First Saturdays At Home-Never More Important!

The observance of the Five First Saturdays are one of the requests of Our Lady of Fatima, to obtain reparation to her Immaculate Heart. As humanity is now engulfed in a difficult and confusing situation, there has never been a more important time to respect this request of Our Blessed Mother. We know not how this will ultimately play out. We much beseech God’s mercy. Trust. Be at peace. But take this as a serious warning. Public masses are shut down. Even confession is gone in some places, which was previously unthinkable. Our Blessed Lord said:

“Watch ye, therefore, praying at all times, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that are to come, and to stand before the Son of man.”

Luke 21:36

So we, as Children of God, are at peace.

Normally the First Saturdays are observed in church. Since many are now at home, we can still fulfill this request to the best of our ability. I am sure our dear Mother will accept this. She has requested they be observed for 5 months in a row, but it is not a bad idea to perform them perpetually. Following are the activities (and the substitutions where applicable), based on the World Apostolate of Fatima’s recommendations. This is all done with the intention of making reparation to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart and what a wonderful devotion to do with your family at home during this time!

1) Receive the Sacrament of Penance. At home: Make an intention to receive the sacrament as soon as possible. I might add, to say an Act of Contrition, trying to be sorry for the Love of God (perfect contrition), not just the fear of punishment.

2) Receive Holy Communion. At home: Make a Spiritual Act of Communion (see link below for help with this).

3) Recite the Joyful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary (some say the Sorrowful Mysteries during Lent).

4) Meditate on the Mysteries of the Rosary for 15 minutes with Our Blessed Mother. If you are unaccustomed to this devotion, this may be the most challenging aspect for you. Here are some tips: Place yourself in Our Lady’s presence (a picture or statue is very helpful). Ask her to enlighten you further on the Mysteries you just contemplated in the Rosary (I suppose you could contemplate other Mysteries as well). Let your thoughts drift. Imagine the Mysteries visually. Don’t try, just let the inspirations come to you. And they will! As you perform this exercise more, it will get easier. Your relationship with Our Mother will grow and eventually it will no longer be an “exercise,” but an intimate and wonderful conversation!

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Today is a traditional feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Please see the World Apostolate of Fatima’s page addressing the First Saturdays during this time. Lots of great info:

https://www.bluearmy.com/first-saturday-devotion/

Triduum of Death.....or of.....Heaven!

All Hallows Eve

All Saints Day

All Souls Day

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“Triduum of Death” is a term we don’t hear too much anymore, perhaps because people think it sounds too negative. However, we must realize that this triple feast is one of great joy! Satan and his minions have taken over “Halloween” and made it an occasion for occult rituals, darkness and gruesome decor. True to form, Satan takes something good and holy and perverts it. Let us teach our children the true meaning of these great Catholic feasts. We honor those who have succeeded in winning the Heavenly reward, just as we hope to. The Holy Souls have also won it, though they remain in Purgatory, in need of our prayers. Surely, on All Souls Day, due to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in addition to prayers all over the world, many souls pass through that glorious Gate to behold the Triune God! What a truly wonderful day! What a wonderful triduum we now celebrate!

Let us pray for those involved in the occult. Let us also pray for the fires in California at this time and all those suffering.

Following are some quick excerpts of prayer, from the book, A Prayerbook of Favorite Litanies, compiled by Fr. Albert J. Hebert. Its my favorite prayerbook. You can get it HERE.

“All ye holy angels and archangels, all ye holy orders of blessed spirits, all ye holy patriarchs and prophets, all ye holy Apostles and Evangelists, all ye holy disciples of Our Lord, all ye Holy Innocents, all ye holy martyrs, all ye holy Bishops and confessors, all ye holy Doctors, all ye holy priests and levites, all ye holy monks and hermits, all ye holy virgins and widows, all ye holy men and women, saints of God, pray for us!”

“O God, Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, grant to the souls of Thy departed servants the remission of all their sins, that through our pious supplications they may obtain the pardon which they have always desired. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord.”

“Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants and handmaids, (name your loved ones), who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of grace. To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light and peace, through the same Christ Our Lord.”

“O Lord, grant eternal rest to all the souls of the faithful departed, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.”

Another Great Website for Gifts.....

tanbooks.com

I AlWAYS buy my Catholic wall calendar from TAN Books. I just purchased the "Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy Wall Calendar 2016." What I love about TAN's calendars is that they contain daily feasts in both the old and new calendars and also traditional observations such as the Ember Days. Other calendars they are offering for 2016 are: The Angels, The Life of Our Lord, Mary & the Saints and a Daily Planner. The artwork is superb and uplifting-a benefit to any Catholic home and an educational aid as well.

TAN Books is a wonderful resource for Catholic books, courses and homeschooling supplies. They always offer great sales as well. Religious items as Christmas gifts helps to turn the tide away from the materialistic attitude toward Christmas. This culture needs to be reminded that the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord is a holy day, not a holiday. Let us, in our devout celebration of this great feast, secure some measure of Divine Mercy for our ailing world.

PS Today is the Vigil of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Traditionally, no meat was eaten today. Immaculate Conception, Pray for Us!

Prepper Stocking-Stuffers....and more.....

Last year, I bought an appointment book at a local drug store. It caught my eye because it was bright pink, with a fancy faux-leather cover. Inscribed into the cover were the words, "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Inside was chock full of spiritual & motivational quotes, with a particular theme for each month. It seemed the book had been made for me. I said to myself, "I know its a little bit large and a bit of a splurge but...I like it! The color is so pretty and its...spiritual! I'M GETTING IT!"

I have not regretted that purchase. Through a difficult year in my life, this little book has helped me hold it together-both logistically and mentally. Here are some quotes that struck a chord with me:

"Vision is the ability to see God's presence, plan and power over obstacles." - Mike Breaux

"God is our God forever and ever; He will be our Guide even to the end." - Psalm 48:14

"Never be afraid to trust and unknown future to a known God." - Corrie Ten Boom

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jer 29:11

"In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." - Rom 8:28

"Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn." - Harriet Beecher Stowe

So...of course I NEEDED to get the 2016 one, right? Last night, I braved Friday night Christmas Season in the famed "Huntington Village" of Long Island, where this drug store happens to be. There was NO place to park, so I had to park...a tad bit illegally. I recently got a $200 ticket for parking (a tad bit) illegally in Huntington Village, so I was somewhat nervous. If we got another ticket in the mail, my husband might make me forego foot massages for the next 6 months and that would be intolerable (foot massages are part of the "Survival Paradigm" I am developing. I'm actually not kidding.) So I ran through the store like a chicken with its head cut off looking for the 2016 version. Nothing. Asked a store clerk....Nothing. Then a lightbulb went off in my head, "THE INTERNET!" (I'm so old, I still have to remind myself that if it cannot be found on the internet, it does not exist-yep, "Star Wars" geek making a dumb reference.) I drove home hopeful....

And now to the actual point: Where can you get cool stuff?

christianbook.com

They've got Christmas items, books, homeschooling supplies, music, toys, artwork, jewelry, calendars, DVDs, prepper/survival items and more. Most items are not specifically Catholic, though there are a few. If you're looking for the prepper items, do a search with the word "survival" and you will get numerous pages. Here's what I bought (all reasonably priced):

Lost On a Mountain in Maine by Donn Fendler & Joseph B. Egan (true survival stories can be very instructional and inspiring)

A bunch of Paracord Bracelets

Pocket Guide to the Outdoors

Paracord Keyring

Survival Keychains (whistle, compass & signal light)

"WORDKeeper" Briefcase (can be a great bugout bag)

And...2016 "Love Always Protects" Medium Planner!

BTW, many items can be personalized and all have some spiritual purpose or inscription. So...what have you learned in this post? That Christian Prepper Stuff is a thing and that my family hates my Christmas gifts.

Happy Christmas shopping!