Lenten Meditations on the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Holy Rosary

Several years ago, I began writing a series of meditations on the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.  I published them on the former Nomen Christi Apostolate website.  The project went very well and was well received, but I never finished it.  I did complete the Sorrowful Mysteries, which I will re-publish here, starting with "The Agony in the Garden" today.  This Friday, I'll post the next Mystery and so forth on the remaining Fridays in Lent.  I am doing some slight editing in this re-publishing. 

These meditations are very personal for me, since I draw on many of my own life experiences, including some of the most difficult.  The only research I do is the reading of Scripture, since I wish these thoughts to be as original as possible.  With each meditation, I am seeking to uncover a fundamental aspect or nature of the event and to show some practical application to our own daily lives.  I hope you find these meditations enriching and please feel free to share them with others.  Come back this Friday for the next one!

The Agony in the Garden

It seems strange that Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, would feel fear so intense, that it would produce the Bloody Sweat of His Agony.  One might expect Him to approach His death with greater stoicism.  Why would He suggest to the Father that this “cup” be taken from Him?  What was the nature of this Agony and what do we have to learn from it?

Our Lord was fully God, but also fully man.  His Agony shows us how very human He was and how much He understands our sufferings, particularly those of the mind.  The drama in the Garden of Gethsemane comes down to the two qualities of God that are wholly unique:  omniscience and omnipotence, the two things desired by Adam and Eve.  This is another garden where the reverse struggle plays out, only now, the right choice is made.  Rather than man attempting to assume the qualities of God, God assumes the weakness of man.  This right choice is precisely the moment which leads to our Redemption, secured on the Cross, reversing the curse of our first parents.  The moment before Our Lord was physically apprehended, presents the Mystery of the Agony in the Garden.  This is where the final yielding of His Spirit occurred, when He speaks the words, “Thy Will be done.”  All work begins in the mind and our Redemption was no exception.  Once Our Lord was apprehended, there could be no turning back.  He was then fully prepared to enter into His Passion.

Our Lord possessed in that garden, the complete knowledge of what awaited him.  Man’s ignorance makes it easier for him to approach fearful situations.  Complete knowledge made it excruciating for Christ.  He also possessed the power to run away, the power to obliterate the enemy coming for Him.  At the very moment when humanity’s Redemption was held in the balance, surely all Hell’s power was leveled against this one Man.  It must have been excruciating for Satan as well-never before or since would a task require more of him.  If the right choice was made, so many souls would escape his grasp.  So here may lie the nature of the Agony in the Garden:  to proceed in spite of Divine Knowledge and to withhold Divine Power.

What must I do in spite of my fear and how must I withhold my power?  It has been said that our age has no lack of virtue, only a lack of heroism.  Dear Jesus, make me stand firm in my own little agonies, that I may receive the Redemption Thou hast so grievously won.  Give me the courage to say, "Thy Will be done."  Amen.

If You Like This Blog....

...why not share it with your friends?  One of the easiest ways to do this is simply to send the link to those on your email list (Eezy Peezy Lemon Squeezy!).  You can also spread the word if you are active on the internet, through whatever media you utilize.  The more people we get, the more people will be asking themselves the questions I am posing here:  "What is the Authentic Life?  How did God intend for us to live?  How can I think outside the box and change my life for the better?  How can I help move society to something more resembling Christendom?"

This blog is relatively new and I have yet to flesh it out.  I will be addressing these issues in the coming days.  I am reluctant to provide a comment forum because it is a responsibility that I don't feel I can fulfill adequately right now.  Also, I didn't have the best experience with comments on my former blog.  It seemed half the time, people just wanted to be annoying.  As I have said before, if you really wish to comment or discuss anything with me, please FEEL FREE to email me:  director@nomenchristi.org  If appropriate and useful, I will happily post your comment.  However, you may not get an immediate response (just saying).

Thanks so much for spreading the word and I do keep all my readers and their families in my prayers.  You are all very dear to me.  CFM:)

It's not Roman Catholic, but it's.....

"...a church to rival any monument in the history of Christendom....

Virtually the entire inside of the Yasenevo church is mosaic iconography in glittering glass and gold. There have been but a handful of churches decorated like this in all of history, and this church ranks fifth among them in area of mosaics....It is a vision of medieval splendor the likes of which have never before been seen in Russia, and only rarely in all the world...Astonishingly, this church, constructed in just seven years, had no major individual donors....the money came in small donations from ordinary people...800,000 donors in total.  Likewise, the astonishing mosaic work was not the work of a professional studio, but of students and amateurs..."

Its the newly consecrated (as of December 2015) Russian Orthodox "Church of the Protection of the Mother of God," in Yasenevo, Russia, the outskirts of Moscow.  The above words are dramatic, but seeing is believing.  It's dumbfounding. 

The exterior is appropriately painted white and bright blue, the colors Our Lady wore at Lourdes.  However, when approaching the entrance, it is Our Lord who occupies the center place of honor, with Our Lady to the left and Saint Joseph to the right.  Upon entering....well, let's just say that if someone drugged you in your sleep and you woke up in this church, you would think you died and went to Heaven.  It is amazing to me that this church was built in only 7 years....it takes me about that long to clean from one end of my house to the other. 

This incredible church also houses a crypt with replicas from the Holy Land....the Holy Sepulchre, Mary's Tomb and the Nativity site.  Around the outer foundation are war memorial crosses etched into stone.  Eerily, there is a memorial after WW II which has been left blank.

What a message of hope that the "Church of the Protection of the Mother of God" could be built in a capitol that once stood for brutal atheistic communism.  Our Holy Father Pope Francis met with the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill one week ago in an historic meeting, complete with a joint Declaration.  Let us pray that some time soon, we may see a full union with Rome....and perhaps this glorious church may indeed one day be transported to Heaven itself!

Read full article and SEE pictures!  Orthodox Arts Journal

And more:  Official Website

RIP Scalia / Saint Valentine's Day / Brave New World Order

We have just lost a great Supreme Court Justice. RIP Antonin Scalia...you are in our prayers. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.

Let's also keep the intention of chastity in our prayers today, in honor of Saint Valentine, priest and martyr. It is also the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Dear Saints of Holy Mother Church, pray for us!

Temperatures are frigid on Long Island this weekend. I'm always on the lookout for good preparedness tips and I learned one today on the News 12 site. They recommend keeping a "light drip" on your faucets to lessen the chance of pipes bursting from freezing water. They also recommend checking the pressure on your car tires...don't know why. So...my faucets are dripping and I'm sitting here in my hat. Could be worse...I pray for anyone stuck outside in this cold.

"But pray that your flight be not in the winter." ~Matthew 24:20

I wanted to do a quick comment on the News 12 article on Scalia.  Of course, I had to create an account to do this.  Not just a News 12 account, a Facebook account.  I don't have any social media accounts because I have a philosophical problem with them.  I thought, "Let me just go with this."  The first thing it wanted was a few points of personal info.  I abbreviated my name....no good...they're onto me.  Well, I'm onto them too.  All I want to do is make a little comment on a local website....and the Brave New World Order comes rushing in!  Forget it.  I turned back before it was too late.

That reminds me of the last time I filled up my gas tank.  It was on a stretch of road in East Northport, Long Island, fully lined with those "red light cameras."  I'm just getting gas and lo and behold....the Great Glowing Screen sits before me.  Flashing ads.  You just can't escape it.  (Please don't bring up the fact that I'm on a glowing screen right now.)  And have you noticed that the shopping card is now evolving into the mega-shopping card?  More and more connectedness and less and less privacy.  More and more dependence on the Infallible Electrical Grid. 

We must be awake.  Father Alfred Delp told us that.  And our Lord Himself told us that.  Also from Matthew, Chapter 24:

"Take heed that no man seduce you....And this gospel of the kingdom, shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then shall the consummation come.... And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved: but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened....And from the fig tree learn a parable: When the branch thereof is now tender, and the leaves come forth, you know that summer is nigh.  So you also, when you shall see all these things, know ye that it is nigh, even at the doors...Watch ye therefore, because ye know not what hour your Lord will come."

What do you see when you look around?  Be awake and aware.

Ash Wednesday...Its Lent!

Dear Friends...I'm busy today (the chiropractor, ashes, the Rosary, shopping...) and I know I need to do a post. There are a few I'm working on simultaneously and a few more that are bouncing around in my head. Lent is such a great time! So much to think about. For today, I'll just share a thought that came to me, that can become a continual Lenten meditation...

I asked Jesus today, "How are you on this Ash Wednesday?" Then I wondered to myself, "No really, I wonder how He feels looking down upon the world right now." And I thought of all the reasons for Him to be sad...or mad. I said to Him,"I wish You could look down on my little corner of the world and smile."

So maybe that's something we could all resolve to do this Lent...do one thing each day that will make God smile. I think that would be a Lent...and a life...well lived.

A holy and blessed Lent to all! :):):)

More Info on Tridentine Mass at USC

With a little research, I discovered that the Tridentine Mass at the University of Southern California this past Sunday was NOT the first. There was another held May 3, 2014. There is an old Facebook page and also a YouTube video of the entire Mass. The video states that the Mass was "student initiated" and assisted by various Latin Mass organizations in California. The music was performed by USC music students and was absolutely first rate!

There is an interesting page on the Our Savior Parish/Caruso Catholic Center's website, which explains the Catholic history at USC. A history which seems to have come full-circle. It states that USC possesses "one of the most influential Catholic constituencies in the country." USC is taking the lead in bringing back Catholic tradition in a bold and surprising way. Catholic universities: are you listening?

Month of the Passion of Our Lord

February is the month of the Passion of Our Lord (see prayer on Home Page). Here are some feasts and notes you may wish to keep in mind this month. Wishing all a Lent which brings you closer to Jesus!

2/2-Presentation of Our Lord/Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary/Candlemas

2/3-Saint Blaise/Blessing of Throats

2/7-Quinquagesima Sunday

2/9-Shrove Tuesday

2/10-Ash Wednesday-Fast & Abstinence (Fridays in Lent-abstinence, trad-all other days except Sunday are days of partial abstinence-meat at one meal)

2/11-Our Lady of Lourdes

2/14-Saint Valentine, Priest & Martyr

2/17-Ember Wednesday in Lent

2/19-Ember Friday in Lent

2/20-Ember Saturday in Lent/Blesseds Francisco & Jacinta Marto (Nomen Christi Apostolate is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima)

2/22-The Chair of Saint Peter at Antioch

2/29-Leap Day! (What will you do with this extra day?)

(this blog provides both old & new feasts)

Sexagesima Sunday....A Tridentine Mass at the U of Southern California???

I heard it through the grapevine....

No, you're not still dreaming and no one slipped LSD into your coffee. It's true. The University of Southern California's Caruso Catholic Center is celebrating a Solemn High Tridentine Mass today at 1:00 PM.

Don't ask me how or why this was arranged-I have very little info...but its pretty amazing-its not even a Catholic college! The Devil will be fuming from the Hollywood sign on the hill in the distance...a new, fresh generation of young people introduced to "that most beautiful of all things outside Heaven!" * Let us pray that the Caruso Center at Our Savior Parish will begin to raise up an army to face the moral degradation all around them, to pave the way for the resurrection of Christendom...and let's take back the exquisite land of California, which once was authentically Catholic.

The University of Southern California is just south of downtown Los Angeles and has one of the largest Catholic student populations...probably in the world-about 10,000 (roughly 25% of its population). Our Savior Parish ministers primarily to the students, but is open to the surrounding community as well.

There is no mention of the Tridentine Mass on the Caruso Center's website, but there is a Facebook page promoting it. If you would like to contact the Center to voice your support, their email is: info@catholictrojan.org . The Caruso Center also accepts donations.

So let's rejoice in this wonderful event in the midst of the time of Septuagesima and keep these dear young students in our prayers!

_* Quote by Fr. Frederick Faber (1814-1863)

Update on the Winter Wonderland....

A few days later and things are pretty much back to normal. Nothing but sunny days are forecasted for the next week....good. Not that I mind snow, I just mind too much of it.

We were fortunate to have not lost power during the storm, though we've gotten pretty used to it in recent years...even being without power for several days. Even as preppers, its not easy and it helps to have someone else to stay with. The power outages tend to be patchy when they happen, so if you have friends and family nearby, you may be in luck. Also, keep in mind that someone may have to stay with you at a moment's notice. That's probably my worst nightmare...depends who it is and how bad my house is that day.

One of our neighbors let us borrow his snowblower, which was a huge help. The stove decided to start working again and the plumber came yesterday to fix the water heater. So....I don't smell anymore, I'm glad I'm nice to my neighbors and I've learned the importance of keeping up with home maintenance and....checking the snowblower before the storm!

Septuagesima, etc....at "Catholic Answers".....

Someone over at "Catholic Answers" started a thread the other day on Septuagesima, which he called "Pre-Lent." Of course, I had to chime in with my 2 cents. And when the Ember and Rogation Days were mentioned...I got really excited. You can view the thread here. So far it has had 23 replies and 437 views.