A friend who is associated with the Missionaries of Charity shared some confirmed dire news this evening. God forgive me if I am violating any confidences (though I did ask if I could share this information and was told that prayers are indeed needed). Below is from a priest in the Holy Land.
“Urgent The situation inside Gaza is dire. The parish compound is filled with Muslims and Christians. No electricity and very little water. They were told to evacuate but with handicapped patients of MC sisters and all the roads bombed, they cannot leave. They are just praying to die together. I have told the MCs to help shelter the migrant workers and students still inside Gaza. Please pray for them”
Mother Teresa had a particular fondness for the Memorare, that most beautiful prayer of St. Bernard. She often called it her “spiritual machine gun”. Please pray many Memorares for the Sisters and for all those in this terrible situation.
The old jingle says that the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup (or whatever coffee you have on hand, I’m not a snob). But have they considered that the hardest part of waking up is getting out of bed to get that coffee?
My new glasses came in today. I order my glasses online. It’s cheaper. Considering I only wear them at night and occasionally when I want to rest my eyes from the contacts, this makes more sense. The place I get them lets me add what they call engraving to the stems. I think it’s actually a decal but it does the trick.
This is what I opted for:
Mk. 8:22-25
Here. Go look it up. For a blind man like me, it’s a no-brainer.
I like his presentation here, especially the second part where he walks through the ancient Offertory prayers line by line. I sent this to a friend who is somewhat hostile to the TLM out of some sense of perceived animosity on the part of trads towards those who attend the Novus Ordo. First, the friend really liked, appreciated, and most of all, understood the video. Second, as much as I think it’s a red herring most of the time that this charge is leveled against so many of us; I do think we ought to be careful with individuals we may know who attend Novus Ordo Mass. I am fully aware that I went to that Mass for 40 years until I discovered Tradition. God’s grace is certainly marvelous that He brought me to where I am and there are many faithful Catholics attending the Novus Ordo who would be open to Tradition if only they knew about it. Anyway, here is Father’s presentation.
A friend texted me this evening and asked, “Are you ready for the Global Day of Jihad?”
If by ready, you mean that I’ve got my Sacred and Immaculate Heart flags flying over my little quarter acre, I’m praying the rosary, I’ll be at early Latin Mass, and I’m cognizant of the fact that God chose me to live in these times, then yes. I am ready.
Friday October 13.
Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun.
God bless us all and Our Lady keep us close to her Immaculate Heart and under her mantle of protection!
Today we celebrated a most beautiful feast – the Feast of the Divine Maternity of the Virgin Mary. I was blessed to attend a sung Mass for the feast. Everything was perfect! I realize how blessed I am to have what I have right now. Here below, an excerpt from Pius XI’s encyclical letter Lux Veritatis in which he instituted the feast for the universal Church in 1931:
But there is another matter, Venerable Brethren, which We think We should recall in regard to Mary’s office of Maternity, something which is sweeter and more pleasing; namely that she, because she brought forth the Redeemer of mankind, is also in a manner the most tender mother of us all, whom Christ our Lord deigned to have as His brothers (Romans viii. 29). As Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, says: “Such a one God has given as one to whom by the very fact that He chose her as the Mother of His only begotten Son, He clearly gave the feelings of a mother, breathing nothing but love and pardon-such did Jesus Christ show her to be, by His own action, when He spontaneously chose to be under her, and submit to her as a son to a mother; such did He declare her to be, when, from the Cross, He committed all mankind, in the person of His disciple John, to her care and protection; and as such, lastly, she gave herself, when embracing with a great heart, this heritage of immense labour from her dying Son, she began at once to fulfil all a mother’s duties to us all.” (Encyclical Letter Octobri mense adveniente. September 21, 1892.) From this it comes that we are all drawn to her by a powerful attraction, that we may confidently entrust to her all things that are ours-namely our joys, if we are gladdened; our troubles, if we are in anguish; our hopes, if we are striving to reach at length to better things. From this it comes that if more difficult times fall upon the Church; if faith fail, if charity have grown cold, if private and public morals take a turn for the worse; if any danger be hanging over the Catholic name and civil society, we all take refuge with her, imploring heavenly aid. From this it comes lastly that in the supreme crisis of death, when no other hope is given, no other help, we lift up to her our tearful eyes and our trembling hands, praying through her for pardon from her Son, and for eternal happiness in heaven.
This letter was written for the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus. But isn’t it funny how it applies to us here and now? Charity has grown cold. Faith has failed. And dangers are surely hanging over the Church.
Turn to her and do it now. Pray your rosary every day and pray it with a childlike love and trust. Love your mother for she certainly loves you.
Mater Bonii Consilii, Ora pro nobis!
I also find it odd how this feast didn’t make the cut when the post-conciliar calendar was adopted. Why on earth would anyone want to gut a feast honoring the motherhood of the Blessed Virgin? It’s almost like someone was trying to denigrate the dignity of mothers or something. Who can say?
I know this. My own dear mother, my dear mother-in-law who is like a mother to me, and of course my beautiful wife, mother of our children, are all tremendous gifts to me from God. They have all in their own way imitated the beauty of the Blessed Mother and been shining examples of the greatest of dignity. And they have inspired in me greatest devotion to them.
May God bless us and may Our Lady, His most precious Mother, recommend us to Her Divine Son.
As in that’s literally what I’m doing. We had some work done in our back yard toward the end of summer and I’ve just planted rye grass in order to keep all that expensive dirt that was trucked in to fix a drainage problem from eroding away. This stuff will probably spring up before the Texas weather takes its typical atypical Fall turn and the weather renders my sprinkler moot. Then I can move on to watching paint dry. Meanwhile here’s this:
Folks, I got off all that social media nonsense a while ago. Sorry but I'm not on Twitbook, Facepalm, YouHu, WingWang or any of the others. Maybe an event will happen to make me change my mind like Peter and Paul coming down with flaming swords and commanding it be so. Until then, read the blog and if you feel a comment is in order or you feel like sharing a tip or suggestion for a topic, email me at harvey@harveymillican.com.
Harvey Millican's Blog: Musings of a Trad Dad 