11th Day of Christmas

Eleven Faithful Apostles

1 ~ Andrew: First Apostle, Brother of Peter

2 ~ Bartholomew: Friend of Philip

3 ~ James the Greater: Brother of John

4 ~ James the Less: Relative of Christ, Brother of Jude, Author of Epistle

5 ~ John: “The Beloved,” Brother of James the Greater, Author of Gospel, 3 Epistles & Apocalypse

6 ~ Jude: “Thaddeus,” Relative of Christ, Brother of James the Less, Author of Epistle

7 ~ Matthew: “Levi,” Author of Gospel

8 ~ Peter: “Simon,” First Vicar of Christ, Brother of Andrew, Author of 2 Epistles

9 ~ Philip: Friend of Bartholomew

10 ~ Simon: “The Zealot,” Relative of Christ

11 ~ Thomas: “Didymus” (the twin), Doubter of Christ

(Names are in alphabetical order-this helps to memorize them!)

Image from familyatthefootofthecross.blogspot.com

8th Day of Christmas

The Eight Beatitudes

From Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount

1 ~ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

2 ~ Blessed are the meek: for they shall possess the land.

3 ~ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

4 ~ Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.

5 ~ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

6 ~ Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.

7 ~ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.

8 ~ Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

For more on the “Sermon on the Mount,” please see Lesson 4, Part 2B-Prepper Rosary Program.

Partial artwork by Bill Bell-buy here!

6th Day of Christmas

Six Days of Creation: Genesis 1

1 ~ “Be light made.”

2 ~ “Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters.”

3 ~ “Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear…Let the earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind.”

4 ~ “Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night.”

5 ~ “Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth…And God created the great whales.”

6 ~ “Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth…And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness…male and female he created them.”

Hey, what about the song???

Partial artwork by Leah Smith from ncsundayschools

5th Day of Christmas

Five Books of the Pentateuch

Genesis~Exodus~Leviticus~Numbers~Deuteronomy

The Law of Moses or “Torah,” the Foundation of Judaism & Christianity

Image from yaelshahar.com

4th Day of Christmas

The Four Canonical Gospels

Matthew ~ Mark ~ Luke ~ John

Image from WallpaperCave

2nd Day of Christmas

The Two Testaments

The Old Testament

The New Testament

Image courtesy Mother of Our Savior, Inc, where you can buy it!

Thankful for the Sacrament of Penance

The Sacrament of Penance, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia:

“Penance is a sacrament of the New Law instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed after baptism is granted through the priest's absolution to those who with true sorrow, confess their sins and promise to satisfy for the same. It is called a sacrament, not simply a function or ceremony, because it is an outward sign instituted by Christ to impart grace to the soul.”

Click on the link above for a rather exhaustive study of this topic. Contemplating and learning more about this great gift of Holy Church, is an appropriate way to begin the Season of Advent, a new Liturgical Year. In a culture that approaches the Birth of Our Lord with nothing but materialism, never giving sin a second thought, how much more should we do so…not only for our own benefit, but to make reparation to Him.

Having celebrated the American holiday of Thanksgiving last week, and having made a recent confession, my mind has been turned to a sense of gratitude for the Sacrament of Penance…especially after having witnessed the unthinkable last year, its prohibition in many places. In a land where there is still plenty, let us remain grateful for all the Church offers and not lose sight that it is the spiritual riches which are most important.

Several weeks ago, I decided to confess at a local church I had not been to for a while. I knew some churches were still abandoning the confessionals due to Covid, but I hoped for the best. I got a sinking feeling when I saw 2 tables decked out with hand sanitizer and blue tape over the holy water fonts. At least there were no dividers in the pews. I forged on to find there were 2 priests doing face-to-face confessions only. I was disappointed, complained to one of them (he was stunned and not very friendly), and left. I will also tell you, there were no lines for these confessions. The church was almost empty.

The following week, I tried another local church, known for being conservative. Jackpot! There was one priest hearing normal confession and the line was quite long. Give the people what they want and they will come! The more traditional churches will probably thrive in the coming days and the more “modern” will just dry up, like their fonts. I was also very happy to see several young people and children confessing. I felt I was home, where I belong and with my people. I am deeply thankful to God that this can still be found in the New York area.

Some final thoughts: We all have difficulty sometimes in the spiritual life. If you have been away from confession and have a fear of going, please just give it over to Our Blessed Lord, place it in His hands and know that He can do what you cannot. He can overcome all things. With His strength you can face a difficult confession, get through it and come out the other side unbelievably joyful! It’s the best Christmas present you could give yourself…and those you love, because being happy and at peace is the best gift you could give to them. Maybe you are the kind of person who stays away due to scrupulosity. Maybe you feel you must re-confess things or the whole process is too overwhelming for you. Again, please take this to Our Lord and He will fix it. Ask in His Name for help and you WILL receive it!

"If you shall ask Me any thing in My Name, that I will do."

John 14:14

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

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.

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.