reduction. So there needs to be a balance between our penitential practices and remembering the joy of life. The most important thing is love. Love for God, for self and for neighbor. When in doubt, just love!

Traditionally in Lent, meat is eaten at only one meal and of course, no meat on Fridays. Being that February is devoted to the Passion of Our Lord, we may wish to think about how we may integrate this into our Lenten activities. We also have the Ember Days this month-further opportunity for prayer and penance.

On the 2nd of the month, we celebrate the Presentation of Our Lord, a topic we dealt with in Lesson 4 of our Prepper Rosary Program. On Shrove Tuesday, we adore the Holy Face of Jesus, a wonderful contemplation as Lent is about to begin. This month also honors 2 Doctors of the Church, Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette, St. Apollonia and Francisco & Jacinto Marto, 2 of the Fatima children who died young. Following is a sampling of the feasts of February. Septuagesima* and Lenten blessings to all!

2/2-PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD, traditionally also known as the PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY and Candlemas

2/3-St. Blaise, Blessing of Throats

2/5-First Friday / St. Agatha, Martyr honored in Canon of Mass

2/6-First Saturday / St. Titus, Companion of St. Paul

2/7-Sexagesima Sunday

2/8-St. Josephine Bakhita, 20th Century Saint

2/9-St. Cyril of Alexandria, Doctor, “Doctor of the Incarnation,” “Seal of the Fathers” / St. Apollonia, Martyr, Patroness of Dentistry

2/11-OUR LADY OF LOURDES

2/14-Quinquagesima Sunday / St. Valentine, Martyr, Patron of lovers, epileptics and beekeepers / Sts. Cyril & Methodius

2/16-HOLY FACE OF JESUS, Shrove Tuesday

2/17-ASH WEDNESDAY, fast & abstinence

2/18-St. Bernadette, Seer of Lourdes

2/20-Francisco & Jacinta Marto, Seers of Fatima, 20th Century Saints

2/21-St. Peter Damian, Doctor, “Monitor of the Popes” (new)

2/22-Chair of St. Peter

2/23-St. Polycarp, Martyr / St. Peter Damian (trad)

2/24-Ember Wednesday in Lent / St. Matthias, Apostle who replaced Judas, Martyr

2/26-Ember Friday in Lent

2/27-Ember Saturday in Lent

* I’ve typed this word so many times over the years, I just don’t care anymore! Of course, the spell check does not know of such things. Please don’t contact me to tell me I spelled it wrong:)

Image courtesy http://www.jesusdivinemercy.com

Feast of The Holy Family & the Liturgical Calendar

[Edited since posting.]

In the traditional calendar, today we celebrate The Holy Family: Our Blessed Lord, Our Blessed Mother and Patron of the Universal Church, Saint Joseph…

From the Collect:

“O Lord Jesus Christ, who, being subject to Mary and Joseph, didst sanctify home life with ineffable virtues: grant that, with the aid of both, we may be taught by the example of Thy Holy Family, and attain to eternal fellowship with them.”

At Mass today, our celebrant made a very interesting point. He said Our Lord could have come into the world in any way He chose, but He chose to come through a family, the way we all do. This illustrates how sacred the family is. We must remember this, in a culture which has done everything in its power to destroy it, the most recent effort being the physical separation of loved ones (from visiting restrictions in healthcare facilities to quarantines imposed upon those who would dare cross state lines on a holiday which may be the last one our elderly parents or terminally ill family members have). My own family has been suffering as well, with these inhuman orders. Whatever you may think about covid, we are creating a world that no one is going to want to live in. When the fear of death overtakes life itself, it’s time to reconsider what we are doing.

This feast also marks the last Sunday of Christmastide, which began on Christmas Eve. This is arguably, the day to put away your creche and toss your Christmas tree.* In the traditional liturgical calendar, there are 2 parts of the Liturgical Year: The Christmas Cycle and The Easter Cycle. One celebrates the Mystery of the Incarnation and the other, the Mystery of the Redemption. We begin the year with Advent and proceed to Christmastide and Season After the Epiphany. The Easter Cycle, with Season After Septuagesima, begins on Septuagesima Sunday. We will keep track this year, on this blog, of where we are in the liturgical calendar. This is something most Catholics are not well-versed in, but it is an essential aspect of the Catholic life, upon which a truly Catholic culture depends. If “The Authentic Life,” is a Catholic society, the liturgical calendar is of fundamental importance, which should be taught joyfully to our children!

* An idea I recently came across from The Old Farmer’s Almanac, is to dispose of your Christmas tree in the woods, where animals can use it for shelter over the winter. I thought this was a great idea, until I realized there are probably fines for doing this. Anyway, just puttin the idea out there…BTW, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is a resource I cannot say enough good things about-they even mention Catholic feasts sometimes! The topics they deal with are weather, astronomy, gardening, cooking, health, homemaking, sustainability and preparedness. Check out their site right now for the “2021 Garden Planner,” email newsletter, online store and more…and find out what a hugelkultur is!