Oops, Forgot to Talk About the Ember Days!

The Ember Days of Lent (or Spring) are celebrated the week after Ash Wednesday this year. That is, Wednesday the 21st, Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th. Traditionally, meat is eaten at only one meal (obviously, you will not be eating meat on Friday). These are days of prayer and penance for the coming season. The Ember Days are particularly fun to celebrate with children because you can take the opportunity to come up with crafts having to do with the seasons and working in a spiritual message. If you have a trad-minded parish or group of friends, why not get the children together to learn about the Ember Days…or…

How About Planting on the Ember Days?

Seedlings my son and I planted a few years ago with a seed starting kit.

In Nomen Christi Apostolate style, let’s see how we might combine the Ember Days, the season of Spring, Lent and preparedness! On Long Island, where I am, indoor seedlings are started in February, for transplanting outdoors when temperature permits and when the plants are strong enough to handle rain and other stresses. Some common foods one might start indoors, would be Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Broccoli and Kale. A number of herbs can also be started at this time. The Ember Days this year would be perfect days for planting these seeds indoors. Again, I’m talking about my area. If you can sow directly in the ground, think about that (or plant in pots if you’re not quite set up to garden yet) or if it’s too cold in your area, you can still do an indoor plant, perhaps even winter bulbs or cooking herbs.

What about the prayerful quality of the Ember Days and Lent? You could bless the seeds with holy water and pray for a good harvest, you could thank God for your abundance and pray for the poor…or pray to the saints invoked for gardening and nature, such as Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Rose of Lima, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Isidore the Farmer, Saint Kateri and Saint Fiacre. To see the planting calendar for your own area: Old Farmers Almanac

In addition, the readings for the Ember Days are quite beautiful. This can be incorporated into your daily prayertime. Blessings to all on these wonderful traditional feasts!

"The Wonders of the Holy Name" Booklet: Act Now!

In this month of the Holy Name of Jesus (in case you haven’t noticed, this ministry is dedicated to the Holy Name), TAN Books has a great sale on the booklet mentioned above. It normally sells for $4.95 each, but if you act by January 31st, you get 5 for $10.00! It is not a prayer book, but it contains many historical anecdotes, such as Pope Gregory X’s devotion, a plague in Lisbon, glorious martyrdoms and the faith of many saints in the Holy Name.

TAN also has a monthly $10.00 “leatherette” book. They have quite a selection now of these beautiful, well-made spiritual classics and Bibles. The prices range widely, so taking advantage of the monthly offering is a good idea. As a Catholic prepper, having good quality classic books is a must. If you still need to develop your spiritual library, TAN provides a great way to move forward. They also have sets of books you might want to look at.

One warning: unless you like lots of spam, don’t sign up for their email list. Just make a point to visit the site once a month and take advantage of the leatherette, for sure.

Praise the Holy Name of Jesus now and forever!

Let us defend it valiantly!

January is the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus ~ Nomen Christi!

Holy Church in her wisdom, begins the secular New Year honoring Mary, Mother of God, imploring her much-needed intercession along with the Circumcision of Our Lord in the traditional calendar.  The significance of the Circumcision is twofold:  Our Blessed Infant Lord, though the Son of God, was still subject to the Law and this is the ritual in which He received the Name “Jesus,” meaning “God saves.”  This Name invokes both the identity and mission of Christ. 

Following the Circumcision, we celebrate the Holy Name of Jesus, which is also the theme of the Month of January.  We begin a new year contemplating the Name of Christ Jesus.  We honor His identity as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity and His mission as our Redeemer, the shedding of His innocent Blood at the Circumcision, a reminder of His Sacrifice upon the Cross.  What better way to start a new year than to flee to Our Lord and His Mother! 

“Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and his justice, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Matthew 6:33

Epiphany of Our Lord is held on January 6th, in both the trad and new calendars.  The feast of the Holy Family is Sunday, the 7th, which is also the new feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.  The trad feast of the Baptism is on the 13th.  Our Lady of Prompt Succor is honored on the 15th.

Septuagesima Sunday is the 28th, beginning the short season of Septuagesima, a preparation for Lent.

As we discussed a “Marian Triad of the Months” from August to October, we now celebrate a “Christological Triad of the Months” from December to February:  The Divine Infancy, the Holy Name and the Passion of Our Lord.  Please note, these “triads” are not official Church ideas, but something unique to this Apostolate.  We strive to see how these months tie together theological themes and present an opportunity for prayer and meditation. This ministry also has a special dedication to the Holy Name and Our Lady of Fatima.

Traditional Catholic Calendar for January

New Year’s Blessings to all! Let us pray for a holy, happy and healthy 2024 and think positively about the coming year.

This is the year the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

By the way, how did you do with the December Prepper Challenge? It’s totally understandable if Christmastime got in your way. The good news is…there’s a new month…and a new year…to continue to work on our “15 Points Preparedness Worksheet.” Scroll down to the December post or find it on the Home page. Choose the 5 things you think are most important right now and make a plan. Your future self will thank you! And feel free to email us and share your progress-comments may be posted.

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

22 Years: 9/11 Prayer, Song, Scripture, & Meditation

Light a candle and pray with your family, sometime this week…

O Most Holy Trinity, we light this candle for all the victims of that terrible day, 22 years ago.  We pray for those at the World Trade Center, including the 2 planes, those at the Pentagon, including the plane, and those on the plane in Pennsylvania.  We pray for the first responders who gave their lives.  We give to Thee all those who died or suffered in any way, along with their loved ones.  We remember also, those who continue to live with physical and mental disability.  May they all be healed and brought close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  May we never forget them.  We also lift up to Thee, those responsible for  these horrific crimes against God and humanity.  May they be brought to repentance and mercy. 

God bless the United States of America, and may we become once again, a nation respecting the laws of God, the sanctity of life and all human rights.  Lord have mercy upon us.

Amen.

Song:  Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

and with fear and trembling stand;

ponder nothing earthly minded,

for, with blessing in His hand,

Christ our God to earth descendeth,

our full homage to demand. 

King of Kings, yet born of Mary,

as of old on earth He stood,

Lord of Lords, in human vesture,

in the Body and the Blood.

He will give to all the faithful

His own Self for heav'nly food. 

Rank on rank the host of Heaven

spreads its vanguard on the way,

as the Light of Light descendeth

from the realms of endless day,

that the pow'rs of Hell may vanish

as the darkness clears away. 

At His feet the six-winged seraph,

cherubim with sleepless eye,

veil their faces to the Presence,

as with ceaseless voice they cry,

“Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, Lord Most High!” 

(Picardy/Moultrie) 

And Jesus being come out of the temple, went away. And his disciples came to shew him the buildings of the temple.  And he answering, said to them: Do you see all these things? Amen I say to you there shall not be left here a stone upon a stone that shall not be destroyed…Now all these are the beginnings of sorrows…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…For there shall be then great tribulation, such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be…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…Who, thinkest thou, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath appointed over his family, to give them meat in season…Blessed is that servant, whom when his lord shall come he shall find so doing. 

Matthew 24 

On that day 22 years ago, 2,996 people died and many more suffered, as Our Lady of Sorrows looked on from Heaven.  She continues to watch over her children with the love and compassion of her Immaculate Heart.  She understands the Foot of the Cross.  And she leads us to the joy of the Resurrection.  Death is never the end of the story. 

The “candle” Saint Francis refers to is the soul illumined by the Light of Christ.  As the hymn states:  “…the Light of Light descendeth from the realms of endless day, that the pow'rs of Hell may vanish as the darkness clears away.”   

Our Lord’s prophecy in this Gospel chapter refers to the End of Time.  We do not know where we are in that timeline, but it is clear that the world is changing.  Even if we are not at “The End,” the words above are still relevant to our times.  We are seeing unprecedented sorrows, the global reach of the Gospel and unnatural endeavors which have never been attempted before.  We are told to be watchful.  We are told to prepare and provide for those in our care.  If we heed these commands, we will be deemed “blessed” and win our heavenly reward! 

Saints of September 11th, Protus, Hyacinth, Paphnutius and Adelphus…pray for us! 

Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth

+++   New Yorkers Will Never Forget   +++

Image from Pinterest

+++ Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary +++

“Frari Assumption” by Tiziano Vecelli, altarpiece in Venice, 1518

Beautiful prayers from the Tridentine Mass of the Assumption:

A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Ps. 97: 1) Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because He hath done wonderful things. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. A great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

Almighty everlasting God, who hast taken body and soul into heaven the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son: grant, we beseech Thee, that by steadfastly keeping heaven as our goal we may be counted worthy to join her in glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear: and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty. All beautiful is the King’s daughter as she comes in, robed in cloth of gold.

Alleluia, alleluia. Mary has been assumed into heaven: the angelic host rejoices. Alleluia.

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed.

May our offering of due service rise unto Thee, O Lord: and through the prayer of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed by Thee into heaven, may our hearts be set on fire with love and ever yearn for Thee. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we always and everywhere give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: and that we should praise and bless, and proclaim Thee, in this feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ever Virgin: Who also conceived Thine only-begotten Son by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, and the glory of her virginity still abiding, gave forth to the world the everlasting Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy majesty, the Dominations adore, the Powers tremble: the heavens and the hosts of heaven, and the blessed Seraphim, together celebrate in exultation. With whom, we pray Thee, command that our voices of supplication also be admitted in confessing Thee saying:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,

Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt

cæli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in

excélsis! Benedíctus qui venit in

nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis!

All generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me.

Through the merits and prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Thee assumed into heaven, may we, O Lord, who have received the sacraments of salvation, come to the glory of the resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

The following commentary on the Mariology of the Assumption, is from a wonderful resource which I have used a lot: extraordinaryform.org

“Among the feasts of the Blessed Virgin that of the Dormitio Sanctae Mariae, or of her bodily Assumption into heaven, was from very early times the most solemn and the most widely observed. In the time of Pope Sergius I a solemn procession proceeded to St. Mary Major, where Mass was celebrated. It was customary to carry images of the Savior and of His Blessed Mother in this procession; outside of Rome a similar ceremony was observed. It should, however, be borne in mind that though the divine maternity of theBlessed Virgin Mary may be regarded as the immediate reason of her Assumption into heaven, yet the first and formal reason of this privilege is to be sought in her Immaculate Conception. It is true, indeed, that the dignity of the Mother of the Incarnate Word was the primary reason for which God preserved the Immaculate Conception of Mary from all stain of original sin – and in this sense the Gregorian Sacramentary rightly attributes the reason of the bodily resurrection of the Blessed Virgin to her prerogative as Mother of the Word – but in order to express this truth with perfect accuracy, it is necessary to say that the formal reason for the preservation of her body from corruption was precisely her immunity from all stain of original sin.”

Image from Wikipedia entry about this extraordinary painting.

Empty Nester Conversation #....I forget

Me: What time are the shed people coming tomorrow?

Hubby: 8 to 10.

Me: AM?

Hubby: Yes, AM.

Me: Wasn’t The Shed People a horror movie in the 80’s?

Hubby: No, it was my band. Don’t you remember? You came to our show at Paramus Middle School’s science fair.

Me: Gee, don’t know how I got that wrong.

(This actually went through several drafts which were even less funny.)

Our brand new shed installed today!

This will help on so many levels. We can now clear a lot of things out of our basement and garage, and organize them better. Mainly this will be yardwork and gardening paraphernalia. Sheds are great to have and great for resale value of a house. This one has a waterproof floor and a heavy-duty ramp. The window and skylight are important for letting light in-it can be rather dark in a shed otherwise. Of course, you can leave the door open for more light. We now have to bring shelving in and we are all set! My life just got better:)

Thoughts on Memorial Day, USA

As with everything it seems, these days, we Catholics must move the opposite direction of the culture.  Memorial Day is no exception.  At my hair salon the other day, everyone was talking about their impending parties over the weekend.  Someone asked me what I was doing and I said, “Nothing,” a bit embarrassed.  I admit I am far from perfect in responding to these many awkward situations that arise.  This is our lot.  This is our cross as Christians, to follow the narrow path.

A culture that has forgotten how to mourn, has forgotten how to live.

In considering how I might “celebrate” this day, my first thought was to refrain from meat.  However, our fridge is packed with meat that needs to be cooked.  So I resolved to pray the rosary and to try to live a good, disciplined day.  Thinking of my husband’s uncle Harry who died in WWII, I decided to offer the day for him and when presented with a difficulty, to say, “Do it for Harry.” 

I have become deeply devoted to the memory of Harry, after coming across an old scrapbook in my husband’s basement.  It showed little anecdotes of Harry from his boyhood.  I was fascinated.  Finally, I turned a page and there it was.  The record of his death.  I had never heard the story and was shocked and saddened.  We have visited Harry’s memorial in the family cemetery several times now.  Someone placed a flag there which is worn, but still there.  He was buried in Germany.  26 years old, close to our son’s age now.  Like the line in “Gone with the Wind,” referring to the soldiers of the Civil War, “Maybe they are all Ashley”…I think of the men and women we honor today…Maybe they are all Harry. 

As I continue to work towards a community of love, apart from a world sinking into tyranny, I wonder what Harry died for and will remember to say, “Do it for Harry.”

On this feast of Our Lady, Mother of the Church, this octave of Pentecost and this Ember Week, let us keep these dear souls and their families in prayer, along with places of war right now and of course, pray for peace. 

­­Come Holy Ghost, give the world the illumination it needs so very much at this time!

May is the Month of Our Lady

Quick Update: Due to the aforementioned health issues, along with other things going on in my life, I will have to change my writing style here. I will have to write shorter, simpler ideas, in order to keep things going at a reasonable pace. I hope you enjoy the new format and I wish all of you blessings and everything wonderful!

Getting a late start this month, but that’s okay, because the most interesting feasts are the latter part of the month…

On the 13th we have Our Lady of Fatima, to whom this ministry is dedicated. She gives us the antidotes to our times in her Fatima requests. And she also gives us hope in promising a period of peace after a time of trial. Learning more about Fatima and Our Lady’s requests would be a wonderful way to celebrate this month dedicated to her. Try doing a search to the right-we have a lot of info here.

Saint Isidore the Farmer is on the 15th, which is also the first of the 3 Minor Rogation Days, days of prayer and penance, similar to the Ember Days. We like Saint Isidore because he was a farmer. Farming is good. People should like farmers more. We don’t have food without farmers. We should all learn how to farm. (This is how I write when I totally don’t try. Like a first grader’s homework assignment. You might have to get used to this.) But seriously, I am jesting because respect for food production and the importance of food self-reliance should be self-evident. It’s not anymore. Food is good. You die without food. Are people so gone that they need to be reminded of this?

We have Ascension Thursday on the 18th (check if it’s a Holy Day of Obligation in your Diocese) and Ascension Sunday, or whatever they’re calling it these days, on the 21st.

Pentecost, that glorious feast, is on the 28th, in both the trad and new. Come Holy Ghost! Do you have a red shirt? I don’t. I should buy one. I had one I liked once.

On the 31st, we have the Visitation (new) and the Queenship (trad) of Our Lady-a double Marian feast in this Month of Mary. This is also Ember Wednesday, the start of the Ember Days of Summer. Let us pray for the coming season to be productive and fruitful in many ways for the children of God.

Empty-Nester Conversation

Me: The garbage is smelly.

My husband: Oh.

Me: The garbage is smelly.

My husband: It’s garbage night. I’ll take it out later.

Me: The garbage is smelly now.

My husband: “Wives do not nag your husbands” is one of the Ten Commandments.

Me: (I take the garbage out.)