I mentioned a number of novenas I’m currently praying. The one I’m always praying is the St. Rita novena. This is another reminder to send any intentions my way and they will be added in.
“This morning, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, condescended to come and dwell within me, and gave Himself to me!”
Any day that starts with those words is a good day for me.
In fact, any day above ground is a good day for me. But today was a special day in many other ways. First, though, it is Advent and Our Lord has seen fit to give me many opportunities for growth in holiness. I, unfortunately, being a notorious sinner, will probably bungle the whole thing. But here’s what we’ve got… I’ve got daily Mass (Deo Gratias!), my daily rosary (and He’s given me plenty of time in each day to get it done), the St. Andrew Christmas novena, my ongoing St. Rita novena (I am still praying for all of you!), an Immaculate Conception novena, and in a few days, a Guadalupe novena. Couple that with the fact that our parish priests have done such a good job of driving home the need to fast, sacrifice, and mortify more; and this Advent could be the best ever.
But this morning… I hopped out of bed at 6AM more cheerful than I am usually am. I went for my coffee (I take it black, thank you) and said the Angelus. Then I began with my morning prayers. I do this on my front porch with the aforementioned coffee (and usually a smoke). This morning it was a chilly 35 degrees – just like I like it and just perfect for the classic red union suit I wore under my PJ’s and robe. And THEN I went to Mass to celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew, who is my patron saint by way of my confirmation and so I bear his name (buried in the midst of a few others).
I spent most of the day running a few errands. I took my sister to the airport. She had been visiting for Thanksgiving. I spent the rest of a few gift cards I had for Lowes on a giant new tool for my workshop that I’ve had my eye on. Believe me, I’m not a carpenter but woodworking runs in my family and I have done a few projects that I think are kind of cool. With this baby, I will be doing a whole lot more.
Why is any of this important?
You might remember the reference in last night’s post to the Brazilian steakhouse. All of it – Mass, the new tools, lunch with my sister and kids? I was celebrating two of the most significant moments in my life.
Today is my twin sister’s birthday. The problem is that I don’t get to visit her these days. We live kind of far apart but we’ll always be close. It’s a twin thing. I asked another sister if she could pick up my birthday present for the twin and deliver it and she graciously agreed. It’s funny, but I’ve been getting her the same gift for years now. Every year it’s the same old thing. It’s a blanket. It’s my way of taking care of the earthly abode she will one day inhabit again.
Nice arrangementif I do say so myself.
OK, so for those who aren’t familiar, the above is called a grave blanket and they are ubiquitous in the Northeast this time of year. I don’t know if they are as common in other parts of the country but I have not see many outside of my homeland. She would have been 45 today and I think that’s just grand. It is my solemn duty to celebrate for her and I have never let her down on that front. Therefore, the party continues through the night.
But it also continues for another, equally significant reason. You see, 32 years after my twin was born, to the day (and three minutes earlier on that same day), my beautiful daughter was born. Today I can no longer say I have “children” in the proper sense as both of mine are now teenagers. But no matter how old she gets, she will always be my baby girl. I remember joking with my wife when we were expecting our daughter that one day my wife would come home to find me and the daughter watching Hallmark Christmas movies while drinking hot chocolate and eating candy. This, I figured, would be how I would bond with a daughter.
Well, here we are. As I write this, I’m back in my PJ’s. My daughter demanded it. Also, I don’t really have PJ’s. I’m a grown man; they’re lounge pants for sleeping in cold weather. Regardless, we’re nestled on the couch, the dog between us receiving the petting of both of us in an alternating pattern. I just put my hot chocolate down for a bit. On the screen? You guessed it. Kristin Chenowith in a Hallmark Christmas movie. The plots are ridiculously predictable and that’s OK. It was what the daughter wanted and for her birthday, I will comply.
By the way, all those prayers I was eager to pray earlier? It might just have to do a little something with wanting to make sure I stand a chance at getting to spend just one more birthday with my sister. I am three minutes older, but she lives in eternity now so that one’s going to be a little odd. Also, there’s a fun little fact about me buried in the post. I hope you spot it because my late father, the actuary, was truly impressed that I beat all probability with this one.
Word out today is that Antipope Bergoglio has reportedly told reporters that he will not answer the question of whether an unborn human child is a person because “it’s an unsettled question” or something like that. Someone online pointed out that the not always perfectly worded 1994 Catechism of the Catholic Church states exactly the opposite.
“How can he say such things in opposition to the Catechism?!” they say.
I ran this past a friend of mine who responded, “No matter. He’ll just change the Catechism.”
Touché
Folks, if you don’t get by now that this man who does everything he can to outright destroy the Catholic faith is NOT the actual Vicar of Christ then you probably never will.
St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, Old North End, Boston, MA (unrelated to post topic)
Anyone who’s ever worked with children, or taught children, or held a newborn, or truly observed a woman with child can tell you the truth. But if you insist on jumping backwards through mental, flaming hoops trying to square the circle that a heretic usurper is the one and only living pope, then 1) you will eventually go insane or lose your faith or both and 2) I can’t help you.
For everyone else, Cling to Our Lord, Who Is Truth.
Anticipating the Big Day
I’m just putting it out there, Brazilian steakhouses are amazing. I’ve been on the carnivore diet for the past two months. Incredible results. Some of you know that I took up weightlifting and conditioning hardcore after my second spinal fusion surgery a few years ago. I didn’t have a whole lot to lose but it was time for a shred phase as I had done a bulk over the summer. A restaurant where a team of waiters descend upon you with cuts of expertly cooked and cut meats is the perfect place to celebrate the vigil of a major feast. More on that tomorrow.
Here is your first penance for this penitential season. Brought to you by VII (and don’t try to tell me it wasn’t)… It’s already cued up to play at just the right moment but if for any reason it doesn’t play correctly, go to 6:55.
Friends, go to Mass. Fast, pray, give alms. Read the Scriptures. Live the Gospel. Remember that Our Lord is not a liar. He cannot be as He IS Truth. He will come again and we know not the day nor the hour; but He’s given us some pretty stellar clues so watch and pray. Pray your rosaries. Do NOT prance about a church sanctuary like Agnes DeMille on Xanax. It will do you no good and it just looks like you have a brain injury.
Today, Mrs. Harvey and I attended a wedding. We left our home last evening and flew (during the busiest travel period of the year and with inflation-jacked airfares) into Northern Virginia to celebrate as the daughter of good friends got married. Given the above details, you can tell we really like these people.
The only thing that was a little unusual about this wedding was that the groom is not Catholic and so there was no Mass. as I am a daily Mass-attendee, this meant that we would have to go somewhere else. So after landing and getting to our place and into bed by about 1:30 AM, we were back up at 5:30 to head off to a TLM in a gymnasium a half-hour away. But enough about the Arlington Diocese…
Today was the final day of the liturgical year. This, coupled with the wedding I was going to, made me think of the end of times. No, it’s not because I think of marriage as a death sentence – far from it. It is a great institution given to us by Christ and I love every minute of mine. It is because, as Fulton Sheen points out, Calvary is the wedding ceremony par excellence. At Calvary, Our Lord poured Himself out in the perfect act of love, from which, as Paul reminds us, all marriage takes its form. And Calvary must make us think of the Second Coming of Christ. How can one stand beneath His cross and not imagine His Precious Blood dripping down on us, saving us, and then remember that His cross is the throne of our judgment.
The Holy Family, stained glass, Holy Family Cathedral, Tulsa, OK
But what really got me thinking of the end times is this. I witnessed the Novus Ordo rite of marriage and began to think of how Satan and his minions have caused a mass apostasy in the true Church and how that is being manifest in the Synodal Gay Way. In particular, I thought of the number of bishops worldwide promoting a “gay marriage blessing”, AKA: sodo-pseudo-marriage.
Why on earth are they wasting their time and energy trying to craft and implement such a thing. They’ve already had it for fifty years and they’ve been testing it out on straight folks the whole time. I listened as the traditional vows were obliterated. No mention of obedience. Hell, they didn’t even mention cherishing at this one, just love and honor. No real mention of procreation. Remember, being open to children is the primary purpose of marriage (but what does that mean to “couples” who cannot reproduce because, you know, two wangs don’t make a right). No Ephesians 5. Instead we got “Love is patient…”. Good words, to be sure, but they refer to supernatural Charity and not romantic infatuation.
Marriage is serious stuff, folks. The Novie rite of marriage is anything but and it’s the rite I got married in so I get it.
Marriage joins a man and a woman for their sanctification. Husbands and wives need to live out their marriages with the eye on heaven for the other, helping each other grow in holiness. For what purpose? To get to Heaven!
Wives be submissive to your husbands. Husbands love your wives as Christ loves the Church. Get married. Make lots of babies. Get to Heaven. It’s not that complicated. What more can I say?
Last week, I wrote about my how teenage son purchased himself a single square foot of land in my ancestral homeland of Scotland for the express purpose of gaining the title “Lord” (or more properly, Laird) so that I would have to address him as such.
It was a fun and funny moment that reminds me of the great joy God has bestowed on me in making me head of a family. I get to see myself in another and he makes me laugh.
This evening, the mailman showed up in the midst of a bunch of work my son and I were doing outside. First, we are blessed to have an old-school mailman – one who knows us and chats with us every day as he makes his rounds. This man, about my age, was clearly raised to live by the same societal norms as I was – a strong work ethic, a friendly demeanor, and the recognition that all we do can be sanctifying if we do it for God. So the mailman showed up and handed me a box that was addressed to my son. I promptly handed it off to him.
Side note: the project we were working on… three years ago my wife bought me the plans to make a Nativity out of plywood. I made one and thought it was “neat”, never being much of a handyman or carpenter before. This city boy learned how to use a jigsaw to make intricate scrolling cuts. In the end it looked beautiful, humble, homemade, and festive. What I did not anticipate was that every year since my wife would pimp me out to make more and more of these thing. I have so far crafted about thirty of them, including the most recent twelve. She sells them on a local Catholic newsgroup. Hey, it is fun even if it is demanding work ripping through multiple sheets of plywood all day.
Back to the story… Son quickly took the box inside and promptly re-emerged to ask if I wanted to open one of my birthday presents early. It’s next week, by the way and I will be “old”. I begged off for a moment. I like to open gifts on the day and not before. But he insisted. So I tore the paper off of the gift.
Call me Lord.
Don’t you know, the my lad gave me the very same gift I laughed about last week. He bought me a square foot of Scotland. So I am now “Laird/Lord Harvey”. I do believe this is the first instance in recorded heraldry of a son bequeathing his title to his father.
I was saddened to read your post about the Catholic church in Buffalo, NY. This has been happening there for awhile, unfortunately.
I am a native of Syracuse, NY. Small world!
We live in Atlanta, Georgia, and joined our current parish this past January. While not a TLM parish, the new pastor is very reverent and slowly doing what he can to bring elements of it into our Masses. -This is a good step. Keep encouraging him to go all the way! There have been a handful of truly beautiful new Catholic church buildings constructed recently. The new Christendom College Chapel comes to mind. HM
Interestingly enough, our parish is a brand new church “building”, but the elements (pews, windows, high altar, candles, side altars, confessional, etc.) are all from St. Gerard’s church that was closed in Buffalo, NY.
Our parish tried to purchase the entire building, but the local community in Buffalo stopped it. Here is an article all about it:
St. Gerard church and rectory heading for saleMelinda MillerThe St. Gerard church and rectory on Buffalo’s East Side will soon have a new owner, as long as a State Supreme …
St. Gerard’s church building ended up being purchased for the purpose of being a mosque, which is horrible. I am glad the major elements were saved. The new church here is built to look just like St. Gerard’s.
Attached are pictures of what the sanctuary looks like here in GA (from Lent/Easter/All Souls):
Thanks for reading! Your post hit close to home in more ways than one!
God bless you,
A
Another reader sends this:
It’s a painful punishment. I’m a fan of beautiful old churches. We have a church still in use in Pittsburg but next to it the school has a big banner on it – Yeshiva School. Probably no one cares. Oh we care… – HM Lord have mercy on us.
S.
This kind of thing is not new since the asteroid hit in the 1960’s. On the one hand, we can be thankful that we have beautiful, old churches from which to draw pieces for our new churches. On the other hand, it is, as I remarked yesterday, another “fruit” of the Council that these churches are being closed.
Hic est Domus Dei et Porta Coeli. (Catholic Church in Georgia) Courtesy: reader A.
As for the number of them being sold to become “Islamic centers” or mosques… Here’s what I say.
Burn it down and salt the earth.
I would rather these properties meet that fate than that the altars on which Our Lord came down for the propitiation of our sins be desecrated like this. And for a mere pittance at that…
Today was the feast day of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Ss. Peter and Paul in Rome.
The blurb in the Missal states that these two basilicas were dedicated on the same day – November 18th, in the year 325, by Pope St. Sylvester I. 325! What struck me even more, though, were certain lines in the prayers of the Mass. Take a gander.
Collect:
O God, Who for us bring each year the recurrence of the consecration day of this Your holy temple, and always bring us back safely to the sacred rites, hear the prayers of Your people and grant that whoever enters this temple to pray for blessings, may rejoice in having obtained whatever he sought.
Preface for the Dedication of a church:
“It is truly right and just, proper and helpful toward salvation, that we always and everywhere give thanks to you, O Lord, holy Father, Almighty and eternal God, for you, the giver of all good gifts, inhabit this house of prayer which we have built, and unceasingly sanctify the Church which you founded.For your Church is the true house of prayer signified by these visible buildings, the temple where your glory dwells, the seat of unchangeable truth, the sanctuary of eternal charity. She is the ark which rescues us from the deluge of this world and brings us into the port of salvation.She is the one beloved Bride whom Christ acquired by his blood and quickens by his Holy Spirit. In her bosom we are born anew by your grace, nourished by the milk of the Word, strengthened by the bread of life, encouraged by your merciful aid. With the help of her Bridegroom she struggles faithfully on earth and, crowned by him, is triumphant forever in heaven. Therefore with the Angels and Archangels, the Thrones and Dominations, and all the militant hosts of heaven, we continuously praise your glory in song, and say…”
Catch that? The physical property, the building “which we have built” is the literal dwelling of God among us. He is present in the Tabernacle, He comes down on the altars contained therein, and He sanctifies these places so that we, like Noah and his kin, can be rescued, “snatched from the deluge of this world”, and will be carried safely to our actual home. These buildings should remind us of arks. They should be places of quiet prayer and sacrifice. They should not look like jagged spaceships. Don’t get me started on the demise of sacred art in the Catholic Church (another fruit of the Council). These places are “the house of God and the gate of heaven”. And we’re abandoning them and selling them to the Islamists.
Again I ask, will anyone remember what these places looked like when we have the means and opportunity to rebuild them for God? I shudder to think what will become of St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s Without the Walls in Rome.
Tonight I will go and spend time in my Lord’s house praying for His Church and simply being silent in His presence.
Keep sending me pictures of beautiful churches and artwork. I love to share them so we know we’re not alone.
O Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make our hearts like unto Thine!
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 