Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad

I just read my friend Andrew Dunn’s substack article. Please check that out.

https://andrewdunn1.substack.com/p/holy-week-has-begun-so-take-the-week?publication_id=3471620&post_id=192568500&isFreemail=true&r=2gdth5&triedRedirect=true

Here’s something that immediately caught my eye.

“How has your Lent been? Mine could have been a lot better and the fact that it was sub-par is totally on me.”

How true in my case! My fasting could have been better. I know, I did the bread fast. However there were a few occasions where I gave in and ate other food due to a guest visiting or some such lame excuse. Also, I was out of town most of last week and it’s kind of hard to fast when one is on the road. Another lame excuse on my part, I know.

Enter Holy Week. I have mentioned before that my understanding is that in the early Church, the strict fast for Lent was practiced by catechumens and public penitents. The entire church joined in during Holy Week.

So I will use this gift from God to enter into that strict fast and make a final push to the end. I am doing this because I need to do this. I am doing this to suffer with Our Lord and Our Lady. I am doing this to atone for my sins. I am doing this to renounce the things of the world. I am doing this to punish my body. And yes, I am doing this for the benefits – spiritual, mental, and physical. I have read the numerous collects for ember days and for all of the days during Lent. Remeber the Preface for Lent? “[…Who by this bodily fast] dost lift our minds, curb our vices, strength and rewards bestow.”

And I am doing this for the friend I mentioned recently. Please keep him in your prayers.

That being said, please also keep me in your prayers (and my son who’s idea this really was). It won’t be easy, but for the grace of Almighty God. And I do believe that Grace is “on offer“ in the greatest abundance during this holiest of weeks.

Yes, I’m talking about a true fast. No food from now until after the Vigil.

Fortunately, for me, Miss Ann Barnhardt offered a very useful tip, not long ago on her podcast which I will link to below.

Check out this “recipe” from her show notes.

My KCl just arrived. Bring on the electrolytes. It’s what plants crave. Some of you will get that reference.

A blessed Holy Week to you all!

Holy Week is upon us.

I would like to offer this brief reflection. I am paraphrasing here and – my apologies, but I cannot recall if I heard this from the late Bishop Williamson or from Fr. Mawdsley – but consider this.

“If the sight of Our Crucified Lord does not move you, can you not look upon this woman and shed bitter tears for her anguish? Did she deserve this?”

This perfect creature of God – she who became daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse of the Holy Ghost – radiant in her humility… This magnificent and most loving mother endured her Son’s Passion. Was it fair? Can you not feel sorrow for her and realize that it was you who caused this? I crucified her Son a dozen times today by indifference, malice, unbecoming speech, etc. I MUST look to her more and more and beg her to let me stand with her at the foot of His cross in every Holy Mass.

When He asked her at Cana, “Woman, what to me and to thee?” this is what He knew would happen. And she still said, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Loving Mother, wrap me in thy mantle. Pour out the Precious Blood of thy Son on me. Obtain for me the grace to perfectly do His will. Let me suffer with thee and with Him!

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for me.

A dear friend just received a devastating diagnosis. Please, if you read this, could you spare even a single Hail Mary? If you could spare a rosary, that would be better. If you have it in you to spare your Holy Week in prayer and fasting for a man you’ve likely never met but who’s wife and 8 children desperately need a miracle soon, well, I couldn’t ask more of you. His name is Brian.

Stay confessed…

And thank you!

One of my little side quests in life of late has been to capture images of all the American Airlines heritage livery airplanes. I recently snapped this:

Trans World Airlines, AKA: TWA. Admittedly not the greatest shot but it’s still cool to see the livery of an airline that went under 25 years ago getting ready to take to the skies once again.

Unfortunately for aviation geeks like me, American did not absorb such greats as Eastern, Pan Am, or even the iconic “little guys” like People Express or New Yor Air. I loved that red fuselage with the apple on the vertical stabilizer.

Flying home from a work trip yesterday, I encountered a little problem. My suitcase was very obviously over the fifty pound weight limit. That means I would be paying as much as a $200 overage fee. What to do? I had to bring my gear back. Well, I stopped on my way to the airport and purchased a smaller carry on suitcase. Even still, the big case was still over. Do I have a scale? No. But I’ve lifted enough weights to know the difference between fifty pounds and seventy-five pounds. Walking into the terminal I said a little prayer to my guardian angel.

“Friend, can you maybe lift up on the suitcase a little when I put iron the scale?”

Guess what the total weight was….

If you said just under fifty, you’d be correct.

That angel… Always willing to help out.

For more safe travels.

Thank you!

Reposting from one year ago. I still have to formulate my intentions.