RIP Scalia / Saint Valentine's Day / Brave New World Order

We have just lost a great Supreme Court Justice. RIP Antonin Scalia...you are in our prayers. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

Let's also keep the intention of chastity in our prayers today, in honor of Saint Valentine, priest and martyr. It is also the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Dear Saints of Holy Mother Church, pray for us!

Temperatures are frigid on Long Island this weekend. I'm always on the lookout for good preparedness tips and I learned one today on the News 12 site. They recommend keeping a "light drip" on your faucets to lessen the chance of pipes bursting from freezing water. They also recommend checking the pressure on your car tires...don't know why. So...my faucets are dripping and I'm sitting here in my hat. Could be worse...I pray for anyone stuck outside in this cold.

"But pray that your flight be not in the winter." ~Matthew 24:20

I wanted to do a quick comment on the News 12 article on Scalia.  Of course, I had to create an account to do this.  Not just a News 12 account, a Facebook account.  I don't have any social media accounts because I have a philosophical problem with them.  I thought, "Let me just go with this."  The first thing it wanted was a few points of personal info.  I abbreviated my name....no good...they're onto me.  Well, I'm onto them too.  All I want to do is make a little comment on a local website....and the Brave New World Order comes rushing in!  Forget it.  I turned back before it was too late.

That reminds me of the last time I filled up my gas tank.  It was on a stretch of road in East Northport, Long Island, fully lined with those "red light cameras."  I'm just getting gas and lo and behold....the Great Glowing Screen sits before me.  Flashing ads.  You just can't escape it.  (Please don't bring up the fact that I'm on a glowing screen right now.)  And have you noticed that the shopping card is now evolving into the mega-shopping card?  More and more connectedness and less and less privacy.  More and more dependence on the Infallible Electrical Grid. 

We must be awake.  Father Alfred Delp told us that.  And our Lord Himself told us that.  Also from Matthew, Chapter 24:

"Take heed that no man seduce you....And this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come.... And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened....And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh.  So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors...Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come."

What do you see when you look around?  Be awake and aware.

Update on the Winter Wonderland....

A few days later and things are pretty much back to normal. Nothing but sunny days are forecasted for the next week....good. Not that I mind snow, I just mind too much of it.

We were fortunate to have not lost power during the storm, though we've gotten pretty used to it in recent years...even being without power for several days. Even as preppers, its not easy and it helps to have someone else to stay with. The power outages tend to be patchy when they happen, so if you have friends and family nearby, you may be in luck. Also, keep in mind that someone may have to stay with you at a moment's notice. That's probably my worst nightmare...depends who it is and how bad my house is that day.

One of our neighbors let us borrow his snowblower, which was a huge help. The stove decided to start working again and the plumber came yesterday to fix the water heater. So....I don't smell anymore, I'm glad I'm nice to my neighbors and I've learned the importance of keeping up with home maintenance and....checking the snowblower before the storm!

"When It Rains, It Pours...."

...OR...When It Snows...It Snows A Lot!

In the past 24 hours, Long Island (where I live) has been blanketed in several feet of snow, high winds have come roaring through, temperatures have plummeted, thousands have lost power, driving has been banned, trains have come to a standstill, a full moon has caused worse than usual flooding and sadly, a number of deaths have been reported. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

As for my personal situation, I can't even open my back door right now because it is blocked with so much snow. Not the safest situation, but my husband did shovel the front entrance. On the bright side, it is a beautiful, sparkling winter wonderland. It just makes you want to cozy up, start a fire and make some hot chocolate! Sometimes I envy those who live in areas of perennial paradise, where there is no winter...but, there is something wonderful about the changing seasons, each one possessing unique beauty. If I moved elsewhere, I think I would miss that. When the spring comes and everything returns to life, there is a greater appreciation for it. I think the cold winters and hot summers are part of what makes New Yorkers the tough people that we are. It is a place of extremes and we just take that in stride.

Okay, my friends, I haven't finished (I promise I'm not making this up!)...wouldn't you know, our snow-blower broke....and completely unrelated to the storm, our hot water heater and our oven/stove broke. All on the same day as this whopper of a storm hit. So, completely snowed in, no hot water and we had to move the dinner cooking on the stove to a crock pot. Thankfully, we have not lost power.

Sometimes I think God is trying to prepare me for something! Sometimes I think I hear Him saying, "So, Chiara, you want to prepare for the Apocalypse? You want to be a leader, helping My Church through the coming days? Okay have a go at THIS!" At times, I can't help but laugh at what life throws me. And we should always be lighthearted and never get too down (have you read my last post?). The path we tread leads straight to Heaven and life is just too short to let anything disturb us. Just love and trust-that's it. Be a source of joy to those around you, even in the worst circumstances. And always count your blessings...for instance, I may not have hot water, but at least I have water. I can't take a shower, but I stockpile baby wipes for sponge-bathing and hand-washing (they also have many other uses, even if they dry out). I may not have a big oven or a stove, but I have a toaster oven, a crockpot, a microwave, 2 grills and a fireplace (REDUNDANCY!). I have heat. I have tons of food. The day that concerns me is the day when survival becomes truly compromised, truly in the balance. And I believe that day is coming...for all of us.

This is just one more experience to learn from, in terms of short-term emergency preparedness. As a prepper, I find there is no replacement for actual, real-life experiences. The trick is...make the effort to learn from them. Identify your preparedness weaknesses and make a plan to systematically fix them. Reflect on how you and your family handled it. What was good? What could have been done differently? Taking notes and discussing it with your family is a good idea. These situations are invaluable opportunities which should not be squandered. In a few years, you'll hardly remember the details, so make an immediate effort to examine the experience. Perhaps it was sent to you for a reason.

BTW, today is the beginning of Septuagesima (wow, that came fast!) and the feast of Saint Francis de Sales, patron of writers. Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us!

Holy Name of Jesus / Epiphany (New)

Today is the traditional feast of the Holy Name of Jesus...."Nomen Christi!" From The New Marian Missal, Veritas Press:

"This Feast is kept on the First Sunday of the year; but [exceptions]...Its origin is traced to the XVIth century, when it was celebrated by the Franciscan Order. In 1721 Pope Innocent XIII made the keeping of this solemnity universal. The Name Jesus...the Savior of the world, was brought by the Angel Gabriel from God, for He shall save His people 'from their sins'...To the faithful who shall utter the Name of Jesus, with devotion, is granted: Indulgence of 300 days...Plenary, under the usual conditions, if this Name is recited daily during a month [there are further indulgences associated with this feast]."

Excerpts from this Holy Mass:

In the Name of Jesus let every knee bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: and let every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father...O Lord our Lord: how admirable is Thy Name in the whole earth!

O God, Who didst constitute Thine only-begotten Son the Savior of mankind, and didst bid Him to be called Jesus: mercifully grant, that we who venerate His holy Name on earth, may fully enjoy also the vision of Him in heaven.

...be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel: that by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by Him this man standeth here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner: neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:8)

Save us, O lord our God, and gather us from among the nations: that we may give thanks to Thy holy Name, and may glory in Thy praise...Thou, O Lord, our Father and our Redeemer: from everlasting is Thy Name.

Alleluia, alleluia. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy Name.

I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy Name for ever...

May Thy blessing, O most merciful God, by which every creature lives, sanctify, we beseech Thee, this our Sacrifice, which we offer unto Thee to the glory of the Name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that it may be well-pleasing to Thy Majesty for Thy praise, and profit us unto salvation...

All the nations Thou hast made shall come and adore before Thee, O Lord, and they shall glorify Thy Name: for Thou art great, and dost wonderful things: Thou art God alone. Alleluia.

O almighty and everlasting God, who didst create and redeem us, look graciously upon our prayer, and with a favorable and benign countenance deign to accept the Sacrifice of the saving Victim, which we have offered to Thy Majesty in honor of the Name of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: that through the infusion of Thy grace we may rejoice that our names are written in heaven, under the glorious Name of Jesus, the pledge of eternal predestination.

We are now in the joyful season of Christmastide, the waiting is over-the birth of Christ is such a great joy, Holy Church celebrates for a full 12 days!

Traditionally, the 12 Days of Christmas ended with Epiphany on January 6th, which is also a trad feast of the Three Wise Men. There is a beautiful blessing of the home which is performed on this day, which you can find elsewhere on the internet. We do this every year as a family (fortunately, our son will still be home from college on Wednesday)-it is one of those old Catholic customs which helps give children a love of the Faith. Actually, I originally learned of this, not from a trad church but from a mainstream church which had copies of the blessing. And as a Catholic prepper, anything that might help save my home from a demise, is more than welcome. During Hurricane Sandy, we were huddled away from the windows because we feared one of our many trees might come flying in. In spite of dozens of trees, not one came down!

Prepper Stocking-Stuffers....and more.....

Last year, I bought an appointment book at a local drug store. It caught my eye because it was bright pink, with a fancy faux-leather cover. Inscribed into the cover were the words, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Inside was chock full of spiritual & motivational quotes, with a particular theme for each month. It seemed the book had been made for me. I said to myself, "I know its a little bit large and a bit of a splurge but...I like it! The color is so pretty and its...spiritual! I'M GETTING IT!"

I have not regretted that purchase. Through a difficult year in my life, this little book has helped me hold it together-both logistically and mentally. Here are some quotes that struck a chord with me:

"Vision is the ability to see God's presence, plan and power over obstacles." - Mike Breaux

"God is our God forever and ever; He will be our Guide even to the end." - Psalm 48:14

"Never be afraid to trust and unknown future to a known God." - Corrie Ten Boom

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jer 29:11

"In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." - Rom 8:28

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." - Harriet Beecher Stowe

So...of course I NEEDED to get the 2016 one, right? Last night, I braved Friday night Christmas Season in the famed "Huntington Village" of Long Island, where this drug store happens to be. There was NO place to park, so I had to park...a tad bit illegally. I recently got a $200 ticket for parking (a tad bit) illegally in Huntington Village, so I was somewhat nervous. If we got another ticket in the mail, my husband might make me forego foot massages for the next 6 months and that would be intolerable (foot massages are part of the "Survival Paradigm" I am developing. I'm actually not kidding.) So I ran through the store like a chicken with its head cut off looking for the 2016 version. Nothing. Asked a store clerk....Nothing. Then a lightbulb went off in my head, "THE INTERNET!" (I'm so old, I still have to remind myself that if it cannot be found on the internet, it does not exist-yep, "Star Wars" geek making a dumb reference.) I drove home hopeful....

And now to the actual point: Where can you get cool stuff?

christianbook.com

They've got Christmas items, books, homeschooling supplies, music, toys, artwork, jewelry, calendars, DVDs, prepper/survival items and more. Most items are not specifically Catholic, though there are a few. If you're looking for the prepper items, do a search with the word "survival" and you will get numerous pages. Here's what I bought (all reasonably priced):

Lost On a Mountain in Maine by Donn Fendler & Joseph B. Egan (true survival stories can be very instructional and inspiring)

A bunch of Paracord Bracelets

Pocket Guide to the Outdoors

Paracord Keyring

Survival Keychains (whistle, compass & signal light)

"WORDKeeper" Briefcase (can be a great bugout bag)

And...2016 "Love Always Protects" Medium Planner!

BTW, many items can be personalized and all have some spiritual purpose or inscription. So...what have you learned in this post? That Christian Prepper Stuff is a thing and that my family hates my Christmas gifts.

Happy Christmas shopping!