With the major missile strikes in Russia, something Russia just told the West NOT TO DO, things change NOW. Hopefully, through God’s mercy, we will see a de-escalation. Listen to Our Lady of Fatima and her requests. Pray the Rosary!
Feast of Saint Hildegard of Bingen / Saint Hildegard Series: Part 1
Here are some quotes by Saint Hildegard which illustrate her theology of nature, called “Veriditas”…
“O most honored Greening Force, you who roots in the Sun, you who lights up, in shining serenity, within a wheel that earthly excellence fails to comprehend. You are enfolded in the weaving of divine mysteries. You redden like the dawn and you burn, flame of the Sun.”
"The Word is living, being, spirit, all verdant greening, all creativity. This Word manifests Itself in every creature."
"Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings. Now, think. What delight God gives to mankind with all these things…
All nature is at the disposal of mankind. We are to work with it. For without it, we cannot survive."
"The fire has its flame and praises God. The wind blows the flame and praises God. In the voice we hear the word which praises God. And the word, when heard, praises God. So all of creation is a song of praise to God."
"Good People, most royal greening verdancy, rooted in the sun, you shine with radiant light."
"Now in the people that were meant to be green there is no more life of any kind. There is only shriveled barrenness. The winds are burdened by the utterly awful stink of evil, selfish goings-on. Thunderstorms menace. The air belches out the filthy uncleanliness of the peoples. The earth should not be injured! The earth must not be destroyed!"
"Mary, ground of all being, Greetings! Greetings to you, lovely and loving Mother!"
"Mankind, full of all creative possibilities, is God’s work. Mankind alone is called to assist God. Mankind is called to co-create. With nature’s help, mankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life-sustaining."
Saint Hildegard von Bingen, 1098-1179
Saint Hildegard of Bingen, also known as “Sibyl of the Rhine” and “The Teutonic Prophetess,” was born in Germany and became a Benedictine nun. Living within Saint Benedict’s and his twin Saint Scholastica’s model of community and self-reliance, she used her genius to advance her predecessors’ ideas into a full lifestyle and theology. She became a musical composer, herbalist, playwright, artist, theologian, mystic and prophetess. Hildegard is one of Holy Church’s glorious examples of human potential when illumined by the Light of Christ, like stained glass lit by the Sun. She has given insight to the world for 1,000 years. At this historic juncture, we must return to Hildegard’s respect for nature and God’s Law. As we carry her torch forward, may she continue to instruct humanity for another 1,000 years!
When these present days get us weary…and they will, let us flee to Hildegard’s intercession, for she understands. All great gifts come with great crosses. Let us ask our Blessed Lord for renewed strength. Let us speak dearest Hildegard’s words…
Again I am in turmoil.
Should I speak, or must I be silent?
I feel like a gnarled old tree, withered and crooked and flaky.
All the stories of the years are written on my branches.
The sap is gone, the voice is dead.
But I long to make again a sacred sound.
I want to sound out God
I want to be a young juicy, sap-running tree
So that I can sing God as God knows how.
O God, Thou gentle viridity
O Mary, honeycomb of life
O Jesus, hidden in sweetness as flowing honey,
Release my voice again.
I have sweetness to share.
I have stories to tell.
I have God to announce.
I have green life to celebrate.
I have rivers of fire to ignite.
I was unable to find the source of this prayer. If someone could apprise me, that would be much appreciated:)
And here is a lovely prayer honoring Hildegard…
Father, Source of Life, Thou hast bestowed on Saint Hildegard of Bingen many excellent graces. Help us to follow her example of meditating upon Thine Ineffable Majesty and to follow Thee, so that we, amidst the darkness of this world, recognize the light of Thy clarity, to cling to Thee without fail. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer from ChurchPop, slightly edited.
This is Part 1 of our new “Saint Hildegard Series.” Stay tuned for Part 2, where we will discuss her concept of “Veriditas,” which matches Nomen Christi Apostolate’s philosophy remarkably well!
A Proposed Response to the Migrant Crisis: A New Catholic Ministry!
“It will not matter who wins the election. The flood of illegals have a purpose in the overall plan that has been unfolding. Chaos as far and wide as possible.”
Phillip Davis
It’s Spreading: America’s Top Oil Field Terrorized by Armed Cuban and Venezuelan Gangs
We’ve seen a lot in the news lately about what’s going on in America due to the influx of illegal foreigners, to the tune of millions. We’ve heard about the terrible situations in Colorado, Ohio and New York, along with the above, in Texas. The migrant (as opposed to “immigrant”), or “human migration” crisis, is not limited to the United States. Great Britain has recently declared a national emergency due to civil unrest and other European countries continue to suffer with these issues. Human migration has dramatically increased in the Western world in the past several years. This is part of a globalist agenda to destroy Christendom and re-settle the earth for the benefit of the elites and their New World Order/Great Reset.
The West is not getting the cream-of-the-crop from other nations. Not only are they bringing crime, to add insult to injury, many of the crimes are going unpunished. This is not to say all migrants are bad people. But many of them do not share our “Western Values,” which the World Economic Forum openly predicted would soon be “tested to the breaking point.” The Weffers say what they mean and they mean what they say. They are not simply abstractionist loons cavorting in luxurious ski villages. They are actually implementing their insane agendas before our very eyes. Part of the plan is to provoke civil war. They love anything that is destructive, because it gives them more power and more of an opportunity to crack down with martial law, advancing their plans.
What the Devil wants is to place hate in our hearts. We must remain vigilant about this. Hate and violence is never the answer. Love is.
“Put up again thy sword into its place: for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”
Matthew 26:52
We have to be strategic and prayerful in our responses to the globalist occultist elites. We can glean what they want by what they are provoking. What do they really NOT want? More Catholics. This is why the traditional Church is being persecuted by various entities (including the FBI-look that up if you don’t know the story). This is why our beliefs are being attacked from every possible avenue, from within and from without.
While working toward more sane immigration policies, what do we do in the meantime?
How about a new Catholic ministry, with a missionary mindset, to convert the migrants?
If you don’t feel love for the migrant people, pray for this grace and it will be given to you. As CS Lewis said in Mere Christianity, if you only act as if you love someone, actual love will follow. This will require certain skill-sets. This job is not for everyone, just as not everyone is called to work on the pro-life front-lines. Missionary work has never been safe or easy. It is often frowned upon by those in power and has spawned many martyrs. Ministering to migrants will require knowing their language and being “willing to march into Hell for that Heavenly cause.”
Are you being called? Pray on it!
Consoling Words of Isaiah
The Old Testament reading today at the Novus Ordo was the following, from Isaiah. I found it quite consoling, as my daily fare is studying the polycrises of the world and prepping for the coming days. Maybe you will too.
Douay-Rheims’ notes are: “The joyful flourishing of Christ's kingdom: in His Church shall be a holy and secure way.” But I see this also as referring to the holy refuges towards the End of Time that will be established. Are we in those times now? Is this what we must create? Then there is not a moment to spare!
“The land that was desolate and impassable shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice, and shall flourish like the lily. It shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise: the glory of Libanus is given to it: the beauty of Carmel, and Saron, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the beauty of our God. Strengthen ye the feeble hands, and confirm the weak knees. Say to the fainthearted: Take courage, and fear not: behold your God will bring the revenge of recompense: God himself will come and will save you. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free: for waters are broken out in the desert, and streams in the wilderness. And that which was dry land, shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. In the dens where dragons dwell before, shall rise up the verdure of the reed and the bulrush. And a path and a way shall be there, and it shall be called the holy way: the unclean shall not pass over it, and this shall be unto you a straight way, so that fools shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor shall any mischievous beast go up by it, nor be found there: but they shall walk there that shall be delivered. And the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and shall come into Sion with praise, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”
The Prophet Isaiah, Chapter 35
September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows
Concluding prayers from the 3 litanies of Our Lady of Sorrows:
We beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, let Thy Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at the hour of Thy Passion, implore Thy mercy for us, both now and at the hour of our death, Who livest and reignest, world without end.
Imprint, O Lady, thy wounds upon my heart, that I may read therein sorrow and love, sorrow to endure every sorrow for thee, love to despise every love for thee.
O Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man, grant, we beseech Thee, that Thy dear Mother Mary, whose soul the sword pierced in the hour of Thy Passion, may intercede for us, now, and in the hour of our death, through Thine own merits, O Saviour of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, God, world without end.
Amen.
This is the second month of Nomen Christi Apostolate’s “Marian Triad of the Months,” when we are contemplating the Mariology of her Immaculate Heart, her 7 Sorrows and the Holy Rosary. How can we honor her sorrows this month? We can pray the litanies mentioned above, the 7 Sorrows Chaplet and also celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows on the 15th. This feast is in both the trad and new calendars. In terms of meditation, we may ask ourselves the following questions: “How do our Heavenly Mother’s sorrows relate to our own times?” “How can we appeal to her during these times?” “Why did God allow her to suffer?” “How can we derive consolation from her own Passion, inextricably linked to Our Lord’s?”
We also honor the Mother of God’s nativity on the 8th, her holy name on the 12th and Our Lady of Ransom the 24th. The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is on the 14th. The Ember Days of Autumn always proceed the following week on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday (Wed and Sat meat at one meal and of course, the usual Friday penance). See “Ember Days” topic to the right>>> Other notable feasts this month:
Saint Gregory the Great/Saint Pius X-3rd
Saint Teresa of Calcutta-5th
Saint Matthew, Apostle-21st
Saint Pio-23rd
Saint Vincent de Paul-27th
The Three Archangels, Michael, Gabriel & Raphael-29th
Our Lady of Sorrows Prayers from the Tridentine Mass with PDF
A Few Things...
I recently met a lovely man at church. We talked a bit, and he emailed me a poem he wrote. He is a secular Franciscan and belongs to the Knights of Columbus on Long Island. Here is his beautiful poem…
Saint Therese of Lisieux
Your beauty got under my skin, not like a knife, razor or nails
But like tea with honey and lemon, something stimulating, sweet and sharp
It's like you hit me by remote control and pushed buttons without pushing a button
Your beauty is big, like a forcefield that animates joy
And it is little too, like the gleam in sparkling blue eyes, the kind that animates life
If love makes the world go round, is it not true your beauty is being chaste?
Is it not true a question begins with a quest?
This is my response to the question of your beauty
I give the white rose
By Clifford Proctor
~ ~ ~
Charles Dowding “No Dig” Gardening
This guy is amazing. Start with the 2 minute video on the Home page which shows Dowding's idyllic farm in South Somerset, England. This site contains a wealth of resources including courses, books and a shop. Dowding has pioneered cutting edge gardening research, to create simpler methods that anyone can do. Have a look!
~ ~ ~
“I think it's down to radical non-compliance and what we can do with our own actions and behaviors.”
Aaron Day
~ ~ ~
This is an excerpt from an article at Zero Hedge, by Tyler Durden, from May 2024. It’s still quite relevant…and concerning. This isn’t only being done for political purposes, it is part of the move toward green energy. This sounds great on the surface, but it is being used as a tool to reduce freedom and create a total surveillance grid of energy consumption. Some might say this is necessary. Yes, a gradual scaling back is necessary, but defying human rights in the ways the globalists intend to, is unnecessary, cruel and immoral. Covid was only the beginning…
Biden Drains Entire Northeast Gasoline Reserve In Bid To Lower Gas Prices
“Back in March, when reading the mammoth, 1050-page bill that was meant to avert government shutdown…we stumbled upon something that was truly shocking: after Biden singlehandedly drained half of the US strategic petroleum reserve to avoid obliteration for Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections, Congress has snuck in a provision that would sell off and shutter the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve, a move that while perhaps keeps gas prices lower for a day or two, would also leave the entire continental northeast defenseless to any true environmental catastrophe or shock. We were so dismayed by the inclusion of this particular text, we wondered if it hadn't been put there solely for the benefit of America's enemies...because surely nobody in their right mind, not even the illegitimate senile occupant of the White House, would ever pursue such short-term gains at the expense of potentially disastrous long-term consequences to the entire nation.
We were wrong: earlier today, just two months after the bill was signed by Biden into law, the panicking administration announced that it would sell the nearly 1 million barrels of gasoline in the US managed stockpile in northeastern states, the Department of Energy said, effectively closing the reserve.
The department created the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR) in 2014 after Superstorm Sandy left motorists scrambling for fuel. But, according to some megabrains hoping to justify the dumping of gas so its price drops for a few weeks ahead of the summer and avoid even more anger aimed at the President, storing refined fuel is costlier than storing crude oil, so closing the reserve was included in U.S funding legislation signed by President Joe Biden in March.”
+++ Rest in Peace, My Dear Father +++
Joseph J Interrante
January 19th, 1920 ~ August 25th, 1974
+ 50 Years Gone Today +
The Best Father Any Little Girl Ever Had
I Love You Daddy!
Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine
Et lux perpetua luceat ei
Te decet hymnus Deus, in Sion
Et tibi reddetur votum in Ierusalem
Exaudi orationem meam
Ad te omnis caro veniet
Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine
Et lux perpetua luceat ei!
+ + +
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:5
From today’s Tridentine Mass:
The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear Him, and shall deliver them: O taste and see that the Lord is sweet.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God: and all things shall be added unto you, saith the Lord.
Saint Joseph Calasanctius, whose feast we celebrate,
pray for us!
+++ Feast of the Assumption +++ / Migrant Crisis in New York City
O Holy Virgin Mary, on the glorious feast of your Assumption, pray for us!
From the Tridentine Mass:
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. Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle:
because He hath done wonderful
things.
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.
The Lord hath blessed thee by His
power, because by thee He hath
brought our enemies to nought.
Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the
Lord the most high God, above all
women upon the earth. Blessed be the
Lord who made heaven and earth,
who hath directed thee to the cutting
off the head of the prince of our
enemies. Because He hath so
magnified thy name this day that thy
praise shall not depart out of the
mouth of men who shall be mindful of
the power of the Lord, for ever.
~ ~ ~
“Filthy Migrant encampment including illicit open-air market hawking drugs — sprouts up on Randall’s Island [New York]: It’s a calamity”
New York Post
Safe & healthy! Still don’t think it’s time to hit the road?
“Hit the Road Jack”
Ray Charles
Thoughts for the Day
“Do we have time? Yeah, I think we have time, but every moment that we waste is a moment that we delve further into madness.”
Peter Boghossian
So, no matter how crazy it gets, remember…
The Flow Must Go On!
And…
If you don’t create your own reality, someone else will do it for you.
August is the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
“And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo, a voice out of the cloud, saying:
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him.
And the disciples hearing, fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them, Arise, and fear not. And they lifting up their eyes saw no one but only Jesus. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead.”
Matthew 17:1-9
We commemorate the glorious Transfiguration of Our Lord on the 6th of this month, in the trad and the new calendars. Though not a Holy Day of Obligation, it is still a wonderful day to attend Mass, recite a devotion such as a litany, or pray the Luminous Mysteries, which contain the Transfiguration.
Holy Church devotes the next 3 months to our Blessed Mother. August celebrates her Immaculate Heart, September her 7 Sorrows, and October the Holy Rosary (along with sanctity of life issues). At Nomen Christi Apostolate, we call this the “Marian Triad of the Months,” and we encourage meditation upon these aspects of Mariology, along with devotions. If we can see how Our Lady’s heart ties into her sorrows and the Rosary, this would be a path for us to understand and love her more. We are so indebted to her, this is least we can do.
We celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 15th, a Holy Day of Obligation and one of the Glorious Mysteries. This feast also has a vigil. Other Marian feasts of August: Our Lady of the Snows (which refers to a miracle in Italy combined with the dedication of Saint Mary Major Basilica) on the 5th, Our Lady of Knock on the 17th and the Queenship of the BVM & the Immaculate Heart on the 22nd (double feast, yay!). Marian-related feasts are: Saint Dominic, seer of the Rosary on the 4th & 8th and Saint Joachim, father of the BVM the day after the Assumption, the 16th.
What better way to honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary, than to begin the Fatima Devotion of the First Saturdays “Communion of Reparation” (this month, that is the 3rd)? This is for the purpose of offering reparation to her much-offended heart of incomprehensible love, and for general atonement. In this time of increasing tensions between nations, we would do well to consider the words of Sr. Lucia:
“Whether the world has war or peace depends on the practice of this devotion, along with the consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This is why I desire its propagation so ardently, especially because this is also the will of our dear Mother in Heaven.”
Sister Lucia, Fatima Seer, 1939
If your parish does not offer the First Saturdays, why not think about meeting with your pastor and getting it started? Pray on it!
Here are some other notable feasts coming up, note St. Monica and St. Augustine, mother and son, are 1 day apart:
Saint Alphonsus Liguori-1st & 2nd
Saint John Vianney-4th & 8th
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)-9th
Saint Clare (Chiara) of Assisi-11th & 12th
Saint Maximilian Kolbe-14th
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux-20th
Saint Rose of Lima-23rd & 30th
Saint Bartholomew, Apostle-24th
Saint Monica-27th
Saint Augustine-28th
Passion of Saint John the Baptist-29th
Saint Fiacre of Brie (non-standard)-30th
Saints Rose & Fiacre, patrons of gardeners, pray for us!
What is the purpose of paying attention to feastdays? It is part of our Catholic Faith that is sadly being lost. If we are attentive to these days, it can have the following benefits:
1) Encourage us to attend Mass more frequently.
2) Renew our interest in the saints. Provide a chance to teach our children about them.
3) Increase our prayer and devotional life.
4) Provide opportunity for reading Holy Scripture.
5) Give us a greater love for and knowledge of the Catholic Faith.
6) Help us to think creatively about practicing the Faith.
7) Provide grace and bring us closer to the Kingdom of Heaven!
We provide both trad and new feasts.