In Search of
The Authentic Life
“Pater Meus Servat Vineam”
Please consider giving Christmas alms to this very important bastion of faith and freedom. From their site:
“We are now in RED ALERT! We are halfway through our winter campaign and have only raised 35% of the goal. We need to raise 65% more to keep LifeSiteNews’ truth-telling voice online. Please chip in TODAY to help us continue our mission.”
See above link and God bless you!
Let’s keep it simple…
1) Pray.
2) Stay aware and apprised of the situation.
3) Go about your business.
4) Do not fear. Be present to those around you.
+ + +
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE, PRAY FOR US ON YOUR FEAST!
WE ARE IN GOOD HANDS!
…and elsewhere (unknown drones and other alleged phenomena).
Stay in your heart center, where Jesus is. He is especially present within you if you are receiving Holy Communion. Stay calm and at peace. Go about your business. Do not fear. Trust. Pray the Saint Michael prayer, the Hail Holy Queen, the Glory Be. Pray the Rosary. Pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, as we celebrate her feast on Thursday. Wear your scapular and your Miraculous Medal. The Saint Benedict medal is very powerful as well. Accept that you can’t know everything and you are not all-powerful, but there is Someone Who is omniscient and omnipotent. Sleep peacefully and get a good night’s sleep, you are needed. Keep it together. You are not alone. All the Heavenly host is with us all at this time. Fill your heart with love to give to those around you. See the beauty around you. Let the Devil and his own go unto their own demise and stay somewhat detached. If clearly you must act somehow, pray and do so decisively. Continue to celebrate a blessed Advent.
I A people who worship false gods shall be ruled by the godless.
II A people who take the Holy Name of God in vain shall become nameless.
III A people who profane the Sabbath Day shall have no rest.
IV A people who dishonor their elders shall be dishonored by their own children.
V A people who kill the innocent shall themselves be killed.
VI A people who dishonor their own bodies shall be subject to all manner of bodily harm.
VII A people who steal from God and man shall be left with nothing.
VIII A people who deceive shall be deceived by those more powerful.
IX A people who covet the things of the flesh shall live in deprivation.
X A people who covet the things of the world shall become enslaved.
+ Second Week of Advent +
Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr
Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times. All quotes below pertain to the Second Sunday of Advent…
Opening of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):
“People of Sion, behold the Lord shall come to save the nations: and the Lord shall make the glory of His voice to be heard, in the joy of your heart. Give ear, O Thou that rulest Israel: Thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep.”
Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:
“ To this message about being deeply shaken, the Second Sunday of Advent adds a new word, a message about man’s authenticity. Someone who encounters the Ultimate, who knows about the end, must let go of every compromise. In the presence of the Ultimate the only thing that survives is what is authentic. All compromise shatters there. All cheap negotiating shatters there. All half-truths, and all double-meanings, and all masks, and all poses shatter there. The only thing that stands the test is what is authentic.”
Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1942:
“A variety of responsibilities will be imposed from this time forth…it is our responsibility to make a disturbance in the world that is strong enough in itself to tear this chaos out of its cycle and to lead the world back to its source. Christians bear the responsibility to generate an authentic unrest within creation, through our existence, our word, and our work…We are obliged to be concerned about the destiny of the world. Moreover, we must know that we gamble away our own individual salvation if we don’t play, or, to word it better, if we don’t fight, for salvation and order in the world…May we stand in this world, not as people in hiding, but as those who help prepare the way of the only-begotten Son of God.”
From Tegel Prison, Berlin:
“The great historical and personal hours of grace will always mean some form of awakening and return to a true order of reality. This is also the meaning of Advent: not only promise, but rather conversion and transformation. Plato would say, ‘orientation to a capability for truth.’ John the Baptist put it more simply, ‘Repent.’ The prayers and message of Advent push man out beyond every surface and bring him to a consciousness of the full sculptural dimensions and drama of his situation…A person filled with confidence in God will profit from this time and stand up to the test…May God break open the narrowness that confines us within ourselves, and make us capable of Him, and capable of His mission.”
SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT FR. DELP PDF PRINTABLE
FOR HOME OR CHURCH USE
+ First Week of Advent +
Fr. Alfred Delp, German Martyr
Let us view these writings through the lens of our own times. Fr. Delp’s theological genius is nothing short of breathtaking. All quotes below pertain to the First Sunday of Advent…
Opening Psalm of the Tridentine Mass (the Mass Fr. Delp would have celebrated):
“To Thee have I lifted up my soul: in Thee, O my God, I put my trust, let me not be ashamed: neither let my enemies laugh at me: for none of them that wait on Thee shall be confounded. Show, O Lord, Thy ways to me: and teach me Thy paths.”
Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1941:
“Much of what is happening today would not be happening if people were in that state of inner movement and restlessness of heart in which man comes into the presence of God the Lord and gains a clear view of things as they really are. [Fr. Delp changes to the past tense, displaying his distanced vantage point from this world.] Then man would have let go of much that has thrown all our lives into disorder one way or another and has thrashed and smashed our lives. He would have seen the inner appeals, would have seen the boundaries, and could have coordinated the areas of responsibility. Instead, man stood on this earth in a false pathos and a false security, under a deep delusion in which he really believed he could single-handedly fetch stars from heaven; could enkindle eternal lights in the world and avert all danger from himself; that he could banish the night, and intercept and interrupt the internal quaking of the cosmos, and maneuvered and manipulated the whole thing into the conditions standing before us now. That is the first Advent message: before the end, the world will be set quaking.”
Fr. Delp’s homily, Munich, 1943:
“People who fail to live out of the center can be alienated from themselves so easily by outside influences. Other values of secondary importance impose themselves, making life inauthentic and bringing it under an alien law and an alien paradigm. Are we living out of the center of our being?”
From Tegel Prison, Berlin, 2 months before Delp’s martyrdom, struggling to write while in handcuffs. These were smuggled out at great risk. Do not take these words for granted:
“Light the candles wherever you can, you who have them. They are a real symbol of what must happen in Advent, what Advent must be, if we want to live.”
How exciting! We enter a new Liturgical Year, the Season of Advent and the traditional Cycle of Christmas, when we meditate upon the Mystery of the Incarnation. Unlike our cultural norms of indulgence and attending party after party, we who devoutly observe Advent, know this is a time of preparation and waiting. We do not celebrate until Christ is born. Until then, we make ourselves ready by performing penance and good deeds. Joy is always greater when there has been some discipline preceding the event.
We commemorate the Divine Infancy this month as we prepare to celebrate Our Blessed Lord’s Nativity. As well, we honor Our Lady, the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States of America. With all the need presently in this country, let us flee to her in prayer, beseeching many graces. The feast of the Immaculate Conception remains on December 8th in the trad calendar. In the new, it has been transferred to the 9th and is a Holy Day of Obligation.
Where can you get a good 2025 liturgical calendar? At Nomen Christi Apostolate, we represent unity between traditional Catholics and those who attend the Novus Ordo. Therefore we look at both calendars and when composing these monthly reviews, refer to both. Admittedly, this can be confusing. We recommend you choose the calendar you prefer and have it in your home to advise you of feasts each month…or hang both calendars! Many parishes distribute calendars for free. As for a trad calendar, here's a good one, which will also support the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter:
Fraternity Publications 2025 Liturgical Calendar
Let us remember the Ember Days of Advent on the 18th, 20th and 21st. This is great time to do Christmas crafts with children, incorporating winter themes. Encouraging children to perform acts of charity on these days would also be in keeping with the penitential character of the Ember Days, along with Advent.
A most Blessed Christmas and Christmas Season to all!
SAINT ANDREW CHRISTMAS PRAYER
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment
in which the Son of God was born
of the most pure Virgin Mary,
at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.
In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee,
O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires
through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ,
and of His blessed Mother.
Amen.
The inspiration I have as I awaken this morning is that we are at war. And it is time to sharpen our swords and step up our training. And it will be a great war. But we are up to the task, that is why we were born during this time. Every human being is a piece of God, an aspect of Him. He has placed the exact aspects of Himself here at this time to wage this war and be victorious.
This is not a political statement. Trump & Friends are not our saviors. We have only one Savior and we know who He is!
When following along in the missal this past Sunday, at the Tridentine Mass, it struck me how appropriate these sentiments were for a Sunday before Election Day….particularly this Election Day. This Mass was the 24th Sunday after Pentecost, otherwise known as the Resumed 4th Sunday after Epiphany (I know, that sounds complicated, please don’t ask me to explain it:)
Here is some of the text, for your meditation this week, as the USA attempts to peacefully elect its next President, along with numerous other votes on the ballots. We need prayers for a peaceful transition of power, no matter how the elections go. Prayers for accurate election results. Prayers for the unborn, religious freedom and freedom in general, from an increasingly tyrannical government. These words speak of trust, in spite of the darkness of this world. They speak of the universal human condition of imperfection and suffering. The Gospel depicts the Apostles with Our Lord on the stormy sea. The sea is a metaphor for life itself. Yes, these are hard times and harder times are clearly coming, but we must retain faith…not only for the world, but for Holy Church as well. All will be made right in the end. Patience and trust.
I am including here, some regular parts of the Mass, which speak so eloquently of times such as these.
+ + +
(Psalm 42)
P: Judge me, O God, and distinguish
my cause from the unholy nation,
deliver me from the unjust and
deceitful man.
S: For Thou, O God, art my strength,
why hast Thou cast me off? And why
do I go about in sadness, while the
enemy afflicts me?
P: Send forth Thy light and Thy truth:
they have conducted me and brought
me unto Thy holy mount, and into Thy
tabernacles.
S: And I will go unto the altar of God: to
God, Who gives joy to my youth.
P: I shall praise Thee upon the harp, O
God, my God. Why are you sad, O my
soul, and why do you disquiet me?
S: Hope in God, for I will still praise
Him, the salvation of my countenance,
and my God.
The Lord saith: I think thoughts of
peace, and not of affliction: you shall
call upon Me, and I will hear you; and
I will bring back your captivity from all
places. (Ps. 84: 2) Lord, Thou hast
blessed Thy land: Thou hast turned
away the captivity of Jacob.
O God, Who knowest us to be set in
the midst of dangers so great that, by
reason of the frailty of our nature, we
cannot always withstand; grant to us
health of mind and body, that being
helped by Thee, we may overcome
the things which we suffer for our
sins.
Thou hast delivered us, O Lord, from
them that afflict us: and hast put them
to shame that hate us. In God we will
glory all the day: and in Thy name we
will give praise forever. (Ps. 129: 1-2)
Alleluia, alleluia.
Out of the depths I have cried to Thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my prayer.
Alleluia.
(Matthew 8:23-27)
At that time, when Jesus entered into
the boat, His disciples followed Him:
and behold a great tempest arose in
the sea, so that the boat was covered
with waves, but He was asleep. And
His disciples came to Him and awoke
Him, saying: Lord, save us, we
perish. And Jesus saith to them: Why
are you fearful, O ye of little faith?
Then rising up, He commanded the
winds and the sea, and there came a
great calm. But the men wondered,
saying: What manner of man is this,
for the winds and the sea obey him?
I have loved, O Lord, the
beauty of Thy house and the place
where Thy glory dwelleth. Destroy not
my soul, O God, with the wicked, nor
my life with men of blood. In whose
hands are iniquities, their right hand is
full with gifts. But I have walked in my
innocence: redeem me, and have
mercy on me. My foot has stood on
the right path; in the churches I will
bless Thee, O Lord.
P: Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, from all evils, past, present, and
to come; and by the intercession of the
blessed and glorious ever-Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, together with Thy
blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul, and
Andrew, and all the Saints, mercifully
grant peace in our days, that sustained
by the help of Thy mercy, we may be
always free from sin and secure from
all disturbance.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
P: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who said to
Thine Apostles: Peace I leave you, My
peace I give you; regard not my sins,
but the faith of Thy Church, and deign
to grant her peace and to unify her
according to Thy will.
What return shall I render unto the
Lord for all He has given me? I will
take the Chalice of salvation, and I will
call upon the name of the Lord.
Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I
shall be saved from my enemies.
Amen I say to you,
whatsoever you ask when you pray, believe that you shall receive, and it shall be done to you.
May Thy gifts, O God, detach us from
earthly pleasures, and ever
strengthen us with heavenly
refreshment.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of
men. And the light shineth in darkness,
and the darkness did not comprehend it…
That was the true light, which enlighteneth
every man that cometh into this world.
He was in the world, and the world was
made by Him, and the world knew Him
not. He came unto His own, and His
own received Him not. But as many as
received Him, He gave them power to
be made the sons of God, to them that
believe in His name. Who are born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God.
AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH,
and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory,
the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth.
Thanks be to God!
Of course, November begins with the glorious All Saints Day. The Triduum of Death, beginning with the All Saints Day vigil, encourages us to meditate upon the Four Last Things:
However, Holy Church always calls us to be joyful and at peace. At every traditional Holy Mass we hear the words, “May the peace of the Lord be always with you” or “Pax Domini sit semper vobis cum.” All Saints Day is truly wondrous as we honor the entire Heavenly host and hope for our eventual union with them. This feast originated with the Church’s desire to honor the martyrs whose bones were kept at a particular church which was dedicated to all the saints, as this location was previously dedicated to “all the gods.” The Litany of the Saints, invokes both human saints and angels. All Souls Day, on the 2nd, is also a happy feast, as we know our prayers for the Holy Souls resound to God and expiate some, if not all (if a Plenary Indulgence is performed) of their cleansing in Purgatory.
See our previous 2 posts on the Plenary Indulgences which are so easy to obtain during the first week of November. Holy Church opens the Gates of Heaven this week in an incredible way!
What else can we do for the souls in Purgatory this month? After November 8th, you may still visit a cemetery with mental prayer for the Holy Souls, but the indulgence will be partial (you may do this any time of year). Other partial indulgences could be the recitation of the Office of the Dead or the De Profundis. Here’s also a well-known prayer by Saint Gertrude the Great, whose feast we celebrate on the 16th:
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home and within my family.
Amen.
We have 2 more “Greats” this month: Saint Leo on the 10th and Saint Albert on the 15th.
Let us not forget the feast of Christ King of the Universe, on the 24th, a Sunday. We celebrate 2 Marian feasts: The Presentation of Mary on the 21st and Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal on the 27th. The following day, the 28th, we honor the seer of the Miraculous Medal, Saint Catherine Laboure.
On the 13th, we honor Mother Frances Cabrini, a 20th century saint. I had the privilege of viewing her body in New York City some years ago at her shrine. The body is filled out with wax. The saint’s heart remained incorrupt and was transported to Codogno, Italy, where she founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is appropriate that her heart was preserved from corruption, as she was so devoted to the Heart of Our Lord.
We celebrate the Apostle Andrew on the 30th and December 1st begins Advent. If you plan to perform Advent exercises, think about preparing in advance.
Heavenly blessings to all in this month of the Holy Souls!
We discuss both trad and new feasts. Please consult your own calendar sources for further details.
© 2015-2025 Chiara F. Mathews Content may be reproduced or shared on the condition that this source is indicated.
