Feast of The Holy Family & the Liturgical Calendar

[Edited since posting.]

In the traditional calendar, today we celebrate The Holy Family: Our Blessed Lord, Our Blessed Mother and Patron of the Universal Church, Saint Joseph…

From the Collect:

“O Lord Jesus Christ, who, being subject to Mary and Joseph, didst sanctify home life with ineffable virtues: grant that, with the aid of both, we may be taught by the example of Thy Holy Family, and attain to eternal fellowship with them.”

At Mass today, our celebrant made a very interesting point. He said Our Lord could have come into the world in any way He chose, but He chose to come through a family, the way we all do. This illustrates how sacred the family is. We must remember this, in a culture which has done everything in its power to destroy it, the most recent effort being the physical separation of loved ones (from visiting restrictions in healthcare facilities to quarantines imposed upon those who would dare cross state lines on a holiday which may be the last one our elderly parents or terminally ill family members have). My own family has been suffering as well, with these inhuman orders. Whatever you may think about covid, we are creating a world that no one is going to want to live in. When the fear of death overtakes life itself, it’s time to reconsider what we are doing.

This feast also marks the last Sunday of Christmastide, which began on Christmas Eve. This is arguably, the day to put away your creche and toss your Christmas tree.* In the traditional liturgical calendar, there are 2 parts of the Liturgical Year: The Christmas Cycle and The Easter Cycle. One celebrates the Mystery of the Incarnation and the other, the Mystery of the Redemption. We begin the year with Advent and proceed to Christmastide and Season After the Epiphany. The Easter Cycle, with Season After Septuagesima, begins on Septuagesima Sunday. We will keep track this year, on this blog, of where we are in the liturgical calendar. This is something most Catholics are not well-versed in, but it is an essential aspect of the Catholic life, upon which a truly Catholic culture depends. If “The Authentic Life,” is a Catholic society, the liturgical calendar is of fundamental importance, which should be taught joyfully to our children!

* An idea I recently came across from The Old Farmer’s Almanac, is to dispose of your Christmas tree in the woods, where animals can use it for shelter over the winter. I thought this was a great idea, until I realized there are probably fines for doing this. Anyway, just puttin the idea out there…BTW, The Old Farmer’s Almanac is a resource I cannot say enough good things about-they even mention Catholic feasts sometimes! The topics they deal with are weather, astronomy, gardening, cooking, health, homemaking, sustainability and preparedness. Check out their site right now for the “2021 Garden Planner,” email newsletter, online store and more…and find out what a hugelkultur is!

Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Regarding this feast, again, we will look at the wonderful commentary by Sylvester P. Juergens SM, Doctor of Sacred Theology, in The New (as of 1958) Marian Missal :

“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.”

Here are some excerpts from this Tridentine 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.”

“For there is no other Name under heaven given to man, whereby we must be saved.”

“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. Alleluia.”

“I will praise Thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify Thy Name for ever: for Thou, O Lord, art sweet and mild: and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon Thee, alleluia.”

“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.”

This missal gives daily inspirational messages from a work called The Following of Christ. Here is the message for today, which is quite relevant during these confusing times:

“When thou hast Christ, thou art rich, and He is sufficient for thee. He will provide for thee, and be thy faithful procurator in all things: so that thou needest not to trust in men.”

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As in the Mass for the Circumcision, red vestments are worn today. That is something to meditate upon. What do you think is the reason?

January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The month begins with the feast which commemorates the moment Our Lord received His Holy Name. A few days later, we celebrate the feast of this Name in both the old and new calendars. Let us find devotions this month which honor and glorify His Name and always defend it from profanation!

Christmas Wrap-Up...and going forward....

Christmas morning!

The detail and artistry of this Jim Shore Nativity set captivated me many years ago when I found it in a department store. The price was surprisingly reasonable and I have really enjoyed it all these years. I’ve never seen another one quite like it.

The sweetest Baby Jesus!

Sacred Heart Southern Missions sends Christmas Mass cards every year, which I usually send out. The one above was in the pack this year and I could not part with it. The expression on Baby Jesus’ face as He looks up so lovingly at His Mother, almost brings tears to my eyes. It reminds me of those wonderful days holding my own baby in my arms.

Holy Church now celebrates the traditional 12 Days of Christmas. A family tradition we have is to discuss something theological on each day, that corresponds to the number of that day. For instance, on Day 5, we might discuss the 5 Books of the Pentateuch. I’m not sure if I made this idea up-I think I did:)

After doing an Advent contemplation of my spiritual condition, I was moved with a spirit of mercy and forgiveness towards others…

“And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors.”

Matthew 6:12

Remember the nasty neighbors during the reno? The one I was trying to keep it together with…I gave her a gift for her inconvenience. She accepted it graciously and we are on good terms again. The other who I had despaired of ever speaking to again…I wrote her a personal note to try to make peace. She came over my house a few days later with cookies and a gingerbread cake. A little Christmas spirit can go a long way!

Like I said in my previous post, I need a break after the past few months, so my posting will be light for the next 2 weeks. Look forward to our typical 1st of the month post on January 1st. In the coming days, we will get back into our Prepper Rosary Program and beyond!

Confused prepper Shihpoo-can’t decide if he wants to be seen in the wilderness or not!

Job is Done: Just in time for snow!

Here’s our new creche in our backyard.

I’m so excited about our new creche! As I was planting my spectacular Amaryllis bulbs (you can see the mulch over them in front of the set), I realized there was a very unique spot that I never noticed before, in the exact center of the green wall you can see there. There is a natural clearing and a charming bush which hangs above it. My first thought was, “This is a perfect spot for a creche!” I felt I did not create it, but rather discovered it, after living here for 19 years. This exterior job has been fraught with strange coincidences and remarkable events. The establishment of this Nativity scene seems to be the crowning final blessing of the project.

When I realized I needed a creche, I went online to look for an affordable one. I quickly realized that is a tall order, but found this one on Wayfair. It is small (the St. Joseph statue is 19”), but I am delighted with it. We will pray in front of it as a family on Christmas Eve and give thanks for the incredible transformation of our home in the past 2 months. It has also been a journey of personal transformation. God works in great ways for those who are open to His inspirations!

I had to dig Baby Jesus out of the snow!

You can see some of our beautiful new stone work. Tell me it was worth it. Please!

Now you can see a small part of what was accomplished on our property. I am very pleased with this particular area, which I didn’t even realize would turn out like this, with a perfect new spot for Our Lady. She remains roughly in her original place, under the small tree, which seems to have been placed there long ago, in anticipation of her presence. The statue got pretty dirty over the course of the work and I haven’t had time to clean it yet. Cosmetic things, along with the landscaping, will gradually be worked on through the winter and spring.

I figured out how to cover up the ugly garbage cans with a little blurby thing in the “Paint” program. LOL. Below, Our Lady is crowned with snow, literally one day after the job finished. Another blessing!

Our Lady of the Snows, pray for us!

Update: After 2 months of boot camp, I kinda need a break. Its also Christmastime…I may or may not get something else up before Christmas. After Christmas, we will resume our “Autumn Prepper Rosary Program,” which will now be called “Prepper Rosary Program” for obvious reasons:)

My Christmas wish for my dear readers and the whole Body of Christ, is that we be made strong in all ways for the coming days. This is a glorious time to be alive and we have much work to do!

PS I hope you enjoy the images on this site. Feel free to use them-just say where you got them. Getting pictures from my phone onto this blog in a usable form, involves several steps. Each pic goes from phone to email to “Paint” to file…and finally to blog. During this moving process, they also get cropped, enhanced and re-sized. It is a process, but I do enjoy the creative aspect and have spent much time learning how to do it. I’m always learning more, like how to make a blurby thing to cover up bad stuff!

Random Stuff & Yet Another Update

Don’t you love those “Queen of Night” tulips above? They are some of my favorite. Unique and dramatic…

Last week I told you what I’m working on, but it has been a total whirlwind with the house job and we have had a number of bad problems the past few days. That’s the way things are gonna go with a MAJOR job like this. Winter is breathing down our necks and its Thanksgiving week. So I need to ask for continued patience…this is what I am asking of my neighbors as well (just be happy you are not one of them).

If you live in most of the US, it’s getting very late to plants bulbs for the Spring. But…I am doing it this week and taking my chances. I was waiting for the new landscaping to be completed before planting…it’s not completed and I have all these bulbs I spent a lot of money on. We have had a bit of a warm spell in New York, so I’m just doing it. I will mulch them for cold protection-I can also sprinkle holy water on them and pray over them…oh, the benefits of being Catholic! If you are in the south or California, you can plant through December. I know I have a lot of readers in California who may still be planting-here is a great resource to look at: Bulbs: Dig, Drop, Done. If it’s too late for you, think about the wonder of bulbs and you can plan for next year!

“Covid Culture.” Has anyone else come up with this term? I haven’t looked it up, but it seems quite obvious. This is a huge topic that is hard for me to deal with quickly right now. I also have come up with another term: “Age of Separation.” I would simply ask you to pray and meditate on these concepts and see what you come up with. You can always feel free to contact me (button above) and share your thoughts, which I may share.

A dear young priest I know gave an amazing homily recently on “The Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven, Hell.” He was discussing the reality of Hell and said:

“God will not allow His innocents to spend eternity with their abusers.”

I thought that was very interesting. Bye for now and have a blessed Thanksgiving..and Advent is coming! Please expect my next post next week…

September: Month of Our Lady of Sorrows

This month, we honor the sorrows of our Heavenly Mother. A wonderful devotion is the Chaplet of Our Lady of Sorrows, in which one meditates on the 7 Sorrows with a specially designed chaplet. You can buy one for a good price at Direct From Lourdes (get some Lourdes water while you’re at it!). The feast is September 15th.

Our dear Mother must look upon her children right now with great sorrow. Humanity is being separated and torn apart at the most fundamental levels. The Church has lost much attendance and the House of God has been turned into something looking more like a makeshift military hospital. Let us resolve to console her this month as she grieves over the world. Who knows what will transpire in the next several months? But there is reason for concern. Prayer and prepping are going to be critical, starting immediately. As it says on our Home page, “Pray & Prep!” This has never been more important in our lifetimes than it is RIGHT NOW.

Here is a selection of some of the interesting feasts this month:

3-St. Gregory the Great, Doctor, ”The Greatest of the Great”

4-First Friday

5-First Saturday / St. Teresa of Calcutta

8-BIRTH OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

12-MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY

13-St. John Chrysostom, Doctor, “The Golden-Mouthed,” “Doctor of the Eucharist” / Anniversary of Fifth Apparition at Fatima (Don’t forget our Holy Hour!)

14-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

15-OUR LADY OF SORROWS (new) / SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR LADY (trad)

16-Ember Wednesday (prayer and penance-trad meat at one meal)

17-St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor, “Prince of Apologists,” “Gentle Doctor of The Controversies” / St. Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor, “The Teutonic Prophetess,” “Sibyl of the Rhine”

18-Ember Friday (prayer and penance)

19-Ember Saturday (prayer and penance-trad meat at one meal) / OUR LADY OF LA SALETTE (hist)

21-St. Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist

23-St. Pio of Pietralcina

24-OUR LADY OF RANSOM

29-Sts. Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels (new) / “Michaelmas Day” (trad)

30-St. Jerome, Doctor, “Father of Biblical Science”

This blog gives old and new feasts. The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church,TAN Books.

Another Lladro, Byzantine Mass, Thought for the Day

[Edited since posting.]

The previous post shows Lladro’s “Blessed Lady” porcelain statue, originally produced from 1988-1991 as a limited edition of 1,000. The same sculptor, Fulgencio Garcia, 4 years later, created the above piece, “Immaculate Virgin.” This is a limited edition of 2,000, higher priced. 25 years later, it still hasn’t sold out. I am partial to the original. One interesting difference is that Our Lady’s head is uncovered in the first and covered in the second. The uncovered head does not bother me, though it is true when she appears, she always has her head covered. This is one reason I wear the mantilla at Mass.

Lladro, a Spanish company started by 3 brothers, has a great history of producing fine Catholic-themed figurines. As I stated in the previous post, I worked at their flagship location in Manhattan for several months, on the selling floor of a beautiful museum-like store. It was a joy to come to work every day. I had started in the office upstairs as their archivist for North America (I would identify pieces for people, before the internet took care of all that). It was an interesting job, though rather stressful because it was too much work for one person. When the office moved to New Jersey, I temporarily worked at the store. It was uptown Manhattan, in such an exciting location, near the Plaza and Bloomingdale’s. What a great time that was, in my early 20’s, moving to the big city and having complete freedom (except for the curfew at the convent in Chelsea, where I rented a room). It is strange going to the city now-I always think, “Why are so many people younger than me?” Sadly, the Lladro location, complete with a museum of old pieces and an art gallery, is no longer there. However, in 2012, a new Lladro Boutique opened on Madison Ave. Anyway…if you are looking for a high-end Catholic piece for a gift or a religious institution, you may want to consider supporting Lladro. I am proud to have worked for them.

Tonight I have the privilege of attending my first Byzantine Mass, on Long Island. It is a special Mass being celebrated at a traditional-sensitive parish, the Eastern Rite’s version of the Assumption, the “Dormition of Our Lady.” I am very excited and will be telling you about it, complete with pics! Blessings to all on this feast of the Assumption-let us pray to Our Lady for the Church at this hour.

Came across this quote the other day…so true…

“Much of humanity’s activity is insanity masquerading as reality.”

Alan Cohen

Image courtesy https://www.houzz.com

The Catholic Bug-Out Bag?

We’re Catholic preppers here, so why not a Catholic bug-out bag? This is something you should keep in your car or have handy to go at all times, a bag with many of your essentials in the event of an emergency when you are traveling or must leave your home quickly. Basic survival items and first aid should be included. For your Catholic bug-out bag, we will focus on an online store, which is a good resource…

We will look at many items which would do well in your Faith-centered bug-out bag. We know the spiritual life is more important than the physical, so if you’re going to have fire-starters and first aid kits, you should also have those things which support your soul. This is not to necessarily get you to buy from this store, or to buy these specific products. My goal is to get you thinking and give you some ideas. I will choose items I feel are well-priced and that are conducive to travel. These also make great gifts items, stocking stuffers or goody bag gifts for First Holy Communions, etc.

Discount Catholic Store

From their “About” page:

Discount Catholic Store first opened in the year 2000 out of a love for Catholic spirituality. We strive to offer Catholic items that facilitate spiritual growth, healing, comfort, inspiration, wisdom and guidance, and which will ultimately draw each soul closer to God. We hope our products will be “avenues of grace” for everyone who receives them…

One of the main categories of devotional objects one would want in a bug-out bag, would be sacramentals. According to Traditional Catholic Dictionary Online, a sacramental is: “Certain pious practices or objects blessed by the Church. The blessing is attached, that these may serve to increase the devotion of the faithful. Scapulars, holy water, etc., are widely used sacramentals.”

Why would you need sacramentals when “bugging out?” Some can protect from demons, remit venial sin and purgatory time, and grant temporal favors. Our Lady said of the Brown Scapular, to Saint Simon Stock, “WHOSOEVER DIES IN THIS GARMENT SHALL NOT SUFFER ETERNAL FIRE.” (Of course, there are stipulations with such an amazing promise). You should consider having your sacramentals blessed by a priest or deacon, if they have not been blessed. My guess is that they do not have to be blessed to be considered sacramentals, but the blessing increases the spiritual power. Please see Catholic Encyclopedia for more info.

Below are some great Catholic “bug-out” items, many of which are sacramentals:

Saint Joseph Holy Oil & Prayer Card, with medal

Lourdes Water Medal

Holy Land Keepsake Set (water, oil, Crucifix, incense, earth)

Holy Water (water not included) Key Chain

Divine Mercy Relic Medal

Saint Michael Relic Medal

Saint Clare Relic Medal (this is my patron saint-probably good for warding off attackers, if you know her story)

Our Lady of Fatima Relic Medal

Divine Mercy Relic Prayer Card

Saint Clare Relic Prayer Card

Fatima Relic Prayer Card

Saint Gerard Relic Prayer Card (for pregnant women or those seeking pregnancy)

Saint Michael Relic Prayer Card

Fatima Prayer Card with Medal

Saint Christopher Prayer Card with Medal

Jesus Relic Necklace (Crucifix)

Laminated Brown Scapular

Scapular (Sacred Heart & Our Lady of Mt. Carmel)

Mount Carmel Scapular (Brown Scapular)

Green Scapular, Spanish

Brown Leather Scapular (Sacred Heart & Our Lady of Mt. Carmel)

Brown Wool Scapular with Holy Water Bottle

Divine Mercy Scapular with Cross & Medal

Children’s (small) Rosaries

Miraculous Medal-Aluminum

Miraculous Medal-Gold Look

Dog Tag with Saint Michael Prayer

Crucifix Pendant, 1”

Crucifix Pendant, 3/4”

Act of Contrition Pocket Coin

Urgent Prayer to Our Lady Pocket Coin

Cross with Prayer Pocket Coin

Divine Mercy Pocket Coin

Footprints Pocket Coin

Guardian Angel Pocket Coin

Holy Family Pocket Coin

Memorare Pocket Coin

Salve Regina Pocket Coin (Hail Holy Queen)

Serenity Prayer Pocket Coin

Saint Florian (fire protection) Pocket Coin

Saint Michael Pocket Coin

Glow-in-the-Dark Rosary Ring

Silver Tone Rosary Ring

Travel Mass Kit (comes with “Instant Priest” hologram)

Don’t forget your pocket Bible!

First Saturdays At Home-Never More Important!

The observance of the Five First Saturdays are one of the requests of Our Lady of Fatima, to obtain reparation to her Immaculate Heart. As humanity is now engulfed in a difficult and confusing situation, there has never been a more important time to respect this request of Our Blessed Mother. We know not how this will ultimately play out. We much beseech God’s mercy. Trust. Be at peace. But take this as a serious warning. Public masses are shut down. Even confession is gone in some places, which was previously unthinkable. Our Blessed Lord said:

“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.”

Luke 21:36

So we, as Children of God, are at peace.

Normally the First Saturdays are observed in church. Since many are now at home, we can still fulfill this request to the best of our ability. I am sure our dear Mother will accept this. She has requested they be observed for 5 months in a row, but it is not a bad idea to perform them perpetually. Following are the activities (and the substitutions where applicable), based on the World Apostolate of Fatima’s recommendations. This is all done with the intention of making reparation to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart and what a wonderful devotion to do with your family at home during this time!

1) Receive the Sacrament of Penance. At home: Make an intention to receive the sacrament as soon as possible. I might add, to say an Act of Contrition, trying to be sorry for the Love of God (perfect contrition), not just the fear of punishment.

2) Receive Holy Communion. At home: Make a Spiritual Act of Communion (see link below for help with this).

3) Recite the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary (some say the Sorrowful Mysteries during Lent).

4) Meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes with Our Blessed Mother. If you are unaccustomed to this devotion, this may be the most challenging aspect for you. Here are some tips: Place yourself in Our Lady’s presence (a picture or statue is very helpful). Ask her to enlighten you further on the Mysteries you just contemplated in the Rosary (I suppose you could contemplate other Mysteries as well). Let your thoughts drift. Imagine the Mysteries visually. Don’t try, just let the inspirations come to you. And they will! As you perform this exercise more, it will get easier. Your relationship with Our Mother will grow and eventually it will no longer be an “exercise,” but an intimate and wonderful conversation!

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Today is a traditional feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Please see the World Apostolate of Fatima’s page addressing the First Saturdays during this time. Lots of great info:

https://www.bluearmy.com/first-saturday-devotion/

Triduum of Death.....or of.....Heaven!

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

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“Triduum of Death” is a term we don’t hear too much anymore, perhaps because people think it sounds too negative. However, we must realize that this triple feast is one of great joy! Satan and his minions have taken over “Halloween” and made it an occasion for occult rituals, darkness and gruesome decor. True to form, Satan takes something good and holy and perverts it. Let us teach our children the true meaning of these great Catholic feasts. We honor those who have succeeded in winning the Heavenly reward, just as we hope to. The Holy Souls have also won it, though they remain in Purgatory, in need of our prayers. Surely, on All Souls Day, due to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in addition to prayers all over the world, many souls pass through that glorious Gate to behold the Triune God! What a truly wonderful day! What a wonderful triduum we now celebrate!

Let us pray for those involved in the occult. Let us also pray for the fires in California at this time and all those suffering.

Following are some quick excerpts of prayer, from the book, A Prayerbook of Favorite Litanies, compiled by Fr. Albert J. Hebert. Its my favorite prayerbook. You can get it HERE.

“All ye holy angels and archangels, all ye holy orders of blessed spirits, all ye holy patriarchs and prophets, all ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, all ye holy disciples of Our Lord, all ye Holy Innocents, all ye holy martyrs, all ye holy Bishops and confessors, all ye holy Doctors, all ye holy priests and levites, all ye holy monks and hermits, all ye holy virgins and widows, all ye holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us!”

“O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy departed servants the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.”

“Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaids, (name your loved ones), who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of grace. To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace, through the same Christ Our Lord.”

“O Lord, grant eternal rest to all the souls of the faithful departed, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.”