October is the Month of Our Lady of the Rosary & Respect for Life

We honor Our Lady of the Holy Rosary this month, whose feast we celebrate on the 7th.  The Church also reminds us to remember the unborn and all those lives in danger from anti-life agendas.  It is good to re-evaluate how we are fighting this fight within our own states of life.  Everyone can do something, even if it is “only” to pray.  The babies must never be forgotten.  October also concludes the “Marian Triad of the Months,” a Nomen Christi Apostolate initiative, when we contemplate 3 aspects of Our Lady, her Immaculate Heart, her sorrows and her title of Our Lady of the Rosary.  How do these 3 attributes inter-relate?  One can easily use this as a Rosary meditation with the Mysteries. 

From the beautiful words of the Tridentine Mass for Our Lady of the Rosary (the Collect will be familiar to you)… 

Let us all rejoice in the Lord,

celebrating a feast in honor of the

Blessed Virgin Mary: on whose

solemnity the angels rejoice and join

in praising the Son of God. 

God, Whose only-begotten Son, by

His life, death, and resurrection hath

purchased for us the rewards of

eternal life: grant, we beseech Thee,

that, meditating on the mysteries of

the most holy Rosary of the Blessed

Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they

contain and obtain what they promise.

Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy

Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth

with Thee in the unity of the Holy

Spirit, God, forever and ever. 

The Lord possessed me in the

beginning of His ways, before He

made anything, from the beginning. I

was set up from eternity, and of old,

before the earth was made. 

The depths were not as yet, and I was already conceived.  

Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine

ear, for the King hath desired thy beauty.

Alleluia, alleluia!

The solemnity of the glorious Virgin Mary,

of the seed of Abraham, sprung from

the tribe of Juda, of the noble line of David.

Alleluia! 

In me is all grace of the way and of the

truth, in me is all hope of life and of

virtue. Like a rose planted on the

rivers I have borne fruit. 

This month, we also have the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the 11th, which refers to Mary as the Mother of God. 

We celebrate Saint Therese of Lisieux on the 1st & 3rd and Saint Teresa of Avila on the 15th.  Both with a name that refers to “harvest.”  And 2 of the 4 women Doctors of the Church. 

On the 2nd, we honor all of our Guardian Angels and on the 24th, Saint Raphael the Archangel. 

The feast of Saint Francis of Assisi is abrogated due to its falling on Respect Life Sunday, the 4th, though still appropriate to honor him with prayer.  Also great visionaries, Saint Faustina on the 5th and Saint Margaret Mary on the 16th & 17th.  The Divine Mercy cannot be separated from the Sacred Heart.  How indebted we are to both of these saints!  Like Faustina, another 20th Century saint, Pope John Paul II, is honored on the 22nd. 

The 18th is the feast of Saint Luke and the 28th honors both Apostles Simon and Jude. 

The USA has much to be proud of in our saints, such as Saint Isaac Jogues and Companions, martyred in what is now the State of New York, who we celebrate on the 19th.  The location is Our Lady of Martyrs Shrine.  In 1656, shortly after this martyrdom, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha was born there.  How God graced this blood-stained land with the Lily of the Mohawks!   

The 25th, in the trad calendar, is the feast of Christ the King, on a Sunday.  From the Holy Mass… 

The Lamb that was slain is worthy to

receive power and divinity and wisdom

and strength and honor: to Him be

glory and empire for ever and ever! 

Finally, All Hallows Eve on the 31st, begins the joyful Triduum of Death, when we remember all the saints who have received their glorious reward and bring the Holy souls in Purgatory closer, or even into Heaven, with the Holy Mass and our prayers throughout the Universal Church.  And don’t forget the Plenary Indulgence privilege from November 1st to 8th.  It is important to prepare for this, which cemeteries you will visit and which souls you will obtain the Plenary for. 

****** Prepper Challenge for October ****** 

Investigate Alternative Media 

This is Point #12 on our 15 Points Preparedness Worksheet…

Do I question the status quo? How can I access information with an alternative point of view? How can I exercise good judgement in evaluating these sources?  Where can I get the truth of what is going on in the world?  Hint:  Pray to the Holy Ghost.

This coming month, I will be providing recommended resources on the blog, in a more concise way.  Please stay tuned! 

Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!

Note:  We do not necessarily agree with all content on sites that we link to.

September is the Month of Our Lady of Sorrows, Part 2

We look to the Doctor of the Church, Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, to contemplate Our Lady’s Sorrows this month.  Saint Alphonsus is one of the prime theologians on the Seven Sorrows of Mary.  He was born in the month of September, 1696, in the city of Marianella, Italy.  He became a bishop and founded the Redemptorists.  He lived a long life and died not far from the place of his birth, in 1787.

One of the best-known works of Saint Alphonsus is The Glories of Mary.  This is a collection of 5 books in one, one of which is “Of the Dolours of Mary.”  In this part, Alphonsus meditates on all Seven Sorrows and provides a prayer for each.  Following is an excerpt from the First Sorrow, “The Prophecy of Simeon.”  This Sorrow deals with Our Lady’s knowledge and anguish at the future sufferings of her Son. 

Today, for those paying attention, we are all in anticipation of how the crises in the world will play out.  Let us learn peace and acceptance from Our Lady of Sorrows.  Not complacency, but inner peace in the midst of these concerns.  We know God will always be with His children.

St. Alphonsus de Liguori’s Meditations on the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Saint Alphonsus begins with this sentiment:

“Mary was the Queen of Martyrs, for her martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all the Martyrs.”

In this valley of tears every man is born to weep, and all must suffer, by enduring the evils which are of daily occurrence. But how much greater would the misery of life be, did we also know the future evils which await us! “Unfortunate, indeed, would his lot be,” says Seneca, “who, knowing the future, would have to suffer all by anticipation.”

Our Lord shows us this mercy. He conceals the trials which await us, that, whatever they may be, we may endure them but once. He did not show Mary this compassion; for she, whom God willed to be the Queen of Sorrows, and in all things like His Son, had to see always before her eyes and continually to suffer all the torments that awaited her; and these were the sufferings of the Passion and death of her beloved Jesus; for in the temple Saint Simeon, having received the Divine Child in his arms, foretold to her that that Son would be a mark for all the persecutions and oppositions of men.

“Behold, this Child is set . . . for a sign which shall be contradicted.”

And therefore, that a sword of sorrow should pierce her soul:

“And thy own soul a sword shall pierce.”

…Since, then, Jesus, our King, and His most holy Mother, did not refuse, for love of us, to suffer such cruel pains throughout their lives, it is reasonable that we, at least, should not complain if we have to suffer something. Jesus, crucified, once appeared to Sister Magdalen Orsini, a Dominicaness, who had been long suffering under a great trial, and encouraged her to remain, by means of that affliction, with Him on the cross. Sister Magdalen complainingly answered: “O Lord, Thou wast tortured on the cross only for three hours, and I have endured my pain for many years.” The Redeemer then replied: “Ah, ignorant soul, what dost thou say? From the first moment of My conception I suffered in heart all that I afterwards endured dying on the cross.” If, then, we also suffer and complain, let us imagine Jesus, and His Mother Mary, addressing the same words to ourselves.

Prayer

Ah, my Blessed Mother, it is not one sword only with which I have pierced thy heart, but I have done so with as many as are the sins which I have committed. Ah, Lady, it is not to thee, who art innocent, that sufferings are due, but to me, who am guilty of so many crimes. But since thou hast been pleased to suffer so much for me, ah, by thy merits, obtain me great sorrow for my sins, and patience under the trials of this life, which will always be light in comparison with my demerits, for I have often deserved Hell.

Amen.

September 12th is the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary.  From the Collect of the Tridentine Mass:

“Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that Thy faithful, happy under the invocation and protection of the most holy Virgin Mary, may, by her dear intercession, be delivered from all evils on earth and be worthy to attain unto eternal joys in Heaven.”

And again from Saint Alphonsus:

“Oh, my sweet Lady and Mother, I love thee much, and because I love thee, I love also thy holy name.  I purpose and hope with thy aid always to invoke it in life and death.”

Notable feasts for the rest of the month:

14th-Exaltation of the Holy Cross

15th-SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY / OUR LADY OF SORROWS

17th-Stigmata of Saint Francis of Assisi / Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Doctor of the Church

21st-Saint Matthew, Apostle & Evangelist

23rd-Saint Pio of Pietrelcina / Ember Wednesday of September or Autumn

24th-OUR LADY OF RANSOM

25th-Ember Friday

26th-Ember Saturday

29th-Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, the Archangels

30th-Saint Jerome, Doctor of the Church

****** Prepper Challenge for september ******

What is My Contribution?  What is My Special Gift?

Your community and the Church are going to need you in the coming days.  What will you specialize in that will be a significant contribution?  Every prepper tends to develop a skill or two that is specialized.  What interests you?  What is a “sustainable” skill that will have value even in a grid-down (no electricity) situation?  Do you already have a skill?  Can you improve it?  Can you learn a new one?  Think and pray about it!

Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!

July is the Month of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus

July begins with a celebration of the Most Precious Blood on the 1st, in the trad calendar.  We give thanks for this great Gift of Our Lord at the Last Supper, which becomes present to us at each Holy Mass.  We must not forget the wine which transforms into the Precious Blood, began as grapes in a vineyard…so connected to the land is the practice of our Holy Faith, in accord with God’s will, in accord with an Authentic Life.

So what did we pick out of the plastic cup this time?  The Catholic Encyclopedia.  That means for the Precious Blood of Jesus, we will look at what this famous volume has to say.  The Catholic Encyclopedia was completed in 1914 and has been added to, numerous times since then.  It remains widely used, despite its out-of-date language.  It is at times a tedious read (and quite exhaustive)…but in the case of this month’s theme, the content is brief, though does get into the theological weeds, as is to be expected.  Please see the link above at New Advent, for more info and also for the complete, updated content.  This site is also a great resource for Catholic news and other offerings.

The entry on the “Precious Blood” draws on the writings of Pope Benedict XIV and other well-known theologians.  The first sentence states simply:

“The Blood of Our Divine Saviour.”

That does not leave much to misunderstand, does it?  Here are some excerpts, broken down into readable segments for meditation:

1)      “Jesus, at the Last Supper, ascribes to [His Blood] the same life-giving power that belongs to His flesh.”

2)      “The Apostles, St. Peter…St. John…and above all St. Paul regard it as synonymous with Jesus's Passion and Death, the source of redemption. The Precious Blood is therefore a part of the Sacred Humanity and hypostatically united to the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.” 

3)      “Viewed as a part of the Sacred Humanity hypostatically united to the Word, the Precious Blood deserves latreutical [of or pertaining to latria, the highest form of worship*]…adoration. It may also like the Heart or the Wounds from which it flowed, be singled out for special honour, in a way that special honour was rendered it from the beginning by St. Paul and the Fathers who so eloquently praised its redeeming virtue and rested on it the Christian spirit of self-sacrifice.”

4)      “…the lives of the saints are replete with devotion to the Precious Blood. In due course of time the Church gave shape and sanction to the devotion by approving societies like the Missionaries of the Precious Blood; enriching confraternities like that of St. Nicholas…attaching indulgences to prayers and scapulars in honour of the Precious Blood; and establishing commemorative feasts of the Precious Blood…”

The Catholic Encyclopedia gives us food for thought during this month when we give praise to the Most Precious Blood.  May we also seek to make reparation for the sins against this extraordinary Gift.

We pray especially on the 4th for the United States of America…for peace, liberty, restoration of the sanctity of life and the triumph of Holy Church through our Patroness, the Immaculate Conception.

Notable feasts in July, from both calendars…

2nd-VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

3rd-Saint Thomas, Apostle

6th-Saint Maria Goretti, Martyr of Purity

11th-Saint Benedict, Founder of Western Monasticism

14th-Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Lily of the Mohawks (USA)

16th-OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

22nd-Saint Mary Magdelan

25th-Saint James, Apostle

26th-Saint Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin

29th-Saints Martha, Mary & Lazarus

31st-Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Jesuits

****** Prepper Challenge for Summer ******

What is My Contribution?  What is My Special Gift?

Your community and the Church are going to need you in the coming days.  What will you specialize in that will be a significant contribution?  Every prepper tends to develop a skill or two that is specialized.  What interests you?  What is a “sustainable” skill that will have value even in a grid-down (no electricity) situation?  Do you already have a skill?  Can you improve it?  Can you learn a new one?  Think and pray about it!

Noah was the Original Prepper ~ Build Your Ark!

*From Wiktionary