Update

I am still looking at things comprehensibly and working on a plan for this blog. We have unfinished projects and also improvements that need to be made. My personal life is kind of crazy right now for a variety of reasons, and probably will be for several months. Please accept my apologies for the unfinished projects. I would probably like to lighten up things here for a while and then, when I’m in a better position, work aggressively at some of those projects, particularly the “Prepper Rosary Program.”

We continue to ask for prayer for my dear father-in-law, who is 88 years old and has recently been transferred to a nursing home.  He was just moved to the hospital, with an infection. It is very sad, the condition he is in.  The family is rallying together now to address many existing complications (insurance errors, getting his hospital bed removed from the house, dealing with damage from a recent bad flood, etc.) and simply supporting each other during this very difficult time.  This affects me too, of course.

I will tell you a bit about my husband’s father, without mentioning his name, for privacy reasons. He was an influential Manhattan attorney, arguing several cases at the Supreme Court and winning a ground-breaking case for the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade against the homosexual activists, back in the 90’s.  He was a regular guest on Court TV and news programs.  He knew many of the New York movers and shakers, particularly in Catholic intellectual circles.  He was always an advocate of the Tridentine Mass, and when it was allowed again in the late 80’s, went immediately to attend it, accompanied by myself, at the age of 21.  As I describe in my bio (to the right), this changed my life.  He has been like a surrogate father for me, since my father died when I was 7 years old and I met my husband when I was 17.  He paid my rent for me when I was out of money and did countless other wonderful things for me and for many others. Mr. Mathews has also contributed generously to the ministry of this website. 

Another issue confronting us right now is the encroaching Covid mandates and the concerns this raises.  We are talking about selling our house and moving to a rural area, where it hopefully will be more safe.  We devout Catholics must start thinking in terms of creating rural refuges and there is no time to waste.  Our house is nowhere near being ready to sell, so we are aggressively working on that.

One day at a time is all any of us can do…with prayer.  Thank you for your prayers and understanding…and my readers are always in my prayers as well.  Please stay tuned-I will continue at the very least to do the 1st of the Month posts.

A Message of Encouragement from Taylor Marshall:

…in the Face of Mandates, Trad Wars and Fatigue

I haven’t been in the best mood today since Biden’s new vaccination mandates are going to affect my husband. It seems, every other day, some terrible stress is coming along…as Leonard Cohen said, it’s “Closing Time.” The whole world is engulfed-I know it is not just my family. My heart goes out to all of you who are also suffering with many things at this hour, some of the normal sufferings of life, along with what the New World Order is dishing out. In a recent post, I asked for prayers for my father-in-law. He was just moved to a Catholic nursing home in New York. We are very concerned about his well-being because they only allow one-hour visits (because of Covid, of course), and he does not like to be alone. This will surely deteriorate his condition mentally, and most likely physically as well. Just one more Covid contradiction. It’s not about saving lives. It never was. Another strange thing about this nursing home is that they make you remove the mask upon entry and put a different one on. Not only have you just theoretically increased Covid exposure by removing the mask, you have also just touched the mask they feel is contaminated, in addition to your face. They also require appointments to visit, which must be made 24 hours in advance. They don’t always pick up the phone (apparently visitation doesn’t need to be a priority in a nursing home) and they ask for all kinds of personal information when you visit (perhaps for tracing if there is a Covid case). “Safe & Healthy!”

All of this makes for great challenge, needless to say. Tonight, as I reluctantly glanced at what the YouTube gods decided to send my way, the video above popped up. It’s exactly what I needed. We all need encouragement right now, and going forward. Marshall gives some very good advice and gives a strong witness about the importance of the Holy Rosary. If you’re feeling down too, please watch…and know Our Blessed Lord is always with us!

Find the Spaces / Feast of Saint Clare

There is a reason the internet is called the “World Wide Web.” The truth is being told. It is one of the New World Order’s chief instruments of influence, control and surveillance. The “net” in “internet” is no accident either. Truth always must be shown in plain sight for those who have eyes to see. “Weaving Spiders Come Not Here,” from Shakespeares’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was taken by the Bohemian Club in California, as their motto. Deeply ironic, since they are the weaving spiders, or at least a faction, behind the horrifying world which is encroaching upon us. When man loses his relationship with his Heavenly Father, we will inevitably begin to see a Hell on earth. That’s everything outside your window, in a nutshell.

But the wonderful thing about webs, is they contain lots of space. Space you can escape through. As we discussed recently, nature always teaches us something. It is never hopeless. There are wonderful worlds lying just beyond the entrapment. Find the space, crawl through, and you are on the other side…free. Always believe this is possible (if you’re on this blog, you’re already doing it). Find the places where you can function comfortably. Find the like-minded people. Find the gems just a stone’s throw from the prisons…the holy places apart from the degraded culture…and if you can’t find it, CREATE IT!

Today is the traditional feast of Saint Clare of Assisi, whose actual name was Chiara, which was the name of my Sicilian-born grandmother, who I was named after. Got that? Just as my patron saint, dear Chiara did when escaping her abusive father, we must have the fortitude and self-esteem to seek out our own freedom and well-being. She started the Poor Clares and became one of best known and loved saints of antiquity. How much can we, at this critical hour, accomplish if we take her example, detach ourselves from the world and create something new and amazing?

"Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

Santa Chiara of Assisi, Pray for Us!

Image courtesy drugdiscoverytrends.com

Some Brief Comments: Traditionis Custodes

If you haven’t read my personal Tridentine Mass testimony, please read “About CF Mathews,” button to the right>>> I cannot tell my life story without mentioning this, because this Mass changed the course of my life and my entire way of thinking. You would not be reading this blog right now, if my husband-to-be had not brought me to this glorious Holy Mass in that summer of 1988. Also, 20 years ago, when my husband and I were deciding where to move to on Long Island, the presence of a traditional Catholic community was a large factor. This “Mass of the Ages” remains at the center of our lives and hopefully will continue to until we go home to Our Lord.

I am illustrating here, the brutality of Traditionis Custodes. I know we are not the only family to have constructed our lives around this Mass with the hopes of establishing new friends and a place to raise our children, apart from the corrupt influences of the world. As I am writing these words, many families have already had the rug pulled out from under them, after perhaps, giving everything to possess this Mass. A down-payment on a house, a job close to the Mass, a school, relationships and years of their lives invested. This situation reminds us that nothing is ever certain in this life, which from a prepper point of view, is a good lesson. Actually, many “Latin Massers” have become used to a somewhat nomadic life. Even here on Long Island, we have done some bouncing from church to church. It seems this is the attitude we must have, going forward…we will follow the Tridentine Mass to the ends of the earth!

In light of the above, it goes without saying that I am shocked and deeply saddened by this most current Motu Proprio. However, I do believe God would not allow it, unless it was for His greater glory and the ultimate good of souls. So even now, we must remain joyful and trusting! As I continue to absorb the implications of this document, I may continue to give commentary on it in the coming days, as it strikes me. Things remain undisturbed on Long Island, under Bishop John Barres. Please feel free to contact us with any of your stories or prayer requests at this time.

Note: You may feel the above concerns have been overstated. As I said, many of us are used to moving around with the old Mass. Some local shifting is not a huge concern. However, there are parishes which are fully traditional, which have been there for years, where people truly build their lives and did not foresee this coming. From Traditionis Custodes, Article 3, Point 5: “The bishop of the diocese” is “to proceed suitably to verify that the parishes canonically erected for the benefit of these faithful are effective for their spiritual growth, and to determine whether or not to retain them.”

Blessed Lord have mercy upon Thy Holy Church at this hour!

Our Lady, Mother of the Church, pray for us!

And in this Year of Saint Joseph…

Saint Joseph, patron of the Universal Church, pray for us!

"A Man for All Seasons" ~ Song by Al Stewart

My humble interpretations are in parentheses, in the section we are focusing on…

A Man For All Seasons

What if you reached the age of reason only to find there was no reprieve, Would you still be a man for all seasons or would you just have to leave

We measure our days out in steps of uncertainty, Not turning to see how we've come, And peer down the highway

From here to eternity and reach out for love on the run, While the man for all seasons is lost behind the sun

Henry Plantagenet* still looks for someone to bring good news in his hour of doubt, While Thomas More waits in the Tower of London watching the sands running out

And measures the hours out from here to oblivion, In actions that can't be undone, A sailor through the darkness

He scans the meridian and caught by the first rays of dawn, The man for all seasons is lost beneath the storm

And I should know by now, I should know by now, I hear them call it out all around, Oh they go

There's nothing to believe in, Hear them, Just daydreams deceiving, They'll just let you down

So what if you reached the age of reason only to find there was no reprieve, Would you still be a man for all seasons or would you just disbelieve

We measure our gains out in luck and coincidence, Lanterns to turn back in the night, And put our defeats down to chance or experience and try once again for the light

Some wait for the waters of fortune to cover them

(“Nothing is changed in Austria” people. Pollyannas who see nothing wrong and cling to their dreams.)

Some just see the tides of ill chance rushing over them

(Despair. No hope or trust in God.)

Some call on Jehovah, some cry out to Allah

(Realizing the jig is up and seeking mercy.)

Some wait for the boats that still row to Valhalla

(Surrender to conditioned helplessness. Dependence on the State.)

Well you try to accept what the fates are unfolding

(You either accept the official narrative or the truth. Either way, it’s not fun.)

While some say they're sure where the shame should be falling

(Everyone has an opinion. Sound familiar?)

You look round for maybe a chance of forestalling

(Constructively helping yourself and others. That’s what we’re doing here!)

But too soon it's over and done, And the man for all seasons is lost behind the sun

~ ~ ~

Scottish-born Al Stewart is best known for his 70’s hits “Time Passages” and “Year of the Cat.” The above song is from the album “Time Passages,” from 1978. I acquired the CD not long ago and found this song about a Catholic saint, surprising and refreshing! Stewart’s lyrics are brilliant and speak to the universal human condition, including the times upon us. Last month, we celebrated Saint Thomas More’s main feast and this month, we have celebrated a minor feast, so let’s take a look at this song which honors him…

The title did not originate with the play that spawned the famous 1966 movie. It originated from the pen of Robert Whittington, who knew More personally. Whittington was a well-known English grammarian and expert in Latin, who described him as such: “More is a man of an angel's wit and singular learning…a man of marvelous mirth and pastimes, and sometime of as sad gravity. A man for all seasons." At the time of this published compliment, More had risen to Parliament and the companionship of King Henry VIII. The playwright Robert Bolt used the title to illustrate More’s steadfast nature, even when facing a time of persecution. The title is poetic. Bolt’s use of it was not the original intent. It is evocative and interpretive. Al Stewart would likely agree.

Stewart assumes the role of observer, struggling with cynicism and asking the question, “What would you do?” He claims our saint is lost “behind the sun” and “beneath the storm.” But we know he has not been lost at all, for he is now in the glory of Heaven! It is the human condition that we often must choose between Heaven and Earth and our times are no different. Stewart goes on to comprehensively illustrate ways people behave when within the pressure cooker. The question here for us is, “Which ones resemble me?”

The life and death of Saint Thomas More is an inspiring example for our own times. Songwriter Al Stewart has beautifully shown this in word and melody. It’s time for us all to face the music, unto the glory of God and the salvation of souls!

* Henry VIII was a Tudor, not a Plantagenet. I can only assume Stewart did this for rhythmical reasons. PS This was a departure from what I normally do-I have a background in songwriting, so this was lots of fun. I saw Al Stewart several years ago, as an opening act for another band-it was great seeing the guy I’ve always admired and he is still at it-you can check the link above for upcoming shows. BTW, I think the best line in the song is, “Some wait for the boats that still row to Valhalla.” Genius! That line led to some research into Norse mythology which I nuked from the post. We could have done a Wagner tangent too…Wagner…hmmmmmmmm.

July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

This chalice is claimed to be the actual Holy Grail, used by Our Blessed Lord to contain His Most Precious Blood at the Last Supper. It is humbly housed behind an altar in a small chapel within the Cathedral of Valencia, Spain. The exquisite agate stone cup (this photo does not do it justice) is the actual relic, whereas the gold and jewel base was fashioned later. Here is a short article about the topic: The Holy Grail in Valencia. There is also a book by Janice Bennett, which deals extensively with the history and archeological study of the chalice: Saint Laurence & the Holy Grail, Ignatius Press (makes a great gift-I bought it for my father-in-law).

We honor the Precious Blood during the month of July, particularly on the 1st of the month. Here is a beautiful litany to add to your devotions:

Litany of the most precious blood of jesus

July gives us 2 Marian feasts, 4 companions of Christ, 3 Doctors of the Church and the parents of Our Lady. Here is a sampling of some notable feasts this month…

7/1-MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD / St. Junipero Serra

7/2-First Friday / THE VISITATION

7/3-First Saturday / St. Thomas, Apostle

7/6-St. Maria Goretti, Young Martyr of Purity

7/7-Sts. Cyril & Methodius

7/14-St. Kateri Tekakwitha / St. Bonaventure, Doctor, “The Seraphic Doctor”

7/15-St. Bonaventure (new)

7/16-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

7/19-St. Vincent de Paul

7/21-St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Doctor, “The Apostolic Doctor”

7/22-St. Mary Magdalen

7/23-St. Bridget of Sweden

7/25-St. James the Greater, Apostle / St. Christopher, Patron of Travelers

7/26-Sts. Joachim & Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

7/29-St. Martha, Companion of Christ

7/30-St. Peter Chrysologus, Doctor, “The Golden-Worded”

7/31-St. Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus

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Commentary on Independence Day, USA: Excuse me, In Dependence Day. A number of years ago, I created a stir on Catholic Answers Forum (recently defunct), by posting “Boycott the 4th of July.” It upset many people and the comments went on for pages. It has always been difficult for me to celebrate a nation that kills its own children (Joan Andrews Bell called it “an obscene pretended peace”). I would however, at times, manage to get myself to some fireworks to have a nice family & friends time. I would rationalize it by telling myself I was really celebrating the true spirit of America, put forth by our founders. In light of the past year, I can no longer muster this small bit of heart-warming feeling. I have nothing now but complete disgust for a nation that has utterly lost all sense of human rights, freedom and morality. The Declaration of Independence is dead. It is too late to fix the System. The only thing left is to escape and build a new world based on the opposite paradigm: Love for God and love for neighbor. I will spend the 4th in mourning and penance. If you have no idea why I’m saying this, you have a lot of work to do. Please pray on it.

As severe as these words are, they are not meant to be a downer. I have said before, we must look toward the Newer World Order (I hope that term really bothers the AI that spiders through the internet:) we should be creating, starting NOW, with hope and excitement. Like Lot, don’t look back. Look forward to the restoration of Holy Church and love to reign over all the earth! Father, Son and Holy Ghost, we pray for the United States of America at this hour and for the unborn. Precious Blood of Christ, have mercy on us for the countless sacrileges against Thee. Amen.

“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30

Note: The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church. We have completed a whole year of providing these titles (which I hope has piqued your interest in these extraordinarily accomplished saints) and promoting this wonderful book, so this will not be continued.

Pentecost / Whitsunday

Preface from the Tridentine Mass:

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God, through Christ our Lord. Who ascending above all the heavens and sitting at Thy right hand, poured out on this day the promised Holy Spirit upon the children of adoption. Wherefore the whole world doth rejoice with overflowing joy; and the heavenly Hosts also and the angelic Powers sing together the hymn of Thy glory, evermore saying:

Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth! Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua! Hosanna in excelsis! Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini! Hosanna in excelsis!

From the New Marian Missal:

“Our Lord Jesus Christ, being seated on the right hand of God, sent, as He had promised, the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, who, after His ascension, continued in prayer at Jerusalem, in company with the Blessed Virgin, awaiting the performance of His promise. Let us pray in like manner with the Church: Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.”

Introit:

The Spirit of the Lord hath filled the whole world, alleluia; and that which containeth all things hath knowledge of the voice, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.

Let us contemplate the above words and pray with all our hearts to the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity, as the world now begins to grant benefits to those who have received the abortion-tainted Covid vaccine (not to mention many other concerns about these vaccines)…and begins to deprive those who refuse it. Let us understand we are at war and must prepare for the fight to increase. O Come Holy Ghost, give us courage and all the wisdom and grace we need to face this situation upon us!

Remember Pentecost is an octave, a time to be joyful and continue in our prayers to the Holy Ghost. For a short meditation on the Descent of the Holy Ghost, please see “Rosary Meditations” to the right>>>

Image courtesy Discount Catholic Store, which we previously did a post on. Purchase this Holy Spirit Suncatcher here!

Random Stuff

~ Final Minor Rogation Day ~

Since the Rogation Days invoke God’s mercy and also are associated with litanies, here is the Litany of the Mercy of God. Think about praying it tonight with your family! The closing prayer is very similar to a prayer in the Divine Mercy Chaplet:

O God, Whose Mercy is infinite and Whose treasures of pity are inexhaustible, graciously look down upon us and increase in us Thy Mercy so that we may never, even in the greatest trials, give way to despair, but may always trustfully conform ourselves to Thy Holy Will, which is Mercy itself. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Mercy, Who with Thee and the Holy Spirit doth show us Mercy forever and ever. Amen.

~Bill Gates Sr, Planned Parenthood & Where it’s all Going~

I was doing some research last night and came across the assertion that Bill Gates’ father was the “president of Planned Parenthood.” I said to myself, “Why have I never heard this before?” I went down the rabbit hole to corroborate the info. An article on Lifesite quotes Gates in a 2003 interview with Bill Moyers: “My dad was head of Planned Parenthood. And it was very controversial to be involved with that.” Bill Gates Sr. died 8 months ago and the New York Times had this to say, “He was president of the Seattle/King County Bar Association and the Washington State Bar Association and a director of the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the King County United Way and Planned Parenthood.” We can see that Gates’ father was indeed the director of Planned Parenthood, probably on a local level. This same New York Times piece shows us a picture of Gates Sr. holding a baby of color in his arms, next to Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter, in South Africa. Surely, he would have had no problem presiding over this baby’s death in Washington State.

His son, Mr. Covid Vaccine King, continues the wonderful legacy. Lifesite goes on, “[Bill Gates] says, he has seen that by improving health and education, population decreases as parents decide to have less children. Despite all his distancing from Malthus, Gates remains steadfast to the unfounded Malthusian fear of overpopulation.” Another article: “The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s role in funding COVID-19 vaccine research has been a point of particular concern, due in large part to the couple’s history as radical advocates for abortion and population control.” Melinda Gates is quoted: "Here in the United States, it's going to be black people who really should get [the Covid vaccine] first and many indigenous people, as well as people with underlying symptoms, and then elderly people." They have it all figured out.

Yet one more Lifesite deeply concerning article tells us: ”Gates also invested approximately $20 million in MicroCHIPS, a company that makes chip-based devices, including birth-control implant chips with wireless on/off switches for remote-controlled drug-delivery by medical authorities.”

How are we to respond to all this? The Gates are for education. So must we be, in our own spheres. They’ve been busy bees. So must we be, building The Newer World Order. And as the prayer above implores, never despair. That is not our world and as we discussed on Good Friday…It Will Fail!

~ It’s Supposed to be for the Birds! ~

The squirrel likes my flax seeds. Birds don’t. LOL (I don’t mind, I love the squirrels.) I also had to remove that blue tray because it does not drain rainwater but there is plastic underneath that does drain. The blue tray will be a perfect basin for potted plants!

In This Year of Saint Joseph: Re-Grouping for Warfare

In this Year of Saint Joseph, here is one more beautiful prayer. Let us continue to keep the Foster-Father of our Redeemer in mind and remember this is a wonderful year for indulgences, with devotions to him.

Completing my bio has turned into a mid-life odyssey. I was going to do the typical dry spewing of facts in the third person. It took on a completely different form, as it became more personal and meditative. The story just seemed to require this. In recent years, I vowed to myself that I would never tell my story because it is too dark in many ways and also because I do not want the focus on me…perhaps also because I just didn’t want to think about it and dredge up all the emotion. But recently, I began to feel that it was time to do it. I also see that it is proving to be a therapeutic exercise at this mid-point in my life and at this pivotal time in history, as all of our lives are changing. It has become a deep meditation and re-connection with the people and places of my past, a re-grouping, before continuing on the rest of my journey. There has been much suffering in my life, but also much happiness. The dark parts will be largely omitted. This effort stemmed from wanting to assist my readers, so they would not feel they were reading disembodied words from a faceless person.

Maybe it is time for all of us to be doing this. In this time of relative peace, as things are heating up with each passing day, perhaps God is calling us now to look back in recollection before going forward. It is a time to come to terms with the past in every respect, get holier and suit up for the war ahead. Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, is here to help us at this time. Saying the prayer above for embarking on this process can only be a benefit. Christ is with us. No fear. Only trust, peace and joy…Faith, Hope and Love!

Image courtesy gardeniablossm on Instagram

Reflections on this Easter Triduum

Let us rejoice on this Easter Thursday, as we contemplate the following Psalm, which gives praise to our Heavenly Father and shows us how our present sufferings will end….Trial & Triumph!

Psalm 91

It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to thy name, O most High. To shew forth thy mercy in the morning, and thy truth in the night: Upon an instrument of ten strings, upon the psaltery: with a canticle upon the harp. For thou hast given me, O Lord, a delight in thy doings: and in the works of thy hands I shall rejoice.

O Lord, how great are thy works! thy thoughts are exceeding deep. The senseless man shall not know: nor will the fool understand these things. When the wicked shall spring up as grass: and all the workers of iniquity shall appear: That they may perish for ever and ever: But thou, O Lord, art most high for evermore. For behold thy enemies, O Lord, for behold thy enemies shall perish: and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

But my horn shall be exalted like that of the unicorn: and my old age in plentiful mercy. My eye also hath looked down upon my enemies: and my ear shall hear of the downfall of the malignant that rise up against me. The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus. They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of the house of our God. They shall still increase in a fruitful old age: and shall be well treated, that they may shew, that the Lord our God is righteous, and there is no iniquity in him.

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GOOD FRIDAY-Last week, someone we love was planning to get the Covid mRNA “vaccine.” My husband and I were concerned, not only due to the medical considerations, but also the ethical issues regarding abortion and vaccines. Not even thinking of Holy Week, we decided to pray the Divine Mercy Novena. It was wonderful to pray this on Good Friday, uniting it to the Passion of Christ. This novena is often begun on Good Friday, to be completed just prior to the Divine Mercy feast. There is also an indulgence attached.

A number of our friends and family members have already gotten the vaccine, which is a sorrow. However, I have great consolation that through our prayers, the effects will be mitigated, as far as God wills. I am with Bishop Athanasius Schneider in saying that I will never get it, under penalty of death…for God, for the babies, for freedom…we must make ourselves worthy to inherit the earth when all is said and done.

HOLY SATURDAY-I found myself thinking about the mysterious apparition at Knock, Ireland, in 1879, on the morning of Holy Saturday and wondered why God put that in my mind. The strange thing about this vision, seen by many people, was that the figures were both silent and motionless. “Our Lady of Knock” is well-known, but many do not know that Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist and even Our Lord as a Lamb with angels, also appeared. Saint John was holding a book in one hand and appeared as a bishop. Hundreds of miracles were reported in the days following the apparition. Some feel that Knock was related to the End Times, perhaps the times we are now living in. When the author of Apocalypse appears with an open book, maybe it’s time to consider we should be paying attention to the Signs of the Times!

So what does this have to do with Holy Saturday? This day is only one of 2 days in all the year, including Good Friday, when the Mass is not celebrated (except for the Easter Vigil in the evening). The altar is bare. We call to mind the dark moments when Our Blessed Lord was enclosed within the tomb. Stillness, silence, mourning. We can see a connection to the stillness and silence at Knock. There is a lot to meditate on here.

EASTER SUNDAY-Our celebrant gave a wonderful homily at the Easter Mass. He related a little-known story about the Hungarian uprising against the Soviet Union in 1956. As the tanks approached a small village on Easter, the local parish priest stood in front of them, forcing them to stop. He shouted, “Jesus is risen!” The soldiers peeked their heads up and responded, “Indeed He is risen!" They had heard this countless times as children and it was their spontaneous reaction. The smart priest had bottles of vodka waiting for them and the village was spared. (Great prepper lesson!) The question for you and me is, “Do I have that kind of courage and trust during these times, when I am called upon to defend the Truth?” It is now our turn. Something else to meditate on.