In Search of
The Authentic Life
“Pater Meus Servat Vineam”
From LifeSite:
But we trust in God because we are His children and He sent His Only-Begotten Son to die for us!
I mentioned in a recent post that the Covid “vaccination” requirements sweeping across the US were beginning to get personal. My husband is struggling with this right now. We were discussing it last night and the thought that entered my mind was, “We have to pray to Saint Joseph!” I remembered seeing prayer cards in church of the “Thirty Days Prayer to Saint Joseph” many times, but I never actually performed it. I looked it up online and realized I would need to print it out. I could not find a good PDF, so I made one! We started the devotion last night and my husband is suddenly feeling much less stressed and so am I. We have peace that we have rested this in Saint Joseph’s most capable hands and whatever happens, it will be God’s will and He will get us through it. When I went into the hospital to have our child twenty-something years ago, my husband had no job. When he arrived home after the baby was born, a message was on the answering machine that he had been hired! Since God has provided for us always, why should the future be any different?
I thought as long as I went through the trouble to make this PDF and I’m sure we are not the only people dealing with this horror…HERE IT IS! I’m not sure of the origin of this prayer, but I think it may have come from the Josephites. There is another more lengthy 30-day devotion called “The Holy Cloak of Saint Joseph.” Let us pray for all who are suffering with unjust mandates and discrimination, due to various Covid measures….all under the guise of “health & safety.” This is classic Orwellian doublespeak. The stress and chaos all of this is causing is anything but healthy.
“By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”
Matthew 7:16
Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection. Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.
I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow. I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the Holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you were forced to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world’s Redeemer in a cave.
I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant. I ask it by the painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.
I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan, you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.
I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows. I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His mother for three days.
I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.
I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and Hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.
I ask it through Mary’s glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God. O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. (Here name your petitions.) Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of: JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH.
“A blameless life, St. Joseph, may we lead, by your kind patronage from danger freed.”
It all started with eccentric Mr. Morgan, my high school English teacher. Everyone knew this guy marched to a different drummer. He was almost fired for refusing to wear a tie, but the students protested and he was spared. He was a Christian and become one of my first mentors. One day (I don’t recall the topic at hand), he blurted out something disturbing which I have never forgotten: “None of you know what you would be capable of doing to each other under the right conditions.” This struck me like lightning and I suspected, deep inside, that he was right. I resolved that I would never be one of those people. He couldn’t be talking about me. He told me once that he felt I had potential, more words I have never forgotten. While the rest of the high school administration made me feel like a crazy person or a criminal, he was one who instilled confidence in me.
Mr. Morgan was the first person I ever heard talk about raising his children without the Santa Claus myth. The idea was revolutionary to me and I nurtured it in my mind until I had my own child. I wanted to tell him from the very beginning the truth about Santa. Fortunately, my husband was onboard. At the earliest opportunity, we told him there is no Santa and it was all just a silly story. His presents come from us, no creepy guy sneaks down the chimney while you’re sleeping and how could reindeer fly when they don’t have wings? He was fine with all that and became a very bright and challenging little boy, the kind who drives you crazy, constantly asking “Why?”
Of course the inevitable happened. He got into Santa arguments with children at school and I thought, “Oh no, I’m gonna get a call one of these days.” It never happened. The other kids just stuck to their guns and thought he was crazy. No problem. That was that. He is now grown up and has thanked us many times for raising him without Santa.
Since I have spent many years cultivating an “anti-Santa” attitude, when I hear parents hailing his praises or see the guy at the mall, it seems so strange…so irrelevant and inappropriate to the celebration of the Birth of Our Lord. It reminds me of the words of Fr. Alfred Delp, who I discussed briefly in a recent post, words which are also of great value in our present situation:
Please pray for dear Mr. Morgan, wherever he is:)
A week before Christmas, when no one has the time to analyze this…nothing is left to chance…it is all by design…everything that is happening now in the world is connected and it is all the result of…sin…
Special thanks to New Advent for links to the above articles. Please go there for ongoing coverage.
[Edited since posting.]
I tried to make the “Advent” button to the right>>> as noticeable as possible. Did I succeed? Have you clicked on it? This takes you to the “Advent” category of the blog (if button is not there, please click “Advent” just above^^^). I would like to turn your attention to the posts on Fr. Alfred Delp, martyred in Germany under the Nazis. Advent was an important theme for him and his writings are particularly relevant at this time in history. He talks about the need for “calling voices,” which could not be more appropriate for the time we are living in right now. Please have a look!
The 5 points below were written for printing and distribution in churches or elsewhere. I have been printing this for years and it has gone through many drafts-this one I completed just today. You will see I had to be sensitive about the “Santa” issue, only because we all know there’s some “Karen” somewhere who will complain that we traumatized her child. My answer would be, “Any child who can read should not still believe a fat guy can fit down a chimney or a reindeer can fly!” One of these days, talking against Santa will be considered hate speech.
Please consider printing the PDF below and see if you can distribute it this coming Sunday or during the week before Christmas (I realize it’s a bit late getting it out, but better late than never and you can think of it as an Advent Spiritual Work of Mercy!). Of course, there are a number of other ways to share, so be creative! Here goes…
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!
Marie Kondo, famed home organizer, tells you to ask yourself, “Does it spark joy?” Here’s a different question…
You may not know I have been blogging since about 2008. The original URL and title was “futurecatholic.net”. This URL still exists and directs to this current site. You also may not know that what you thought was gone from the internet may still be accessible at Wayback Machine. It’s hard to lose your past these days. My writing included more “conspiracy” stuff back then and when I started this site, I decided I should be less controversial. Since Covid, it doesn’t matter anymore. We now must all choose a side. So…I don’t care if you go back and look at it. Have fun with that!
Anyway, the point was, I posed the question above on the old site and got some flack for it. I recall someone saying this was too perfectionistic. Well, my only response to that is…
Matthew 5:48
Gonna argue with Him? For about the past 6 months, I’ve been purging and organizing my house. If you think I must be close to done, you think wrong, my friend! I do hope to step up the productivity in the coming months because it’s going way too slow. So far, I have worked mostly on books, papers, clothing and records (those things you used to spin and they would make music). Each type of item presents its own challenges, both emotionally and spiritually.
First of all, why purge at all? 10 reasons:
1) Your home will be more spacious and much easier to clean.
2) You will be better prepared if you need to suddenly move.
3) You will become more organized in the process, which is key to preparedness.
4) You will be letting go of things, helping you to confront emotional issues.
5) You will probably be ridding your family of sinful influences (and receiving graces for it!).
6) You will be giving to the needy.
7) You will be reducing pests.
8) De-cluttering your main residence can help you stock a remote location.
9) You can teach family members to do the same (and this can be great family-time as well!).*
10) You can bring in some income if you can sell some of it.
11) Bonus Reason: You will have more room for your important prepper supplies.
There are a few above points I’d like to expound upon…
#2: Moving-It is now time to begin creating our holy refuges, prophesied about by the mystics. If you don’t see why, pray on it and look around with a new set of eyes-this has been a long time coming. We can expect anything and everything from this point forward, as the New World Order advances its war on humanity and the Church. For a variety of reasons, you may find yourself needing to move suddenly. Being prepared to show your home and having less to pack will be much to your advantage.
#4: Letting Go-Many people never de-clutter because they do not want to deal with the memories and emotions that will come up. They may not even be consciously aware of this. The result is living in continued dysfunction and unfairly passing it all on to your children. This can create enormous stress and expense for them, on top of having to deal with death issues and selling a house. The fact is, those emotions belong to you. Dealing with them is part of your life journey and there is healing in the process. This summer, I finally went through my son’s baby clothes. It was hard. I cried. Much of it was still in good condition and we gave it to our local Saint Vincent de Paul thrift store. Physically holding the clothes in my hands, washing them, folding them one last time and sending them off to be worn by a new baby…it was a “letting go” ritual. It was something I needed to do and I feel so enriched by it. This is the kind of life experience that makes you are deeper, more sensitive person. And it helps you go on in a healthier state. As you continue to go through things, you will get stronger and come out the other side transformed. (Let me just say, if you super have trouble getting rid of something, that’s okay!-as long as its the exception and not the rule.)
#5: Sinful Influences-This one brings us to our question above, “Could it exist in Heaven?” What really happened on the Cross? When we die, we will see above all, that this life was not a joke. In this “Age of Separation” upon us, we must begin to see with greater clarity, the true corruption of the world. The world is regarding us more and more as enemies. It must go both ways. Let the separation begin. If we wait until these “precious” things are wrenched from our hands, we will have squandered any grace that could have been obtained by voluntarily letting go. We must secure mercy at this hour. We must make ourselves worthy to inherit the new world after all the dust settles. “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!”
This issue came up heavily when I was going through my records. In my youth, they meant everything to me. I would not have been able to conceive that one day I would be tossing them in the trash. I held myself to about the hardest standard, discarding those with only one offensive song or an immodest image. If the good is tethered to the evil, it must be cast into the fire with it. We can allow nothing corrupt to harm the little ones who will take refuge with us. The new world must be pure before God’s Heavenly Throne. After trashing most of them, I was left with folk, classical, “ambient” and some benign pop music. I was amazed how easy it was. After doing the baby clothes, I feel I can do anything. Another thing-corrupt items must be thrown out, no matter how valuable they are. Passing on the evil does no good. This is the kind of thing that separates the men from the boys in the spiritual realm.
#7: Pests-Didn’t know we had mice in the attic. Now I do.
#8: Remote Location-If you have a summer house or another property, some of the items you find may do well in that location. For a summer house, that extra veggie peeler or old vacuum could be useful and help save money. If you rent another property, you may wish to store some things there in a locked area.
When considering what to do with possessions you no longer need, it can help to think outside the box. For instance, I traded some of my books at a local used bookstore. The 2 books I wound up getting were on traditional woodworking and organic gardening. K-ching! Books I can really use going forward (and they are good hardcover ones). As for my experience purging piles of papers, we actually have a new usable chair in the dining room and it is so refreshing to be able to find something quickly and easily in my files. There are countless resources and systems out there now for de-cluttering. Half the battle is getting started, then you just need to incorporate it into your routine. If you’re really having difficulty, as with everything else, pray on it!
*Unless you’ve got hoarders in your family, in which case it will be “Dysfunctional Family Thanksgiving on steroids.”
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.
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!
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?
Matthew 7:7
Santa Chiara of Assisi, Pray for Us!
Image courtesy drugdiscoverytrends.com
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.”
And in this Year of Saint Joseph…
© 2015-2025 Chiara F. Mathews Content may be reproduced or shared on the condition that this source is indicated.
