Farewell to 2024

• 
  Remember, the Christmas season has hardly begun. Traditionally, it continues until Candlemas Day on February 2nd. So keep the celebration going. If you have any family birthdays or other events, rejoice and enjoy them. Keep the tree and the creche up, the lights lit, the carols playing, and the feasts going! After the seasons of penance in the Church, the celebrations are always longer. And the Master of the House is Jesus Himself. Let us adore Him with praise and thanksgiving and keep the wedding feast of God's love for mankind in style!

•  I'm grateful to God to have made it through another year as I run, walk, limp, crawl, stumble through this valley of tears. 2024 had its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, its blessings and curses. Thank you, God for everything. As Fr. John Hardon, whose anniversary into eternal life was yesterday, often said nothing "just happens." All is God's will; all is His Providence.

Come, O Holy Spirit, Fill the Hearts of Your Faithful and Enkindle in Them the Fire of Thy Love!

My husband and I gave our priests worldly and otherworldly gifts for Christmas. The more important was our spiritual gift of the novena to the Holy Spirit which we plan to begin on New Year's Day. What a good way to begin a new year, we decided, by entreating the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and those of our spiritual guides. We expect that not only the priests will benefit from this gift, but we will too. Can you ever pray without being immersed in a pool of grace?

 This morning, during my prayer time, I read an excerpt from St. Claude de la Colombiere's 1674 notes from a retreat in Lyons. It confirmed for me the wisdom of choosing the Holy Spirit novena as a starting place for 2025. What better helper can we invoke as St. Claude writes; and what easier way to endure all things in peace and tranquility?:

Sunday Meditation: The Feast of the Holy Family

Murillo

Do you ever pray for your ancestors? Just think...without them you wouldn't be here. And are you a Catholic? Then you need to thank your ancestors for passing on the faith, unless you're a convert, of course, in which case you'll have others to thank. 

The Feast of the Holy Innocents should be the feast day for the aborted babies.

Herod lives! Every day he sends out his mobs to murder the little innocent ones. His soldiers are legion. They work for the federal and state governments. They wear white lab coats and turn hospitals and clinics into killing centers running with blood. They fill prescriptions for poisonous drugs. They run lobbies and pharmaceutical firms and teach in our schools perverting the minds and hearts of the innocents' brothers and sisters.

I can never see this feast arrive without thinking of all the millions of dead babies, spiritual siblings of the Holy Innocents. We need to do everything we can to spread the truth about abortion. It's a monstrous lie to call it "reproductive health care." It's a monstrous lie to pretend it makes women free." 

Random thoughts as the new year approaches.

• I pray a lot of novenas, sometimes for the needs of specific people and sometimes for specific intentions. Reflecting on this, I realized that I've never prayed a novena for myself. So two days ago I started a novena to my patron saint, Mary's mother Ann, for myself. It's not very specific -- I just want to be conformed to the will of God. If you've never prayed a novena for yourself why not make one. After all, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. Do we love ourselves enough to pray for ourselves. We certainly need it!

Reflecting on Family Trees and St. Stephen

A priest friend once told me, "There's no one deader than a dead priest." They have no descendants to pray for them and are soon forgotten. But the reality is that we are all "soon forgotten." I remember my grandparents on my dad's side, but I never knew my mom's adoptive parents and no one in our family knows anything at all about my mom's birth parents. My mom didn't even know she was adopted until after she was married. 

Wishing All Readers a Very Merry Christmas!

 

Santa will be kneeling at the manger tonight before his rounds!

 "Hail and bless the hour and moment that the Son of God was born to the pure Virgin Mary at midnight in Bethlehem in the piercing cold."

O King of All Nations, O Emmanuel, God with us: Let us pray for the Social Reign of Jesus Christ!

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:

come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:

come to save us, Lord our God!

“The dethronement of God on earth is a crime, to which we must never become resigned. Let us never cease to protest against it.” – Cardinal Pie [1815-1880]

Sunday Meditation: Gratitude, Hospitality, and Regenerative Repentance

St. Augustine says that gratitude to God is the beginning of faith. Are we grateful in these  last days of Advent? What a blessing to fill the manger with straws of gratitude softening and overflowing and making ready the rough bed for the infant Savior.

 Beginning in the days before Thanksgiving, my husband and I started filling Santa's sleigh with gratitude messages to deliver to the Holy Family in the stable at Bethlehem. Before a rosary lunch I held in November and before Thanksgiving dinner, we invited our guests, from the littlest on up, to write notes of gratitude to God in thanksgiving for all his gifts. That little sleigh full of thanks will grace our kitchen table throughout the Christmas season. I love to sit there and pull out reminders of the many gifts God gives us. And to add still more love notes. Praise be to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

Wish I could make a trip to the Bay Area of California to visit this extravaganza of light and faith!

Deacon’s Award-Winning Christmas Display Shares the Light of Christ Far and Wide

This seems appropriate for the O Antiphon today that begins "O Radiant Dawn." Enjoy!

How do you tell a true prophet from a false prophet? Look at Medjugorje!

An infallible way to determine whether God inspires a prophetic message doesn't take a degree in rocket science. Look at the results. A prophet tells people something will happen. Does it? Plenty of "visionaries" predict outcomes that fail to occur. Obviously their failures identify them as false prophets and their visions as either illusions or frauds. They may not necessarily be liars; they could be exhibiting an overactive imagination or even be misled by evil spirits. Or perhaps they simply love attention and their claims give them fifteen minutes of fame. But if their prophecies don't occur, they definitely aren't prophets!

O Key of David...Free the Prisoners!

 

In many ways we are all prisoners in this valley of tears. Only death can free us.

O Root of Jesse's Stem: A Heartwarming Story for Christmas from Fr. Gordon MacRae

 

Many people this time of year make the first ornaments to adorn the tree symbols of Jesus' family. Mary came from the house of David, as did the spouse chosen for her, St. Joseph, so King David is a prominent feature. Even before Jesus' birth, God emphasized the importance of family by calling Joseph to his ancestral village, Bethlehem. Symbols of the patriarchs beginning with Adam often go on the Christmas tree first. "O Root of Jesse's Stem," come and deliver us! 

Come and Redeem Us, Lord!

O Adonai!

The O Antiiphons Begin. Don't Miss the Richness of these Final Days of Advent!

 

Fill Your Stocking with Solutions to Our Problems...

 ...but will anyone listen?

Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, gave a talk at Hillsdale College in October that was featured in the October Imprimis titled "Populist Conservatism and Constitutional Order." What I particularly appreciated about the piece, was the fact that it wasn't simply a long lament about our problems. Roberts offered practical solutions that could set the United States back on a constitutional path.

Before you read Roberts' article, meet him. He's a Catholic and former president of Wyoming Catholic College where he led the school to reject the federal dollar. You can learn more about him at the Kevin Roberts Show podcast.

From the "It's About Time" and "Ya Just Gotta Laugh" files!

Get out the shredder!

Gaudete Sunday yesterday reminds us to rejoice that our salvation is near. That's the big news and a source of spiritual joy beyond compare. But what a double helping of joy also to see the headlines below in the secular media. 

So many in the mainstream media are godless cheerleaders for horrendous moral evils. They work for the murder of the innocent little ones in the womb and justify the murder and suicide of the sick and elderly. They enable the mutilation of gender confused minors and embrace sodomy as "marriage". They promote adoption of innocent children by those engaged in perversion. It is, indeed, a source of joy to see people turning them off, whatever their reasons. One can only hope and pray those who opted out will stay away, especially the youthful demographic. Really! Don't these headlines make you smile?

Gaudete Sunday: Rejoice and Be Glad...

 ....Your salvation is at hand!

The Dangers of Sending More Arms to Ukraine (Part 2)

I ran the first part of Bob Marshall's article on the situation in Ukraine yesterday. This is the second installment. When you consider the Biden administration's refusal to protect our borders, it's incomprehensible that they have funneled billions into a country most Americans couldn't find on the map. This is a Biden-instigated war as Marshall points out, one that has resulted in decimating the young, male population of Ukraine while the p***s-piano-playing Zelensky rakes in the dollars to go who knows where -- offshore accounts perhaps? 

The Majority of Americans and Ukrainians Want a Negotiated Peace

Biden, Harris, and the war machine don't! 

Bob Marshall has two excellent articles on this that are well worth reading. I'm posting the beginning of part 1 and a link and will post the beginning and a link to part 2 tomorrow. If you're impatient you can read them both now. When you consider how much money has been funneled to Ukraine with almost no accountability for where it's gone and that we have U.S. military now actively engaged in the attacks on Russia, it's horrifying. Biden seems to desire his legacy to be a hot war with Russia and her allies. Can we even win such a war? We all better be praying the rosary for peace because if there is a World War III and some say we are already in it, the U.S. will no doubt see missile attacks on our shores. 

By Electing Trump, American Voters Say They Want a Ukraine Peace Deal (Part 1)

by Bob Marshall

The Queen of Advent, Our Lady of Guadalupe

What does Holy Mother Church give us halfway through Advent? The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of America. What a gift! 

Do you know the story? 

On December 9, 1531 which was then the feast day of the Immaculate Conception, Mary appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico City and asked him to take a message to the bishop to build her a shrine there. The bishop asked for sign. In response, Mary gathered roses and arranged them in Juan Diego's tilma and told him to take them to the bishop.

When Juan Diego opened it before the bishops, the roses fell to the floor revealing the miraculous image imprinted there by heaven's power. 

What a gift and reminder Mary's feast is in the middle of Advent. She calls us in this holy season to prayer and penance. "Am I not here?" Mary asks us and "Am I not your mother?" 

Who are the real domestic terrorists and radical hate groups?

Is this the face of domestic terrorism?

Sometimes Satan is exposed as the liar and murderer he is. Sadly, that exposure often comes from those whom he uses to do his dirty work.

After the murder of United Healthcare CEO, Brian Thompson tens of thousands of Satan's sidekicks began dancing on Thompson's dead body and rejoicing over the evil done to him.  

"Within seconds of the news breaking, people online began celebrating. A Facebook post by UnitedHealthcare about the CEO's passing was met with over 23,000 laughing emojis before it was taken down. "Health insurance companies are parasites siphoning blood money from the sick, dying and injured,” one user posted. “I'm only surprised it hasn't happened sooner.” [Source from one who was among those celebrating]

 What kind of people do that? And why?

Fr. Collins: Sloppy Morality Results when the Hierarchy Fails to Teach Clearly!

Editor's Note: I had to look up the definition of "lacunae." It is certainly not a word one hears or uses every day. Lacunae indicate deficiencies or gaps in something. There are certainly many deficiencies these days in the teaching (or non-teaching) the faithful receive about Eucharistic devotion. Fr. Collins points out many of them and his article invites serious reflection on our own treatment of the Holy Eucharist. Every one of us can contribute to the Eucharistic revival by the way we treat Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Are we among those chatting in Church or do we come dressed like we're going to the beach? Let us all examine our consciences and consider how we can give a more reverent example and witness when we are in the real presence of Jesus, our King and Lord! And a big thank you to Fr. Collins for another wonderful article. You can check out others by going to his page linked on the side bar.

LACUNAE IN THE EUCHARISTIC YEAR

by Fr. Tom Collins

During Challenging Times, "Manage Your Mindset."

May we never listen to the voices in our head that urge us to "Despair and die!"

I can never get through The Epoch Times without finding articles I want to clip and save or send to friends or just re-read and meditate on. Yesterday an article from an early November issue (I'm always behind!) caught my eye. Titled Managing Your Mindset, it reminded me that "No matter what life brings to your doorstep, you can choose your attitude and reactions." Spot on and a lesson that's good for me. 

Being a melancholic, I tend to get caught up in negative feelings and can easily begin hanging black crepe in the home of mind for a major pity party. I've been fighting that temptation most of my life and still have to flee the uninvited gloom and doom guests who invade my mental space and urge me to "Despair and die."

Sunday Meditation: We're Making the Total Consecration to Mary Today!

My husband and I have been preparing to make the total consecration to Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. I made it years ago, so this is a reconsecration for me. 

During the past 33 days leading up to the consecration we read the method, wrote out the consecration, and will make it today after Mass. 

The fastest way to Jesus is through Mary. Aren't we called to imitate Jesus? Didn't He come to us through Mary? To deny Mary's role in salvation is an act of hubris.

 Protestants will tell you they don't need Mary because they go directly to Jesus. But what if Jesus wants them to come to Him like little infants in the arms of His mother?Didn't He come to us that way, carried in the womb and then in the arms of Mary? How can anyone think that ignoring and disrespecting His mother pleases Jesus?

Of History and Record Keeping!

One of my readers took issue with my post about COVID following the one about 1 Corinthians 13: "Love does not keep a record of wrongs." He claimed they were contradictory. I didn't post his comment which was a dissertation that included a few insults which isn't untypical. (Thanks be to God, he's good for my humility and often gives me a laugh). At any rate, he obviously felt like he was scoring a big hit. Gotcha! You're keeping a record of wrongs against Fauci and company. (And Trump whom he always calls President Warp-Speed. We happen to agree on that particular criticism of Trump.) At any rate I shook my head and laughed over his latest nonsense. 

Time Out from Blogging for Family Visiting!

What a busy week! We left Monday morning to visit family in Wheeling. What a whirlwind! We stayed with my husband's brother and his wife and visited there Monday evening. (My sister-in-law and I got creamed at euchre by our gloating husbands.) We saw the lovely Christmas decorations at Ogleby Park's lodge on Tuesday midday. The ballroom was set up like a wedding reception for an employee luncheon, a practice they repeat every month!

Never Forget what the COVID Liars Did to Us!

One of my favorite bloggers is Dympna at Dymphna's Road. She is filled with common sense which isn't so common these days. Her Thanksgiving Day post described a dinner out with her mom who suffered the brainwashing of the COVID liars and still wears a mask in public. 

It made me think of the lady I saw at Costco on Tuesday in a mask. I shake my head thinking of people breathing in and recycling their own germs while they deprive themselves of fresh air. Really? Those masks are useless! I still have the mask I bought that said exactly that. Whenever I was forced to wear a mask, e.g. at the hospital, I wore it. And I never got anything but a thumbs up.

Sunday Meditation: Love Does Not Keep a Record of Wrongs!

I'm still meditating on 1 Corinthians 13. One of the elements that especially challenges me is, "Love does not keep a record of wrongs." It's easier to forgive than to forget.  And how often past memories invade the present and tempt one to rehash a wrong, fan it into flames, and form it into a grudge as weighty as the Washington Monument. 

I recently read an article in The Epoch Times, The Garden of Eden and Our Regression by James Sale. What a powerful piece! Sale begins with this: