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!

Gardening Pics

Blessings on this Ascension Thursday and feast of Our Lady of Fatima. O Lord ascended in glory, have mercy on us! Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

If you haven’t seen the previous post “Gardening/Landscaping Projects,” please do. This is my son’s gardening project, which is mostly un-germinated seeds (wow!) and random yard pics from the past month. We have a blank slate of a landscape now, but just showing you a few things…

“Jiffy Seed Starting Greenhouse Kit with Expanding Peat Pellets.” Say that 10x fast. My son bought this at The Home Depot and though it uses peat moss, I think it’s pretty cool. He made cryptic markings on the label sticks to keep the orientation and wrote it all out on a planting map. If you look carefully, you can see tiny blue seeds in the 2 rows to the far left. These are Ferry-Morse “Sow Easy” chives, rosemary and thyme. As explained on their website: “Sow Easy seeds are pelleted with an all-natural coating made from a mix of clay, perlite, and FDA-approved food coloring. This coating adds some bulk to small seeds and stands out in the soil, making direct sowing and accurate spacing easier than ever. However, the coating does add a few days to the germination time.” These are resting upon the soil because my son felt like putting some above and some below the soil. As always with gardening…we’ll see what happens!

Where’s all this going to be planted? My son has access to some property near his apartment, where he will be planting. Some may stay here. We will follow the progress as it goes on.

Solar Light Cross

Red Coneflower (Echinacea)

Paperwhite Bulbs

Marigolds

Cherry Blossom Tree

Pink Snow!

Red Tulip

Apricot/Pink Tulips

Queen of Night

Immature Small Pink Tulip

Poison Ivy Fence

Mature Small Pink Tulip

I just learned how to do a gallery! A few words: I adore my apricot & pink striped tulips, I also love the paperwhites-they are quite fragrant, marigolds repel mosquitoes which is a big prob in these parts, the poison ivy fence…just don’t ask.

My flamingo solar light next to my “Footprints” stone.

This is the life! Is it? Why do I always have to get philosophical?

May: Month of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary

May is jam-packed and starts off with a bang with the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Please scroll down for our recent post on the indulgences in the “Year of Saint Joseph.” There are 2 that deal specifically with him under this title and one that refers to his feasts. Get yourself to confession and you’re all set!

There are various major feasts this month of Our Lord, Our Lady, the Holy Ghost and the Holy Trinity. We celebrate 3 Apostles and 5 Doctors of the Church, including Saint Athanasius, the earliest of the Doctors (born c 297). We recently discussed Saint Isidore the Farmer on his minor feast, but this month we have his main feast on the 15th.

May also contains both the Ember Days (of summer) and the Minor Rogation Days! These have separate origins but are very similar in character. Basically, these are traditional times of prayer and penance, associated with nature and the seasons. Trinity Sunday marks the end of Eastertide and the beginning of the Time after Pentecost, which we remain in until Advent.

And of course, May celebrates our Heavenly Mother. We have 4 major Marian feasts and a number of minor or less standard ones, not mentioned here. I will not give you a list this time of obvious ideas for Marian devotions, but pray on it and use your creativity, especially if you have young children (check this out: How to Plan a May Crowning for Kids ). Here are some wonderful products from The Catholic Company, which will serve you. As a prepper, I would be remiss if I failed to encourage you to purchase these types of products while you still can. Especially, I recommend good hardcover Catholic books and Bibles, as many as you can afford.

Here is a sampling of the feasts of May…

5/1-St. Joseph the Worker / First Saturday

5/2-St. Athanasius, Doctor, “The Father of Orthodoxy”

5/3-Sts. Philip & James the Less, Apostles, Martyrs (new)

5/4-St. Monica, Mother of St. Augustine

5/7-First Friday

5/9-St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor, “The Theologian” “The Christian Demosthenes”

5/10-Rogation Day / St. John of Avila, Doctor, “Apostle of Andalusia” “The Master”

5/11-Rogation Day / Sts. Philip & James the Less (trad)

5/12-Rogation Day

5/13-ASCENSION OF THE LORD (ASCENSION THURSDAY-please check your diocese for info on Holy Days of Obligation) / OUR LADY OF FATIMA / St. Robert Bellarmine, Doctor, “Prince of Apologists” “Gentle Doctor of The Controversies”

5/14-St. Matthias, Apostle who replaced Judas, Martyr

5/15-St. Isidore the Farmer

5/16-ASCENSION OF THE LORD (some dioceses)

5/22-Vigil of Pentecost

5/23-PENTECOST SUNDAY (WHITSUNDAY)

5/24-BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

5/25-St. Bede the Venerable, Doctor, “Father of English History” (new)

5/26-Ember Wednesday after Pentecost (trad meat at one meal)

5/27-St. Bede the Venerable (trad)

5/28-Ember Friday after Pentecost

5/29-Ember Saturday after Pentecost (trad meat at one meal)

5/30-TRINITY SUNDAY / St. Joan of Arc

5/31-THE VISITATION / QUEENSHIP OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Notes: The titles of the Doctors of the Church are taken from The 35 Doctors of the Church , a wonderful book of 728 pages, well worth the price. We give both old and new feasts, since people are coming from all parts of the world and all perspectives. Also, the future Church will not be divided-we must work toward unity.

Recent Pics

Is this the most beautiful thing you have ever seen??? How sweetly Baby Jesus is holding His Mother’s chin! (I don’t know where that statue is, unfortunately.)

Image courtesy countdowntothekingdom.com

A seed purchase from www.fiberculture.co. You can make textiles with these. We talked previously about Stinging Nettle in this post and this post, when I encountered it on a hike in New Jersey and the results were…interesting.

Another purchase from jungseed.com. Press Control + to zoom in and see what I bought! (The most interesting thing is Stevia, a great alternative to sugar-it produces tiny sweet leaves.)

This is one method for organizing seeds. I got this cute box from Michael’s (you can get them dirt cheap when they are on sale and they come in all kinds of colors and designs). Just cut out a piece of cardboard and place in the middle. I organize them alphabetically and separate the flower seeds. This is part of my “Survival Seed Bank.” I will not be planting all of this in one year. PS Always make sure your seeds are Non-GMO!

Remember the Kitchen Crop Sprouter? These are broccoli sprouts-good eats! I also did beet sprouts, if you recall-they got moldy because they took too long-always learning…

Can’t even buy pizza anymore. Gotta laugh sometimes! The mind control is everywhere.

Feast of Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph, Pray For Us!

“Saint Joseph Terror of Demons” by Bernadette Carstensen

From the outset of today’s Tridentine Mass, the praise of the Foster-Father of our Redeemer:

The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus: planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God…

Beloved of God and men, whose memory is in benediction. He made him like the Saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he made prodigies to cease. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him commandments in the sight of his people, and showed him His glory. He sanctified him in his faith and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh. For He heard him and his voice, and brought him into a cloud. And He gave him commandment before His face, and a law of life and instruction.

“What the Year of St. Joseph Means and How to Gain the Indulgences”

The above article is from Denver Catholic, and lists the 6 ways to obtain the plenary indulgence in this “Year of Saint Joseph.” There are actually 7 ways, if you include the “Consecration to Saint Joseph,” which the article also discusses. Today is the perfect day to perform one of these (you will also be required to meet the usual conditions). Keep these devotions in mind for the remainder of this Month of Saint Joseph, and as a Lenten exercise. Also, keep them in mind on the May 1st Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. What a great family activity as well-it is these things which will make our children love the Holy Catholic Faith and want to hold on to it!

Bernadette Carstensen Illustration

Video Interview

When looking for images for my posts, I always look for something that jumps out among the rest. The image above did just that. I have never seen a depiction of Saint Joseph like this before…the stern expression and the raising of his arm, as if to exclaim, “Vade Retro Satana!”…protecting the innocent Child Jesus.

It is a copyrighted image, so I have just given you a snippet of this remarkable painting. To view the entirety, please see the link above. This image is also incorporated into a separate painting, which is on the same page. Needless to say, the artist, also known as Bernadette Carstensen-Cody, possesses a rare and exquisite talent. She is a young woman from San Francisco-please also view the 12-minute video interview with her, which features many of her other works. The above painting can be purchased at her site for a reasonable fee-what an awesome Fathers Day gift and addition to your home in this “Year of Saint Joseph!”

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Nomen Christi Apostolate Prayer to Saint Joseph*

O Saint Joseph

O Saint Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord and Our Lady, intercede for us before the Divine Majesty. O holy and humble carpenter, pray for God's children in all our great need. We pray this in the Name of the Christ Child, once held in your loving arms. Amen.

Saint Joseph Novena

Glorious St. Joseph, spouse of the Immaculate Virgin, Foster-Father of Jesus Christ, obtain for me a pure, humble and charitable mind, and perfect resignation to the Divine Will. Be my guide, my father and my model through life, that I may merit to die as you did in the arms of Jesus and Mary. Loving St. Joseph, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, I raise my heart to you to implore your powerful intercession in obtaining from the Heart of Jesus all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare, particularly the grace of a happy death and the special grace I now implore: (mention your request). Guardian of the Word Incarnate, I am confident that your prayers on my behalf will be graciously heard before the Throne of God.

Our Father + Hail Mary + Glory Be

(Recite for 9 consecutive days)

* I wrote this prayer several years ago and posted it on this blog. I was going for the “Hail Mary” of Saint Joseph, something that could be easily memorized. The “Name of the Christ Child” is invoked, as this ministry has a special devotion to the Holy Name (Nomen Christi). Please feel free to share this prayer with others.

Pope Saint Gregory the Great

“The Greatest of the Great”

Yesterday, March 12th, was the feast and the date of death, of Pope Saint Gregory the Great. He has been called “The Greatest of the Great,” in other words, the greatest pope who ever lived. He was the last of the most influential early doctors of the west, preceded by Saints Ambrose, Jerome and Augustine. Why is he regarded so highly by many Catholic scholars?

Saint Gregory lived from about the year 540 to 604. He was born in Rome to a noble family. The Roman Empire was now in disarray and the new capitol was Constantinople. As this pagan era was falling, Christendom began to rise, and Saint Gregory was an integral part of this. He sat on the Chair of Saint Peter for only 14 years, but this short time was extraordinarily productive, in spite of his aging and poor health.

This early medieval pope was known for his great charity…“Every day he invited 12 poor people to be guests at his table, and he was himself accustomed to pour the water with which they cleansed their hands.”

Gregorian Chant: Te Joseph Celebrent

The normative form of music for the Tridentine Mass is what we call “Gregorian Chant,” hearkening back to Saint Gregory’s papacy. There is scant information, but we know he was involved in musical education, in which chant was sung. From the book St. Gregory and the Gregorian Music, author Wyatt: “The great work of Gregory was to organize, set in order, and fix.”

The above link is an example of Gregorian chant in Latin. In this Month of Saint Joseph, this will be sung on his feast, on the 19th, at Vespers. It is also sung on the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, May 1st. It was written by Fr. Juan Escollar (d. 1700).

St. Gregory the Great and His Dove

Why is Saint Gregory often depicted with a dove? Please read the above for this amazing story and more on his bio.

For a more exhaustive look at his life, please see: Pope Saint Gregory I

Image courtesy http://communio.stblogs.org

Grow Your Own Sprouts & More / Old Farmer's Almanac Gardening Webinar & Planner

From Seed to Soup!

The Kitchen Crop 4-Tray Sprouter is a convenient way to eat fresh, free sprouts any time. I recently found the product online and am now enjoying my homegrown sprouts! According to “Healthline:”

“Sprouts are very nutritious. They may also offer a variety of health benefits, including easier digestion, improved blood sugar levels and a lower risk of heart disease. However, keep in mind that they are also associated with a risk of food poisoning. That said, for the majority of healthy people, the benefits of eating raw or lightly cooked sprouts likely outweigh the risks.”

I am not an expert, but if you handle the sprouts properly and keep the trays clean (they are fine in the dishwasher-wash them once per week, even if that requires temporarily removing the sprouts), I don’t think bacteria or mold should be an issue. Read instructions and keep out of direct sunlight.

This product is also great fun for kids and a sustainability learning experience…

I used only two trays to grow alfalfa (the kit came with those seeds) and beet sprouts. In one week, the beet seeds did not do much, but the alfalfa seeds grew to perfection…

When the sprouts are mature, rinse them in water and the hulls mostly sink to the bottom. Unused sprouts may be refrigerated.

Sprouts are great for salads, sandwiches, soups and as an elegant garnish. I added mine to a simple chicken soup. The aroma and flavor was wonderful and gave it an exotic flair-it’s an easy way to impress your friends!

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VKP Brands

This sprouter is made by “VKP Brands,” which produces many food and preparedness/sustainability products. Here is a video on this product. They also sell a “Deluxe Sprouter,” which doesn’t seem much different. You can also turn wide-mouth mason jars into sprouters with the Sprouting Jar Lid. Common sprouting seeds such as sunflower, radish, beans, broccoli and alfalfa are also available.

“VKP Brands” can help you do almost anything to food that you want…

canning, dehydrating, milling or juicing!

They also have various kitchen supplies, travel slow cookers and water distillers.

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Check out the Old Farmer’s Almanac Gardening 101 webinar next week*…I also recommend their Garden Planner, which is a year-long subscription that allows you to design your own garden and receive all kinds of incredible help and resources…well worth the money if you really will use it-both of these things will well-prepare you to grow an amazing garden this year…Spring is around the corner…get started now!

* Why bother paying $39.99 for this when I could just watch a few YouTube videos? Yes, you could watch videos and there’s a lot of great content out there, but you always have to evaluate the source. The Almanac is a trusted source and you’ll get a good overview here of the basic concepts of gardening. They also give an opportunity to ask questions.

2021 March For Life Wrap-Up

*** Text “March” to 73075 ***

You can “march” all year long by texting the word “march” to the number above. You will be given very easy (basically one click) ways to contact your legislators about pro-life issues. The messages are pre-written-there is no way for it to be easier! You will also become educated on every piece of pro-life legislation on the federal level, which this new administration will try to influence. If you prefer, there is also an email option. Do it today before they start changing our laws!

Watch 2021 March For Life

The virtual March for Life this year was exceptionally done. This was an unprecedented project, since the first March of 20,000 people in 1974, only one year after the “Roe vs Wade” decision. The president, Jeanne Mancini, and her team pulled it together and did a remarkable job. The footage is about 2 1/2 hours. The first half is a series of short, pre-recorded talks from pro-life leaders around the country. The second half contains live interviews and coverage of the March. This is a great “documentary” for young people, which can be used for catechism classes or youth groups. It is not boring at all, the time goes by effortlessly and is quite inspiring. One of the highlights was the talk given by Tim Tebow, keynote speaker of this year’s Rose Dinner Gala, athlete, humanitarian and himself a “miracle baby.”

March For Life Website

Click on the link above for news, March merchandise, “Take Action” button, donations and more.

Every faithful Catholic must fight this fight for life and against evil is his own way. Why is the world undergoing such a chastisement? Why is God allowing it? None of this will end until humanity repents and turns back to God and His Law of Love.

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!