Do Schools Kill Creativity?
Sir Ken Robinson, TED Talk
This talk was 20 years ago. Has anything changed?
I'm tired of being treated like a bad, weird person just because I love Latin, tradition, Gregorian chant and reverence for Our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!
I just had to say that.
Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord
Today is Epiphany in the post-conciliar calendar of the USA. In the trad, it is always January 6th, immediately following the 12 Days of Christmas.
Here is the traditional Epiphany Blessing of the Home, which has become more popular in recent years. This version is Nomen Christi Apostolate’s, based on research involving several good sources. How wonderful to revive these treasures of our Holy Faith!
epiphany blessing of the home PDF
And here is our Epiphany Topic for further info.
The Epiphany Blessing format suggests singing a hymn at the end, here is…
“We Three Kings of Orient Are”
The Most Holy Name of Jesus, the Month of January and the Feast
[Edited since posting.]
In case you haven’t noticed, this ministry is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus, “Nomen Christi” in Latin. So we always encourage honor and devotion to His Name. January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus. The month begins with the feast of the Circumcision in the trad, which commemorates the moment Our Lord received His Holy Name and it was also the first shedding of His Blood. On the 3rd, we celebrate the feast of this Name in the post-con calendar and in the trad it is Sunday, the 4th. Let us find devotions this month which honor and glorify His Name and always defend it from profanation!
Here are some excerpts from the feast of the Holy Name 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.”
Feast of Mary Mother of God / Circumcision of Our Lord
Wishing everyone a blessed New Year, a year which brings you closer to the Most Holy Trinity and the Kingdom of Heaven.
We celebrate 2 feasts, one in the post-con and one in the trad, honoring Our Lady and Our Lord, in the first shedding of His sacred Blood.
We pray for mercy and a return to purity and innocence, as these things are under aggressive attack. Upon the dropping of the New Year’s ball in Times Square, New York last night, 2 men smooching were shown. Sorry to have to describe this, but there is no other way to say it. The corrupt who are in powerful positions are normalizing this in every way possible, desensitizing people to it. Don’t be a victim, disengage yourself from such things completely. We could complain all we want, but people like us just don’t matter anymore, I guess. I complained last year about similar content in a family play in New Jersey and was dismissed by the theater management as having no valid viewpoint.
What’s the solution? For the sake of our children, WE MUST CREATE A PARALLEL SOCIETY. There is no other choice anymore. This is a very good meditation at the start of this new year and it should inform all of our decisions…are we getting closer to this goal or remaining in denial?
Finally, I am struggling with the flu and will write the monthly dedication post when I am able.
This Christmas Song Should Be Much Better Known!
Shepherd’s Pipe Carol
by Sir John Rutter
Going through the hills on a night all starry
on the way to Bethlehem,
far away I heard a shepherd boy piping
on the way to Bethlehem
Angels in the sky brought this message nigh
Dance and sing for joy that Christ the newborn King
is come to bring us peace on earth,
and He's lying cradled there at Bethlehem
Tell me, shepherd boy piping tunes so merrily
on the way to Bethlehem,
who will hear your tunes on these hills so lonely
on the way to Bethlehem?
None may hear my pipes on these hills so lonely
on the way to Bethlehem,
but a King will hear me play sweet lullabies
when I get to Bethlehem
Angels in the sky came down from on high,
hovered o'er the manger where the Babe was lying
cradled in the arms of His mother Mary,
sleeping now at Bethlehem
Where is this new King, shepherd boy piping merrily,
is He there at Bethlehem?
I will find Him soon by the star shining brightly
in the sky o'er Bethlehem
May I come with you, shepherd boy piping merrily,
come with you to Bethlehem?
Pay my homage too at the new King's cradle,
is it far to Bethlehem?
Angels in the sky brought this message nigh
Dance and sing for joy that Christ the infant King
is born this night in lowly stable yonder,
born for you at Bethlehem
I only recently discovered this song and wondered where it’s been my whole life! Why don’t we hear it more often? It’s wonderful!
Composer Sir John Rutter wrote Shepherd’s Pipe Carol (I believe the lyrics as well) when he was only about 21 and it’s the thing that first placed him on the musical map at that young age. He went on to an illustrious career, chiefly known for choral music, much of which is spiritual. At the age of 80, he seems to still be going strong.
One might call this carol genius, unique among Christmas songs, crisp and joyful (if performed right), yet still with poignant moments. You may notice each verse ends with “Bethlehem.” This is Hebrew (Ba-it Lechem), meaning “House of Bread.” Such was Divine Providence that the Bread of Life was born in Bethlehem!
”And Jesus said to them:
I Am the Bread of Life:
he that cometh to me shall not hunger: and he that
believeth in me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35
Trump just lost whatever remaining respect I had for him
Trump levels political attack on Rob Reiner in inflammatory post after his killing
This is why kids are shooting up with fentanyl.
This is why we should be concerned about the future, this is why we must prepare.
There are no longer common values of decency.
We are being psy-opped into an Alice in Wonderland topsy-turvy world.
Children must be given norms of behavior and heroes they can believe in (let’s start with Christ).
I remember a time when it wasn’t a complete clown world, there was at least a veneer, a vestige, of decency and sanity.
I remember looking up to President Reagan.
We need to stop supporting people just because they throw us a few crumbs.
Like Leonard Cohen said, “Things are gonna slide in all directions, Won’t be nothin you can measure anymore, The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it’s overturned the order of the soul.”
Also like Leonard Cohen said, “Ring the bells that still can ring.” (It is implicit in this line that soon they will ring no more, if we are silent, this echoes the writings of Fr. Alfred Delp as well.)
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Ora Pro Nobis!
Today’s trad Gradual:
Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun? As the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds, and as the flower of roses in the days of spring.
Alleluia, alleluia!
The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come.
Alleluia!
(from Cant and Ecclus)
3 Videos on Father Alfred Delp, the Martyr of Advent!
Fr. Alfred Delp: Advent of the Heart, 16:45 min.
This is a wonderful homily, unfortunately, it does not say who the priest is. He is incorrect about one point: he says Delp was shot in the head, in fact, he was hanged…and the very next day, the judge who sentenced him to death was killed by an Allied bomb on Berlin! Includes rare photos.
Advent Retreat Fr. Alfred Delp: First Wednesday of Advent with Cardinal Thomas Collins, 7:13 min.
Quick intro to Fr. Delp.
Resisting Fascism: Father Alfred Delp with Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert, 58 min.
Is this worth your 58 minutes? Absolutely! …If you want to really delve into details and German culture itself, which adds the whole backdrop to Delp’s life and times…from a 90 some-odd year-old German professor who was actually part of the same Catholic movement that Delp was involved with! Lots of great “inside info.” I don’t know much about Siebert and his faithfulness to authentic Catholicism. But it’s an incredible and very rare conversation about this great martyr.
December is the Month of the Divine Infancy & the Immaculate Conception / Update
[Edited since posting.]
UPDATE: I’ve been very busy prepping for my ADVENT OF THE HEART prayer groups. You may know I got a sprained ankle while in Rome and that was slowing me down…now, as soon as the ankle got better, a neuroma popped up in the same foot [No! This was wrong, turns out it’s a fracture]. So again, I am slowed down. Since the intense last-minute planning of the trip in September, my life has not been “normal.” I am very joyful however, about the Advent prayer groups and they are going very well. One is at a church (see our new “Meetings/Events” button above and one is at a Catholic store (by invitation only, as it is a very small space-this is actually a brief presentation at an existing prayer group, each of the 4 weeks of Advent).
Hopefully in January, my condition will be improved and I can continue to move forward in my life, as was the plan after passing through the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica. I am still thinking about what this blog will look like next year, how it will evolve, as I am simultaneously bringing this ministry into the real physical world. So we are in flux. And that is good, because the whole world is in flux and we must respond to that. Adaptability and willingness to change is an important prepper tenet. I think those who are attuned to things feel it is time to be moving, shaking, re-thinking and morphing. We will be given the knowledge and grace.
Consider doing the ADVENT OF THE HEART program at home, scroll down for the post on this. Also, check out our topics to the right>>>Advent and Christmas Season!
Here are some notable feasts this month in both the trad and the post-con calendars…
8th-IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, Holy Day of Obligation, USA
10th-OUR LADY OF LORETO
12th-OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
17th-Ember Wednesday of Advent (trad meat at one meal)
19th-Ember Friday of Advent
20th-Ember Saturday of Advent (trad meat at one meal)
24th-VIGIL OF THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD (trad day of fast)
25th-NATIVITY OF OUR LORD, Holy Day of Obligation
28th-THE HOLY FAMILY
Remember the 12 Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany and the Epiphany Blessing of the Home.
Wishing all our readers and your families great Advent and Christmas blessings!