Lesson 5-Prepper Rosary Program

This concludes the Joyful Mysteries of the Prepper Rosary Program. We will resume this program at a later date. Please get on our email list to be notified. In the meantime, finish the Worksheet and incorporate greater preparedness into your life!

”And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered.”

Luke 2:46

Know Opportunity When You See It ~ The Finding of Jesus in the Temple

Next time your Protestant friend criticizes the Rosary, you can say it is in fact, a form of Bible study. The Fifth Joyful Mystery, “The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple,” is found in Luke, 2:41-52. The Holy Family, along with their “kinsfolks and acquaintance,” embarked on their yearly trip from Nazareth to Jerusalem for the Pasch. Upon making their journey back, Our Lord stayed behind, amazing the elders in the Temple with His divine wisdom. Mary and Joseph realized He was not with them and sadly returned to Jerusalem to seek Him. They found their precious Son in His Father’s House, where He told them, they ought to have known He would be. The learned men also found Him, as He opened their eyes to the knowledge that Someone extraordinary had entered Herod’s still-under-construction Second Temple.

When this Bar Mitzvah-aged youth tried to engage these men, they could easily have said, “Get outta here kid, we have no time for this. Aren’t your parents looking for you?” But instead, their hearts were moved to see what this young man had to say. Probably, they initially felt they would help HIm out with some questions. By the time His parents showed up, they were left in wonder, participants in a Mystery that would be told till the end of time. They saw the opportunity before them, heeded the call and were forever changed.

Knowing opportunity when you see it requires a broad view of your surroundings and thinking outside the box. It is a skill that develops over time, by training your mind to scan the environment for benefits the average person would not see. After a while, it becomes second-nature and you become an asset to yourself and those around you. However, keep in mind that not every idea is a good one. Discernment must be used, with prayer. When you pass that farm with the “For Sale” sign, remember there is a reason why “bought the farm” is an expression for death (then again, a farm might be just what you need-the idea of creating rural refuges is gaining in popularity and very much in accord with the mission of our ministry). Some ideas will be small and some will be big. On the small end…you might notice sturdy candles on sale, which would be great during a blackout, your neighbor might be selling his old generator, or you may see some good bulk deals on storable food. On the large end…well, there’s the farm…turning an abandoned lot into a community garden or establishing a prayer group at an otherwise socially-deficient church…strong communities are critical during hard times (those in power have done everything they can to destroy connectedness, because they want us to rely on big government instead of the strength of subsidiarity). We must also trust in Divine Providence, that God will give His children what they need. “Ask and you shall receive.” We just need to notice these gifts when they cross our paths.

Another kind of opportunity is the simple, personal kind, that we often miss. It could be a bored child asking for attention, a beautiful spring day you could enjoy with your family, or a cousin who calls out of the blue when you’re busy. Sometimes we need to take a step back and embrace what the moment is asking of us. What does this have to do with preparedness? Strong relationships are the essence of life…the essence of an authentic life. Such a life, close to God, each other and nature, is the ultimate preparedness. This is exactly what our modern culture has been attacking for decades. We must turn the dial in the other direction if there is to be any hope for the future.

Just as Mary and Joseph finally looked for their Child in the Temple and the Jewish doctors humbly recognized His wisdom, we must also use our minds and hearts to navigate an increasingly hostile world. Surely, God’s Judgement is upon us and there are those who need us. We must do our best for them and for Holy Church, to re-establish His reign on earth…

From Act of Consecration of the Human Race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus:

Grant, O Lord, to Thy Church assurance of freedom and immunity from harm, give peace and order to all nations, and make the earth resound from pole to pole with one cry:

Praise to the Divine Heart that wrought our salvation. To It be glory and honor forever! Amen.

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Pray 1 Decade of the Rosary, meditating on the Mystery of The Finding of Jesus in the Temple, for the intention of enlightenment on the issues discussed above…

Our Father + 10 Hail Marys + Glory Be

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Please fill out #5

“15 Points Preparedness Worksheet”

Thank you for participating ~ spread the word!

Image courtesy sensusfidelium.us

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

Lesson 4, Part 2A-Prepper Rosary Program

“Lesson 4” of our Prepper Rosary Program deals with the topic, “Improve Your Spiritual Life ~ The Presentation of Our Lord.” We presented the verse from Holy Scripture below, focusing on the admonition to “Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God.” We dealt briefly with the rest of the quote. Being that this particular verse is sometimes used against the idea of “preparedness,” it is important to focus more deeply on it (which we will do now and also in our next lesson, Part 2B)...

“Be not solicitous therefore, saying, What shall we eat: or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the heathens seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.

Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Be not therefore solicitous for tomorrow; for the morrow will be solicitous for itself. Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof.”

Matthew 6:31

Looking at the above, from the standpoint of a “Catholic Prepper,” there are 3 basic points that need to be made. I will simply ask you to meditate on these until our next lesson, which will expound upon each point-you may wish to make your own notes.

1) Always use common sense combined with prayer.

2) Do what you can within reason. Beyond this, trust in God.

3) Avoid extremes.

In addition, below is a link to our Scriptural quotes dealing with preparedness. Please review this-it exists nowhere else on the internet. I compiled it myself, through painstaking research-there is also a PDF, which is less comprehensive, since it needed to fit on one page…

…and don’t forget Noah, “The Original Prepper!”

BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR PREPAREDNESS

BIBLICAL SUPPORT FOR PREPAREDNESS PDF PRINTABLE

Lesson 2-Prepper Rosary Program

“And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren…And Mary rising up…went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. And she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth…And Mary abode with her about three months…Now Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son.”

Luke 1:36

Extend Yourself to Others ~ The Visitation

The above scripture shows us the loving Immaculate Heart of Our Lady. Immediately following the Annunciation, she flees to the side of her cousin Elizabeth. We can infer the reason she does this, is because she knows Elizabeth is older and needs help in her final days of pregnancy. We are told Mary stays with her for 3 months, right up until she gives birth. What profound humility, for one carrying the Son of God in her own womb, to place herself at the service of another woman with child. Taking Mary’s example, who are you being called to help?

Holy Church gives us the Corporal Works of Mercy, based on the teachings of Christ. This is a good place to start, if seeking to know where you are being called. Gravitate to what resonates with you. Some of us will not have to seek at all, it will be obvious that there is someone close who needs us. But sometimes, these are the ones we are most blind to. How does this relate to preparedness? When we strengthen others, we strengthen ourselves and we are only as strong as the weakest link. Humanity is a fabric of connectedness (which is presently being torn apart) and as they say, “What goes around, comes around.”

It is also important to cultivate relationships with your neighbors. You lend them your leaf-blower this fall, they lend you their snow-blower this winter. That’s not to say we should give with the thought of getting back, but from a prepper point of view, it is pragmatic (and what helps you, helps those in your care). This is the way a healthy community functions. In a crisis, it is much better to work together than to have an “every man for himself” attitude. Resilient, sustainable communities of love are the way of the future.

When we think of others, it always come back to us with great blessings. It makes us happier, healthier and holier. It is also a fundamental part of the Christian life. “With haste,” Mary met the need of Saint Elizabeth. How much more should we sinners, seek to meet the needs of those around us?

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Pray 1 decade of the Rosary, meditating on the Mystery of The Visitation, for the intention of enlightenment on the issues discussed today…

Our Father + 10 Hail Marys + Glory Be

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Please fill out #2

“15 Points Preparedness Worksheet”

Thank you for participating ~ spread the word!

Image courtesy bluearmy.com