5 Ways to Keep Christ in Christmas

We have been putting this list out for years now, and this is the most recent version. Why not consider printing out a few and distributing? Ask your pastor if he would like it printed in the bulletin, give to the church youth group, etc. Even pin up on a local community bulletin board!

+ + +

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! 

 PRINTABLE VERSION: PDF COLOR

PRINTABLE VERSION: PDF BLACK

Prayer Intention

A dear friend of our family’s was visiting her aunt in Mexico. This past Friday, the First Friday of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, both of them were killed in a car accident. Our friend’s name was Virginia and her aunt’s name was Rosa. Both names can be seen as connected with the Blessed Mother. “Virginia,” invoking her perpetual virginity and “Rosa,” may refer to Our Lady’s association with roses, or her title “Rosa Mystica.” This title was given by a 20th century Italian visionary, Pierina Gilli. These apparitions are still under investigation.

Virginia and Rosa had a bond of love in life and a bond in death. Please pray for their dear souls and their loved ones. If you have any of your own intentions, you may email us and we will post them.

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them!

may they rest in peace.

Amen.

Please drive safely! Sacred Heart Auto League

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception / December Prepper Challenge!

December is such an interesting ecclesiastical month, I hardly know where to start.  It’s chock full of every kind of feast…Our Blessed Lord, Our Lady, well-known saints, Doctors of the Church, martyrs, visionaries, 1st Century saints, Old Testament Patriarchs, the Holy Family and even Adam & Eve, an “historical” feast, on Christmas Eve.  As if that’s not enough, we also celebrate the Ember Days of Winter the week before Christmas.  And don’t forget the joyful Gaudete Sunday, the 3rd Sundy of Advent.  And Advent itself, of course!

To be clear, we discuss both trad and new feasts and the traditional calendar is below.  We will place our focus on a few feasts…

The 1st Sunday of Advent is this coming Sunday, the 3rd.  This is the beginning of the new Liturgical Year and the beginning of the Cycle of Christmas, when we await the birth of Our Savior and prepare spiritually for this great Holy Day.  On the 8th, we honor the Immaculate Conception of Mary (Patroness of the USA), a Holy Day of Obligation.  This solemnity falls on a Friday this year, so no penance is required.  Our Lady of Loreto is the 10th and Our Lady of Guadalupe the 12th. 

The Ember Days are days of prayer and penance to obtain mercy for the coming season.  As the Ember Days concern themselves with nature, it’s a particularly nice time to do crafts with children.  In this case, it can be combined with Christmas in all kinds of creative ways.  Come up with your own ideas…maybe you could even arrange a day at your parish for these activities. 

I don’t suppose I have to remind anyone about Christmas on the 25th.  But let us celebrate as holy a Christmas as we can this year, as the world continues to spiral into a plethora of polycrises.

+   +   +

December Prepper Challenge

Speaking of polycrises, how about a challenge this month?  Yes, it’s Christmastime, but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean the problems in the world take a vacation.  In a month, these progressive issues, many of which are exponential in nature (speeds up over time), will be one month closer to the critical point.  That’s why action must be taken now, Christmastime or not.  The greatest gift you can give your loved ones, besides spiritual encouragement, is preparedness. 

Let us take the 2 themes of this month as inspiration, Mother and Child.  As life gets more difficult, the vulnerable will be in greater need.  We cannot help them until we help ourselves.  We must be in a strong position to help our neighbors.  We must prepare because too many are not.  We will be held accountable.  As Chris Martenson says, we will be asked one day:

“When did you see?  What did you do about it?”

If you still don’t see the need to prepare for the coming days, pray to the Holy Ghost for an illumination.

15 Points Preparedness Worksheet

Please print our worksheet above and choose 5 points to begin working on this month.  We encourage you to involve your family, discuss it together, and write out the most important things you agree should be done.  Feel free to email us with your progress and we may share your comments.  You might also think about printing a copy for your loved ones as a Christmas gift.  Roll it up with a red or green ribbon.  I guarantee they won’t get this from anyone else!  Good luck and you all will be in our prayers!

Here is the traditional Catholic calendar for December:  calefactory.org

Triduum of Death

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

+ + +

“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.

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.”

November: Month of the Holy Souls in Purgatory / Update

From Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary:

PLENARY INDULGENCE

An indulgence that can remove all the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin. No one but God knows for certain when a plenary indulgence is actually gained, because only He knows whether a person's dispositions are adequate. One norm for such dispositions is that "all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent." If these dispositions are in any way less than complete, the indulgence will only be partial. The same provision applies to the three external conditions necessary to gain a plenary indulgence: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of the Pope. If these conditions are not satisfied, an otherwise plenary indulgence becomes only partial. These conditions may be satisfied several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work, though preferably Communion should be received and the prayers offered for the Pope on the same day as the indulgenced work. A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day.

From the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s Holy Cross Chaplaincy:

Six General Rules for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence

1. State of grace…when performing the indulgenced act

2. Complete detachment from sin, even venial sin

3. Confession (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

4. Communion (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

5. Prayers for the Supreme Pontiff (20 days before or after the indulgenced act)

6. Indulgenced Act: a special good work with…conditions of place and time

Indulgenced Acts to be Performed for Obtaining a Plenary Indulgence for the Poor Souls of Purgatory

• From November 1 to 8: visit of a cemetery with mental prayer for the poor souls

• On November 2: visit of a church or an oratory with one Our Father and one Creed being recited

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

On the 21st, we honor the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (her own presentation in the Temple with Saints Joachim and Anne). On the 26th, we celebrate Christ King of the Universe in the new calendar. This is also the last Sunday of the liturgical year. This month’s trad calender: calefactory.org

UPDATE: I will be taking this month off from the blog. See you in Advent!

DNA Contamination in Covid Shots: Very Serious Problem / Thoughts for the Day

“Our blindness is monetizable by anybody who doesn’t suffer from it. To the extent that we are slowed down in realizing what is taking place, other people will have placed bets and they can transfer our wealth by knowing what…events are going to take place.”

“The word that we need to focus on is ‘counter-intuitive.’ In the circumstance where you are being presented a false dichotomy…the same puzzle that humanity has faced for centuries, and you’re about to do it again and you know that it’s a cycle that doesn’t go anywhere good, and is only getting more dangerous based on new weapons…you can be certain that the right move is going to involve a healthy dose of the counter-intuitive. You’re gonna have to think some thought that sounds wrong at first. You’re gonna have to make some move that people are gonna swear is immoral or unbearably dangerous…You’re gonna have to do something unexpected to break out of the trajectory…”

bret weinstein

…or maybe in our case, with the illumination of the Holy Ghost, the word is intuitive. Not to toot my own horn, but I never thought for a moment that those Covid shots were at all safe…and have you seen the recent reports of DNA contamination? (see links below)

+ + +

“Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.”

Matthew 7:13

+ + +

“Bait & Switch”— The COVID Shots are Contaminated – FLCCC News Capsule

Webinar: DNA Contamination in COVID-19 Vaccines

Words from Saint Paul for our Times

The Armor of God

The breastplate of justice

The shield of faith

the helmet of salvation

the sword of the spirit

“Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). By all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the spirit; and in the same watching with all instance and supplication for all the saints…”

Ephesians 6:11-18

International Week of Prayer & Fasting

2023 Theme: Miracles of the Eucharist

“The 31st annual International Week of Prayer and Fasting for our nation, leaders, families, and the Church will take place Oct. 20–28…” READ MORE from Catholic News Agency

This devotional week overlaps with the National Eucharistic Revival. It is exactly 9 days, so praying a novena would be most appropriate. If you are not participating in a structured event, please consider how you may celebrate and honor the Most Holy Eucharist in this penitential week for our Church and our world so much in need.

Don’t worry if you’re a bit late in the novena, God understands!

+++ Rest in Peace, Roy Thomas Richter +++

[Edited since posting.]

Roy T. Richter, was found dead at McDowell Park in Ardsley, NY (not in his home, as the media has reported), last Tuesday, October 3rd, the traditional feast of Saint Therese. He was a New York City cop’s cop who became an attorney and continued to support the police force and assist the city he loved his entire life.

I knew him, since we had a shared aunt on opposite sides of the family. He was a unique and beautiful soul. I am deeply sad. He has left behind a wife, 3 daughters, and a 99 year-old father, who is a former NYPD high level officer, also named Roy Richter. His funeral Mass and burial is today.

Whatever you can do during this Month of the Holy Rosary, I implore you to pray for his soul and his family.

Eternal rest grant unto Roy, O Lord

and may perpetual light shine upon him.

Amen.

Thought for the Day

I woke up last night and these words were spontaneously placed in my head. There was no thought process…

“What is the Tridentine Mass? A spaceship to Heaven.”

I fell back to sleep.